Christmas in Dallas - Part IV

Rewind back to our week in Dallas. After a big (immediate) family celebration, we continued the celebration the next day with even more family. In addition to the previous day's crowd, we added my Aunt Gwen, Uncle Larry and cousin Allen along with his family. 

We spent the afternoon playing bunko. Apparently, I'm really terrible at rolling dice because I lost a miserable amount of times. Thanks to my cousin Moriah, I wasn't the absolute worst because she took home the "prize" for most losses at the awards ceremony. Good company while playing but I'm not left yearning to play again too soon. Maybe after I pick up a good luck charm or two. Games were followed by dinner which completed another whirlwind day of family holiday celebrations.

The Whole Gang
Top - Mike, Reece, Marcy, Larry, Pam, Jody with Ryker, Me with Dylan, Moriah (boyfriend Scott barely visible), Nola, Allen and my Mom
Bottom - Gwen, Blanche, Dad and Presley

The next day was Christmas Eve and our day to travel back home. My brother, Jody, and his family were also heading out that day to head to see my sister-in-law's family. So, other than a lot of packing, we didn't have tons of time to do much other than some casual hanging out and some sad goodbyes.

Dylan and Uncle Jody

Jody Playing Roller Coaster with Ryker and Dylan

Mimaw and Pipaw with the Grandkids

Now, my brother Jamie and his family were unable to spend the week with us. However, they made a huge effort to make it to Dallas to see us. They drove overnight just to spend about 45 minutes with us before we left to the airport. They arrived as Jody's family was piling up in the car to leave and as we were finished our last minute packing. We haven't seen them or their sweet daughter Payton since April, so it was awesome to see them, even if it was for a very small amount of time. Dylan and Payton exchanged gifts and watched each other playing.

Payton Playing with Her New Phone (Mike and Dylan Watching)

Me with Payton and Dylan

After our quick visit with Jamie's family, my parents drove us to the airport. As usual, it was emotional to say goodbye to them (especially since we haven't planned our next visit yet). With that emotion still fresh as we were waiting to board the plane, we heard cheering. Running along the terminal was a raised glass walkway that went right over our gate. On it were troops arriving home and as they passed, all the travelers waved, clapped and cheered. We, of course, joined in with the welcome home. It must have felt amazing to them to be arriving home on Christmas Eve....it was certainly awesome to welcome them on such a special day. A pretty cool ending to our Dallas Christmas!

Our Christmas was not over yet. Up next, the Boston portion of our holiday.

1/1/11

I know I'm a numbers nerd, but I think the non numbers fans will even admit that today is an awesome date! Speaking of awesome, that's a new word that Dylan learned on this first day of the new year.

We just got back from a great couple of days in the mountains. With great snowfalls from our big storm last weekend, some time off work, some warm weather (by winter in the mountains standards) and fun friends, we had the perfect recipe for a fun ring in to 2011.

Our friends Tamara and Ross, along with their cute daughter, Elsa, and energetic dog, Trucker, joined us at our NH condo on Thursday afternoon. After we all go unpacked and settled, we had dinner together, spent some time getting the kiddos to sleep in a foreign place and then stayed up late playing games.

Dylan and Elsa

Friday we did something none of us had done for a couple of years - hit the slopes! Since each of us individual couples normally are each others ski\snowboard buddies and we've had very young babies or have been pregnant the last  winters, skiing hasn't really happened. We were bound to make it work somehow. Thursday night we came up with a plan. The boys would go for the morning and then we would do a noon switch over.

After a late night, Tamara and I were happy to have a low key morning at home with the babes (though our ambitious plans to snowshoe that morning didn't happen). Around 11, we packed up and drove to the mountain. As we had planned, well hoped really, both kiddos started naps on the way there. We met the guys at the mountain, who had enjoyed 3 plus hours of snowboarding, switched cars and car keys (they got the one with the kids in it) and then the gals geared up to spend the afternoon skiing. The conditions were great, the temperature perfect and even though it was a holiday weekend, the crowds weren't too bad. It was truly exhilarating to get comfortable on skis again and have some fun in the snow.

