Post Christmas Details

Although I believe that Christmas has become way too commercialized, I still enjoy watching the kids open their gifts and seeing their glowing faces as they see what's inside. Of course Aunt Dee Dee (that's me in case you didn't know) usually gives clothes, which quickly get thrown to the side as the mad rush ensues to find another present to open, which hopefully contains a toy - a toy that will be played with for approximately 2.5 seconds before it becomes old and the hunt begins for yet another gift. Kiara is getting to the age where she actually takes time to look at each gift before ripping into the next. Of course she is such a sweet child that she takes time to thank the giver and usually follows with a genuine hug. She has such a kind heart! Elise on the other hand is still a very sweet girl, but is wild as a buck. She is so full of life and energy and it shows in her drama-like actions. Mark my word, this child will be an actress of some kind! Colin is still a little too young to know what was going on. He did enjoy ripping the paper off, as he gave me the look like "are you sure I'm allowed to do this?" He tasted several varities of paper but in the end decided he'd stick to his thumb. He was such a trooper though both on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. He's obviously his mother's child though because he is so darn nosey that he won't close his eyes for even a minute to take a nap. Oh no he's afraid he might miss something or someone.

My favorite part of Christmas is having everyone together and spending time with family. Since we spend Thanksgiving with Wes's family, we get to stay here for Christmas. Christmas Eve we have dinner at my mom and dad's and then Christmas morning everyone comes to our house for a big breakfast. Of course I spazz out a little in the preparation stage but I thoroughly enjoy the planning, cooking, serving, and of course eating the food! This is the one time of year that we can count on Granny to actually leave her house. She is 93 years young but doesn't like to leave her house or her dog, Zachary. She reminded us at breakfast that this was only the second time she had been out of her house since last Christmas (the other time was to get a flu shot). It sounds sad, but that's the way she wants it and is perfectly content. One thing about Granny, she's hard-headed and there's no changing her mind! I think the highlight of my Christmas this year was seeing her interact with Colin. My Mom takes Colin to her house at least once a week but I don't get be there. Granny has fed him a couple of times (after saying that she couldn't do it) and just loves him to pieces. It's like a calm comes over him whenever she holds him. She just whispers and plays with him and it's the sweetest thing in the world. Wes took several pictures to preserve the memory (see, men are trainable, I didn't even have to tell him to take the pictures!). We reminded Granny that this time last year we told her we were pregnant, to which she replied, "Oh, I wish you wouldn't have done that!" She claims her reaction was because she thinks so much of me and she didn't want anything to happen to me. She now says she wouldn't give anything for him. I knew she'd be fine once he was born. I'm just so thankful he gets to spend time with her.

To me, Christmas should be a time to celebrate life and enjoy the company of family and friends. I hope you had a Christmas that was merry and bright!