These last two weeks honestly feel as though they have been the best two week break ever. While I'm never necessarily thrilled to be getting back into the rat race again, I at least feel as though we truly, truly had a break and I feel (almost) rejuvenated! When I think back on all we did, the last two weeks almost feel like they were forever ago!
One of the best things about our break and Christmas this year is that for Thomas, everything is still so magical. I know that there is a pretty good chance that this is the last year he's going to completely believe, and I'm so grateful that I took the time to really slow down and see the season through his eyes. We had our own version of an "Elf on the Shelf" that my mother had given me many years ago, but it wasn't the one that is so popular today. This one was named Christopher, and it was fun watching where Christopher might appear each morning. My favorite was a Saturday morning when Christopher appeared on top of the lights in the upstairs bathroom. He had written on the mirror, "Santa is always watching!" Later that day, I heard Thomas exclaim, "That freaks me out!" and then he came downstairs to use the restroom. I couldn't help but laugh!
Even though there wasn't actually any snow on Christmas day, we received about 6" the next day, and then another 2" last Saturday. We didn't really have any place to be on those days, and were able to just sit inside and watch it snow. Andrew received some more season of the The Cosby Show for Christmas, and the kids also received some new movies, wii games, and DSi games. And of course Thomas had MANY new Lego sets to occupy his time. Catherine's favorite gift was her new American Girl Doll, and she also received several different sets of clothing from various relatives. In fact, my grandmother found a pattern and made some flannel night gowns for the dolls. Family is such an amazing blessing! Christmas Day at my sister's house was so pleasant and relaxing...it was so nice to be able to share the day with family and truly be able to enjoy it.
Last Sunday we hosted the annual New Year's Eve eve gathering for our group of friends. All together there were 12 of us, and as always, we had an absolute blast. Even our friends who moved to MO two years ago were here and there were so many good times shared together. Someone had mentioned a group photo, and it turned out really well. This was a year where I really tried to take photos...the memories of the year were just to awesome to let go by without capturing!
Monday we drove to my in-laws. We had decided we would ring in the new year with them. There were snow flurries coming down when we left, but about half way there it really turned into some difficult traveling. We arrived safely though, and even in time for dinner! We all stayed awake until Midnight, and it was fun to celebrate with them. Tuesday we sat around and watched football, and some dear friends of Andrew's family came over to visit that evening. Wednesday we drove into the city to see a Santa's From Around the World display, and also a miniature train display. That was a huge hit for Thomas...and again it was so much fun to see the magic in his eyes! After a stop for dinner, we drove to one of the world's biggest light displays. There was so much to see that I have no doubt that we didn't get to see everything. I was very glad that we were able to purchase an ornament to remember the day. Everyone tumbled into bed very, very tired that evening.
Thursday we were on the road bright and early. We had breakfast with Andrew's parents and were able to be home by mid-afternoon. That evening was literally the only opportunity we had to visit with some friends that although we'd seen, the kids hadn't been able to hang out together since June. It was Andrew's birthday, and our friend was gracious enough to bake him a cake. We have so very much in common with these friends and it was such a nice "breath of fresh air" to be able to visit with them!
Friday was quite an adventure. Our cats, Wally and Piper are turning 13 this year. We'd always said that we never wanted there to be just one cat in the house, and although we are hoping that we have many, many more years to share with them, we wanted to get two more cats before Wally and Piper were really too old to adjust to them. We set out Friday morning on a mission! I had originally wanted two more adult cats, but our vet had advised us to get cats under a year old so that Wally and Piper could still be in charge. I also insisted that at least one cat be a male. I know that female cats are often territorial and I couldn't deal with Piper AND two new ones! We came across these two nine-month-old cats that had been found abandoned, and I absolutely knew, without a doubt, that these two were supposed to be going home with us. Robert really, really wanted the younger three-month-old kittens, but I was absolutely convinced. Rosie and Lincoln (as we've named them) had been at the shelter since September, which helped to convince me even more that these two were meant for us! It's been quite an experience having them in the house...I almost feel as though I have toddlers again! We hadn't planned to take our Christmas decorations down until today, but since Rosie successfully climbed our Christmas tree and knocked over several fragile decorations, "Operation Dismantle" was quickly put into place! Catherine was in charge of keeping an eye on Rosie for the evening (Lincoln was content to hide under the couch) and when she went to bed that evening she commented how exhausted she felt. We've all (even Robert) quickly fallen in love with these two new additions. Even Wally has begun to accept them and play with them, and we are hoping that Piper will eventually do so as well!
I know this is terribly long, and I'm certain I've left something (or things) out, but it was just such an amazing break, and I wanted to have the opportunity to remember it for later! I hope everyone's New Year is off to a wonderful start!
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