The Real Freakin' Santa...

So ya know we have a big holiday, Ugly Christmas Sweater themed birthday shin-dig for Ruby Doobs every year...right?  Oh...and Santa Claus comes and the kiddos get to sit on his lap and take pics.  The past few years it had been a good friend of mine dressed in a Target Santa suit (Thank you Dakus for your Santa Service and sweating your ass off in that outfit for the sake of the kiddos..It is Texas ya know and has been known to be in the 90's in December).  The first few years seemed to go off without a hitch...but the kiddos are getting older and wiser and last year in the line leading up to Santa all you could hear was "That's not the real Santa!", and "I can see his strap!"....and my favorite was Ella Mae looking at him with squinting eyes and then looking at me with confusion and going "whose in there?" in a half whisper, half disgusted voice. I gave her the ol' "Santa can't be everywhere" speech and "It's the spirit of Chrimstmas"...blah blah blah.  The plot will continue to thicken as the charade goes on I am sure of it...but I am willing to keep it up for as long as I can...

Ok...so maybe his beard was a little crooked...

AND... I'll be danged if I am gonna be the one to spoil anyone's Christmas Cheer or belief in the Big Guy in the jolly red suit!!  So this year we enlisted the guy who my kids have been seeing every year at another holiday party.  We told Ella Mae and Ruby that the REAL FREAKIN' Santa was coming this year and oh how I wish I could go back to my days of believing in Santa.  Ruby doesn't quite follow the story line yet (ok mom..I will sit in this crazy guys' lap and smile...) but Ella Mae...oh sweet Ella Mae...she is a believer.  The look of excitement, wonder and curiosity when he walked into the back yard...priceless.

He got there a little early so none of the kiddos would see his wife dropping him off (kinda loses the magic a little...right?) so Ella had about a half an hour with Santa to herself...and she stuck right by his side.  Girlfriend had all sorts of questions for him too..."When you come down the chimney and there is a fire...what do you do?"...and "Did you bring your Reindeer?" ...and the old favorite I am sure all kiddos ask "How do you make it around the world to all the kids in one night?". He was a professional though...answering all the questions with all the right magical answers.  We let the pipsqueaks take pictures with him for a bit...

Winner winner chicken dinner (get to that in a sec)

"Old Santa's" kiddo...

Me and Ty's mom may or may not have arranged a marriage for him and Doobs... 

One of my fave things about this party is seeing everyone get into their "Ugly Christmas Sweater" gear. Ok...and the margarita machine...that is pretty fun too.  Anywho..every year more and more peeps get into the "spirit" of the party and get "uglified"...

You go Tracy with your "Rhinestones"....

  No one gets more "uglified" then our "three year undefeated ugly sweater champions" though...

They are newlyweds ya'll..can you feel the love??

So there are trophies to be had and we also have a "Jr. Category" (this is serious business folks)...and one of our fave culde members actually made his own sweater this year...

Umm..how freakin' cute is that?

He was so excited about his trophy winnings that he took it to school the next day for show and tell.  That is the spirit of Christmas ya'll!!!

Winner winner chicken dinner...

Now I may or may not have been more excited about the next thing that happened at the party then the kiddos...but Santa read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" (insert school girl squeal)...

Notice in the background Ella's "Pictures with Santa" sign :)

Just look at Ruby's face...

Oh my goodness...the spirit of Christmas was alive and well around these parts folks!  But I never forget the true reason behind this shin-dig. One of our greatest joys has graced our presence for four wonderful, inspiring years.  Four years where my heart is a little more wide open.  Four years where I have struggled wondering if I am enough of a mommy for her. Four years where every milestone, every smile she flashes me, every sweet kiss and hug I get from her assures me that I am.  Four years of her showing me the true beauty in everything.

Dr. Doobs to the rescue...

You don't think she likes her Uncle "Kook"..do you??

She kinda likes her Daddy a bit too...

One of the most simple things that I have absorbed from Ruby in the last four years is to just simply not take anything for granted.  She reminds me everyday that life isn't always easy for everyone.  There are many struggles that we all go through...she works unbelievably hard to achieve the smallest things that we might find easy. This is the first year that she was able to actually blow out her candles and I think my heart swelled with so much pride it almost exploded into her Daniel Tiger Birthday Cake...

Another amazing cake by Grandmother!!!  aka Baboo!

Go Ruby Doobs!!!

Happy Fourth Birthday my sweet Ruby Doobs.  Keep lighting up this crazy world we live in with that killer smile, sweet spirit and determination that warms our hearts and shows us that all things are possible when we put our minds to it!  WE LOVE YOU and can't imagine a world without you!!