Christmas 2015

Wednesday, December 23

Who likes waking up at 3a for a 4a start to a road trip with a two-month-old? This guy. One of the better decisions I made this holiday season (and between you and I, that is saying something.) Hardly any traffic, just beat rush hour in Indy, and we were in Columbia in time for coffee. Jerry snagged Jules as soon as we got there and they proceeded to nap together several times throughout the afternoon. It was a pretty lazy day, and I appreciated that. Arriving at her Dad's house, Renee put together a gift package of baby supplies which came quite in handy, as we had forgotten to pack a great deal of care items. 

Thursday, December 24

Christmas Eve in Waterloo. It was a cozy and relaxing day. Eliz' Dad kept asking if we were bored, but I think we were both quite content to just sit around and enjoy each other's company. Eliz watched It's a Wonderful Life for somehow the first time in her life. Jimmy Stewart screaming "Merry Christmas" sounds much like a Raptor. Eliz' whole family came over to her Dad's to meet the baby. Her Dad smoked a turkey and it was delicious. Jules, on the other hand, decided not to sleep very much, which kept us up most of the night. C'est la vie. 

Friday, December 25

Christmas in Columbia, IL. I'd been around for one of these before, but this was the first time for an actual December 25th to my recollection. We had biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Well, biscuits, gravy, eggs, OJ, sausage, cookies, the works. It hit the spot. Her family seemed to fly in and fly out, but looking at the clock, 5 hours passed in no time. Seeing Meaghan's backward stocking always gives me a laugh. We flipped it around so it faced the same direction as the rest, but then her name was hidden. It's a win/win situation if you ask me. We made a quick stop at Great Aunt Delores' house before getting back to Chez Dell. An elf fixed the toilet before putting on the family personalized pajamas, and headed to sleep at 6p. Great day, great trip back to Illinois. 

Saturday, December 26

I did a little bit of driving that day. 2a wake up call Central Time to make the trip back to Columbus. Upon arrival I took a nap for an hour or two before loading up some drums and heading north for my now annual Christmas Jam/Sleepover at Ed's house. He had a few friends over and as per usual he got me to drink more than I had planned. We gave Elizabeth a few holiday tunes in the key of Heavy for her Facetime concert. She always gets so excited for those. 

Sunday, December 27

I picked up the boys around 10a, and we swung by Meijer to pick up Christmas breakfast and an angel for Grandma Morrisey. We started off our "Christmas Eve" by visiting the cemetery. I miss my grandma a lot, and not having her around for Christmas still feels wrong. At my mom's house, we ate a lot of italian lunch meats, and I'm pretty sure she had purchased every flavor of Pringles available in the lower 48 states. I tried to prolong the wait as long as I could, but we buckled to the pressure from the boys and opened presents. I feel as though adulthood has sunk in nearly fully, as I let presents stack around me so I could concentrate on the kiddos opening their things. The boys got new Jelly Belly's, of which each olor had a good/bad flavor. My brother and I both grabbed a black one (could have been licorice or skunk spray), we both got skunk spray. I had to spit mine out, it was like a release of toxins into my mouth. We finished off the evening with our annual viewing of A Nightmare Before Christmas. At home, the boys requested that Eliz read Santa is Coming to Ohio, and I gave yet another inspired interpretation of The Night Before Christmas. The boys left a smattering of treats out for Santa and some skim milk with ice in it. I hear he likes that sort of thing. 

Monday, December 28

The boys woke up at a reasonable hour to open stockings. We didn't have to do the usual 5a wake-up necessary for the tour of Christmases we normally do. For the first time that I can remember, I was able to have Christmas morning together with my family without the need to leave the house for other Christmases. It was magic. The hit toy was their emoji splat balls. Basically a squishy ball that splats... They played with them so much that Ray's didn't last the day :) Ray couldn't stand the wait as we made breakfast before we opened presents. He sat and stared in visible anguish at his first gift under the tree. I think everyone liked what they got. Sam was surprised by his robot, and Ray shouted when he opened his Hulk toy, only to ask what it was a few seconds later. I've trained him well. We got to make a mess with all the wrapping paper and didn't have to clean it up at all. It was heavenly. Nana Sherry and Kaitlyn came over later to do their gifts with the boys. My brother, Felicia, and Lexi came over as well. Lex was like a kid again racing slot cars with the boys and getting into a lightsaber duel, or triuel..  A perfect mess of a day. I can't wait till next year. 

Tuesday, December 29

Clean up day. Sam made huge progress on his robot without any help. Given the level of complexity, I imagined us needing to work on it together quite a bit. I'm proud to say that I've only been involved a few brief times and he has done the rest of the work on his own. The boys played Disney Infinity 3.0 as well, it looks like a fun upgrade from the last version (Update: it is.) We watched Inside Out after dinner which was a movie-night gift from Pawpaw Rod and Grammy. 

Wednesday, December 30

Star Wars Battlefront. All I remember is amazing graphics and laser fire. Sam made more progress on his robot, and Ray played with every toy he got for Christmas in rapid-fire succession. Laser fire.

Thursday, December 31

My brother had some extra tickets, so Eliz and the boys went to Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 3D. I'm glad she got to go, and in the meantime I loaded Jules up in the Baby Bjorn and made a large Costco run, which was quite successful I might add. We went to my brother's house that evening for New Year's Eve. The boys stayed up until midnight and Ray was "super dramatic about it". We had a quick jam session on my brother's new drum set. The ladies of the family cracked the Mara argument code, which apparently involves a revolving door of music, sports, and super heroes. I don't have any idea what they're talking about. Closer to midnight, Jules did not appreciate our many attempts to get a picture of us kissing him. He didn't appreciate it at all. Regardless, I got to kiss my lady, and we all got home safely to get a night's rest.

Friday, January 1

With Eliz' family, New Year's Day is a thing, so we went to Nana Sherry's. The boys were excited to play I Found It, a rather complicated I-Spy game designed for 4 year olds, but that required several adults with several college degrees to figure it out. The boys drank hot chocolate from their new lego mugs. Sam made a neat and tidy "S" on his mug, Ray made a rather abstract "trapped gorilla". All things aside, it was some red and blue bricks covered by some white bricks. It was another good time spent with family. 

Saturday, January 2

We went to Grandma Charlotte's for our last Christmas. There are a ton of kids there and it's usually pandemonium with my brother serving as the catalyst. All three boys got some sock monkeys, Ray was unexplainably excited about his. I'm hoping this wasn't related to any penis innuendo, but the more he giggles, the more I think it is. Eliz and my mom tag teamed getting me the apparently discontinued Duncan Heins Fudge Marble Cake, paired with my mom's chocolate butter cream icing. It was fantastic. At home, Eliz got me some awesome gifts, not the least of which was Road House on BluRay. Everyone is entitled to a guilty pleasure. We had some Apple pie and Pumking during the movie, and before I knew it I'm asleep. I'm hoping to squeeze a birthday pizza out of the deal for Sunday (I did.) 

Sunday January 3

Sam and Eliz ran some errands and Sam exchanged a few books at Barnes & Noble, so Ray and I stayed home and played Battlefront. We had our jam session today. Sam wrote a new riff that we worked on, and then the usual tunes; Sam's song, Brain Stew, Smoke on the Water. I always hate the end of a vacation, but I have to say I was quite satisfied with the way this one turned out. So much time with family, and I'm left wanting for nothing. Tomorrow, Eliz and I go back to work; Eliz for the first time since Jules was born. Real life with a baby begins!