I have been so excited for Christmas, which brings with it a series of conflicting emotions.  After all, with all the personal turmoil, how could I be excited about anything, much less Christmas?  But, on the other hand, with a two-and-a-half-year-old who talks excitedly about Santa and jingle bells and presents and Merry Christmas Trees, how could I not?  It would be like robbing him of the bet part of being a kid.

And so I struggled to balance the two.  Which is not easy.  At all.  Oh, and did I mention we had a thousand-mile road trip before we could even get to Christmas?  Fortunately, Robbie was the perfect child (I know, but I promise I’m not making this up!) during the road trip, only commenting on how much fun he was having and how happy he way.  For.  Real.  I’m sure getting to watch Mickey for sixteen hours helped our cause…

Christmas morning I wasn’t sure what to expect from the young sir.  He ran downstairs and headed for the tree.  There were bets on what he would play with first.  Would it be the Go Cats basketball?  The tent with attached tunnel (that Santa broke during assembly…)?  The Go Cats pillow pet?  Rock ‘n Roll Elmo?  Cookie Monster Slippers.  No.  Definitely not.  It would be the huge Go Cats foam finger.  How did he even know what that was for?!

Robbie tore through presents – some that were his and many that weren’t.  The best reaction, though, came when he tore the tissue paper out of a gift bag, revealing a Go Cats sweatshirt that is probably a size or two too big for him.  Pumping his fist in the air, Robbie let out a loud, “YES!” and insisted on wearing the shirt immediately.  Are you kidding me?  Elation over a sweatshirt?  I love it!

And, since we all know how embarrassingly behind I am in blogging, I’m going to have to be lame and blog through pictures.

Eventually, all the present opening got Robbie a little hot.  So, naturally, he stripped down.  He did wind up all the way down to his diaper, then insisting on wearing his Go Cats pants, sweatshirt, and hat.

But this is how we started the morning.  I don’t want you to think that we just jump right in with half-naked present opening…