Awake: 7:25am Temp 29 sleep 6+59 mostly sunny overnight @ Indiana, PA.
K & I attend 9:30am Mass with the Footes + Katrina & Karina @ Saint Thomas More Church. The boys were a little sleepy but mostly pretty good in church. After Mass, K & I returned to our motel, changed clothes & then visited the Foote Castle & family for most of the day.
Interesting enough, all the presents were under the Christmas tree save for one big thing covered with a green sheet in the playroom (a wooden kitchen); none of the boys bothered those gifts & they had to wait until after 2:00pm to begin the gift opening ceremony. Jerry was sleeping in the living room when we arrived from our motel & continued to sleep until the opening ceremony. Nathan fell asleep on the way home from church & continued sleeping upstairs in the bedroom; Andrew took a very short nap in church, but awoke before they left church. Melissa gave Andrew & Matthew a snack & we waited for the sleeping Nathan & Jerry to wake.
Nathan awoke from his nap around 2:00pm but Jerry was still asleep on the living room couch. Nick let Melissa know that it was OK for the opening activities to begin even though Jerry was sleeping & thus, the distribution system began. Karina read the name on the gift & the boys took turns carrying it to the proper receiver. Melissa estimated that it would take another (2) hrs for the boys to open everything; I didn’t time it but it sure seemed a lot faster.
Then the kitchen crew came alive: Kevin was in charge of the turkey & potatoes; Melissa made the rolls & green bean casserole; Kathy contributed the salad & gravy. And the dishes & pans continued to mount!!
Dinner: turkey; apple, bread stuffing; mashed white potatoes; gravy; sweet potatoes; green bean casserole, not the usual mushroom soup/onion variety, much better; Melissa’s homemade rolls & salad.
Wrapping paper flew & mounted as gifts were opened. There were too many gifts to mention but from a causal observer’s standpoint, those young guys sure were excited to get new & different toys; just watching those youngsters open their presents & seeing the looks & smiles on their faces, brought joy to us adults for this Christmas season.
Lights out: 12:14am
Jerry loves his gifts - thanks Grandma and G-daddy!
Thank you very much Jerry & please do thank your DAD for my gifts of Nestcafe Excella. It's wonderful having you guys nearby.