Christmas Day

How exciting can life get when Santa brings you the princess pajamas, pink camera and pink Crocs you asked for? Well... For Jordan it also meant a chance to go to Disney World for two days! The thrill of Santa was alive and well in my parents' house on Christmas morning. To make the day more beautiful, it was sunny and gorgeous out. So after the kids played with their new toys and took in all of the excitement in the house, we piled into our bathing suits and ran off to the beach. Seriously, how often can you say you played on the beach on Christmas Day? So very cool.

A Florida Christmas

We returned to South Florida for the first time in two years... Two years. That seems so wrong. But when it takes many days to drive and flying is so expensive... I understand why we had to wait. But man, let me tell you. It was a perfect time to be there. The temperature was perfect. We had one rainy day out of seven. We got to swim and enjoy the beach. The kids got to ride bikes a bit. And to top it all off... We got to spend some really great time with my parents and a little bit of time with my brother.

On Christmas Eve, we attended a service at my parents' church. The whole family was actually asked to come to the front and do the Advent candle lighting. Jordan joined me at the podium while I read the meaning of the Advent. At the end, I got her to wish the whole church a merry Christmas. It was sweet -- And it's always cool to sneak in a side of Jordan cuteness.

Gift opening is a big deal for both kids -- But I've always considered a three year old as the "perfect" age for the holiday. You can start explaining the real reason why we're celebrating and a three-year-old isn't greedy enough to be nutty and pig-headed during the gift opening process. It's a pure kind of excitement. I'm not sure if that theory is proven... Cameron has maintained a very sweet attitude - even if he's six and a half. Either way, the gifts are simpler when you're little... And man was every gift exciting to Jordan.

Some very cute things emerged during the holiday season. Jordan LOVES holiday music. She would break out into song when you least expect it. She would start dancing anywhere if she heard a song she liked. She would DEMAND you turn up the song if it wasn't loud enough for her liking. Music and the holidays are a happy mix for this little girl. The best moment was watching Jordan dance to Bruce Springsteen's "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." My mom, Randy and I just watched her boogie while she grooved - she had no idea we were watching. She was dancing for not reason except for the joy that song brings to her. It was such a wonderful and sweet moment.

Another wonderful thing about this trip - The weather was so nice that the television was rarely turned on. Jordan was focused on playing with dolls, bothering her brother and being outside. It was just relaxing and wonderful. Some of the gift highlights: Jordan got a new Leapster!! She recently started stealing her brother's and now she has her very own. It's very exciting.

And now... Some video. First, here's Jordan right before we opened presents on Christmas Eve:

Next, excitement over the present distribution process:

Disney Fun

I'm playing catch up with thousands of photos and pictures... I promise to tell many, many stories soon about Christmas and Jordan's third birthday. But first... A holiday greeting from us:

Holiday preview

We made it to Florida! We also had a chance to celebrate an early Christmas with Jordan and Cameron's Poppy and Grandma (aka my in-laws)! They had a ball opening gifts. We also got to drive long distances with the kids in the van -- for the first time we had them sitting in different rows with two separate DVD players.

It changed EVERYTHING. Our drive was relatively peaceful... happy and enjoyable. I think we will travel this way from now on. It was too nice. No fighting and relatively few outburst from either kid.

I did figure out an additional way to help Jordan keep up with her toys without them all falling to her left side and she can't reach it. It's a soft tray that attaches with a belt behind her so it doesn't fall down. She was able to play with smaller toys and eat food without losing stuff. I highly recommend it!!

Today we enjoyed a little time in my parents' pool (it was freezing cold) and riding bikes. Jordan was exhausted but we did pull the bike arm out for a little while. Not long enough for her to be willing to let me leave and find a camera. She was exhausted by the end of the day and even fell asleep on the floor. Hopefully she'll get a good night's sleep so we can have a really fun day tomorrow!

"Santa? Please we go to Disney World?"

There's a wonderful website that let Jordan and Cameron record a message for Santa -- and then their message is emailed to me!

Here's what Jordan had to say:


Crazy adorable.

Santa!!

I took Jordan and Cameron to see Santa - I go early because I put together a family calendar every year and this is the last needed photo for the project. Anyway... This is the first time Jordan hasn't cried with the jolly guy. She seemed a little skeptical about her safety at first... but warmed up to him. The funniest moment: When Cameron reminded Jordan not to cry. This has actually been kind of a big deal for the whole last year. I keep the yearly Santa picture on the refrigerator... So often Jordan would look at the picture and says: "It's Santa!! Jordan is sad. I not cry with Santa again!" So... She did a great job.

Family time!

Jordan is enjoying family time for Thanksgiving... Another year for us all to be very thankful. For one thing, we are lucky to be loved by a wonderful family. We may not all live that close to each other, but we've found so many ways to stay in touch. The kids' blogs are a great way for everyone to know we're doing okay. But each and every family member goes out of their way to find ways for us to see each other in person. Holidays and non-holidays - we've all found excuses to get together and spend time playing with the kids. Randy and I are blessed to have a wonderful work environment. My fellowship has also allowed me to get to know new friends and colleagues. Then there's this growing online world that has offered us so much support and information. I appreciate the comments, emails and connections I've been able to make on this blog, Sammy's Friends, Facebook and Twitter.

We're very lucky and thankful to be so blessed.