On Sat, Christmas eve, Spouse & I drove out to "the country" to visit my cousin Inez and her husband Steve. They live in a 200+ year old stone house that is the quintessential cozy Christmas spot to spend an afternoon. The wood stove kept the kitchen/sitting room warm and cozy, and a pot of water and cinnamon sticks on top of it gave the entire house a yummy, spicy scent. Nez is a candle girl so there are always candles burning there, regardless of the season. Two of Nez's adult kids stopped in during our visit so it was nice to see them as well. We had lunch and continued talking until Spouse suggested we'd better think about heading back. I couldn't believe 4 hours passed so quickly! We had such a wonderful visit that it didn't even dawn on me to take any pictures.
When we got back to Spouse's sister's house they were at Christmas eve church service so we had a little time to feed and walk the dogs and enjoy a few minutes of quiet. A little while later the family returned from church, Spouse's brother and sister-in-law arrived, Spouse's other brother and 2 of his adult kids arrived, and the birthday party began!
Yes, Spouse's mom's birthday is also Christmas eve so we have a birthday party with a birthday cake to make sure she doesn't get cheated out of a proper birthday celebration.
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| Spouse and our nephew "baby David" icing the birthday cake while Spouse's brother supervises |
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| Spouse's sister at the kitchen sink, our nephew Tommy at the table, and our niece April. |
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| The dessert table was overflowing |
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| Our niece Anna's daughter Gabby in her new recliner. |
On Christmas morning I put on a pot of Dunkin Donuts White Chocolate Peppermint flavored coffee and Spouse's sister put the breakfast casseroles into the oven. Once everyone was awake it was time to open presents!
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| "Baby David", Spouse, and "Baby Eric" |
Since they were little boys we've referred to our nephews as "Baby David" and "Baby Eric". Both are in college now and well over 6' tall, but they understand that regardless of their age and height, they will always be babies to us.
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| "Baby Eric, Gabby (an actual baby), and her mother Anna |
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| Gabby eating a cracker in her recliner in front of the Christmas tree |
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Around mid afternoon I picked up my aunt Mary and brought her back to the house to exchange gifts and join us for Christmas dinner. Poor Marvin & Walter were off of their sleep schedule and were nearly delirious from tiredness. Eventually they each climbed onto a still lap and tried to catch a few winks.
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| Marvin on a pillow on Spouse's lap |
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| Walter on my lap |
They were very good boys and really tried hard to adapt to all the people, noise, smells, and other stimulation. Typically they would sleep at Spouse's mom's house while we spent time at Spouse's sister's house, but since Spouse's mom sold her house this was their 1st Christmas being with everyone. They got lots of head scratches, belly rubs, treats and verbal praise.
Mon morning after a leisurely breakfast of coffee and left-over breakfast casserole, we packed up and headed back to DE. The boys slept silently the entire ride home, and then both curled up on our laps and napped while we relaxed and watched TV.
It was a wonderful, wonderful Christmas! No arguments, fights or family drama this year. Just lots of love, laughter, food, family, and joy. Jeez... we almost sound like a 'normal' family.
1 comment:
marvin stole my heart.
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