Last Minute Switcheroo!
So Christmas Eve day was going by quite smoothly and everything was going according to schedule. I wasn't feeling good about Mandy's "Santa" gift so I went to Target to get her a new scooter to match Emma and Anna's. When I got home they were outside with Eric working on some old bikes. Eric was pumping up the tires and then Mandy and Emma were washing them so they looked like new! Well because we are lame and busy parents our kids do not know how to ride bikes! (I know I should not confess such sins but for the sake of the story I must) Mandy is 10 and Emma is 7. They have not cared about these abandoned bikes at all for years. Well today they cared. Emma got on Mandy's old bike without training wheels and had Eric hold on the bike seat for about 5 minutes and then she was riding by herself up and down the street. Mandy got Erika's old mountain bike and she tried to get on but had a little trouble so we asked Emma if we could let her try her old bike.??? Mandy got on and rode by herself right away. Now she was ready for the bigger bike. I held on to the seat so she could get on and then off she went! This was an exciting day! They had found new freedom! I was so happy for them but sad for my master plan of giving them all new scooters! They would not be excited and probably not ride them now that they had these bikes. I pulled Eric aside (at 4:00 p.m.) and asked what we should do??? We needed to go to the store and get new "Santa" gifts and we needed to hurry. So at 4:30 we headed to Walmart. Mandy had only put Lego's and Webkinz on her Santa list and Emma had only put a real dog or a Zhu Zhu so we did not know what to get them??? We finally found new gifts and headed for home.
Christmas morning all of the Santa gifts were set out on the couch with the stockings and a little note for all of the kids. They all seemed excited to get the gifts and then open gifts from us and other family members. After it was all done Emma came up to me and said, "how come I did not get anything from Santa?" "I was good this year and yet he gave me nothing!" I pointed out to her that he had given her 2 barbies and a Webkinz and she said she remembered getting those gifts but they were not on her list so why did Santa bring them? You cannot win!!!!