We got to my parents house by 1 AM on December 26. The Gessells and Salazars were the only other John children in Boston so we got to spend a couple quieter days before the rest of the family arrived.
The minute we got settled down to bed that first night Sadie started coughing again. I didn't want her to keep the other girls up so I took her to the family room to sleep. She was scared to be left alone so I ended up laying next to her until 5 AM and then climbing into my bed upstairs until 8 AM. Sadie still managed to rise bright and early, but she was greeted by Nana and Papa instead of forcing me to get up.
Later that morning Hillary and Ben took Sadie and Elise to the Disney Store to pick out their Christmas presents. They selected beautiful dress-ups to wear to Disney on Ice. When they got home we all headed downtown for the big show. The arena was much smaller than the one in Utah, so most of the seats were close to the action
The girls (and women) were captivated the entire 2 hours. Disney on Ice is totally worth the money. Granted, we go once a year or every other year and pay about $15 per ticket, so we aren't spending loads of money on it.
Elise waved furiously at all the Toy Story characters. It was adorable.
Mills was her usual agreeable self.
On Saturday morning the Vieira family drove out to see us. It was wonderful to catch up with them. We have each added two more kids since we last got together in 2010. The kids played well and we chatted for a couple hours. Kim and I have been friends for almost 20 years.
That afternoon we walked over to my elementary school playground. It was a balmy 55 degrees so my kids insisted coats needed to come off. While there we also said hi to another one of my childhood friends, Katherine, whose parents live next to the school. I had hoped to see more friends during my trip but since my kids all took turns being sick and we were busy with family, I never ended up making it happen.
Sadie has definitely gotten both stronger and more courageous in the past 6 months. She went across higher monkey bars several times and slid down the fireman's pole repeatedly (something she was too scared to do last summer). She insisted I take pictures to send Daniel.
We arrived home just as Addy woke up from her nap. Sadie opted to stay outside and help Ben change the oil on my parent's cars.
It was very fun to see my kids interact with Hillary and Ben. I didn't realize how much I missed them until we saw them again. They were so great with the girls and helped me a lot with them during the trip.
Next up: the rest of the family arrives and the craziness really begins!
1 comments:
Sadie's dress is very seductive. And you are one good mom! Flying by yourself, staying up late with your kids . . .
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