The theme for the boys' presents seemed to be GUNS; I think they got a set at each house we went to and I am not even sure why. I used to HATE toy guns; I mean like REALLY hate them. I hate real guns. I hate what they can do and I am scared to death of them so I certainly didn't want my kids having toy ones. But last year seemed to be the year of Nerf Guns for Nolan and it was the first toy that I felt like the boys really played together. Not sure why but seriously they just already knew what to do with them and LOVED playing together with them! So at their b-days they just happen to receive a ton of water guns - equally as fun and again something they would actually play together. Now I love 'em in some weird way. I love the boys running through the house chasing each other playing Army or SWAT and picking teams when friends are over. There is something so old fashioned and "cute" about the whole thing. Maybe this makes me sound crazy being that I am such a real gun hater - but I like that the boys are FINALLY able to really play together and I guess that's why I like them. Now that Nolan loves StarWars it's brought all kinds of other LOUD noise making guns into the house which could drive ya crazy - but we just send them to the backyard with them! It's turned into just a full on arsenal at the Mays' abode. Ha ha! One Sunday our minister (who was one of two boys) and has two sons was talking about the differences between men and women and he seriously used the example that men just have this instinct to be warriors even as little boys. He said he never understood those parents who wouldn't let their kids have toy guns because if you know boys they will just turn anything else into a gun anyways - like sticks, broom handles, their hands, heck they might even chew a graham cracker into the shape and start shooting. This just made me laugh because it is so true! Now Nolan didn't pick up on it until he started Kindergarten (I guess because we never had any before that and he had never been on a playground with a bunch of boys before.) but Hudson of course is ahead of the curve but plays with the big boys just the same. In any case, not sure why I went off on this except that it was definitely on my mind after looking at all these pictures. Nice. Maybe this puts me back into that category as "one of those moms".
Here is a list of the little things I loved most about this Christmas season:
I am so happy that Mamie, although very sick, made it to see her 100th Christmas.
Ethan was able to spend Christmas Eve with us this year at my mom's - it makes it so much fun for the boys to have a cousin!
We were really able to focus with the boys on what Christmas is really about! I love that we have a wonderful church that is helping us to be the best teachers of the Bible and that we were able to experience the live nativity scene. I really think they both have a great understanding of Jesus' birth and what that means for us.
I love the wooden cross that Mike made for us with Daisy's name on it. It was really sad pulling out the ornaments and putting Daisy's silver bone on the tree. It was our first Christmas without her and for Mike to make that for us was so thoughtful. I know he worked hard on it and it's beautiful.
I love the two family cookbooks I received - both were completely a surprise! My Granny, Aunt Cindy, Aunt Paula and cousin Christie made us the sweetest scrapbook cookbooks that have all of the "Willard" family recipes in them. It took them a few months to put them together and get them just right and I will treasure it always. Scott's great-aunts (Sara, Martha and Burnell - PaPa Harkrider's three sisters) are awesome cooks and even owned a bakery for many years in their little town of LaMesa. They made and published a cookbook and sent a copy of it to Joni and I. It was so sweet to receive that in the mailbox! It is the neatest cookbook because they tell stories all throughout the book about the Harkrider family and it has pictures of Scott's great-grandparents and his PaPa when he was a little boy. Being that I love to cook and I love our families so dearly - these were my favorite two presents!
I am so happy that my cousin Starla has moved back to Texas and that Astraea and the boys will grow up spending holidays together. My Grandma bought all three of them outside riding toys (the boys got little pedal go-karts that they LOVE!) and we went on Sunday for them to open and ride them. I know that Astraea is still smaller but within the next year she will be full speed with them and I can just imagine the adventures they will have playing together at Grandma's house like we did with our cousins.
I love that Christmas with Scott's parents is small and intimate because everywhere else is big and crazy! :)
I am thankful for the new TV from Randy and Joni - we are probably the only people in America that still only had only old tube TVs.
It makes me so happy for my boys to have such a good relationship with all of our families and to have so many wonderful role models.
I love that each year we host a kids party and get to have time with our friends all of their kiddos during the holidays!
I love Santa and all the joy and anticipation he brings to our house each year! It is amazing to be standing on the other side of the fence now as parents and watch the magic.
I am blessed to have a husband that loves me with all his heart and soul and prays for me everyday. Even with our never-ending "to-do" list, I love that we can work together to get it all done and still find some time to snuggle at the end of it all!
I miss my dad every day and I hate that he has missed so many amazing milestones. But I can now appreciate "small things" in a way I know I would never understand if I had not experienced that loss. My eyes are wide open and that makes these days so precious to me.
I wanted to close this post with a few pictures of Hudson and his penguin pond! I know I posted earlier in the month about how he kept asking for one. When he first started asking for one I kept asking him if it was in a book or something he saw on tv and he just kept telling me no and saying that he wanted it for the backyard. So of course we assumed he meant a real penguin pond and just kept explaining why he couldn't have that. Well wouldn't you know on the day before Christmas we were watching morning cartoons when a commercial for an Aqua-Sand Penguin Playground comes on and Hudson starts yelling "There it is, there it is - a penguin pond!" I swear my mouth dropped to the ground. Where the heck has this commercial been ALL MONTH? How could it be that I had not seen this before TODAY?? I guess he saw it at some point and started asking for it and somehow we never did. Poor baby - the only thing he kept asking for and we kept telling him no, even Santa told him no. The reason he kept saying he wanted it in the backyard was because they have some moon sand and they have to play it on the back porch so I guess he knew this would be a backyard toy too. Well of course we had to get it for him! I immediately found it on Amazon for $7.99 but would have to pay double that in overnight shipping which would be so silly! I decided to run to Target and just prayed I would find it. I fought the crazy crowds and lines and bought the last one on the shelf! Wrapped it up and stuck that sucker under the tree from Mommy and Daddy on Christmas morning - Santa was NOT going to get the credit for that one! :) It really was his favorite gift and he was SOOOOOOO excited to open it. Definitely worth all the last minute madness. I will never judge those last minute shoppers again. Could be that their kid just pulled a "Hudson" too!
