Eight Special Days

On December 23rd our Christmas festivities began. In reality they started sooner than that when you consider the Christmas dinner at church, making Christmas cookies and brownies, etc. Last Friday we let the kids open their presents from us. The next day we spent the day at Paul's parents' house where we opened more presents, watched some football, and ate a delicious meal. We ended the day at church where the kids participated in a birthday party for Jesus and then the candlelight service. Nadia did a good job singing that night (maybe tomorrow I'll have time to upload the video), but Ian didn't participate (just stood there quietly). I played a flute solo ("Birthday of a King") and sang with the choir.

On Christmas Day we drove to Maryland after Sunday School and church. I had a vocal solo that morning (my first at this church). I fed Ian at church right before we left. He fell asleep in the beginning part of our drive. The only restaurants that we passed which were open were two Chinese buffets and Denny's. We weren't interested in a sit-down restaurant, so we got food at Sheetz (a gas station). The food was awful (and Paul and I generally aren't picky!).  Later we passed a gas station that had a Subway inside. If we are traveling on Christmas Day again, we'll hopefully remember to hold out for the Subway. Paul and Nadia napped during the end of our drive. We arrived at my parents' house only moments before my sister and her family arrived home with my dad (who had picked them up from the airport). This was the third consecutive day of opening presents for our family!

On Monday we stayed at my parents' home all day. The kids had so much fun together! Rachel is 2 1/2, Adam will be 5 in February, and Susie is 7 1/2. The first thing Ian said when he woke up on Monday morning was "Adam, Adam, Adam". He loved it when Adam would chase him around the house. All of the kids enjoyed playing with the ladybug I had given my sister (for Rachel). They kept crowding into closets and the half-bathroom to enjoy the nightlight. Twice the kids locked themselves into a bathroom or bedroom. Oops! Over the time we were there I enjoyed playing Battleship with Susie, Connect Four with Susie and Adam, and Boggle with my dad, Wendy, and Drayton. Boggle is my favorite game, and I only get to play it 1-2 times a year. On Monday evening my mom served the traditional meal (turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, corn pudding, etc.), and after dinner we went caroling int heir neighborhood and distributed plates of cookies that Nadia and I had made. On Tuesday we had one outing (to Chick-Fil-A), and on Wednesday several went bowling (Paul, Drayton, my dad, Adam, and Susie) and then nine of us went ice skating later that afternoon (everyone except my parents and Ian). It was Nadia's first time going ice skating. She loved it! She liked going around only holding my hand (which was a workout for me), and she also liked using the walkers the ice skating rink had for young children to use. I was pleased that the kids didn't watch any tv on Monday or Tuesday because they watched too much on Sunday and Thursday (in the car). Wednesday evening they did watch part of the movie "Babe" (the one about the pig).

We left my parents' house around 9:45 this morning. We drove about one hour to visit one of my friends. I hadn't seen in her more than four years. She enjoyed meeting Nadia and Ian, and I enjoyed visiting with her and seeing how much Will had grown (he's 11 years old). We were roommates from 1994-96, and we also taught at the same school during that time period. We left her house about 12:45 and arrived home at about 4:30. I fed Ian at her house, but he was very hungry when we got home. Nadia had a nice nap in the car, but Ian only slept for 7 minutes of the almost 5 hours we spent in the car today. I thought that was the reason he wouldn't stop crying, but it turns out he was really hungry. I thought since I had fed him at 4:30 and changed his diaper that I would wait a bit before feeding him his fourth meal of the day, but he finally told me "hungry." I fed him his fourth meal not that long after his third meal, and he finally stopped crying. It is very helpful when a child can communicate his needs!

It was really great to spend 3 1/2 days with my family. I have two sisters. One lives in Turkey. I haven't seen her for about 18 months, and I have no idea when they will make their next trip the US. Although Wendy has lived in Vancouver and Chicago over the past 8 years, she still has made several trips back to MD every year, and almost every time she's been in MD, we've come down to visit. She won't be making as frequent trips in the future. I might not see her again until next Christmas. I admit I shed a few tears over this as we said our goodbyes. I wish I could see my sisters more often. Wendy took some pictures yesterday, and she also gave me some lessons on how to take better pictures with my camera as well as some editing tips using Lightroom software. She's become a rather talented photographer in my opinion! I don't aspire to becoming a professional (as she has), but I do want to continue to improve my skills as I photograph my favorite subjects (my kids of course!).

Whenever we come home from a trip, I always feel a bit overwhelmed as I feel the need to unpack, put things away, do the laundry, etc. as soon as possible. It was FAR more daunting of a task today because we hadn't put away the gifts we received on Saturday plus we were bringing home more gifts from my family's gift exchange on Sunday. Also, I was feeling the need to take down the Christmas decorations. We got quite a bit done, and then I ran out of steam. Hopefully we can finish getting everything back in order tomorrow. Tomorrow afternoon we'll be driving back to Harrisburg (we drove through it today on our way home). We're headed to Paul's aunt's house. They live about 2 hours away from where we live. The kids will each be getting one last present to open tomorrow. That's why I'm calling tomorrow our eighth (and final) day of Christmas (the fourth day in which they opened at least one gift). We've had a lot of fun and created wonderful memories. Ian definitely has the hang of opening presents. He managed to find Paul's birthday presents (his birthday is January 3) and unwrap Paul's gifts on Sunday morning. Oops!