Exploring

We spent Christmas Day with my parents this year.  We did the usual present opening and chicken and noodle eating, but my favorite activities from our Christmas day this year involved kayaking and exploring.  One of the things I love about my parents is their willingness to do whatever Aria wants.  Although that means some serious spoiling sometimes, it also means they will follow her imagination wherever it leads.  On Christmas day it lead to fishing for golf balls from cardboard kayaks. 

Notice everyone is wearing hats.  We also all had to don hats, turn out all the lights except for the Christmas tree and our flashlights, and go exploring.  Aria got some Wild Animal Baby videos for Christmas and they go exploring so I'm sure that is why we did.  We went all over the house looking for various things in our hats.  We often had to switch hats as we went.

The best hat of the night and my mom's vote for the best picture from Christmas is...

...the bunny ear book light hat.  And I even got permission to post this!  He is a truly awesome dad!  I also have a lovely goofy face picture from this awesome dad, but I'll save him that one.

We do a lot of random things at our own house in our daily life.  Aria's imagination is a lot of fun and it is great to let her lead activities.  I think it was even more fun to let her come up with things to do at Grandma and Papa's house because they have different stuff and different places to explore.  I just had a blast spending quality family time.

Here are some of the present opening pictures...

Opening the present from Aria

Doctoring the moose

She's all set

Let me look in your eye, Papa!  (He's pretty brave.)

I included this picture because the cup Aria is holding is her absolute favorite.  Remember what I said about cool stuff at Grandma and Papa's house?

Hello CJ

And, it is a rare experience for me to say I can regularly beat Justin in a game, but this one is right up my alley.