Wow, Count Down to Christmas

I have managed to miss writing two Loose Bloggers Consortium posts, missed a Christmas party or two, and make no apology at all because I have been having the time of my life and it all revolves around two little six-year olds. Yes, I have been making trips to Palmdale and playing the role of Nana. Of course, Bob outshines me in his role as Papa, but never fear, second billing doesn’t bother me at all.

The second Saturday in December found Kristi, Theresa, two rambunctious kids, and me on our way to J.C. Penney’s for a Christmas photo shoot. No one seemed worried about time. After all, Kristi had made the appointment earlier and we actually believed the session would be on time. Oh no, not at the holiday season. We corralled and entertained the two hooligans for an hour and a half. It was all worth it as the photos turned out beautifully and the hooligans had taken on the air of little angels or maybe imps, in the photos.

Back in Ridgecrest, I stayed busy readying the house for Christmas, wrapping gifts, and planning menus. Then it was time to head back to Palmdale. This time Bob came with me and we took the motor home so that we could comfortably spend the night.

Our destination was a surprise for the kids. Ever since they were born, I have looked forward to sharing the lights and beauty of The Mission Inn in Riverside. It seemed that this was the perfect year to do so.

We wandered through the hotel and walked outside to view the carolers and the lights, and then the best of all, we rode in Cinderella’s Coach pulled by a beautiful grey draft horse.

Watching those eyes sparkle and grow larger with excitement as we circled the Inn was as magical as Christmas ever could be. Soon it was time to head home. I thought the twins would sleep in their safety seats, but no, we were entertained with boisterous singing of “All I Want for Christmas is a Hippopotamus” over and over, and then a few more times for good measure.

The next morning we headed back to Ridgecrest, but not before making plans to go back down three days later for the Christmas Program at their school.

And so three days later we found ourselves up at five in the morning and out the door before dawn. We arrived in Palmdale in time to see the kids off to school and then followed in our car to find good seats in the cafetorium. After a short wait, primary children and teachers, begin to file in and find their places on stage. Bob busied himself setting up his video cameras and I handed my camera to Kristi who was in a better spot for getting photos.

Danica and Eric spotted us right away and watching those little faces light up and the smiles they gave us made me so glad that we had driven down for the performance.

The music reminded me of my own days in the classroom. There were the usual holiday songs and of course some new ones, that strangely sounded like rap to me. Of course, there was the Hippopotamus song, but sung a few times less than in the car on the way back from Riverside.

With the program over, Bob and I congratulated the twins on their performances, said our goodbyes to their mothers, found the car and headed north. We made a stop at McDonalds in Mojave around ten-thirty for (what we consider decadent) McRibs followed by ice-cream. Heck we were celebrating so why not! Noon found us back at our own front door and telling each other how glad we were that we made the one hundred and eighty mile round trip. We agreed it was worth each minute and every mile.