Christmas etc.

Christmas was good!  Last year, we brought Carson home on Christmas day.  It was a simple, yet perfect Christmas spent in the NICU.  It will always be one of my best memories because it involved no gifts, few decorations, just family.  I can't believe that was just a short year ago!  Now, instead of two teeny infants I have 2 rambunctious one year olds who could really get into stuff.  The only downside to Christmas this year was that all four of us felt bad.  Emilynn is still battling her ear infection and both babies have bad coughs.  No one wanted to nap on Christmas day, although Mommy desperately wanted one.  Anyway, Santa came and brought both babies an outfit, jammies, a new bath towel, a VT sweatshirt, a movie, a Fisher-Price mailbox, cars & trucks, books,a few other small toys and Carson got a Little Tikes shopping cart, Emmy got a doll stroller.  We gave them each a Fisher Price puppy that you use to learn body parts and Carson got a Lil' Zoomers race track, Emmy got a Little People doll house.  It was a lot of fun seeing them play with stuff and what each baby seemed to like the best.  I am amazed at how they've grown...Emilynn loves the doll house and flushes the toilet over and over.  She thinks it's funny because it makes noise.  Carson loves a Fisher Price gumball machine and he knows how to work it-he and I both clap each time he pushes the correct button to make a gumball come out (they are fake of course).  I will say that it has been a bit overwhelming with all the birthday and Christmas gifts at once.  I am very grateful for all of them, I'm just trying to put them away and organize them so the babies enjoy them all.  If they are all in a big pile they can't really get to them and don't know what to play with first and pieces get lost, etc.  I might be a touch OCD but I like to keep all the pieces together and organized.  I know, hard to believe I would say that...but it's true.   Oh, one of their favorite things is the Step 2 Doorway Playhouse Dustin & I gave them for their birthday.  Google it to see how cute it is!  They love it and play with it a lot.  They go back down the hall throughout the day to play with it and every child that has been here since we got it-no matter the age- loves it!  It's definitely worth the money and it is basically a "kiddie" door that fits into their doorway.  It makes their room like a big playhouse.  It has a working doorbell also which Carson LOVES to push.  A LOT!  You may want to leave the batteries out of that if you are easily annoyed, luckily I am not!  LOL>  What else did we get for Christmas from friends and family?  They each got a Little Tikes ridey-toy...Emmy's is the traditional beep-beep Cozy Coupe car, Carson's is a pick up truck which he loves.  Carson got a John Deere pedal tractor, Emmy got a Little Tikes kitchen.  They got a Laugh & Learn barn door which they loved-they can crawl in and out of it.  Lots of Little People stuff-which is funny.  Dustin says "It's the little people" in a real funny way.   Isn't it funny the sayings and phrases you come up with at home?  That other people would think you're nuts if they heard you?  They also got clothes, jammies, Carson got a workbench, Emmy a tea set, ornaments.....an activity table.  A lot of stuff.  The bigger items will probably be outside once it's warm-the ride ons, etc.  They got a lot of things they can kind of grow into, so that is nice since they won't really get gifts again till a year from now.  The only thing we plan to buy for them next year as far as toys go is a sandbox in the springtime. 
On another note, Dustin and I have decided they are hibernating till spring.  Seriously.  They have been fighting colds for over 3 weeks now and I am so tired of us all being sick.  I'm tired of hearing the coughing - it's pitiful.  It's been a pattern since fall- we get well, we go out, we get sick.  We have done that monthly since Sept.  It's really hard when they are sick because they just want to be held, they are cranky, and you just want to make them feel better.  I feel as though I'm constantly dispensing medicine, luckily they love it but still.  We are going to try to keep them at home as much as possible.  It's hard for me because I love taking them places-going to church as a family, out to eat, just anywhere.  I had hoped to get 1 year pics done this week, Carson a haircut (I don't mind postponing that one....not my idea!), and a trip to the Children's Museum.  We aren't doing any of that now...but that's okay.  I'll trade it for health.  I did want 1 year pics but I'll get over it.  We didn't get hospital pictures either and I'm okay with that.  Such as life....plans change.  So, we are home bound for quite a while.  Home's a good place to be though!