Santa Was Here

Merry Christmas!

It wouldn't be an early Christmas morning if something wasn't being assembled in the wee hours. Mr. Claus was up until 1:45 putting together a basketball goal. Just a few bad words were said while in the garage putting the thing together. It was pushed outside in the early hours ready to surprise the boys at the end of a scavenger hunt. A big storm blew through in the middle of the night, though, blew the thing over, and the backboard broke! Mr. Claus was NOT happy. Another few choice words were thought if not said.

Keagan got a cross-bow, a new book, and a soccer trainer to wear on his shoe.  He said it was a wonderful Christmas because he also got new underwear that "feels great and hit my day off with a great start; these don't leave marks on my skin."

Evan is going to soccer ref school next month, got a football trivia book that he said was crap because he knew none of the answers, and a new wallet to replace the Mater wallet he has had since he was five. With new soccer gear, a basketball goal, and footballs all given as gifts this year, he said, "Man, this has been a sports filled Christmas." I can't say we haven't had a sports-filled Christmas, though, since 2009 when the top gifts were a Ben10 watch and Thomas the Tank Engine trains. It is now part of our Christmas tradition to give gifts associated with sports.

The only way that today could be better is if it were spent with our extended family. One day soon we will leave the Army behind and call the shots with how we spend our holidays. Unit then, we are blessed to be together when so many of our military are spending the day separated from family.

Battle of the Brothers

It took the boys over an hour each to prepare the big guns and pistols for the first Battle of the Brothers. Then the rules of Air Soft Battles had to be explained. I overheard Wes say, "Stop talking" several times during the rule run-down. That took another half hour. Then it took some time to get the gear on.

It only took a full morning of prep, but the boys were finally ready. The first fight was temporarily halted when I found Evan three lots over on the roof of the house under construction.

Keagan was deemed the winner of the first fight. Due to Evan's cries of injustice, Wes is now mediating the second battle.

The irony of our celebrating the gift of life while my boys are out shootin' each other up, is not lost on me, but some traditions are hard to break.

Christmas 2008 in Virginia
 

This is Awesome!

Thank goodness that last package from Amazon made it to our house on December 23rd! According to Keagan it was that last box filled with Air Soft guns that sealed this year's Christmas as the best one yet! Both boys are geared up with protective eye masks, visors, neck guards, and chest vests. Keagan is running through the house in full gear and must have said thirty times already, "This is awesome!" I even got a head nod or two from Evan when he opened the guns.



And then there was this...

Keagan opened his fins and said, "Well, this will be great when we got to the beach again...next year!" Why in the world do you have nutmeg, snorkeling gear, and binoculars under the tree? The boys had no idea and so we had to reveal that we are taking a family vacation. Tomorrow we will make our way to Grenada for snorkeling off the white sand beach, a hike through the rainforest looking for birds, and a tour of a nutmeg processing plant. The last one really had them excited! :)

The most thoughtful and unique gift was a set of arrowheads collected by the boys' great-great-uncle Bennie in the 1950s when he lived near San Antonio. The boys' wild imagination had them thinking of the Alamo, Indians, and battles. The boys loved it, Moo!

Merry Christmas to All!

Merry Christmas Eve

The boys and I spent our morning volunteering at the church, 

we made batch number two of cookies for Santa (since batch one was eaten after lunch),

 

 

we attended Christmas Eve service, 

and now we await Santa's arrival. 

(The best part of the evening is knowing we have no toys to put together this year and we can go to bed without feeling guilty about saying a bunch of bad words on Jesus's birthday.)

Merry Christmas Eve!