And So It Begins

Our big girl has been here for 4 days now and it has been lovely.  She has helped with the prep work--mostly cooking and baking--which is why, ostensibly, she arrived early.  It is always such a treat to have either of the girls by themselves, and with husbands and impending babies, it only gets more difficult to do.  I love having them together; I love having them plus husbands.  But having alone time with either of them is special.  I know it is a very selfish thing, but I love having just my little family (whether it's the 4 or 6 of us) for some of the time.  I enjoy having the extended family in any combination, but having just us at some point is something I really treasure.

We haven't done anything really thrilling.  Last night we drove through a subdivision that was featured on the Travel Channel for its amazing Christmas decorations, and it was lots of fun to see.  The husband will take the rest of the family there while they are here--it's actually quite close to the house and they will enjoy it.

JLO and her husband are on their way here.  She called first thing this morning to ask if, hypothetically, one of them was sick, what would be the best thing to do.  But she (yes, it was poor, pregnant, can't take any medicine her) managed to tough it out and when she called from their plane change destination, she sounded better.  Of course their next flight was delayed a couple of hours, so she will be one wiped out girl by the time they arrive here.

After all of the preparation, it's hard in a way to internalize the fact that the holidays are actually here.  The turkey came out of the freezer today and I made up the first tray of baked goods from the stash in the other freezer.  We still have a few things to get through--things that are better fresh--but it's really kind of odd to think that the majority of the work is over, aside from Christmas dinner itself.  Let the festivities begin!

The in laws arrive sometime tomorrow.  All being healthy, I will be taking the kids shopping most of the day and then I do my literacy tutoring in the afternoon, so we will probably go out for dinner.  The next lot is due to arrive sometime on Tuesday but I suspect it will be late at night so we won't necessarily see them until Wed.  The last of the family arrives on Wednesday, so by Christmas Eve dinner, we should be complete.  And then the exodus will begin on Friday.  Haven't even gotten everyone here and it seems like it's almost over.

The weather isn't cooperating either--very cold when we wanted everyone to have a temperate, if not warm, visit.  Hopefully it will moderate as the week goes on.  I'm a bit worried about hauling around tomorrow--below freezing temps and a chance of precip does not thrill me.  Here I thought, when we moved here, that I'd never have to lie in bed in night with a knot in my stomach, worrying about driving around the next day.  Surprise!

For those, like me, whose holiday begins at sundown tonight...happy Chanukah!  And for those, like me, whose extended family celebrates later in the week, I'll wish you happy holidays as the week progresses.  But for everyone, I wish you the love and proximity of beloved friends and family at this special time of year.