Merry Christmas - 2009

Tonight we celebrated Christmas with Ricky, Stephanie & Tanek. I feel like we have been celebrating Christmas for a whole month and it has been a wonderful, fun, warm, with lots of love, laughter, friends and family. It started out when Richard, Heather and girls came for Thanksgiving. We celebrated Christmas together before they left. That was a lot of fun. Then we have had so much fun at Disney seeing all the Christmas decorations and lights, parties and get togethers with friends, the children's musical at church, and then last Sunday night our Carols, Candles and Communion and seeing Tanek sing as an angel in the 3 year old choir in church. It has just been a very very special Christmas season. Just so many happy warm memories. I hate to see it come to an end. Tonight we had our traditional Mexican dinner. Then we opened our gifts. Tanek was so excited to open this big gift. He has been watching it for the past week with anticipation of what it was. Each day this week when he opened one of his 12 days of Christmas gifts, he talked about this "big rectangle" gift that he would get to open on Christmas eve. Sharing Christmas with children is just the best. Seeing and anticipating Christmas through the eyes of a child just gives it so much more meaning.

Here he is standing in front of the gift that was taller than him. He was so excited to find out what was in it.

It is an Easel and you wouldn't necessarily think he would be that excited about it, but he really did like it. He loves working with letters and learning things and he was very excited about this.

He couldn't wait to try it out.

He is quite a fan of Handy Manny and was quite happy with a Handy Manny. Ricky thinks it is a doll (which didn't make him real happy) but it isn't a doll. It is Handy Manny and his tools. Tanek picked this gift out himself. He loves Handy Manny and calls him a lot about having him help fix something.

This gift is from Meme and Gramps and he was very happy with this. Mega blocks of the "cars" characters. He is still very much a fan of Lightning McQueen and all his buddies. He was very anxious to get home and start playing with all his toys.

He also received a dvd movie from Aunt Kim, Uncle Dan and Garrett, Chandler& Morgan. Some of his favorite people. He will enjoy watching this.

Papa opening his gifts

Ricky and Stephanie opening their gifts.

After the gifts were opened we had birthday cake for Jesus' birthday. Tanek played the Happy Birthday tune that Micky plays on top of his Christmas tree. He sang Happy Birthday to Jesus.
This year he has really been able to understand about the true meaning of Christmas and that we celebrate Jesus' birthday. It was neat to have this on top of his tree that played Happy Birthday because he would keep playing it and singing Happy Birthday to Jesus.

Standing in front of the Christmas tree.

This is the cake that Tanek and his mommy made for Jesus' birthday. Tanek picked out the cake and frosting and he talked about it all week that they were going to make a birthday cake for Jesus' birthday.

He rather liked the chocolate frosting

After dinner and dessert and all the gifts were opened, Stephanie and I took Tanek to Melrose to see the house with all the lights. It was so pretty and she got some good pictures of him there. This is the first time I have actually walked around in their yard and it was really pretty. It made my yard look like it only had a few lights in it in comparison. He enjoyed seeing all the lights. Then we came back and took some pictures of him around some of the things in my yard.
It is hard to see him right next to the nativity set.

Tanek and his mommy swinging

In front of Santa's sleigh

With Mr. & Mrs. Clause

A Happy little boy getting ready to go home and play with his new toys and get ready for the big day tomorrow when he gets to open his other gifts from his mommy and daddy. Can't wait to watch him do that. He is so happy and so much fun. It was so sweet after we were all through opening our gifts he climbed up on my lap and gave me a big hug and kiss and said "Thank you Nana, I love my gifts". Now that will melt your heart.

I have so enjoyed this whole month with all the fun and celebrations. I truly hate to see it end. It was so nice to have everything decorated before Thanksgiving so that we could have a whole month to just enjoy the whole season. It has really been a special Christmas. I feel like we really celebrated the true meaning of Christmas and it has been great.