Christmas
We spent another festive Christmas season with our families this year, though our travels were significantly more abbreviated without the luxury of an extended maternity leave. Just a quick trip to Minnesota then several more days with g/g Wolff here in DC.
We flew to Minneapolis early on Thursday morning. On the advice of a very wise friend, I raided the office supply room before leaving work on Wednesday, which provided hours of toddler entertainment on the plane. The pack of sticky tabs kept him occupied for a solid forty-five minutes.
Though we only had two days, we managed to hit most of our usual Minneapolis highlights. We had dinner with the Bradens and happy hour with the Andersons, and I got my annual trip to the awesome consignment store (yellow pumps!). We also managed to sneak in some quiet time exploring the garden outside grandma and grandpa's apartment, plus a brunch in our pajamas, and playing in a bucket.
Last year, Henry mostly got passed from arm to arm and slept in the car seat during Schrader family Christmas Eve. This year he got to fully participate in the festivities, playing with fistfuls of Nancy's Mardi Gras beads, snacking on Teresa's appetizers, enjoying Frosty the Snowman with the kids, downing an entire piece of grasshopper pie for dessert, and singing songs while wearing a dopey hat. Other than the grasshopper pie, he rejected the rest of the dinner, but we're hoping chef Mark wasn't offended, since Henry wore a sweater vest in his honor. He had a great time with Ethan, Owen, and Dylan -- bigger boys are super cool now, and the big boys were very patient with Henry.
We had a quick breakfast on Christmas morning with gg/gg Bob and Joan. We tried to get another 4-generation picture, but it turns out that a 6-week-old baby is far more compliant for picture-staging than a 14-month-old, and Henry looks a little nutty in every shot. Or maybe it's because he slept about three fewer hours every night in Minnesota than he normally sleeps at home. We were all getting a little nutty.
Grandma and Grandma Wolff met us in D.C. and Henry got to do a second Christmas morning. The biggest hits were the Duplo from uncle Matt and the rocking pirate ship from Aunt Amy. Perhaps not coincidentally, the rocking pirate ship plays the most horrible song of all time, and Henry's giant belly hits the "play" button every time he rocks forward.
He also pulled all of the exciting things out of his giant ock -- including the traditional Christmas Toblerone.
Grandma Jane took care of Henry for the rest of the week since Elaine had the week off. Sounds like they had a good time, but apparently whatever happens with Grandma stays with Grandma.
It's been lovely to be home and have so much time with the family. It'll be tough to go back on Tuesday, but we're looking forward to a wonderful 2012. Happy New Year, everyone!
We flew to Minneapolis early on Thursday morning. On the advice of a very wise friend, I raided the office supply room before leaving work on Wednesday, which provided hours of toddler entertainment on the plane. The pack of sticky tabs kept him occupied for a solid forty-five minutes.
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| I guess we'll have to check him. |
Though we only had two days, we managed to hit most of our usual Minneapolis highlights. We had dinner with the Bradens and happy hour with the Andersons, and I got my annual trip to the awesome consignment store (yellow pumps!). We also managed to sneak in some quiet time exploring the garden outside grandma and grandpa's apartment, plus a brunch in our pajamas, and playing in a bucket.
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| Puppyhead wants eggs benedict. |
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| Norwegian sweater + bucket = awesome |
Last year, Henry mostly got passed from arm to arm and slept in the car seat during Schrader family Christmas Eve. This year he got to fully participate in the festivities, playing with fistfuls of Nancy's Mardi Gras beads, snacking on Teresa's appetizers, enjoying Frosty the Snowman with the kids, downing an entire piece of grasshopper pie for dessert, and singing songs while wearing a dopey hat. Other than the grasshopper pie, he rejected the rest of the dinner, but we're hoping chef Mark wasn't offended, since Henry wore a sweater vest in his honor. He had a great time with Ethan, Owen, and Dylan -- bigger boys are super cool now, and the big boys were very patient with Henry.
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| Movie time |
We had a quick breakfast on Christmas morning with gg/gg Bob and Joan. We tried to get another 4-generation picture, but it turns out that a 6-week-old baby is far more compliant for picture-staging than a 14-month-old, and Henry looks a little nutty in every shot. Or maybe it's because he slept about three fewer hours every night in Minnesota than he normally sleeps at home. We were all getting a little nutty.
Grandma and Grandma Wolff met us in D.C. and Henry got to do a second Christmas morning. The biggest hits were the Duplo from uncle Matt and the rocking pirate ship from Aunt Amy. Perhaps not coincidentally, the rocking pirate ship plays the most horrible song of all time, and Henry's giant belly hits the "play" button every time he rocks forward.
He also pulled all of the exciting things out of his giant ock -- including the traditional Christmas Toblerone.
Grandma Jane took care of Henry for the rest of the week since Elaine had the week off. Sounds like they had a good time, but apparently whatever happens with Grandma stays with Grandma.
It's been lovely to be home and have so much time with the family. It'll be tough to go back on Tuesday, but we're looking forward to a wonderful 2012. Happy New Year, everyone!
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