We enjoyed a very nice Christmas this year (well, last year now I guess) by going to the Christmas Eve service at our church St. Patrick's Episcopal in Incline Village. The boys loved all of the music and the beautiful garlands and poinsettias decorating the sanctuary. After the service we followed my family's tradition of driving around looking at Christmas lights. Ben was less than impressed and kept asking when we were going back home. We went through the typical bedtime routine and the boys fell asleep peacefully with visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads. Actually, knowing our boys it was more like visions of shells and cheese dancing in their heads.
The first to wake on Christmas morning was Ben who then had to wait very patiently for Sam to wake up too. He ended up waiting almost an hour! He did enjoy reading a couple of new books that were under the tree and seeking out the packages with his name on the tags. He was also quick to claim any presents to Brian since they also had a capital B on the tag.
He opened a small package with a Slinky inside before Sam woke and Daddy helped build an obstacle-course of boxes that they attempted to have the Slinky descend. Ben ended up having more fun wrapping himself up in the boxes and popping out to surprise us.
Finally Sam woke, we all had a bit to eat then set into present unwrapping. This is where I must apologize again.......I only ended up with a handful of photos of Sam most of which were of the top of his head. So the gift unwrapping is all but undocumented. Then getting either boy to hold still for more photos was pointless as they clamored to have their new Lego sets built.
After another 45 minutes? hour? we finally got around to getting showers and baths to get on the road to Benicia where we were going to have Christmas afternoon and dinner with my parents and my sisters and their families.
Somehow we seemed to forget that we were traveling on Christmas day and our normal stops for snacks and the restroom were closed so our three hour drive ended without either of the boys sleeping much and a lunch consisiting of rice cakes and dry bagels that I happened to have thrown in just in case.
We were greeted in Benicia by hoards of family members and gifts and again everything was so hectic that I got no photos. I think my sister Beth had her camera out so at some point I will add her snapshots to this post.
We enjoyed a very nice Christmas dinner with Beth's inlaws, Dorothy and Peter Szabo, then retired to our hotel room for the night where both boys slept on the floor in their new kid-sized sleeping bags.
The next day we all gathered at Beth and Pete's again for our family's traditional Danish Smorgasbord. The boys were sad to get back in the car but were reassured knowing that Grandma and Grandpa would be coming to our home within the next few days.
I will send some pics to you by the end of this week.
ReplyDeletebethie