As most of you know, Marcie, Russ’s mom, has been staying with us since Thanksgiving.  She’s been very helpful and very patient while the rest of us try to go about our routines.  Finally, the time arrived when we would all have a nice break together. 

 

Liam and Jax's Daycare Provider, Loida, gave them presents...

 

 

Russ still had to work the day before Christmas, but he made it fun by taking Liam in with him.  Liam absolutely LOVES going to work with his Dad.  He sits beside him and draws all sorts of pictures (this time he drew one for his friend, Caroline, whose mommy works with Russ).  They take a walk through the hanger to look at the planes, and they just both enjoy the one on one time. 

 

While Russ was having some special time with Liam, I took Jax and the big dogs to the dog park with me.  The dogs had fun and Jax enjoyed playing in the dirt, but we were pretty much the only ones there.  A couple more boxers came, but then it started to rain a bit, and a dog park can get pretty muddy, pretty fast, so we left.

 

It was pushing lunchtime when Jax and I got home anyway, so we all had a little bite to eat.  Marcie helped me get a few things organized for the evening while Jax took a little nap.

 

Russ and Liam got home mid afternoon.  Liam got Jax up from his nap and we all started making cookies for Santa.  This was a lot of fun and we all took turns cutting out and eventually decorating the cookies. 

 

 

Time was running short since we took so long with the cookies, so we decided to go ahead and get dinner started.  Marcie helped me make some really good Chicken BBQ Sandwiches.  I don’t know if this is traditional for Christmas Eve dinners, but it was quick, easy, and tasty for sure.

 

After dinner, the boys were allowed to open some special presents from Grandmom.  It has become another tradition in the family to get new pajamas on Christmas Eve.  Liam got some nice Soccer ones and Jax got some great Space ones.  So, they were eager to get their baths so they could put them on.  While they were getting their bath, I seasoned the turkey for frying the next day.

 

 

After they donned their new PJs, the boys joined us downstairs for some Christmas Eve activities. 

 

We needed to read the last page of the Nativity book, so the boys helped me read the story and set up the scene on the coffee table.  It was a nice way for them to recognize the true meaning of Christmas. 

 

 

After the Nativity reading, Marcie read us all a really nice prayer from her daily prayer book.  She took the time to select it and each word had very special meaning to us all. 

 

Then, I read a story that I’d found on the internet about changing traditions and perceptions of Christmas.  Enjoy the story here.

 

Traditions seemed to be an unplanned theme to our evening.  Once we took some time to just enjoy God in our hearts, we all snuggled on the couch so we could watch a Christmas slide show that Russ had put together.  We used the Wii to display the show on our TV and put some nice music on.  We had a great time looking at photos from Christmases from the past 4 or 5 years.  It was a perfect way to remember our own Christmas traditions.

 

Once the slide show was over, it didn’t take much prodding to get the boys to bed.  We picked out cookies for Santa (and carrots for his reindeer), and Jax and Liam placed their stockings on the hearth.  They settled right down, and we didn’t hear a peep from them.

 

 

 

We wanted to make sure the boys were sound asleep before…. Well… you know…. So Marcie, Russ and I watched the movie, Deck the Halls, with Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick.  It’s a great movie and was perfect for watching on Christmas Eve.  After the movie, we were ready to go to bed too.  We left the Christmas lights on all night… and the house was quiet.

 

Surprisingly, the house stayed pretty quiet until about 8:15.  That’s pretty late for us, especially on Christmas!!  The boys always come into our bed in the morning, so that bought us a little more time to get the camera set up… or so we thought.  

 

Russ went downstairs to get the camera, so he could get pics of them coming down the steps to see what Santa had brought.  I had to stall the anxious kids (like thoroughbreds at the gate!) up in our room.  Finally, he gave me the word, and I released the hounds… I mean… boys. 

 

Just as they got downstairs, Russ exclaimed, “memory card full?????”  So, I again, had to stall the kids from opening anything – fortunately Santa had left the ATV unwrapped – so Russ could figure out why the card wasn’t working.  He cleared it off, and came up to get a couple more pics of the boys before saying again, “memory card full???”  So, once again, he fiddled with the disk before saying, “that’s it; someone’s gotta open a present early!”  Then he hands me a present… guess what it was… yep… a memory card!  He got me one so we could download songs for our Wii Guitar Hero.  Great idea, thanks!  However, Guitar Hero would have to wait.  Right now, he needed it for our camera!  So, finally, the camera was working, and the boys dove into their stockings.

