Christmas 2021

We got up Christmas morning around 7:30 so we could start the festivities at 8am. The kids did a good job staying in their rooms and playing together until we got up. Then we went downstairs together. I made a treasure hunt for their stockings, which kept them busy while we got breakfast ready. We had eggs, bacon, cinnamon rolls and fruit.

After breakfast, we opened the presents. It was so nice to have my parents here to celebrate with us. I'm so grateful for the vaccines which let us do this fairly safely despite the never-ending-pandemic. Simon's main gifts were a skateboard and nerf guns (for Alice and Zac too, so they can have battles). Alice got a 3-D pen and wireless headphones.

After an early lunch of leftovers, I drove my parents to the airport and bid them farewell. Back at home, the kids tried out some of their Christmas gifts.

Around 4:30 we went to Jess and Anna's for Christmas dinner. Jess is an excellent cook, so we had a lovely meal of roast pork, glazed carrots, sautéed kale, and mashed potatoes. We ate so much we didn't even touch the pies. The kids had fun eating together on TV-trays and watching a movie. It was such a warm night that Jess had the windows open and the kids even went outside to play ball in the street. The kids did a great job playing together and hanging out. It seems like we've finally reached a tipping point where we can truly visit with our friends and not worry about the kids. It was such a nice Christmas day, since we got to spend it with both family and friends.

Christmas Eve

 For Christmas Eve breakfast, we had pie. It is our tradition now that on feast days we have pie for breakfast. The rest of the day we just sort of hung around the house. At 11:30 am we had a family Zoom call with Tener and Taesen. It went pretty well--we all sat on the couch and talked awkwardly for an hour. Then Zac spent the afternoon cooking the turkey and sides for our Christmas Eve dinner.  Supper was delicious. After that, we went for a night walk to look at Christmas lights. The kids started out on their bikes, which just didn't work at all. So we stashed them in the woods at the corner, and continued on foot. Once the kids were in bed, Zac and I got all the presents under the tree.

Schenck Forest Hike

 Thursday was another beautiful day, so we went to Schenck Forest right after lunch for a hike. We did a big loop, and a part of the trail I'd never been on before. It was a great hike and the kids didn't whine too much.

Downtown Cary Lights

 Wednesday evening, we drove to downtown Cary to look at the Christmas trees and holiday light displays there. I didn't take many pictures because it was cold and I was wearing gloves. Also Simon was very whiny for the second half. I think he got stressed out as it got dark.

Yates Mill Pond Hike

After a cold and rainy Tuesday, we needed to head out for a hike on beautiful, sunny Wednesday. We did the short loop at Yates Mill Pond, and also went down the bridge over the wetland.

Games with the Grandparents

 We picked up Nelson and Stana from the airport early Monday afternoon. They would stay with us through Christmas morning. One thing I love about the grandparent visits is how much they'll play board games and card games with the kids. The new addition this year was Ticket to Ride, a really fun board game that we actually got the kids for Christmas last year, but never played. We also watched three of the Home Alone movies.

Winter Solstice Party

 To celebrate the winter solstice and brighter days to come (literally, but not figuratively, as omicron bears down on us), we had a fire-pit party with Andrea, Natasha, Jess, and Robyn, plus all their kids (minus Anna who was at the Nutcracker with her other mom). Zac had just finished installing the new backyard pathway lights as well as cutting up some new trees for firewood. Izzy stayed the day, and the kids were a great help at transporting the logs and building the woodpiles. Unfortunately, none of these things were photographed. Nope. The only thing I inexplicably took a picture of was this pile of shoes by our back door. The kids had gotten bored of the fire and running around in the dark, so they had eventually all wandered up to the house to sit in the living room and watch silly YouTube videos together.

I think I liked this image because it reminded me of Namibia, where you must always take your shoes off outside. Whenever several students would come over to our house, there would be a pile of shoes by the door. I think I like the symbolism of it--how it signifies a welcoming house full of people. But also that all the kids are fully vaccinated by now, so we can finally have a house full of kids indoors again.

I'm worried about another lockdown (voluntarily) due to omicron's ability to spread so successfully. We're trying to get the most out of our social life while it's still able to function.

Reflections

 I've always really liked trees--mainly on an aesthetic and spiritual level (as I don't know their names or much about them, but I am obsessed with their beauty). I love that I can walk on a beautiful tree-filled greenway whenever I want. On today's walk, I was struck by the trees' reflection on the perfectly-still stream. I love winter when you can see the bones of the trees, their amazing branches ever reaching towards the sky.

On the way back, the moon was up. I like this image of it above the stop sign, a brighter streetlight in the sky. You can also see our Christmas lights on the tree at the corner of our lot. As a random side note, every time I pass this stop sign on my walk home, I tell it no.

Art Museum walk

 Alice and I enjoyed a windy walk with Natasha and Izzy at the NC Museum of Art park.

Hilarious Hairdo

 Simon gave me a hairdo today with the chip bag clip and a pencil. He thought it was hilarious.

Pattern plates

 Sometimes I still entertain myself in the tedium of bedtime snack preparation by making patterns with their fruit plates.

Gamer Simon

 Unfortunately, the inevitable has happened. Simon is now also interested in video games. Last year the kids got Mario Kart for Christmas, and a year later, they're finally playing it a lot. Since Simon is on his winter sabbatical from fishing, he's been expanding his areas of interest.

Portraits

 We took our family Christmas card portrait this morning. This was probably the least traumatic one to date. Just a minor scuffle with Alice about her outfit. Zac figured out the best way to keep Simon engaged was to give him the camera clicker.

And here's a portrait of our lovely cat.

Selfie

Self-portrait using the new portrait mode filter on my phone

Later that afternoon, I took a walk. At the end of the greenway, I felt really tired. So I just laid on the bench for a while looking at the golden trees and the blue sky. This picture doesn't capture the beauty adequately.

Fall sunset highway timelapse

 On my way home from my walk, I was struck by the beautiful colors of the sky and the fall leaves.