MerryHappy ChristmasNewYear'sBirthday, part 1
In the last 35 days we've been to Illinois (Hazel Crest, Mokena and Chicago), Wisconsin (Appleton and Milwaukee), and California (Anaheim, Studio City, Burbank, and Pasadena). We've celebrated Christmas 4 times (in 4 states) and Zeb's 3rd birthday 5 times (including the party here in Seattle and a virtual party via webcam). We've seen cousins, siblings, parents, and lots of friends. We've visited famous landmarks like Navy Pier, Michigan Ave, the EAA AirVenture Museum, Disneyland, and Ventura Boulevard. We've played in snow, rain, and the sun. If you go back another month, you can add to all of those tallies one more state and city (Arizona, Tucson), another Christmas celebration, and playing in the desert.
Looking back at the sets of photos on flickr from the last couple of months, I can't believe how many places Zeb has traveled and how many people he's met. I am so thankful we have such beautiful family is such wonderful places. (There are 3 sets of photos: December 2008, Zeb's 3rd birthday party, and L.A. January 2009).
It all started on the Winter Solstice, 21 December--a Sunday. Seattle had already seen an unusual amount of snow and schools had been closed for a couple(?) of days. We were to fly around noon on a direct flight to Chicago, but hearing about flights being cancelled on Saturday and with the snow still falling, we were pretty sure our flight would be delayed. Not packed, we decided to relax.
Big mistake. Sunday we woke to more snow and no matter how many times I checked the web site, Southwest continued to show that our flight was "On time." We shoved presents and clothes into our bags and tried to find a way to the airport. Taxi companies weren't answering the phones. Friends didn't want to drive to the airport with all of the snow on the ground. Parking lots near the airport reported being full. Hoping for a flight delay, we threw our bags into the car and headed to the airport--unsure if we could make it and if we did, where we would park.
While the roads between here and I5 were beautiful (i.e., covered in snow), after John drove around the "Road closed" sign and got onto I5, we were fine. We made it to the airport and parked in long-term parking about 1 hour before our flight was to depart. I was still receiving text messages from Southwest that our flight was on-time. Our hearts sunk when the check-in line snaked back and forth in front of the check-in kiosks then bent around not one but two hallways. We kept our fingers crossed for a flight delay.
30 or so minutes later, we're finally checking in our bags and are told the flight has been delayed 1 hour. Thank goodness for the flight delay. We head through security and our gate. JetBlue announces that all flights have been cancelled. The boards shows several flights are delayed. Our flight no longer appears on the board. Uh-oh for the flight delay.
We figure we have time for lunch (thank goodness for the flight delay) so we stop, watch the snow and the planes taking off and landing. The airport is full--so many flights have been delayed or cancelled there are extra people milling around. Our gate is full and while the board shows that our flight should depart from here, the sign at the gate doesn't have our flight on it yet. There are two maybe three plane-fulls of people hanging around our gate. All of the seats are taken and many of us are sitting on the floor. Zeb has a box of candy canes and offers one to a lady sitting next to us, which is a great opener for starting a conversation (this boy has skillz).
Skipping ahead...we're landing at Midway in Chicago. We were only 3 hours delayed leaving Seattle. Zeb still has his box of candy canes and as we wait to exit the plane he starts handing them out to the passengers around us. As we walk off of the plane he has 2 candy canes left to hand out. He tries to hand one to a TSA agent sitting by the gate between the security and baggage claim. She says she can't take it and Zeb pouts. Determined, he sets off walking towards baggage claim looking for someone to give these candy canes to. He is unphased by the river of passengers swirling around him. He finds a young boy sitting, waiting for luggage. His face brightens when Zeb hands him the candy cane, although he is uncertain about accepting it. He looks to me and I reassure him that Zeb actually wants him to take the candy which he does with a big smile.
As we watch the weather the next few days we are thankful that we made it out of Seattle before the de-icer ran out. We listen to stories on the news about people stranded in Seattle. We also made it in to Chicago before the ice storm, tornado warnings, and "melt-down 2008" that caused flooding along river banks. It was a small window that we escaped through, making us appreciate the fact that we were in Chicago with family. It seemed like we were really supposed to be there.