 

 

Once the stockings were emptied, we decided to have some breakfast.  We’d need the energy to open all those presents!  I’d gotten some bagels from Panera bread, so our breakfast was easy, but delicious.  The kids tried to eat their chocolate chip bagels, but they were just too full… of excitement.  

 

We tidied up from our breakfast and then settled into the living room to open the gifts from Santa.  Liam got a multitude of Star Wars things, another sword, and a shaving kit.  Jax got his own Leap Pad, a big Tonka Bus, some Bob the Builder Wall stickers for his room, and a big tool set.  Liam was dying to give Jaxson his gift – a Robin costume, and so Jax gave Liam his gift, a Batman costume!  

 

  

 

About the time we finished up with the gifts from Santa, our dear friend, Rick – aka Mister Rick – came by with gifts.  He loves the boys, and they are just enchanted by him.  He gave Liam a wonderful Space Shuttle set, and Jax an awesome RC Batmobile.  He even gave us a GC to Outback!  He stayed for a while before going to visit some other close friends for dinner.  It is always great to see him, and we made plans to have dinner together in a few weeks.

 

 

About this time, the boys were getting a tad cranky.  There were still plenty of presents to open, but we decided to have them take a bit of a rest before finishing. That allowed us to pick up a little bit, and get some things started for dinner.  Marcie had already got many of the side dishes started, so we were in great shape.  When the kids got up, we went back to opening presents that we’d gotten each other.  

 

Russ got a nice external 250GB Hard Drive from me, and I got an awesome Byer’s Choice Lobsterman from him.  Marcie got a Digital Picture Frame from both of us.  We got some wonderful and thoughtful presents from the rest of the family including some great books (football for Russ, biographies for Marcie, and hometown stuff for me) and some new clothes.  Liam and Jax got some special presents from their grandparents, aunts & uncles and mom & dad including sleeping bags, puzzles, paintable cars, RC spiders, jazz music, a CD player, an RC fire truck, a huge batmobile WITH batcycle, Storm trooper helmet, Star Wars Trilogy DVD, cool boots, Rock Em Sock Em Robots, and more.  We were all quite spoiled, but very thankful.

 

  

 

Once the last presents were opened we quickly got the turkey down in the fryer and the stuffing in the oven.  We had a wonderful meal together set on the nice new tablecloth I received from Dawn.  After dinner, we made the round of phone calls to family.  Russ checked in with Noah too, and figured out how to fix the camera’s memory card problems.  

 

 

 

It had been an exhausting but fun-filled day.  By the time we got the leftovers in the fridge we were pretty much spent.  I laid out the boys new sleeping bags on the den floor, and we watched the movie, the Polar Express.  Liam and Jax (and the rest of us) managed to make it through the whole movie, but barely.  There were no objections to crawling in bed.  I perused a few pages of my new books, but was soon sound asleep.  I know Russ and Marcie weren’t far behind. 

 

 

I think we all must have been still a bit foggy on Friday, because I don’t remember much of the day.  I know we took Liam and Jax to the school playground so they could try out the new ATV along side their old race car.  The weather was warm, and the boys were happy to be outside.  Later that day, we tried out the new Wii Summer Sports game that Russ got me.  It has all sorts of fun games like Lawn Darts, Badminton, Volleyball and the like.  Even Marcie gave it a try. 

 

 

 

That evening, Marcie was kind enough to watch the boys so Russ and I could go out to dinner at Outback (compliments of Mister Rick)!  We had a really nice meal even if we had to eat at the bar because it was so busy.  We weren’t quite sure what to do after dinner, so we ended up going to JC Penney to look for sales.  Russ bought me a really nice green party dress that I probably won’t wear until next year, but it was a great deal, and really pretty.  We were home early, but Marcie got the boys to bed, so Russ and I didn’t have to worry about that.  

 

Saturday morning, the boys (mostly Liam) watched the first (A New Hope) Star Wars movie together.  I found it very nostalgic, and Liam loved all the Storm Troopers and Light Saber action.

 

After the movie, I decided that it was time to start taking down the Christmas decorations.  Usually, I leave them all up until New Year’s, but I knew we had some traveling to do then, and didn’t want to drag out the tasks until Mid-January.  Plus, the weather was fantastic (near 70 degrees) so it worked out well.  Russ helped me get the decorations down from outside.

 

He worked on downloading a lot of the Christmas pictures we took, and I went out in the back yard to cut down several small trees that I’ve been meaning to do away with for quite some time.  The boys had many new toys to play with, and even got the chance to play outside since it was so warm.  

