Merry Christmas one and all!

Another Christmas has come and gone! And it goes without saying that this one was pretty different from any that we have had in the past, and hopefully also in the future:-/. We were able to make the most of it, but this is the first Christmas where we have not been with family (in person) at all - very strange. The kids were in great spirits and we were still able to have a wonderful Christmas. We spoiled them a little more than we normally would just because it's been a hard year and they have had such good attitudes about not being able to go to school and see their friends. They got a Nintendo Switch gaming system which has been a lot of fun for all of us - I promised them I would try and get into some games as well, they are always wanting me to play video games with them! So far I have got an island set up in Animal Crossing, and I am not coming in last in Mario Kart so there is hope for me yet:-D.

I've been doing a lot of puzzles, I think I mentioned this previously. I started a 3000 piece puzzle the other day, and because of the sheer volume of pieces I had no choice but to get a puzzle piece tray system for myself haha! It's made things a lot easier, and I'm enjoying zoning out in front of the puzzle board. 

We had a bit of snow early last week which was a real treat for the kids! Lynsey went out sledding with her friend Maggie, and Nathan built a little snowman on the deck:-). I'm personally glad it was a small amount and it didn't cause any big problems like the snow we've had the last few years, but it was enough for the kids to have a bit of fun. Fingers crossed this is it for the year!

We weren't able to gather with our families in person, but we did virtual gatherings with each of our families and they both went really well! I was surprised at how well the Fehr one went, with such a big group I wasn't sure we would be able to have meaningful conversations, but we were able to catch up a little bit with everyone which was nice. Virtual gatherings will never replace in person get togethers, but when it's all you have, it's certainly better than doing nothing! Very much hoping I will be able to get up there at Easter time. I am hopeful but I really have no idea if it will be possible, I guess time will tell.

Tomorrow we embark on a little vacation to Phoenix. We are going to go and try and make the most of it in this crazy time, while being as safe as we can. I'm not super worried about flying, I am a bit worried about the other people at the resort not being as concerned about social distancing as we are. Oh well, we can only control what we do, so it will be up to us to try and stay in situations we are comfortable with! Lots of take out and walks out in nature, hopefully the hot tubs won't be full all the time so we can get some hot tub time in as well. I'm hoping it will be relaxing and sunny and just a little change of pace for us. I'm sure there are people that think we are terrible for taking this vacation in a pandemic, but we all have to try and balance the collective concerns of society with our own family's well being. We decided we could do this trip relatively safely, and that we all needed this break after the year it's been. Sorry to anyone that disagrees, goodness knows I disagree with how many other people have handled this pandemic so I guess that's our right! 

 

Christmas Preparations, 12 days to go!

Less than two weeks to go until Christmas! A few weekends ago I decided to try making "Schmaunt" cookies (cream cookies). It was a bit of a project but they turned out pretty good! Not as good as my moms or anything, but not bad for a first attempt. What else have we been up to . . . we moved the piano out of the living room into the front room, I think it looks nice in there! We just need to get our new furniture for the living room so we can move our couches into the front room, and it will look a lot more complete. Last weekend the kids did a gingerbread house which was a fun activity. It's hard to find things for the kids to do these days with all the restrictions in place, so I'm trying to find a few things here and there to break up the monotony of the days. Yesterday we went to the downtown park to see Redmond Lights. The lights themselves were a bit underwhelming but it was so nice to get out of the house! We have not had many outings as a family in the last nine months, Adam did so well even without a coat. Brian piled on a bunch of long sleeve shirts which he apparently tolerates for some reason, I'm sure that was helpful!

We have been agonizing over whether or not we should still take our New Years trip to Phoenix. My mind changes on this almost daily, I feel a lot of pressure to do the "right thing". It's hard when I know so many people will be travelling and it just doesn't seem fair that we have to keep making these sacrifices when so many people just aren't. I understand that this isn't necessarily the right attitude, but it's definitely there in my mind. We have been careful and following the rules, and this isn't even against the rules, so  I have been thinking lately that we would go. I could still change my mind over the next few weeks, and likely will a few times:-/.

I've been working hard on my 2000 piece puzzles, I finished London this past week and started New York yesterday. I might have to get another one, a bigger one, ordered soon so I have something to do over Christmas! All the Christmas shopping is done, although I'm still waiting for a few things to arrive in the mail. There was a bit of a Christmas pajama fiasco when my order from Kohl's with Lynsey's PJ's came and the bag had something completely different inside it. I was very annoyed, since it's been 3 weeks since I ordered them and of course those pajamas are now out of stock! They did refund me but I had a hard time finding something equivalent on Amazon that was in stock. I found something that will hopefully work. We have ordered literally hundreds of packages from Amazon and not once have I opened a package to find someone else's order inside. Oh well, worse things have happened in this life! First world problems, I know!