Holiday in pictures

As promised, some pictures from our Christmas! Christmas Eve was spent doing lots of baking...well, that's what I did! Cy had to work from 9 a.m. till 8 p.m.! It's horrid working retail during the holidays!

 

But Ana and her boyfriend, Travis, took advantage of the new snow and made some great snowmen!

 

After a late dinner, it was time to open gifts!

 

Ana was super excited about the CHI hair straightener she got!

 

Even though he don't look it here, Cy was thrilled with his dress clothes from Express...later, he put on a little show for mom!

 

 

 

Joel was pleased that there was a little baseball this Christmas...

 

I bought us a 20-game season ticket package for the new stadium! We are sitting very, very high!

 

No pictures of me on Christmas Eve (I was taking the pics!)...but I was thrilled with my new DVDs...Thirtysomething, Season 1, Julie & Julia, and the fantastic movie Up. I also got some wonderful things to help me relax--a massage chair pad (it works great!) and Ana got me one of those things you put around your neck (and you can heat it up in the microwave...smells like lavender!)

A few days later, we had Christmas with Joel's kids--

 

Hope you all enjoyed a wondrous holiday season!

 

Mr. Santa

Mr. Santa was worn out from dealing with all the kids and needed a nap!

Lucy with Santa

Linnea, Becky's daughter

Me & Santa

Lucy & Morgan with Santa

Here are photos from Joel's gig as Santa at my work. The kids pictured are co-workers.

Joel was proud of his natural Santa ponch, but the beard and hair were fake of course. Still I think he made a pretty good looking Santa.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Joel & I returned today from the land of the whirlpool jets. There's something so nice about escaping from home--even if it's only an hour away and even if it's only for a few days. We got to relax, play, and just spend time together without the intrusions of work and kids. We returned to Moondance Inn, where we spent our honeymoon. Moondance is a beautiful bed and breakfast located in Red Wing. I know there are lots of nice b & b's out there...and part of me wants to explore others, but a bigger part of me just wants to return to Moondance again and again. It is such a comforting place to be and feels so homey. I think this little respite will help me get thru the busy holiday season.

We shifted gears dramatically when we returned home. We had a brief stop at home and then Joel went with me to work. Tonight we had our annual holiday party for our program families. Joel played Santa and I was his helper. The parties are always a little chaotic...there are lots of families, adults and kids of all ages, and not nearly enough staff to keep it feeling sane. Actually, the prep always seems to be the worst part. Once the families arrive, everything just seems to happen. Fortunately, our families don't seem adverse to the craziness.

Joel was a great Santa. He handled equally well the kids that were scared of him and the kids who were determined to find out if he was "real". One kid said to him "You work for the little people." Joel responded, "They work for me."

It was a fun night. There will pictures soon--of Moondance and Santa!