Santa, Family, Friends, and Chocolates

We have been having a busy fun-filled time visiting with family and friends.

We took the boys to the dreaded visit with Santa. I say "dreaded" because Benjamin has been talking about how he is scared of Santa's beard for some time now. But he was a trooper and Santa was super sweet. He asked Benjamin to give him a big hug and told him there was no reason to be scared of him any longer. (Originally, the boys were supposed to be in matching sweaters but I gave that idea and battle up once he seemed willing to approach Santa without a fight). This was the best photo out of about 5 that the photo elf snapped. Photo with Santa taken. Mission accomplished. ahhhh.

We had dinner at my brother Ron and Nancy's house on Friday night and had a great time. Benjamin wrestled around with his big cousin Matthew and Ellen entertained Samuel. Nancy made a super tasty soup and Ron made burgers and we all enjoyed our visit.

Yesterday I was able to go out to lunch with two of my girlfriends from high school (NO KIDS!). It was so nice to break away. Benjamin and Samuel went over to Uncle Ron and Aunt Nancy's and again had an enjoyable time playing with their big cousins. I, on the other hand, enjoyed a great lunch and uninterrupted visit with my friends! It was so weird to be able to eat a meal without worrying about feeding the boys too. And Michelle, Jill and I laughed as we walked out of the restaurant about how our conversation has changed over the years and that now potty training issues is somehow the focus of our conversation. We have been good friends since we were 15 years old. It is one of those amazing friendships that no matter how much time has gone by since we have seen each other we can all pick up and talk about our yesterdays and todays. God didn't give me sisters but blessed me with some incredible friends.

After that nice outing. I was happy to return to my boys. And so grateful for my brother and sister-in-law for watching them as well (I think they enjoyed showering the boys with their love). And I know Benjamin had a blast.

When we got back to my mom's she had a productive day preparing for the family and friends Christmas party she throws annually. She had created some wonderful baskets of homemade chocolate candies and goodies. They looked lovely and she set them aside in a bedroom out of the way. Why am I typing this? Well, they apparently were too lovely to resist. As we sat in the living room I heard our dog Campbell rumbling around a bit but couldn't see what he was doing. So, I went to find him and he had found those lovely baskets of chocolates. Dog lovers know that chocolate is one of the worst things for dogs. Much to my mom's chagrin he had devoured about 2 baskets full of chocolates and goodies. ugh. My mom got on the phone to my brother, Kenny (dog lover extraordinaire) and he looked up online what to do. So, Harry was off to buy some magic potion that made the chocolate reappear from Campbell's belly (in a different form, of course). It ended up being a pretty eventful evening with all this going on right at dinner time. But somehow we all recovered (including Campbell, or so it seems). And Mom was able to restore the baskets to their original glory with some addition treats she had stashed away. Thank goodness!

This morning was a lil odd too. Benjamin started stirring early. He exclaimed "It's Christmas!" but, of course it is only the 23rd so I had to let him know the sad news that it's not quite Christmas yet. And that he needed to hush and go back to sleep as I looked at the clock and it was said that it was barely 4 a.m. ugh. Then Samuel started stirring as well. So, our night seemed to be over. I couldn't imagine how I was going to get these boys back to sleep. But when I got up and went into the kitchen to fix Samuel a bottle I noticed that the clocks were all flashing. Apparently, the power had gone out during the night. I found a battery powered wall clock and found that it was actually 6:30 a.m. ah. Much more manageable. Although Benjamin and I did get up Samuel managed to go back to sleep and is still sleeping (at 9 a.m.).

Don e-mailed yesterday. He said he received about 20 cards in the mail as well as some packages. So, thank you all for thinking of him and taking the time to mail those cards and packages. I know he really appreciates it.

He also e-mailed a lil bit about his day yesterday (Saturday) that I thought was pretty humorous so I will end this blog sharing it with you all:

"I have been busy working my trip report and updating project status on my big project. I flew back Wednesday night, worked a little Thursday morning after I arrived at 0730 and then slept till about 1pm. The quick trip a little over a week after returning from R&R leave has thrown my schedule totally off. Yesterday, I walked around thinking it was Saturday all day. And this morning I thought it was Sunday, so I slept in an hour early, went to work in PTs and signed out on the board that I was going to Chapel. Needless to say they weren't having a chapel service. I thought they might have canceled due to Christmas eve and Christmas day services, but when I got back in the office CPT Hughes, told me 'Sir, you know it is Saturday today.' He had a good laugh at my expense. That is when I realized that I blew off my boss' morning standup at 0800."