Kilpatrick Family Picture

This Thanksgiving, we were lucky enough to have all the Kilpatrick family together to take a huge family portrait.  My sister Rachael was even gracious enough to come take it and also do smaller family shots.  Here we are with Bo's brothers (Chance on the left and Tanner on the right), his stepmom Gaila (AKA Gigi) and Bo's dad Billy (Grandpa!).  Not much of a smile out of Rhys, but at least he wasn't crying or trying to escape!

Happy Halloween 2013

This year, we decided to go all out for our Halloween costumes!  Cameron made the executive decision that she and Rhys should have coordinating costumes, so she was Jessie and he was Woody from Toy Story.  (I secretly wished that Bo would be Buzz Lightyear, but we couldn't convince him…)

 Cameron's sweet friend Hallee threw a party for some of our friends at her house, so we had an extra chance to wear their cute outfits.  Hallee loves to play dress up any day of the year!

All the kiddos - Cuteness overload

Here is Mommy in full Snow White mode.  The wig was tough to wear all day, but we were having an office costume contest!  Rhys and Cameron actually liked it when I surprised them at school like this!

Some of my crazy co-workers all dressed up!

Here we are at the end of the night, all worn out!  Not many trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood, but we had a great time anyway.  I would say Halloween 2013 was a success!

Giving Thanks

 When we celebrated Thanksgiving this year, we were blessed enough to be with the ones we love in a warm house with plenty of food to eat.  We have jobs, we have beautiful healthy children who make us laugh and let us hold them close.  We have so much to be thankful for EVERY day of the year.

Happy Halloween!

I wish Halloween was set to always fall on a weekend night, but I guess we are not late night partiers anymore! We still had fun even though the evening wasn't what I had planned...
For starters, your brother slept through the whole thing. He never even saw his glow-in-the-dark skeleton outfit! At least I got a picture of the cute outfits you wore to school.

The bad news was that Daddy came home from school with some kind of stomach bug, so he rested while you and I made a fast trip down our block for trick-or-treating. I gotta say that some of the other kids' manners were just terrible. I was very proud that you thanked everyone who gave you candy and you gave lots of compliments on decorations and costumes.

You made a beautiful Princess Merida! You were very excited to wear the tiara and jewelry and the best part is that we can play dressup with it anytime you want.
I loved getting to see you so excited. When you were waiting on people's doorsteps, you would turn around and nod and give me a huge smile. Thanks for being so much fun this Halloween!

Have I told you lately that you are my best girl?
Mama loves you.

Big Three Year Old Girl

My darling,
I cannot believe you are already three. You continue to do things and especially say things that made me laugh at how grown up you want to be. You keep telling me all the time that you can do things by yourself because you are a "big three year old."

You are usually very happy to go to school each day at Trinity. Even though we are patiently waiting for Mommy's jobs to start, we figured we are just going to keep you on your normal schedule and not worry about it. The three-year-olds class you are in is almost completely full of boys, with the exception of you and your friend Avery (and another little girl that I believe comes 2 days a week). You have picked up a few behaviors that I can tell are from them (like saying, "too bad, so sad!" and "duh." We are working on taking those back out of your vocabulary...) But your teachers say you are very well behaved and smart.

Daddy's sense of humor is certainly rubbing off on you. You love to jump in when Daddy has a funny saying or joke going and you two can keep it up for days. I need to get a video of you doing the perfect impression of Daddy when you hear something and say in your tiny high-pitched voice, "WHAT?!?! That's silly." You love to let him hold you up in the air or upside down like a football. I wish I could say that we still hold you all the time but you are just getting to be so big! We had your checkup with Dr. Beatty (Dr. Baby as you call her) and of course you are growing and developing just right. She has always been very kind and complimentary of you when we see her. She got a good chuckle out of you giving her a turkey high five like Daddy showed you.

