A Season of Magic

A couple months ago I took Jack to Target to buy a birthday gift for a friend.  Beyond the Play-Doh and Nerf guns was an aisle overflowing with Hot Wheels and Tonka Trucks, and Jack could not resist the pine green glow of the "Strong Arm" Tonka Garbage Truck.  With its bright orange handle bulging from the packaging, Jack was able to try out the compacting sound and see the sparks right there in the store.  He was instantly in love with this toy and pulling it off the shelf to put in our shopping cart.

Now, it is hard to refuse such an angel anything he truly loves, but this was too big a toy for a random shopping trip, and as much as I wanted him to have it, the better parent in me knew I needed to reserve something of this magnitude for a special occasion, and Christmas wasn't too far away!  And so began the holiday season for The McQ Zoo!  I told Jack that he would need to put the green garbage truck on his Christmas List and ask Santa for it.  I am not sure why, but for some reason, he did not fight this concept.  Instead he put the box back on the shelf and happily continued through the store with me...something that rarely happens with any 2-year old in a toy aisle.

The garbage truck obsession didn't start in Target though.  Every Monday and Thursday mornings Jack jumps  like a monkey from a sound sleep at the first growl of the blue garbage truck entering our condo community gate.  We drag a chair over to the window in our bedroom, which happens to be 3 floors directly above the entrance to the parking garage where the dumpsters are located, and Jack climbs up in the chair and looks down below.  We wrap our drapes around the back of the chair to trap him in his own little viewing booth, and he patiently waits as the other building's dumpsters get emptied first.  Then the truck beep, beep, beeps it way back up to our building, and the real excitement begins!  The garbage man gets out of the truck and drags one dumpster at a time out of the parking garage; there is not enough clearance there for the truck to pull in of course.  Next, he gets back in the truck and attaches his lift bars to the dumpster.  Then the truck lifts and dumps the trash into its trash compartment, all of which Jack can see perfectly from his bird's eye view!  Finally, we hear the rumbling roar of the compactor as the trash gets squished and smashed down from an overflowing mess into a tiny little pile, hardly noticeable in the big blue truck.  The second dumpster is emptied next and he watches it all again.  When both dumpsters are done, the garbage man gets out of his truck and replaces them back in the parking garage.  As the blue garbage truck pulls away from our neighborhood, Jack waves and says, "bye-bye, garbage truck!  See ya next time!"  It is truly an adorable way to start the day!

After our visit to Target, we started talking about Jack's hope for a green garbage truck during our real garbage truck visits.  We also talked about the magic of Santa and how he would know if Jack was being naughty or nice.  We told him that nice children got the presents they wanted from Santa on Christmas morning.  We looked at books and commercials and all the holiday decorations, and we made sure that Jack could recognize Santa, and we explained to him that he would get to visit with Santa so he could personally ask him for the green garbage truck he so desperately wanted.  We thought it would be no big deal when the time came.

But Mommy was sick on Jack's first time seeing Santa this year, so Jack went with GRandi and PaPa and his girl cousins to Mt. Bethel's Pancake breakfast and helped them pick out the perfect Christmas tree. They did some precious crafts and had a lot of fun together, but when it was time to see Santa, Jack was afraid of the jolly old man, and he clung to his GRandi and preferred to stare from a distance.  We had failed to tell GRandi about Jack's green garbage truck mission, so she did not try to persuade him to sit on Santa's lap, and instead she held him during their group picture.  When Jack got home he said Santa was "too 'cary" and that he had not asked him for his green garbage truck.

I was sad that my boy was unable to ask Santa for his special green garbage truck, and I was determined to carry out the task with Jack myself so as to be true to all the Santa magic we had been telling him about for weeks now!  I sat him down for a heart-to-heart and told him Santa is NOT scary.  I promised him I would go with him and help him ask Santa during our annual trip to "A Stone Mountain Christmas."  Jack seemed confident after our talk that he could do it, but still in daily conversations he vacillated between saying Santa was "too 'cary" or "not too 'cary."  I knew I'd just have to keep talking up the moment and then try our luck on the actual day.

The day came on Friday, Dec 16th.  I was feeling terribly ill that afternoon, but I rallied to go with my mother and sister and nephews b/c I HAD to take Jack to see Santa.  How could I play up the magic of Santa if he didn't actually ask the man for his green garbage truck?   Most 2 year olds don't even grasp this concept yet, even if they DO have their moment on St. Nick's lap, but mine was fully aware that Santa was the one who would bring him his green garbage truck on Christmas morning as long as he was a nice boy and asked him for it.  Tolerating delayed gratification is not typically a toddler's strength, but my Jack-Bo waited patiently all season, anticipating the excitement of Santa's magic.  As a parent, it was remarkable to witness.

