This is a mega post, but, here is the gist of our trip. I hope you all had as nice a Christmas as we did! Thanks Mom & Dad...we loved getting to see & spend time with you! (you too, KK and Andrew)
Kristin, Robert & Alice
I got to see my friend Kristin (who I've been friends with for, what...18 years now?) her hubby (& also my friend) Robert & their new baby girl, Alice. She's so sweet! It was so great to get to see them. Thanks for coming to see us guys!
Kara's b-day pizza party
We got to be there for my sister's traditional birthday party. My Dad makes his awesome pizza and she invites a few friends over and it's always fun. It was great to see old friends and get to make some new ones (as I finally met some of my sister's close friends that I hadn't yet.)
My Dad tosses it into the air & everything (I just missed capturing that).
Julia doesn't like pizza (surprise, surprise), but she did love watching it get made!
Liliana loved Papa's pizza! He made cheese pizzas for the kids.
Simon zonked (still not feeling well).
I guess he thought that was comfortable!
Some more pictures I like...
{the girls had fun cutting up their own cheese for snack time,
me with my Dad
& my Mom getting some loves from Simon}
Christmas Eve
Close family friends came over to celebrate Christmas Eve with all of us. We enjoyed our surf & turf style dinner, delicious coconut cream pie for dessert, visiting with each other, and the anticipation of the coming morning.
Santa managed to deliver some early presents, which we got to open the night before Christmas. It was so fun to see everyones new pajamas!
We got cookies and milk ready for Santa, and, of course, a carrot for the reindeer!
Christmas
The day finally came and it was wonderful! Simon slept in quite late that day (he missed everything). But, that was good because the poor little guy was not feeling himself. The girls let everyone sleep to a very reasonable 8:00. We got up, brushed our teeth and combed our hair and all went downstairs together, where we saw all the fun Santa left in or near our stockings and under the tree. And, Santa ate the cookies & drank the milk! The reindeer must have eaten the carrot too! So exciting!
We had company stop by (it was great to see you Linda & Paul!), and when Simon woke up, we all got to watch him play with his new toys (& see what he thought about opening presents). He seemed to like being in the midst of all the excitement.
It probably goes without saying, but we had some YUMMY food! I just love it! It's just like Thanksgiving, which, if you read that post, you will recall that it is my favorite meal! Mmmm!
More Christmas Day fun
Just playing at Grandma & Papa's
The kids really enjoyed being at my parent's house. My Mom and sister put together a craft crate they enjoyed thoroughly! My sister even got them a little "house" to color and play in. It was lots of fun! The girls loved playing outside in the backyard (and front yard for that matter): swinging, climbing trees, pretending, etc.
They also enjoyed playing with my Mom's new chihuahua puppy, (that my sis, bro & I got her for her birthday in November) "Sookie Lea."
Julia holding "Sookie"
Liliana holding "Sookie" too!
Hitchcock Woods Hike
This could seriously be it's own, very large post! We've made a tradition of hiking in Hitchcock Woods whenever we go back to my parents. It's so beautiful. It's about 2000 acres of forest (with trails, horse jumps, bridges, etc.) right in Aiken. There are so many areas to explore and discover. We go to a different area every time. The kids loved it too. Poor little sick Simon slept in, so we left him with Grandma and Papa. They took good care of him while we were gone (naturally).
{you can click on any one of the pictures if you want to see it bigger}
Lili consulting the map
beautiful forest
the girls liked this crooked tree (silly poses, like the silly tree)
I thought this part of the trail was quite pretty.
We stopped for a little snack break.
The girls and me (& Howie too) at the "Chalk Cliffs." They were so cool!
Nate with the girls, on the "Chalk Cliffs" (Julia was a bit nervous being this close to the edge, but Lili had no fear ).
Lights at the Zoo
We got to go the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia to see all the Christmas lights. That was fun! We all enjoyed it. It had been a long time since we'd gotten to do that as a family. Of course, we ate at California Dreaming restaurant beforehand. I love that place!
Mom & Nate in front of California Dreaming (a converted train station).
Simon rode in the backpack at the zoo. He loved that!
The girls and I rode the carousel twice. They loved it!
You have to pose on the statues, don't you?
They just HAD to milk the pretend cow!
Simon at the end of the night. He must have been pretty comfortable!
Riding "Suddenly"
My parents board horses on their property. The girls were thrilled that the owners said my Mom could give them a ride on "Suddenly," the paint horse. The girls absolutely LOVED it with all their hearts! It was fun to see them ride.
Simon thought Suddenly was pretty interesting too.
It was a fun and memorable trip. I also enjoyed getting to see my sister's house, which I didn't take pictures of, and bumping in to old friends at the mall & fun stuff like that, that always happens when you go "home" for the holidays.
Although we miss our family, it's good to be back home. We took down our decorations and are now settling back in to "life as usual." Julia went back to school today (already?) and I'm trying to do projects, laundry & all that good stuff that is always there. I'm also training for that triathlon I told you about. So, there you have it. Our trip, our Christmas, our family.
Thanks for keeping up with us!
