Christmas morning did not begin as painfully early as in years past nor as early as I would have expected given the hour at which the boys usually awake. Normally, I would have relished that extra hour of sleep. But that morning I found myself lying in bed, wide-eyed, and anxiously waiting for everyone else to wake up. I suppose Christmas morning brings out the kid in all of us.
Mike went downstairs ahead of the rest of us to turn the tree lights on, start brewing coffee (I said we got up later than usual, which is still prior to 7 am in our house!), and get the video camera ready. Then, he invited the boys down to see what Santa had left for them. The boys' main present - a joint gift - was a kitchen where, together, they can create culinary masterpieces (and hopefully learn to share in the process!). Ryan also got a remote-controlled car, an Imaginext space shuttle, Lego police sets, and a Nerf football. Gavin got a firetruck ball pit, Mega Blocks pirate ship, kitchen accessories (pots and pans and play food), and all the Llama Llama books.
After the boys finished unwrapping their presents, they played with their new toys while Mike and I opened our gifts. Without fail, Ryan's gifts to us (especially those he makes at school) always move us to tears. Last year he gave us his hand prints with the following poem:
"Sometimes you get discouraged because I am so small,
And always leave my fingerprints on the furniture and wall.
But everyday I'm growing. I'll be grown up someday
And all these tiny hand prints will surely fade away.
So here are special hand prints just so you can recall
Exactly how my fingers looked when I was very small."
Seriously, how can you not cry reading that?! I'm choked up now and I read it every day since it hangs on our refrigerator! This year at school he made us a Christmas wreath designed using a circle of Ryan's green hand prints with red thumbprints as the holly berries. Those homemade gifts are far more special than any elaborate ornament or pricey decoration. And, I can promise that it will be lovingly hung every year at Christmas even when Ryan is grown and has children of his own!
Ryan also asked to be more involved in picking out gifts for us this year. For Mike, he picked out a Daddy-sized pair of Adidas Samba soccer shoes to match his. For me, he insisted on getting two boxes of my favorite cereal. It was so unexpected when I first opened it, that I couldn't help but chuckle. But looking back, I am incredibly touched by what a thoughtful gift it was. It gives insight into how the mind of a 4-year-old works! And, it was definitely given out of love! No matter what, Mike and I agree, Ryan and Gavin are the two best presents we could ever hope for. They make the holidays, and every day, merrier!
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