Another core memory day with Ollie’s bff guncles!

Forever thanks to Uncle Timmy and Uncle John David for making magic moments for Ollie that I’ll remember forever!! It’s crazy to believe it had been two. long. years. since I visited snow on Main Street.

I felt the weight and stress from the past two years just pour out of me the second I heard Santa say, “HELLO OLLIE! I’ve been waiting all year to see you!” I would normally stress we are not worthy to receive this magnitude of magic but you know what? Ollie is. He’s the best of us. The best of all. And he might have shampooed his hair with mulch on the playground last week, but this kid is pure magic.

He has rocked apartment life the past 6 months. His only wishes for Christmas are a blue drum set (“a REAL one so I can play it like Animal!”) and a fly swatter. But anytime he says what he hopes Santa brings, he follows it up with, “but if I don’t get them, that’s ok! Maybe next year!” He had a true panicked moment last week that Santa won’t know to visit our “new blue house” instead of our “old white house.” (We’re moving in Christmas week- pray for us!) I assured him that Santa will always find us, and his reply? “If Santa brings a blue drum set to our old white house, that’s ok! I bet the new owners would LOVE it. Maybe I’ll get a different toy next year!”

We took him to Chuck-E-Cheese for the first time this week to celebrate the anniversary of his adoption. “Triangle Family Day” we call it now, if you saw my Instagram post about it. He was in arcade HEAVEN! But if he was ever mid-game and another child walked by, he’d often stop hitting buttons or throwing balls and say, “I’m gonna leave these here for that friend to play!” and move on.

We’ve been in our apartment since August and he’s befriended nearly everyone in our building. He can make a friend in the time it takes to go from the 4th floor to the 1st, quick to ask anyone in the elevator their name, favorite colors, where they’re going, what floor they’re living on. It’s been 4 months and he’s gotten presents from the front office manager, our neighbor across the hall, and 3 separate residents who have become our Clermont family. It has been such an unexpectedly magical time for our family, this period waiting for our home to be built.

Christmas looks a bit different for us this year with our beloved decorations in storage and just some lights strung and a couple small trees. We’ve been in 800sq feet of living and working space but I know I’ll look back at this time fondly. I’m so so happy we got to go to the Very Merriest After Hours Event this year- It was one of the few holiday family activities we were able to squeeze in between a cruise, a move, and a packed wedding calendar. <3

My life would be so different without these 4 gentlemen. <3

The photo on the left is Ollie’s first time trying Sprite. This is him announcing, “Guys! It’s not spicy!” (I may lie that things are spicy when I don’t want him trying something, lol.) The photo on the right is the little sign he made to hold up for Santa. It says, “PLEASE SANTA, LOVE OLLIE” with a picture of the drum set he wants. Our blue ink was out so he made sure to write blue. “But if he brings me a pink one, that’s ok too!”

They’ve been my best friends for years, but watching Ollie with his guncles is something truly special. <3

Waiting for the 2nd parade :)

The intensity in his face making sure Santa sees his list! <3

Zonked. I’ll miss a few things about apartment life, but bringing a sleepy Ollie in from a parking garage down hallways and up to the 4th floor isn’t one of them! :)