Christmas...in words

So here I sit, all alone, the day after Christmas. Gammy took the three big kids to the movies, Poppy went to the grocery store, Jeff and Tracy went to Georgetown and Todd's out and about, thwarting boredom (he doesn't know how to just sit and relax). I am home while Riley snoozes. She talked in her bed for at least 30 minutes and is now finally asleep.

It feels weird to be here all alone, especially since the last few days have been abuzz with activity.

We left Charlotte on Saturday around 12:30 after a nice morning with my parents and brother. The kids were spoiled, as usual, and had a great time. Jack got lots of Lego's, clothes, books, Transformers and other goodies while Riley finally got her own Pottery Barn chair and a plethora of stuff to go w/ the kitchen we gave the kids.

We made it down to the beach with no stops, although Jack hounded us with questions like:

Are we there yet?
What time will be there?
How much longer?

Todd finally told him to wait for the four on the clock and he obliged. We made it safely and enjoyed some homemade chicken noodle soup after the girls arrived around 7ish.

Sunday was a postcard day: gorgeous, sunny, around 75 degrees. The boys golfed early and we took the kids to brunch. We spent the afternoon playing outdoors, riding bikes, jumping on the new trampoline and hitting balls at the range.

The weather began to turn on Christmas Eve, Monday. It was a bit colder, but not cold enough for a long bike ride and a boat ride to gather some oysters. We have a new tradition of making lots of yummy appetizers for Christmas Eve and this year we had sliders, oysters, 7 layer-salad, stuffed bread, stuffed shrimp and cocktails. The kids decorated cookies for Santa and made reindeer food. They "tracked" Santa on some website and once he began to head toward North America (around 9 ish) they headed for bed. Talk about some excited kids. It was cool to watch.

Christmas morning was just as it should be. The kids awoke before 7:00 and were thrilled to see what Santa left. Jack loved his Lego's the most and has yet to play with his Transformers. He's been playing "pirates" and got lots of new art supplies. Riley wasn't sure what to do with all her goodies but seems to enjoy the play food the most. It will take some rearranging and organizing of the playroom to get all of their goodies situated.

The best surprise of Christmas came from Todd. He surprised me with a diamond tennis bracelet. Tears were shed, to say the least. It's gorgeous. It almost has an antique look to it. He picked one out with the intention of wearing it daily, which I will, of course. A bonus is it's a bit big so I need to see the jeweler and have him design a ring with the extra diamonds once he sizes it.

Once again we were blessed with a great Christmas. We head home Friday and I'll post some pics over the weekend. God knows I have taken around 150 or so.

Until next time...