So our ski day was new years eve. The unfortunate part with our timing was that we had such a great time staying up late the night before and had such a physically tiring day...it made for a tired four adults on new years eve. Like many new(ish) parents, we didn't make it to midnight. Around 10:30, we justified it being the new year just a couple of time zones over, had a nice toast and then all headed to bed for some much needed sleep.

The next morning, we started out the day with our favorite local breakfast spot, the Sugar Shack. After stuffing ourselves silly with great breakfast fare, we headed back to our place so that Elsa could have a wee little nap.

A few years ago, Tamara and Ross were up at our place for new years day and I went snowshoeing with them (I think Mike opted for some R&R on that trip). To continue the tradition (or maybe just start it back up), we strapped on the funny contraptions to our feet, as well as kids to our bodies this time, and hiked the trails behind our condo. And, as we usually do, we took the nice loop that passes by our property's waterfall.

Me and Dylan

There's a Waterfall Under There...I Promise!

Trucker, the Alaskan Husky Doing What He Does Best...Frolic in the Snow

With the Waterfall

Our Family at the Waterfall

Tamara, Elsa (Yes, She's Really in There Somewhere) and Ross

With us all sufficiently pooped out, we started packing up to head home. Other than us all still getting used to this whole kid in the mix thing with trips like these....especially with two from different families...the 2 night stay went pretty well. By the end of two nights with not great sleep by the kids, and therefore not good sleep for the adults, adding physical exhaustion to the mix and perhaps too much celebration, it was a long packing up process. Dylan and Elsa had found the cranky pants that none of us remembered packing for them and the parents were using the very last shreds of patience left to keep them sated while trying to get the cars loaded up for the ride home.

The weekend was filled with lots of fun, great conversation, tons of laughs, new games (for some), good exercise and lots of juggling of little ones. Definitely great memories and I'm hoping for a good night of sleep to recuperate from it all.

Christmas in Dallas - Part III

We were all so excited for Jody and his crew to arrive in Dallas Tuesday night. I absolutely adore my nephews (Reece and Ryker) and my niece (Presley). They have had a special spot in my heart for a long time and I'm always excited when Dylan gets to play with them. He likes it too. After a brief period of shyness due to overwhelming activity with their arrival, Dylan jumped right into cousin play. 



Our Little Buzz Lightyears - Dylan and Ryker
(Pipaw didn't have the right matching PJ's)

The few days we had with them just flew by - mostly because there was just so much going on and packed into those days. On Wednesday, we had our official Christmas celebration, complete with a big lunch (followed by lots of cookies) and our present exchange. In between food and gifts, while the young ones were napping, Mike, Presley and I had the privilege of meeting the newest member of the family - my Aunt Pam's puppy, Rika Papi. We had a fun time running around his yard with him.

Christmas Lunch

The Gang - (Top) Pam, Kerryn, Marcy, Jody, Reece, Mike, Me
(Bottom) Blanche (Kerryn's mom), Dylan, Pipaw, Ryker, Mimaw, Presley

Our Little Musicians - Ryker and Dylan

Rika Papi!!

Nap Part II (part I in the crib apparently didn't last long)

Christmas Elves

Elf Dylan with Mimaw

It was a fun filled day of Christmas craziness. Gifts were generous and thoughtful (as they always are in our family) and the kids were just so wonderfully behaved that they made it such an enjoyable day.

To put the cherry on our Christmas day, we put the little kids to bed and busted out a VHS copy of Tron to enjoy. With the release of the new movie, we decided watching the original had to happen together since it was a childhood family favorite. Somehow my movie buff husband had gone his entire life without seeing it so I was thrilled to share a fond childhood favorite with him.

That day was just the beginning of our Christmas. More family fun was to come in the following days. Since I apparently failed to upload those pictures and am taking off with my boys and some friends to play in the snow in NH to ring in the new year, I'll finish up reporting on our holiday fun in the new year. Our NH escape is still a (very comfortable) pretty remote escape - no wifi there (gasp)! So, no blog updates. Have a great, happy, safe New Year's Eve everyone! I'll be having a great time, I'm sure, and doing my best to actually stay up until midnight.