So after we ate dinner and watched the parade, saw a few shows, and gawked as the Snow Angel made her grand entrance, we rode the Stone Mountain train and sang Christmas carols; then finally it was time to see Santa.  Stone Mountain is an awesome place to visit Santa, especially on a Friday night.  There is little to no line, and it is a very calm environment - no loud crowds or overwhelming displays to frighten the children. Santa just sits in his little log cabin-esque Christmas house in his red velvet chair with his pot of candy canes and modest decor.  There are no crazy costumed elves to drag children away from their parents and force them onto his lap.  It is a very tame and calm situation, and THAT is why it was so ideal for our mission.

There was one boy ahead of us.  My sister and nephews went to see a show while Grandma waited with us. As we watched the boy with Santa, I told Jack that Santa would ask him his name and say "what do you want for Christmas?" and then he would give him a candy cane when they were all done visiting.  Jack seemed a little apprehensive and said several times, "Santa 'cary, Mommy," to which I just responded that I would be with him the whole time and that he had to ask for his green garbage truck if he wanted Santa to bring it.

When it was Jack's turn, I carried him up to Santa and initiated an introduction.  Jack's little legs tensed, wrapped tightly around my waist.  After a bit of talking, he relaxed and I was able to place him on Santa's knee.  Now Santa wasn't in a particularly social mood, so I had to prompt him a few times to get him to live up to my expectations, but all in all, he did the job.  Jack was so cute!  He smiled for the camera and he told Santa he wanted his green garbage truck and then he even told him where to get it!!  "From Target!" he said as he looked up at Santa.  Santa chuckled and patted him gently.  Then I asked Jack "what does Santa say?" and on cue Jack replied, "Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas!"  Santa softly praised him for how well he said it, and then it was time for more pictures before he gave Jack a candy cane and a hug goodbye.  When it was all over, Jack was beaming victoriously from his mission accomplished!  I was the proudest Mommy!

Jack loves to see videos of himself, so it was really awesome that we recorded his visit with Santa.  Every time he sees this video, he is SO PROUD!  "Santa NOT 'cary, Mommy!"  As a mom, it was such a fabulous feeling to know I helped him conquer his fear, and I really feel like it was another successful parenting moment of letting him know I was there for him and even more importantly, that I believe in him!  I knew he could do it!  The magic of Santa is not just about kids getting presents; it is also about family traditions and joyful surprises.  The magic of Santa lives on long after we are no longer children.

One more week passed by, and Christmas Eve was the celebratory day for my side of the family.  We spent the day at Grandma and Grandpa's with my sister and her family, and as usual, we opened our matching Christmas jammies and took our big family photo.  None of us know what inspired Jack to make his funny face, nor did we know he was doing it in the first place, but in trying to get another one, Daddy went a little cross-eyed and we all got a little silly!  Good times!  Then, between food and some holiday movies we made ornaments and trimmed the tree.  After all the other festivities were out of the way, we opened stockings and presents!  It was a lovely time had by all, and it was very late before we finally packed up to go home.

With all the excitement at Grandma's, Jack went napless on Christmas Eve, so Daddy and Mommy were very pleased that he fell asleep on the way home, just in time for Santa to stuff our stockings and make his deliveries under our tree!  Christmas morning was going to be perfect!  It would be our first actual Christmas morning in our own home since we started dating, and now it was even more special to be able to experience the joy of Christmas and the magic of Santa through the eyes of our child!  Brett and I both woke up early in anticipation of the big day.  When Jack finally awoke, I took another video!

Jack was thrilled to see all the presents under the tree, and he ripped through his stocking pretty quickly. The best moment from that was when he pulled out a tube of Desitin (cream-cream) and wanted to "put it in the drawer" where it belongs.  I'm not sure if he was confused how something we already had got there or if he realized it was actually a present for him!  Della, Tug and Bastian all loved their stocking stuffers too! The dogs immediately broke into the treats, and even Bastian played with his new mice!  

After stockings we let Jack open his gifts.  All of the ones from Santa had a special tag with Santa's face on them, so Jack was able to point them out to us.  Mommy and Daddy only got Jack 2 gifts: a Curious George Treasury book and a foam alphabet and numbers floor puzzle mat.  Santa brought Jack a puzzle, Hungry Hippos, Memory, some Hot Wheels and a few other odds and ends.  

He also brought big kid underwear for the whole family!  Jack was not so enthusiastic about that!  

But when all the presents wrapped in paper were opened, it seemed one thing was still missing.  Tucked into the corner was a blue felt bag, awkward in shape and a bit boxy.  It had a Santa tag on it though, and Jack saw that right away.  Again, I let the camera roll!

