Christmas Eve
The annual family tree picture. I add these pictures to a special Christmas memory book each year. Sooooo fun to go back and look at year after year.
Grant enjoying the tradition of coloring in a Christmas coloring book. We were sure to give the date, time, temperature and artist's name under the picture as the Kilgores have done for 32 years. The coloring books are sooooo neat to go back and look at.
One of the funniest moments Christmas Eve... Rhett was throwing a fit and got his hand stuck in his pocket. He was M.A.D. and we just laughed and laughed.
Santa is coming to town! Grant and Rhett were sure to leave sweet treats
and cold milk for Santa. (I promise Grant was not drunk in this picture.)
Christmas morning
Did Santa come????
YES, he DID come! He brought a remote control tarantula (as specifically requested) and a tree house to Grant, and a rocket and blue bike (as specifically requested) to Rhett.
Grant mentioned several times that he "loves Santa"! I guess Santa did a good job!
Rhett did not give much attention to the blue bike he asked Santa for,
but he did spend time with the space rocket.
Still enjoying Santa's gifts. 
Don't forget to check the stockings!
One surprise Santa left in the stockings were battery operated disc throwers.
Although the kids loved them, Daddy had a good time with them, too.
Despite Santa's score, neither Grant nor Rhett minded
when the time came to open the packages.
Grant and his drill-a-design set. And look!
The drill that came with his workbench works on the screws!
Rhett liked it, too. 
Rhett and his Superman cape.
He loved run and feel it fly behind him.
Grant's lights and sounds Home Depot workbench. Daddy had a "good" time putting this together.
Rhett with his new Pat Pat Rocket and beloved Little Einsteins.
Rhett and Gramma playing with Handy Manny and the Grant's drill.
If you need help opening your sealed tight presents, just ask my dad.
Rhett and his Superman cape.
He loved run and feel it fly behind him.
Grant's lights and sounds Home Depot workbench. Daddy had a "good" time putting this together.
Rhett with his new Pat Pat Rocket and beloved Little Einsteins.
Rhett and Gramma playing with Handy Manny and the Grant's drill.
If you need help opening your sealed tight presents, just ask my dad.
Daddy texting Uncle Kory and Aunt Kelly in Australia wishing them a Merry Christmas. Uncle and Aunt K decided that that they would spend this Christmas in Australia instead of Japan. They had already done lots of sight seeing by Christmas Eve including a wildlife park where they saw dingos, kangaroos, koalas, wallabies and the such, and were planning on going to the Barrier Reef the day after Christmas.
After enjoying Christmas Day, it hit me that Grant would never be five at Christmas again, and Rhett would never be two at Christmas again. Yes, I knew that - DUH! - but it suddenly sank in our way back to our house after leaving Dude Dad and Gramma's. It sank H.A.R.D. Emotions swept over me, and I began to cry and cry. Rhett was in the back seat talking about how much he loved his gifts and Grant was joining him in the excited conversation. In the background you could Sunny 99.1 on the radio playing Christmas favorites. We passed house after house of Christmas lights and I was sure to slow down so that we could soak in all the sights and joys of Christmas one last time with a five and two-year-old. We turned into New Territory and the boys requested to drive by the houses that had "BaBaBeeBee" (Spongebob Squarepants), "Big Santa", the flying pig, "Egg Santa", "Egg Puppy", and the "Freaky Christmas Tree" for one last hoorah. And then the tears really came. I realized that Rhett would probably not call Spongebob "BaBaBeeBee" next year. He will most likely be able to correctly pronounce candy cane instead of calling them "kinndy kinns". He will probably be able to say Christmas lights and Christmas tree as opposed to the precious "Kimiss hights" and "Kimiss tee". He will probably say Ho!Ho!Ho! when impersonating Santa and not "Who!Who!Who!" I am telling you, these thoughts just speared my heart and the tears did not take my sadness away.
Joy to the world! Christmas was a BLAST!
The boys received so many gifts, I spent today's entire morning cleaning out, vacuuming and reorganizing their closets of toys just to find a place for all the new ones. Oh, and it also included a trip to Target for more plastic storage containers to aid in the organization. I loved the whole task. I am a dork like that though, and I proudly admit it. Organizing and cleaning just soothe my soul. It feels really good to stand back and smile at those purty closets and their spotless floors when you're finally done.
After enjoying Christmas Day, it hit me that Grant would never be five at Christmas again, and Rhett would never be two at Christmas again. Yes, I knew that - DUH! - but it suddenly sank in our way back to our house after leaving Dude Dad and Gramma's. It sank H.A.R.D. Emotions swept over me, and I began to cry and cry. Rhett was in the back seat talking about how much he loved his gifts and Grant was joining him in the excited conversation. In the background you could Sunny 99.1 on the radio playing Christmas favorites. We passed house after house of Christmas lights and I was sure to slow down so that we could soak in all the sights and joys of Christmas one last time with a five and two-year-old. We turned into New Territory and the boys requested to drive by the houses that had "BaBaBeeBee" (Spongebob Squarepants), "Big Santa", the flying pig, "Egg Santa", "Egg Puppy", and the "Freaky Christmas Tree" for one last hoorah. And then the tears really came. I realized that Rhett would probably not call Spongebob "BaBaBeeBee" next year. He will most likely be able to correctly pronounce candy cane instead of calling them "kinndy kinns". He will probably be able to say Christmas lights and Christmas tree as opposed to the precious "Kimiss hights" and "Kimiss tee". He will probably say Ho!Ho!Ho! when impersonating Santa and not "Who!Who!Who!" I am telling you, these thoughts just speared my heart and the tears did not take my sadness away.
While I'm on the subject of special Christmas memories, I want to put in writing how innocent and sweet Grant is with his love and belief in Santa. He REALLY got the idea of Santa this year, and his eyes would just sparkle... I mean S.P.A.R.K.L.E. when he and I would talk about how cold Santa must be flying up in the winter sky on Christmas Eve and how dirty his perfect red suit must surely get with ashes and soot. How he probably hopes that everyone remembers to put their fires out well before they went to bed so as not to burn his feet on hot ashes, how he most likely loves sugar cookies with frosting and sprinkles the most out of all the other treats he gets that night, and that surely once he arrived back home at the North Pole he would be resting by a crackling fire with a big cup of hot chocolate on Christmas morning while he thought about all the good girls and good boys he and his elves would be building toys for again for the next Christmas.
Oh, that look in a little one's eyes when talking about Santa is priceless. Not only do the eyes react to the idea of it all, but Grant will get a big smile on his face - one that crinkles his chin, and then he'll purse his lips together as if he's trying his best to hold in all his exploding excitement, and then he'll let out the most joyful laugh. Oh, what I'd give to box that up and pull it out fifty years from now... to see my precious first baby as a five-year-old loving Christmas for all its wonder and magic. I hope he'll always believe.
And with these thoughts, I cried and cried and cried some more. The more I cried, well, the more I cried. It wasn't like most times when the tears somehow heal the sorrow your heart feels. It was deep. Soooo much deeper than that. So in order to cheer me up, Kerry and I watched "Four Christmases" once the boys went to bed. It really helped get my mind off of the emotional aspects of Christmas with my sweet boys. That Vince Vaughn is one funny guy! He very much reminds me of my cousin Jeremy which made the movie even funnier! And only if you grew up knowing Jeremy, would you EVER truly understand just exactly what I mean by that.
I hope everyone had a merry Christmas and all you moms out there took mental snapshots of your little ones that on that special day that you'll hold in your heart - forever.
I hope everyone had a merry Christmas and all you moms out there took mental snapshots of your little ones that on that special day that you'll hold in your heart - forever.
