Mom and Dad's Christmas Present

This past week the boys made presents for Jarrett and I at school.  I guess they've been working on them for quite a few days but per the teachers request, they kept it a secret and didn't tell us what they were working on.  Then last Tuesday when I picked up Gabriel, he was so excited because Mrs. Stacey and he presented me with Jarrett and my Christmas present.  He was so excited he wanted me to open it right on the spot but Mrs. Stacey reminded him we needed to wait until his dad was there to.

Just two days later when I picked up Michael he came running to me, yelling, "Mommy, we get to take home your present today!"  He also wanted me to open it right on the spot and I had to tell him how Daddy would be sad if he didnt' wait for him.  He agreed and as soon as Dad came walking through the door last Thursday night, they were jumping up and down waiting for us to open their presents to us.

I'd be lying if I didn't admit that,in the years when it was just Jarrett and I, that I dreamed of and hoped that someday I'd get a "homemade" present from my son or daughter. However, now that is actually happened, I have to admit that I didn't realize just how much I would cherish and love it. 

As we opened the gifts, the boys were smiling from ear to ear and as we reveled what was behind their homemade wrapping, I fought back tears of happiness and joined in their smile from ear to ear.  Gabriel said, "Mom, do you like it?"  "Gabriel I love it. It is beautiful"  "Mom, I made it at school all by myself, you can hang it on the tree"  As he picked it up from my hand and walked over to put it on the tree...

And then it was Michael's turn. Just as excited as his big brother he watched very closely as we unwrapped the paper to revel a colorful vase and a candle inside.  Just as beautiful, I told the boys that these were the two best presents I had received in many years (actually they are the two best presents but the gifts they gave us, will always remind me of them and for that, they will be special).

As we look forward to Christmas more than any year before, I am thankful for all that 2010 has been and the bountiful blessings God has given us.  I remember though that although 2010 has been wonderful for us, there are many people for whom 2010 has been a year they would do anything to forget.  We pray for them and for all those who are struggling.  We hope that God gives you strength and the hope that tomorrow will bring you peace and happiness. 

Until next time,
Angie

My arm hurts…

Last night before dinner Michael and Gabriel were begging me for a cookie. Given that there seems to be treats, candies, cookies and chocolate everywhere, the boys have been overdosing on the sweets. It was a chorus of “Mom, can I have a cookie?” “No” “Mom can I have some chocolate, Santa wants me to have some Chocolate right now” “No” “Well, then how about this Candy Cane, can I have this mom?” and so on…
I told them they could not have any treats until after they’ve had some good food (meaning healthy) and if they ate all of their dinner then, maybe, I would give them a cookie. That’s when Michael said this…
Michael: Mom my arm hurts.


Mom: Why does your arm hurt Michael?


Michael: Mom, I been eating too much good food and it filled up my tummy and went into my arm


Mom: Oh really Michael. You’ve been eating too much good food. Well, then why does your arm hurt?


Michael: Mom, it hurts because too much good food isn’t good for my arm. I need a cookie to make it feel better.

Where do I go from here?
Until next time,

Angie

On this table?!?!?!

For the second year in a row, our realtor invited us to her holiday party which was this past Saturday night. She rents trolleys and provides, food, drink and entertainment as we travel around the valley to see some of the best lights. Last year Jarrett and I went. It was a blast last year but that we wish we could do the same thing some day with our children. And look another one of our wishes came true. This year Debi invited us (the entire us) to go and we were very excited.
We were able to see several sites that look like Clark W. Griswold is slacking on his decorating duties. Seriously, some of the neighborhoods have it written into their home owner’s association (HOA) that you must put a certain amount of decorations out if you decide to live on their street. It is crazy. We saw tons of Santa’s, lots of Frosy the Snowmans, several Ruldolfs and multiple Baby Jesus’s. On one of the streets we went to, we actually got to walk into someone’s back yard as they had turned their entire backyard into the story of Baby Jesus’s birth. It was amazing and if anyone comes to visit us during the holidays, we have to take you there. Not only is the story they depict interesting but they way they transform their entire yard is amazing. They have so many people visit their house they actually rent a port-a-potty. I know, crazy I say.

So anyway you can imagine with all the nativity scenes, Jarrett and I fielded some questions from the boys. Dad, why did a camel go and visit baby Jesus when he was born? Mom, how come the men sleep with sheep? Dad, why is that star above Baby Jesus, Joseph and Mary so big? And on and on.

The questions continued yesterday at lunch when Gabriel asked why Baby Jesus was born in a barn. Daddy clarified and said, “Actually Gabriel, he was born in a stable. It is like a barn but …

Before Jarrett could continue Michael piped in, I guess he didn’t quite hear Jarrett correctly because he asked, “Mommy, baby Jesus was born on this table?!?!?!”

Until next time,

Angie

Dear Santa,

Last night I sat down with the boys after school to help them write their letters to Santa.  I asked the boys to put down something they would like Santa to bring them and then to list the reason why they deserve to have Santa bring them some presents.  Here are the letters the boys wrote...

From Michael...

 In case it is hard to see, I'll copy what they wrote (or told me to write) below. I promise this is word for word what they said to write...
                Dear Santa,
Please can I have a Batman bicycle and a light saber.  I have been a good boy and I never pee in my pants.  I love Santa Claus. 
                           Michael


From Gabriel...

Dear Santa,

Please can I have a light saber, fire truck and a fire suit?  I have been a good boy, I did not hit people in the face.  Gabriel

I can't even make this stuff up and I have to admit, I've had some pretty good laughs last night and today as I thought about their letters.  I'll be keeping these for some time to come. 



Gabriel holding his letter to Santa.

The picture Gabriel drew on the other side of his letter for Santa.  I didn't have the heart to tell him I thought it looks like a picture of someone getting sick... maybe that's just me though.



Michael's finished letter.

Until next time, Angie

Their first NFL game...

Today the boys were able to experience their first NFL game with their Dad. (I think I was 18 before my first NFL game but anyway...) Daddy had three tickets to the Arizona Cardinals game and decided to take his two sons.  We told the boys they were going to get to do something special with their daddy and that it was going to be a boys day out.  The boys were so excited about the possible ideas of what they were going to do, (because it was going to be a surprise) that they even took a nap right after church.  This is huge because normally after sitting still for 1 hour in church, they are about ready to jump out of their pants, but we told them they had to take an early nap so they could do something fun in the afternoon.  They agreed and when they woke from their nap, Daddy surprised them by sharing that they were going to the Cardinals football game.

Lately Gabriel (and kind of Michael) has been really into playing football.  Gabriel's buddies at school play at "recess" and they try to involve Michael by throwing the ball over the fence to the playground that Michael is on. 

So the boys headed out and Mom got some quiet (very quiet) time at home to clean and catch up.  It was a wonderful 4 hours not only for the boys but also for Mom! 

When the boys returned home they shared how they got to see a big red bird and some really pretty girls.  Michael said, "Mommy, I got to see some really pretty girls, but mommy, they were naked!"  (To the boys, anything less than knee-length shorts and a baggy t-shirts means someone is naked.)  Gabriel, was excited about the players.  He talked about the quarterback and the guy with the long hair.  He said, "Mom, the guy with the long hair, he scored two points!!! But, but Mom, he's still a boy even though he has long hair right?" 

I think it was an outing the boys will remember for a very long time.  Tonight, as we were tucking them into bed, I asked them what their favorite part of their day was and Michael responded, "Mommy, I liked going to the football game with Daddy and Gabriel"  Gabriel then asked, "Mom do you know any of those Cardinals players?" Since Kurt Warner retired, I haven't watched a game so I scrambled to try and remember the name of a current player.  I quickly responded., "Yes honey, I know Larry Fitzgerald" 
"Wow Mom!  Do you have his phone number so we can call him?

Until next time,
Angie

I wonder what he is dreaming about...

Every night before I go to sleep I quietly sneak back into the boys bedroom to make sure they are covered up and that they are, well, sleeping peacefully.  It is one of my favorite parts of the day.  They look so innocent, so calm and so angelic.  Tonight as I kissed Gabriel's forehead and whispered "I love you" into his ear, I heard Michael laugh and I immediately thought, he's awake and pretending to sleep and he can't keep a straight face because he knows I'm going to catch him.

