Daze of December

December was a pleasant daze of simple joys with our boy, friends, and family. It started with Santa on a firetruck (the Woodland Beach VFD toy drive.) Nate really didn't have too much knowledge of Santa Claus, but we figured he would enjoy the firetruck. We joined friends Steve and Suzanne and their boys Dylan and Deegan for the stop in their nearby beach neighborhood.

When the firetruck arrived, and Santa got out, I hung back with Nate to let all the excited older kids get to Santa first. After expressing concern about whether the "elves" were going to close the door, Nate looked up and said, surprised, "That's Santa Cwaus!" He didn't have many requests, but gave the big man a high five, and delighted when Santa let him ring the bell on the firetruck.

Next, we went to select our Christmas tree. Nate was a little disappointed that the real trees didn't "go round and round" like the artificial one he'd seen at Kmart, but he got over that quickly, and helped Daddy pick a good one.

After a photo op with Daddy:

Nate visited the two Santas at the place. He loved the huge papier-mâché Santa, but was a little more wary of the smaller one that sang and danced. Until we left, of course, after which that was all he could talk about.

Once the tree was set up, Nate enjoyed playing with his nativity set and reading Christmas books beneath it. These three were in heavy rotation:

We never actually achieved ornaments, but he was happy with lights. His keepsake ornament this year was (what else?) a donkey.

There was a mid-month intermission, in the form of a housesitting/petsitting gig at the beach. As always happens when we are there, Nate moves ahead by leaps and bounds in the space of a week or two. This time, he mastered the slide and climbing stairs and onto/off of beds without a spotter. He also enjoys the wonderland of toys there. Favorites this time were the train table, the "ice caper" (lightsaber), the "balances" (a weight/balance learning toy), and that perpetual favorite, "the jumps" (mini trampoline.)

Visitors joined us for Shannon's 40th birthday party (more on that later,) filling the big house with busy boy energy and holiday fun. 

There was the usual Nate silliness:

We also visited Homestead Gardens, so Nate could see the lights, the holiday train display, gorgeous trees, and Santa and his reindeer. We found some holiday napkins for Honey, and he charged toward the registers to buy them, only to be transfixed by a music box display. Eventually, the lights got him outside, where he insisted on going to every tree, naming them all by the color of the lights.

Finally, the holiday weekend arrived, and we headed over the river and through the woods to both grandmothers' houses. (Although Nate has hit a paternalistic streak, referring to "Daddy's house," "GrandDad's house," and "PopPop's house.) 

We went bright and early Christmas Eve morning to Happy and GrandDad's to visit with them and Granny and Papaw. Santa brought Nate a recycling truck, a huge wagon of MegaBlocks, a stuffed donkey in a bed, a light that cast "stars on the ceiwing," his own rolling suitcase (a HUGE hit,) a wooden stacker puzzle, and a rabbit family for the dollhouse. But it was hard to get him to focus on any of that, what with a washing machine to be watched and games of chase and peek-a-boo to be played.

While Nate napped, Wesley and Andrea helped Honey bake cookies.

The waiting is SOOO hard.

After Nate's nap, both boys enjoyed the grandparents...

Pondered the religious and secular aspects of the holiday...

and posed for pictures (or didn't and instead played chase) until bedtime:

After bedtime, Santa came.

Mama stayed home from church to get Nate to sleep and because a cold made singing impossible. But saying prayers, she asked God, "tomorrow, help us remember the reason for the day." Nate chimed in, "the baby asweep in the hay." Mama will remember that forever.

Christmas morning, the boys miraculously slept until about 7. Clad in matching jammies, they woke Honey and PopPop, who sent them to their room for a little while longer. With the help of some distractions and Cheerios, they weathered this amazingly well. Then the call came, and they headed downstairs to the tree.

Santa brought Nate a play kitchen. From Mama and Daddy: a handmade memory game, a slide whistle, and some other goodies. From Honey and PopPop: some winter gear and jammies for a future Christmas, and a cool sea life play set. From Andrea, Rick, and Wesley: a wooden train set with a bridge and windmill (goes round and round-genius.) He also enjoyed playing with Wesley's play blender and Honey's colored wineglasses. All between breaks to see the swing and washing machine, and pop bubble wrap.

It's the little things, indeed. We are so grateful to our boy for reminding us. And now, we can take a much-needed milk break before the new year. We hope your holiday brought you moments of peace and joy. But if not, there is always January.