The rest of the trip was just as magical and smooth. Snowed in (then iced in) we enjoyed time at the Boudreaus. Zeb has a firm handle on the concepts of "present," "Santa," and "Christmas Eve." He loved Grandma Mary Ann's Christmas Tree which she decorated with bubbly lights specially for him. The cats, Nipper and Buffy, were less excited about having Zeb as a guest.
Another neat thing that Grandma Mary Ann had for Zeb were Santa night lights in his room. He stayed in John's old room, tucked snuggly into a "real bed" (twin size mattress on a bed frame...compared to the crib mattress on the floor in his "nook" that he sleeps on at home). Seeing him sleep so soundly and proudly in that bed made us realize that it's time to move him into a big boy bed.
We spent Christmas Eve with Aunt Sylvia and John's cousins and their families. John's cousin Michael's daughter, Maddie (Madison), is a couple months older than Zeb. As soon as we walked into the house, they were off and running. They enjoyed each other's company *most* of the rest of the night. :) Christmas Day was at the Boudreau's. Lots of presents and relaxing and eating--another of Mary Ann's well-planned and tastily executed dinners. One of those nights, we shared Wall-E with Grandma Mary Ann and Grandpa Ron.
On the 26th we checked into The Avenue at Huron and Michigan Avenue. When John was looking for a hotel online, he saw a photo of a room that looked like a kid's room. When he called they said that was exactly what it was and gave it to him for a good price. It exceeded all of our best expectations: bean bags, balls, chalkboard with chalk, frog-shaped towels, a suction cup basketball hoop for the bathtub, a spinning globe night light, and lots of room to run around and play with all of it.
That night we walked down Michigan Ave to Borders and found a copy of my book on the shelf then checked out the model train display in the Hancock Tower lobby, then went to dinner. Saturday we took the free trolley to Navy Pier to watch a magician then went to the Children's Museum. That night, despite the rain, we took a taxi (Zeb's first carseat-free ride...he loved the taxi so much he pointed out every taxi that we passed) to Lincoln park for ZooLights. The two female lions sent the frisky male on his way while the string quartet played holiday tunes. At concessions, I drank a *real* eggnog while John sipped a beer. We road the carousel. Saw a few other indoor exhibits then took a taxi back to the hotel where we rented a movie.
Saturday, we cabbed back to Lincoln Park, this time to the Conservatory to meet our college friend Thom and his three children to check out the plants and, of course, more trains! We headed back to the zoo where we met two more college friends Bill and Jim and Jim's wife Hope. (Side note: Jim, Bill, and John were in a band Chassis for a long time...they made many wonderful songs together). So, it was a bit of a reunion at the zoo! We hung out with the gorillas for a while then headed to lunch.
Monday we packed the car up and started Phase III of Christmas 2008: Appleton, Wisconsin and a visit with my brother, Zach. After a beer at a local micro brewery and a trip to the grocery store, we headed back to Zach's where I cooked dinner and we watched Wall-E. Tuesday we went to the EAA AirVenture Museum...airplanes!
Wednesday we started Phase IV: Milwaukee. We stayed with Mark--one of John's friends from high school--his wife Sue and their children Alex and Elsa. Alex is 9 months older than Zeb, so they are a pretty good match. We arrived post-nap and a couple hours before Alex and Elsa returned home from daycare, so Zeb had some time to hang out at the place before they got home. We fed the kids dinner, set up a bed for Zeb in the office, and met the babysitter--one of the teachers at Alex's daycare. Guess what we put in the DVD player? Wall-E! Soon after, the four parents were off to our own dinner. Sue called the sitter who had managed to get all three kids to sleep. I was so proud of Zeb! A new house, a new bed, a new sitter....no problem.
So, it was off to the New Year's Eve party at Rachel and David's house. Mark and Sue wanted us to surprise everyone, so they hadn't told anyone we were coming and asked us to wait in the car for a few minutes so they could get in their greetings before we came through the door. People were definitely surprised! It was great to see everyone.
New Year's Day the boys (Mark, Alex, John, and Zeb) went to the Marquette v. Villanova game while the ladies (Sue, Elsa, and I) watched it from home. That night we built lots of forts and race tracks and the boys alternated between playing with and tormenting each other.
