Warning! This post is obsenely lengthy. You can decide your own fate with this one.
What a spectacular Christmas vacation we had! I love being home with family and I especially love being home with family for the holidays. Eva experienced many firsts on this trip: her first snowman, sledding excursion, fire engine ride, encounter with Santa, being a judge at the gingerbread house competition, Cheetos, and Swedish Christmas Eve dinner. (Side note: We’re not Swedish. My brother-in-law is. Do I look like someone who enjoys eating caviar from a tube?)
We had such fun that I was sad when the week was over so quickly. I was especially sad about riding in the car for 13 hours each way.
What follows is an explosion of pictures. I give myself a hearty pat on the backside for being such a diligent photographer. I usually suck at capturing sweet memories.
Here goes Christmas 2015!
We pulled out of our driveway at 4:45 a.m.! It was dark and cold outside but it was nice to be on the road early. Eva slept most of the morning so that made it pleasant for all involved. We always stop in Pendleton to stretch our legs at the same gas station. Sasquatch Santa was there to greet us.
Once we arrived in Idaho, we straightaway had to play in the snow. (By “we” I mean Michael. I’ve been in the snow and I don’t care for it.) He patiently built a snowman for Eva and let his fingers turn to icicles. I patiently stood on the porch and snapped pictures. Then I patiently went inside to make almond roca with my mommy in the warm kitchen. You’ll notice Eva still has her nagging cough in some of the photos. I don’t think something like a little cough should stop a person from playing in the snow. My mom didn’t have any carrots and Eva was quite concerned that her snowman didn’t have a carrot nose. We gave her a dissertation on the value of being unique and how not every snowman needs a carrot nose. She seemed dubious but let it go.
On another night we went to the museum with one of my sissies and my parents to see a collection of nativities. The best part was the prime rib dinner Dad bought for us before we arrived at the museum. It tasted like Christmas. If Chrtistmas tastes like a delicous slab of juicy beef.
I also had many opportunites to snuggle my brother Jeff’s new baby. He was very generous in letting me bogart the baby. He was also very gnenerous by offering to take us for a ride in a fire engine. We loaded up with Jeff, my other brother Jameson, their wives and sons, and tooled around town honking the horn and blaring the sirens. It was very exciting.
Then it was time for the annual gingerbread house competition. What started as a friendly family traditon has evolved into a trash-talking, high-stakes, intense rivalry. It’s all in good fun though. (But you are wise to sleep with one eye open the eve of the competition.) The adults decorate the houses while the kids stay out of the room making messes somewhere else in the house. Then the kids come down one at a time to choose their favorite house. The winner gets a ridiculous Santa statue and bragging rights for a year. Jeff has won the past few years so the need to dethrone the jerk was extreme. Myke and I had the great idea to recreate the house from the movie Up. Unfortunately, my sister Chris also had the same idea. Really unfortunately was that she executed it better than we did. Really, really unfortunately was that she won. With my idea! I think it’s time to disqualify her from the competition. We shouldn’t have to compete with a professional pastry chef. I’d rather compete against my other sister Rachel who always loses. She’s a creeper and consistently does something inappropriate with her theme. The kids never get it. Thankfully.
And the winner:
Eva voted for our house which made me smile. It’s nice to know at least one of those mangy kids has good taste. Someday I will win the margarita-sipping Santa. Someday.
The gingerbread house competition means that soon it will be Christmas day. Stay tuned…
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