Christmas in Dallas - Part II

Monday was the beginning of what I now call Cookiefest 2010. My mom always has a large assortment  of cookies laid out all day long, every day, around Christmastime. Now, I normally don't indulge in too many sweets (since I do count every calorie very closely), but there's something about holiday tradition that I can't escape when it comes to my Mom's cookies. The first few days in Dallas, I was able to avoid the extra sugar because she hadn't made her usuals yet. I was not going to have that luck any longer....

To begin the week, I helped my Mom with a new addition to the cookie assortment - reindeer cookies! She got the idea from the newspaper. We decided on a Burch cookie favorite for the base - snickerdoodles - and then decorated with pretzels, M&M's and chocolate chips to make our reindeer face. They turned out very cute!

Reindeer Cookies

After our baking was done, we wanted to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather in Dallas (especially for folks coming from Boston) and do something outside. Since Texas still has flowers in December (something that's been long gone from Boston), we ventured out to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden.

We walked around, toured the children's Texas pioneer homes, enjoyed the artwork and water features, and viewed the large Santa collection in the DeGolyer Estate. Dylan had a great time "ho ho"ing at many of the various Santa's.

The Family and White Rock Lake

My Sweet Boy!

Appreciating Art

Tuesday was the day my brother, Jody, and his family were going to arrive. To spend the morning outdoors on another warm day, my Dad took Mike, Dylan and myself to tour some of the new additions of our neighborhood lake - White Rock. It has been many years since I biked or walked around the path so it was very nostalgic but with a lot of new features to enjoy.

Dylan was more interested in looking at the ducks on the lake than at the camera.

We walked along the path for a while taking in the sights and made it to the playground on T.P. hill. Dylan had a great time on the swings, slide and enjoyed running around with his Pipaw.

To try and keep Dylan's naps somewhat regular, it was time to head back to the car. We took the new path by the lake which used to be a train line. I'm not sure how goods get in and out of Dallas now because all of their train lines seem to be defunct. All the ones I knew about are now walking paths or DART rail (public transportation) tracks. In any case, I love seeing walk\bike paths like this developed in any urban areas. I'm a fan of cities encouraging active lifestyles.

Me, Dylan and Pipaw Walking the Path

After a nap, a trip to the mall (with Dylan sleeping in the car), and heavy traffic home, we arrived back at the house just a few minutes before Jody and his crew!

Christmas in Dallas - Part 1

A week before Christmas, Mike, Dylan and I set out on a plane to Dallas. The week before was more than a bit chaotic. Not only did we have to pack everyone for a week long trip and do the usual house prep that I do before vacations, as well as my usual work week of course, we had to get all of our Christmas things done. Cards were sent out and gifts were decided on. Since we were doing Christmas with my family while I was there, all of those gifts had to be taken care of before we left and since we were getting back late Christmas Eve, our family and Mike's family gifts as well as Santa presents had to be all set a week before the actual holiday.

With all that done, we left our house very early Saturday morning and headed to the airport. The trip went without hitch and Dylan's Mimaw and Pipaw were waiting for us as we got to baggage claim. The rest of that day, we had a nice time catching up and Dylan had fun playing with his grandparents. Sunday, Dylan and I went to church services with my parents and then we arrived back at their house and were greeted by my great friend Amy and her new fiance, Brad. They made us feel very honored by making the long drive up from Austin to spend just the afternoon with our family.

After lunch, Amy and Brad presented Dylan a lovely card which I read to him. To our surprise, the card asked, by way of cute poem, if Dylan would be the ring bearer in their wedding! I was not at all expecting that and was a little emotional about such a sweet request. Of course Dylan said yes (ok, maybe I did on his behalf) and I can't wait to see how cute he will be all dressed and going down the aisle at the big event in April.

Reading the Card

It was a nice day so we all headed down to the park to let the ring-bearer-to-be get some energy out and have some fun playing. While I chatted with Amy and Brad about wedding details, Dylan played with his Dad and Pipaw and had a great time. We heard LOTS of giggling coming from his cute face.

