We are all gearing up for Christmas here at the Vitale home. The first of December marked the date of our decent on our lonely Christmas decorations. The kids were so excited about getting the tree, lights and ornaments down from the garage. They were involved in every aspect of decorating from putting up the tree to putting the lights on and decorating the rest of the house with wreaths and our festive decor. We had a lot of fun.
One of the ways this year is special is having our new addition to the family; Chewie. Even though many would say "he's just a dog", he is "just one of the kids" to me in so many ways. Being Mommy, I sure do take care of him like he's one of them, cleaning up after his messes, feeding and bathing him. But I consider it a joy with all the fun he brings to our lives. I catch him on many occasions playing with the kids outside, interacting with them like he understands their play. He engages in what they're doing. Call me crazy, but I think he tries to make them laugh sometimes by doing what I call "turbo" all over the yard. We were all snuggled in Noelle's bed tonight, with Chewie smack dab in the middle of us and I said to Pete, "You know, I trust that dog will never hurt anyone or anything." Pete wholeheartedly agreed. We have witnessed many opportunities Chewie had to rightfully defend himself, not only with the kids pulling on him one way or another, but especially with some of the neighbor's dogs getting rough with him. The sweet thing just puts his tail between his legs and lets the "other guy" win. We all are very thankful for the gift of Chewie. Aidan is especially thankful for him saying that Chewie was what he was thankful for at Thanksgiving this year.
We are looking forward to all the visitors we will be having around our home for Christmas. For the last few years we have been so blessed to have many of our family and friends stopping in for a time the week of Christmas. Last year Aunt Nancy (my sister) and her family came and spent the Christmas week with us. Uncle Rob (Pete's brother) and Aunt Boo make their way down from North Carolina for Christmas with our 180 lb canine nephew, Malcolm, every year, so they will be here again. Our friends Uncle Little Pete and Aunt Weesha and Christian (Connor's best friend) will be visiting this year, which we are soooooo excited about. We certainly have a lot of pet names for our loved ones don't we? No pun intended. I am looking forward to laughing a lot with you Aunt Weesha :)
Last week Connor had one of his first poetry assignments. He had to write a poem about a word. He could pick any word he wanted. I will leave you with his poem. Until next time...
!Wow!
A poem by Connor Vitale
Wow!
It sounds fun.
It means totally awesome!
Like a circus dog that flips in the air!
A windy snow storm.
A giant explosion of all colors!
Excitement, joy , surprise, wonder & pleasure.