Friday we headed back to Hazel Crest for one final evening with the Boudreaus before catching an on-time flight early Saturday morning.
Zoinks! That's a lot of detail. I haven't even started about the Birthday Party or the California trip! Looks like this will be part 1 in a 2 or 3 part series. :)
Looking back at the sets of photos on flickr from the last couple of months, I can't believe how many places Zeb has traveled and how many people he's met. I am so thankful we have such beautiful family is such wonderful places. (There are 3 sets of photos: December 2008, Zeb's 3rd birthday party, and L.A. January 2009).
It all started on the Winter Solstice, 21 December--a Sunday. Seattle had already seen an unusual amount of snow and schools had been closed for a couple(?) of days. We were to fly around noon on a direct flight to Chicago, but hearing about flights being cancelled on Saturday and with the snow still falling, we were pretty sure our flight would be delayed. Not packed, we decided to relax.
Big mistake. Sunday we woke to more snow and no matter how many times I checked the web site, Southwest continued to show that our flight was "On time." We shoved presents and clothes into our bags and tried to find a way to the airport. Taxi companies weren't answering the phones. Friends didn't want to drive to the airport with all of the snow on the ground. Parking lots near the airport reported being full. Hoping for a flight delay, we threw our bags into the car and headed to the airport--unsure if we could make it and if we did, where we would park.
While the roads between here and I5 were beautiful (i.e., covered in snow), after John drove around the "Road closed" sign and got onto I5, we were fine. We made it to the airport and parked in long-term parking about 1 hour before our flight was to depart. I was still receiving text messages from Southwest that our flight was on-time. Our hearts sunk when the check-in line snaked back and forth in front of the check-in kiosks then bent around not one but two hallways. We kept our fingers crossed for a flight delay.
30 or so minutes later, we're finally checking in our bags and are told the flight has been delayed 1 hour. Thank goodness for the flight delay. We head through security and our gate. JetBlue announces that all flights have been cancelled. The boards shows several flights are delayed. Our flight no longer appears on the board. Uh-oh for the flight delay.
We figure we have time for lunch (thank goodness for the flight delay) so we stop, watch the snow and the planes taking off and landing. The airport is full--so many flights have been delayed or cancelled there are extra people milling around. Our gate is full and while the board shows that our flight should depart from here, the sign at the gate doesn't have our flight on it yet. There are two maybe three plane-fulls of people hanging around our gate. All of the seats are taken and many of us are sitting on the floor. Zeb has a box of candy canes and offers one to a lady sitting next to us, which is a great opener for starting a conversation (this boy has skillz).
Skipping ahead...we're landing at Midway in Chicago. We were only 3 hours delayed leaving Seattle. Zeb still has his box of candy canes and as we wait to exit the plane he starts handing them out to the passengers around us. As we walk off of the plane he has 2 candy canes left to hand out. He tries to hand one to a TSA agent sitting by the gate between the security and baggage claim. She says she can't take it and Zeb pouts. Determined, he sets off walking towards baggage claim looking for someone to give these candy canes to. He is unphased by the river of passengers swirling around him. He finds a young boy sitting, waiting for luggage. His face brightens when Zeb hands him the candy cane, although he is uncertain about accepting it. He looks to me and I reassure him that Zeb actually wants him to take the candy which he does with a big smile.
As we watch the weather the next few days we are thankful that we made it out of Seattle before the de-icer ran out. We listen to stories on the news about people stranded in Seattle. We also made it in to Chicago before the ice storm, tornado warnings, and "melt-down 2008" that caused flooding along river banks. It was a small window that we escaped through, making us appreciate the fact that we were in Chicago with family. It seemed like we were really supposed to be there.
The rest of the trip was just as magical and smooth. Snowed in (then iced in) we enjoyed time at the Boudreaus. Zeb has a firm handle on the concepts of "present," "Santa," and "Christmas Eve." He loved Grandma Mary Ann's Christmas Tree which she decorated with bubbly lights specially for him. The cats, Nipper and Buffy, were less excited about having Zeb as a guest.