 

Marcie got us dinner from 5 Guys Burgers & Fries.  We let the kids wind down from playing all day, and after they went to bed, Russ and I played some of the new Guitar Hero songs he’d downloaded.  We had a great time playing together, but by 10:00 we were anxious to head to bed to dive back into some of the Christmas books we’d received.

 

Sunday, I decided to spruce up the house a little bit.  Marcie needed a few things from the grocery store, so Russ and I went out for her while she stayed with the kids.  Errands are SO much easier when you have a built in baby-sitter, I have to admit.  

 

Once we returned, I went back to my cleaning, but soon found myself itching to take down the rest of the decorations.  Marcie was a big help, and Russ had no problems helping us get it all back in the attic.  It wasn’t long before Christmas was officially over.  Kind of sad, but it was such a wonderful holiday, we had great memories to carry us through until next year.

 

For some reason, I still had no enthusiasm to cook.  While we were out getting groceries, we got Marcie some Instant Lottery Scratch off tickets, as she loves them.  Wouldn’t you know it, she won $40??  So, she was more than happy to save me from cooking again by going with me to get some dinner take out from Nicoletii’s around the corner.  I couldn’t thank her enough.  That evening, we watched the movie, Don’t Mess with the Zohan with Adam Sandler.  It was one of his stupid movies, but I laughed the entire way though it!

 

I had Monday off, but Russ had to go to work. Marcie, Liam, Jax, the three dogs and I all went to the dog park.  We were the only ones there, but it was still nice to let the dogs nose around.  After the dogs had had their stretch, we let the boys play on the playground for a bit before returning home.  It did us all good to get some fresh air. 

 

Jax had been battling a runny nose for the past week.  We began to notice him tugging at his ears every once in a while, and that’s never a good sign.  Knowing that we planned to travel, and knowing that ear infections don’t cure themselves, I took Jax to see Dr. Sheth that afternoon.  I was glad I did.  My suspicions were correct, so he came home with antibiotics.  

 

We all puttered around most of the day.  Marcie started packing a few things to go home.  The boys played and played with all their new toys and I did a few household tasks I’d been meaning to do for a while.  Russ was home a bit after six, and threw some steaks on the grill for dinner.  

 

Back to work for both of us on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Daycare was closed, so Liam and Jax would stay home with Marcie.  

 

We planned to celebrate New Year’s Eve together here in MD, but then take Marcie back home on Thursday.  Noah’s birthday is on Friday, so we’ll be spending most of the day with him.  Friday night we plan to see Kate in the play, Oliver, at the Media Theater.  Saturday, we plan to do a little Geocaching with our friends, Sue & Perry before returning home to MD late Saturday afternoon.  

 

The holiday season has been pleasant.  We had some uncertainties about the plans we’d made, but we all put a great deal of faith in God that he’d lead us in the directions he wanted us to take.  All in all, he kept us in his hands as long as we kept him in our hearts.  I hope to remember that throughout the rest of the year too.

Friday Erin and I went to her Company Christmas party. It was at a nice restaurant in Leonardtown called Corbel’s. The food was delicious. We had shrimp and chicken on a stick in a glaze for appetizers. Erin traded entrees with me and I had delicious halibut and she had the chicken is some sort of sauté. The conversations warmed up during dinner and consisted of Hawaii, Madden Football, and Guitar Hero which shows that most of us are just big kids at heart I guess. Will, Erin’s boss, thanked everyone for their service and gave out gifts. A fellow employee, brought his camera and took pictures of the couples as well as the company employees and spouses.

 

My Mother had an adventure when the dogs got in the diaper pail I had not attached correctly. Let’s just say there was a messy cleanup and leave it at that but at least she was laughing about it. We stayed up for a bit with her watching a show about Christmas lights.

 

On Saturday I had plans to get both boys haircuts and I needed to stop at the library. I invited Mom along and we decided we would look for her a chair for her apartment. She had to get rid of the one she had from the old apartment as it was too big. I cooked breakfast for everyone and then we headed out.

 

Jaxson’s hair was getting really long and when I “trimmed” his bangs a couple of weeks ago it was apparent he either looked like an Amish boy or one of the actors from the movie Dumb and Dumber. Both behaved VERY well and got nice haircuts. Mom enjoyed watching them and Jaxson even soloed in the chair by himself with me by his side. They both received well earned lollipops.

 

I then had to stop by Jo-Ann Fabrics to get iron on letters for the Raiders uniform I got Liam for Christmas. While in there they were having a 60% off all Christmas items sale and Mom got paper and I got two figurines of a Santa and a Snowman for 4 dollars each.

