I love living in New England. But, there’s still a lot of family in the Kansas City area.  For the last six years we’ve flown back to Kansas City at least once a year. We haven’t been back since last Christmas, so it’s time to fly! Flying on Christmas day is actually a great day to travel. Though I do feel sorry for those that work, the airports and car rental agencies are definitely less crowded. Janet & I try to book the early morning non-stop so that we can still have most of the day with family.

Erik & Amanda planned a small family celebration with her parents and us. What a joy to see the two munchkins opening their presents and claiming it was just what they always wanted. Though she couldn’t be there, Auntie Autumn won the day with the bubble blowing lawn mower!  Auntie Autumn could also be felt in Elizabeth’s collection of Polly Pocket dolls, a toy Autumn loved as a child. Our day included an unexpected surprise by Amanda’s brother, Ethan, and his wife, Donnaven. The weather was beautifully mild, and we even spent time outside enjoying the sun.

Since becoming grandparents, we have never had the opportunity to fulfill our duties as babysitters until this week. Our presence provided Erik & Amanda the opportunity to have lunch and see the Star Wars movie. Needless to say Grammy and Papa were thrilled to fill in!  Oh the fun we had playing games, watching movies, and redecorating the house. If we lived closer, I’m sure this would be an activity we engaged in on a routine basis.

The following day Amanda was ill so we invited Erik to bring the girls over to Jen and Dave’s. At bed time, Papa was able to revive his skills of putting a little one to bed.  However, as I began to sing Jesus Loves the Little Children, Amelia blurted out “no Bible! Daniel Tiger!”  I suppressed a laugh and admitted I didn’t know the song she wanted. To my relief, she fell asleep within a minute or two.

For the second year in a row, we took mother out to see Christmas lights and enjoy a dinner out. We followed suit by going out with Dave and Jen again and having a fantastic evening of sibling fun.

This year we were able to be in town for a Kansas City Chiefs game. Janet & I had gone shopping to get new Chiefs gear to take home, as well as a few bottles of BBQ sauce. We proudly cheered our team on to victory in hopes it was one more win closer to a Super Bowl berth.

We seem to have hit on a nice compromise to see family at the holidays. This was a great way to round out the decade, with the promise of wonderful years in the future. Happy Holidays!!

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller