Yesterday was a flurry of activity. From the moment I woke up until I collapsed into bed at night, I was in nonstop motion. I was exhausted, but it was a wonderful day and worth all the effort.
My Mom came down on Christmas Eve to help prep for Santa. To his absolute delight, she slept in Timmy's room. The plan was for her to keep him in bed until morning. (We didn't want him escaping to investigate in the middle of the night.) It turns out that she was needed to coax my scared little Hamlet out from under his covers.
In retrospect, I went overboard with the "you'd better watch your behavior because Santa won't come" approach to behavior management. Timmy was convinced that he was on the naughty list and had resigned himself to receiving no toys. Christmas morning, when my Mom tried to get him to look in the living room, Timmy climbed into the top bunk and pulled the covers over his head. He pleaded with Nana to go to the living room to check to see if there were presents because he was too nervous to look for himself.
After finally being convinced that Santa arrived, he came out to discover his tower of presents. It took him a few moments to get into the spirit, but once he felt confident that the gifts were toys and not coal, he got into the spirit. (Robby's pile wasn't nearly as big, but that is because little kid games cost considerably less than teen toys.)
Timmy's prized present turned out to be his new roller skates, which he wore at every opportunity throughout the day. I don't think it will take him long to get the hang of the skates, and soon he will be whizzing through the house at lightening speed. Robby was overwhelmed by his new electric bike and computer chair. (In all honesty, his electric bike is as much for my benefit as it was for him. I'm looking forward to going on long rides with him.)
My sister, the rest of the Cousin Crew and her boyfriend and his kids all came down for Christmas dinner. It was so much fun having a full house. It was definitely chaotic and busy, but it was the absolute perfect day.
Oh, and there was even a proposal! My sister's boyfriend dropped to one knee while everybody was in the living room. He is a great guy, and I'm very happy for them all.
The Cousin Crew stayed the night, so their giggles and mischief lasted long into the light. I'm glad that they stayed because it offered them the opportunity to decompress and to digest the question of the day. Life is about change, which can be hard for kids. But some things will never change and that includes Aunt Peggy and the Cousin Crew.
This morning everybody is tired but content. From start to end, it was a fantastic day.
No comments:
Post a Comment