The Magic of Christmas

Today, Marc and I got to witness Christmas morning through the eyes of a 13 month old.  It was almost magical seeing his little eyes dance as he saw all of the presents under and around the tree.

The stocking that my mom made him was packed with little fun things.  Small books, stickers, sippy cup and a new Elmo toothbrush were dug out from the stocking and carried around one by one.

He struggled with opening gifts at his birthday last month.....well, that is no more.  He is now an expert gift wrapping tear upper!  Wow, once his little hands find the fold, that paper is torn to shreds!  Elmo sponsored Ben's Christmas this year.  From Elmo toothbrush to Elmo books to Let's Rock Elmo, he had the best time.  Ben said "OH" (for Elmo) about every 10 seconds.  Was he interested in the adorable new clothes?  Negative. What about the cute new pairs of socks?  Not one bit.  But, hey, who can compete with Elmo?

Our furry children enjoyed their gifts....candy cane shaped raw-hides

This year, my mom and brother headed our way for Christmas Day.  We wanted to change things up so that is what we did.  Side note....there are absolutely no restaurant open for lunch on Christmas Day.  We attempted IHOP....nope, opened at 3.  Three Chinese restaurants all closed.  So, the 5 of us headed to Waffle House.  Is there anything better than 4 adults and a 13 month old crammed into a small corner booth?  Actually, no!  It was just perfect.  We ate a delicious/greasy breakfast and enjoyed every single moment.  Ben (who had never experienced the Waffle House) was a bit overwhelmed at first, but ended up loving the waffles!

We spent the afternoon playing with Ben and all of his new things.  Let's Rock Elmo playing continuously in the background.  Before dinner, we did what we do every year.  We got the family picture.  It is a set tradition that my Dad always led and as hard as it was to organize it alone, I did.  We set up the automatic timer, hoped that Ben would look at the camera and posed.  A few outtakes and a few keepers later, we had it!

(Abigail Grace was very prominent in the picture!)


What a wonderful Christmas.  The magic of this day was all around.  It truly was a day that meant so much to our family.  The first Christmas without my Dad was made better by the 25 pound Ben Rosner.  He, without even knowing it, just makes it all better.  We are all truly blessed to have each other.  So, as my Dad spent his first Christmas in Heaven, we celebrated all that we have down here. It truly was a Merry Christmas.