Twas the Morning Before Christmas, in Texas that is

Pictures from our Preparatory Music Class - Family Music Night. The Music class that JT and I having been taking at TCU on Friday mornings had a grand final in the school's new ballroom with a final class that included live music and all the children enrolled in the weekly classes as well as a instrumental petting zoo, which JT LOVED!! 

Eating his cheddar bunnies out of his snack-trap (my mom got that for him and it is THE BEST thing ever!!), doing his sort of bounce-dance and staring at some other kids. He was doing his 3 favorite things all at once. People watching, dancing and eating.

At the instrumental petting zoo. These were by far his favorite instrument all year long, the castanets. It just amazed me and awed his teacher that he had the dexterity to actually play them correctly. She also said that he has great rhythm...well he should, both of his parents have good rhythm and can dance well. I don't know if I could live with myself if I had a kid that couldn't dance...hee hee

Our 2nd favorite-the drums. You'll see in the next picture that he was double-timing it.

Bang with the hand a few times, then switch to the mallet.

A motion shot of the mallet-drum action

It's Christmas Eve!!! I am so excited to get some of the great gifts that our family got JT down from the attic and wrapped today. We'll have to do it during nap time obviously. We haven't put any presents out under our tree because JT loves tearing paper and I didn't want to have to be consistently telling him "don't touch" and then come Christmas morning completely confusing him by telling him it's OK. Just call me lazy ;-)

Travis and I have thought long and hard about the whole Santa deal and we are still working on a way to include the man in the red suit into our celebration of Jesus' birth. JT knows who Santa is, recognizes the jolly old man when he sees him on a dish towel or even at the store by pointing with big eyes and say "tanta, tanta". I see how a child can become fascinated by this white bearded man who seems to show up at every place we go during this time of year. I also know that children have imaginations and it's a good thing to encourage that, what Travis and I are concerned about is that JT knows the real reason behind all these traditions and we prefer to keep the focus on Christ and for it not to be something he is taught AFTER the believing in santa part. When he recognizes "tanta, tanta" we just say "yes that is santa and the reason he comes to visit us at Christmas is because Jesus was born. Jesus is God's son and we are to love him with all our heart." I feel like I have to say Jesus twice for every time I say santa....kinda like the whole takes 2 positives to cancel out 1 negative theory...what can I say, I'm neurotic. ;-) Next year, we'll have to be more diligent about the whole Jesus-santa issue, maybe incorporate a birthday cake into the Christmas morning routine while he's little, so knows it's a birthday party. A friend of mine said that she told her kids that the reason santa gave presents to everyone on Jesus' birthday is because His birthday changed all of creation and while our birthdays are special too, they are not quite as important as Jesus'. I like that.

He does have a book my Aunt Kate got him last year for Christmas that he LOVES. It's called "Jesus is Born" and it is one of his favorites. He'll even point to the baby on the pages when you ask him "where's baby Jesus?" and he'll point and say "dedus!" so I feel like we've already made progress. One bonus is that we'll only talk about santa for about a month around here, were as Jesus will be someone who is talked about year round and I think that will be a huge thing for JT.

And of course I have to leave y'all with a cute santa story. Grandma Sandy got JT this book last year and I think it is so funny....it's by Leon A. Harris

The Night Before Christmas, In Texas That Is

'Twas the night before Christmas

In Texas, you know,

Way out on the prairie

(Without any snow).

Asleep in their cabin

Were Buddy and Sue,

A-dreamin of Christmas,

Like me and like you.

Not stockings, but boots,

At the foot of their bed,

For this was Texas,

What more need be said?

When all of a sudden

From out the still night,

There came such a ruckus

It gave me a fright!

And I saw 'cross the prairie

Like a shot from a gun,

A loaded-up buckboard

Come on at a run.

The driver was "Geein',

And 'hawin', with a will

The hosses (not reindeer)

He drove with such skill.

"Come on there, Buck, Pancho,

And Prince, to the right!

There'll be plenty of travelin'

For y'all tonight."

The driver in Levi's

And shirt that was red,

Had a ten-gallon Stetson

On top of his head.

As he stepped from the buckboard

He was really a sight,

With his beard and moustaches

So curly and white.

As he burst in the cabin

The children awoke,

And both so astonished

That neither one spoke.

And he filled up their boots

With such presents galore

That neither could think

Of a single thing more.

When Buddy recovered

The use of his jaws,

He asked, in a whisper,

"Are you Santa Clause?"

"Am I the REAL Santa?

Well, what do you think?"

And he smiled as he gave

A mysterious wink.

Then he leapt in his buckboard,

And called back, in his drawl,

"To all children of TEXAS,

MERRY CHRISTMAS, y'all!"

Merry CHRISTmas from the Kinley's!