We were in TX from the 18th-25th. When my dad drove us to the airport at 5:00 am - thank you Dad!! - it was about 20 degrees, but when we landed in Houston, it was low 60s. Awesome. While in Houston...
*We went to the park. A lot. Romelie was very excited to play on the slides and swings and walk around the baseball field. We were very excited that it was warm enough to do these things. So it was pretty much a daily event.
*We went to see "The Nutcracker." I had never been before, so Steve and Angel got tickets for me and Chason to go while they babysat for the girls. We had delicious sushi before the ballet, and the show itself was beautiful. I especially loved how dressed up folks got for this event. I don't know if it was because it was ballet as opposed to theater, or if it was because we were in TX and not MN, but folks were wearing suits and gown...little girls were wearing outfits I could never imagine Romelie wearing...it was fascinating. Thank God I wore a dress!
*We spent time with family (of course!). We saw Chason's step-siblings Will and Heather and their respective kids James and Dub, as well as Will's wife Erin. Man, Romelie loves the heck out of James. They played together for hours and only "fought" once. That's pretty amazing, I've got to say. Bronwyn, Greta, and Torin came over, and we went to their home as well, so we were able to catch up and Romelie got more fun cousin time. We also went to Tomball to visit Chason's grandma Nona and spent some time with his uncle and cousins.
*We saw Crystal! I went to dinner with Crystal and David (Thai curry, yummy), and Crystal and I did some very important shopping. She brought cookies for the Dancers, too. Merry Chrismas, bestie!
*Cori started walking! She was up to about 6 or 7 steps before our trip, but now I would just officially declare her as walking. Granted, she walks like she's intoxicated...but she can make it across a room. So it's walking. She also climbs stairs...she likes to climb up one stair and then look over her shoulder to make sure someone's noticed. Then as soon as you make a move towards her, she giggles and climbs as fast as she can. Turns out this is a really fun game to play over and over again. Oh, and she gave me a hug for the first time. It was wonderful. She grips around your shoulders and gives you pats on the back.
*We ate a lot of food. I will not be making it to my weight goal by Dec. 31, though I'll still be darned close. Damn you, Whataburger/Jack in the Box/Sonic! Also Angel and Romelie made cookie bars. And I made ginger cookies. And Romelie and James made sugar cookies and decorated them. And then I ate 35 cookies. Not exaggerating.
*We read a lot. Chason is halfway through the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, and I read two YA novels that weren't bad. Ah, vacation.
*We went on a hayride! This was amazingly cool. I guess there's a school that does this as a fundraiser for their senior all-night party. They hitch trailers up to trucks and fill them with hay bales, and then they tow you around this neighborhood where people do some amazing Christmas displays. Steve and Angel rented out an entire trailer for our extended family, and I sat in the front with Brownyn, Chason, Torin, and all the little girls. It was cold but not freezing and it lasted just about the perfect amount of time; it was a wonderful family night that got me totally ready for Christmas!
*We celebrated Christmas. Unfortunately Dub was really sick and we didn't get to see him and Heather Christmas morning, but Will, Erin, and James came over and everyone opened gifts and stockings. Then we packed everything up (minus a box of things that didn't fit!) and headed home.
Thank you, Steve and Angel, and everyone for such a wonderful vacation!!
Back in MN...we arrived Christmas night. My mom got us from the airport and took us home where we had dinner and presents under the tree waiting. Paul is in town, so he came over as well, and we ate, opened gifts, and stayed up way too late. Then on Monday we went to my dad's house to celebrate Christmas with him, and that evening he babysat for Cori while Paul, Chason, Romelie and I went to see The Wizard of Oz at The Children's Theatre, a gift from my dad to us. It was a great production and we got to see some folks we used to work with during and afterwards.
And now...we're back at work. The girls are back at daycare. Everything is pretty normal except for the weather; it's 38 degrees out right now, and there's no snow. Not that I'm complaining!
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