I caught Carter kissin' Santa Clause...

As chaotic as the past couple of weeks have been we have still managed to squeeze in some Christmas fun, and luckily there is more on the way! While we were visiting Roxi and Pops Carter got into the Christmas spirit by helping Roxi decorate. Lucky for her she was allowed to exercise her creative freedom and went to town...

There have also been Christmas treats...

The return of our little elf Jingle...

and kisses for Santa...

Oh, and speaking of Santa, making a visit to see the Jolly man was at the top of C's to do list once her dad arrived this weekend. She carefully wrote out her wishes (there are 3 this year) and patiently waited in line...

When it was finally her turn she couldn't help but bubble over with excitement...

Nate got quite a kick out of the fact that Santa really read her letter...

I thought is was pretty precious...

And, I'm being a little lazy and haven't scanned the "official" Santa pic, but it's safe to say the visit was a success!

There is this old song that my dad used to play when we were growing up called Thank God for Kids by the Oakridge Boys. One of the lines says, "Thank God for kids there's magic for awhile...a special kind of sunshine in a smile. Do you ever stop to think or wonder why...the nearest thing to heaven is a child?" This really sums up Christmas and Carter for me. As we try to balance celebrating the birth of Jesus and also having a little fun with things like elves and Santa I love watching her smile and take in the whole Holiday experience. It really is one of the joys of being a parent. I'm so thankful to have the opportunity. The other day, after a lot of moving "stuff" we treated Carter, and ourselves, to a little "Christmas light looking". I wish I could convey the excitement with which she oooohed and ahhed, jumped up and down, gasped and squealed throughout the entire experience. She had me laughing out loud and loving every minute...


I think Christmas is more fun than it has ever been and I'm pretty sure I can chalk that up to the fact that I get to be a mom. What a gift.