Christmas Morning

On Christmas morning, Daddy headed upstairs first to ensure that Santa had come. Once verified, he gave Rory the "all clear".
Indeed, Santa had eaten three of Rory's cookies, leaving a few crumbs. The reindeers left a few uneaten carrots.
Santa and Rudolph had also left their hand/paw prints and signatures for Rory!
Rory was pretty excited by the huge stash of gifts that Santa and Rudolph had left for her and her family.
Here, you can see the full glory of the Christmas morning. We were still opening presents till well into the afternoon!
Among the many wonderful gifts that Rory received was this little baby doll that she promptly used to show off her "big sister" skills.
The singing Elmo was a huge hit. Rory gave Elmo a big hug ...
... and he responded by telling her a long story.
Rory was very excited to finally have some one-on-one quality time with Elmo.
Later, Rory was able release some energy on her new drum set.
Rory had a lot of help opening her gifts from her Aunt Chelle and Grandma.
Rory's Uncle Bryan and Aunt Ashleigh were also a big part of our Christmas.
Allen, however, played it cool in the corner, eyeing his new Wii accessories. An assassin in waiting?
Mike taught Rory a few tricks.
Jenny shows off her new feather earings.
Later, Rory helped Jenny and Chelle in the kitchen.
Who knew that Rory's signature dish would be winter squash?

Christmas Poses

It has become a Christmas tradition to capture a few shots of Rory posing in front of the Christmas tree. Here are last year's shots.

Hannukkah

While at Grandma's house, Rory also celebrated Hannukkah, with her Uncle Allen leading the prayers and Grandma supplying seven nights of gifts.
The Jewish Mommy also participated in the Hannukkah celebration, but she also enjoyed some much needed rest ...
... thanks to Grandma getting up each morning with Rory so that they could enjoy breakfast together!

Christmas Eve

Again this Christmas, Rory guided her parents over the hills and through the woods to Grandma's house ...
... where she promptly took over the kitchen so that she could bake Santa some cookies!
Here, Rory poses with Mommy, Grandma, and Aunt Chelle.
Here, Mommy poses with the Christmas Cookie that she and Rory made (and Chelle and Jenny giggle in the background).
The gang gathers for a group shot while Rory enjoys the cookies that she baked.

"It's a Girl!"

Until now, we haven't officially "blogged" about our biggest news of the season, waiting until we had made sure to tell all of our friends and family in person. Sarah is pregnant and due in May. Rory will have a little sister, and I will be the proud papa of two daughters! During both sonogram appointments, the little one put on quite a show for us, twirling and dancing and kicking. She already looks like she will have Rory's height and energy. We asked the technician to write the gender on a note card so that we could open it with Rory. We were going to wait till my birthday (the next day), but we just couldn't wait. We are, of course, very excited and all the more ready to close on our new home and move in. Rory will get a "big kid" room of her own, and pass along her furniture set, nursery accessories, and her clothes to her little sister.

Rocknocerous, Holiday Concert

Once again, Rory proved herself a devoted Rocknocerous fan, taking her parents to their holiday concert.
Seriously, Daddy had a fun time dancing with his little groupie, until ...
Rory abandoned her Daddy to appear on stage with lead singer Coach Cotton to help him decorate his Christmas tree!
The betrayal was rectified when Rory offered her Daddy a peace offering.

Christmas at the Conservatory

Christmas has arrived to DC. To celebrate, Rory and Mommy took a trip to the U.S. Botanic Gardens, which were decorated for the holidays.
Rory found a friend.
The highlight of the trip were all of the miniature trains.

Scottish Parade 2008

What are these kids waiting for?
The Scots on parade!
Later, the kids relax in the cheap seats.