Oh, the light in my boy's eyes when he opened that green garbage truck!  I knew in that moment that he believed in Santa's magic!  Maybe he is too young to put it all together this year, but already we are teaching him about faith!  After all, "magic" is just another word for "miracle," and isn't that what Christmas is really about?  The miracle of Jesus' birth?  It warms my heart to be able to give the gift of hope to my child through something as fun and joyful as Santa, and as he grows and learns more about the true meaning of Christmas, I hope he can incorporate a little modern day magic into the miracle of his own life.  He is my miracle.

The rest of Christmas day we spent at GRandi and PaPa's.  Uncle Robbye, Aunt Cath and Aunt Mimi were in town, and the other McQuilken family came too!  Jack brought his green garbage truck with him and showed everyone!  We had a delicious brunch that GRandi put together with "Decadent French Toast" and Honey Baked Ham.  YUM!  Below is a shot of Jack in the car on the way there, green garbage in tow!

GRandi took most of the pictures while we opened presents there, but I did get this cute one of Jack and Daddy modeling a Thomas Spin Brush and a musical Christmas tie!  There was a lot of excitement in the Brooks' house with all those kids and crazy grown ups!  We all got to visit and play with each other for a few hours, and that was so nice!  In the afternoon most everyone had left and Aunt Mimi and our family were the only ones still there with GRandi and PaPa.  Jack had been going non-stop, so GRandi put him down for a nap while I took a little rest on the sofa.  We watched the classic "A Christmas Story" and played Farkle while Jack slept, and then we enjoyed more ham and other goodies late into the evening.  It was a lovely, relaxing, special holiday.

The next day we visited with Daddy-Mac and Aunt Kate for a little while before heading back to GRandi's for one last dinner with Aunt Mimi.  It was an end to a fabulous, but far too short, holiday celebration.  Our family is so lucky.  We have most of those nearest and dearest to our hearts right down the road, and we get to see each other so often.  The gift of family is more beautiful than any other we could imagine.  I love our families, and I love our crazy McQ Zoo.  We do have a lot of fun, no matter what life throws our way.  I guess it is just our way of living out the magic, the miracles, and holding onto the hope and belief in the power of love.  Each morning I awake to wonder what magic that day will bring, and I thank God for the blessings He has bestowed upon me and my loved ones.

From The McQ Zoo, we wish you and yours an amazing ending to 2011 and all the best in the New Year!

***These last two photos are the brilliance and talent of Lisa Rappa Photography.***

   

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"Oh, The Lord is Good to Me...

My "angel" on a GREAT day at school!

...and so I thank the Lord,

For giving me the things I need,

The sun and the rain

And the apple seed.

The Lord is good to me.”

Amen

I heard this song for the first time at Jack's preschool class Halloween Party.  Ms. Priss, his teacher, sings it each day before snack as their blessing song.  I've decided I want to incorporate it into The McQ Zoo as a blessing song too b/c I just love the words and the little tune.  Plus, even during the many days of tears, Jack sang some version of an "apple seed" song, so I know it had a positive impact on him right away!  

The last week of October was jam packed with Halloween madness.  Jack and I were up late on the Wednesday night before his class party making white chocolate dipped mini pretzels and drizzling them with orange melting chocolate and seasonal sprinkles.  Earlier that day GRandi and Jack made "Toasty Ghosties" for all the kids in his class by wrapping 2 graham cracker squares, 2 fun-size Hershey Bars and a ghost shaped Peeps marshmallow in a clear plastic baggie and tying it with pretty ribbon.  I made personalized labels for each bag with the child's name and instructions for this unique and festive S'mores.  GRandi is brilliant b/c it was an awesome twist to a plain old goody bag, and everyone loved it!  

Jack's whole class made it through their first performance!  They sang "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and a Halloween song to the tune of "Wheels on the Bus."  Some of the kids did the little hand movements, but Jack was too busy holding his football helmet (his costume was obviously a QB!) and staring into the sea of faces in front of him to remember what to do.  Still, we were so proud of him!  After his show, he sat on the floor with the other children while the rest of the classes performed, and he just looked back at us and waved...

...but he was so confident and totally cool the whole time!  During the class party he showed us his artwork and lots of toys, and he seemed very much at ease with us there.  It was nice to see him act like himself, since most of what we have heard about him at school does not represent his normal behavior at all.  We were glad the teachers got to see a little bit of what we see.  Honestly, Mr. McQ and I believe that us going to the class party actually helped Jack to adjust b/c both school days the next week were GREAT!

