Christmas Day went much better this year than last, because Kelley really got into the presents, not only the enthusiastic opening of them but playing with them as she went along.

She has come so far in a year: concepts, motor skills, language, the whole shebang. She's a different person. No, she *is* a person, not just an infant or toddler. And we love her to death.

She enjoyed the train we set up, running it herself, and having fun watching it go around, and carry her little things away and then bring them back. She loved all the holiday lights, both inside our house and through the neighborhood every night on the way home from daycare.

On Christmas morning she went wide-eyed at all the presents. She happened to open a very soft-furred bear from Alaska first and hugged it for quite a while, until she went after something else that tempted her with bright paper and bows (or stars, as she called them). Amongst her new toys she gave special attention to an animal hospital kit, a coloring book, toys horses, a Little People airplane, and of course her new kitchen.

If you want to see her fun, check out her Flickr page or wait for Shelley's edited videos.




A little girl enjoys the magic of Christmas.