When the magic fades

When I was in third grade, My fingure was smashed in a minivan door and I had to get stictches. While my mom and I were waiting for the doctor, I asked her if Santa was real. She said, "well, what do you think?" and I told her I didn't think he was. She revealed the truth to me then and that was the end of the magic of Santa for me.

Christmas was always magical at our house, even after I found out that Santa wasn't real. My Mom did such an amazing job of making sure that we remembered the true meaning of Christmas that even after the magic of Santa was gone, the miracle of Jesus birth remained. Even when we did believe in Santa, we knew that Santa brought presents at Christmas to remind us of the greatest gift of all.

Zachary is in second grade this year, which is why I am remembering the moment that I knew that Santa was just Mom and Dad. This could be his last year of that magic and anticipation of Santa. It makes my heart a little sad to think about how quickly the time has gone by. My hope is that Zachary will still find Christmas magical even after he discovers the truth, as it was for me. We have continued the tradition of our daily advent from Thanksgiving through New Year at our home, and I know that both of my kids know why we celebrate Christmas. I pray that the miracle of Jesus birth would be the joy of their Christmas for the rest of their lives.

All by my self

This coming week I am preparing for my family to come for a nice long visit. One of the things that I need to do is get to a Walmart to pickup various things. The nearest Walmarts are either in Utah, or Vegas each a good 3 hour drive. Joe and I were going to take a day trip to Utah to look at a car and go to Walmart while we were there to kill two birds with one stone. This plan has fallen through. Now, I am going to Vegas BY MY SELF! Joe is staying home with the kids while I am gone from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening. This may not seem like a big deal to some people, but what you have to understand is that this is the FIRST time since the kids were born almost 8 years ago that Joe is watching the kids over night without me there. I know that I will come home to a house that looks like a tornado hit, and the kids will probably have skipped a bath, but I'm confident that they will survive. And as for me, it's a short break that will be very busy, but I can't wait!