On Saturday, the Georgia/Florida game was on the afternoon agenda.  Jack took a great nap and we made it over to the Stokes Family house just in time for kick off.  We ate popcorn and grilled burgers and watched an awesome game that ended with UGA WINNING!!!!  Jack and his pal Braeden played outside and in Braeden's room, and they were having a grand time, now old enough for short bouts of minimal supervision; but in a moment of too much silence, I went to check on them, and this is what I found!

They were in the master bathroom, having tossed around the contents of Ann's make-up bag, and using the mascara on the door, on the mirror, on the wall, and on their faces!  When I asked Jack what they were doing he replied "eye black!"  What a funny and smart dude b/c we had been using my mascara to draw the eye black lines on his face as part of his football player costume!

Sunday we met up with the Stokes Family again for our 2nd year of Boo at the Zoo.  It was a gorgeous day, but it was also very crowded; we actually had to park on the street b/c the lot was full.  No worries for us though since we are regulars; we don't have to see everything in one visit! The boys enjoyed the craft stations and of course all the trick-or-treat candy booths.  We ate lunch together and went into the Halloween Pavilion where the kids got to dance and run through a hay maze and meet special PBS characters like The Cat in the Hat and Curious George.  Jack was unsure about these guys, just like last year, so he preferred to wave at them from a distance! Still it was lots of fun! When we finished in there we ventured over to the train, but Jack got side tracked by the gigantic pumpkin shaped bounce house, so we pit stopped there for him while Braeden went to the playground.  Afterwards Ann and I met up in the train line while the daddies took the boys to ride the carousel.  The train line was long, but it moved quickly enough, and finally we were aboard the Candy Express!  Braeden wasn't gonna make it much longer, so the train was literally his last stop, but we took Jack to the playground before we made our way home.

  My boys walking in and Jack collecting a "treat!"

Jack "shooting" with an Atlanta Hawks player!

Seriously, check out his jump shot!  The kid's got a 5 inch vertical already!

 Is that tootsie roll stuck in your teeth, Jack?

Super cute boys and a pose I always like to get at the zoo!

 Just goofing off in the wagon before lunch time...

 More "treats" (his 1st Pixie Stix) and posing with Mommy in the nest!

 Trying to figure this thing out...

 Oh!  That's how it works!  WOW!  That's good stuff!

After all these trick-or-treat booths, Jack burns off some of his sugar high on the dance floor!

 Jack found a little witch in the hay maze!

 Classic train screams and a new tunnel lights shot...

 Sight-seeing from "The Candy Express."

 Last Stop: The Playground!  Always a zoo favorite!

Monday was a very fun Halloween day!  Jack and I went to gymnastics and then met up with his new bike buddy, Aiden and his mom.  We went to lunch at Chik-Fil-A and the boys played for about 2 hours!  I had hoped Jack would fall asleep for a good nap on the way home, but no such luck. It was torture trying to get him down but eventually I succeeded, although much later than planned.  None the less, we made it over to Aunt Christie's house in time to eat some quick dinner before heading out to trick-or-treat.  Jack loved riding in his wagon and going up to the houses with his cousins and his Daddy and Uncle Jeff.  Grandma was cold, but she powered through it all, and Jack gave her lots of Whoppers candy to help!  As we were beginning we ran into my co-worker and her 13 year old son who was with some school friends.  She let the boys go off by themselves while she tagged along with us.  It was a great night!  Back at Aunt Christie's we raided and traded the boys' candy while we visited a bit longer with the fam...

Enter November.  Jack had his first great week at school, and the 3rd was Grandma's birthday.  We celebrated today with a family bike ride along The Greenway and lunch at Mellow Mushroom.  We started out at the Big Creek entrance to the bike path where we let Jack ride his bike for a few laps before strapping him into the baby seat on my bike.  The kid has mad skillz!  He can ride downhill super-fast and he has NO FEAR!  Daddy and I differ on our opinion of the training wheels; I want to take them off now while he is still unafraid, but Daddy wants to wait a little longer.  I think in a few more weeks we will agree and remove them.    Jack was bummed to be riding in the baby seat.  "I want to ride MY bike.  I can't want to ride with Mommy!"    This was the phrase of the day, but in the end it was a great ride and a serious work out!  Fortunately for Mommy, Aunt Christie and Grandma took turns on my bike with Jack and gave Mommy a little relief!  He is HEAVY!!!

So here we are in the middle of fall, on our way to the holiday season, my favorite time of year.  We have 3 Falcons home games in a row as well as the UGA/GT game Thanksgiving weekend, and then December is already filling up with lots more adventures.  Even with our financial stress and daily worries our life is so full and joyful, and we always have just what we need to make it through each day...EACH OTHER!

"Oh, The Lord is Good to Me...

...and so I thank the Lord"