Christmas 2011

Dear John,

It has been a wonderful, if a bit over stimulating, Christmas for you.


On Christmas Eve, we went over to the Robinson's and you got to open presents and play with Andrew and your sister, almost completely unsupervised as the adults sat around the dining room and let you kids just play in Andrew's room.

After dinner at the Robinson's, I put you to bed at home and your dad and I got ready for Christmas morning.

Your sister asked for Christmas cards, so your dad and I made some for you, too.  I also got your big gifts ready and put your stocking and smaller gifts in a nice pile for you.

 

 

 

The next morning, Christmas morning, your dad got up, got me up, and then we waited.  After a while, I went into your room, rubbed your back and said, "Merry Christmas!  Would you like to get up and open presents?"

Your response was to bury your head into your teddy bear.

Almost a half hour later, you stumbled into the playroom, looked at your gifts and said, "I wan' sum'n eeeeat!"

Happily, your stocking had many somethings, and once you were properly sugared up, your mood improved significantly.

You opened presents very slowly and methodically.  You would open one gift and play for quite a bit before even looking at your others.  You were to last one done opening presents.

Your big gifts were a parking garage like the one at Nana's house and a big mac truck hotwheels carrier.  Your "three under the tree" were a set of Imaginext airplanes to go with the aircraft carrier your Uncle Jon got you, a Leapster (which used to belong to your sister), and a set of plastic Robot matryoshkas (Russian nesting dolls).

You also got to open the last Advent present... Baby Jesus.  As soon as you opened him you asked, "Where Mary and Joseph is?" so you and your sister put Baby Jesus with the rest of the Nativity.

Your dad's big gift was a Kindle Fire and my big gift (other than your dad's "old" Kindle) was a massive Lego set.

After presents, we went to have lunch with Abigail, Emelia and Sean.

You and Sean played together for possibly the first time.  All of our other visits had been when you were young enough to be a "baby" and stay closer to me and not wander off playing with the "big kids."  It was funny to see you and Sean negotiating your friendship.  You are both little brothers used to big sisters letting you have your way in a lot of things.

I was glad to see that by the time we left, you and he had really figured each other out and were playing really well together.

Your dad and I love spending Christmas with our church friends... Kristi and Donnie, Jeff and Elizabeth.

After lunch, though, it was time for a late nap.  You and I fell asleep very quickly and we really didn't wake up until it was time to head over to the Ausen's house (that would be Mrs. Ford's parents).

Mrs. Ford found really good helmets for you and your sister.  Your sister's is a rabbit and yours is a shark, of course.

 

You really wanted it to be more of a mask and kept trying to pull the helmet down over your face.  You also got soccer balls and you and your sister had great fun playing soccer in Mrs. Ausen's living room.  Happily, Mrs. Ausen is the kind of grandma who doesn't mind a relatively well-mannered soccer game in her living room.

After presents, we went into the kitchen to have a little birthday party for Jesus.  It is an Ausen tradition and they have been so sweet in letting us join them.

You and your sister even got to try to blow out the candles.

I say "try" because they were trick candles.  I love that when Mrs. Ausen asked why the candles don't go out, the Fords gave two very different answers.

Mr. Ford: well, they use either sulfur or magnesium...

Mrs. Ford: because it's like Jesus's love; it can never go out

I like Mrs. Ford's answer better, but Mr. Ford makes me laugh as I am pretty sure he knew what answer Mrs. Ausen was looking for and was having some fun with her and his wife.

It was a wonderful Christmas Day.

I cannot believe how lucky you are, sweet boy, to go from a trip to Houston, seeing so many family members who love you so very much, back to Georgetown to spend time with friends who treat you like family, and all of the abundance of gifts given to you by all of them, not to mention your daddy and me.

I hope I can teach you to appreciate all of your blessings.

I hope I can learn to appreciate all of mine.

Say a little pray with me: "Dear God, Thank you for the blessings of this Christmas.  Thank you for the chance to end Christmas Day with a birthday party for your Son, centering us, refocusing us.  Thank you for all of the blessings you have given us.  Thank you most of all for the gift of your Son.  Be with us this coming year, from Christmas to Christmas, helping us to count our blessings and be grateful for all that we have.  Help us to remember that it all comes from you.  And help us to make sure that we are doing all that we can to share your blessings with others.  Amen."

Merry Christmas, Son,

Love,
Mom