Christmas Time!

Christmas! Don't you just love it! I love the music, the shopping, the anticipation of Santa from all the kids, Christmas trees and decorations. You get the picture!

Kids make Christmas even more exciting and special in all kinds of ways. So this Christmas Abigail is 2 and the joys of Santa are memories I will treasure. We have our tree up and Abigail decorated it mostly by herself. It is the prettiest tree with 6 ornaments on 1 branch I have ever seen! But it is ok! We have our Christmas cards ready to mail and although it may not be the best picture ever; it is our picture card.

Abigail saw Santa yesterday at WalMart and to my surprise she wanted to talk with him. As she slowly walked toward Santa she shouted "I have a boo-boo!" She wasn't worried about what she wanted for Christmas she just wanted someone to kiss her "boo-boo". So Santa kissed her boo-boo and everything was "All Better"! Now Santa asks Abigail "What do you want for Christmas?" Well, Abigail replies "Chocolate Milk!" Even Santa got a kick out of this. Still laughing about her request! I just hope Santa doesn't forget the Chocolate Milk!!!

We try to do many activities to help with weekend boredom for Abigail. So I decided that it would be fun to decorate a Gingerbread House. It was so much fun for the both of us! Let's just say that the Gingerbread House is a 2 year old masterpiece!

So now we have a few of our Christmas memories to treasure! And in a few days we will have plenty more! We have so much to be Thankful for this Christmas season!

So I leave you with this, What are your Christmas Memories?

Merry CHRISTMAS to ALL!!!!!!!!!!!

The Hotdog Dance

It is 8 pm. The house is quiet. The pitter patter of feet are now resting from a hard day at "nastics" or otherwise known to us as gymnastics. The wheels on the bus is put up until the next day. Tigger and Pooh are snuggled under her right arm and I can see a slight smile on the face of a precious 2 year old. As I stand there I recall the events from the day. The hetic morning where the dogs ran away, the little lady doesn't like her outfit and coffee running down the front of my shirt. Running late there is no time to change. I grab the diaper bag and my purse and tell Abigail "come on let's go!" Strawberry Shortcake plays on the DVD player in the car as we go to school. No words are spoken to each other. We arrived at school and Abigail gives a big smile to her teachers voices. As I put away the diaper bag I turn to say good bye and Abigial is already playing with friends. A disappointed mom says good bye to a preoccupied toddler and heads for the door. And then there it is....a faint "mommy". As I turn around and I see Abigail standing there with her arms stretch out in the air. "I hold you" she says. I kneel down and let her "hold me" just a little longer. "I wuv you mommy, be sweet" is the next thing I hear. " I love you too Abigail and you be sweet" is what I tell her. And off she goes back to her friends. When did my baby grow up? When did she become so independent? As I am sitting at work I look down at the coffee stain shirt and wonder when did I become so focused on getting from here to there and missing all the little things in between? Work finally ends! On the drive to school I think of all the parents that wish that could still sit and talk, hold, and play with the children. Does my house always need to be clean? How important is that tv show? I arrived to Abigail's room and I am greeted with a big smile and a very loud "mommy"!! I kneel down and get the biggest hug from her. The Lord knew exactly what this mommy needed that day. We get in the car and the drive home is the same as always. There is Elmo on the DVD player and Tigger did manage to get a peek at the tv. We arrive home and the coffee stain shirt caught my attention. The tv is turned off, the computer is turned off, and I walk into Abigail's room. A room filled with joy and laughter. I see a little girl dancing around her room in front of all her babies. I hear the giggles of a happy little girl. And then I hear "come on mommy right here." I walk to the middle of her room and together we do the Hotdog Dance! We played like we never played before and we talked about school, friends, and yes nastics! She flipped and performed tonight. This is without a doubt the best part of my day!
So as I stand here at the door tears fill my eyes. How many more days do I have to tuck her in at night? I see this beautiful little girl sleeping with out a care in the world and I think about her. I remember bringing her home from the hospital, rocking her to sleep, late night feedings, first step, first boo-boo. And then I think about.......I can't stop the hurt but a kiss can ease her pain. I can't make her decision but I can guide her to the correct path. I can't stop her from growing up but I can do the Hotdog Dance for now!