Christmas has come and gone! Time moves oddly during the holiday season. In many ways, it moves quickly and slowly, all at the same time. It seems that we are racing toward Christmas and staring down a nice, long vacation. What day it is and what time it is seem less relevant. And then suddenly, Christmas has passed and real life is right around the corner. Eek! Our family has a way of making Christmas into a multi-day event. Our Christmas vacation has been filled with friends, family, fun, and food (so many favorites). Thankfully, our holiday break isn’t quite over yet!
The Friday before Christmas, our family took off for the coast. My forever friend, Maggie, was staying at the beach and we scheduled one more get-together to say good-bye. Maggie and I met for lunch at Pig’N Pancake (an Oregon Coast favorite). While Maggie and I ate lunch, ran errands, and grabbed one last Starbucks red cup together, Jeremy took the boys on their own adventures which included climbing the Astoria Column and flying gliders off the top. When our families met up, we took a walk to the beach and then watched the kiddos swim in the condo pool. It was a lovely day, even thought it meant good-bye for awhile. We love this family and we are excited for their new season in a new state.
Christmas was spread out over three days! Christmas Eve Eve (or Christmas Adam, if you prefer), was spent with the Scott family. We enjoyed good food, gifts, and games together. A family Bunco tournament and Christmas Plinko were just some of the shenanigans. The Scott family excels at games. Christmas Eve was a meal and gifts with my parents and sister. Christmas Eve evening, the boys opened their gifts from us and each other. Christmas morning, the boys opened stockings and then we took off for GG’s house where we had another gift exchange and meal. We sure do pack a lot into three days! We are so blessed by our families and the memories we’re able to make together at Christmastime.
We have a Day-After-Christmas tradition of shopping in Portland, OR. We often receive gift cards/cash at Christmas and we’re obviously eager to spend it. I enjoy the family outing and the time together as much as I enjoy the actual shopping. While there was plenty of frivolous shopping (mostly done by the kids), we also snagged sales on jeans, water bottles, and hand soap. I know, I know! We know how to have a good time in the big city. Ha!
Now that Christmas has wrapped up, the rest of our break is continued time with family and friends. Yesterday, my forever friend, Christa, and I got together for lunch while she’s on her holiday school break. After lunch, Jeremy and I took the boys to see Migration in theaters. We don’t go to the movies very often, so this was quite the treat for the boys. Owen got an ICEE since chewy candy is a no-go with him metal mouth and Graham ate through a whole bag of Sour Patch Kids. A movie about birds seemed perfect for our young ornithologists. Based on all the giggles I heard, the move was a hit.
Today, Jeremy spent the day with his family on a golf outing and the boys and I have enjoyed a much needed, restful day around the house. As an introvert, I needed some recharge time after going here and there and everywhere! Now, I’ll be ready and rested fore more good times this weekend. There are a few more festivities before we return to routine. Happy Almost New Year to you all!
Amy Scott's Thoughts 