More Trippin'

Part 2 - A Continuation of Post Below


I obviously spent more time playing than documenting this day. :)

On Saturday morning, my parents beat us up by about a half hour and had a delicious full breakfast waiting. We NEVER eat like that so the kids were actually willing to put up with food consumption before tearing into gifts. My grandma came over and we all took turns opening our presents, having lots of fun dismantling my mom's decorating. The original plan this year was for my parents to come to our home for Christmas, so my mom had done only minimal decorating at their place. But when the plan changed for us to be able to visit them, she swiftly used the gift packages AS the decor, creatively placing them throughout the living and dining rooms in strategic display. It was beautiful!

One really neat gift was from my grandmother to my children, her great-grandchildren. A couple of years ago, I had remarked to her how much I had enjoyed hearing several old stories of my father's past that I had never been told before. So she presented a booklet of stories to my kiddos for them to enjoy. I know this may sound like a yawner the bland way that I am describing it, but the particular stories she chose were specifically chosen to the kids individual interests and told with hilarity. She is an excellent writer and storyteller. The next day, my dad read the stories to the kids in "Storytellers mode" which was quite funny to watch, as well. He's not afraid to get crazy and act it out in order to make them laugh.

There were other highlights of the gift giving, including the new camera that captured these photos! I had to laugh at how coy my parents were able to remain as I spent the entire time at the ICE! exhibit trying to choke down an all out hissy fit over the trouble my camera was giving me. I certainly could catch nothing candid there because my useless piece of machinary wanted to cycle through the entirity of the menu before each and every photo, sometimes starting over just before I readied to snap. They even presented the equipment to print my own photos right at home. And finally, I have a camera cord to post them online again! The other two gifts they gave my husband and I were bar none the most generous either of us have EVER recieved. All we could do was sit in stunned silence for a good two minutes upon opening them. And then for the next five minutes, we simply repeated "WOW" over and over again.

The remainder of the day was spent on my parents 10 acre property, playing with new toys, tinkering in the wood shop, competing in DVD rounds of "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?" (we're apparently not as educated as our diplomas would suggest), riding 4-wheelers (my personal favorite), and swimming. Yes, my parents have a pool. No, it's not heated. And yes, despite the Sunshine and southern locale, it DID feel like winter outside. In fact, I think I was pretty well chilled the entire time, but never so much as when I watched my kids run and jump into the shallow end of the pool, one by one. It was 48 degrees outside that day, but boy did they have a blast! A fast blast - maybe five minutes total from plunge to wrapped up in towels in the sun room, but still - it made for some hilarious pictures!

When evening came, we all cleaned up and met my brother, his wife and my niece for a nice Mexican food meal. The good food and conversation was a relaxing end to such a busy day. It was great to see Ashley, who was showing off with several new tricks, including holding up her two tiny fingers to indicate to me that she knows how old she is. She looked so pretty in the cutest polka-dot dress I think I've ever seen and big chunky thighs to match her rosy cheeks.

After dinner, Ashley was getting quite tired so they headed back home while we returned to ready for church the next day. I always love attending my parents' church, where we are treated just like a regular part of the family.......