M. Sullivan Photography Animals, Family, Photos, Weather

Holiday Recap, Plus Photos

Now that we are through the first week in January, I thought it might be time for a holiday recap.      

Christmas Eve      

  • Pack up Christmas presents, suitcases, 2 kids, 2 adults, one dog and a whole lot of gear.
  • Drive through snow storm to reach Mike’s parents’ house in the Twin Cities. 
  • Avoid backed up traffic and accidents along the way.  See a number of cars in the ditch.
  • Arrive 3 hours after departing Duluth.  The trip usually takes 2 hours.
  • Miss Christmas Eve church service because we knew the kids couldn’t sit still for another 2 hours.
  • Finally relax and enjoy the snow.
Trying Out The New Snowball Maker

 

Instant Snowballs!

 

Posing For Mom

 

 
 
 
 
Mike & Sebastian Having Fun In The Snow

 

New Snow Block Maker + Snow = Fort

 

  •  Open Gifts
New Bulldog Sweatshirt

 

Polly Pocket Roller Coaster Resort & A Dog In A Headlock

 

Karen Opening Gifts

 

  • Enjoy Christmas Eve steak dinner prepared by Tom and Karen.

    • Tom Working Hard Grilling Steaks

     

    •  Wait for Santa to arrive.

    Dreaming Of Tennis Balls And Long Walks

     

     Christmas Day    

    • Wake up and open presents from Santa.
    • Enjoy hearty breakfast prepared by Karen.
    • Drive over to Sean & Melissa’s to enjoy more delicious food and open more gifts.
    Sophia & Will

     

    Max's First Christmas

     

    Perfectly Packaged

     

    Father & Daughter

     

    • Head back to Tom & Karen’s for some rest.

    Kwanzaa/Boxing Day    

    We don’t actually celebrate either of these holidays, but we did celebrate what would have been Grandma Helen’s 102nd birthday.  Tom & Karen hosted the annual family get-together that Grandma Helen once held at her house.    

    • Help shovel the driveway, tidy up the aftermath of two days of present opening, help with food preparation and arrangement of chairs, etc. 
    • Pose for a few family photos before guests arrive
    Sebastian & Sophia

     

    Mary & The Kids

     

    Mary & Sophia

     

    The Four Of Us

     

    Papa, Nana & The Kids

     

    • Enjoy all the wonderful food Karen prepared and visit with family that we haven’t seen in months (or a year for some), take part in holiday gift exchange – always a good time!
    • Pretend to be a reindeer – actually that was just Sophia (see below). 
    The Other Reindeer

     

    • Start packing for departure the next morning. 

    December 27 

    • Pack up  suitcases, 2 kids, 2 adults, one dog and way more stuff than we came with.
    • Drive 2 hours back to Duluth.
    • Unload suitcases, 2 kids, 2 adults, one dog and a whole lot of stuff.
    • Shortly afterwards, Mike packs up and heads for his 3 day fishing trip.
    • Mary comes to the realization that there is 2 feet of new snow that needs to be shoveled off the sidewalk and decks.  Luckily our neighbor took care of the driveway.
    • The holiday is over!