Christmas Eve

Busy as ever, this morning found me in the kitchen (yet again) preparing a few platters of finger foods and hors devours for us to enjoy prior to opening our gifts from under the tree this evening. When JD called to say he was on his way home, I busied myself with the last minute details to make sure everything was ready when he walked through the door. Miss Ma'am still had to be on a soft diet because of her throat (only three days post-op now) so I made her a nice warm cup of cheesy potato soup.

Feeling "just okay" at this point, Miss Ma'am was starting to tire and I wasn't sure she would make it through the evening but she made it quite well in spite of it all. After enjoying some good eats, we helped ourselves to some sugary treats and retired to the living room for some gift opening fun.

Modeling her 8th Annual new Christmas jammies.

Every year, since her birth, I have a photo of her surrounded by all HER gifts on Christmas Eve. Y'all think she's spoiled much?

A gift from Dad - she was more than pleased
with the 'dangly' earrings.

Jonas Brothers Concert DVD - one of many
that was on her wishlist.

She's phased out of Hannah Montana and has turned her attention to Wizards of Waverly Place with her newest idol being Selena Gomez. Can't say I'm torn apart over that one.

It's not often that I can catch a moment like this.
It was the WoWP DVD above that sparked this reaction. I do believe she was beyond excited!

At this point, she was really getting into opening her gifts. Tearing and tossing paper all over the place. It was all she could do to keep from busting open to see what was coming next. This has truly been the most excited I've ever seen her on Christmas Eve.

Yet another endearing moment in time...

Whoever came up with the idea to combine Play-Doh with kitchen gear is a genius. My girl absolutely LOVES her some Play-Doh. She spends countless hours molding and modeling it into cute little creations and with her love for being in the kitchen, this couldn't have been more perfect.

She definitely belongs to JD & ME!! Girl loves to read!!!!

Another of the gifts that was actually on her wishlist.
Seriously? How many kids ask for books for Christmas?! Does the momma's heart proud (to be honest). Now, I'm not sure what I said to her at the moment I snapped this photo but she's definitely giving me "the look" - LOL.

A gift from Mom - this was yet another of her favorites and what better way to celebrate her coming into her own fashion sense than with her own little mani-pedi set that includes lip gloss (for dress up only, of course) featuring none other than her new favorite, Selena Gomez & the Wizards of Waverly Place.

Proud of her very own "make-up" caboodle.
(Score one for the momma!)
Miss Ma'am always gets to go first when it comes to opening gifts. For one, it's really hard for her to wait for everyone to take turns and just to be honest, I get the greatest joy out of just watching her enjoy herself. It permeates a feeling I just simply can't explain. Naturally, once all her gifts are opened, she moves on to help everyone else and on occasion I just sit back and let her open all mine right by herself as well.

The one single gift she insisted I open on my own this year though was the one from her. It was a rather large box that felt to be stuffed and overflowing inside the wrapping paper. Upon opening the box, I found a beautiful new soft and fuzzy pink bathrobe. I had been needing a new one for several months and was more than tickled to get it. She & JD insisted that I try it on right that minute, so I did ... and then ... I felt something in the pocket - so I turned about as if to model the robe and quickly reached in the pocket to retrieve a tiny box all wrapped up pretty - slipped it into my own 'secret hiding place,' and continued my pirouette of modeling the robe. (Can y'all just hear me laughing out loud in my head right about now?)

"Feel how warm the pockets are, Mom," she told me. So ... I slipped my hands in the pockets without even cracking a smile and replied with a warming sigh, "mmmm that's nice and warm." With a big grin on her face she asked, "do you feel it?" Smiling nonchalantly, I told her, "yes - it was very warm in those pockets." By this time JD was smirking, knowing I was teasing her but what he didn't know was that he was getting it too (y'all can just insert a huge evil grin right here).

"NO MoM!" she exclaimed. "The Box?!?! In the pocket."

With an inquisitive look on my face I told her that there wasn't a box in the pocket. Well I wish, I wish, beyond all wishing possible in this world that I had been recording this on the video camera. If y'all could have seen the look on both their faces?! They were frantic and JD was getting up to start the great search for the missing box when I lost it and bent double with laughter as I retrieved the box from its 'hiding place.'

"Ooooooh, y'all mean THIS box?!"

Sighs of relief came across JD's face and Miss Ma'am blatantly exclaimed ...

"M-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-MMMMMMM!?!?!" and then started laughing.

With the room full of smiling faces now, I sat down to open the tiny box and inside found the most beautiful cross pendant necklace a mother has ever seen. It was made even more special with the knowing that she picked it out and paid for it herself with money she had earned & saved from helping me around the house.

So proud of her gift for Mom ...

The photo really doesn't do it justice. It really is
very sparkly and shimmery and I couldn't love any single possession any more if I tried.

And let's not forget JD. The gift addressed to: "the Dork" ... from: "Incredible Me." My favorite of all else. I can't wait to hang this pretty up on his Navy wall. Well, that is if I ever get everything together and organized enough to actually create the wall.
With the gifts from under our tree all opened now and with lots of smiling faces, we gathered and organized everything together to tidy up and make room for Santa's big delivery as that time of the evening was quickly drawing nigh, and there was still much we needed to do before calling it a night.

A round of eggnog with a toast "to We3 being together, to our home filled with love & peace, and to the celebration on the eve of the greatest day known to man;" was a great start to our annual reading of The Night Before Christmas, followed by the story of Jesus' birth.

After two beautiful stories, Miss Ma'am prepared a plate of cookies for Santa along with a stemmed glass of eggnog which she placed under the tree along side the picture of a gingerbread man that she had colored for Santa earlier in the day.

She hung Santa's Magic Key on the front door with care, grabbed Rudolph's Jingle Bell from the tree and headed for bed where she said her night prayers, said "Happy Birthday Jesus," and then rang that bell as if her little life depended on Rudolph hearing it and knowing that she was going to sleep now.

Santa's Magic Key has been hanging on our door for the last five years so the jolly ol' man can let himself in since we don't have a fireplace or a chimney BUT Santa is the only one who can make the key work.

... nestled, all snug in her bed ...

Rudolph's Jingle Bell was a gift that Santa gave her back in 2006 after she gave him the jingle bell necklace she was wearing around her neck as a gift for Rudolph. He told her to ring Rudolph's Bell every Christmas Eve before going to bed so Rudolph would know she was going to sleep & could guide his sleigh directly to where she was.
With Miss Ma'am all comfy-cozy and tucked in tight, JD & I settled in to watch Miracle on 34th Street, allowing her time to drift off to sugarplum dreams before we headed that way ourselves. Santa was rather noisy upon his arrival and when he opened the door, his fingers must have been slippery from all the treats along his way because he dropped the Magic Key to the floor and it broke into three pieces. JD & I were startled by his abrupt arrival and saw nothing but the heel of his boot as he fled the scene upon hearing the bedroom door to Miss Ma'am's room open.

As she came around the corner into the kitchen, there I stood with the broken key in hand and listened intently as she told me with her face all lit up, "did you hear that clatter?" She seemingly never noticed the key, so thinking quickly, I tucked it in my pocket and assured her that it couldn't have possibly been Santa because "Mom & Dad aren't asleep yet." I hurried her back to bed and stayed there with her until I was sure she was back to sleep.

Once all was quiet again, I removed the key and twine from the broken pieces of the ornament and craftily attached them to a mini stocking that I hung back on the front door so Santa could once again, freely enter at will; and JD & I headed on to bed as not to interrupt his delivery yet again!