Adelaide, for her part, had her best Christmas yet. This year she was old enough to understand the countdown, and we all know the anticipation is the best part. She loved the "how many days until Christmas" discussion. Correspondingly, this year she also understood that we celebrate for a reason, and she talked a lot about Jesus' birthday party, in her own way ("when I'm dead, March 2 will still be my birthday"). Most adorably, on Christmas morning, with every single present she opened, she said, "Oh, this is exactly what I've always wanted" with sheer excitement. I am certain all Christmases will not run as smoothly or be filled with as much happiness as this one, so I hope I remember this one down the line!
The day after Christmas was her first day skiing (apart from the trail-side stuff she tried last season). It was a blast. She rode the little kiddy carpet 3 times with me, then "I'll go by myself this time," and within a few hours she was ready for the chair lift. Completely fearless and thrilled to be out in the cold, she laughed at the wind blowing in her face and shrieked with delight when she got to go "really fast." Tonight she put together a puzzle with a photo of a little skier and said, "this person looks like a really good skier ... so it's probably me." I couldn't imagine a more successful first mountain experience! We can't wait until Miles can join us too!
