Before getting dressed for the party, Mallory wrapped her gift for the friend whose name she had drawn.
The kids had a great time together.
There were toys and babies everywhere. It was fun to sit back and watch them all interact. They have all grown and changed so much since we all met a year ago.
She can get her Cheerios out by herself without spilling the entire bowl. There are still a few lost souls but Samson is always at the ready to dispose of any evidence of a mess.
Mallory greatly appreciates Samson's help and rewards him with a few more Cheerios. She is great at sharing her food with him, both intentionally and unintentionally.
During this meal, Mallory also practiced using her fork and spoon by herself for the first time. As long as you help her get food on the utensils, she's pretty good at getting it into her mouth on her own.
Here Mom was not getting food ready fast enough.
Mallory was not particularly fond of all the picture taking while she was trying to enjoy her steak dinner.
Mallory anxiously awaited their arrival.
Ava (a month younger than Mally) and Mallory play quite nicely with each other. Their interests are very similar - chewing on toys, standing, crawling, and of course ...
taking time outs for cheerios. Poor Amy could not get the cheerios out of the bag fast enough.
Addison (about 3.5 months younger than Mally) sat back, relaxed and watched the other two busy-bodies. What a fun afternoon it was.
Mally's kisses are especially welcoming after a long day of work and daycare. Here she plants a big one on Dad.
Normally she is very kind and loving with the doll, giving lots of hugs and kisses.
But, on occassion Mallory likes to practice her wrestling moves on the poor baby thanks to Dad and Uncle Tom, who, during our most recent trip to Lutsen, peaked Mallory's interest in the WWE. Here she does the ankle choke hold ...
and here comes the body slam. 
She carefully inspects her toys.
And is quite curious about shapes, sizes, and of course, tastes.
At times her attention span is amazing.
Mallory does her best Michael Jordan as she focuses on one of her toys. 
She's always good for a laugh while playing, and ...
she always brings a smile to the faces of those around.
Here Mallory shares a hug with her baby as she poses for a photo.
She's certainly not shy of the camera and isn't afraid of a close up.
Mallory and Mom with one last picture before taking a semi-frozen Samson back to the nice warm house.
Here are the two sledding champions talking about how next year they won't lose to a 10 year old girl.
Back at the house, Nancy was nice enough to let Mallory borrow the laundry basket, which soon became her favorite toy.
She spent hours climbing in and out, in and out.
And most importantly, Mallory has mastered the one must-do up in Lutsen: relaxing.
Adding to the fun, Mother Nature dumped about 6 inches of snow overnight. While it slowed down the sledding hill a bit, it certainly added to the atmosphere.
Mallory got all bundled up in her snowsuit and even got her own sled for the contest.
Mallory and Mom with Tom, enjoying his favorite season.
And here is Mallory giving a nice smile to Nancy, who is buried somewhere beneath 5 layers of clothes.
Here she is listening to her dad's pep talk about the upcoming Insight Bowl. He is preparing her for a lifetime of losses in 3rd tier bowl games.
Mallory was eager to show off her climbing skills to Tom and Nancy. However...
She wasn't always in perfect balance while perched atop the box. Notice how Samson looks on but offers no assistance.
After hearing for months about Nancy's famous lemon chicken, Mallory is eager to try it on herself. 
Mallory had to show off her snowman outfit one last time to her grandparents.
She traded in the snowman suit for the traditional stocking cap for a picture with all four grandparents.
Mallory even got to hang out with Uncle E.
One last family photo to wrap up her first Christmas. She was quite the trooper throughout and we look forward to celebrating many more Christmases with her.
Mallory got to get some special rides in her box before opening presents.
And more fun with the bows on her present. She was also pretty excited about the new stocking that Nana made her.
Here she is taking Dad's new bike for a test drive.
She is looking forward to cruising around Plymouth behind Dad once the weather gets warmer.
Mallory was more interested in the ribbons and bows than the presents themselves.
Here she is showing Samson the correct way to open a present, starting with the bow.
The one present she was definitely excited about was her new play cube. She took to this one instantly, as you can tell.
Luckily this was towards the end, as it was tough to get her to focus on any other presents after this. I would have to say that Christmas Eve with the Held's was a success!
