Aiden's not sure about opening presents
Aiden liked his new fire truck
Grandma had to help with some presents
Still playing with his fire truck
We could only stay for the weekend so we planned an evening out at Heather and Paul's favorite restaurant....Coopers Hawk Winery and Restaurant in South Barrington, IL. We had a great dinner and Aiden was a perfect little gentleman.
Aiden and the double thumbs up
Paul and Heather
Glenda and myself
Paul and Heather are members of the wine club there so we got a discount on a bottle of wine for my brother to thank him for putting us up while we were in IL.
Then it was off to Indiana to visit the rest of the grandkids and celebrate Christmas with them. Brooklyne gave up her room while we were there. We had a nice exchange of presents and everyone was happy with their gifts. Todd and Sommer got us a gift card to Chili's Restaurant and Dick's Sporting Goods. We love both places.
Ryleigh in front of the tree
Brooklyne
Caden
Jasmyne
Todd
Sommer
Ryleigh with a Barbie camping set
We had our Christmas the day before Christmas eve due to Sommer working on Christmas eve day and our needing to travel back to IL to spend Christmas day with my Dad, brother(Kent) and family.
It was such a good time to spend with the grandkids. They really are growing up fast. Again weather continued to cooperate however there was a forecast of rain/snow possible. Fortunately it never happened. We got a call from Heather while we were in IN and she said that the gifts she had ordered for us that had not arrived when we were there, had now arrived. So we drove to their home before heading back to Central IL. This is what they got for us. (Our son, Chris, gave them the idea) Thank you to Chris too.
Exactly what we wanted
They also got us a set of Weather Tech mats for the truck. They are specifically engineered for a specific make and model of vehicle to fit perfectly and they do.
The drivers side
The passenger side
We got back to Central IL late on Christmas Eve and again stayed at my brother's home. We got up late on Christmas day and his son, Logan, and his Ex Wife, Kay, came over for a brunch. We then Skyped with their son, Parker, in Colorado. They opened presents together and we enjoyed visiting. Christmas afternoon we made a trip over to the nursing home to see Dad and give him a present. He likes to read so we got him the book "Killing Patton" by Bill O'Reilly. Since Dad was in WW II, he enjoys historical books of that time period.
Glenda, Dad and I
Me, Dad and Kent
Brothers, Wives and Dad
Kent, Dad and Logan
After about 3-4 hours we said our goodbyes. Glenda and I would be leaving the next morning. It was bittersweet but Dad is a trooper and doesn't want us to worry about him. It helps a lot to know that Kent will be there. He really has done so much for Dad. I can't begin to express my appreciation for his efforts. We had a quiet evening at Kent's house and got up bright and early to begin the trek back to AZ. We had good driving weather and actually made it back to Gold Canyon in 2 LONG driving days. I was ready to sleep in my own bed. It felt good too. So we are back home and apparently brought the cold weather with us. Night time temps will be hovering around freezing and day time temps only in the 40-50 range for a couple more days. I even had a touch of a cold /flu the last couple of days but feeling much better tonight. Ready to start the new year. Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and safe travels. Planning begins for next year.
Love the new name and sign! Nice visit. We're suppose to be in Kartchner end of March and City of Rock SP, NM beginning about March 15. Maybe we'll change the sched a bit and if you're considering City of Rocks (really cool park, google it) maybe we can do some hiking there for a couple days? We'll try to be there sooner? I had a map somewhere with pictures of really neat sites. Also someone's blog had some too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update Debbie....I haven't gotten that far in planning as we go east but will look up City of Rock SP. That sounds like a good place to try to meet up. Don't make any major changes to your plans to accommodate us. I know it's hard enough to just make general plans. We can make a meet up work one way or another. I haven't officially decided to change the name but it is growing on me and I owe it to our daughter and son in law for having the sign made.
DeleteGlad to read that you both enjoyed some quality family time during the holidays.
ReplyDeleteWe also seem to have picked up a cold/flu bug that finds us each year we come south.
Both Kathy and I want to wish you and Glenda a Safe and Happy New Year especially now that you have the lifestyle to do so.
It's about time.
Rick and Kathy, it was great having some family time for sure. Feeling much better today. Thank you for the well wishes for the new year. Be safe.
DeleteLooks like a wonderful time with the family, so glad the weather cooperated for you. Happy New Year to you and Glenda.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you and Dave. We did have a great time but happy to be out of the frigid cold.
DeleteWhat a great family you have. I really enjoyed looking at all your pictures. My brother also gave me a set of weather tech mats for my vehicle. They're great and last such a long time. You're going to love them. The best part about them is that you just need to hose them off and they clean right up.
ReplyDeleteJulio Brzozowski @ U.S. HealthWorks - Federal Way