After Christmas Day and Max's birthday, the festivities didn't slow down in the least! I don't know about you, but I believe in celebrating every one of the twelve days of Christmas... and so we did, with more birthday celebrations (for Kelley and me), bowling night, ice skating, painting, cooking, mulled wine and more mulled wine!
Max got his first taste of ice skating when we took him to the arena for open skate, and he has officially been bitten! He started out clinging for dear life to Paul and Patrick, then progressed to a beginner's bar, and by the end of his debut, he was shuffling along totally solo. He has already surpassed me in skating ability (not that it took much...) and I believe he was the only one on the ice with a diaper (does that say more about his skating abilities or my lack of potty training abilities? Not sure.)
As is usually the case in late December, the weather was cold and windy for most of our trip. Don't ask me why I was surprised when Paul's high school friends decided that the perfect way to spend time together would be to hike Silver Mountain on a day when even driving to the entry point was treacherous. I waffled for awhile, but eventually decided to man up and join them. So, decked out in a borrowed assortment of snow boots, sweatshirts, mittens and other winter gear, I braved the weather and snowy rocks, repeating a mantra of "hot chocolate, hot chocolate, hot chocolate" all the way up the hill. Of course, it ended up being lots of fun, and the cocoa at the base of the hill (Thanks Mrs. Thompson!) was the best I've ever tasted.
On Dec 31, for the vigil of Mary Mother of God, we went to Cathedral for Mass and to hear Deacon Nathan preach. What a treat! He surprised everyone by coming home from Rome for Christmas. He's such a gift to the Church-- can't wait for the Ordination! After Mass we had a little New Years party with the Hofers and Kinyons- so great to see them! We munched on goodies for awhile, but the crowd cleared out before the ball dropped. The men headed elsewhere for some cards, so I brought in the new year with Megan, Elizabeth, Maryanne and Glee.
Yes, Glee. We kept an eye on our watches and paused the episode just in time to toast with champagne... then back to "Singin' in the Rain" a la Mr. Schuester.
We awoke to a closed freeway (due to drifting) on Saturday morning, foiling our plans of getting an early start, but when we got on the road around noon there was no trace of winter weather! No ice, no overcast sky, not even a pile of snow on the side of the road... nothing. The drive went smoothly and we arrived home late at night with Kelley and Megan, who spent the night on their way to the Carolinas via Chicago.
It is a little strange spending the days alone with my boys again after a full two weeks of constant company. However, I think they are ready to settle back into a normal routine. Only one more Christmas celebration, a Three Kings party, and three birthday parties before the month is over. No problem!
It was a blast spending so much time with family. I miss them already!
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