December 23

While on our way to a Christmas party this evening we were caught in some traffic. Gotta love Providence at 5 P.M. Liam is chatting away in the backseat and suddenly decides he wants to be a dinosaur.

Liam: "RAWWWWR"
He does this four or five times, at top volume.
Momma: "Liam, do you think you could be a quiet dinosaur? Daddy is trying to concentrate on the traffic and it's really distracting when you yell like that."
Liam: "But Momma, I'm not a quiet dinosaur, I'm a REAL dinosaur. I want to be a gen-u-ine REAL dinosaur."


The Christmas party was great. I got to see all my extended family; cousins, aunts, uncles and such. It reminded me of when I was young, the way Christmas used to be growing up. One of my favorite family traditions as a kid was my Uncle Dick dressing up every Christmas as Santa Claus. After all the other presents had been exchanged and dinner was over, we'd hear the jingling of bells and the familiar "Ho, Ho, Ho" and down the stairs he'd come. Santa Claus with a big cloth bag over his shoulder. One by one he'd call each cousin's name and we'd have a seat on his lap and get our last gift for the day. The best part is there would always be a gift for my grandfather in the sack as well, the eternal kid at heart, although I think my aunts just loved making my Grandpa sit on his brother-in-law's lap year after year.

Liam had the opportunity to meet this Santa for the first time tonight. He was so excited he was wriggling in my lap. Before Santa even made it to his seat, Liam was talking to him,
Liam: "Hi Santa! Hi!"
Santa: "Hello, What's your name? Liam?"
Liam: "Yeah, I'm Liam."
Santa: "What's your little brother's name?"
Liam: "He's Connor."
Santa: "And what's your mother's name?"
Liam: "Momma"

Santa took his seat and called each child up by name. Most kids were too shy or too old/cool to sit with Santa, but when Liam's name is called he went right up and sat on Santa's lap. He took his present and despite his excitement still remembered to say thank you. Made Momma proud. He came back to me with the gift in his hot little hands. He looked up with shining eyes and said, in awe, "He knows my name, Momma!" After all the gifts are handed out Liam asked to say good bye before Santa had to go. He remembered to thank him again and then Liam turned to Santa and said"Merry Cwistmas, I LOVE you, Santa!" Have you ever heard a room collectively 'awwwww'? I honestly thought my aunts would melt into a collective puddle of sap right there.