Christmas South, Part VII: Even MORE South
Double-Post day… in order to catch up on the blog, here’s an additional post for the day… that means if you’re just getting here, make sure and scroll down to see if you’ve caught everything. K? Good. Let’s go!
It was time to don our sunglasses and hop back in the car… heading south to see Great Grandma Betty in Naples! I can’t underline enough how fantastic the kids were for this whole journey, not just to Naples but also back and forth to Florida from Michigan. Part of this is just being good kids, but also a very awesome and attentive mommy. See this image larger.
We picked up some food from Applebee’s (it wasn’t horrible, but I think Applebee’s and I are officially breaking up.) and ate it over pleasant conversation and big smiles from cute little girls! See this image larger.
And then we opened presents! In the brief silence that followed as Grandma smiled at a framed picture of her great grandchildren and inhaled to speak, Ian managed to throw in “Say ‘thank you!'” See this image larger.
Great Grandma Betty got some chocolate and was immediately willing to share! It was Ian’s turn to say thank you! See this image larger.
Ian got a nice truck that had a special “return” mode… it was pretty awesome! See this image larger.
Time to gather for pictures! This one turned out great, but I could tell Nina was given Grandma a hard time. She bucks like a bronco when she’s ready to be put down! See this image larger.
LOL… not every shot is a winner, folks. Grandma and Mommy are looking good, though! See this image larger.
That’s a winner! Love it! A special thank you to Grandma Sue for sharing her part of our visit so that we could make the trip to Naples! See this image larger.
Ian jammed on the keyboard for a few moments before it was time to go. Play us off, keyboard Ian! Thanks for getting the kids toys, Great Grandma Betty, it was great seeing you again! See this image larger.
We dropped in on Uncle Chris, and said hello so that he could see Nina again, See this image larger.
I sold my old camera to Uncle Chris, I hope he takes some awesome shots with it! It was great seeing Chris again too, albeit briefly — he’s feeling much better these days, and we’re glad to have him back in the land of recovered. Thank you to Chris for Christmas gifts as well! See this image larger.
So here we are at Grandma Sue’s! Ian and I had gone over a couple of thing since the Johnson Christmas and also the opening of presents when Uncle Gordon and Aunt Leslie had been over. He had done really well, but I wanted him to learn not to ask for another present, and another. He’s three at this point, I know, but I don’t think it is too early to be a little grateful. 
Hilariously, Ian interpreted this advice by saying “LOOK, THIS IS WHAT I ALWAYS WANTED!” for many of his presents. Here you can see that such a reaction is what Grandma Sue always wanted as well! (Of note, he really does love all the toys he got, but sometimes he followed up the above exclamation with “WHUDIZZIT?” and then it felt decidedly less genuine. 😉 The important part of all of this is, he’s a sweet kid for trying.) 
Sometimes Ian says the most hilarious things, and the funniest of them also involve a facial expression like this one, and usually a little hand gesture he picked up from Melissa or I like the palm up in the air as he explains something. This shot is worth every penny of my camera, as I wasn’t sure I’d ever capture that moment. 
Nina plays with a sweet light-up drawing pad, and enjoys! 
Ian plays Santa and gives Grandma her present. Nina reads the bottom of the package *This side up, fragile, handle with care* 
Ian loved Grandma Sue’s adjustable bed… he played with it every night. He’s wearing the baseball hat light that Grampa Ray got for all the boys… kind of a funny story, on our first day at the Johnson’s we went to a market where I almost bought one of those, but Grampa Ray talked me out of it, knowing there was one snuggled inside a stocking with my name on it. 
It was the 27th of December, and Melissa and I left Ian and Nina in capable hands while we went off on a geocaching adventure! A golf cart is not required hardware for geocaching, but it helps in the Villages. 
At first it was strange being able to hear each other without having to shout over screaming baby or babbling boy, but we figured it out pretty quick. 
This was our first find. Only it had two parts, one involving a padlock combination. Ben found the first number, Melissa found the second, and I realized that if we had the first two numbers it wouldn’t be hard to keep trying the lock until it opened. That worked. 
Connor and Aunt Mel found this one under a shed! 