As I turned around ready to catch him in the act of pretend sleep, I instead found that he in deed was sleeping and in a deep sleep at that.  I tip-toed over to his bed and watched for a few moments as his face went from a slight smirk to a grin from ear to ear.  Then, all of a sudden, he burst out laughing, a full-on giggle that made him curl up in a ball like he was rolling on the floor with hysterics.  They say laughing is contagious and it took all of my might not to join him in laughter.  He giggled for about 3 minutes before turning over onto his other side and becoming quiet once again.

I wonder just what was so funny and what magical dream was playing out in his mind.  When we were taking classes on adoption we learned about how sometimes kids who have been removed from their birth parent's home can have terrible nightmares and trouble sleeping.  Thankfully, the boys have never had trouble sleeping since they've come to be with us. It makes me happy to know that he's in a place where he feels at home, comfortable and relaxed enough to let any or all of his worries go aside and at night he can drift off into a wonderful (and funny) place of la la land.

Until next time,
Angie

The Polar Express

This year for Christmas Nana and Papa gave us a trip to the North Pole to visit Santa Claus.  Nana and Papa told us about our special trip back in July and since then we've been looking forward to boarding that magical train and heading up a special place where jolly old St. Nicholas hangs his hat.

Finally, after months of watching the movie, checking the book out from the library on a continuous basis and telling the boys they need to be patient that today was not the day they get to visit Santa Claus, the time had come... on Friday morning when the boys woke up we finally got to tell them that they day they had been waiting for had finally arrived.

We headed up to Williams AZ where it was a perfect 36 degrees.  Okay it was really cold but if you are going to visit the North Pole, it can't be a balmy 75 degrees right?  Nana and Papa gave the kids, (Gabriel, Michael, and their cousins, Alex, Bennett and Julia) special pajamas they could wear on the train.  Then to make them look even more adorable than they already are, Nana and Papa got them special Elf hats with their names on them.  I'll let you judge for yourself but, I have to say they looked pretty darn cute. 

We waited patiently at the train station and when the train finally arrived everyone (adult kids too) were filled with excitement and joy as the staff greeted us warmly and welcomed us aboard.  After the train left the station we were able to enjoy hot chocolate and a tasty chocolate chip cookie.  Michael was sitting with me and insisted, after only have 1 bite of his cookie, that he needed to save the rest  for Santa Claus.  Even though I wanted to eat his along with my own, I obliged his request and we "saved" it for Santa.  As the train whisked through the darkness we felt like we were actually on our way to the north pole, as the story of the Polar Express was read aloud.  Then, before it seemed possible, the conductor announced over the speaker that the North Pole was straight ahead.

The boys looking out the window to watch for Santa's house

And then, within a minute Santa's village appeared with him standing in front of the sleigh full of reindeer. His toy shop and Mrs. Claus' candy shop. There was even a live elf reading off the names of the children on the good list. From the moment we boarded the train Gabriel and Michael's eyes were lit up and most of the ride Michael looked like this...

it was almost as if he was taking in so much he couldn't shut his mouth for fear he would miss absorbing all that was happening around him.  The kids peered out the window as we slowly passed the North Pole and then we received the announcement we were heading back home but before we left we got to pass by Santa's house one last time.  As the train slowly crept back to Santa's village, we noticed that Santa had disappeared.  The kids gasped for a moment and then we learned Santa had boarded the train.  To screams of excitement we waited patiently for Santa to come by our car. 

As we started chanting "Santa Santa Santa" he appeared minutes later. The boys were in a trance as he walked through the car and gave each of the kids a bell to remember their visit to see his home. It was a magical moment as I could feel just how much they believed in Santa Claus and that they were looking at the man who would hopefully bring them toys on Christmas Eve.  As tears came to my eyes, I could not help but think just how lucky and blessed I am this Christmas season.  These two boys have already brought us the best Christmas gift anyone could ask for.  Here they are enjoying their up close and personal moment with the one and only Santa Claus...

The entire way home and for the last few days the boys have been recounting just how lucky they are to have been able to go on the Polar Express.  Christmas is so enjoyable when viewed through the eyes of a child and going on the Polar Express was a wonderful way to start off this joyous Christmas season.  Thank you Nana and Papa for the trip we will remember forever.

Until next time,

Angie

I just couldn't resist adding this picture too... I wonder what he is thinking...