It is wonderful to enjoy the holiday season with a two year old! Today on our way to pick Ethan up at work, Esme and I saw several houses decorated with Christmas lights. Esme was excited by EVERY strand of lights, no matter how small. She was wowed every house we saw, and kept shouting, "Let's see more!"

We went to Kohl's this year and found some great buys. I have been searching everywhere for a boy Cabbage Patch Kid for Dylan and they are very hard to find! Toys R Us had all girls, Target had all girls, and Kohls had all girls except for ONE boy! Dylan James will be Daddy to Daniel Calvin. And he was even on sale. A couple weeks ago I'd told Esme that she could pick out a toy to buy for a little girl who might not get many toys this Christmas, and today she found what she considered the perfect one. It was a lavendar plush My Little Pony (also on sale whoo hoo) and we're going to donate it to Toys for Tots this weekend.

Today we started the Advent calendar Edwina and Wolfgang got Esme. She really loves it because it has a baby on it, so even though she's only 2, it's been a good opportunity for my to talk to her about Jesus being a baby. It's a cute, but not too cute, manger scene. Behind every door is a one line of the story. Tonight before she goes to bed she'll get to tear the first link off her Christmas chain.

Christmas with a child is much different than Christmas as just a couple. The fun things we want to do are all oriented around Esme, and the gifts were are most excited to give usually have parts designed not to be choking hazards. This year she speaks well enough to give us her interpretations on everything, and to make requests, and to express her delight.

I asked her what she was going to tell Santa she would like for Christmas and she thought about it for a really long time and then answered seriously, "A toy." She had to think really seriously again when I asked her what kind of toy she wanted, but of course the answer was, "Elmo!"