The Big Day (aka. the one where B makes me cry)

I absolutely loved everything about our Christmas morning this year.

Noah woke up early, almost as if he caught wind that this day was different.

While he was still waking up, I ran downstairs to make some breakfast. Even though Christmas as a kid was so, so fun... there's something extra special about being a mom on Christmas now. I get to be the one to shape Noah's Christmas memories. What our annual Christmas breakfast will be, what music will always play, how we acknowledge the reason we're celebrating. What a privilege that is.

While our monkey bread muffins were baking, we decided to start on our gifts.

Knowing it would take Noah awhile to go through all of them, we took it all in stride. We'd open one of Noah's, then open one of ours while he played for a few minutes.

Brad and I both agreed not to go over-the-top with Noah's Christmas this year. No huge gifts, just a few small ones that we knew he'd love. Since the grandparents were helping out with the bigger gifts, it just made sense. Plus, we don't have tons of room for big toys.

I actually took some ideas from his play-therapist. He had a couple of favorites, so I went on amazon and ordered them. I love that he's a little older, and I know what he'll like now. Makes shopping much much easier.

Checking out his stocking...

The favorite? This piggy bank toy.
It was his favorite therapy toy, so I had to get it for him

While Noah played, we decided to go ahead and open some of our gifts.
Brad wanted me to go first, because he just couldn't take keeping a secret anymore.
See, even though I adored every gift I'd been given, there was actually only one thing I really wanted this year (ok, two things. I also wanted some nail polish... the nice kind, like OPI or Essie). But I knew it was too expensive. Money has been extra tight this year. Not that we're going broke or anything. But sometimes, living within your means just plain sucks (sorry, starting to veer away from the Christmas spirit here...). I had already psyched myself out of thinking it was a possibility. We couldn't afford it, especially when we could use that money towards something more practical. Like a garbage disposal (thanks again, mom and Art!).
Brad also had apologized throughout the month, explaining that it was not only too much money, but that this particular item was impossible to find. He'd been everywhere.
So I put it out of my mind (mostly) and was honestly happy with whatever Brad decided to get me. (I may be a lot of things, but "spoiled brat" is not one of them. And I aim to keep it that way.)

Cue the next scene...

 Please ignore the fact that I look like crap. I've made a mental note to prepare for pictures next year. :)

Brad snapped this picture mid "No you didn't!".
He did.
Apparently, it pays off having friends in the retail business.

So what did I get?
A 50mm lens.
I know. It may not be big to some people. But it was huge to me. In fact, I cried a little. I had no idea. I think my reaction made Brad's Christmas. :)
Wanna see a sample of why I wanted it so badly?
Well, so far, all I've been shooting with for the last year and a half is the kit lens. And while it does a decent job, I've been craving sharper images. Less noise. Better bokeh (blurry background).

Like this:

   
*sigh*
That beautiful, beautiful bokeh.
The subject isn't all that bad either. ;)

So after I'd gotten myself composed, it was Brad's turn.

And I should mention, I did the same thing to him this year.
Or, he did it to himself.
All year, he's been moping about not having enough money to afford what he really wanted... an Xbox 360.
Being the awesome wife that I am, I was determined to get him what he wanted for Christmas.
The man does so much for us. He never, ever purchases anything for himself unless it's absolutely necessary and practical. As Christmas was approaching, I kept asking him what he wanted. He would reply in a pouty voice, "Well, what I want, we can't afford." or "It's not practical and is too expensive..."
I would stifle a giggle and pretend that I thought he was right.
So how did I do it?
Well first, I searched everywhere for loose coins... the house, the car, pockets. I ended up with $52 in change. Then I took my birthday money that my grandmother gave me. And then, my mom offered to pay me if I'd peel the wallpaper in her kitchen. Add all of this up with a fantastic after-Thanksgiving deal, and I got myself an Xbox. :)
You have no idea how hard it was to keep that secret for over a month, especially when he'd pout as we walked by the entertainment area at Target. Even the Electronics ETL (exec. team lead) was in on my secret and would give me a quick smile and then pretend he didn't see us. For all I know, Brad probably thought the ETL had a crush on me. lol.

I also had to wrap it strategically.
Being at Target almost 24/7 for almost 5 years means that Brad has memorized the boxes. He knows what things are if left in the original box. So I wrapped it in a much bigger box, so he'd have no idea.

Cue Christmas morning surprise...

Oh yeah. Noah.
Yeah. After we composed ourselves, we went back to Noah's gifts.




Noah LOVES this Melissa & Doug toy.
(three cheers for awesome amazon deals!)

So yeah. Christmas morning was perfect this year.
And I promise, only one more round of Christmas and I'm done.
Thanks for tolerating all of this. I've been trying to keep it interesting. :)