It happened, we met The Big Guy. We were headed to the mall to do a little shopping and wa-la, there he was, just sitting in the middle of the mall! My dad had stopped to get in some line with Gates and my mom and I kept walking toward the store we were going to. She stopped for a minute and said, "Hey Bodie, do you see who's over there?" I thought she was talking about a kid running by on my right but then she said, "No, to your left. Look to your left." I turned my head and was totally stunned. I squatted down on the ground - kind of like an Army guy sneaking up on someone - got a HUGE smile on my face, and whispered, "It's Santa mom. What's he doing here?" My mom asked why I was whispering. I replied in a whisper, "I don't know. Mom, Santa is sitting RIGHT THERE!" My mom told me we could go meet the big buy if I wanted. I told her I'd think about it. She said Gates was going to say hello so I told her that I should probably go to - to make sure Gates was okay.
When we got to the front of the line I heard this big voice say, "Bodie and Gates, come on over." HE KNOWS OUR NAMES!?!?!?! I hopped up on his knee - Gates was speechless so I did all of the talking - and he asked what I wanted. I calmly explained that I would like the race track he gave me last year re-set up in our front room on Christmas morning, that's it. He looked a little confused but then asked, "Well, have you been good?" My reply, "Mostly." He said he liked my honesty so I think the race track I already own will probably be set up in our front room on Christmas morning - sweet!
And while I'm only four, I am learning that Christmas is not about Santa, but rather the spirit of Santa (who was actually a guy named St. Nicholas a long time ago), which is the spirit of Christ. St. Nicholas, just like Jesus, did very kind things for people and that's what make Christmas so magical - lots of people thinking about other people and doing kind things. I am also learning that not everyone gets lots of presents so we need to share. My mom and dad asked if I would let Santa give one of my presents to a little girl
On Saturday, we also took a trip to Bethlehem. Okay, not really, but we did go to a party entitled, "A Trip to Bethlehem" and we got to dress like we were traveling during the time of Jesus's birth. I look like a weary traveler in our family photo, so I included a photo where I look a little less weary.
My preschool hosted it's annual Christmas pageant and I starred as reindeer #14. (Okay, we didn't really have numbers, but there were a lot of us - I'm the guy in the white sweater, six from the left.)
We also hosted our annual Christmas brunch. A bunch of our awesome friends come by our house and fill our home with TONS of Christmas cheer. We eat a lot, the kids run around the yard like it's a track, and by the time everyone leaves our house feels like Christmas has officially arrived - seeing our friends is a highlight every year. This year we made Gates dress up like a little Santa Claus - I don't think he was too thrilled in this photo, but he ended up staying awake for about 4.5 of the 5 hours of the party - not bad for a little guy!
And speaking of Gates, he attempted a milestone this past week - eating real food. Though I think calling a banana that has been pureed a million times "real food" is a bit of a stretch, but I digress. His face in this photo sort of sums up the experience. The spoon went in full, came out empty, then blah, the food shot out of his mouth and we all laughed. Can you blame him? My advice, next time give him a big bowl of ice cream!
We had so much fun at your Christmas brunch! Thanks for kicking off our holiday season with such style! It was a highlight for the whole family--you guys definitely throw the best parties!
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