We spent this Christmas in a little different climate than we have the past few years...the kids loved the snow...the mom didn't!!! I much prefer a Christmas day BBQ on the beach!! But, it was nice being with family for the holidays. The kids had a blast with the cousins. They always have such a great time when they get together.
The older the kids get, the harder they get to shop for but I think for the most part all the gifts were a success...all except for one!!! Prior to Christmas, Steve had mentioned that Cole really wanted a snake. I ALSO mentioned that I did NOT want a snake in my house and that I didn't want a pet that required other small animals as food. I thought that this was the end of it. Well...Christmas morning as we were opening gifts at Steve's parents, a large wrapped gift was pulled out from under the tree for Cole to open. Hmm...I bought the gifts and I don't recognize that one!!! I sat puzzled while Cole opened it. As soon as I saw what it was, all that came out was a big "WHAT!!??" I wasn't sure who to blame. Come to find out, everyone knew about the snake but me. They were all waiting in anticipation for Cole to open that gift to see what my reaction was. I wasn't happy but what could I do at this point. It was already done. Cole asked if he could take the snake to my mom's which is where we were staying. My mom is terrified of snakes, but she allowed it to come up. Well, that night the cage didn't get closed??? The snake escaped into my mom's basement. We searched for a couple of hours and didn't find him. Steve searched multiple times over the next few days with no luck. Finally, one morning he started to smell something so he followed his nose and found the snake in the back panel of the oven. He had gotten electrocuted and didn't make it. So it was a bitter sweet moment. The snake was found...no more tippy-toeing in the middle of the night to use the bathroom but Cole was kind of sad.
During the holidays there were many festivities. Having both families in the same town means lots and lots of parties, sledding, hay rides, hiking, etc. We usually need some down time to recover from the vacation. Hope you all had a great holiday season!!!
Cousin cuddling time
Christmas Eve Bingo
Grandkids Halls side (just missing one family)
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