It can't be over already! We have been planning for weeks for the arrival of all of the kids and grandkids for Christmas Week, and now they are gone. It is so quiet here--I can't stand it. I have cleaned all 4 bathrooms and have attacked the mountains of laundry in an effort to avoid the awful truth--they are gone! It was a great week though and fortunately we have lots of photos to remind us of all the special moments. The grandkids surprise us by their unique and developing personalitites. It is so gratifying to see how the kids are doing beautifully in the job of bringing up their kids. What a sweet bunch! It must be some kind of miracle to have everyone under one roof and still to be able to have a blast with each other, kid around, and look out for the other's welfare. It is chaotic and heavenly at the same time, which is surely a description of the Christian life in general. I wouldn't have it any other way.
We took the family out to an Italian restaurant, Cinzetti's. Not being sure how the kids would like the food, Bill and I took them on a tour of all the food stations they could choose from at the buffet. That got them really pumped up and adventurous about the food, and they really ate well, (Emma even tried the Calamari!) but ice cream and the Italian ices really made the greatest hit. Notice all the ice cream cups on the table?
The boys are outnumbered 4 to 2 in the family, but they enjoy the special times with "Pop-pop" who took them out for breakfast and spent time helping the boys decorate ornaments with their names on them in sparkle paints and glitter.
