Saturday, December 18, 2010

Childlike Excitement

Christmas is coming. Are you ready? I've always loved Christmas morning. I was the kid who woke up the household before the sun came up every year.

Now, I'm the Mom who wakes up the kids Christmas morning.

I love the looks on the kids' faces when they come downstairs to the living room and see what's under the tree.

It's much like this look on Tuna's face:


Pure glee.

That picture was taken at her school on Friday. I spent the day working with her class (that's her teacher...the blurry blonde behind her...wonderful sweet woman). Here's how our day went:

When I arrived at the school, I helped make hot chocolate for the students. They were watching The Polar Express. They drank their hot chocolate and began construction on some milk carton gingerbread houses. It was so much fun to sit at Tuna's desk with her and her desk mate and help them construct their houses!



Next, it was time for a special surprise! All the students in the entire school (roughly 340, I think) lined up on the sidewalk outside for a special visitor.

The excitement was contagious. Little Tuna doesn't believe in Santa Claus, never really did, because the idea upset her, so we went with the truth for her.

Anyway, even Little Tuna was giddy with excitement.

I'm so glad I was there to catch her reactions:

Looking and waiting... What's going to happen? None of the kids knew!


...to this joyful smile and giggle

...and finally a shy Tuna accepts a candy cane from The Man in Red. That's Army Man right behind her--- he got off work in time to come play with us at school, which was lovely. She certainly loves it when we can spend school days with her, and it's encouraged at her school.


I'm so thankful, on days like these, that I get to stay home and be Mom. I appreciate every moment. I love making memories like these. No Christmas present's memory will outlast having Mom (and Dad) come to her second grade Christmas party all day long. It's stuff like that which gives me those wonderful Christmas morning butterflies in my tummy: spending time making my kids' holidays brighter.

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