I had to take Jaxson out for misbehaving though. He wants to pull away and run full blast in stores right now. It is just part of the terrible twos deal.

 

We stopped at Vintage Values which is a consignment place and they have furniture. Mom found a little rust colored chair that I bought her for twenty bucks. I also found a globe for Liam and a little bus for Jaxson.

 

We then stopped at the library to transfer books and the boys were pretty well behaved there because they know how to act there now. Mom then treated us to Burger King.

 

 

While we were gone Erin diagnosed the frozen water line problem we developed the other night. We noticed a leak happened into the basement on Halloween. Then it went away. This time we pulled the fridge out and started looking for a fix. Erin pulled the backing off and the insulation and she noticed the line had snapped. She trimmed it a bit. Once reattached it seems to be working fine. It is nice to catch a FREE break every once in a while, especially at Christmas. I am very proud that she has these talents to look at things calmly and recognize a fix.  She gets that from her Dad..

After lunch the boys went for naps and Erin and I went grocery shopping. Mom treated for most of the groceries has this trip was for Christmas. We got a 18.5 pounder Butterball turkey to fry. We also picked up Crab for dinner. Mom likes it as much as me.

 

At dinner we watched Christmas shows and after the boys were in bed Mom and Erin watched TV in the den and I snuck off upstairs to watch the Cowboys Ravens game. It was so cool watching the Ravens floor the Cowboys in the 4^th quarter with two spectacular long runs for touchdowns.

 

On Sunday Erin cooked breakfast and we all lounged around the morning. In the afternoon Mom and Erin went junk shopping and the boys napped and played while I watched the Redskins Eagles. We had an incident late in the day when Liam bit Jaxson on the cheek. I heard Jaxson scream and ran down the stairs. I asked Liam what happened and he told me Ash bit Jaxson. I looked at Jaxsons cheek and clearly saw Liam had bit him. At that point it was upstairs for a spanking and timeout. He knew he had clearly done two MAJOR things wrong. His Mother then had a long talk to him about lying. That is something that will not be tolerated in the house and the younger he learns how wrong that is the better.

 

We ordered pizzas and watched TV later and Liam and Jaxson played for a bit before baths. Jaxson snuffled all day as he is fighting a cold. Later in the evening Mom, Erin, and I watched Christmas with the Kranks. I have been Netflixing a lot of Christmas related movies as of late. 

 

So now we are a mere few days from Christmas. Liam’s nativity is almost full on his chest of drawers. I pulled out my Christmas music yesterday and stumbled through it on the piano. Now all we have is to bake some Santa cookies Christmas Eve. Since we will not be attending service Christmas Eve perhaps we will read something to the boys before bed about the significance of the evening.

We knew it’d be a busy weekend.  However, the good thing was that it was the kind of busy people like to be.  

 

Thursday evening we enjoyed watching one of our favorite shows, Survivor.  It was getting down to the final few competitors and it was nearly impossible to predict a winner.

 

Friday morning, Russ went to work.  He dropped the boys off at daycare on the way.  I was off, but had many errands to do, so it was best to have the boys cared for elsewhere.  I promised them I’d pick them up early though.

 

So, once the guys left, Marcie and I got around to go do a few errands.  We were back by lunch time.  I had just enough time to finish up a Christmas Gift Project I was working before heading out to get some more free firewood.

 

I took my little chainsaw along and sawed up some limbs from our friendly suppliers yard so they’d conveniently fit in the van.  I had a pretty good load to bring home.  Once home I cut them up further as I unloaded them from the van.  

 

Seeing as though the saw was working pretty well, I decided to go finish up the Holly tree that we’d cut down about a month ago.  

 

I’d put in a pretty busy day, but kept my promise to get the boys early.  They’d just finished a bit of a nap when I fetched them from daycare.  

 

That evening, Marcie helped me make some Roast Beef Au Jus Sandwiches for everyone for dinner.  They were quick and easy, and gave us time to bundle up and go to Bubby Knott’s Farm to see his awesome Christmas lights.  This continues to grow every year.  Now there are little shops to venture into and huge collections to oogle at while sipping cider and roasting marshmallows.  Jax and Liam enjoyed the animals too.  I never thought about it, but Jax has never really interacted with many cats, so he was a bit stand offish when a very friendly barn cat peeked out for a scratch behind the ears.  Once Liam squealed with delight, Jax loosened up too. 

