Spencer's 4th Christmas

Sometimes the big events in our lives seem too "big" to blog. The perfectionist in me is so worried about capturing all the memories "just right" that I get paralyzed and just never do it (for ex., I never did manage to blog about our fabulous vacation this summer...). Something to work on in the new year, I suppose. With that said, here is my positively imperfect retelling of Christmas 2011.

On Christmas Eve we met Paw-Paw, Renee and Chris at Dianne and Scott's house in Katy. We decided that the first Christmas without Grannie needed a change of venue and Dianne and Scott were kind enough to host. It was a fun afternoon and Spencer got quite a haul of goodies, including a cash register and two Thomas the Tank Engine track sets. After a delicious BBQ rib feast, we headed back to Austin to prepare for Santa's arrival.  

Spencer changed into his official Christmas jammies then prepared a plate of milk and cookies for the Man in Red. Daddy also suggested that he leave some carrots for the reindeer. We didn't get to visit Santa this year (when we went to the Kerbey Lane Doll Shop on the 23rd, we found out one of Santa's elves was sick and Santa couldn't be at the store that day), so Spencer dictated a letter for him. Santa liked it so much that he even wrote a note back to Spencer - and got sooty fingerprints on it in the process! And the reindeer must've enjoyed eating their carrots - we found part of a gnawed carrot outside on the patio. Once the preparations were complete, Spencer went to bed.

Spencer woke up around 7:30 on Christmas morning and was excited but patient as Mommy and Daddy  got out of bed, grabbed the camera and made our way into the living room. If you watched the videos in the previous post, you got a glimpse into his sweet little reactions to everything. What a joy to watch him experience the magic of Santa and Christmas! Luckily Santa was able to make Spencer's wish come true - he delivered a train table with all sorts of new tracks, trains and gear. We opened lots of gifts, including a bunch of awesome dress-up gear from the Loves, and then played with the new toys until it was time to go to Geep and Pop's in the afternoon.

At Geep and Pop's there were plenty of fun gifts, including more pieces to add to the Busytown playset Spencer received from Mommy and Daddy. Geep and Spencer baked gingerbread cookies before dinner (how fun!), then we sat down to a beautiful meal. Before bed, we took a drive through the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights. A perfect ending to a perfect day.

We were blessed with a wonderful holiday and such generosity from our family and friends. This is just a glimpse into the festivities - peruse the December photo album for even more of the story. Here's to health, happiness and love in the new year!