This year, just like every other, I gave my Christmas requests to those who asked.  Those items that I requested are things that can be bought in stores.  They are just things, they aren’t my real Christmas wishes – you know those elusive things that don’t really exist, but you wish they did or those dreams in your head that will always just remain dreams.  This year I decided to actually write out that list, so here it is Rebecca’s Christmas wish (in no particular order):

1.  I want my 5 month old to sleep all night, and go down for naps without a fight (and for one of those naps to overlap with my 4 year old’s nap).  I would love to have received an owner’s manual with each of my children, but I’ll settle for the instructions out of the “sleep” chapter.

2. I want my 4 year old to let me cuddle him.  For him to just sit in my lap and let me wrap my arms around him.  To lay in his bed with him sometimes and just hold him.  For him to come and give me hugs, just because.

3. I really want an invisible house elf.  My house elf would dust and sweep the floors nightly, because it truly needs to be done daily in order not to find dust bunnies hanging from my 5 month old’s mouth or wads of my shedding hair wrapped in his hands.  My invisible house elf would also be on constant camera duty in order to catch all of those perfect moments, and ‘firsts’.  That way I would never be fiddling with a camera when I could just be enjoying the moment (only to miss the shot any way) and I would actually be in some of our family’s photos too!

4. I want to be able to clone myself selectively.  I do realize a second me would be useful most of the time, but in an effort to be reasonable, I just want a second me while I am breast feeding my 5 month old.  I cherish that time alone with him (and it does have to be ALONE with him if I expect to keep my nipple attached to my body), but that time would also be the perfect time to be spending quality alone time playing with my 4 year old.

5. I want 30 min per week to drive around in our neon green jeep Wrangler with the top down and music blasting, singing at the top of my lungs.  If my 4 year old would be willing to sing and dance along with me (instead of screaming at me to stop) then he would be allowed in this wish.  This really is great therapy!

6. I want a day every so often that is perfect: everybody is in a good mood, no fights over naps or food, and everyone (including my husband) behaves and no discipline needs to be dished out.  Just pure happiness together as a family.

7. I would love magical clothes that grow with the child.  It’s horrible when you have to declare a favorite shirt is ‘too small’ and the hunt for new favorite shirts is so frustrating. Clothes need to grow with them physically until they grow out of the emotionally.

8. I want to be able to take away all my 4 year old’s fears and anxieties so he can just enjoy life.  There are so many things to worry about later.  He should just be able to be a carefree child now.  No 4 year old should have panic attacks and be controlled by fear.

9. My 4 year old is old enough to start to enjoy the outdoor activities I do for exercise with me (kayak, hike, SUP, etc).  I want him to WANT to join me an be excited to get out into nature with me.

10. More than anything, I want to be around to watch them grow up and to cherish every moment I have with them.  Life is too short, and childhood is an even shorter stretch of time.  They will both be grown and gone before I know it and I don’t want to look back and wish I had held them or played with them more.  I want to look back and be happy about the time I got to be with them.

The Houghton family