We Heart Santa and Cooper

I have never enjoyed the Christmas season more than I have this year. My two oldest are really getting into the spirit and it is contagious. One of their favorite games to play is "Santa". They take turns wearing the Santa hat and asking each other, Gavin, and me, what we would like Santa to bring us. Once the wish is spoken, "Santa" turns his back, moves his arms around quickly, and then returns with the wished for item--invisible in two sweet little hands extended for the recipient to take. Melts. My. Heart.

I have to say that watching Liam do it is the sweetest thing ever. I can't be sure if he really "gets" the Santa Clause thing, or if he is just watching Owen and doing what Owen does. Either way, his sweet smile and bright eyes exuding from underneath the Santa hat are adoreable.

The other day, Owen was Santa and it was my turn to make a wish. I wished that my sweet almost-four-year-old would be a baby again. "Santa" turned around, started working on my wish, and then returned to pronounce that it couldn't happen. Owen stated that he was big and couldn't make himself little again. I pouted. My sweet Santa snuggled up in my lap and said that even if he wasn't a baby, he was still quite small. Ah...the silver lining. I got a little teary as I held him.

In the pic of Owen, below, in the Santa hat, Liam keeps pointing to it and saying "That's you, Mom." Hum. I guess Owen does look a bit like me with that expression.

GG sent the boys a sweet bear named, Cooper, earlier this year. Liam has loved Cooper since he arrived; but, this month he has really, really, really become attached to Cooper. Cooper sleeps with him, comes down the stairs in the morning with him, comes in the car with us, and last week, Cooper even joined Liam and I are our lunch date.

Cooper is a special bear that responds to certain phrases by talking back. He came with books and when a specific phrase is read, he says something witty, cute, or just appropriate. It's fun to read those books with Liam and Cooper. The sweetest thing, though, is that when you say "Cooper, I love you." Cooper responds with a warm "I love you, too." The only snag is that Cooper doesn't usually pick up on the phrase unless spoken just right -- as in, my 3 year ol and 2 year old don't pronounce the words well enough for Cooper to get it. Driving in the car the other day, I heard Liam whispering "Cooper, I wuv you" and for the first time ever, Cooper picked up on the phrase spoken by my 2 year old and responded "I love you, too". Liam was so excited! He talked to me! He talked to me! Oh my. Momma shed a few more happy tears.

These two "bigger" boys are really making it feel Christmassy around here.