Christmas 2022! When we saw news of an ice storm moving across the PNW, we moved up our travel plans and jetted down to Portland the moment Shane wrapped up work on Thursday. We got caught in some pretty slippery conditions two-thirds of the way there, but carefully crawled over those last 50 miles and safely arrived at Mitch’s house by 10pm. The plan was to quietly transfer a sleeping Isaac from his car seat to his Pack N Play, but he only dozed a bit on the ride down and then was so amped up by the adventure of it all that we let him run circles in the living room for thirty minutes before tucking him in.
Friday was icy and the city was largely shut down. We stayed close to home, venturing only as far as the neighborhood Starbucks for cocoa and coffee.
We thawed out under fluffy blankets…
And then we hunkered, with music and video games and several rounds of Christmas tree hide and seek.
Isaac was completely stir-crazy by dinnertime, so I took him out for a slushy spin on the sled. I mean, we packed the puffy suit – may as well use it!
The kiddos (one little kiddo in particular) were up early on Saturday, so I stretched out on the couch with them and a cup of coffee while the sun came up.
Early wake-up means early naptime. These daily dozes with my boy were one of my favorite things about the holiday break.
Bina kept a very close eye on Isaac throughout the week – she’s accustomed to being the main recipient of family doting and seemed a little put out by having to share the love.
Lunchtime donut run to Blue Star for my favorite passionfruit cacao raised glazed…
And then more lounging.
And naptime Part II! Captured by a little spy…
Isaac’s cousins were so good with him – I was impressed by Morgan’s patience for unending games of “roll the ball and clap”.
The annual Christmas Eve viewing of The Polar Express was cozy as ever, though we missed my mom and dad, who were delayed in arriving due to the weather.
These kids may not believe in Santa anymore, but bless their hearts for playing along with the magic of it all.
Christmas morning! Let the games begin!
The wrapping paper flew and the kids were all delighted and delightful and it just felt so good to see them each express joy in their very own way.
Juliette is still very much impressed by the little things and I love it.
Juliette’s three big wish list items were pierced ears, a fancy coat, and high-heeled boots.
She got two out of the three and seemed plenty pleased!
Isaac became smitten with this shopping cart as we were browsing the toy aisle at Target in early December and pushed it all around the store while I finished my shopping. He was thrilled to see it reappear under the Christmas tree.
The calm after the flurry is so wonderful.
Did I say calm? I meant toy-induced hysteria.
You do you, Buddy.
What are you looking at, Bina?
Oh, Bina. Â
BINA!
We napped mid-day and did some puzzling and then made cupcakes for that evening’s dessert.
We Facetimed with Shane’s parents after lunch and then did some gaming, both virtual and in-real-life…
My parents arrived around 2:00 and another pile of gifts appeared under the tree!
Shane and Mitch drew each other’s names for our Secret Santa exchange and ended up trading pickle balls. It seems they have similar interests…
Juliette got me a pretty pair of earrings and then wondered aloud if maybe she could borrow them someday…
WHEW! Officially, the gift bonanza was a wrap.
We had our traditional country ham for dinner and Mitch and Kathryn opened some extra-special wine and the cupcakes the girls served for dessert were the perfect bow on a perfect day.
Monday was open and agenda-less, though Isaac once again missed the memo on sleeping in…
Bina greeted Isaac that morning with a look that said, “You’re still here?!”
Whatever my dad is selling in this game of Sushi Go, Juliette and Morgan clearly aren’t buying…
The afternoon stir-crazies started to set in…
And so we got out, for a rainy walk at Lake Oswego.
More gaming…
And the finishing touches on one hell of a puzzle.
We played a rousing round of Code Names before dinner and though I can’t recall what was so funny, I do remember my Dad literally laughing so hard he cried, which had all of us rolling. Isaac was sitting on my lap and yukked it up with the rest of us – he hadn’t the foggiest idea what was going on, but he knew it was fun.
Tuesday was our departure day, so we snapped a few final family pics, let Isaac do another 37 loops around the house with his shopping cart, and packed it up.
Thank you again, Jarrells, for sharing your home and your wine and especially your love.