Alternate shot of above… 
The view from the shed was pretty spectacular… 
This cache involved a hidden container that had fake poop glued to the top. Connor and I got that one! 
Nina gets a lift from hanging out with Connor! 
Ian flies his space shuttle around the house… in my heart of hearts I’d love for him to be an astronaut, or do something space related; it is too bad the most likely of those scenarios involves special effects thanks to the direction NASA is heading in. 
Awww! 
C-Dawg pile! 
They actually behave very nicely together as a group… 
Group pic! 
*Hi, I’m Ian. Have you met my sister, cousins and Grampa Ray and Grandma Barb?* 
Proud grandparents! 
Ian giggles! We sure had fun, thank you Kunzes and Johnsons! 
On the 26th we spent some time with Grandma Sue, and special guests my Aunt Leslie, Uncle Gordon and Cousin Tara! Pictured here was an excellent game of catch. I really gotta teach Ian how to catch. 
Grandma Sue loves those grandkids! Nina attempt to cast a spell with her magic crayola marker, and Ian attempts to break the world cheese record with one smile. 
The four Michiganders! 
Yup, everybody line up for pics! There’s Tara! 
Melissa kindly snapped this one for us and we were out the door to eat! Awesome to see you all again, thank you for making the trip, and also for your generosity! 
At the restaurant, Ian pilfered napkin rings from around the table to become… napkin ring… man. Huh? Oh, sorry. NAPKIN RING MAN… DUN-dun-dun-DUUUUUUUN. 
The 27th, back at Grampa Ray and Grandma Barb’s! 
Ian and his cousins were all occupied with an excellent activity… cookie-tree building! Many decorations were eaten—er hung, that day. 
Many decorations were eaten—er hung, that day. So what were the parents of these fine children up to during this time? We’ll talk about it next entry! 
Christmas dinner was the one last event before Christmas celebration turned into Nina’s Birthday party! 
Grampa Ray holds Nina while we try on the appropriate hat! 
Ok, little one, this is just like what happened this morning, except that it’s all about you instead of all the kids… and Jesus… and Santa. Oh, just open some presents. 
Cuuute! 
*I ordered a half-caf double chai tea… this is a plastic toy. Aw to heck with it, I’ll suck on this for awhile.* 
*A star is born.* 
The smoosh cake was almost as big as the “real” cake. 
And heck the cake is almost as big as Nina! Another angle thanks to somebody else’s camera… I KNEW that was Mommy’s arm! 
Nom, nom, nom… Wish you could see this in action? See video below! 
When cake is involved, we all win, right Ian? 
Nina and Daddy wave at the camera! Hi everybody! 
*I love my Daddy!* (At least that’s part of what I remember feeling during this picture… I also remember her filling her diaper. Oh well, either way I’m there to support her, right?) 
Grandma Sue arrived to share in the Christmas fun! 
Pleasedon’tgethurt.Pleasedon’tgethurt.Pleasedon’tgethurt.Pleasedon’tgethurt. 
*SQWEEEEE!* 
*What? I’m cute, I can’t apologize for that, can I?* 
The ice cream ball. Ben and Mel got it for Christmas – you add the stuff and roll it around. It was pretty awesome, so we got one just like it. Except ours isn’t a ball. And it is electric. Makes ice cream, though! 
Look she barely had time to make a cute face, and she’s STILL cute! 
Just like me. Not. 
*Hi, is it my birthday yet?* 
I’m guessing it isn’t too hard to imagine that Christmas for four kids is a little complicated. And just look at the pile this year! 
Big enough it didn’t fit in one pic! 
Don’t ever ask a girl born on Christmas to show you a little Christmas cheer, it turns out that there is one! *Gooooooooo Christmas!!!* 
I love this moment on Christmas morning… it is the sudden realization that this surprise is something you get to play with for as long as you like. 
That moment sometimes lasts awhile! 
I got some awesome candy mix in a snow-man container, this is what the container looked like with stuff in it. It didn’t stay like that for long. 
Nina attempts to open this package with her mind. As this is impossible, most kids hand their packages to Daddy (or Uncle D.) 
