Dear Kid Saturday - Christmas Recap

Alright, let's just be honest - I wrote nothing down this week for our letter. There were festivities to attend, grocery runs to be completed and last-minute gifts to be coordinated, and it just didn't happen. From Ms. Thing's perspective, probably, aside from the Christmas festivities, it was a pretty uneventful week. So this week's letter will be devoted to our yuletide activities. Don't forget to stop by the Cutest Kid Ever blog for this week's "Dear Kid" and say hi as well.

Dear Queen Quarian,

Isn't that a great name you thought of? I love all the stuff you make up when we play pretend. This morning you've been making crafts and jewelry with your "family," the stuffed animals you keep with you in your tent all the time. Just recently you decided to switch it up a bit and change everyone's names, which I thought was a fantastic idea. You told me your whale's new name is "Gum," your puppy's name is "Kerf," and Elmo's new name is "Coldknit." Very cool. Shortly after the naming ceremony, however, you dismissed me so you could have a family meeting. Maybe someday Daddy and I will get to attend one of those...

Christmas this year started on the Saturday before, since your cousin Twinkle and her mom and dad were heading out of town to see Twinkle's other cousins. We stayed up past your bedtime Friday making the baked French toast and got up early to make the ambrosia. I love it when you help in the kitchen! You were a little disappointed when we told you that Santa wasn't going to come until Thursday, since you were REALLY hoping to have a bath with Swim To Me Puppy. But I explained that Santa only comes on Christmas Eve, and you got much happier when your grandma and grandpa arrived with the presents.

You were such a grown-up during present time. You helped pass out the gifts and you were so excited to see what everybody got. The picture frames you made were a big hit, and you were very proud. You were patient while little Twinkle opened her gifts and even helped her get the wrapping paper off. You got some pretty great stuff this year - the Littlest Pet Shop Wii game, a super cool wooden dress-up doll set from Grandma Kaylan, some new clothes for your stuffed animal family, and your very first dollhouse from Grandma Tiny.

You get kind of quiet and serious about toys you really like. While the rest of us were having brunch (since you're not a real fan of sauces, mixed-up foods, spicy things and.... well, anything other than yogurt in the morning), you went to work putting special outfits on your new dress-up girls until you had them just right, accessories and all. Although the set has lots of really fun sports outfits and costumes, I wasn't surprised at all that you'd dressed up all three girls as identical princesses. Later, you spent an hour playing quietly with your dollhouse til bedtime. The little girl who lives inside has a fairy princess outfit just like yours, and you showed her how to fly around the house and peek into the windows while all her friends were tucked into bed.

On Wednesday, we went to see Santa at the mall. You wanted to make sure he knew about Swim To Me Puppy even though you'd already written a letter. We met your friend L and her mommy, and the two of you had a ball. I was amazed at how brave you were - last year you were terrified of Santa, but this year you said you weren't scared one bit. You walked right up, climbed up on his lap, and told him what you wanted for Christmas. You told me later you said it really loud because he was "old like Great Grandpa John." Good thinking.

We had a few last-minute errands to run after the mall, but you were really tired and had a pretty big meltdown in the store. It surprised me a little - you haven't done that in a long time. But I know you are struggling right now with doing things by yourself, and get frustrated sometimes when you don't have control. I explained that your behavior wasn't ok and that, as a consequence, we wouldn't be able to make cookies for Santa together when we got home. You were upset, but eventually understood that your choices have consequences, and that, while it's ok to feel frustrated, it's not ok to stop listening to Mommy and throw a fit. I promised that we would write a note to Santa so he'd know why there were no cookies, and that you weren't usually naughty.

After your nap, Grandma and Grandpa came over for a Christmas Eve pizza party, something your Daddy's family used to do every year. We put you in charge of the cooking and you were awesome! You brushed the crusts with oil, did the sauce all by yourself and added all the toppings with almost no help. Know what? You make pretty great pizza! Before bed, we wrote a note and put a glass of milk out for Santa. You left a glass of juice right next to it for yourself, because you were pretty sure that you'd be there to greet him when he got to our house.

In the morning, you found the milk glass empty, a full stocking, and (surprise!) SWIM TO ME PUPPY under the tree. As you dug through your stocking, you were a little confused when you saw the little toys from Target and the stickers from Hobby Lobby (even though Santa had taken the price tags off and used special wrapping paper). You said, "Mom, these must be from you!" You're a pretty smart cookie and it sure is hard to get anything by you. The look on your face spoke volumes, even though you played along when I tried to explain that Santa must have known how much you like the stickers at Hobby Lobby. Later, you told your Aunt K on on the phone that it was a "Christmas miracle" to find Swim To Me Puppy under the tree, but I'm pretty sure you've decided this Santa Claus thing is for babies. Oh well - sure was fun for Daddy and me while it lasted.

After you helped with a special Christmas breakfast, the three of us spent the entire day together, doing little crafts and puzzles, and playing with your new toys. I know you loved having both of us as playmates all day. We barely even touched our computers. That was a real Christmas miracle! Naturally, you had a nice long bath with Swim To Me Puppy and we all breathed a sigh of relief when he actually swam around the tub. After a nice long nap in the afternoon, we took Mags (or "Maggie Mae the Black Lab," as you've taken to very formally calling her) with us for a trip to the Frisco town square for their awesome "dancing lights." You got glow bracelets in your stocking, and you wanted us all to wear some, so we were looking quite festive, even Dad. You were all smiles and super sleepy by the end of the day. When I put you to bed, we read one of your new books together and you told me I'm your very best friend. Aw, sweet pea, you sure know how to make your mama smile.

I love you so much, sweet girl. You make every day special.

Sincerely,
Mommy