Well, we spent almost the whole month of November sick and quaratined, but at least we were able to see both families over the holidays this year! We visited Grandma and Grandpa's house for a few days before Christmas. We didn't have a whole lot of time all together, but we made the most of it and even got a pretty good family photo.
Our visit to the symphony's Christmas show was extra special for 3 reasons: 1) We hadn't been in 2 years, since it was cancelled last year; 2) It was our first time bringing Mae and Oliver; and...
3) Mae lost her first tooth (lower left incisor) while eating a cookie during intermission!! Her adult teeth are already coming in. If all she wanted for Christmas was her two front teeth, then Santa sure delivered!
She loved everything about the show, but she seemed particularly amazed by the full-company singing and dancing numbers. She loved the big sparkly dresses and audibly "awwwed" when the dancers came out in their big "Holly Jolly Dollies" costumes. Viewing it through her eyes made it feel so extra special this year!
The next evening we went to the outdoor lights on the grounds of the art museum. Colin was enthralled with the sprawling light display set to music from the Nutcracker, since they had big light-up spheres ("Ball! Ball!"). The kids had fun with their Christmas light necklaces from Grandma and Grandpa (and they made Mae easy to keep an eye on in the dark.)
The next morning we went on a really cute Christmas train ride. We rode in little train cars which were towed around the back lot of a hardware store decorated with all sorts of Christmas scenes featuring animatronic reindeer, elves, etc. Colin LOVED the moving characters and did his wiggly Kermit-arms dance every time we passed a scene with music.
He did NOT love sitting on Santa's lap. After baby Mae (who loved Santa from the second she set eyes on him), I could not contain my amusement of having a baby with the classic "screaming bloody murder" reaction.
Santa was a good sport, and Colin gained enough courage to play trains with him. But I could tell he was keeping an eye on Santa for any sudden movements.
We fit in several fun activities, including a trip to the indoor pool, while we were visiting, but we also managing to save time for playing. All the kids helped Grandpa out with his big puzzle. It's so fun that Oliver, Archie, and Mae are all old enough to help with puzzle pieces now!
Colin is starting to understand playing with trains (instead of just being a baby-zilla and destroying the track), so he had fun with Grandma and Grandpa's Playmobil train. He also got his own Playmobil recycling truck and airplane from them, which he loved! Mae had lots of fun assembling her new Lego Dots pineapple pencil holder set. I am especially looking forward to decorating my bedroom with the new duvet and quilt I got for Christmas. Thanks for such a fun Christmas, family!
We left their house on the 22nd to get Mae home in time for her second COVID vaccine. She was scared but handled it well, and we had MOD pizza to celebrate being fully vaxxed! Congrats, Mae!
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