Christmas 2007

Christmas with a 2 year old is very....busy! It started out on the 23rd with the Christiansons, the 24th with me cooking dinner for my in laws side and to church to sing, the 25th out at Ray with my side of the family. Throw in there no naps, too rich of food and waaaaay too much stimulation for a 2 year old's sensory system. Each day was filled with opening gifts-which Parker likes to do-but he is also at the stage where he wants to sit and play with what he got, not move onto the next gift as fast as possible. It would take all day to open that stuff if we let it. Which next year, I vote we do. I may stay in my pajamas until noon or longer! It was all just a little too hectic.

But amongst all the chaos, there are the perfect moments that make Christmas memories so special. We did get to actually see Santa stuffing our stockings. We heard the "ginkle balls" on the door jingle and big boots stomping off snow downstairs...Barrett, Parker and I had just finished reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and we all crept downstairs to see the big guy stuffing our stockings full of presents! Parker was so intrigued. He did manage to stay quiet the whole time staring in amazement! He watched as Santa ate the cookies and drank his milk and take the carrots for Comet...and he heard him exclaim "Merry Christmas to All and to All a Goodnight!" Then Parker questioned..."Papa?" We couldn't believe that he may have actually recognized that voice? We may not be able to fool him next year. We all tiptoed back upstairs and to bed...It was so precious!

Next Christmas-we will have a 3 year old and a 10 month old? CRAZY!! Parker walked at 10 months which totally freaks me out this time around-having 2 kids into everything.

Christmas favorites this year:

Spending time with all our family, the good food, seeing excitement in a child's eyes, singing Silent Night by candlelight at church, looking at the Christmas tree lit up Christmas Eve, driving around looking at lights on people's houses, seeing how Parker rearranged the Nativity scene daily, getting my golf membership for next year from my wonderful husband who realized on his own that mommy still deserves time alone!

after all the gifts-the kid likes the cardboard house daddy built for him!

the Daddle-which is a saddle for dads to wear like a backpack and the kids get a horsey ride around the house, complete with stirrups and saddle horn. (Notice how it is NOT called a maddle-I carried him for 40 weeks, I am not crawling around on my hands and knees with this thing strapped to my back!) This is a gift only a childless uncle would buy for his only nephew-thanks Blake! http://www.daddle.com/ Barrett actually has given a few rides but I can hear his knees popping over the complaining..."daddy's wrists hurt, daddy's knees hurt, etc..."

Papa Don got Parker his very own pair of hockey skates-Grandma Janet supplied all the Bronco gear. We took him to open family skating over the holiday weekend and he absolutely loved being on the ice and at the hooooockey arena. (I spell it that way so you can "hear" him say it. Anything with an "o" in it that sounds like "ah" gets drug out extra long when he talks. Like "hooooot" and "hoooockey"). He was Bambi on Ice but still had a smile on his face! We put his skates on and he walked around the locker room on the mats just fine, sat down and could get back up all by himself, but wow, when he got on the ice it was legs everywhere! It wasn't until we had to leave that he threw the tantrum and gave us the big tear show...along with refusing to take off the helmet!

Smashing the gingerbread house at Grandma Audrey's...can you believe she paid $25 bucks for this work of art and then let the grandson's beat it to pieces! Yeah, I guess you can, can't you? That's Grandma...