"And tell the reindeer hi!"
Isaiah exclaimed, bouncing in his seat beside Carrie, who was scribing everything that he said.
"Anything else?" Carrie chuckled at the long letter Isaiah had written for Santa.
"And Mrs. Clause! Tell her hi too! And the elves!"
"You got it." Carrie laughed. Mike came over to the kitchen table with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk.
"We gotta leave carrots for the reindeer dad!" Isaiah said, standing in his chair.
"How could I forget!" Mike jumped up, winking at his wife as he grabbed some carrots from the fridge.
"Yay!" Isaiah sat the letter right beside the plate and arranged it how he wanted. He also put the picture he'd drawn for Santa beside it. This was the first Christmas that Isaiah really understood Santa, and they'd never seen him so excited about anything.
"Alright little man, it's time for bed!" Mike swooped his son up into his arms, tossing Isaiah into the air as he giggled. "You gotta get to bed so Santa can come!"
Carrie followed her boys upstairs and together, she and Mike helped him get ready for bed, say his prayers, and read The Night Before Christmas.
"One more?" Isaiah asked, snuggled in between them in his bed.
"Nope, it's already way past your bedtime Iz."
Mike closed the book and sat it on the nightstand. It was already almost two hours past his regular bedtime.
"I'm not tired." Isaiah frowned.
"Yeah you are buddy. Close your eyes and you will be. It's been a long day." Carrie brushed her hand through his short hair. They'd been to church and then had Christmas Eve dinner at the Casselman's house since they didn't travel. This was their first Christmas at home in a long time, but they'd been gone all day.
Isaiah slid down into his bed as Carrie and Mike climbed out of it. Carrie groaned as Mike pulled her up. Every night, she forgot how low down Isaiah's bed was, and every night, she struggled more and more to get out of it with the baby.
"Goodnight sweet boy. We love you." Carrie bent down and kissed her son's forehead.
"G'night Mommy." Isaiah grinned. "Night baby brother."
"Night Izzy. Sleep tight." Mike said, kissing him as well.
Carrie flipped off the light when they reached the door, turning back to smile at her son one more time.
"Merry Christmas Isaiah. See you in the morning."
Carrie closed the door behind them, chuckling once the door was completely shut.
"He's something else." Carrie laughed, shaking her head.
"I've never seen him so excited before. I can't even imagine what tomorrow morning is going to be like." Mike took a Carrie's hand as they walked down the hall.
"Me either. He's going to be over the moon." Carrie smiled. She followed him into one of the guest bedrooms, where they'd hidden all the Santa stuff in the closet. They pulled it all out and carried it down the stairs to sort through it.
"This kid is way too spoiled." Carrie said, looking around at the living room. The Christmas tree was filled with presents, mostly for Isaiah. They sat the few extra things from Santa beside the tree, leaving it unwrapped. His stocking was stuffed to the brim.
"Here's some paper, let's come up with the letter." Carrie grabbed a piece of printer paper and a red pen and sat down at the table. Mike joined her, eating a cookie off the plate.
Together, they created the perfect letter, explaining everything perfectly. When they finished, Carrie held it up and read it aloud.
"Dear Isaiah,
Thanks for the yummy cookies, they were delicious! My reindeer agreed! I also love your picture-Mrs. Clause and I will add it to our wall! Hope you enjoy the toys! Thanks for being such a good kid this year! Merry Christmas!
Love,
Santa
P.S. I heard you wanted a tree house for Christmas. Hope you enjoy :)"
"I can't believe we pulled this off." Mike glanced out the window of the back door, grinning at the large tree house. A group of men had worked on it all day long while they were at the Casselman's house, building the entire tree house in a day. They'd finished just before they'd gotten home for the night.
Isaiah had been asking for a tree house for months, and Mike and Carrie had continued to say no, that it wasn't a good time with the move and the baby. They'd told him maybe over the summer, once everything was a little more settled down. He'd asked Santa for one, but they'd explained to him how difficult that would be for Santa and that it probably wouldn't happen. Isaiah had absolutely no idea at all that he was going to wake up to a tree house in the backyard.
"I know. His little mind is going to be so blown." Carrie grinned, standing behind him. She snaked her arms around him and smiled against his back. "Come snuggle with me on the couch for a minute."
She held Mike's hand, leading him over to the couch. He sat down at the end of the couch and Carrie snuggled in beside him, resting her head on his shoulder.
"This is our last Christmas as a family of three." Carrie sighed, admiring the glistening tree in front of them.
"I know. It's crazy." Mike placed his hand on Carrie's huge stomach. "It seems like just the other day we were saying that it was our last Christmas without children."
Carrie looked up at her husband, grinning widely. "I love you so much."
"I love you too." Mike kissed her forehead. "So so much."
Carrie smiled, returning her head against his chest, snuggling closer into him. She pulled the blanket up higher, and the couple just sat in silence under the many lights.
"Merry Christmas."
