What Would Christmas Be Without Kids?

Seriously! What fun would it all be without the kids - their pure joy and belief in the impossible, their smiles and giggles, as well as their tears and frustrations. To quote our friend Doug: "This is what it's ALL about!"

Christmas Eve mornng Conner announced "I'm 99% sure Santa will bring me a Nintendo DS." He definitely believes. My mom sealed the deal when she let him open a present Christmas Eve night - Super Mario Kart for NINTENDO DS! MOM!!!!!!!!!! Uhggggggg. He was still happy Christmas morning when he found the red Nintendo DS waiting for him. In fact, I think he slept a little better knowing he was 99% sure he was getting what he wanted.

Lauren wasn't so sure she was getting her pink guitar. To quote her, "I'm a bad girl, and Santa's not going to bring me my pink guitar!" She and Conner got in a fight over where she should sign her name on the note to Santa. Girl hormones kicked in and she screamed at Conner. Before climbing in bed, she went to Conner and told him she was sorry for screaming at him. Conner hugged her and told her he forgave her. All was well. Santa must have heard Lauren's apology because.............

she got her pink guitar!!! Conner got a shirt that read "I wish my sister had a mute button." I bet he was thinking that the night before! Later at Jerry's mom's house, Lauren opened her card from Grandma. It had some McDonald's gift certificates in it. She ran to Grandma and hugged her and exclaimed "Thank you, thank you Grandma! I love you!" Over McDonald's ????? Whose kid is that?

Lauren and Conner are kind of the stars of the show when it comes to family gatherings. They are my parents' only grandchildren, and they are the youngest of four grandchildren in Jerry's family. Conner is the only grandson in both families, so he gets extra attention. I think that besides his DS, his favorite gift was the wooden baseball bat Susan, Chon, Liz, and Lacey gave him. He won't put that thing down. He also really liked the hand-carved elephant my brother Eric and his wife Kim brought him from India. Those are the gifts that make an impression, that bring a smile to Conner's face because he knows how much he is loved.

I could go on and on about the kids, but I won't. I don't want to sound like a gushy parent, even though I am! Let me wrap up with a few other pieces of business.

CRAIG-O is the big FOUR-O
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!

I hope you enjoyed your birthday song. I'll try to do a better impression of Marilyn Monroe when I see you in person. Prepare to be embarrassed!!!

Watch for an upcoming post on my parents' gift to us. It's worth its own blog!