Playing it By Ear: A Christmas Miracle (x 2!)

What a couple of weeks this has been! The busy holiday season is upon us and miracles are in the air!

We went to "Santa's Wonderland" at the Bass Pro Shop near our house (yet another odd, yet surprisingly good suburban experience for us!) this weekend and Leila surprised us by sitting on Santa's lap without a tear (Miracle #1). She was sooo excited to tell him what she wanted (and that grand item would be...a Pez dispenser! Don't let her in on how great this request is for her parents!) Although she became a little nervous upon our arrival to see Santa, she quickly found comfort when Santa offered her a candy cane. I was on the verge of tears as I proudly watched my little girl tell Santa what a good girl she has been and that her brother would like some toys for Christmas, while she would like her Pez dispenser.

What a great time for the return of a video clip!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdmDGHxN0kk&feature=youtu.be

In addition to the Miracle at Bass Pro Shop...and a little more on a serious note...we experienced quite a scare this past week when Papa P., during his and Uncle Nick's visit with us, ended up having a heart attack. Thankfully, it seems that his heart problems are fixable and he was able to go back home for treatment (of course this was after missing his whole trip with us and instead spending it with Nurse Kelly at the hospital here in Naperville.) Things could haven definitely been worse though, and so I say this was yet another miracle we were blessed with this holiday season. Leila was so sweet throughout it all, asking several times each day, "Is Papa P. feeling better?" Gotta love her. And gotta love family. It's times like these that really help remind us all of how much we need each other.

With all the chaos during Papa and Nick's visit, we didn't have much time for pics! But here are a few...

Leila named one of her dolls "Uncle Nick"...little did she know at the time just how accurate she had been. Nick came dressed in the EXACT same outfit as her doll counterpart!