What an amazing Christmas this is already! It’s wonderful to experience things through the eyes of Ethan. Everything is new and larger than life!
Here’s a little of what we’ve been up to.
Weekend before last was the Christmas Parade in Clearfield. Tradition has Santa arriving by train. It was so cold, we looked for another option. We enjoyed “Breakfast with Santa” at the Agricultural Building at the Fairgrounds sponsored by the Fire Co. It was a scrumptious breakfast and it was Ethan’s first encounter with Santa and Mrs. Claus. He wasn’t so sure of the strange-looking couple, but the relaxed atmosphere allowed Mom to sit with Ethan in her lap beside Santa.
This weekend, we went shopping in Altoona. The Logan Valley Mall has a train for children to ride. Ethan saw the train and he literally ran back and forth, running beside, chasing after the train. I took that as a cue that he just might be ready to ride and he did.
Ethan walked through the gate, taking the hand of a stranger, letting her buckle him in the seat, and he never looked back at Mommy and Daddy. It was amazing. He is growing up so quickly! He hardly looked at us when he would ride by in the train. He was so enamored with all the other sights and sounds.
We also visited the “Holiday Lights on the Lake” at Lakemont Park. I brought Ethan up to the front seat of the car to sit on my lap so he could see better. At first, he was so taken with all the lights and buttons on the dashboard that he didn’t care anything about the lights. Daddy dimmed the dashboard and soon his attention went to the light displays. His favorite was riding through the tunnel of lights — it is a neat effect!
Following the ride through the park, there is a shop with Santa and a model train display. Ethan again ran to the model train display when he saw it. It is a grand display with several trains running here and there and the middle is filled with amusement park rides turning this way and that.
On Saturday, Grammy and Pappy came for a visit. The first thing Ethan did was take them in to see the Christmas tree. He even turned the lights on all by himself!
Sunday morning was the children’s program at West Side UMC. Ethan was a cow in the manger scene. He went right up and sat down, but only for a few seconds before beginning to wander around and visit and wave at people. It was a lovely program and it was wonderfully exciting to see Ethan in his first play!
Thank you, God, for the gift of celebrating the birth of your Son with our son!
I was anxious to see the pictures; they are great and just wish I could be there with him more. He is a sweetie.
I can’t believe how much he has grown. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year