We had so much fun having your party at our house and seeing your friends. You loved wearing your Abby fairy costume and were so sweet when you opened your presents. You made sure to say thank you and then you passed out stickers to everyone. You have some very thoughtful friends and got cool presents. You have also spent some of your birthday money on a new dress up costume (the pink Aurora princess dress of course) and some new outfits. You are just the right size for most 3T pants and you just look so tall and slender! I love getting to dress you in more stylish grown up looking clothes than just the basic things you wear to school. You certainly have preferred dresses and skirts alot more lately, especially any chance you get to wear a tutu! You even convinced Emerson to wear one while you two were doing some late night cooking.

Aunt Rachael took most of the pictures while they were here, so we will have to post more later. You had a fabulous birthday weekend that even ended with trick-or-treating with the Mowreys. You got to wear three different costumes in three days! And you could not have been more fun and adorable in each one.



Most importantly, I want to tell you how proud I am that you are showing us more and more that you are kind. You have quite a tender heart when it comes to stories or movies, and with your own friends you are usually quick to share and use nice manners. You are the first to offer a hug and a sweet pat on someone's back. You like to invite others and you don't seem to be shy about talking to friends or grownups. We love that you such a clear speaker because everyone can understand what you are telling them. (Of course, a break every now and then from the millions of questions would be okay too!) We can't believe how fast the time has gone. You may be my big three year old girl, but to me you are still my baby.

Hugs and Kisses,
Mommy

Mudders Day 2011

I had a wonderful Mother's Day with you, sweetheart! You are the reason I get to celebrate today, and I am so thankful that God has allowed me to be your mommy. You are more than I ever dreamed of.

I am so happy that we spent the whole weekend together. I got lots of hugs and kisses and snuggles, and they were better than any gift in the world. Although I did get a pretty awesome water softener.... Thank you, Cameron and Daddy! I sure do love you.

Where did April go?

Confession: I have not been keeping up with blogs in so long, I had to take a second to remember my password just to log in!

So sorry baby doll! We have had a crazy month, and I hope that you appreciate Mommy being there rather than just typing away all the time. Let's see what we need to recap:

Grammy bought herself a beautiful little house!

She was truly blessed to know the builder, who lived in the house for a year while he was building another one, and he gave her an incredible offer once he understood her situation. She was so blown away that she could afford to pay cash for the house. She keeps telling me that she really didn't think she would be able to get a house this nice, and I just keep telling her that she needs to dream a little bigger for herself!

She has officially moved in and is slowly accumulating more things. She has some great furniture, TVs (no cabinet to put them on...) and we got her one special touch as an early Mother's Day gift. I had a sign made for her with this scripture on it:

Let my soul be at rest again, for the Lord has been good to me. Psalm 116:7

We got to make a quick trip up to see the house and deliver her some furniture a few weeks ago, then we were back a few weeks later for Easter. We had a great visit with your great grandma Stella too!

You had such a great time seeing all the family and hunting eggs. Of course, Mommy forgot your Easter dress at home and we had to borrow one of Emerson's... And then you tripped over a garden hose while we were hunting 80,000 eggs (I come from a family of over-doers!) at my grandparent's house, leaving you with a huge scrape on your nose and lip. I think Aunt Rachael took some great pictures before the face-plant, so we need her to hook us up. I didn't take any after that!

Then the next weekend, your daddy left town to go play in the annual Bilbo golf tournament that his family does for charity every year. Apparently the weather was going completely crazy (unbelievable winds, then super hot, and freezing cold the next day) so they didn't have as much fun playing as they hoped. But any chance for Daddy to have a whole weekend to hang out with Chad is a good one in his book! A least we got to see Gigi and Grandpa the weekend before for her birthday. You even practiced your Aggie "Gig 'Em!"


Since us girls had to stay home, Grammy and Aunt Rachael came to visit us! I really needed their help since you accidentally sprained your ankle on Wednesday night at the playground. You somehow came down the slide at just the wrong angle and the toe of your shoe caught on the ground and twisted your ankle up and around. It was just stuck there while you were screaming for a few seconds and I felt horrible. We realized quickly that it was serious and you were refusing to walk on it.

