The week seemed to drag on and on.  So much was happening, and I was up to my elbows in pie crust and green bean casserole for the various holiday functions.  We were stressed to receive an anticipated package for Wyoming, and annoyed with a problem with the title for the Saturn.  Needless to say, when quittin’ time came on Friday we couldn’t get off the base fast enough!

Friday evening was really special.  We planned to go to a local horse farm’s open house.  It’s the place with all the Christmas lights, if you’d been able to go with us in the past.  This place is a wonder.  They not only deck the place out with oblivion, but they also open up their barns that are full of interesting collections.  It’s like a museum.  There’s also a little craft/bake shop, and all the barns are open so the animals can be petted. 

As luck would have it, another couple with a little girl about Liam’s age, suggested we all go together.  We met at Bear Creek for some pit BBQ first, and then journeyed over to the farm.  The kids were adorable with all the animals.  Liam especially liked the horses, and even got to pet their velvety noses – and still kept all his fingers!!

Then we mosied around the neighborhoods looking at all the decorations.  Once home, we settled in together to watch a Biography of Santa Claus movie that we’d gotten from Netflix.  It was really interesting.  The night was a true family night, and one that we’ll cherish with the memories of the season.

On Saturday, we got around to just run a couple of morning errands to the bank, the MVA title place, and the Post Office.  We also picked up a few groceries after having lunch at CiCi’s Pizza joint.  That afternoon, we just chilled out and then got ready to go to my new company’s Christmas Open House at my boss’s house.  We were both a bit shy about going seeing that we knew no one, but figured that we did have to go and at least make an appearance.  Like these things often go, we actually ended up having a good time.  The basement was all set up for the dozen kids that were in attendance, and we quickly made friends with some of the other parents.  As they also invited their neighbors, it wasn’t long before we also stumbled upon a couple familiar faces.  Russ knew some of the folks from when he worked on the project, and we even ran into a Geocaching buddy!  So, we did leave about 8:00, but it all worked out really well.

We vowed not to go anywhere on Sunday, and stuck to our guns, although Russ did have to run to CVS to get more wrapping paper.  We lounged in the morning together, and kept up with the laundry.  We wrapped presents most of the afternoon, and then had some tasty crab legs for dinner.  It was another nice family day, and we all worked together to get a few chores done.

Monday was a usual day back at work.  Really getting hard to concentrate.  No one wants to really do much of anything, except chat about impending travel, gifts and the like.  None-the-less, meetings still were held, and documents stilled required reviewing. 

However, we had Christmas plans for the evening.  I thought it'd be nice to go see St. Maries Musica in concert.  I longed to see some old friends, and hear some familiar (and new) tunes.  Sounded like a good plan, but after the three of us settled in - near the back of course - we barely got through the first couple of songs before Liam really felt he needed to sing along... rather loudly.  So, Russ, unfortunately had to step out to a nearby hallway.  I kept hoping that as the concert wore on, my little Tenor would fall asleep, but no, he just found the church's high ceilings and inevitable echoes too much of a delight.  Thus, I - alone got to enjoy the music, but we made a hasty departure just as the last song began.  Maybe I'll just go by myself next year, but hey, the kid's gotta learn to be a good listener sometime.... right??

Tuesday was another workday, but we got out of bed much more easily than usual, because our day was delayed by our FIRST PRENATAL doctor's appointment!  All three of us journeyed to the once very familiar office, and settled right into the routine once again.  Liam was really good up until the lights were turned off, and  my belly was gelled up for the Ultrasound.  He wasn't quite sure what was going on, but fortunately the nurse allowed him to sit up next to me, and he quieted down, much to Russ's relief.  The three of us stared at the miracle on the monitor before us.  A tiny little heartbeat blipped in a cozy little black and white body.  A tiny little arm, complete with 5 delicate fingers reached up in a stretch.  Simply beautiful.  Russ, swears that the little body was certainly a girl, but it's too early yet for technology to tell.  Liam looked at the pictures and proudly said, "Baby!"  Our blessing is a reality now, and we thank God every day for his blessed gift one last time.

We first arrived at "the North Pole" on Saturday at 10, but were told it didn't start until 11.  We decided to go finish up some shopping over at Cecil's Mill, but little did we know - we should have just stayed at San Souci Plaza's North Pole and got in line.

We returned to the plaza around 11:30.  We parked near CiCi's Pizza as we knew we'd be going there for lunch.  We rounded the corner to be surprised by a rather lengthy LINE!  It felt just like "A Christmas Story" when the freaky girl turns to Ralphie in line and says, "I like the Wizard of Oz!"

Alas, we waited.  It wasn't that cold, and Liam found himself entertained by the kids around him.  The girls ahead of him found him to be irresistably cute, and he's such a flirt that it worked out well for about 30 minutes.  Russ was entertained by the games on the cell phone.  A little elf lady came outside and delivered some fresh popcorn, so that was fun too.

We finally got inside, and made our way up to Santa's lap.  I was surprised.  I figured Liam would freak out by the man with the spooky beard, but he was SO relaxed up there in his lap, that he made NO move to get off!  In fact, when I went to retrieve him, he looked at me like, "But Mom, I was so comfortable!"

Then we made our way to the cookie decorating station, which Liam thoroughly loved.  He was just tall enough to sprinkle some pink sprinkles on a Christmas tree cookie, which was in his mouth (and all over his shirt) before we left the table. 

There was a stall at the Ornament decorating station, so we opted to just take our kit and make it at home.

The wait for our picture was about 30 minutes, so we decided to go have lunch and return which worked out quite well.   It was a $5 pic, but worth every penny. 

Sure, the line was long, and the hoopla was crazy, but you know... it still was fun.  It had a magic about it and it was nice to see such a simpe tradition kept.  I'll bet we'll do it next year too.

Saturday afternoon we started wrapping some presents, but all of us found one way or another to snooze or veg in front of the TV.  We'd planned to go over to Solomon's Island and Ann Marie Gardens to see the light show, but just couldn't bring ourselves to bundle up and venture out.  Warm fondue in front of a good movie on TV was just irresistable.

Sunday morning, I got up and took the dogs for a spin around the neighborhood.  It was a nice quiet morning and we all enjoyed the fresh aire. 

Then Liam and I cooked a dandy pancake breakfast, which woke Russ up to join us.  We watched a video called "Stranger in the Woods," based on a book that Gramma Day had gotten Liam last Christmas.  It was really cute, and he loved seeing all the animals. 

That afternoon, we hired Amy Hoffman to babysit Liam while we went to see the new Harry Potter movie.  The movie was excellent, but poor Russ realized that he hadn't escaped my cold during the middle of it, so by the time it was over, he was ready to head home for bed even though it was only dinnertime. 

I made us some soup and sandwiches, and we settled in to watch the finale of one of our favorite shows, Survivor. 

Seems like we watched a lot of TV this weekend, but it was just really cozy to have the house all decorated, and things settled enough to just enjoy being a family in our home together.