Winding Down

Life here has been a whirlwind since last Tuesday evening, when we met our Colorado family at the airport. That evening the kids had to check out everything in the house, all the decorations and Christmassy stuff. The next day was cookie baking, dinner out, and Zoo Lights in Tacoma. Suddenly it was Christmas eve. We had cooking to do in the morning, in preparation for Christmas dinner the next day, while the kids played. Then we collected ourselves and headed to Gig Harbor to have Christmas Eve at Aunt Jan's house. Steak and crab were on the menu. Back home, after we got the kids to bed, Santa Claus found all of the gifts that had been hidden away and stuffed them under and around the tree. Christmas day schedule was tight, with Jan's partner arriving at the airport and 1:00, and Jill's husband Corey due at the airport by 4:15 to fly home to go back to work. But we managed. Breakfast at 8:00, turkey on by 9:00, gift opening until 12:00, snacks and dinner prep, dinner at 2:00. Airport arrivals and departures were on schedule, and then we just collapsed and/or played with our toys. Saturday Jill and Tom made an elaborate birthday cake for my mother. I declared it was my day to play with the grandkids and nap when they did. Jill went out with a friend for the evening and the kids and we had leftovers. Today we traveled to Chehalis for a large family gathering at my brother's house to celebrate my mother's 88th birthday. There were 38 of us there spanning five generations and ages 88 to three months. Tomorrow we're taking the kids on a "field trip" on the light rail in the morning to exchange some team shirts. The we'll be spending time preparing boxes of gifts to be shipped back to Colorado. Jill and the kids leave early Tuesday morning. At some point I'll post a few pics of some of the events I just mentioned. But for now, here's our family photo taken Christmas Day. We're dressed in our new Sounders and Seahawks finery, a truly green family. And now it's time for bed.