This year we were really excited because Morgan is at an age where she is really starting to understand Christmas, Santa, and presents. She was so excited about Santa Day; it was all we had heard about all week long. We were also excited because this would be the first trip up to Phoenix when Morgan could bring her wheelchair to get around. My dad and JoAnne bought a portable ramp for their house to make it accessible for Morgan. She did a great job driving through their house and up and down the ramp. I think she made it the whole weekend without leaving any major damage. :)
Morgan wanted to test out the ramp before all the kids arrived, so she and her Pa and Daddy decided to take a walk.
A few minutes later Morgan's cousins arrived. She was so excited to see Lindsey and Caity.
Here is Morgan and all the kids making their ornaments. This year Morgan made a light bulb ornament. The kids then had to write on the back what they were blessed with this Christmas and hang their ornaments on the wreathe. Morgan said she was blessed with an amazing family and group of friends.
Here she is putting the ornament on the wreathe.After making their ornaments it was time to get ready for Santa to visit. All the kids headed out to the backyard to get ready. Part of the tradition is that JoAnne plays the guitar and all the kids sing "Jingle Bells" to get Santa to come. This year my niece Caity is learning to play the clarinet and has learned to play "Jingle Bells" so she was going to join in. It also happens that "Jingle Bells" is the one Christmas song that Morgan has been learning how to sing. We have these bells hanging on the door to our laundry room and any time she hears them ring she will say "Jingle all the way". It is really cute. So anyway, JoAnne found a bell for Morgan and gave it to her to ring during the song. Morgan was so mesmerized by JoAnne's guitar that she wasn't ringing her bell. That is until she spotted Santa. Once she spotted him she went crazy! She was beside herself with excitement. It was so adorable to see. Santa went right over to her to say hi.
Santa stopped right in front of Morgan and said hi. He asked her if she had been a good girl to which she of course replied "yes."
After patiently waiting to sit on Santa's lap it was finally Morgan's turn. When Santa asked Morgan what she wanted for Christmas she said without any hesitation a "real pony." Yes, that's right, she wants a REAL pony!After Santa left we had a fun ornament exchange and then all the guests left and just the immediate family stuck around to hang out for the evening. Morgan had a great time hanging out with her cousins, especially her newest cousin Tyler (my step-brother Nolan and his wife Sarah's son). Morgan loved Tyler and kept asking to hold him and rock him.
That night Caity and Lindsey spent the night so they could hang out with Morgan in the morning and be there for our early Christmas celebration. Morgan of course was up bright and early so Caity came in and played with her. Caity is such a great big cousin, she takes really good care of her little cousin. Morgan loved getting to play baby dolls and Barbies with her cousins. She even got her daddy and Pa involved.
After playing for a while and having a big breakfast we sat down to open gifts. Morgan's cousins made her some very special Christmas cards. Her Aunt Jen, Uncle Mark, Caity, and Lindsey gave her a really neat LeapFrog game called scribble and write. It goes through all the letters of the alphabet and explains how to write the letter. It then has dots that light up on a screen for you to trace to form the letters. It is so great for Morgan; she has been playing with it all day.
Morgan got Caity and Lindsey the cozies from Justice that they had been wanting. They were very excited to put them on.
Nanny and Pa gave Morgan three new books. One is a really neat photo album with pictures of Morgan from birth to now. The other two books are LeapFrog Tag Junior books...hmm I hope she is getting a Tag Junior for Christmas. :)Shortly after that it was already time for us to head back to Tucson. Morgan was very sad to leave. She adores hanging out with her Nanny and Pa. We have already heard her ask several times to go back to see them. It was a great weekened.
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