Merry Christmas 2008

This was the first year that Cooper really knew who Santa was and what he was all about! Cooper has been very excited about presents, and this morning, there they were under the tree waiting on him. Despite his cold and red nose, he didn't let it slow him down. Santa brought him a tool set like Papa's and a Little People ark. Mommy and Papa also got him a vacuum cleaner (that really sucks stuff up, which is cool for Mommy and Cooper), a Playdoh set, and a refrigerator toy that teaches him letters. It was so much fun being together as a family this Christmas, and I am so thankful for my boys. And we tried really hard to help Cooper understand the real meaning of Christmas this year, which can sometimes get lost among the wrapping paper and toys. In the car last week, Coop said, "Baby Jesus say Ho Ho Ho." On the bright side, at least he remembered that Christmas was about Baby Jesus. We'll work on the Ho Ho Ho part next year.

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

One of my greatest childhood memories is picking out a "real" Christmas tree every year with my momma and daddy and coming home to decorate it. Fortunately, Jeremy also grew up in a house with that tradition, and it is one that we are very excited to pass on to our little boy. Although this is Cooper's third Christmas (since he was born right before Thanksgiving), this is really the first one in which he was old enough to enjoy and understand the festivities. For example, he is very excited about "Santa bring Cooper peasants [aka, presents]." We really enjoyed decorating the tree with our little Coop the other night, and he only had to go to timeout once during the process. (Those of you with 2-year-olds know that is pretty impressive!) I hope that your family traditions bring you lots of joy this Christmas season.