After returning from our cruise to the Bahamas, I literally washed all of my clothes and returned them back to the suitcases, went to bed, and the next day left for Dallas. George stayed home to finish work and the plan was after I flew home from Dallas, we would fly to Utah for Christmas. I was going to help tend Jeff and Amy's kids for five days, spend a few days with Cameron and Anne's family, then tend for Craig and Cassie for five days. It was great in theory, but things just didn't quite work the way we'd planned. I was still able to have some wonderful times while I was in Dallas.
The day after arriving in Dallas and while staying at Jeff and Amy's, we woke up to ice everywhere! Literally, you couldn't walk or drive anywhere because of the thick ice and no equipment or ice removing sand or salt to get rid of it. The city literally closed down! Three days of no school, and no church on Sunday at all. Luckily, Amy had flown out to New York the afternoon before the ice storm or she would have never gotten out!
The kids thought they could make a snow man--but the "snow" was literally in clumps and there was no rolling it together.
The had fun going out, but couldn't stay long because of the bitter cold and it was just slippery wherever they went!
Fortunately, I was able to attend the Relief Society Christmas party the night before and hear Sydney play her flute solo of "O Little Town of Bethlehem." With private lessons, band, and orchestra at school, she is becoming such a great flute player! I was so proud of her! Here she is with both Grandmas--Grandma Laura and Grandma Debbie.
The day after arriving in Dallas and while staying at Jeff and Amy's, we woke up to ice everywhere! Literally, you couldn't walk or drive anywhere because of the thick ice and no equipment or ice removing sand or salt to get rid of it. The city literally closed down! Three days of no school, and no church on Sunday at all. Luckily, Amy had flown out to New York the afternoon before the ice storm or she would have never gotten out!
The kids thought they could make a snow man--but the "snow" was literally in clumps and there was no rolling it together.
The had fun going out, but couldn't stay long because of the bitter cold and it was just slippery wherever they went!
Craig and Cassie, Cameron and Anne are in the same ward, so the little boys came, too. They had a really fun time in the nursery--especially because Cameron was one of the dads who volunteered to tend the little ones while the women had a wonderful dinner and Christmas program.
So, while I was tending Jeff and Amy's three children, another responsibility was Frisco--their new puppy. Isn't he adorable? However, you can see that he loves to chew--and when he chewed up my glasses so badly that I can only see what looks like glitter through them, I didn't think he was so adorable! I had to wear them like that until I got back to Florida and couldn't get an eye appointment until January 10th!
To pass the time while we were mostly indoors for five days, we played with puzzles, play dough, watched Disney movies, played video games (I'm terrible at them!), and Lola and I had a tea party with her little tea set. (A Disclaimer Here: Lola hates her hair combed, and I didn't have the heart to get her crying, so while her mommy was gone, I have to say it didn't look the best! Sorry!)
One day, we ventured over to Cameron and Anne's to go "sledding" in baskets and on cookie sheets.
This all looked like so much fun until Jaxon slipped on the ice face-first, and I was sure he had a concussion. That ended the sledding quickly!
And what was Amy doing in New York? Having a fantastic time with three of her best friends in all of the greatest places! Here she was at Times Square just after the tree was lit.
The next morning, she got her three seconds of fame when they panned across the visitors who stood outside the "Today Show" window.
Oh, I shouldn't say three seconds, because after she got back, she found out she was the poster girl for this year's "Time Out for Women." She had no idea about this because they had just taken a group picture at last year's conference, and they had selected her headshot. Darling picture, Amy!
And guess who they chose for "Time Out for Girls." Sydney and her friend. So fun!
Amy was unable to get home from New York for about a day and a half later than she anticipated because of the closure of the airport in Dallas, but as soon as she got home, we all got together for a little Christmas dinner and party.
We had a delicious dinner at Craig and Cassie's home.
Such a wonderful evening with everyone--what can be better--celebrating the birth of our Savior with those you love!
A proud mommy!
A couple of Sydney's friends who came to the concert to support her. How sweet!
After the concert, they had refreshments in the cafeteria. I had to laugh--Mason had brought along his loom to work on his rubber band bracelets. Jaxon had shown him how, and he loves to do it! So does Gavin! Those little kids are so good at it!
One day, Riley, Gavin and I were trying to play the Match game, but Mia had other ideas. She sat right in the middle of our game! No one wanted to move her because she might have different ideas, and no one wanted to get scratched, so we just played around her wagging tail! Hah!
Kennedy just watched and crawled around. She finally started walking shortly after Christmas.
Another day, we went over to see the new house that Jeff and Amy bought.
Amy calls this the "grassy knoll" behind them. Nobody will ever build back there, so that will be nice.
In addition, they had some very old Bibles on display. Such a treat to see them up so close! (Geneva Bible 1610) The Geneva Bible was the first Bible brought to America on the Mayflower.
The next night I stayed with Craig and Cassie. The plan was that they were going to New York the next day for a few days together there, and I would tend . However, those plans changed when we got the call that we all knew would happen one day, but definitely weren't expecting it at this time. The call pained all of our hearts so deeply. Next blog: We go to Washington upon the death of our little grandson, Cannon.
3 comments:
So fun to see the pictures of everything you told me about! You probably have your biggest group of grandkids in Texas, right? I didn't know that Jeff and Amy are buying a house!! So happy for them, and the house looks just beautiful.
I love that Amy was the poster girl for the "Time Out for Women". She really has a radiant smile that lights up a room. Tell her congratulations!!
Also, so fun to see your families in Texas. We really enjoyed being with them in Utah as well. Looks like you had a great time together for the holidays!!
Even though it was a crazy schedule and adventure for this past holiday season, each of your grandkids and kids benefited from having you at their home. We definitely loved having you and dad. Thanks for always being so supportive in all we do, no matter the inconvenience at times!
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