We got to be there for my sister's traditional birthday party. My Dad makes his awesome pizza and she invites a few friends over and it's always fun. It was great to see old friends and get to make some new ones (as I finally met some of my sister's close friends that I hadn't yet.)
My Dad tosses it into the air & everything (I just missed capturing that).
Julia doesn't like pizza (surprise, surprise), but she did love watching it get made!
Liliana loved Papa's pizza! He made cheese pizzas for the kids.
Simon zonked (still not feeling well).
I guess he thought that was comfortable!
Some more pictures I like...
{the girls had fun cutting up their own cheese for snack time,me with my Dad
& my Mom getting some loves from Simon}
Christmas Eve
Close family friends came over to celebrate Christmas Eve with all of us. We enjoyed our surf & turf style dinner, delicious coconut cream pie for dessert, visiting with each other, and the anticipation of the coming morning.
Santa managed to deliver some early presents, which we got to open the night before Christmas. It was so fun to see everyones new pajamas!
We got cookies and milk ready for Santa, and, of course, a carrot for the reindeer!
Christmas
The day finally came and it was wonderful! Simon slept in quite late that day (he missed everything). But, that was good because the poor little guy was not feeling himself. The girls let everyone sleep to a very reasonable 8:00. We got up, brushed our teeth and combed our hair and all went downstairs together, where we saw all the fun Santa left in or near our stockings and under the tree. And, Santa ate the cookies & drank the milk! The reindeer must have eaten the carrot too! So exciting!
We had company stop by (it was great to see you Linda & Paul!), and when Simon woke up, we all got to watch him play with his new toys (& see what he thought about opening presents). He seemed to like being in the midst of all the excitement.It probably goes without saying, but we had some YUMMY food! I just love it! It's just like Thanksgiving, which, if you read that post, you will recall that it is my favorite meal! Mmmm!
More Christmas Day fun
Just playing at Grandma & Papa's
The kids really enjoyed being at my parent's house. My Mom and sister put together a craft crate they enjoyed thoroughly! My sister even got them a little "house" to color and play in. It was lots of fun! The girls loved playing outside in the backyard (and front yard for that matter): swinging, climbing trees, pretending, etc.
They also enjoyed playing with my Mom's new chihuahua puppy, (that my sis, bro & I got her for her birthday in November) "Sookie Lea."
Julia holding "Sookie"
Liliana holding "Sookie" too!
Hitchcock Woods Hike
This could seriously be it's own, very large post! We've made a tradition of hiking in Hitchcock Woods whenever we go back to my parents. It's so beautiful. It's about 2000 acres of forest (with trails, horse jumps, bridges, etc.) right in Aiken. There are so many areas to explore and discover. We go to a different area every time. The kids loved it too. Poor little sick Simon slept in, so we left him with Grandma and Papa. They took good care of him while we were gone (naturally).
{you can click on any one of the pictures if you want to see it bigger}
Lili consulting the map
beautiful forest
the girls liked this crooked tree (silly poses, like the silly tree)
I thought this part of the trail was quite pretty.
We stopped for a little snack break.
The girls and me (& Howie too) at the "Chalk Cliffs." They were so cool!
Nate with the girls, on the "Chalk Cliffs" (Julia was a bit nervous being this close to the edge, but Lili had no fear ).
Lights at the Zoo
We got to go the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia to see all the Christmas lights. That was fun! We all enjoyed it. It had been a long time since we'd gotten to do that as a family. Of course, we ate at California Dreaming restaurant beforehand. I love that place!
Mom & Nate in front of California Dreaming (a converted train station).
Simon rode in the backpack at the zoo. He loved that!
The girls and I rode the carousel twice. They loved it!
You have to pose on the statues, don't you?
They just HAD to milk the pretend cow!
Simon at the end of the night. He must have been pretty comfortable!
Riding "Suddenly"
My parents board horses on their property. The girls were thrilled that the owners said my Mom could give them a ride on "Suddenly," the paint horse. The girls absolutely LOVED it with all their hearts! It was fun to see them ride.
Simon thought Suddenly was pretty interesting too.
It was a fun and memorable trip. I also enjoyed getting to see my sister's house, which I didn't take pictures of, and bumping in to old friends at the mall & fun stuff like that, that always happens when you go "home" for the holidays.
Although we miss our family, it's good to be back home. We took down our decorations and are now settling back in to "life as usual." Julia went back to school today (already?) and I'm trying to do projects, laundry & all that good stuff that is always there. I'm also training for that triathlon I told you about. So, there you have it. Our trip, our Christmas, our family.
Thanks for keeping up with us!
6 comments:
Wow! That is a marathon - or triathlon- post. thanks for documenting our vacation so well. You are a sweet, lady. I'm lucky that you're mine. <3
looks like you had a blast...your kids are troopers. I love all those pics you took! they look awesome!
This is my favorite post so far! Great photos, great adventure for your family!
What a fun trip! Great pictures, too. Your parents' property is gorgeous.
wow that looks like so much fun. you were so busy. I love the pictures on the horse, so precious.
Hey! Dave and Connie (Bro and Sis-in-law) took m parents to the Zoo on the 22nd and ate at the same place before they went to the zoo. :)
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