Christmas morning was so much fun this year. Brian was so enthusiastic about everything and his reactions to each gift made Santa feel soooo appreciated!!! I had hoped to get a photo or a video of the boys coming down the stairs... but this is basically how it looked.
I tried to stop him - to wait for Gavin and Ed - to force a photo. When I noticed frustration rising up in me because I didn't capture that traditional "moment," I quickly checked myself. After that, I let everyone "be" - Brian opened whatever toy he wanted in whatever order! Gavin checked out one new toy before he crawled away into the other room to play with the toys he's had for years. He would come back and forth to see what was going on at the Christmas tree at his own pace. Everyone was happy doing what they wanted - and that made for a less stressful Christmas morning!
Secretly, Gavin did thrill me by gravitating to the special toy I picked out with him in mind. A Little People school that requires little pressure on the mat in front to play music. It comes with a school bus that is wheelchair accessible!! The bus driver looks like his bus driver, too!
When he picked up the boy in the wheelchair and brought it to his mouth, it melted my heart.
Brian oooed and ahhhhed at everything.
He would open a gift - gasp - and say breathlessly, "Wow."
He kept saying, over and over, "I am so lucky!" And he'd want to show or share his presents to his big brother, which was very sweet.
Brian was speechless when I brought him to the table we put Santa's cookies and milk on the night before. I told him that I was going to set up my camera on the tripod and leave it out to hopefully "catch Santa." He couldn't believe that I did - and that Santa ate the cookies they left out. His reaction was priceless!!!
Brian also must have said "Santa remembered!" ten times that morning, if not more. He was SO excited that there were cars under the tree... and really loved the race track he got! (I love this, too!)
Gavin came back and checked out his new Christmas book that has lights and music...
And laughed out loud with his "Laugh out Loud Elmo!"
Brian was THRILLED to get his very own Angry Bird calendar!
And spent much of the afternoon playing with his new Pirate Ship. "Santa remembered I was a pirate for Halloween!"
I think the Puppet Theater will be a big hit!
For the record, if I can brag - I do a great Pirate impression. But Brian will definitely be the star of the puppet shows...
Brian was SO excited to see what Santa left in his stocking!
Check out the video to hear his adorable enthusiasm. He sure knows how to make Santa feel good!!!
Close by, Gavin discovered his new Alphabet spinner and had a lot of fun!
While Brian was content playing with his new Marble Works...
...I took Gavin upstairs to check out one of his new toys in one of his favorite places on Earth - the water!! He got a set of drums that float in the water and got a kick out of my rendition of Little Drummer Girl.
When we came back downstairs, we settled at the art table to try out Brian's new "Light Up Paint Palette" which is the COOLEST toy ever.
When he dips his brush into a color - the whole palette lights up to match.
And the best part? It's mess free! The color only shows up on the paper and not anywhere else. So if it gets on his hands or his clothes or the table - it's clear! Perfect for a Mom who doesn't like dealing with messes! Check out Brian's creation!
Santa also brought mess free finger paints for Gavin. You never know where his hands will fly so mess free is perfect for him!
We took a break from art to play with Gavin's toy - a FIJIT Friend! It's kind of dumb, but I thought - er, I mean SANTA thought - he would get a kick out of it. This FIJIT's name is Lola. You can talk to her and ask her questions - and she'll answer! We asked her if she wanted to dance with us and when I put on a song, she moved with the beat of the music! She's a good dancer... but she could never bust a move like Brian...
By bedtime, the boys were tired and happy.
After tucking them in, I hit the road! I snuck out to see the Premiere of Les Miserables in the movie theater! It was packed and I won't lie if I didn't feel a little bit anxious. I was in a crowded movie theater at night for a highly anticipated opening - perfect set up for a shooting. Isn't it awful that my mind would go there? But it's become a big fear for me whenever I'm out in public in a crowd, unfortunately. Soon I was able to get into the movie - my favorite Broadway show of all time - and it did NOT disappoint. My only complaint? I wish I had brought more tissues! It was a wonderful ending to a happy Christmas Day.
I hope you enjoyed your Christmas day with your families!
Lyle Lovett needs to know that a potential back-up dancer is right there in your house!
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