Christmas Week, and Boston Fun

Christmas morning walk, Spohr Gardens dock

Well, folks -- it is now officially over. The grand lead-up, the magical day itself, and even the let-down that inevitably follows.  Solstice and Christmas are both done for another year, and I have to say that I feel relieved.  I also feel grateful, and a wee little bit superhuman - everything kind of went exactly how it was supposed to.  Sure, we all had colds, but nothing insurmountable. No one was up 3 hours earlier than they were supposed to be on Christmas Day. I managed to make the kids their yearly set of pjs, although I was going right up to bedtime on Christmas Eve.  Everyone was relatively calm, and excited with their gifts. So - success!  Here are some photos:

Snuggling and "reading" their Christmas Eve book: The Nutcracker

The stockings, before they were ripped into

Our little Charlie Brown tree, with all the presents underneath (ps: these reusable cloth wrapping bags I made last year are genius)

Posing with their pjs.  I ran out of both fabric and time before I could get to Juniper's top.

The serious and exciting business of exploring a stocking

It was a very truck-heavy Christmas for Linden

Like, VERY truck-heavy

Exploring the world through new binoculars (from Liz and Pat) on a Christmas morning walk

Sharing a secret

"Sweeping the pond" (I let Clark know that he would be going in after them if they went over)

I had to include this family shot, because it was a grand feat to have balanced the camera on a tree branch in order to make it work

Antics in the tree

Antics on the Anchor

Some bit of hilarity when Ben and Liz came for a visit the next morning

The obligatory yearly Christmas tree family shot...

... and once more with a bit of silliness

On the morning of the 28th, we got a call from my brother Michael, who said "Steve and I are en route to Boston, and we've booked you a hotel room - come visit!"  So of course, we did.  We had a grand, relatively impromptu Boston adventure, filled with lots of walking, good food, and enough "train rides" to satiate even the most enthusiastic train riders of the bunch. Mike and Steve even brought presents for the kids that Santa had mysteriously and inexplicably left at their house by mistake.  Good thing we saw them!

Outside of "The Met", where we met Mike and Steve for dinner

Playing with Linden's new letter blocks at the restaurant

Hanging in the hotel lobby. Juniper is in her very carefully chosen "fancy outfit".

Our plans got relatively thwarted the next day -- we had decided, for instance, that we would visit the aquarium. When we got there, there was a line-up almost to the street, with dozens and dozens of school groups (or, I should say, holiday week pseudo-school groups), waiting to get in.  We quickly tried to convince the kids that instead of the aquarium, we'd go ride the carousel instead.  Success! When we got to the carousel, however, it was closed. And so on. Also, all the people in our little family of four were indescribably tired from a very bad sleep the evening before.  There was therefore much grumpiness and bad behaviour (especially from a little Linden fellow, who can be completely intolerable when he is exhausted.  This is especially unfair, as it was his fault that none of the rest of us slept).  Nonetheless, we persevered, and got to take in the Quincy Market, have yummy lunch at Wagamamma's, and just generally hang out.

Mike, Clark and the kids in front of the gargantuan Christmas tree.

Stopping for a bit of New England Clam Chowdah

Hanging out on Uncle Mike's shoulders

Pensive train riders

One last group shot before we left

We are now back home, well-rested, and trying to figure out how to put in these last days of limbo before all the newness of next week.  Likely there will be some playing with new stuff (mostly art/craft supplies for Juniper, and cars/trucks/trains for Linden), a bunch of outdoor play, and reading.  That's my guess, anyway. Oh, and also for me: some sugar detoxing.   Evil, evil sugar. See you next week!