Me, Amy and Brad

Although far too short of a visit, it was awesome to be able to spend that little amount of time with them. After a long and eventful day, the rest of the evening was spent relaxing at my parents house. The last time we were there, Dylan developed a slight obsession with the Hokey floor sweeper. Well, it didn't take him long to find it and help Mimaw clean up.

Dylan and the Hokey

On Monday, we spent the day with some last minute shopping and a wrapping up all of our gifts for the family. We HAD to get all that done because Tuesday the holiday excitement would be kicked up a notch with the arrival of my brother and his family.

The Blizzard of 2010

Well, we're back at home after a whirlwind trip to Dallas and more Christmas get togethers then one family deserves. Our first day at home was yesterday and while it would have been nice to relax, we had a lot of things that needed to get done. We cleaned, unpacked, found homes for all the new Christmas loot, had workouts, got some groceries and watched the snow fall down. Yesterday was the start of Dylan's first official blizzard. The worst of the storm happened while we were sleeping and while this was far from record snowfall, the conditions were concerning enough that most of Boston shut down. In fact, my company even closed due to the weather...the first time in my 11 years there! Wow!

The bulk of the snow wrapped up this morning so it was time to start working on clearing the pavement.

The Snow Drifts Caused by the High Winds Were Really Cool

Mike took first shift at snow removal with our snow blower. After clearing the bulk of the sidewalks and driveway, the self propeller went out so it was time to finish up with the shovel. We deemed the winds mild enough to all go out in so I dressed Dylan up in his new snowsuit and boots. Armed with his own mini shovel, he was ready to help out.

Snowsuit Cuteness!

Dylan, however, did not put that cute little shovel to good use. Some day that boy will start pulling his weight with talents other then cuteness, but today would not be that day. He spent the time with the shovel just dragging it around. But, he enjoyed doing that and allowed Mike and I to finish up the job.

After we dug out, I did end up going to work for a couple of hours so I didn't get the full snow day off but I'm glad I got to see Dylan experience his first big snow. Yes, I realize he saw snow last year but now he can walk around in it and be exposed to it in entirely new and different ways. Now that we're settled back in, I'm working to pick out photos to post about our big holiday week. More posts will be going up this week!

Strollin'

As you read this, me and my little family will be strollin' our way to Texas to celebrate Christmas with my clan (well, flying actually). Last weekend, we did a stroll of another kind - a stroll down Centre Street in our town of West Roxbury.

The community has a program called Main Streets that promotes and enhances our town's business district. They had a special event last Saturday called the Holiday Stroll. It started at a restaurant on the other side of town from us (about a 20 minute walk) where you could meet and take your picture with Santa. There, you received a "passport" to get stamped at other local businesses. Most were offering a freebie or some other promotion. For each business you found, you received a stamp on your passport and each stamp was good for one entry in the raffle. I like free things and discounts, being active in the community, supporting local businesses and strolling so we went to take part in the event.

As I mentioned in my last post, this was where Dylan encountered his first Santa Claus of this Christmas season. He was very interested in the balloons surrounding Santa and the fire roaring behind him but was not very sure about the dude in the red suit.

After we got this best attempt at a picture, we strolled on down Centre Street. We had a lot of fun searching out the participating businesses, some we hadn't been to before, interacting with neighbors and doing a little shopping along the way. 2 hours later, Dylan finally decided to take a nap....just in time for the after party where the raffle was being held. After he woke up, we ran over there just in time to find the raffle wrapping up without our hard earned entries. What a bummer!

So, we didn't get any big wins, but we did get some free pizza, donuts, chocolate (I let the boys enjoy those while I stuck to my diet), and tea as well as great discounts on some books, a spa gift certificate, and some gloves for Dylan. There are definitely some things we got that day that I can't recall because our stroller was filled to the brim by the time we got home. I was more disappointed about missing the raffle then I'd like to admit (we spent a LOT of time and effort filling up our passports for that purpose) so I'm trying to focus on all the fun we had that day and great bargains we got!