Holiday Festivities Part 1...Shopping with Grampa

Shopping on Christmas Eve....Crazy? Perhaps.

For me, it's a tradition.

For years, my sister, my dad and I would hit the mall the night before Christmas and do our collective best at guessing which sweater my mom would like or which purse she'd prefer (and inevitably, we'd all get it wrong anyway.) Though it really wasn't as much about finding just the right gift, as it was just having a fun night out amidst the hustle and bustle of last-minute shoppers everywhere. There's just something in the air....

Well life has happened the past few years (aka triplets happened) and we haven't made it out. So this year we made a point of scheduling our pre-christmas shopping trip once again! We'd set the date, Brian was going to be home with the kids, all was well. We were to meet at Baby Gap at 4:30.

Well, somewhere about noon, I started having this nagging feeling...like something was missing. And then it hit me. Hunter. It wasn't our plan to have her come along, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt like she should be with us....after all, she is a big girl now. So I sent my dad a text, saying something ridiculous like, "Would it ruin your plan for our evening if Miss Hunter Olivia came along?" (I didn't know how set in our tradition he was.) I actually got a call back instead of a text, and the first words out of "Grampa Sam's" mouth were, "Ami, is this a joke? Are you actually wondering if I'd mind if my precious granddaughter came with us?" (Now hearing it from his mouth, I realized how silly I may have been to even wonder.)

So now, ALL of Grampa's girls were going shopping and to dinner! And that's the neat thing about traditions...sometimes you have to change 'em up a little. But it's okay. Sometimes, though you may not see it at first, things turn out even better than you anticipated. So our crazy shopping trip began in front of Baby Gap. To commemorate it, I asked some nice lady, sitting in one of those oversized chairs in front of the store if she'd mind taking our picture.

"I'm saving this seat for my mother," is what she says to me, as if I am totally inconveniencing her, AND as if I just told her to get up so I could have her chair.

"Uh, I was just wondering if you'd take our picture." I don't want your seat, lady. You don't even have to get up. (and she didn't, by the way.) Aaaahhh...the holidays. They bring out the best in people don't they? :)

Now, back to Hunter. Understand that 98% of her day is spent in the direct company of one or both of her brothers. Rarely, unless they're asleep are they ever truly alone or truly quiet. But even before we left, we knew that she would love it. The time away from the boys, and the attention ALL for her.

Well folks, we were right. She was an absolute angel. She shopped. She let us hold her when we wanted, she walked when we wanted her to, (and walked WITH us, not wherever she felt like walking to). She never once cried, threw any sort of fit, or even showed a moment of discontentment. It must've been the piggies of power. They gave her good powers this night.

From Baby Gap, to Children's Place....picking out all her favorite things...(and even a few things she knew her brothers would like.)

And maybe even a few things her Aunt Mary would like, like these Spiked Stilettos for instance. Hee hee...just kidding Mary. But seriously, to see this tiny pig tailed person with the high-water jeans and pink converse shoes pick THESE out? Of ALL the shoes at Dillard's? Uh oh....

From there, we went to find the boys some shoes. She waited so patiently while the nice saleslady went to see if they had 2 pairs of size 5 shoes. I just can't tell you how proud I was of how patient and obedient she was.

Me and my little one. :)

Now we're off again! This time to find something for Aunt Mary

(something other than spiked stilettos.)

But like a real shopper, she didn't get far when something caught her eye that she just HAD to stop for...

"Ooohh...I pick this one."

"Is this a cotton polyester blend? Whatever it is, I lOVE it."

A video camera would've been more appropriate here, because you really can't the gist of how adorable she was, running with Grampa to catch up to her Aunt Mary.

But here we are..New York & Co.

Number one-She was fascinated by these mirrors and all the millions of Hunters she could see!

Number two-you should've seen her dancing to the upbeat music they blast in these stores. So. Freaking. Cute.

But the night didn't end there. After shopping, a girl's gotta eat! So off to BJ's Restaurant we went! She sat up in the bar on a booster seat...sniff sniff...my baby is definitely not a baby anymore. She just looked so...big.

How cute is this?

Coloring, clapping, having a ball.

Dad and me

She is SO my daughter. She's eating an avocado egg roll, and is taking turns dipping it in one of 3 different sauces.

Moving on to happy face fries and ranch. Okay, mostly ranch with a little bit of happy face fry.

Lookin a little sad her night is coming to an end...

Thanks Grampa!

And that my friends, is a perfect example of why sometimes changing traditions creates newer, better ones. What a treat it was, for all of us, to have her along. There's something about little ones that remind you to see the joy in the simplest things...My cup runneth over.

So that's the first part of our holiday festivities...next up? Christmas at Grammy Russo's house.