Christmas Wrap-up

This post is bound to be on the brief side -- I'm writing at 5PM, right in the middle of the 4-7PM crazy time, on the last day of our wonderful vacation, on the eve of a potentially very maniacal Monday (Grammy and Poppi are gone, David goes back to work, school starts again, and we're throwing in a dr's appointment to check Peter's ankle healing for good measure). But I couldn't resist posting some photos of the wonderful adventures we had while on Christmas break. So I'll start typing and see how far I get!

We had such a lovely time with my Mom and Dad while they were here. What a treat to spend such quality time with them exploring upstate NY, playing Wii, finding the original Buffalo buffalo wings, and just being together. It makes me eager to find ways to work out more visits with them and with all of our family in the next couple of years.

The trip to Niagara Falls was pretty neat. It was beautiful in a stark, cold, icy way. I bet it's absolutely stunning in the spring and summer -- I almost wish we were here just a little longer so we could go on the Maid of the Mist tour where they boat you all around and under the falls. That tour is shut down for the winter until May, so unfortunately we'll miss out on it. But I'm very glad we got a chance to see the Falls in the winter. We'll keep an eye on the weather, and if it gets cold enough to freeze over this winter, we'll definitely head back up to see that.

Today we're in the middle of a band of lake effect snow. I've never seen so much snow -- it's been falling steadily all day, and there's probably 6-8" of accumulation out there, at least. It was a little dicey driving to Mass this morning, but we took it slow and got there safe and sound.

It's hard to put into words how I feel tonight. Usually Sunday evenings are a little sad because I know I'll have lots of challenges to face in the week ahead -- schooling, various errands with 3 little boys in tow, laundry and more laundry, etc. -- and of course David is back to work and I miss his company during the day. That's just a regular Sunday, and now that we're coming off of a wonderful vacation, I think it makes the transition back into regular life a bit more difficult. But, it's also the start of a new year, and I'm eager to start fresh and find more joy in all the challenges and craziness that regular life throws my way. I have some good resolutions to pick up some new hobbies, go on more fun adventures with the boys, spend more time in prayer, cook healthier meals, exercise more, and I'm happy to have a reason to reevaluate things, adjust, and hopefully do a little better in 2010 than I did in 2009.

Peter did OK at Niagara Falls, although he did have a mildly sour look on his face, and I don't think he approved of all that cold water falling down below.

Grammy and the boys in front of the American Falls.

Grammy, Poppi, and the boys.

The Campbells.

We liked this photo of the sun glinting off the surface of the water.

Peter strutting around with David's hat.

Grammy and Thomas on the sled hill.



Peter throwing the Falls a disapproving glance.

Cold, cold falls. You can make out icy stairs on the middle-left of the photo. I believe these stairs are open during warmer months so tourists can get closer to the Falls.