Well, since last I blogged we have done several fun, holiday-ish events in the Havens Household. First, we were expecting Grandma/pa Neeley, along with Aunts Becky and Netty and Albert, to arrive on Dec. 20. Unfortunately, the blizzard that ripped through the East Coast on the 19th of Dec. threw a wrench in those plans when the Neeley's could not fly in to Newark, NJ for their layover. By the time Continental airlines got to Mom's call, Tuesday afternoon was the earliest they could arrive. With this slight screw-up in our holiday plans, we found ourselves with 5 extra tickets for the Polar Express on the night of the 21st. The tickets, naturally, were non-refundable so we decided to bring along our friends the McCurry family. Their daughter Hannah is in Tory and Livy's dance class at Getup-n-dance here in Biddeford and they are quickly becoming our "go to" people, if you will. It is nice after a year and a half of living in Biddeford to finally have some people to call friends.
The 22nd brought the Neeley's in to Manchester, NH and Chloe and I loaded up in the Tahoe and headed down for the hour and 20 minute drive to pick them up. We arrived a little early and found out quickly once we walked in to the terminal that their flight was delayed. Again. It was due to arrive about 1:30 and it was well after two before they finally touched down. Luckily, Chloe was very happy-go-lucky in the airport and behaved like an angel. Once she saw them coming through the gate she bolted, going right past Aunt Netty and Albert right in to the arms of Grandma, then Grandpa.
Honestly, the rest of the next week and a half or so is a blur. We got Papa Richard from the Portland airport on the afternoon of the 24th and the girls anxiously waited for him. As soon as he and Andy walked through the front door all 3 girls were jumping in to his arms and squealing. Christmas Day brought close to 47 million gifts both from Santa and family and we spent hours opening gifts, cooking, eating, and chatting. It was so wonderful. Honest to God one of the best Christmases I've had in years. No stress, no drama, just love and happiness. Which is all I really wanted for Christmas.
One of the best things to happen during Christmas Day was Olivia's reaction to two of her gifts. From Santa, the girls were given Snow White, which I guess Olivia really wanted. When she saw it, she burst in to tears, saying "I wanted that movie SO BAD! How did he know!!??!!" I think this comes in part from being tired, partly from being overwhelmed by the sheer number of gifts, and partly from the previous week's onslaught of naughty behavior which probably had her questioning whether Santa would come at all. The other gift that brought her to tears was a teeny tiny Cinderella doll with an extra dress that Chloe picked out for her. Apparently she'd really wanted one of those too.
So, now it is January 1, 2010. The holidays are over and my house is a wreck. Everyone is gone and the house is too quiet. But I can honestly say I wouldn't have wanted the last weeks of 2009 to go any differently. Happy New Year, everyone!
No comments:
Post a Comment