But this year we had Sam (ok, we had him last year too, but last year he was pretty unaware). And this year Sam was getting a Cozy Coupe. He plays with one at the gym and loves it. I knew he'd recognize it. I wanted him to have it on Christmas morning. I wanted it under the tree.
So we drove. For the first time ever (yes, I moved between Houston and Columbus 3 times and had never driven it - God Bless corporate moves!). 20 hours door to door, including 2 sizable stops. Chick-Fil-A playgrounds are a beautiful thing, as are old family friends along your route. We drove overnight and through naptime, so Sam slept most of the way. Mom and Dad were TIRED when we got there. But I didn't hate the late night drive all that much. It was Christmas music non-stop and I had some nice reflective thinking time. But that's another post...
It was cold in Ohio. I spotted our first snow 76 miles south of Cincinnati and it stayed with us until the day we left for home. It snowed on Christmas eve as we were walking out of church - kind of perfect. Unless you're Sam, then it was both concerning and a bit frightening. Both my boys had their first White Christmas, and it made me happy.
Uncle Matt and (almost) Aunt Kate joined us in C-Bus as well. Kristen, George and Molly stayed in California this year - something about not wanting to fly across the country with a 2-week-old, not really sure about that ;-) It was (almost) Aunt Kate's first Christmas away from her parents and siblings, so we were honored to have her.
The first day and a half were pretty hectic - wrapping, assembling, cookie baking, food prep, and a quick visit with my High School Girls (we missed you Megan!). For the first time ever we brought kids - OUR KIDS - to the rendez-vous.
The volume of presents on Christmas morning was
awesome. We did stockings upstairs first and then let Sam lead the way down to the tree. He ran right to the Cozy Coupe and jumped in. Five minutes later he got out and checked out his new car ramp, then knocked over a few cardboard blocks on his way back to the coupe. It took us a week to finish opening his gifts. The rest of us were much speedier and had a wonderful time opening all the packages. Daddy broke the rules and got Mommy a very special pair of earrings!That afternoon we were joined by my Grandma and Grandpa Sivard, Grandma
Gaffney and Uncle Tim. We cooked, ate, and opened a few more gifts. It was a very nice day.The rest of the week was incredibly lazy - and wonderful. (Almost) Aunt Kate received seasons 1 and 2 of Criminal Minds and we watched a great deal of that show. I don't think many people showered before 11am the whole week. A little shopping, and lot of playing, some napping. Nice.
I feel like there are more stories to tell from the week, but this post is already quite long. I'll add more later.
Merry Christmas with love,
The Hunnifords
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