It's Not Christmas Dinner Until Someone Takes Their Pants Off

Maybe it was the excitement over seeing my brother- and sister-in-law? Maybe we ate the beef too late? Maybe it was simply adrenaline that needed an outlet? I don't really have an answer as to what led to the semi-naked parade after we ate, opened gifts and enjoyed dessert, celebrating Christmas with Dede's family the other night.

But first Bode took his clothes off and ran through the kitchen at French Frey Farms (that is my new name for Dede's parents' house). Then Gavin took his clothes off and ran through the kitchen at French Frey Farms. Then...

Don't worry, the rest of us kept our pants on. There was a lot of laughter though.

For all the stress of Christmas, there really is nothing better than seeing my kids enjoy it. You want to think that Bode at 18 months can't possibly really know what is going on, right? But every day when I would get home from work, B. Frey would run over yelling "DA DA DA DA DA" and say "'Mahn!" and then take me to see where Crackernut, our two-year-old fake Elf on the Shelf was hanging out that day.

(For the record "'Mahn" is Bode's cross-pollination of someone saying "Come on" and my "C'moahn" that my tennis players mock me for yelling as encouragement during their matches. I have no idea why or when I started saying it that way, but it's an integral part of my personality as a tennis coach now, I guess.)

Gavin is fun at Christmas too, and now that he is older and gets it, he definitely has a healthy appreciation for the risks involved with ending up on the Naughty List. He hasn't exactly been an angel every day, but he's done well. 

He was funny today when we read him the letter from Crackernut and it said that he and Bode had to sleep in Mom and Dad's room tonight. "What the heck?" he said, his voice rising with each word as his mouth smirked and his eyes raised quizzically.

It has been especially fun to listen to him practice one of the songs he is singing with the kids at church tonight, "Happy Birthday Jesus." We have a CD that he practices with and as soon as it gets to the end of the song, he says "Start it over" and we go through the whole thing again. He sang it four times about a half hour ago. 

It also shows his immense range as an artist -- few people can transition as easily from singing "Happy Birthday Jesus" to "Country Girl Shake It For Me." Throughout the year, I am so grateful for his love of music. There are few things that make me happier than watching that boy dance.

But we generally dance with our pants on. 

Something inside those boys told them they needed to run around in their underwear that night though, Gavin laughing hysterically as Bode wobbled around as fast as he could yelling "Nay Nay...Nay Nay" (naked). They feed off each other in these instances and the love between them is so obvious. Bode hears Gavin laugh and laughs even louder. Gavin hears Bode laugh and then he takes it up another notch.

I found a quote that would end this post perfectly, but I'm not going to share here now because I used it on our Christmas cards which are going out Monday (just in time for Christmas to be over, I know).

But just like we do every day, we're living, laughing and loving in our house this Christmas season and we hope you are too.

Merry Christmas to all!