2011 already...where does the time go?!?!
Christmas is getting more and more fun as the years go by and, really, as Samantha gets older. A three-year-olds excitement surrounding all things Christmas is definitely contagious!! Mike and I found ourselves downright giddy on Christmas morning this year. While she wasn't too keen on "Santa" in person, she loved the idea of him...and, even better, she loved Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. So much so that she memorized the song and was happy to belt out a rendition for anyone who would listen :) We were also very diligent to make reindeer food and leave water for Rudolph and his buddies on Christmas night...forget Santa (although we did leave cookies for him, too), we need those reindeer nice and energized for their big trip!
Andrew, the sweet boy, just hung tight and let his sister run the show this year. We expect to get more push back from him in years to come, but for now, he was content to play with discarded wrapping paper and observe the whirl-wind from a safe distance.
We, of course, cherished our Christmas celebrations with the Altman and Molletta families but we were also excited to begin our own small family Christmas traditions at home. We took both kids to a candlelight Christmas Eve service complete with living nativity. The kids were amazingly well behaved, especially this being their first time in real church, and Samantha really believed that baby Jesus was up there in Mary's arms. In the car after service she asked us to call and see if baby Jesus could come to our house...the conversation that followed for the next minutes was so special, innocent and pure that it was the perfect reminder of the season's true purpose and of our responsibility as parents to make sure Jesus is as real to our kids as anyone of their playmates is.
Last, but far from least, Dustin and Kelly Jo Windham, we love you. We are so proud of you and we miss you immensely!!
A few pictures...
