The Family Rocks Christmas

The Philly airport was all but deserted when we flew out to Utah the week before Christmas.  Didn't mind doing the security undress/dress line dance at a slower pace.

It's always a nice surprise to get to our house and find that it's still standing.  Not that we have much to worry about; our nearest neighbors all keep a close eye on things.

It was a family-themed trip from the get-go.

Had lunch with Terisa's folks and were pleasantly surprised to find authentic cheesesteaks near our house in Utah.

We puttered and decorated and shopped for a couple of days until the rest of the family showed up.

Which they did, worn out from the road. So we had some grandparent time.

Which turns out to be the best time ever.

The Grampa horse overcomes bedtime objections.

We had lots of cultural time, as well.  This wig was Lynne's at one point. Not sure whose shoes they were: Grandma Cox?

This photo matches up well with similar ones of our kids, 20-some years ago.

Grace went all pop star on us:  facepainting by Grandma, glitter tattoo by Lynne, guitar by Ibanez.

We all had jet lag.

We went downtown to City Creek Center and...

then on to Temple Square for lights.

Games,

 ...sugar cookies...

...singing around the piano...

...and playing in snow are all de rigueur.

We managed a do-it-yourself portrait on Christmas Eve.

 

 This year, for the annual "Pillage Dayna's Village" activity, we started with a superstorm surge, and followed up with an attack from a giant blue flying shark.  The village was well and truly attacked, as is tradition.

Christmas stockings were hung with care, & etc.

On Christmas morning, the girls were first out to the gifts.  Alice was very impressed that she got an orange.  It was the highlight for a little while.

Lynne and Kit fixed a delicious breakfast, and then...

...we adjourned to the Christmas tree for the opening of presents.  There was much amusement when it was discovered that some of the presents weren't tagged.

Paul's family shows off true colors.

Grace got a princess dress, a princess head dress, and glittery shoes.  And lo, there was much rejoicing at this gift. Not to mention twirling and dancing.

Christmas day saw more eating and gaming, as per usual.

Didn't take too many more pictures, as things got a bit crazy from here on.  Little 7-week old Charlie was not feeling well, and the next day his pediatrician great uncle (thanks, Al!) diagnosed him with RSV and pneumonia. (This was the same day we had tickets for a red-eye back to Philly, which had just been thumped by a solid winter storm, which trip is another story...) Two nights in the McKay Dee hospital with some oxygen and help eating, and Charlie bounced back.

He is just at the stage where he has figured out smiling, and we want to see much more of that.

Really, we could celebrate anywhere there is family.  And friends.  It'll be a while before we get everyone all back together again.  Next year we may be a bit scattered across the world...

Merry Christmas, everyone.

(Got an annual "what's happening" letter actually written this year, and may send it out before Valentines.  You want a copy, just let me know.)

Thanksgiving Pt II--Weehawken

After a delightful pre-Thanksgiving week in Santa Cruz, we were also looking forward to a delightful Thanksgiving weekend in Weehawken, NJ.  We were not disappointed.

It started with an early morning Turkey Trot, in Butler.  Here is the intrepid crowd that showed up for the 5K.

It was a bracing morning, but sunny and bright. Kit started out at a strong pace, and finished 4th.  Note Terisa in the background.  She had a little cowbell (a little bell or a bell from little cows?  We report, you decide) that she rang in support of all of the participants.  Disappointingly, we could not find a vuvuzela for her to blow.

 Lynne ran a measured pace and finished exactly as she had hoped: upright and smiling.

 Then Kit and Gabe went to a gigantic grassy park in Jersey city to play in the annual Turkey bowl.  There were at least a dozen games going on all over the park.  Very inspirational.  I forgot to take pictures, but our game looked something like this.  This is what Kit looked like on the first play from scrimmage:

Here I am making my one and only interception.

 The guys we played against were young and big and strong and fast.

But the old adage about age and cunning winning out over youth and vigor proved true.  Again.

 Anyway, much to the chagrin of the ambulance trolling in the park, nothing got sprained.  For the next two days, however, I kept feeling muscles I didn't remember I had...

Lynne's first turkey was a spectacularly delicious success,

and the feast was beautiful and delicious, in that order.

After, we went on the traditional waddle, er, walk, to look at the Manhattan skyline.  Never get tired of this view across the Hudson.

For dinner-dessert, there was pie, tastefully provided by the Weehawken Pie Cabal.

A James Bond movie rounded out turkey-day festivities.  Can anyone shoot his cuffs with as much class as Bond?

Yes, we went into Manhattan on Black Friday.  Kit's driving and parking skills are epic.

But rather than shop, we went to the Museum of Natural History.  It was mobbed. 

The dinosaurs were cool.

The meteorites were coolest.

Then  we took the subway downtown.  The subways are full of local thugs and bearded tough guys (yes, Kit has a beard--looks pretty good, too.)

We tried and failed to win lottery tickets to Newsies on Friday, so we went home and played Pit, the action-filled trading floor game.

True to form, in anything that verges on investments, stocks, bonds or wealth-building, I can unerringly pick the absolute loser.

 On Saturday, we went back to the Newsies lottery for the matinee.  We had six people, and drew out six seats! How lucky is that?  Well, someone had to win them, why not us?  We think it was a turkey miracle.

We had pizza at John's (thanks, Eric!),

 

and then crowd-wrestled our way around Times Square for a while.

The excitement of New York is narcotic, but especially at holiday time. And what says happy holidays better than naked cowboy?

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 Made you look! (but we did see naked cowboy at Times Square.  New York is a whale of a town!)