Santa - to believe or not to believe

Santa.

Didn't think it would be an issue this Christmas.  Until Justin looked me in the eye the first week in December and asked if he was real.

I distinctly remember the back of my neck starting to sweat.  We had been dealing with the issue of lying for the past month.

I was five when I accused my parents of lying to me about Santa.  And they chuckled and said they never promoted him, but that I had only gotten in the spirit through every other friend, advertising, etc.

My son is four going on 20.  I knew he would not forget me lying to him if I choose to do so.  He remembers everything, and even remembers how old he was at the memory.

So long story short I told him the truth.  Derek was even surprised.  I wasn't ready this Christmas to let the cat out of the bag, though I still had never made more of Santa than a photo at the mall.  We had decided as a family to do Christmas 2010 more about Advent then about the big red fellow.

Justin was told that most every other kid out there believed in him, so let's not blow the secret.  We would clarify often that we choose not to believe but that's it's fun for lots of families.

Whenever an adult would ask him what Santa got him for Christmas he would look them in the eye and immediately say nothing.  Which of course would throw them off.  But when a peer or fellow kid would ask, he would act like he didn't hear.  I would ask him later if he heard them, to which he would reply that he did but didn't want to get into it with them.

So we survived a Christmas without blowing the good news to other unsuspecting kids.

But, we still did some Santa-ing.  Every year for 22 years of my life my mom would take a photo of me and my brothers for Christmas.  Every year I love going to their house and walking down memory lane looking at the photos.  So Justin has been the same thing until now.  What to do?

On Tuesday, our fun day, I asked if we could go smile with Santa.  Memorial City Mall or Galleria, I asked?  He asked me which one came into town first.  The many of confusing questions as my little boy figured out this mystery of a man he really never knew.

We walked in to no line, got our candy cane to suck on, and were on our way.  he kept clarifying that he was not real and we didn't believe in him, right?

Then we rode the train, which is always exciting.

I was asked to sit behind the little master.  I obliged and took photos.  We then rode the escalator for about 30 minutes, truly the highlight of the day.  So mommy got her yearly photo and we could call it quits.

But then I remembered that the only social event of my neighborhood that I couldn't find anyone to help me with was Santa in the CBB.  So I told my rented Santa that my son knows.  And wouldn't you know Santa Ed asked Justin what he wanted for Christmas.  And Justin doesn't understand the question and just says a toy.

I got a photo with the red guy.  For old times' sake.

Me and my Titus 2 mentor, Jody.  She doesn't know that her title is such, but I perceive her as this.  Jody is a wiser believer who is constantly encouraging me, following up with me, and always right by my side.  I love that we are a few streets over and constantly run into her, Betsy, and Rocky on our walks.  Truly a blessing in my life.  Can't imagine my day without my Jody!

Justin attacking the cookie decorating.

I randomly picked up some ginger snaps from Whole Foods to decorate as well.  The adults were eating them as much as the kids.  They were delish, and even better with a tub of icing on top.

The gang of Santa followers.  The older boys were so sweet to let Justin play football with them and pretend he was as good as they were. 

And then the much awaited hay ride.  Poor Santa was quickly forgotten as everyone piled in the trailer.

Meryl was a trooper going and getting the hay and then driving everyone around the neighborhood in it.  It's a fun way to end the night.

See you in 2011, Santa man.

The week after Thanksgiving

I was purposeful in trying to do things this December that didn't require my family to run around like crazy people.  I said no to something at least once a week, and in the end we were able to enjoy, worship, and fellowship without feeling like we were suffocating.  I think I will try to tame down the social calendar even more next year around this season.  Try is the key word.

My buddy Dana turned the big 4-0 and we celebrated with food and friends.

Sweet Janet opened up her home and Shannon headed up all the details.

Leslie came even though the celebration was on her actual birthday.  So I got to celebrate two friends on their special day!

It was fun meeting new faces and catching up with old.

These cupcakes were amazing!  Wish I would have eaten more than one.  :-)

Happy birthday, sweet friend!

Two days later we celebrated Derek's 32nd birthday.  After a very quick opening of gifts from wife, son, and dog, we sang happy birthday over breakfast casserole.

That night we chose to do dinner at the Aquarium.

My boys

We obviously chose the place more for our son that the birthday boy.  He loved the tank.  If only I could manage to chew my food better then we would return more often.

There were some crazy sized fish in that tank.  So fascinating and such a great place for kids.

We finally had to pull away from asking what kind of fish were in there to leave.  The eel, sharks, and stingrays were my personal fave.

The next day Derek went with some fellas to Jacksonville to camp all weekend, and I stayed back to host Justin's entire preschool class.  Justin had been asking all year if he could have the whole class over.  So all but one classmate were dropped off after school Friday to enjoy two hours of fun at the Michaelis' casa.

Silly faces are always more fun.

I had to try and stay organized in that short amount of time.  Mommies were told to show up promptly at 2:00pm, so I didn't want to spend 30 minutes looking for that last pair of shoes.  So we stayed organized.

For the most part, we all prayed at the same time, ate at the same time, and everyone came back to eventually finish some sort of healthiness before the throngs of dessert.  Aunt Shani is always a sucker for dessert during special occasions.

I knew most of the kids but it was fun to watch how they all interacted.

They stayed outside for the most part which kept my house that much cleaner.

We played red rover (first time for almost every child there) and then classic duck, duck, goose.

Of the 12 kids in the class, there are only 5 boys.  Thankfully they all love to play with each other. 

Isabel was the last to leave, and these two had on one skate, one Cars house shoe, and an old batting helmet from Big D.  Love that these kiddos have stayed fast friends for so long!

Such fun times, and December has just begun!

Cushions, cushions everywhere

We came home from Thanksgiving and needed to put our new outdoor furniture cushions back outside.  But Justin had a better idea.

We had an absolute blast as Justin did this over and over...

...and over again.

We never collided, though some of these photos would prove otherwise.

There's a cheerleader chant in my head as I look at they photos.  Funny that a non-cheerleader would think such things.

A superhero must have his signature kick.

We finished with a big smile.

We also got a firepit about a month ago that we have used a ton now that it's cold outside.

We played family Uno by the fire one night.

I of course had a blanket to keep warm.  That's why Derek is the camper in the family, not me.