I would not think the above equaled to a really fun evening, but surprisingly it did! We made a last minute decision to brave the crazy crowds around town and especially at the mall, to visit with Santa. Abigail and Mitchell were beyond ecstatic to get to see Santa and sit on his jolly old lap! We had actually been to the mall earlier today with Nana and caught a peek at Santa, but due to the time of the day and naps quickly approaching for the boys, we had to bypass the lines and head home. Abigail was so disappointed to be so close to him, but not get a chance to sit on his lap and tell him her wishes for Christmas and how good she had been this year. It broke my heart to see her little face, so full of disappointment, but putting on a brave look since she is the older sister. I called Steve later in the day and told him what had happened, and being the good Daddy that he is, he agreed to meet us at the mall after work to fulfill their wish.
We found out that it was a 2.5 hour wait to just get in line and almost turned around and went home, but just couldn't disappoint them again. So, we took our pager in hand and ventured on to eat some dinner and wander through the very packed mall! We were prepared for some meltdowns and tears, but everyone had a great time and we just enjoyed the wonderful company of our children. Even Hayden, who went well beyond bedtime, was good as could be! It's those kind of spur of the moment, fun evenings, that make you just sit back and smile!
But my favorite part of our family date night had nothing to do with the decorations at the mall or even Santa himself. It had to do with a conversation over dinner with Abigail, that made my heart beam with love and awe. We were talking about all the excitement of Christmas and getting to see Santa and Abigail stopped me and said "Mommy, but you know that this is not what Christmas is all about, right?" I told her yes, I know, but prompted her to tell me what she meant. She then began to explain to me that this is all fun, but the true meaning of Christmas is about baby Jesus' birth and that God loved us so much that he sent his only son for us (these are her exact words!) I sat there in complete silence as she continued explaining to me about Mary & Joseph's travels to Bethlehem and their troubles once they arrived and about how Jesus grew into a man and then how he died. We talked about the crucifixion then and she asked some questions about what happened and then told me "Mommy, don't be sad though because Jesus rose from the dead so that we could live forever with him & God. And they are always in our heart and that is what Christmas is all about, having Jesus in our heart".
I have heard many messages and sermons about the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus, but hearing that story spoken from the lips of my 5 year old daughter, is hands down the best version I have ever heard! Then to top it off, I asked her if she learned all this at church and she said no, she knows all this from Mommy and Daddy! It's always amazing to know your children are listening to you, but to know she is listening and taking in the most important information we could give her is priceless!
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| This is the end result! It took all of 1 minute, but was so worth it! My 3 blessings! |
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