At least you got to enjoy some pampering by Daddy in our big bed...

You spent Thursday morning with me at work (we squeezed in a quick check-up with your doctor) and fortunately Chad let you hang out with him that afternoon before they left town. Even he said that he figured you would walk on it once I wasn't around, but you were pretty consistent with telling us where it hurt and not putting any weight on it. Let me tell you, it is super fun to carry a 30 lb. girl back and forth to the bathroom every time she tells you she has to go!

Friday you toughed it out with me at office again in the morning until we could go get some xrays. I couldn't believe that I was going to spend an hour waiting with a two-year old, but I knew that if anything was wrong I would feel horrible later. I really wasn't surprised to hear that everything looked normal, but at least it eliminated the mommy guilt. :)

Fortunately, once Aunt Rachael and Grammy were here, you were much more interested in them. Emerson and Ryan were so much fun to have as company. Mom and Rachael and I did lots of shopping on Sunday and were so glad to get to spend time talking and catching up. It was such a huge help to have them here because I had my big auction for work on Saturday night and you had to spend most of the day home without me. (It went great by the way, raising $50,000!)

And all month long, you kept us laughing and thankful for you. Even when you cried the last 20 minutes of our drive home from Abilene and made Mommy cry too. (Poor Daddy, he was trying to hurry!) Especially when you got confused when a lady gushed over the "little girl with the orange hair" and you made sure she knew you had RED hair. Especially when you packed up half of pantry in reusable shopping bags and left them by the front door, since you were obviously headed somewhere important with hungry people. Even when you had to sleep in bed with Mommy so Emerson could have your bed and you ended up with your feet in my face. Sigh.

You have been having a rougher time at daycare lately, with your teachers graciously telling us that you have hit someone or have been super fussy lately. Sometimes I wonder if you play with the boys too much and have picked up their habits. Or if you don't like being in a class with so many kids instead of more personal attention. Mostly your teachers describe you as the mother hen that bosses everyone else around. Wonder where you get that from?

You are certainly independent - everything is "I do it by myself!" Putting your jammies on, brushing teeth, putting lids on your cup, flushing the toilet... So much excitement! I think we need to come up with some new challenges for you. You know all your letters and are constantly asking what letter certain words start with. Maybe some sight word flash cards? Hmmm, I will work on that.

Mommy

Mommy's Trip to Costa Rica

Cameron,
Mommy is finally getting around to sharing all about my trip to Costa Rica over Thanksgiving. I wish that you and Daddy could have gone with me, but now that you are a big two-year old girl, we couldn't afford to buy three tickets! I was very happy to spend some time with Grammy and get to meet your new baby cousin, Naomi. Since she was born the day right before your birthday, Mommy got to see her celebrate turning four weeks old. Isn't she just precious?

But knowing that this was a pretty laid back trip, I think that you and Daddy had a great time here staying busy and visiting everyone. I was a little unsure of what we would be eating for Thanksgiving, but Amy and Mina worked hard to do lots of shopping and find tons of good stuff. We even had a Butterball turkey! Granted, I had no idea how to cook it and I was a little grossed out by the process. You should just ask your Grammy about my spectacular skills in making deviled eggs! Uncle Mina did a great job carving up the turkey that evening after a long day of cooking.

We even had the pleasure of meeting two of Amy's friends from work. They are both Americans that didn't have family to spend the day with, so we all had a great time eating and sharing stories. It was nice to know that Amy has some wonderful ladies to be around at work even though their jobs can be frustrating at times.

It was admittedly a nice change to not be on any sort of schedule, so at least a few hours a day, we would all just be lazy and read a book or watch a movie. I think Miriam has developed a pretty serious addiction to popcorn, so she had to get a fix at least once a day too. You will have to ask her how she can stand to eat it with all that lime salt all over it. I tasted some and it was pretty awful! But we love her anyway...

