Wonderful Time of the Year!

We are having so much fun with William this Christmas! Yesterday was a lovely morning. Mommy and William had a ticklefest while playing with his magnetic alphabet on the refrigerator. We also made cookies and sampled them fresh from the oven together. Then William showed Mommy the ornaments on the Christmas tree and named his favorites: Spiderman (so cute when he says it!), Donald Duck, Choo-choo, kitty. And then for those he is not sure of "Who is that?" Then Mommy pulled out the Christmas sheet music that came in her grandmother's piano bench and smiled at the dates she bought them: December 1955, December 1, 1956, and December 1988. Then there were the memories of Grandmama playing the piano for her grandchildren. Great memories, both old and new.

Last night, Mommy has her choral concert. Since it started right before William's bedtime, William stayed over at his Aunt Jamie's house. It was his first sleepover! Gabriel, Samuel, and William all went to sleep around 8:00, and then William didn;t wake up until about 7:15! Good boy! He slept through the night and there was no problem. He has fun playing with his cousins, too. Mommy and Daddy were actually able to have a little date night and went to a local bar after the concert to grab a late dinner and a beer. I can't tell you how many years it has been since we have done that!

Today, after we picked up William, we came home, got him dressed for the day and headed out for his surprise! We took him to Ocean City for a train show! First thing, we took him onstage of their music hall where they had trains running around multiple tracks. William loved it! He leaned over the ropes and actually SHOOK with excitement as the trains chugged by. He called out "train" in his cute little voice--yep, train, not choo-choo! The photographer for the Ocean City local paper took several photos of him, and one of the men working with the trains came up to Mommy and asked for her camera so he could try to get the wonderful expressions on William's face. Of course, the good shots were gone, but William loved it! He even got to "drive" a Thomas the Train model and got a certificate for his good work as a conductor. ☺

After a nap, we are headed to church for a covered dish Advent party where Mrs. Claus was our special guest! William ate blueberry muffins and stole corn off of Mommy's plate before wanting down to play with the other children. Mommy wolfed down her food and then followed William around the rest of the party. It was fun, though! I got to watch him interacting with his church friends, and I got to introduce him to Mrs. Claus. William also ate his treat from Mrs. Claus--a candy cane! He got lots of good-natured laughs when we came back into the fellowship hall to wipe him clean of the red drips coming down his hands, face, and shirt. Really special was the song dedicated to our little family of three by the musician there. He sang John Denver's "A Baby Just Like You" and changed the name to William. Very sweet.

The season is upon us now

A time for gifts and giving

And as the year draws to its close

I think about my living

The Christmastime when I was young

The magic and the wonder

But colors dull and candles dim

And dark my standing under

Oh little angel, shining light

You've set my soul to dreaming

You've given back my joy in life

You've filled me with new meaning

A savior king was born that day

A baby just like you

And as the Magi came with gifts

I've come with my gift too

That peace on earth fills up your time

That brotherhood surrounds you

That you may know the warmth of love

And wrap it all around you

It's just a wish, a dream I'm told

From days when I was young

Merry Christmas little William

Merry Christmas ev'ryone

What a great day!