all about Christmas post!

Quite a few nights before Christmas, Santa asked Mom and Dad what Gabe would like for Christmas. We told him 'anything pirate'. So, Santa enlisted Dad's help in making this pirate's treasure chest for Gabe. (This is how we explained how it ended up fitting through the chimney and so Gabe would know his Dad made it for him). Greg and I had so much fun setting it up! As soon as Greg said he wanted to build Gabe a treasure chest, I started thinking about the necklaces, gold coins, and ring pops we could use to make it 'real' on Christmas morning. I think it turned out pretty well. Gabe was so surprised! In order to find the treasure chest, he and Dad had to follow the map, while I waited downstairs with the video camera right next to the treasure.

Greg made the map to start at the tree, go through the hallway, around our kitchen table, and down to the basement. He used coffee and matches to age it.


Ssshhh... It's a secret... His pirate chest has a false bottom where we hid the Lego pirate guys he so badly wanted for Christmas. He still thinks that compartment is pretty sweet. One of the things I love about Gabe's Dad so much is that he thinks of so many creative things that I know he would've dreamed of when he was little. His Dad, PawPaw, was really great about making little Greggie's dreams come true too. If Greggie liked pirates, his Dad totally would've made sure he had a treasure chest on Christmas morning.

And these two presents! The diver helmet and the pirate sword! To understand the diver helmet, first you must understand the thought behind the pirate sword. My Aunt Connie, whom we affectionately refer to as 'Aunt Buck', gave us all the gifts our parents didn't want us to have when we were little: noisy toys that took 8 D batteries, silly string (cans and cans of it), playdoh, and nerf guns. So, it was no surprise when Gabe got this sword from her! She let us sleep in the livingroom, rearrange furniture, and stay up as late as we wanted when my parents were gone. It was nothing to move the Super Nintendo into the livingroom, make a tent, and stay up til 10:00 (we thought we were rebels!). She was and is THE best Aunt. Aunt Lindsey is like that. She loves having Gabe come to stay the night. She and Mom both boast that there are no rules at their homes. I'm so glad he'll have a fun aunt that will let him call the shots while Mom and Dad are gone. :) And, I know if Aunt Jenny lived closer she'd remember Aunt Buck and do the same! Aunt Lindsey knew he liked diver guys, so somehow she found this diver helmet online somewhere! How awesome.

My sweet boy on Christmas before opening his presents. He was so great in receiving his gifts. He never reacted like he was disappointed or anything - even when he got some clothes!

And, here he is with his pirate ship from Abba & PawPaw H! Oh my goodness. The kid LOVES this. He even asks to take it in the tub. He took it to his other Abba & Papa's the other night so he could show it to Papa Doug and so he could take it in their big spa tub. Whenever my parents watch him, he HAS to take a bath there. He loves their big tub!

Here he is playing with the Transformer garage-thingy I got him for Christmas. Greg and I like to do a gift that's just from mom or just from dad. So, I picked these. They were a pretty big hit. Greg got Gabe a slot car set. It wasn't this exact one, but it WAS a big hit as well!

Uncle Grant stopped by with his jolly Santa bag slung over his shoulder as well! His gift for Gabe was a bacon buddy, bacon flavored toothpaste, bacon bandaids, bacon soap, and a huge bag of real bacon bits. My child loves bacon. This was a great gift! Uncle Grant brought me an owl bracelet and an owl mug and he brought Greg some caffeine mints and a pizza pi cutter! Here's a picture of my bracelet:



When we went up North for Anna's birthday, hosted by Rene's parents, Greg commented on how much he loved the soda .... Jarritos! So, Rene's parents decided to surprise Greg with some and unknowingly, Jenny & Rene had also bought Greg some! So, Greg's got a bag full of Jarritos to go through. I think he's made a pretty good dent by now!

Oh, and sweet Dougie! At Christmas, Dougie was almost 8 months old. He's sitting up really well, rolling over, spinning on his tummy, and definitely scooting if he wants something bad enough (like a cell phone!) He's such a little joy. It was great to see him on his first Christmas. Aunt Bri was really happy to have a lot of cuddle time with her two favorite little ones.

Aaaaaaand, Banana! This girl - She totally cracks me up! She is at juuuuuust the right age where it is near impossible to get a picture of her! Jenny got this dress set from my in laws when Anna was tiny and wanted to get a nice picture of her in it. Do you think we got it? Nope. This is the only picture out of several that was in focus! Ha! We kept teasing her dad about it. She is definitely developing a little personality all her own. She's a little fiesty, very sweet, and completely adorable.

Well, I'd say overall, it was a very wonderful Christmas. It was an absolute delight to experience Christmas morning with a near 5 year old. And, I was so proud of him - how gracious he was, how well-behaved, and how sweet he was with his little cousins. He is a wonderful kid. I'm so happy and blessed to be his mom. Speaking of 5 years old, we've got a pirate birthday coming up. So, this momma better get busy. I hope you and yours had a wonderful Christmas. God is so good in all He has given us.