Then we came home and she opened her first Hanukkah gift since it was the first night of Hanukkah. We got her a game similar to the Sneaky Squirrel game she played at Abba and Grandma Pat's only this one has a pug and bones that you try to collect. She picks up on the rules of the game really quickly and is such a good sport if she spins the wheel and it results in losing her turn or losing bones. She actually kind of smiles about it when those things happen. I think she enjoys the game play more than winning. An attitude I hope she'll keep for life, because she'll be the happier for it.
Speaking of Hanukkah, on the third night, Seth and I went to see a play and we left Evie at Granna's house and then Granna took her back to our place to put her to bed. Evie told Granna that it was time to do the lights and she set out the right number of candles in the menorah, told Granna which one to light and how to light them and even made an attempt at singing the prayers during the lighting. Then Granna, not having done Hanukkah before, said it was time to blow out the candles and Evie said, "No! You don't blow them out!" which was something we'd been sure to instruct Evie the two nights before. I was so impressed when I heard this story because Evie's had only seen the whole Hanukkah candle-lighting event for the two previous nights and it sounds like she understood the whole ceremony to it already.
Evie has been enjoying the Christmas tree very much. She really loved helping to decorate it, and this week we finished hanging the special ornaments on the tree. Every morning she comes out and turns the tree on and will take down this one ornament that is a miniature version of a clock toy we have that can wind up and make music, and she'll sit on the floor playing with it and looking up at the tree lights. She told me this year that she likes the star the best.
We also got her Christmas pictures taken this week. She's kind of at the point where if you just tell her to smile for the camera she does an over-done cheesy grin with no real joy behind it and the photographer was just shooting away at those pictures. I finally got her to engage Evie in real conversation and play and she snapped one good one out of the whole bunch. We'll be going somewhere different for her birthday pictures next year, but I do love this one.
I admit that in the three or four years before Evie was born, I was kind of over Christmas. I didn't like the commercialism, the emphasis on shopping, the over-the-top ads and hearing obnoxious Christmas music everywhere. I may also have been influenced to not like Christmas so much because in 2007 my Grandaddy died on Dec. 3 and in 2008 my Pappaw died the day after Christmas so it kind of had some sad memories for me. But sharing the traditions of the season with Evie has really brought me around again. I see it fresh in her eyes, the magic and wonder of seeing the lights in the neighborhoods at night, sharing hot chocolates while Christmas shopping, seeing reindeer and snowmen all over the stores, decorating the Christmas tree and doing the Advent wreath every Sunday, watching Christmas movies... Something about introducing all those things to Evie, who is really comprehending so much of it this year and finding it all so wonderful, has made me much happier to participate in the events of the season.
I am sad that this week with our girl is short because we will be going to Oregon without her. I didn't say anything last week because I didn't want anyone to just be finding out through this blog (and if that is the case, I apologize), but Seth's grandmother, Gram, passed away on Friday. We'll be in Oregon for the burial and service and we thought about taking Evie with us, but decided not to for a variety of reasons. We didn't want to explain death quite this soon, we didn't want to have to try to entertain her while grieving and going through things at the house, we didn't want to try to travel with her during the late flights we were able to get and have her miss school, and we knew she'd have much more fun staying home with Granna and Grannadaddy. So while we will miss her, I know she'll be in good hands and happy. I am so grateful for the relationship she has with my parents and for their willingness to help us out as much as they do.
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