The Year Santa Had to Bribe Our Kids to Talk to Him...

... with raisins. Their favorites.

Oooooh. Raisins.

But they had their caution meters up, probably not as high as they would go, but high enough that we had some laughs at the looks they gave him.

Nope.

I guess I will be able to put off that talk about taking candy/treats from "strangers.

So Santa's wife showed them how to do it... She asked for some pretty good stuff too (new camera, new computer... you know, the basics and necessities.)

Uh, Grandpa? Need me to help you in the yard with anything? I'm not busy.

Yard looks pretty good, Grandpa, but maybe we should do some work... ya know, until Mom puts the camera down and stops asking me to talk to Santa.

"Who is this guy again? Daddy's lap is just fine."

Still nervous even though Mamie offered some moral support.

"I want a race car."

"Can I go now?"

Grandpa became the "safe zone."

 

Our kids are very lucky to have Santa in the family. Maybe next year they'll be more welcoming when he comes to Mamie and Grandpa's house.

But then the kids played with Robin and Chris, and Claire did some serious baking with Mamie....

... and after Santa left, Adam kept asking when he was coming back. "Can Santa come back? Where did Santa go? Where's Santa now?"

We had planned to go look at Christmas lights on the way home, but they were so worn out that they looked at the 12 Days of Christmas with glazed eyes and then passed out after the one street.

To Colin and Claire's credit, they were in the beginning stages of getting sick with what we later found out is a nasty combination of RSV and Strep. When I called the doctor's office to make the appointment on Monday morning, they asked me what their symptoms were. I kinda chuckled and said, "well, it looks like RSV to me." When we got there, they immediately ran an RSV test at our pediatrician's request since I'm usually pretty accurate by now. When the test came back positive, she walked in saying, "Well, Doctor Mommy really knows RSV when she sees it."

We also agreed that Claire seemed happier despite being just as sick, and I told her I had initially suspected Colin had strep. Since Claire is already on antibiotics for a previously existing cold, that would make sense. She said she thought the same thing, and ran the strep test on Colin, which also came back positive. Poor babies feel AWFUL, but there's still hope that they'll overcome it in time for Christmas morning, after lots and lots of naps, cuddles, advil and breathing treatments.

While Colin and Shannon took a nap. Claire fell asleep leaning up against me. Adam was hungry, so I asked him to help while I made him a snack. (This is the sweetest of the pictures... In the others he's poking her cheeks, stroking her face and trying to pry her eyes open. She didn't move.)

Sweet big brother.

Claire asked for some milk, so I opened the refrigerator door. She grabbed Colin's bottle of milk and brought it right to him, then told him something in the language only they understand. Then she came back for more milk, and she grabbed her cup. She went back to Colin, sat next to him, and gave him her milk too.