Happy Hanukkah!

In mid-December, it was time for Hanukkah, eight glorious days of candle-lighting and presents. Even though this wasn't the first time that Dahlia celebrated Hanukkah, it was the first time that she really appreciated what was happening.

On the first night, she was surprised to receive a present...


and her parents learned just how many twisties come on a package, the importance of pre-assembling gifts, and that they should start presents MUCH earlier in the night. After much giddiness and impatient supervising on the speed of assembly, Dahlia got to play with her new train set.

Dahlia was very excited about how fast the trains went down the hill...



She was quite happy to add Thomas and Percy to her collection. They proceeded to join her at both bathtime and bedtime that evening (which commenced significantly later than usual):

The next day (after getting her Hanukkah haircut), Dahlia posed with her new trains...

...but it was soon time to light the candles for the second night:

Dahlia lit the menorah under the very watchful eyes of her parents:

Then it was time to open another present:

A Hanukkah sticker book and puzzle! Dahlia wasted no time in putting them to good use:

After reading the book and doing the puzzle (and undoing one of her pigtails), it was time to spin a dreidel or seven:

By the third night, Dahlia started to ask about presents as soon as dinner ended. Dahlia was very pleased that the present bonanza continued the following night:

A xylophone for the bathtub! Dahlia tried it out right away. She's a natural:

On the fourth night, Dahlia started to hunt through closets trying to figure out where the presents were hidden. Another night, another great gift! This one was a "Hanukkah bugs" pop-up book:

And so it continued each night.

A very happy little girl shows off her Elmo ensemble (shirt and watch):

That night Dahlia received a beautiful book and a "Where The Wild Things Are" puzzle which quickly became one of her favorites:

Toward the end of the holiday, Dahlia's day care hosted a Hanukkah party. The highlight of the party was the talent show. Dahlia's class "sang" an old favorite: "I have a little dreidel." Like most of the other kids in her class, Dahlia just stared blankly at the crowd even though she had been serenading her parents with the song for weeks. After her performance, Dahlia was very happy to find her mommy:

She scurried home after the performance to see what other presents might await. Another puzzle! It looks like Dahlia's fan club really knows what she likes!

And just like that, Hanukkah was over. On the eighth and final night, Dahlia and her dad lit the menorah...

...and Dahlia opened up her last few presents. At first, Dahlia was puzzled at why she was receiving such tiny clothing. Then, she realized that her baby doll added a few things to her wardrobe:

Time for a fashion show, Baby Doll:

Baby Doll was so excited about her new clothes that she even wore them to sleep:

After Baby Doll went to sleep, it was time for the grand finale. Dahlia was extremely excited to receive her very own shopping cart:

She proceeded to take a tour of the house, loading an assortment of her favorite things:

Dahlia put on her Hanukkah headband (and her fake tattoo armband) and pushed the shopping cart all over the place. Why oh why did Hanukkah have to end?

Happy Hanukkah and thanks for all of the great gifts, everybody!