Christmas 2017 - Katy, TX

Christmas this year was about as good as they come - with the exception of one missing family member. Tim didn't make it to Texas this year, and was definitely missed.

I got up at 6:00 on Christmas morning and crept down the stairs to find this sweet little package on the sofa, sleeping in the glow of the Christmas tree lights. I'm told that he actually came downstairs at 3:45 to ask if he could look in his stocking. When he was told "Not yet," he went upstairs and woke Clara to let her know that they COULDN'T look in their stockings yet.

Finally, around 7:45 a.m., after gathering in front of the Christmas tree for a photo, everyone got the "okay" to begin passing out and opening gifts.

Clara got a beautiful charm bracelet and several special charms. She was also really pleased with the owl wall decor that Robert made, with a little help, at his Daddy's workbench and using Daddy's tools.

Robert got a Lego kit to make an RC tracked racer. Probably his favorite gift was an aquarium for his bedroom and a gift card to equip the aquarium and buy fish.

For breakfast, Clara made Monkey Bread (seems an appropriate breakfast for the monkey pictured above!), which we enjoyed along with some hot cocoa.

Later that day, for lunch, Chris prepared cold-cuts, including a variety of natural cheeses and cured meats. He taught us a new word, inviting us to enjoy his charcuterie spread.

That evening we talked with Tim by phone, and let him know that he was missed. After the phone call, it turned into "pile-on-Daddy" time.

Clara eventually left the pile and climbed into an easy chair to listen to music on her new MP4 player. This was a birthday gift (Dec. 8), not a Christmas gift. However, there was a speaker for it under the Christmas tree!

But Robert never made it up off the floor. It had been a very long day for him - starting at 3:45 a.m. - and sleep came easily, for both Robert and his Daddy.

The day after Christmas Robert was eager to go to PetSmart to pick out some fish for his aquarium. When we got there, and talked with one of the employees, he told us that the aquarium water needed to sit for a minimum of 24 hours - and maybe as long as several weeks - to be safe for the fish. So Robert picked out some gravel, a beautiful hidden-hole statue, a plant, and a moss ball.

The fish will come later. I thought he might be disappointed at not getting any fish right away, but the moss ball turned out to be almost as good as fish. Robert named it "Mossy," although we tried to get him to name it after a Formula1 race car driver - like "Stirling Moss" or, maybe, "Felipe Moss-a."  But Mossy it was, and he proclaimed his love for Mossy numerous times that day.

On the 27th everyone went to Schlotzky's for lunch. There we took one final photo with the kids, and then left for home. We've got the best grandkids ever! What a joy to share the holidays with them.