Thank God for kids

When I was a little girl my parents had the Oak Ridge Boys Christmas cassette tape. We used to listen to it over and over every year. (mostly cuz we had, like, 3 Christmas cassettes) One of my favorite songs was called "Thank God for Kids" The chorus goes...

Thank God for kids there's magic for a while,
A special kind of sunshine in a smile.
Did you ever stop to think, 'I wonder why, the nearest thing to heaven is a child'?

The verses are just as good if not better.
I got a taste of that yesterday and today.
Last year, Dani was still 6 months and not really aware of most that was going on. This year at the IL's we had Dani at 18 months and Amos at 12 months and it was a riot. They were so cute and really got into opening the presents. And even if they didn't understand it all (which the obviously didn't) they did understand that this was a special time and they were front and center of it all.
I was sitting in my IL's living room taking pictures on the couch. The 2 kids were playing with some blocks. We were all watching them while we finally got our turn to open a present or two (actually more like 5 or 6). The kids were squealing and having fun. We were opening presents from each other and just having a good time. I know this sounds so cheesy but I had this overwhelming thought that said "Now, THIS, feels like Christmas" I haven't had so much fun on Christmas morning since I was a child myself. Kids add so much to the mix. I can't wait till next year when we'll have another one. (my brothers baby not me!) I love to watch them smile and hear them squeal with excitement when they see what's inside the wrapping. I know too that Dani will only get better over the next few years as she learns to anticipate the day.
It was a good day!