A Christmas list

Okay, it’s three days since Christmas and about 17 people have asked me so far, “So, what’d ya get?” There is a slight chance I may have been vocalizing my fascination with the tradition of holiday endowments. (Translation: I was whining because I wasn't getting any presents.) Well, those of you who know me best find my gift obsession one of my more endearing qualities… ahem… it’s endearing. Quit rolling your eyes.

Caleb agrees with me... I believe the caption for this is: "I want to open it NOW."

So first, let me say, we had a lovely Christmas. It was, of course, not quite the same being here in Oregon and not surrounded by family and snow, but we made do. We skyped and called everybody that we could hook up with, and we had a great day.

Next, we feel the need to point out that Caleb solidified our convictions once and for all that he has some quirky human installed in his little doggie brain. He outdid himself this year and performed that most human of Christmas activities: he went looking for his presents! Not kidding. At some point he saw me come home with a bag of bones that I stashed away for him to “open” on Christmas morning when he dug into his giant burlap doggie stocking. (Yep. You read that right.) Anyway, early one morning I heard a strange noise coming from the closet- I ran in to break up whatever party was going on in there and found Caleb digging through the clothes in the closet to unearth his giant bag of bones! He got that out but didn’t manage to break into the bag… brat. Proof positive… he’s more than just a dog. He’s a freak!

He looks as though he's remorseful...

But he's really just trying to dry himself off...

Because I punished him by giving him a bath. (We're going to be such good parents...)

And last, the answer you’ve all been waiting for. Well, nobody’s really been waiting for this answer, but I’m still tired of answering the question, so here it is- a (nearly) complete list of everything that entered our house this year- and a few things that (VERY SADLY) already went out! Why am I printing this list? Because 1. it illustrates just how much I had no right to whine, and 2. it looks a lot funnier when I list individually every single nut and bolt that was included, no matter how small. I love making lists. (We're not this materialistic. Don't judge us. Well... Andy probably isn't. Don't judge him. Try not to judge me too harshly, either, I am just having fun.) In no particular order, all those fabulous, wonderful, appreciated gifts bestowed on all three of us:

47 bones (one braid, one candy cane, two sticks, two flat slabs, and one bigger than Caleb’s head)

One stuffed Snoopy Christmas doghouse

One bag of party mix

One bag of kettle corn

Ten bags/containers of candy

3 oranges

One battery-powered swirly softball

One level

Three paw-print-covered tennis balls

2 purses

2 laser battle helicopters

2 nesting dolls (one snoopy, one nativity scene)

One soduku puzzle cube

One giant Snoopy comic book

One antique Snoopy coin bank

One loofah Santa that squeaks

One canvas octopus that squeaks

One stuffed pig that oinks

One stuffed duck that quacks

One unstuffed weasel that squeaks

7 cross stitch kits

One cross stitch booklet

One studfinder

One crescent wrench

One level

One convertible pliers

One tripod flashlight

2 nativity scenes

4 Advent calendars

One HD video camera

One afghan

One bag of flour

One cooking class voucher

One iPhone voucher

One DDR for PS2

One complete series box of The Brady Bunch

Two creepy balls of blobs

One Melting Pot dinner

2 Starbucks gift cards

One Mary Kay eye soother bag

2 sets of mp3 speakers

One USB fridge

One USB LED sign

One LED-lighted baseball cap

One digital voice recorder

One Bluetooth headset

3 Wii games (well, actually five, as one was a three-in-one)

One Blu-Ray disc

One necklace

One book stamp

Two kids’ books

One Kindle

One Amazon gift card (and consequently, one Kindle case, one Kindle Bible, and about 45 Kindle books)

One exotic cars DVD

2 lamborghinis

One big ol’ dog bed

Lots of cards and some generous cash

And a partridge in a pear tree.

As you can see, we are incredibly over-showered with gifts of love (and toys and gadgets). We know that we (and our families) were trying to spread a little love this year, and they sure succeeded!

Thank you, everyone- we love everybody and we are so grateful to you all for thinking of us this year! We know that it's not just the presents that we send each other or our presence in a certain geography that make this season, so we only hope your Christmas was as filled with love and joy as ours, and that you all were able to experience the joy and peace of celebrating our Savior’s birth!

(And I promise not to whine about gifts next year. But I can’t stop Caleb from begging for moretreatsmoretreatsmoretreats!!)