Merry Christmas!!!

Gifts under the tree

I love this time of the year.

I look forward to Christmas. Spending time with family, laughing, eating, cookie making, Christmas Mass, singing (well....if your related to my mom)-all the traditional things that we do each and every December.

I am also one of those people that actually enjoys the Christmas shopping experience. I love the challenge of trying to find that perfect gift. Sometimes I succeed...sometimes I don't and you end up with a coffee mug that says, "The Buttcracker." This year, though, I have quite a few gifts that I am pretty pumped to give. It is the BEST to see the look on your family members face and know that you totally got them something amazing.

As I was thinking about some of these great gifts that I found this year...I started to think about Christmas past and what fabulous items  had put on my Santa list. Some I received...some I will still be checking under the tree this year for.

How I wanted this beauty. I mean, who wouldn't?? Sadly, she never opened on Christmas morning.
Today she is considered 'vintage.' Mom, if your Ebay still have a few left.

Electronic Dear Diary. Tracie got it. I did not.
Jealous!!!!

Remember these! Yep. I got one. My awesome god-father gave me one and I couldn't have been more thrilled.

Did you love them?? I wanted to be a collector. Sadly, I only had one.

Oh yeah. Doc Martens. I landed these Christmas of 8th grade.
Perfect timing so I could wear these bad boys of my first day of high school.

Don't get me wrong. I know that Christmas is not all about presents and Santa. However, after watching some family videos this past week of our Christmas celebrations, I couldn't help but laugh at the unwrapped gifts. My how time, kids and technology have changed! What did you all want for Christmas as youngins??

Santa Visit

So, I finally caved.

I took the girls to see Santa.

Yes, I know, you may think that I am a bad mom..considering Brooke is 3 and has never sat on the big guys lap. As most of you know, though, I am not the biggest fan of crowds, malls and / or public swimming pools (but that is for another season). This year I decided to take one for the team and let the girls tell Santa in person what they were hoping to find under the tree.

After hitting up two separate malls (the first mall only has Santa on Saturdays & Sundays) we found him.

Brooke was PUMPED.

Caroline was hungry...no surprise.

I was worried Brooke would freak when it was show time..but she was on her A game. She jumped right up on his lap-let him know that jewelry and makeup were high on her lists-smiled for her picture and hugged him good bye. Caroline went along for the ride and didn't cry...so, no complaints.

Pretty good-looking Santa right??

I think I will (finally) make this a yearly tradition.

Tis the Season

Brooke has very interesting tastes.

In my prior post, you read of her slight obsession with high heels. She also told Santa that she wanted earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings. Brooke also whispered that she needed some new make-up...just like moms and lots of lipstick. She may have mentioned a few fancy dresses too.

Additionally (and especially during Christmas time) Brooke is all about Jesus. She looks for him everywhere. You can imagine her delight upon seeing multiple nativity scenes in her Grandma Etta's subdivision. Kid in a candy store. She can spot a Cross miles away. Taking her to Mass is the ultimate reward.

Talk about diversifying your interests!

My mom thinks I should consider a Mary Magdalen costume for Halloween next year. It is worth some thought...

Carousel Rides

Brooke LOVES to ride the carousel. Luckily, during out mall trip this week, we had some time to kill so I let her take a ride. As she was waiting in line (behind another girl...the only other child waiting in line) she proclaimed that she was going to ride the dolphin. She continued to inform me (and everyone that was within 10 feet) that she was SO EXCITED to ride the dolphin.

Upon hearing Brooke's excitement, the darling girl in front of Brooke informed her mother that she too would now like to ride the dolphin.

Seriously?? You did hear that my daughter is totally pumped about the dolphin. Could you encourage your child to choose another animal? I mean, there are only 30!

You know where this is going right?? Other girls mom hears my daughter's choice in animal, also hears her daughters new claim to same animal, and now lets her daughter run ahead of my child so that she can ride that dolphin.

Insert real..large...tears.

Sure, I could have said something...but really, it is worth it?

Good opportunity to teach Brooke that dolphins are not really that cool and that her aunt Amy actually thinks that they are pretty lame.

Kidding.

It was good, though, to let her know it wasn't the end of the world, things happen, and there is a pretty awesome upper deck on this carousel that has otter.

It worked.

If the shoe fits...

Brooke, Caroline and I met my mom at the mall today for a little last minute shopping and a trip to see Santa. I am an avid non-mall shopper for many reasons. Crowds, food courts, kiosks where people are getting massages in the middle of the day...all major reasons I don't hit up the mall on a weekly basis.

Brooke, on the other hand, LOVES malls. The people, the stores and those kiosks. She finds it all fascinating. She will probably grow up to be a mall kid that wants to 'hang' there with her friends on a Friday night.

 Today, though, she was a bit of a shoppers nightmare. Apparently Brooke has a bit of an obsession with high heeled shoes. I knew that she enjoyed walking around the house in a random pair of pumps but I was unaware of the drooling that would ensue when she walked into the shoe department.

It all started out innocently enough. She eyed a pair of glittered stilettos that happened to match her outfit, "perfectly." Since grandma was trying on shoes, she wanted to know if these beauties came in her size. When the salesmen told her no...the tears, yelling and falling to our knees in the middle of the store began.

Her sharing of emotion continued as we shopped throughout the store. Due to the holiday season being upon us, we couldn't get away from the high heels by simple leaving the department. It was a shoe fetishes dream as every where you turned was the perfect shoe to compliment that holiday outfit. It was a bit embarrassing as employees chuckled listening to the three year old girl cry to her mom that she too wanted high heel shoes. How could they not be in her size when mom said they were big girl shoes and she is a BIG GIRL!!

As we were leaving and I was able to calm her down a bit, she did let me know that she REALLY thought that these were nice and would look good on me. Since we were going to see Santa, she thought I may want to ask for them.

If  only I could find the perfect outfit to wear with them...

St. Nick

...brought us P.J.'s

...how about you??...