Sunday 12/25
We woke up at my parents' house and discovered that Santa had been there! He filled stockings and left a few gifts, with a note saying that the rest were back at our house. The girls were thrilled as they'd been concerned that Santa wouldn't be able to find them while out of town. :)
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| Gifts! |
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| Dumbo! |
My parents were at church that morning, but after they came back, we had lunch and called my brother and his wife to wish them a Merry Christmas. They'd decided not to travel for the holidays this year, so it was good to catch up with them over the phone.
Later, we went to my Grandma Wanda's house for dinner and gifts with a good portion of my mom's side of the family. I mashed the potatoes and helped with the vegetables and beverages. I don't think I'd ever actually *done* anything to assist with Christmas at her house before, but with her getting older, I was happy to pitch in where I could. We had a delicious dinner and a great time opening gifts with our aunts, uncles, and cousins. Of course, we had to snack on Grandma's famous homemade candies, and even took a bunch of them with us for the road.
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| Here we are at Grandma's house! |
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| The girls with my Grandma |
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| Dressing up with Grandma's wigs! |
Monday 12/26
After another delightful run, I got myself cleaned up and we got ready for a visit from my dear cousin Becci and her family. We were happy to see Magnus again, growing up to be such a big boy, and thrilled to meet Marit for the first time. She is so precious!
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| The girls and I snuggle with Marit |
Tuesday 12/27
The girls and I spent most of the morning hanging out with our friends Bev and Ruby at their office. That may not sound too exciting, but we enjoyed ourselves. Bev is my friend Kelly's mom, and Ruby has always been like an extra grandma to me, so I love catching up with them when we can.
We had lunch on Tuesday with our friends Joe, Amy, and Jacob at Famous Dave's BBQ. We love Famous Dave's! It is a must for every time we are in the Midwest. Jacob is 2, and we hadn't seen their family since before he was born, so it was a lot of fun to see them. After lunch we ran some errands before returning to my parents' house. My mom had some craft projects set up for them to do in the afternoon. They beaded bracelets and necklaces and colored stickers, so it was a lot of fun.
Wednesday 12/28
Travel day! We easily got ourselves cleaned up and packed in the morning. My Grandma Wanda came over to have lunch with us before we needed to leave for the airport. Our first flight was mid-afternoon, and after a layover, we left at about 7:20pm from Minneapolis to fly back here. A three-plus-hour flight at night where they DID NOT DIM THE CABIN LIGHTS. Thanks a lot, Delta, for ensuring that my over-tired children would not be able to sleep on your flight, thus annoying everyone in a 10-foot radius.
But. We survived. A frustrating trip back, but we made it, and I will not let my travel annoyances ruin my memories of an overall FANTASTIC trip. Thank you so much, Mom and Dad, for being wonderful hosts! We love you and appreciate your hospitality!!!
I cannot imagine traveling with little kids. I always feel bad for the parents when the kids get fussy. I bet it was stressful for you.
ReplyDeleteGlad you guys have a wonderful visit with the family and friends. You looked great, by the way!
What a great chronicle of your trip to look back on in years to come!
ReplyDeleteI've been on night flights with the lights on and it's stressful enough for me as an adult - I imagine it's even more difficult for children to cope with.
Sometimes it feels like airlines go out of the way to make travel difficult, but when we look back on the wonderful memories of the trip like you did, even difficult travel is often worthwhile (if I don't remind myself of this I think I could easily stay off planes for the next decade or so!). :)