We saw far too little of the Jarrell fam in 2023, so it felt awfully good to land on their Portland doorstep a couple of days before Christmas for a holiday cozy-in. Isaac made himself right at home in his cousin’s comfy bed.
And then there were card games and puzzles and cookie decorating…
I know, he looks very focused, but in actuality his interest waned after about 15 seconds.
Juliette was a little skeptical about my dad’s frosting skills, but in the end she gave him a solid ‘A’. For effort, I mean.
We watched Elf that night, piled on the couch or stretched out on the floor by the fire, and all felt right.
Christmas Eve! Isaac spent his morning hovering around the tree (and the pile of presents underneath it). He still has no real concept of time, but I think he sensed the big day was near.
We (ok, ISAAC!) started getting the stir-crazies before lunch, so we ducked out for a coffee run and a playground romp.
Mitch was the biggest kid on the playground that morning.
Faster, Uncle Mitch! FASTER!
Back at the house, Isaac and I settled in for an afternoon doze while the rest of the fam settled in for a marathon game of Monopoly.
Post-nap vegging…
And then the young ladies went down to El’s bedroom, entered a time warp, and came up looking a couple of years older. My nieces are both officially teenagers and suddenly it feels like Juliette isn’t far behind them?
While Juliette played the part of the mature big sis, Isaac really dove into his role as the annoying kid brother.
We tucked into our country ham for dinner that night, Grandpa read a couple of books, and then Shane put Isaac to bed while the rest of us settled in for our annual Christmas Eve viewing of The Polar Express.
Buddy Boy would have loved to join us, but it would have been too hard to tear him away from the TV once he saw that train roll onto the screen, and we couldn’t have him up too late with the big day ahead. Next year, maybe. I was so happy to hear El say, “I love this movie” as the initial credits started rolling. Kids change, but some things stay the same.
Movie done, jammies donned, cookie and carrot placed. We’re ready for you, Santa!
We agreed the night before on an 8am gift-opening start time, but everyone was present and ready to go by 7:45 on Christmas morning – even the sleepy-headed teenagers showed up early! Isaac got us rolling.
And then…stockings! Stocking stuffing and un-stuffing is my favorite. Juliette got some good stuff this year – a bedazzled beanie, a Time-Turner keychain, sour Hi-Chews.
Isaac needed a little help getting all the way to the bottom of his stocking and Juliette was happy to step in. Buddy was particularly pumped about his little box of raisins. I love two year olds.
Morgan and El were both thrilled by their haul of new sneakers, hoodies, and pajama pants.
And Juliette’s new Hermione stuffy was a hit. Happy, thankful kiddos all around.
Mitch and Shane both got charcoal odor absorbers to stick in their stinky pickle ball shoes. THANK YOU, KATHRYN!
Beer for Grandpa, always.
The grown-ups opened their cache of presents after a couple of rounds, but those kids just kept on going…
And going…
Finally, the last treasure was unwrapped and Isaac could get down to the real business of playing. This train set from Shane’s parents absorbed him for most of the morning.
A quick break from laying train tracks to fiddle with his new remote control car…
And then a moment to gaze outside to see if the rain had stopped so he could go outside to play (it hadn’t!).
It poured all day long, but I didn’t mind so much – the kids had plenty of new goodies to keep them entertained indoors and I was happy to curl up on the couch and watch them play.
Jammie day for the win.
We shared a beautiful dinner and then retreated to the living room for more lounge time. The kids and I tested each other’s tickle tolerance – trophy went to the person who could withstand foot or knee or neck tickles without laughing. I failed miserably. Juliette, surprisingly, was a rock.
Though the chin tickles finally got her.
There was a hallway soccer session with Grandma and Grandpa and then Isaac was officially tuckered. We did it!
Again, the rest of us snuggled in for a movie. We watched Home Alone and I looked over to the couch at one point to see El’s head resting on Juliette’s shoulder and I felt so grateful for cousins and warmth and all the love in that house. Merry, merry Christmas.
We headed back to Seattle early on Tuesday, knowing we had another trip to prepare for (Minnesota on Wednesday!), but we made record time getting home and getting our laundry done and getting our bags repacked. Found ourselves with enough time to snuggle up by the tree and then take the kids’ new remote control cars out for a spin!
I wasn’t sure neighbor Dave’s inflatable menagerie would still be there when we returned from Minnesota, so Isaac and I spent some time there saying goodbye to the dinosaur, and goodbye to Mickey Mouse, and goodbye to the doggie. Isaac was going to miss these guys!
What’s next, you ask, Isaac? More family fun to come. Lots more.
