I've Got My Phone...And Baby Jesus!

This morning, Allyson was getting ready to go to the babysitter. Daddy had her all dressed in her Christmas T-shirt and her Santa cap (which she wears EVERYWHERE, much to the delight of both friends and strangers).

Allyson holding tiny Baby Jesus

When I came down the stairs, she announced, "I've got my phone and Baby Jesus!"

"Huh?"

She patted her jeans pocket, which bulged with an old cell phone she likes to carry around, and she held out the tiny wooden baby from the nativity set on our console table. She is utterly fascinated with the tiny figures that look like the old Playskool Little People.

We have a more traditional nativity scene on our mantle, but I just love the humble wooden figures that Ethan received in Sunday school several years ago. Allyson won't leave them alone, though. She broke Baby Jesus' manger the other day (made of Popsicle sticks), and she's constantly carrying him around. I even caught her putting him in her mouth once, and Bill laughed when he heard me holler, "Don't eat Baby Jesus!"

Allyson was so pleased with her two treasures this morning that I couldn't resist letting her take Jesus along. But she had to leave him in the car so he wouldn't get lost.

One More Cute Quote
We were on the way home from Aunt Emily's tonight, where we'd helped make Christmas cookies, when Allyson pulled the bow off her stuffed pink cat. "Oh no!" she cried. "I broke my ti-ee tat."

"We'll fix it when we get home," Daddy reassured her.

A couple of minutes passed, and we thought she might be asleep. Suddenly she piped up, "I have a idea!... We can call Santa Claus and he can bring me a new ti-ee tat!"

"I don't know," Daddy said. "We can just fix the kitty cat you have."

"No, I need a new one. I need Santa to bring me a new ti-ee."

It's amazing how soon children learn about Santa and toys. (She's only two and a half!) I'll have to help her focus on the real meaning of Christmas. Maybe the nativity set will help.