  

 

After spending time at the farm, we took a meandering route home so we could see some of the decorated neighborhoods.  It was a nice time, but both boys were ready to get home and go snuggle in their beds.

 

We had some more fun plans for Saturday as well, so that gave me incentive to get myself out of bed and get some packages wrapped and packed to mail for Christmas.  

 

We made it to the Post Office right before it closed for the day.  Then we went to lunch at Bear Creek.  I just love their stuffed ham sandwiches, and the pulled pork is always a favorite.  

 

After lunch, I had to make a quick dash into the nearby grocery store to grab a pack of pull-ups for Jax.  We’ve tabled the potty-training until after the Holidays.  He was getting pretty frustrated, so it was concluded he just wasn’t ready.  The daycare lady has also sworn off my cloth diapers, so we only use them at home now.  

 

We then went to this interesting little antiques store that is only open once a month, called, The Vintage Source.  I love this store because they find all sorts of items that one would find in an old barn.  They refinish it, and then sell it.  I love the rustic treasures they find.  This time, however, it wasn’t me who had to make a purchase (ok, ok, I DID beg Russ to buy me this adorable little wooden box), but Russ.  He absolutely fell in LOVE with an old German Mantle Clock.  I was surprised that he was so eager to part with the $100, but he had it to spare, and the clock was gently placed in the van.  It chimed the whole afternoon.

 

It was a beautiful day outside and all of us enjoyed a nice ride down to St. Clements Island.  There’s a little museum down there, with a little red school house.  Last year, the boys ran into Santa Claus there, so we thought we might try to catch the man in red there again this year.  

 

Luckily, our Christmas intuition was correct, and he was there with Mrs. Claus too.  Marcie enjoyed looking at the doll exhibit, and the boys got a turn playing with the trains.  We even got a bit of a lesson on the story of the song, The 12 Days of Christmas.  Each part of the song serves as a mneumonic device for remembering certain Bible lessons.*  The man who told us the story was all decked out in colonial costume of the 1600s.  The boys thought he looked like a pirate.  He explained the difference between himself, a colonist, and a pirate.  Jax and Liam listened intently.  As we exited the museum, Jax cordially said, “Bye Bye, PIRATE!”  

 

 

On the way home, we stopped at Cecil’s Old Mill.  If you’ve ever visited us, we’ve probably taken you to this little store and mill.  It’s always fun to poke around the wares, and the kids enjoy looking at all the little village figurines.

 

I can probably speak for all of us when I say that by that point we were all getting pretty tired.  

 

Once home, I coerced Liam into spending some quiet time reading in his room.  Jax had no problem falling asleep for a quick nap.  Russ dove into some online research of his new German treasure.  Come to find out, he made a good purchase… it’s worth $75 to $150 more than he paid for it!

 

A while later, we decided to go to dinner at Nicoletti’s.  We hadn’t been there in a while, and I was way to tired to cook.  The place was packed, but we managed to quickly stake claim on a table.  The food tasted so good, and the boys were pretty well behaved.  

 

After we got home, and got the boys into pajamas, we let them stay up to watch about half of the movie, Elf with Will Farrell.  It’s one of our holiday favorites. 

 

So we packed in quite a bit over the past couple of days.  Sunday came too quickly, but I was glad to have a day to catch up on a few things around the house.  

 

I made us a big pancake breakfast.  I figured Russ and I would need it to keep us warm during some of our outside chores… but it was about 65 degrees outside!

 

I finally spruced up the front yard.  The beach grass around the mailbox looked like some sort of prone Sasquatch, and the dead mums were threatening to take over the garage.  Russ split up some of the bigger pieces of fire wood, while I headed out to the back yard to pile up the holly tree branches.  We plan to chip them, but if I can find a friend with a truck, it might be better to just take them to the landfill.  I’m just glad to have one less holly tree in the back yard.

 

Russ put himself through the torture of watching the Redskins attempt to play football against the Cincinnati.  

 

The boys enjoyed playing outside in the back yard, and I even threw the ball for Cleo a couple dozen times.  The weather was just so nice, we couldn’t stay inside.  Even Marcie came out to explore the kids’ clubhouse. 

 

After the football charade on TV, Russ made us some wonderful steaks on the grill.  We were excited to watch the Survivor Finale that evening.  It was delayed due to another football game, so Liam was barely hanging on to see the first half an hour before he decided he actually wanted to crawl in his bed.  It had been a VERY busy weekend, but very fun.

