Christmas in Decatur!!!

John has to work Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas so we decided that this would be the perfect year to start our own little Christmas traditions. Unfortunately that means a scattered family, but hopefully in years to come we can all coordinate a little better. I really wanted Davis to see his Grandmommy and Pa-Paw at their house around Christmas time so we went to Decatur last week and got a surprise visit from Santa! It was so cool that he made a special trip just for us!!!!

We also made a special trip to Huntsville to see Santa at the mall. I was so disappointed that we couldn't take our own pictures so I broke down and spent $40 for seriously 4.... yes 4! pictures! But whatever, it is Davis' first Christmas and first time to see Santa so that is priceless. Well (YES MOM I AM TELLING THE STORY AGAIN.... 60 Minutes will re-air it tomorrow night) mom and I split up for a second and she was going to get the car to meet us on the other side of the mall, so I gave her the Santa pictures so I wouldn't bend them. Well, we leave the mall and I start saying how I wish I could have taken more pictures and she said..."Oops, I don't know if I have the pictures". You see, I guess mom has this thing about shiny candles at Pottery Barn I guess and she must have set them down. (Kind of like Dory in Finding Nemo---I love you mom!!!!) We retraced her steps for nearly an hour and could not find them. Finally when we were all the way across town, the cashier from Pottery Barn (who is a mom and understood my desperate attempt to locate these "priceless" pictures) called and said they found them. We went back across town, secured the pictures and guess whose scatterbrained self left them in Decatur after all of that???? ME!!!!!!!!! I give up!!!! Luckily we got to take pictures of a much happier Santa the next night at Grandmommy and Pa-paw's house!!!

Honestly, it's not as bad as it looks. Mom and dad's dog was barking at Santa which made Davis cry. I think if the dog had not been barking he would have been okay. I think??? Santa brought Davis this really neat bulldozer that makes sounds like a real bulldozer and honks the horn. Davis rides it and pushes it around. I think it was his favorite gift.

But all he really cared about was the paper!!! He would seriously treat each and every present as if it were a drum, bang on it a little and then pull back the paper where mom or I had ripped, then proceed to eat it. Needless to say, it took forever for him to open (and eat) all of his gifts. Thank you Santa for the bulldozer, the farmhouse, the "car mover" and the Auburn Teddy Bear. Oh yeah, and my stocking and .... :-) Thank you!!!

This picture sums up the entire trip pretty much, but funny enough was taken before the fun actually began. Notice the pursed lips and clinched fist. He was trying to squeeze in a nap in between mom and I running around chasing Santa (and Santa pictures... haha last time mom, I promise!)

Thank you mom and dad for a great Early Christmas this year!!! I will make sure and take lots and lots of pictures of Christmas morning! We have so many presents under the tree from Grandma and Grandpa Brown, Grandmommy and Pa-paw, us and of course... Santa still has to make a trip to Destin!!!!!

Merry Early Christmas everyone!!!!