Our wonderful Christmastime this year was filled with memory-making in Minnesota. We spent Christmas Eve at Melissa and Adam's, and Christmas Day at my parents' house. Adam's parents were in town, and so was Grandma Lou, and it felt great to share time and laughter with such a fun bunch. Besides Christmas festivities, our MN trip included experimentation with my new selfie stick, a night out with M & A, lots of snow play (!), watching a Vikings win plus the Tina Fey/Amy Poehler SNL (twice), finishing three - yes, three - 1000-piece puzzles, playing with cousin Expo, a day of rides and shopping at MOA, time spent playing pool and pounding on the drums, and food - so much food. What a wonderful Christmastime!
Christmas Eve at M & A's.
G Lou and Expo (and Bill Murray).
The excellent hosts.
Sisters.
Cousins.
A hat only a Minnesotan can appreciate.
SELFIES!
After multiple failed attempts on my part, Steve got this group shot with the selfie stick. Everyone else agreed that I need lessons.
Big Kids' Night Out! We hit the Surley and 612 breweries before bellying up at the 1029 Bar. At the end of the night we swung by Nye's for a goodbye bev before their doors close forever. Good times! (For the record, I did take this selfie, not sure why I felt the need to crouch and make myself even shorter.)
For the longest, Emma has said she wanted a puppy bed from Santa for her puppies to sleep in. We all got a kick out of how cozy she got in it, too. She fell asleep in it at least two of the nights, and went straight for it one morning when she was still a little sleepy.
MOA day! Both girls had a blast. Sara was in line for a roller coaster with Steve when I got these shots of Emma. A little while later, she and Grandpa rode the log chute. She sat right up front and enjoyed the ride, but did not enjoy being wet. Luckily, we were in a place that sells lots of new pants.
Auntie was the lucky chosen one to go on a couple different rides with Emma, including one that I think gave her whiplash. I made it up to her with a glass of wine when she and I sneaked away from the group a little while later (we went to exchange a couple of Christmas items including a pair of serious mom jeans I received (which resulted in a lot of entertainment for everyone), and the wine happened to be right on the way).
Sara really honed her pool skills this trip while Emma found her drumming rhythm.
Game faces.
The fun never ends in G & G's basement.
Four Generations.
Although we didn't have a White Christmas, what we got was just as good. The first batch of snow came Friday night/Saturday morning, and we rushed out to play. When the second round came Monday night, there was a LOT more white between us and the grass than in these first pics. The girls loved stepping into it up to their knees. One highlight was climbing to the top of the snowplow pile ... a thrill you have to experience to understand. Sara made the climb to the top and declared, "This is a dream come true!" Music to my Minnesota heart.
Sara worked on perfecting the snow tackle, and Steve impressed both of us with his "snowboarding" skills on the sled.
Sledding with Auntie.
Yes, I let my kids watch the TF/AP SNL. So sue me. Sara is still talking incessantly about the "commercial" for the fire-inducing hover boards. She also took good notes during the "Meet Your Second Wife" skit and correctly concluded that since Steve is currently married, he could be a candidate on the show. Nice.
We set bowls outside Monday night to see how much snow would accumulate, and after about thirty minutes brought them inside more than half full. The girls loved snacking on the snow, which Emma said tasted like strawberries.
Did you and yours enjoy watching the yule log on TV this year? My parents' fireplace is about three feet left of the TV, but the yule log was going with such force this year we could practically feel the heat without the real fire on. If this is isn't already on your list of go-to traditions, tune in next year, and be on the lookout for when they poke the embers or throw in a new log. You won't regret it.
When we got home tonight, the girls were thrilled to find that Santa had also stopped here, leaving new bikes. It was already dark outside, so the riding will have to wait until tomorrow ... but they're ready to ride!
And now 2015 has nearly come to an end. I'm thankful for such a special holiday with family, and we are especially grateful, after all of the terrible storms in our area, that we had a house to come home to. We'll head into the new year counting our blessings and eating Hoppin' John in hopes of many more for ourselves and all of you in 2016. Happy New Year!
