Nine years ago Issac and I had just met at the grocery store near my house and had fallen in love almost instantly. I remember that first Christmas we spent time with our families and had planned on seeing each other the next day but could not stand being apart for that long so he drove up to New Braunfels Christmas night after my sisters had gone to bed, met my Dad for the first time, and took me out to eat at IHOP at 11pm. It was perfect and is a Christmas I will always cherish. This was our 10th Christmas spent together and I am happy to say that it was easily the best Christmas yet. Not because of the gifts or the food but because of the time we were able to spend together and the traditions we were able to carry on with that are a direct result of our relationship and our marriage.
2013 was both a wonderful and difficult at the same time. We were afforded so many blessings and were able to create so many beautiful memories but also also dealt with some major hardships and difficulties along the way. This year I think the thing I am most thankful for is the fact that I still have my grandparents around after almost losing both of them this year. I have always known that they will not be around forever but I think their health issues this year truly made me realize that we never know when our last phone call or visit will be which has made me appreciate them in a way I don't think I ever did before.
This year I have worked very hard on my photography and have come a really long way. I took a few classes, read a lot of books, and learned how to use the manual setting on my camera in addition to perfecting my use of Photoshop Elements which is the software I own and use for my editing. For our Christmas photos this year I took Emma out to a place called Southern Jeweled in Iowa Park, rented out a couple of their Christmas sets ups, and took Emma's Christmas photos myself.
I love how they turned out!
Christmas morning at the Ohnheiser house.
Initially I had told myself that I would keep Christmas a little smaller this year and focus on several "Big" gifts and that would be it. Our daughter has a major case of only child syndrome and has more toys than any kid I have ever met so I was hoping to keep things a little smaller in order to save some space because her playroom is already full and her bedroom is on its way. Of course I failed miserably and she ended up with a ton of stuff both big and small. Emma really enjoys doll houses and play sets so this year I decided to go big or go home and bought her the biggest Barbie house that Mattel makes. The house is more than 3ft tall and came fully furnished with 50+ pieces. Have I mentioned that the Barbie houses played with by today's children put the Barbie houses we had as kids to shame? This house has a working elevator, working lights (Even the refrigerator light comes on when you open it), a flat screen that makes a "Swooosh" sound and slowly rises out of the mantel with the touch of a button, a working bathroom, doorbell, you name it, it does it. I would have killed for a house like this when I was her age.
Emma loves playing outside and had been asking us for a scooter ever since Talon and Austyn got one about two months ago so on Christmas morning we made sure she had a little pink Radio Flyer scooter set up in front of the tree. She was so happy and has played with it every day since. I think we also need to invest in a good space heater so that we can sit in our garage and stay warm while our daughter plays in the frigid temperatures that for some reason do not seem to phase her. Issac and I do NOT do cold weather so being outside with her every day during the middle of Winter truly is a labor of love!
Another one of the "Big" gifts on her list was a Nabi Tab II which is the tablet she is looking at in this photo. Nabi is a tablet made by Android that is designed specifically for children ages 4+. Upon opening the tablet I was disappointed at some of the pre-loaded games. Not only were a few of them completely inappropriate for a small child but most of them had nothing to do with learning. Thankfully it has something called "Mommy mode" on it so I was able to remove all of the content I was unhappy with and was able to add games and activities that were age appropriate and centered around learning. It really is a very good tablet though (once you get rid of the bad content). She has a Disney Jr. app that allows her to watch episodes from her favorite shows in addition to writing activities, coloring, phonics, Bible based music, books, and games, music downloads from her favorite Disney movies, children's books, memory and matching games, music games that actually teach her how to read music, and much, much more. The tablet has thousands and thousands of downloads and apps available and can do anything a normal tablet would do. Nabi Mode is set up specifically for her with most content blocked but through Mommy Mode you can surf the web, watch Netflix, Skype, use Facebook, use Nook, etc... This is really going to make the six hour drives to and from San Antonio so much easier because the blue ray player in my car only keeps her entertained about about two hours at a time. Now she has something interactive right at her fingertips that will hopefully keep her entertained for most of the trip, praise God.
Another very special gift was the little blue plush penguin you see her hugging in he photo below. When Emma was three months old we took a trip to Ft. Fisher, NC and visited the aquarium where Issac bought her a little pink and white penguin that he named Lucy. It was the last little gift he bought her before he deployed to Afghanistan for seven months. Emma has been attached to Lucy 24/7 ever since. When we bought Lucy I removed the tag she had because it was a choking hazard. Before removing the tag I did not think to look and see who made the toy just in case we ever needed to replace her- which thankfully we have not. Finally after searching and searching I discovered that Lucy is made by Fiesta toys and can be purchased on Amazon. In addition to finding out the name of the manufacturer I also discovered that she is available in three colors. I knew Emma would love giving Lucy a friend so for Christmas we bought her the blue version of Lucy, aka Lucy's brother. So cute! Upon waking up on Christmas morning Emma came out of her bedroom, saw Lucy's brother from across the room, and immediately picked him up and gave him a big bear hug. She didn't even pay attention to the massive house next to her because she was so excited about her new friend. That was probably the sweetest moment all morning and one that I will remember forever. Emma has since named Lucy's brother (who for some reason she says is a girl), Ricky and has started sleeping with him, playing with him, and dressing him up just like she does with Lucy.
Our little girl's spoiling did not end with us. Granddaddy and family bought her a particularly cool toy that she had been asking for called a Plasma Car. It is basically a really smooth scooter that you move by turning the steering wheel back and forth. She has her feet on the ground in the photo below because she was waiting for Talon to come back and race but your feet actually go on the scooter and are not required to make it move as the car is propelled forward by simply moving the wheel back and forth. The plasma car is fast and turns on a dime so you can speed up and then do a 360 degree turn with a simple twist of the wheel. They are big enough for adults to ride so Issac and I have both taken it for a spin a few times which was very fun. Not going to lie... I kind of want one for myself.
We hope all of our friends and family back home had a very merry CHRISTmas. We miss all of you especially during the holidays and are looking forward to seeing everyone in February when we come down to San Antonio and Indianola for a few weeks.
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