Dust Busters: Christmas Eve

I know, I'm behind. That's all I have to say about that.

So this year we ended up with a guitar-themed Christmas (or Buitar, as Eli calls it). It started with a pink guitar with real strings that Myka noticed in a flier in October. It was a good deal so I picked it up, thinking it would be her main present. (That will teach me to shop in October!) Meanwhile, Kurt and I decided that the family finally would get the Wii we had been talking about for two years. He wanted Guitar Hero, which a year ago was a piece of cake to find but this year is being "replaced" by all of the dancing games and is a bit harder to get one's hands on. I let him know I couldn't find it anywhere and left it at that. And then sometime in December Eli started really paying attention to the praise band at church and all of their gadgets. He turned every bucket/Tupperware/flat surface we have into some kind of drum set, and decided he also needed a buitar with strings, not just the buttons like on the electronic one he has. I picked him up a smaller one with strings from ToysRUs, and drove 30 miles to another Best Buy to secretly get Kurt the last Guitar Hero game in the Chicago Metropolitan Area.

And remember the Santa visit? Well, as it turned out, Myka asked him for a Wii. That was fine since I already had it (at a STEAL! Did I mention I like to bargain shop?) But then we had the guitar and the doll that was her other main present to deal with. We decided Santa was just going to have to look very generous this year, because there were just some things we weren't hauling all over Iowa the week after Christmas.

So on the eve of the 23rd, because Santa comes early for Pastor's kids, Kurt and I wrapped what was left and decided what Santa would give and what we would give. Then he went up to bed and I pulled out the Guitar Hero guitars. I think Kurt was as surprised as the kids when he came down and saw the guitar-birthing that had happened over night in our family room.

"Wook, Mom! A buitar with stwings!"

I love this one because of the chocolate drool on his mouth and the fact that Kurt is trying to set up the Wii while Eli rides around trying to scoop up all the things laying on the floor.