Christmas, 9 months...and some football!

What a month December was!  We planned to celebrate the majority of the holiday weekends at home in Austin - we wanted to enjoy our home, our baby, and we were hosting my family here for actual Christmas.

And THEN, those Cedar Hill Longhorns kept on winning!  Scott had planned to be hunting a few weekends, so Addison and I went to several of the playoff games in support of Uncle Brady!  It was a BLAST, and she loves football - she's definitely got some Mills in her!  She routinely took a nap during the first half, then woke up and joined in the cheering during the second half!  I love it - starting her out right!

As a side note, I'm so proud of my brother and the leader that he is for the kids he works with.  I love watching him, and if I'm this proud of his accomplishments, I can't imagine how I'll feel when Addison begins to accomplish "real" things.

So, Scott, Addison and I travelled to Dallas to cheer on the Longhorns in the state championship the weekend before Christmas.  They lost, but they gave Katy a run for their money - which, if you were at CH when I was, the fact that they were playing on Dec 22, in Jerry-world, holding their own against Katy....well, that's pretty much a victory.  They had a great run.
 
 Then, we all drove BACK to Austin to prepare for Christmas.  We went to church Christmas Eve, where Addison came into "big church" for the first time.  She LOVED it - she singled out each person that walked by, or was sitting anywhere in our vicinity, and made eye contact/waved/squealed until she got their attention.  She loves making new friends, and it is so sweet.  Per our family tradition, Scott, read The Night Before Christmas to Addison for the first time (my dad read it to us every year).  My dad went to bed about 10pm, while the rest of us stayed up until 2am....wrapping, making final preparations, cooking (I made Grandma Struby's coffee cake for Christmas morning - I tell you, those Strubys have some good recipes!) and generally enjoying each other's company.  Dad said he was taking advantage of not being the "adult supervision" anymore.

Speaking of that, I love watching my parents transition into the grandparent role.  My dad especially is just a big, mushy pile of love when she's around.  He hovers around waiting for "permission" to get her out of bed and volunteers to change diapers.  Most importantly, he - in true Clint Bond fashion - is always teaching her.  They play and play and play, but he is always explaining, showing her something new, or even just introducing her to new games.  I love it.  Sometimes we get so caught up in normal life - just taking care of her, playing with the same toys, telling her the same things, etc.  That's what grandparents are for - to mix it up and have fun!!!  I truly believe that the role of "grandparent" brings out the absolute best in people.  

Addison has been a very good girl this year, so of course, Santa came to visit!  (But I'm having new mom guilt about not getting a pic of Addison in Santa's lap for her first Christmas.  I know she won't remember, but I do!)  Opening gifts was an all-day event, since every piece of wrapping and tissue paper was interesting before we even got to the excitement of an actual present.  We had to break for naps, feeding, etc. which gave us time to really relax and enjoy the day!  Her favorite gifts this year were a remote control, a baby doll from her great great Aunt Doris (she constantly kisses her!), and a musical set of shakers, tambourines, etc from her cousins.  We also gave her a baby-sized chair that she is still learning to navigate.

After the tree came down, Addison decided the world was her playground...she is EVERYWHERE, and she is FAST!  It's a good thing Christmas happened when it did - she was a little easier to corral until just about a week ago.  She is pulling up on everything and gaining some confidence and balance. It won't be too long before she's walking!  She still adores Deacon....and he still tolerates her.  Everything is still "dadadada" (which Scott encourages), though there is an occasional "ba" or, when crying, "mamama".  She is still a full-fledged Daddy's Girl, and he wouldn't have it any other way.  Neither would I.

I hope your Christmas was wonderful, too!