 

Monday night, Marcie, Liam and I went to see the St. Maries Musica concert.  I remembered some of the folks I used to sing with, and even quietly sang along with a few pieces.  Liam was pretty good.  He got a little wiggly, but managed to make it through the whole thing and even liked the “Jazzy Jingle Bell Song.”  Marcie too, enjoyed the music, and I was just really glad to have a little joy of the season enter my heart.

 

*http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/music/12days.asp

Friday started off in an unusual way. When I brought the kids downstairs to put their coats on there was a Dalmatian in the yard playing with Cleo. A quick frantic call to Erin later I realized the dog was dropped off by Erin’s government boss so he could be in a fenced in area. The dog was found in his yard with no lead.

 

Erin came home Friday afternoon and spent it trying to get help from any of the rescues even as far as Norfolk Virginia. It is a very bad time of the year as shelters are tight on money and full. Erin was pretty down about it but when I came home we all to drop the issue to get ready to go to my company Christmas party. Mom, who is down for the season, was nice enough to watch the kids. She has been a big help in the chores of a busy holiday season.

 

I don’t know why I put myself through the company Christmas party. In my company most of us do not work nor go to the company office too much. The party is really for the home office people. We got caught on a nasty one hour delay making a fifteen minute trip into over an hour because of an accident. The Company was graciously sponsoring another family this year so we brought a CVS card for the family to use.  We grabbed a table and went to get a drink. We were asked to be seated immediately. Upon arriving back at our chairs we were realized we were the only two at a table of eight. At first it was kind of cool and private but then we kind of stuck out like a sore thumb. We saw a couple of people who work on a project in my building. They graciously invited us over to there table but I had already realized we were a lock on the Santa table centerpiece and all the table gifts so we stayed. We played a REALLY stupid and wasteful game building a gingerbread house in fifteen minutes. Erin made us one that looked like a trailer as we half hearted did it. No way could we beat 8 people at each table. We even had to have a sing along with the new Company VP. It took all I could do to not gag. We left right after dinner. After 10 years at the same place, with the same strangers, same stupid games, and same mediocre food it has got quite boring!

 

When we arrived home watched a little TV with Mom. On Saturday early Erin made the fateful trip to Tri-County with the old Dalmatian. IT was a horrible feeling. We had just finished Christmas so we could not financially help the dog and all the rescues had turned us down to. I went to the movies with Liam for some one on one time. We have not had that lately. I like to give the boys individual attention from time to time. We went to the 10:30 matinee to see Bolt. It was a great price and it didn’t eat up a lot of the day.  The movie was great. Kind of like a Cars meets Milo and Otis.

 

Upon arriving home the family got our first Christmas gift. Erin’s cell phone ring and I answered it. It was the owner of “Buster” the 13 year old Dalmatian. Wow we thought he was 7 or 8 so he must be taken care of well. He had been putting up signs when he saw Erin’s signs. His kids were really worried and happy to see the sign. I was apologetic about having to take him to the shelter but he blessed us for caring and likewise to him! It was a WONDERFUL ending to a situation that usually does not have a happy ending.

 

Erin was ecstatic as we all were. I had to talk her into the tough decision about the dog and her heart was really hurting over it. It was truly our first Christmas gift.

 

In the afternoon we started on the outside lights. Erin and Mom had pulled down the inside stuff, while Liam and I were at the movies, from the middle attic. Erin and I got the outside stuff down from the garage attic. We decided to go to Lowe’s real quick for a couple of net strands and I wanted a bulb to fix our outside sidewalk lights.

 

Our realtor from 2006, Lorrie Garner, had sent us a fifty dollar Lowe’s card for getting her a co-worker signed up to sell his townhouse. We decided to get the boys a new outside decoration if the price was right. Liam requested a Santa. Well we looked and the price was wrong. We were also put out at the price of the net lights. That was until I noticed a sign that said FIFTY percent of all Christmas lights and decorations – liquidation sale! Wow we were able to get Santa and all the lights we needed all on the gift card minus a few bucks. Good deal. When we got home we put Santa up in a cold drizzly rain. It was going to be a raw night. We got a good fire started and got snow crabs at 4.99 a pound which is as cheap as they get in the parts. We watched half of Prince Caspian (the second Narnia movie) with the boys and enjoyed dinner. After the boys retired I pulled out Scrooge the musical version with Albert Finney for something Christmasy. Erin was surprised and happy at my pick. We all went to bed early Saturday as we were all tired from a busy day.

 

On Sunday Erin made breakfast as I started to put up the tree and string the lights. After Breakfast, Mom and Erin decorated our living room.  The boys and I decorated the den. All looked very festive and we had Christmas music on from Sirius all through out the house. Upon inspection outside the VERY windy day had blow all the outside stuff over.

