We had a wonderful start to the Christmas break at Grampie and Grammie Ives' house on Christmas. The kids prepped for the visit with a shared bath ...
... which included back washing ...
...sudsing...
...and distinctive risning techniques.
We drove into Iowa City on the 23rd and enjoyed a full day to putz around and relax with family on Christmas Eve. We opened a couple of presents before tucking the kids to bed on Thursday night. They both slept with the reminder Santa wouldn't come if they were awake ...
On Christmas morning we got Maya all dressed up in a pretty green Christmas dress and white stockings. But, as Santa himself knows when he's sweating like a fool dressed in his red snowsuit as he makes his Christmas night swing through the desert southwest, sometimes the outfit looks right for the occasion but may not be practical for the activities planned.
Maya didn't care what she was wearing. All she wanted to do was to check out the space where Grammie and Grampie's dog Winnie had slept the night before. So she did. And her self-incarceration lasted most of the way through breakfast.
Later, Maya thanked Winnie for letting her share his space. She got up while we were opening presents and brought Winnie a gift to make sure he didn't feel left out.
It was hot cocoa mix.
Meanwhile, Owen was busy as our elf. He distributed presents and threw himself into his work (and into the tree) to make sure all of the presents were rescued from the back.
After presents, our energy turned to Christmas dinner. Maya helped set the table, placing napkins at everyone's space. 
Merry Christmas!
We drove back home on the 26th. The weather was changing, turning colder, with more snow and ice expected into the weekend. We took our time on the trip back, aware of the 19 cars we saw in the ditch and focused on just getting home safely. We stopped at a mall in Peoria en route to stretch our legs and take a break. There was a Christmas train ride there Owen really enjoyed.
The kids are off from school this week, so I've been enjoying some one-on-two time with them. On Monday, we all went swimming. Tuesday was a bit crazier. A plumber came on Tuesday morning and replaced a toilet that had needed repair for way more than a year. We then had to go to my work for a little bit to finish up a grant that was due. We stopped by City Hall to pick up the signed paperwork I needed, meeting the City Manager, City Clerk, and several other staff members along the way.
After a quick stop at the library, we drove to my office and got the forms in the mail.
It was quite the adventure.
Back to the library, quick. A fun story to share. We were in the line to check out. It was a long line and the kids went walking away together out of my sight behind a stand of DVDs. I could hear them, but as the line moved Owen must've thought it was time to get back into my eyesight. Next thing I know, here he comes carrying Maya by wrapping his arms under her pits and across her chest. He had a big grin on his face that said "Can you believe I'm doing this?!" She had a big grin on hers, too. But her's communicated one word only.
"Seriously?!"
I laughed out loud. He's been picking her up a lot ever since.
Yesterday was a little more back to vacation plan. We went to the Children's Discovery Museum in the morning. Owen and I played games while Maya was napping. And we all went to the pool in the afternoon.
Needless to say, they were both asleep by 7:30.
A few pictures from the Discovery Museum follow. They had a great time on the slide together. And Maya absolutely blew me away with her bravery in the climbing gym.
It took a lot of work for that little girl to climb so high ...
After presents, our energy turned to Christmas dinner. Maya helped set the table, placing napkins at everyone's space.
Merry Christmas!
We drove back home on the 26th. The weather was changing, turning colder, with more snow and ice expected into the weekend. We took our time on the trip back, aware of the 19 cars we saw in the ditch and focused on just getting home safely. We stopped at a mall in Peoria en route to stretch our legs and take a break. There was a Christmas train ride there Owen really enjoyed.The kids are off from school this week, so I've been enjoying some one-on-two time with them. On Monday, we all went swimming. Tuesday was a bit crazier. A plumber came on Tuesday morning and replaced a toilet that had needed repair for way more than a year. We then had to go to my work for a little bit to finish up a grant that was due. We stopped by City Hall to pick up the signed paperwork I needed, meeting the City Manager, City Clerk, and several other staff members along the way.
After a quick stop at the library, we drove to my office and got the forms in the mail.
It was quite the adventure.
Back to the library, quick. A fun story to share. We were in the line to check out. It was a long line and the kids went walking away together out of my sight behind a stand of DVDs. I could hear them, but as the line moved Owen must've thought it was time to get back into my eyesight. Next thing I know, here he comes carrying Maya by wrapping his arms under her pits and across her chest. He had a big grin on his face that said "Can you believe I'm doing this?!" She had a big grin on hers, too. But her's communicated one word only.
"Seriously?!"
I laughed out loud. He's been picking her up a lot ever since.
Yesterday was a little more back to vacation plan. We went to the Children's Discovery Museum in the morning. Owen and I played games while Maya was napping. And we all went to the pool in the afternoon.
Needless to say, they were both asleep by 7:30.
A few pictures from the Discovery Museum follow. They had a great time on the slide together. And Maya absolutely blew me away with her bravery in the climbing gym.
It took a lot of work for that little girl to climb so high ...
