Christmas time was here and among all the hustle and bustle we were still able to do a lot of our usual Christmas traditions.
We visited Santa, who seems to have spent a lot of time in London this past year because he's picked up a British accent.
We went to Vasona to see all the lights, and Steph and Ellie had their cookie baking day with Isela, Liv, Steph and KK.
The big difference this year, was we went to Texas to be with the Miranda side of the family. Flew in on Christmas Eve day, a very full flight and a little bumpy, but not terrible. They did have Wifi, which was a gift for the kids (I mention this because on the way back, no Wifi. It was like the stoneages for them.).
But before we took off, the kids did get to open some of their presents at home. For Lukas, it was a WWE Christmas. He asked for a John Cena shirt, and some wrestling action figures, and got them. Plus a wrestling ring which he thought was the best gift ever.
And it wasn't long before we landed that we "needed" to go to Whataburger. I'll be honest, it's fine, it's a regular fast food hamburger.
In Texas, we attended Christmas Eve Mass with Leo and Dolores. Had Thai food that night because it seemed to be the only restaurant open on Christmas Eve.
We stayed with Marlo and Greg, which was nice. Got to spend time with Rachel, Leia and Violet, which was super fun for Ellie and Lukas.
Christmas Day was breakfast with Leo and Dolores, cousins opening presents, watching a little football and lots of food. Xavier and Linda came in from Houston, and Mary Lou and Joe came in from El Paso on their way to Virginia.
We got to visit with Melissa and Stephen one afternoon, which was a lot of fun as well.
On our final day we visited the Gaylord Hotel and Event Center where they had an ice sculpture exhibit. They gave you a jacket because inside the exhibit it was 9 degrees (Yes, I still wore shorts and flip flops!). Each year is a theme, and this year it was Rudolph, like the claymation show.
Included in the exhibit was a giant slide made of ice, which as you can see in the picture, was quite amusing to Lukas.
As an added bonus, the Event Center was home to Notre Dame football for the week since they were playing in the Cotton Bowl for the College Football playoff. Spoiler alert, they lost bad to Clemson, but that didn't stop Lukas from posing with a replica Heisman Trophy and picking up a Notre Dame shirt.
Like mentioned above, the return trip was delayed and had no Wifi, so not as great as the flight there. We landed about 11:30, got home about midnight, and were back on the road the next morning to Fremont to pick up grandma, then meet Katelyn and Michael for brunch in Lodi and to Loomis for our Christmas visit there.
As an added present, Lukas picked up a scar that we'll have to see how long it stays with him. But he learned a valuable lesson, don't use your front brakes when going down hill fast.
Another quick night and back on the road the next day home. The kids stayed and are enjoying their time off with grandma and papa.
Lot of travel, lots of food, lots of family, lot of fun.
We visited Santa, who seems to have spent a lot of time in London this past year because he's picked up a British accent.
We went to Vasona to see all the lights, and Steph and Ellie had their cookie baking day with Isela, Liv, Steph and KK.
The big difference this year, was we went to Texas to be with the Miranda side of the family. Flew in on Christmas Eve day, a very full flight and a little bumpy, but not terrible. They did have Wifi, which was a gift for the kids (I mention this because on the way back, no Wifi. It was like the stoneages for them.).
But before we took off, the kids did get to open some of their presents at home. For Lukas, it was a WWE Christmas. He asked for a John Cena shirt, and some wrestling action figures, and got them. Plus a wrestling ring which he thought was the best gift ever.
And it wasn't long before we landed that we "needed" to go to Whataburger. I'll be honest, it's fine, it's a regular fast food hamburger.
 |
| The most overhyped fast food chain on the planet |
In Texas, we attended Christmas Eve Mass with Leo and Dolores. Had Thai food that night because it seemed to be the only restaurant open on Christmas Eve.
We stayed with Marlo and Greg, which was nice. Got to spend time with Rachel, Leia and Violet, which was super fun for Ellie and Lukas.
Christmas Day was breakfast with Leo and Dolores, cousins opening presents, watching a little football and lots of food. Xavier and Linda came in from Houston, and Mary Lou and Joe came in from El Paso on their way to Virginia.
We got to visit with Melissa and Stephen one afternoon, which was a lot of fun as well.
On our final day we visited the Gaylord Hotel and Event Center where they had an ice sculpture exhibit. They gave you a jacket because inside the exhibit it was 9 degrees (Yes, I still wore shorts and flip flops!). Each year is a theme, and this year it was Rudolph, like the claymation show.
Included in the exhibit was a giant slide made of ice, which as you can see in the picture, was quite amusing to Lukas.
As an added bonus, the Event Center was home to Notre Dame football for the week since they were playing in the Cotton Bowl for the College Football playoff. Spoiler alert, they lost bad to Clemson, but that didn't stop Lukas from posing with a replica Heisman Trophy and picking up a Notre Dame shirt.
Like mentioned above, the return trip was delayed and had no Wifi, so not as great as the flight there. We landed about 11:30, got home about midnight, and were back on the road the next morning to Fremont to pick up grandma, then meet Katelyn and Michael for brunch in Lodi and to Loomis for our Christmas visit there.As an added present, Lukas picked up a scar that we'll have to see how long it stays with him. But he learned a valuable lesson, don't use your front brakes when going down hill fast.
Another quick night and back on the road the next day home. The kids stayed and are enjoying their time off with grandma and papa.
Lot of travel, lots of food, lots of family, lot of fun.
Comments
Post a Comment