Last night the adults partied, today, the kids.  Santa and goodies and gifts for the kids at the Lodge.  Which it seems Tre was none too impressed with. 

Santa's elf was a gentleman from the Lodge who did a wonderful job as Santa.  He really got into it and talked to the kids.  He had the patience of a saint in dealing with some of the questions he received; "Where's Rudolph?" "Why didn't I get____ last year?" "Are you real?" etc.

Tre again, not impressed, but not crying.

Kyrsie spent her time telling Santa she wanted a baby doll and a baby crib for Christmas.  She is just fascinated by Santa and wanted to be near him the whole time.  Last year's pictures of all the kids showed Kyrsie in everyone of them.
Tre and Kyrsie's time with Santa wasn't over though.  He made a detour on his way back to the North Pole to stop at the house to see them one more time. 

Kyrsie was overly impressed to have Santa at her Poppy and Bahe's house to see her.  She, again, told Santa her wishes and hugged him good-bye, as he headed off back to the North Pole to get ready for Christmas.

There's something magically about little kids and Santa.  The awe in their eyes upon seeing him seems to make the holiday season for me.  In fact the years between the last of us believing and having a small child around at Christmas just weren't the same.

Now, we have Kyrsie and Timmy (our nephew on Tony's side) who believe.  Of course, Tre is too small to understand why there's a man in a bright red suit and white beard holding him.

But, Timmy and Kyrsie make my Christmas.  The smiles on their faces, the astonishment in their voices, the questions about the reindeer and where Santa lives.  That makes the magic of Christmas come alive.  I'm blessed to have these kids in my life.  

All three of them mean the world to me and I love watching them grow up, even though it seems to go entirely too quickly.  I wish I could bottle this excitement and wonder for the years when they are too large to believe in magic.  I try to take as many pictures as I can of them for memories sake even when they get fed up with the flash of the camera.  In fact we have quite a few pictures of Timmy, smiling at the camera but with his eyes shut so the flash wouldn't bother him.

It's the times like this, when I really miss not having a child of my own.  But, really that's for another day.
Smile, 
 Suzy Smith