 

We decided to go out and celebrate the holiday a little. We stopped by Bubby Knott’s farm to see if they would have the barns open for the weekends which they will. The WHOLE farm is lit up for a drive in tour. They have done this EVERY year since I have lived here. We then headed on down to Piney Point Lighthouse for their Holiday tour of the lighthouse. The wind was howling down there. The Potomac was FULL of whitecaps.

 

We went in and the kids made Lighthouse wreaths. Erin, Mom, and I enjoyed the political display including a bunch of magazines and newspapers from the Kennedy assassination. They were on loan from private residents. We then braved th howling wind to go up in the lighthouse. This spot is a special place where Erin and I used to picnic when we first started dating. We had never been up in the Lighthouse. It was painstakingly restored from 1996 to 2002 and is only open to the public a few times a year. We got our own personal tour from a very nice gentleman who was a retired software engineer. It was wild to be at the top in those gale force winds. We had to be REALLY careful getting the boys safely up and down the narrow winding stairs.

 

Before going home we stopped at McKay’s grocery so I could get some stakes and wiring to brace the outdoor decorations a little better. We then dropped off Liam’s buddy Eric’s trophy from the football season. His parents too were surprised at the size of the trophy.

 

I decided to make a fondue for dinner so we all enjoyed this while we finished the second half of Prince Caspian. The special effects were incredible and the story is playing true to the C.S. Lewis series. Five stars!!!

 

After that  we all hung the ornaments on the trees including the boys hanging their new crab ornaments they got the Piney Point Lighthouse museum.

 

Everyone then went to bed and I suffered the agony of watching the Baltimore Ravens almost put the death nail in the playoff chances for the Redskins. L

 

Now with most everything wrapped and all the lights and decorations up we can relax and enjoy the season.

 

Wednesday night we really had no choice but to brave the traffic.  We wanted to go to PA to pick up Marcie, and spend Thanksgiving at Kate & Rich’s house.  Fortunately, I was off that day, so I managed to use the time to make some pies, tidy up and pack.  Russ got home at about 4:30 and we were on the road by 5:00.  The trip up was amazingly smooth.  The boys watched a movie, and Jax even fell asleep around Bedtime.  We made the jaunt in about 4 hours.

 

When we arrived at Marcie’s new apartment, we were greeted with big hugs and smiles.  She even had a little Christmas Tree up just for the boys.  She gave them some popcorn, and I let them stay up for a few minutes before getting them settled on her bedroom floor.  I visited with Marcie for a while, but then soon crawled into bed.  She and Russ stayed up for a while laughing and talking. 

 

Thursday morning, the boys were up at their usual time.  I tried to keep them quiet, so they played with a few legos and toys on the floor while I got them a light breakfast.  Later in the morning, we all watched the Macy’s Parade and Marcie made us a big breakfast with wonderful scrambled eggs.  It was nice to just lounge around and visit.  Around 11:30 or so we started getting ready to go over to Kate and Rich’s for Thanksgiving dinner.  We got to their place right around 1:30. 

 

Kate was busy getting all the tasty dishes ready.  Her free-range turkey was in the oven and about done.  Marcie and I set to work helping her as much as we could.  The boys played with Obie and Tania, and Russ helped get the wine uncorked.  Soon we were all sitting down to a delicious meal together.  We were very thankful that we could all come together, and share a few hours on this special day. 

 

When our bellies were full, Kate remembered that she had to go feed the sheep.  They aren’t “her” sheep, but more Church Employees.  The cemetery at her church is difficult to mow, so they’ve employed a couple of sheep to keep it trimmed.  Members of the congregation volunteer to feed them daily.  Liam and Jax were all to eager to investigate, and Russ, Marcie and I were happy to go along as well. 

 

Feeding the sheep was great fun.  The kids enjoyed the wheelbarrow ride, and were thrilled to run about the yard and feed the sheep.  We took some nice pictures of the beautiful church and grounds, and just enjoyed laughing together.

 

Once back home, we decided it was time for pie.  So we all gathered around the table once again to dive into the pies I’d brought.  They were beautiful pies if I do say so myself, but unfortunately, I set them a little too close to the counter edge too cool, so Cleo felt she needed to sample a bit of crust.  Good thing we’re all dog lovers. 

 

We wound down the evening with a call to Brian and Jo and Dawn in Wyoming.  They were waiting for Jo’s Prime Rib to get done.  All sounded festive and well. 