Another neat thing that Grandma Mary Ann had for Zeb were Santa night lights in his room. He stayed in John's old room, tucked snuggly into a "real bed" (twin size mattress on a bed frame...compared to the crib mattress on the floor in his "nook" that he sleeps on at home). Seeing him sleep so soundly and proudly in that bed made us realize that it's time to move him into a big boy bed.
We spent Christmas Eve with Aunt Sylvia and John's cousins and their families. John's cousin Michael's daughter, Maddie (Madison), is a couple months older than Zeb. As soon as we walked into the house, they were off and running. They enjoyed each other's company *most* of the rest of the night. :) Christmas Day was at the Boudreau's. Lots of presents and relaxing and eating--another of Mary Ann's well-planned and tastily executed dinners. One of those nights, we shared Wall-E with Grandma Mary Ann and Grandpa Ron.
On the 26th we checked into The Avenue at Huron and Michigan Avenue. When John was looking for a hotel online, he saw a photo of a room that looked like a kid's room. When he called they said that was exactly what it was and gave it to him for a good price. It exceeded all of our best expectations: bean bags, balls, chalkboard with chalk, frog-shaped towels, a suction cup basketball hoop for the bathtub, a spinning globe night light, and lots of room to run around and play with all of it.
That night we walked down Michigan Ave to Borders and found a copy of my book on the shelf then checked out the model train display in the Hancock Tower lobby, then went to dinner. Saturday we took the free trolley to Navy Pier to watch a magician then went to the Children's Museum. That night, despite the rain, we took a taxi (Zeb's first carseat-free ride...he loved the taxi so much he pointed out every taxi that we passed) to Lincoln park for ZooLights. The two female lions sent the frisky male on his way while the string quartet played holiday tunes. At concessions, I drank a *real* eggnog while John sipped a beer. We road the carousel. Saw a few other indoor exhibits then took a taxi back to the hotel where we rented a movie.
Saturday, we cabbed back to Lincoln Park, this time to the Conservatory to meet our college friend Thom and his three children to check out the plants and, of course, more trains! We headed back to the zoo where we met two more college friends Bill and Jim and Jim's wife Hope. (Side note: Jim, Bill, and John were in a band Chassis for a long time...they made many wonderful songs together). So, it was a bit of a reunion at the zoo! We hung out with the gorillas for a while then headed to lunch.
Monday we packed the car up and started Phase III of Christmas 2008: Appleton, Wisconsin and a visit with my brother, Zach. After a beer at a local micro brewery and a trip to the grocery store, we headed back to Zach's where I cooked dinner and we watched Wall-E. Tuesday we went to the EAA AirVenture Museum...airplanes!
Wednesday we started Phase IV: Milwaukee. We stayed with Mark--one of John's friends from high school--his wife Sue and their children Alex and Elsa. Alex is 9 months older than Zeb, so they are a pretty good match. We arrived post-nap and a couple hours before Alex and Elsa returned home from daycare, so Zeb had some time to hang out at the place before they got home. We fed the kids dinner, set up a bed for Zeb in the office, and met the babysitter--one of the teachers at Alex's daycare. Guess what we put in the DVD player? Wall-E! Soon after, the four parents were off to our own dinner. Sue called the sitter who had managed to get all three kids to sleep. I was so proud of Zeb! A new house, a new bed, a new sitter....no problem.
So, it was off to the New Year's Eve party at Rachel and David's house. Mark and Sue wanted us to surprise everyone, so they hadn't told anyone we were coming and asked us to wait in the car for a few minutes so they could get in their greetings before we came through the door. People were definitely surprised! It was great to see everyone.
New Year's Day the boys (Mark, Alex, John, and Zeb) went to the Marquette v. Villanova game while the ladies (Sue, Elsa, and I) watched it from home. That night we built lots of forts and race tracks and the boys alternated between playing with and tormenting each other.
Friday we headed back to Hazel Crest for one final evening with the Boudreaus before catching an on-time flight early Saturday morning.
Zoinks! That's a lot of detail. I haven't even started about the Birthday Party or the California trip! Looks like this will be part 1 in a 2 or 3 part series. :)
posted by Wendy Chisholm at 2:15 PM
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