This is a great picture too, but I can’t tell if it is cute, or if this is the last tweet that little red bird ever made… 
Kaylee clapped her hands so lightly as she waited patiently for these shoes to be fully unpackaged. She was like a delighted princess! 
Well, that doll’s head is going to be warm, at least! 
Melissa holds up a cute ornament of the four of us together! 
Nina borrows Kaylee’s stroller for a brief roll. She’s fairly happy here. he he! 
*A new dolly! Ho ho!* 
*A monkey doll! Ha Haaaa!* 
*A boat! BWAH HAHA HAAAAAAAAA! A BOAT!!!* 
Fastest hat removal in the West. 
Quick, take the picture!!! 
The kids are off on another adventure… 
It was the day before Christmas and all through lair, two kiddos watched Dora on a DVD player. 
Connor again treats Nina to a tour of the facilities. This is where the presents are going to go! 
The kids piled in to go check out the bocci courts! (Nina stayed home on this occasion, thanks for watching her, Grandma Barb!) 
Looks like a J.Crew ad or something. (Do they still have J.Crew? I think I might be getting old.) Speaking of which, doesn’t he look old here? 
Ian’s favorite activity is still to run like the wind. 
We took a similar shot in the same spot two years ago, here they are right next to each other. (12/23/08) Also you can click here to 
*Sorry about your windshield!* 
I asked for a cheesy smile and I got it! 
Extra cheese! 
A nearby fountain served as an excellent backdrop for a bunch of pictures… 
*Mom look, Kaylee’s going in!* 
Tooth-fest, 2011! 
Connor attempts to slam-dunk a penny into the fountain. Many wishes were made that day. And a few were lost in the nearby shrubbery. 
The Village’s Police showed up just then to ask us to stop polluting their fountain with our pocket change. We made a run for it. 😉 (I’m kidding.) 
On the way home… 
Ian’s face is cute in both this shot and the next one, but you might have to click to see larger… I liked the sense of scale so I didn’t crop in. 
Pictures like this on the internet usually have the caption “Haters gonna hate.” It basically means, take it all in stride, folks. 
Nina enjoys some Grandma time, one-on-one. What’s the most she missed out on, a golf-cart ride? 
*Oh Grandma, you think of everything!!! :)* 
Eventually everybody was reunited and ready for dinner before settling in for a good Christmas Eve’s sleep… 
Dinner Nina, no snacks!! Dinner! 
First stop on the 22nd, Arby’s in Man-o-War, Kentucky. Ian got a cool glider. 
Hi Arby’s. 
We hit a pretty nasty traffic jam just as we crossed the Tennessee border, stopped for like an hour and a half hardly moving at all. Ian had to go potty too eventually, but we were so far up in the mountains we couldn’t stop until after the traffic jam. He held out nicely. We drove to just south of Atlanta’s airport and stopped at a great hotel. 
I’ve never seen Ian happier to find a bed than that night. 
Connor enjoyed an ice cream. 
Nina says hello to Grampa. 
*I smite you, Wise-person!!! PEW PEW!!!* (It took a little while for Nina to realize that the Nativity set was not made up of action figures.) 
Nina beats Grandma Barb in the crawling section of the tri-atholon. 
Kaylee dances around, care-free and happy… Christmas is coming! More soon! 
The movie “Cars” has a sort of sequel that came out on DVD only… this is a set that lets you launch a car through a loop and off a ramp… He couldn’t see what it was at first… 
Now he gets it. It was around here that he said something like “Hey guys, look! It’s the WHOLE SET!” I have no idea why he would say this, but we all cracked up. 
Daddy tries to help put it together… 
Another winner! He loves it! 
Mommy took this awesome shot while I was busy downstairs stealing all of Grampa Dave’s photos off of his camera. 
After a very satisfying day, Mommy and Nina take a rest! 
Anything can be a “super ian” mask or cape. 😉 
It is always awesome to me when Ian and Nina can play together at all. It just seems sort of natural that it won’t last more than a second without some kind of explosion, but sometimes these two get along for 10-15 minutes… for their ages, I’m pleased as punch with that. 
Oatmeal, she wears it well! 