 

It seemed we were just getting settled, but we knew the boys had had a busy day with no nap, so their patience was being tested by the minute.  Marcie still had a few things to pack, so we knew we needed to head back to her apartment.  Kate gave us a good supply of leftovers.  We shared some parting hugs, and Rich – bless him – started in on the dishes.

 

Once back at the apartment, we watched a little of Survivor.  I put the boys to “bed” and soon followed myself.  Russ and his mom stayed up a while longer.

 

We would have enjoyed sleeping in a bit on Friday, but we wanted to get up and get things packed so we could go have breakfast with Noah. 

 

So, once we shoved everything we could into the van, we headed for Doylestown.  Noah joined us about 10:00 and we drove over to Perkins.  The line wasn’t TOO long and Noah won a Santa Frog for Jaxson out of one of those claw games.  Marcie tried and tried, but just couldn’t win.  Before long we were noshing on pancakes and sausage while catching up with Noah about his driver’s test and politics.  It was so good to see him, and Liam was just delighted. 

 

After we departed Perkins with VERY full stomachs, we needed to check on a Geocache of ours in Peace Valley Park.  This park is really nice.  We’ve had this cache in it for about 4 years now, and we’d gotten reports that it needed some maintenance.  We figured it would do the kids good to get out and stretch their legs before the long trip back to MD. 

 

Marcie was tired, so she stayed in the van while the rest of us made the .4 mile jaunt to the cache.  It was a beautiful day.  Cold, as it should be for the day after Thanksgiving, but sunny and pretty.  We passed several outdoorsy folks along the trail.  Easily recognized with our GPS in hand, we were asked if we were trying to find “the cache” by a group of folks.  Finding our commonality, I stopped to chat with them a bit, as they had just found our cache.  Hearing that it was in okay shape gave us confidence. 

 

It really was nice just meandering along the trails.  Liam and Noah just had a dandy time looking for Big Foot, and spooking each other from behind the nearest trees.  Jax and Russ did there best to avoid the muddy spots, and later I had some nice time carrying Jax in the sling… although at 30lbs, he’s testing my limits!

 

After we returned from fixing our cache, Noah and the boys waited with Marcie while Russ and I stole a few moments to go find another nearby cache in the park.  It was a lovely walk and not far from the parking lot.  We saw several deer. 

 

After our excursion in Peace Valley, we needed to get on the road.  We dropped Noah off, and headed south.  It was a very long trip.  Traffic was heavier, and we stopped a couple of times, so that added another hour on to our trip.  We got home about 7:30 in the evening though, and that allowed us to get Marcie settled in a little.   We also hopped online to take advantage of any Black Friday deals for Christmas.  Didn’t find many, but did manage to put a dent in our Holiday shopping.

 

Though it would have been nice to spend more time with Kate & Rich and Noah, it did feel good to be home and still have two days before having to go back to work. 

 

Saturday Russ cooked us all some breakfast, and we just lounged around a bit.  Later in the morning, Russ and I went grocery shopping while Marcie stayed home with the kids.  It felt kind of weird to be shopping with out the boys, but we filled the cart so full, there wouldn’t have been room for them anyway!

 

We brought the groceries home and put most of them away while getting a bit of lunch.  Then Marcie and the boys went with us to the Library.  We all got a few books.  Russ found me a really good on about a woman advocating against Puppy Mills.  Marcie got a couple of biographies, and Russ got several books from the statewide loan program.  Not to mention, the boys came home with a full bag too. 

 

After we got home from the Library, I went back out to the fabric store to get a few things for Christmas projects.

 

That evening, we had a nice crab dinner while we watched Jon & Kate + 8. 

 

Sunday morning was another leisurely one.  Russ made breakfast again, and the boys spend time playing with their toys in the basement.  Russ made a nice fire, and it just felt good to not really have to go anywhere… except I needed to do a little shopping without Russ and the kids.

 

After lunch, Russ watched the Redskins/Giants game while Marcie and I went to the craft store and Bath & Body works.  Unfortunately, the Redskins got whomped.  After the game, we introduced Marcie to Guitar Hero.  Russ and I hadn’t yet played together, so it was a lot of fun.  Sunday is a good night for Pizza, so we ordered a few.  It was a rainy dreary night, but Pizza always seems to make things brighter.  After the boys went to bed we watched the movie, Tropic Thunder.  Russ and Marcie loved it, but maybe I was just too tired to enjoy it, as I ended up falling asleep through most of it.  Guess the holiday just caught up with me!