Almost Christmas....

Is Christmas really this week? Where has this year gone? The McGrath house has been busy as always, working, playing and having fun.

Ashlyn is amazing us every single day. She is so funny and cracks us up every day. Her language is exploding and she's probably the smartest kid ever! She can count to 10 and say her ABC's all by herself. The things she remembers are amazing. She needs to know where everyone is at all times. She still asks about Kourtney and Melody almost every day. She wants to know where Macy, Bailey, Grammy and Grandpa are too. Every time the phone rings she says, "I talk, I talk, I talk to Grammy!" The other day in the car driving out to get our tree she just started saying over and over "I like Papa G, I like Grandma G, I like Papa G, I like Grandma G!" She talks about her friends and teachers from school. Friday she told me "Sull-y-ban got his hair cut today Mommy!" "Ash-l-yn get her hair cut?" and I told her that No Ashlyn is not getting her haircut any time soon but asked if Sullivan's haircut looked good. "Yeah Mommy, Sull-y-ban hair look good!". The other night she saw Jered's empty Gatorade bottle sitting on the table and she said "That's Bo-byn's bottle Daddy, that's Bo-byn's". Her teach Robyn, almost always drinks water out of a Gatorade bottle. She repeats everything! Yesterday Jered was bugging me and she asked "What 'appened Mommy?" and I told her Daddy was being annoying. So she kept saying over and over, "Daddy annoying!" She was still saying it this morning. He was only a little irritated with me!
She is very independent. We hear a lot of "Ashlyn do it! Ashlyn do it!" and "Ashlyn's turn." She doesn't like to ride in the cart anymore at the grocery store. "I walk, I walk." When she wants me to pick her up "Mommy hold you?" When we're in the car and she's tired of being in her carseat she either tells me "Mommy I stuck" as she's pulling the straps or I hear "Mommy sit on my lap?" which means she wants to sit on my lap.
Ashlyn is in awe of the Christmas tree. We got it the other night, Jered strung the lights and we decorated it together. She wants to touch every ornament! She loves the "Chris-a-mis lights" Daddy put up outside too. Everytime we drive by a house with lights up she says "I see Chris-a-mis lights! I see Chris-a-mis lights!"

I finished all of our Christmas cards last night so hopefully most of you will receive yours in the mail this week, before Christmas. For our Canadian family members you have pictures coming but I wasn't able to get them this week. I'll pick them up the weekend of Christmas and get them in the mail asap! Jered is also working on another dvd for you too!

I braved the shoppers this weekend. Saturday was definitely worse than Sunday. I really do not like shopping! I was able to finish almost everyone on our list though. Jered was home working on the red car so he got a free pass on the shopping. Although with as many picture texts I sent him, he might as well have come along! We've only got a couple gifts left to buy, phew! I love giving gifts to others, especially when its something that person really wanted or really likes but the shopping part gets me. Ugh! I hate shopping, but more than the shopping, I hate the crowds and the rude people and the traffic.

I'm looking forward to Christmas! I have to work Christmas Eve but hope to be off early. Then its a whole weekend Christmas extravaganza. We'll spend Christmas Eve with Grandma and Grandpa G (Glady and Floyd) then Christmas day at Aunt Jean's of course! Mom and I are planning to shop the day after with one of my cousins possibly coming along for the madness. Then its back to work for the next week. New Years is my holiday so I'm working 11pm-11am. But that weekend Mom, Eddie, Keith and the girls will be coming up so we can have our Christmas with Bailey and Macy. I'm planning to make a prime rib for our dinner. This will be my first time ever making a prime rib but a friend gave me a recipe that is apparently fool proof! I'll let you know how that goes :o)