The Last Day of 2005

So how in the world did this happen? It's December 31, 2005 and the whole year has gone whoosh. What a wild and wonderful year it's been with our little man. He started the year as a toddler and ended the year as a little boy. Jim and I are astounded at some of the things that Jack is now able to express and do every day.

We just had a most wonderful Christmas and I thought that I should blog about it before I let anymore time go by. It's hard to imagine that I could ever forget exactly what Jack is saying and doing right now, but I know from experience that the details blur all too quickly.

This is the first year that Jack's understood some of what was going on with Christmas. We put up a really pretty little tree in the living room and Jack had a lot of fun helping us put up the decorations -- even if we did have to move half of them when he wasn't looking. He really loved it when we would turn down the lights and sing carols while he "danced" back and forth between us and the tree. Whenever we'd sing a carol about a "king" he'd have to go and get his crown!

We wrote a letter to Santa Claus a few days before Christmas, and let him know the two things that Jack had decided he wanted -- "a horn to toot, and a piggy bank, because Papa stepped on the old one." We even got a letter back from Santa on the very same day letting Jack know that he'd do his best.

On Christmas Eve day, we headed to Lincoln to Nama and Dapa in the city. We tried to get out really early, but it was pouring rain here and it slowed us down a lot. Jack did think it was fun being carried out to the car in his pajamas and completely covered in a blanket. The new car DVD player was helpful in keeping Jack entertained and happy for the whole trip.

Uncle Scott came over and joined us for a soup supper and then we all got dressed up for church. Jack looked adorable in his new Christmas sweater. Sue and Stan's family had been asked to light the Advent candle during the service and they all did a great job.

When we got home, Grandma put out all the goodies that she and Sue had made and we started opening presents. Jack did a great job taking turns, opening packages, and putting the bows and wrapping paper in the right place. He got a lot of great presents, too. He got a CD player from Aunt Sue and Uncle Stan and a set of four CDs from the kids. Uncle Scott got him two more sets of the paper bricks, and from Mama and Papa he got a book, an I Spy Game and a Doodle Bear. Grandma and Grandpa got him a book and a BIG present that he didn't get until Christmas Day. A pretty good haul, huh?

When Jack got up on Christmas morning, I told him that Santa had been there and left a few presents, but he decided that he didn't want to open anything until everybody came over for dinner later in the day. I thought it was pretty cool that he left those presents sitting on the chair without bothering until after 4:00 when the whole family came back over. Lo and behold, Santa had indeed brought him a horn to toot and a piggy bank, and a whole host of other goodies and toys in his stocking -- a stackable snowman, a big pink "squishy frog," a train whistle and much, more more.