Merry Christmas!

Today was by far my very best Christmas EVER! To have Jordan be so "into" Santa this year has enhanced my experience 1 million times! I shopped til I almost dropped, and still bought absolutely nothing for myself this year. That's the first time I can say that, at least in the last 20+ years. (Wow, I am old enough to do a 20+ years reference?...dang!)

Santa brought Jordan everything he asked for, which was "A backhoe, a shop vac, and a birthday cake". Asked for...received! He couldn't have been happier. I am so glad that this year (which will be the last I think) we were able to beat him out to the gifts and videotape his reaction to the spread. He was so thankful! He said several times "Santa brought everything I ever wanted". Check out some of the pics.









Oh man, once he got that chainsaw, all bets were off. He needed to "use" it to open every gift, and proceeded to show us all the correct way to stand when wielding a chainsaw. Thanks to Grandpa Waddoups, he knows (I guess, I had no idea about appropriate chainsaw handling).

That's a very long story short, but the reader's digest version is that he got the behemoth backhoe he "has always wanted", and pretty much everything else ever imagined. Between Santa, Mom & Dad, Grandma & Grandpa, the Aunts & Chris & Kara...that kid is spoiled. There may be no way to possibly recover from it! He woke up at 7:30 and didn't stop until 4:30, at which point he fell asleep HARD, until almost 9. Luckily he played so much that at 11 he was asleep again.

As I've said before he is and will always be the best thing I have ever done in my life. He couldn't have been sweeter today, telling everyone "Thanks so much for the wonderful presents everyone". I wish I could take the credit for how well mannered and cute he is, but he honestly came to us this way. My job is to just enhance that and not mess it up :-)

That last photo is him, passed out at 4:30, with a table of his gifts in the living room. Luckily we had "parked" the 6 foot long backhoe in the garage. He informed me today that he has a lot of work to do in the yard with that backhoe tomorrow...I hope I have the energy for that. Thanks Santa!

OMG...means Oh My Goodness!

Well, after a very long absence, I am making my return to the blogging scene. And, although it will not be as impressive as a comeback tour by a very popular band, I hope you will like it.

So much has happened, even since August. But to relive the past 4 months would take far too long, so I won't bother. Instead, I will start with just wishing everyone a very Happy Holiday season.

I am not even close to being done with shopping, but should be almost done by tomorrow night. Knowing that most everyone this year wants gift cards hasn't helped the fact that I have left everything until the last minute. In fact, it has encouraged this behavior. I am grateful though, because without all of you gift card-ians, and my new Amazon Prime membership y'all would be out of luck this year. The few times I have been forced to go places like Walmart and Target it has sucked the holiday spirit right out of me. Don't get me wrong, there are great prices to be had, and pretty things to look at, but the general public (in my humble opinion) needs to be a little nicer (and that's putting it nicely...and in family friendly language).

We finished decorating our sugar cookies tonight, and Jordan just couldn't be sweeter. I know I have overspent on this little almost 3 year old, and he may never remember it, but he deserves it. I can honestly say that since having him, my Christmas spending has increased, but that the amount of things I used to buy myself while shopping the sales has ceased. I have, for the first time ever I think, failed to buy myself anything. Trust me I have been tempted, but then I think of what I would rather buy him. Oh man, I sound like my mom. Well, I couldn't ask for a better "curse" I guess.

For now, we are staying "public". Our family websites are still Under Construction, as is my business at Buildmeababy.com. Check it out sometime (though not much is there for a few more weeks). It's amazing that when Duane and I both do web dev for a living, how little personal web stuff gets done...I think it's because we want to come home and avoid the computer!

Happy Holidays and I will be posting again soon...really...ok really this time!