One of my favorite parts of the trip is visit we made to a botanical garden in San Jose. They have several sections of the really enormous gardens, each with a sort of theme and separate sections. There was a whole greenhouse for orchids with some really unusual ones. I guess I always appreciate things that I know I could never keep alive myself!

We had a great time just walking and talking, and don't forget taking tons of pictures!

(Okay, I just discovered how to create collages online for free and download them, so don't judge me if I get a little carried away...)

We also had an interesting time at the downtown market. Amy said it was definitely not a touristy area and that I was seeing the "real San Jose." It sure smelled real. :) Mom decided to relax at home with Naomi that afternoon, so it was just Mina, Miriam, Amy and I. I bought some beautiful woodwork that had all the exotic woods from Costa Rica, including one called purple heart that is my favorite. I came home with a small cutting board and a small round serving tray with a mosaic pattern and a hummingbird in the middle. I also bought you a traditional Costa Rican dress with tons of beautiful embroidery and a cute purple soccer jersey from the Costa Rican team. You can grow into them for next summer!

It was such a wonderful trip, even though it seemed short. I was jealous that mom got to stay with them a whole extra week! But I hope that someday, I will be able to take you and Daddy to whatever exotic place Amy and Mina are living at! No trip is too far for family.

The Miracle of Christmas (Cards)

I love getting Christmas cards. Not just because it is nice to actually get something other than bills and junk in the mail, but because it makes you feel special and loved that someone cared to send it to you! This year, I already have glittery garland strung across our entry way, just waiting for me to hang all the fun pictures and cards from it. For most families, it is a chance to share an update on how the kids are growing and how blessed they are to be together and happy. For many people, it is the only time that they will send something out to faraway relatives with love and thoughtfulness. It seems sometimes like snail mail is dying out....

But I think the real miracle of Christmas cards is actually getting everyone together and smiling. With a two-year old, it is a huge feat to have all three of us in coordinating clothing (without food or dirt all over it), smiling together and looking at the camera. I still have yet to accomplish this, but I haven't given up hope yet!

And thanks to Shutterfly, I am going to proudly send out our family Christmas cards this year. For just mentioning them on my blog, I am going to score 50 free Christmas cards! And this one is my favorite:


To check out all of their fabulous Christmas cards, head over to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards

I am also a big fan of their photo thank you cards, since Cameron has not yet gotten the hang of writing her own...
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/thank-you-cards/3x5-folded-note-cards

And of course, I love having a calendar full of cute pictures of Cameron to look at all year round! http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars

Merry Christmas to your family, and hopefully you will be seeing the smiling shiny version of ours very soon!

Finally, Some R&R!

Hi Little Love,
We had the most relaxing weekend with friends and family for Memorial Day. Friday was a rough day at work, but your Grammy came to visit that evening and we had a great time. Your daddy even got to hang out with some of his buddies for dinner and a movie. The next day we all headed to Wimberly for some fun shopping, and then you got to go to the Walls' house for the evening while we headed to La Fogata, a San Antonio tradition. Grammy and I loved the pina coladas! We even headed to have a glass of wine with the Mowreys before we came to pick you up. We were quite amused to see that your pack-n-play had been set up in the Walls' upstairs bathroom so that you could snooze in peace. You were totally passed out!

Then Sunday, we all went to church together, enjoyed lunch with lots of friends, and then Grammy and I snuck away for a pedicure while you went home to nap. Our pedicure was wonderful, your nap was a bit more difficult. Daddy said you wanted to stand up and jump so much that you made yourself sick! Too much milk! Fortunately, after a quick change of jammies and sheets, you crashed for a pretty good while. We wanted you to be in a good mood since we were having friends over for dinner!

We had an easy barbecue with sausage and hot dogs and got to enjoy sitting and talking to everyone. Jennifer Z came over, who is pregnant with twins, and we all took turns suggesting baby names for her. My favorites are Averleigh (her own creation) and Aiden. Cute, right?

