Surely anyone with young kids has to agree. It is so much more fun to enjoy Christmas with & through the eyes of your child. Let's start with Ethan and what he wanted for Christmas. He told everyone he wanted a guitar for Christmas. The first I heard this was when he told some of my co-workers. Steve told me his mom had been mentioned something about his nephew having a guitar so we thought that's where this came from so we kept asking what he really wanted thinking it wasn't really a guitar. Then we went to see Santa at Steve's work. Ethan went right up to him and gave him the books we brought (new books for Santa to give to other children) and sat on his lap for all of 60 seconds - long enough for a picture and to tell him he wanted a guitar for Christmas. I had wanted a picture with both boys together but Ethan was having no part of going back to Santa's lap - he only wanted to tell Santa what he wanted and he'd done that so he was DONE. When asked what Alex wanted, he told them - "Owix wants a drum." Mama kept disagreeing with this because we already have electronic drumsticks - but Ethan was insistent. Then as we start to leave, Ethan says, "but where's my guitar?" I had to explain that he just told Santa what he wanted and Santa would bring it on Christmas Eve. We head out and Steve & I discuss amongst ourselves how we can't believe he really wants a guitar and we need to try to get him hooked on something else & that a drum is NOT happening....Then a few days later a package arrives from Nana. Steve says something like "I wonder what's in it?" and Ethan states quite matter of factly, "It's my guitar." OK - so now we're resigned to the fact that Santa will definitely have to bring a guitar for Ethan. Ethan told every person who asked, everytime they asked that Santa was going to bring him a guitar. When he was sick last weekend and we were waiting around Walmart for his antibiotics, we saw the very guitar he wanted but didn't buy it because that's the one Santa was supposed to bring him.
So on to Alex - what's fun for him? Trying to open everything that wrapped or stuffed in a bag and taking everything he can reach off the tree. He will sit and just watch the tree for a while but I think he's just sitting there trying to decide what the easiest thing to get off the tree will be cause eventually he gets up and tries to take something from the tree.
So when it came time for shopping "with Santa" - the guitar was first on the list and then - yep - we caved and got a leapfrog drum for Alex realizing that Ethan was right - Alex loves music and loves to dance so a drum that plays music for him and that he can bang on a little, probably is exactly what he wants. Why did we doubt the 3 year old on this? I have no clue. Alex was also getting a leapfrog dog names Scout who will play songs and talk to him, too, along with his own Alex sized broom & dust pan that he will hopefully start using instead of the big broom in the kitchen he keeps banging into stuff. Santa will bring Ethan some transformers, books and Lincoln Logs - and clothes for both of them, too, of course. We think Santa made some pretty good choices for our boys and based on the reactions Christmas morning, we were totally right. Ethan has now told everyone who will listen that Santa brought him his guitar and then proceeds to play it for them complete with jumping up and landing on his knees with the guitar between his knees & saying "oh yeah" when the song is over. Such a ham - no idea where he learned that but it's totally cute. Alex can't quite figure out how to beat the drum & dance at the same time and isn't sure which is more fun but he's figuring it out - when he's not trying to play with all of Ethan's toys that is. When "Scout" starts talking to him, he stops what he's doing and turns around to get him and carry him with him - that's pretty cute, too. It's like he doesn't need Scout at all until he starts talking and then "oh yeah, you can come, too...what were you saying? you want to sing and I'll dance?...ok, we can do that."
At the gift exchange at Aunt Eileen's house though, Ethan may have gotten something he enjoys more than the guitar - if that's possible. Leah had Ethan's name and got him his very own medical/doctor kit with a stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, shot, thermometer, everything he'd need including a pager. When he got it Christmas Eve, he took us each into the library - his office - and gave us a checkup and pretend stickers when he gave us shots. Yesterday when Alex was so tired at bedtime that he couldn't walk straight so tripped and hit his head, as I consoled him, Ethan got the stethoscope and checked his heartbeat and then his temp and told him he was ok and then assured me, "Owix is ok, Mama. I checked his heart and he's ok now." It's too cute. No idea where the idea for a doctor kit for Ethan came from but it was pure genius - thank you Leah - it's fabulous and even better, makes no noise whatsoever. A gift for Mama, too. Alex got a funky ball - big enough we haven't lost it under the couch yet but soft enough that it doesn't hurt him even when he falls on it cause he's too tired to stand up and his very own baby to carry around & a "rain stick" type rattle that is an excellent distraction as he wants to know how it's making that sound. Totally cool.
So Christmas is over but it was so much fun. Today during naptime we took the tree down as it isn't so much fun trying to keep the boys (mainly Alex) from pulling it over on himself. Ethan came down from the nap and the first thing out of his mouth was "who took out tree?" I told him Daddy & I took it down cause it's not Christmas anymore but we'll leave the lights up outside a little longer so he can have the lights but still have more room to play in here (cause there's so much more space without the tree). His first reaction to this was that it still is Christmas, Mama. Well it's still the holiday but Christmas itself is pretty much over babe. He was then appeased as he could see all his toys in the nice big play area left open by the missing tree. Gotta love distractions.
We had 3 presents left under the tree - for Jackson, Dylan & Makenzie - and had moved them over to the toy box. I spent a good bit of time this evening (with Ethan's help) trying to get Alex to stop trying to open those presents until finally I found a spot he couldn't quite get to in which to stash them. He was sort of gyped a bit in the whole gift opening thing cause he was still half asleep when we were opening gifts so Ethan opened half of his so naturally, now when he's awake, he wants to open everything that he can find. Guess I can't blame him.
The expressions on their faces at each new thing for Christmas...each new set of Christmas lights we saw....when the snow started falling a little...it's all so much fun. Kids truly make Christmas so much more enjoyable. It's fantastic!
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