FIFTY-TWO

 

Our first week of Christmas break we spent mostly outside of Fredericksburg, TX with our friend/family the Caldwells. 

2022 week fifty-two

The kids just played hard all day long. 

We got to go on some long walks in the beautiful hill country. 

Theo spotted a prickly pear with several ripe fruits. We collected them, tried them raw and then made a little bit of jam with them. 

We finally got a coordinated family photo. 

On Wednesday we went into Fredericksburg to see the sights. 

The kids got to try ice skating for the first time. V, surprisingly, did not like it, and Theo, uncharacteristically, was really positive throughout the entire difficult endeavor. 

For our 12th anniversary, Matt gave me this beautiful set of pomegranate aril earrings and necklace. He was really pleased that my nails matched perfectly.  

Darrin and Sera took the kids back early, so Matt and I could have the afternoon to ourselves exploring the shops and eating pretzels. 

We stumbled upon a beautifully ornate cathedral. It was such a stunning surprise. 

Our dinner reservation took us early and we got to sit in the lounge by the fire with a cocktail. 

I've always wanted to do a chefs tasting menu, and it did not disappoint. It was so fun and was such a unique experience. Everything was delicious and beautiful. 

They warned us the portions would be deceptively filling, and truly by the second course we were wondering how we could get through it all. 

Each course was a new delight, however, and I happily ate my way through all of it. 

Veronica's favorite part of the trip was a sweet little feral cat we named Debbie. She wished to take her home with us, but truly that cat was living its best life on a resort with other feral cats. 

We hurried home through the arctic snow wind so on Friday we could do our 12 Days of Christmas Dinner. It is one of my favorite holiday traditions. There were 27 of us spread across three rooms. The girls table in the front room tried to beat everyone by singing the loudest for each course. 

After our dinner the kids put on a nativity for us. Everyone's favorite part was when the angel's wing loudly popped. 

On Christmas Eve, Theo helped me make gingerbread cookies. 

And Veronica helped me make a Yule Log. Theo said we should put donkey ears on it and call it a Mule Log. 

Quotes:

Theo looking at a Christmas card of his little cousin, "I just love Levi's little baby smile. If you look really closely you can see his happiness."

Theo cleaning the toilet, "I'm going to close my eyes and hope I don't get plague from this."

Theo learned what being paralyzed means. Me -"It would be really horrible and hard to ever be happy again."
T- "Unless you get ice cream."