You and Ainslee played in the backyard with the sprinkler while Braden ran himself silly chasing your little pink soccer ball. You were so exhausted, but managed to stay up until nine - super late for you! We loved having the Gilbreaths over and Cara's sister Lauren. They were our last to leave because we were enjoying some good laughs on the back porch. Your Daddy said that nights like that make him think that maybe we should stay at our house a little longer.

Not going to work on Monday was such a special treat. We slept in, had a nice breakfast, and got a phone call that there was a showing scheduled for 11:00! Of course we still had things to clean up from the night before, but we managed to leave everything nice and neat when we headed out. Grammy and Bruce had to make the long trip home, so we were sorry to see them go. We spent a few hours at Elizabel's house for her 3rd birthday party. (You got her a cute outfit and a fabulous book about a little girl in love with her mommy's grown up shoes!) You had a great time even though you were a little sleepy before we even got there. You did fall in love with Lizzy's Radio Flyer tricycle, which Daddy has now said we have to get for you. Then you crashed in the car as soon as we left.

Daddy is still working on a little home improvement project for me in your bathroom. I had been thinking that a bright coral mirror would be so cute to match your new shower curtain. In a fit of frugalness, your Grammy suggested we just buy molding and frame out the mirror that was already in there. Turns out, it will probably be only slightly cheaper (I picked out nice molding) and did cause some tension between Daddy and I over how exactly it was going to get completed to my satisfaction. But hopefully we will get it finished and hung up tonight!

I love you so much and had a great time watching you play and act like a busy toddler. You are such a grown up girl! I will try to post some pictures of our fun weekend soon!

Love,
Mama

Happy Mother's Dinner

Cama-Noodle,
Look how sweet and tiny you were last year for my first Mother's Day! I really wanted to get a picture this year of the two of us in our fabulous dresses (Mommy found her's on clearance at Target for $10!) but we forgot before church. And of course, when we got home you were tired and crabby and needed a nap. Maybe we can do a reenactment later this week...

We actually celebrated a little early so we could go out to dinner on Friday night. We had a great time at Stonewerks where we discovered a nice and cheap bottle of Riesling and enjoyed some tasty carrot cake. And then I got the most thoughtful and wonderful present from you! Daddy helped you out just a tiny bit, I think. Mommy got a published version of this blog from beginning to your first birthday! It was so awesome to sit down and see all the pictures and remember the anticipation before you were born and the wonder of those first weeks. How tiny and angelic you were (before you learned to say "No no, stop it!") I will treasure it and hope that someday you will enjoy reading the things that I so long for you know about your childhood.

And I will even toss in this little jewel for free - it is Mother's Day, not Mother's Dinner. Saturday your Daddy had to work most of the day, so we just hung out at home and waited for a super fast visit from your Grandpa and Gigi. They are graciously letting us take one of their Australian Shepherd puppies and auction it off to benefit Mommy's work. Isn't she just adorable?

She is very sweet and feels like a fluffy stuffed animal! She will be nine weeks old, I think, by the auction next Saturday. We were fortunate that she was there to be the entertainment when we were babysitting all of your friends...

You guys had a great time playing with her in the yard and got everyone all tuckered out. We just hope that eventually we will be closer to where our friends live so that we can babysit and not make them drive so far back home late at night!

After all that busyness, you would think that we would take it easy on Mother's Day. But no. We went to church, came home, ate lunch and did yard work. Oh yeah. Daddy needed to mow, so I trimmed some of the bushes and pulled weeds. It was awesome - every mother's fantasy. And just to make everyone even more jealous, we went grocery shopping afterwards. Sorry ladies, your day just can't measure up to that.

Maybe next year, you and I can have a little chat about letting Mommy have a whole day to relax and do what I want, rather than just a few hours of a fabulous dinner. But on further thinking, the book was such a perfect present, I am gonna let this one slide, Missy.

