Family Christmas in San Diego

     Well Ben has been complaining for years that no one comes out and visits him for Christmas, so this year we put on the full court press.  Recapping just a little bit, we all remember that Liam was due to arrive the end of September.  So Debbie and I planned our Journey to See America 2016, to arrive in San Diego shortly before Liam.  After stops in Cleveland to visit the Lagasse Family, and then stops in Utah for some National Park visits around Moab, Ut, and a pilgrimage to Monument Valley to view John Wayne movie locations, we arrived in SD right on schedule.  MAE arrived a few days before Christmas, intent on working on a tan before returning to NY.  (Sorry about that MAE!)  Yes, the weather failed to cooperate, and she experienced wet, cold San Diego weather.  It's hard to work on a tan without taking off a sweatshirt!

     Debbie seemed to spend most of her free time making Christmas cookies for her brother and son.  As far as she's concerned it's not Christmas until all the cookies are baked and all the presents are wrapped!  I don't think there's anyone around who enjoys this time of year as much as Debbie.   Every once in a while she starts talking about being back in NY for Christmas, and I have to change the subject quickly!  It is different without the snow, but the most important ingredient in a successful Christmas is Family, and in that category we scored big.
     We got a few lights up outside of Big Red, and Debbie had a a nice Christmas tree so Santa had some place to put ALL of MaryAnne's presents!  Actually I think there were a few in their for me too.

 We all attended midnight mass over in Lakeside, and the choir did an exceptional job!  Christmas morning, Debbie and I sat around for MAE to wake up!  Santa had obviously visited, and she wasn't waking up!  "Christmas, An Art Form" had done a tremendous job and everyone remembered to be very careful when opening presents.

      After cleaning up in Big Red, it was time to head over to see how Liam was enjoying his 1st Christmas.  Ben, Joanne, and Jamo had waited patiently for us to arrive, and greeted us with a refreshing mimosa to get the activities rolling.  Everyone scored pretty big this year, but Jamo seemed to be enjoying some of his presents too!  His favorite was a squeaky too that whistled at a pitch that only dogs can hear every time he chomped down on it.  Drove him nuts....for about 15 minutes...till he gained access to that whistle. Then it seemed like a good idea just to eat it.  Time to take that toy away!

     Aunt MaryAnne spent most of the day with her nephew, spoiling him as much as she could. She bought him a noisy crab that crawls around sideways making lots of squawks and squeaks!  It's gonna drive Jamo nuts cause it's activated by movement, so every time he walks by it, it starts squawking.  Ben is going to love that when he's trying to sleep.

Debbie got into the mischief by making MAE a Dallas Cowboys burp cloth.  Ben just loves having that around!!  It was a great day overall, and we finished the day with a nice fire in the back yard.  The temperatures have fallen into the 30's every night, so the fire was a welcomed event.

     When it was all over, the Head Elf rested.  A few dozen Christmas cookies had been baked and enjoyed.  All the presents were wrapped with care.  Time to start working on next year's celebration.

And it looks like Liam has found his thumb.....just like Grammie!!!

    

             

                 So Merry Christmas to everyone and we hope for a Happy and Peaceful New Year.