Merry Christmas 2011

It's the last day of the year in 2011.  We have just returned from the frosty north in New York after a long, long ride in the car from Washington, DC (more on that later).   We enjoyed a whirlwind Christmas with the boys and Sam, Andy and his family, and Tina and Neal and their son, Hanson.

Christmas really took hold of TJ this year, and now that he "gets it" was super, super excited on Christmas eve and was bouncing off the furniture.  I can only imagine this behavior amplifying in the years to come when both boys are ready for Santa.  We put on a small get together for the families on the street and had an hour of cocktails, milk and cookies, caroles, and topped it off with reading, Twas the Night Before Christmas.  We have been trying to find a family tradition that fits the holidays and this seems like it. I was spent by 9:00pm and fell asleep on the couch.

For some reason I was the first one up on Christmas morning and made sure that Santa Claus stopped at the house.  I was able to make coffee, start cinnamon rolls, and check Facebook before the other stirred.  We followed my mother's tradition of one-present-at-a-time and watched TJ's excitement getting his Bakugan toys and his Beyblade while Grant seemed thrilled with shiny wrapping paper.

We enjoyed a full breakfast and got on the road by 10:30am to drive to New York to see my brother.  This was the first time Andy had met Grant and the first Christmas with my side of the family since at least 2003.  The kids; Alyssa, Luc, and Samantha are all teenagers now.  Its scary to see just how big they are, especially when Alyssa can drive herself!  Seeing the three of them with the two little ones reminds me just how much I miss my parents. 

We celebrated Christmas with everyone on Monday after Sam joined us in the early afternoon.  Samantha really enjoyed her Harry Potter House of Slitheren hat and scarf set that the boys got her.  The cold and the wind kept us inside for most of the three days we were there and reminded us that we do not miss New York. 

We headed out for Washington, D.C. on Thursday to visit with Lisa's grad school roommate (and our maid of honor), Tina along with her husband and son. Three boys in a house.  Another reminder why we should not try for a third child!  TJ, 4; Hanson, 2; and Grant, 1; made the evening fun chasing one or the other to make sure toys were shared fairly and no one fell over, rolled down the stairs, or poked the other.  The adults spent the night drinking beer or very good bourbon and talking until we almost fell asleep on the the couch. 

Friday, we took the kids to the Smithsonian Air and Space Annex out near Dulles Airport.  The two smallest tagged along so the old roomies could catch up.  TJ ran from one plane to the next - especially the ones with g-u-n-s!  Of course, I was right with him!  There was a shuttle, a SR-71, a Concorde, and dozens of planes from WWII.  It was a really cool way to spend a few hours.

We drove home through a parking lot called I-95; an absolutely miserable experience from D.C. to Richmond.  I was not at my best. 

We are home!  We are cleaning and washing and tidying and sorting through a week of holiday stuff.  The New Year is less than ten hours away!  We pray for a safe and happy 2012.