Spring Break at Its Best

Happy Valentines Day

We love love love love YOU!

Christmas Catch-Up

Cameroni,
There was too much fun to be had over our Christmas break to possibly blog about it. Mommy went on a bit of an internet detox, and it was so wonderful! Though we had a rough start, we had a fabulous time visiting all our family and celebrating Jesus' birthday.

You were running a fever and seemed cranky the week before Christmas, but you toughed out one day with Mommy at work (horribly boring for you and unproductive for me) and went to Cara's the next day. That Tuesday afternoon, she called to tell me that your fever was up to 102.6 (your highest ever!) Since it was so late in the day, we had to head to a pediatric walk-in clinic where we found out about your first ever ear infection. It made our five hour drive the next day pretty miserable, but the antibiotics did their job eventually.

We had eight days to enjoy in Abilene and were so suprised to have snow on two of them! It was so fluffy and beautiful, even though we were both feeling too sick to go play in it outside. But we did get to spend lots of time with Emerson, Aunt Rachael, Ryan, Aunt Amy, Uncle Mina (who refused to let you NOT like him and continually tried to get on your good side), Miriam, Grammy, and even my cousin Ben who came to visit from Oklahoma. We laid around the house, took naps, read Twilight books (again), watched movies and ate lots of good food. Here you are with Mina and Amy!

We spent Christmas day with Daddy's family since mine was waiting for the Delgados to arrive from Costa Rica. You were completely spoiled with presents including a red wagon, tons of clothes, good learning toys, puzzles, and more. Thank goodness we drove two cars to Abilene so we could send all the presents home with Daddy! Savta can never seem to have enough time with you...

All the Kilpatricks on Christmas

Then the days passed way too quickly. We enjoyed more snow at Grammy's house, and you even spent a little time with both your Gigi at her office and then spent the afternoon with Savta so Mommy could go to the movies. All the grownups really wanted to see Avatar (which was incredible!) and since it was three hours long, I knew you would be much happier to play and take a good nap! One of the last things we had to fit in was eating at Rosa's again for Miriam. It's her favorite, but we really just wanted someplace bright and cheery for our family photo session!

And one of all the Haley girls...

We headed home on New Year's Eve, and fortunately, the drive was a little less stressful. You only cried a bit, which also conveniently got Mommy out of a speeding ticket in good old Coleman County. The officer looked at me, heard you, and gave me a quick and painless warning. :) We spent NYE with some good friends playing dominoes and chit-chatting. You were asleep by 9:00, so we drank some sparkling cider for you at midnight.

It's crazy to think how quickly 2009 has come and gone. Look at how tiny and cute you were just a year ago today! Then I was so worried about how things were going to go at Mrs. Cara's house and stressed about how I was going to do with full-time working again. I am so glad NOT to be breastfeeding anymore! Things come and go, but we know looking back that we had far more blessings than hardships. And how could we enjoy the morning if there was no midnight, as one of my favorite songs says.

Thanks for making this such a wonderful year. From start to finish, you have been the most incredible blessing in mine and Daddy's lives, and we love you more than we ever thought possible to love anyone. Happy New Year, Cameron!

Santa is Alive and Well

Cameron,
As much as I love the traditions of Christmas, I want you to know the real meaning of it all. And this is one of my favorite old emails I saved as a reminder of Santa and what real gift giving can be all about...
_________________________________________________________
I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid.

I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!"

My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her world-famous cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so. It had to be true.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus!" she snorted, "Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad. Now, put on your coat, and let's go."

"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second world-famous, cinnamon bun. "Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days. "Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.

I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for.

I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church. I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class. Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out for recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough, and he didn't have a coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat!

I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that. "Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down. "Yes," I replied shyly. "It's .... for Bobby." The nice lady smiled at me. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) with ribbons and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it -- Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially one of Santa's helpers.

Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going."

I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his doorbell and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma. Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.

Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: ridiculous.
Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team.

I still have the Bible, with the tag tucked inside: $19.95.