anticipation

My children will be home from their father's in one-half hour. I can't wait! I haven't seen them in days.

Santa came last night. Everything is waiting for the kids, just as if they were coming down the stairs first thing in the morning instead of bursting through the door mid-afternoon.

Their stockings are full and hung on the mantel, and the dining room is full of Santa gifts. It appears that Santa brought Jane a baby ferret (by the way, I have been playing with the ferret this morning and may I simply say that baby ferrets are so cute and funny to watch that they look like made up creatures rather than real ones?). She also got the Vera Bradley purse she's been lusting after, a digi-makeover thingy, several new Breyer horses, a new scooter and some other cool stuff.

Elliot's Santa loot this year appears to be all about monkeys and guns. Let me explain: he's really interested in chimpanzees, so Santa brought him several animatronic monkeys, plus a couple of books by/about Jane Goodall. He's also really into Civil War history, so Santa brought him a very nice re-enactment-quality Enfield musketoon. It weighs as much as he does (this is a non firing model, by the way) and cap guns. He also got a drum like the ones drummer boys carried in the Civil War.

Henry has nice, new camping gear (internal frame pack and sleeping bag) and a new coffee maker and coffee grinder (no one else in the house is a coffee drinker). He also seems to have received a didgeridoo and a nice Boss electric tuner for his guitar(s), plus some clothes and a small library of books on the history of the Grateful Dead. Oh yes, and some really cool Grateful Dead posters for his room.

There are also all the wrapped presents from relatives piled under the tree to be unwrapped together after we sort thru everything from Saint Nick.

Earlier, Jon and I went over to my sister's house to see my niece and nephew's gifts, and I got to try out my sister's gift from my brother in law. It's this thing:



Let me simply say that I am lusting in my heart for this thing. My whole family has a foot rub fetish; we all LOOOOOVE getting our feet and legs rubbed. This thing is unbelievable. I am seriously jealous.

Jon and I only got one another small gifts this year because we are buying a new bed.