Vacation Part III - Christmas with the Johnsons

After a couple of days in the park, Mike went to the airport and rented a minivan for our one hour trek to Dad's winter place. I had only learned the week before our vacation that Bob and Drew were coming down and I was pretty excited about it and then I realized that I would be spending Christmas with almost everyone on my side of the family - then I was beyond ecstatic. We left the hotel pretty early so that we could get to where we needed to go and spend time with family. It was Christmas Eve and I still had to wrap gifts and do a load of laundry or the boys would have been naked for Christmas Day.

Christmas Eve Bev and Dad started a new tradition, the planted seeds (breath mints) in sugar before the boys went to bed.  In the morning they grew to be large candy canes - the boys thought that was the coolest thing ever.

Christmas morning for me started at 5:22 a.m.  I tried for 40 minutes to keep the boys in bed and at 6 a.m. I gave up.  We slept out in the living room with the boys and Aunt Brenda and the Christmas tree so that I could contain them if they got up early and got up early they did.

Dad and Bob

Drew refusing to show her face!

The Scott kids

After opening gifts we moved on to breakfast about the time normal people actually getting out of bed at 6:15 a.m.
While Bev was making breakfast for all 11 of us, Dad was outside hanging with us Johnson kids and the boys thought it would be cute to stick their butts out the opened sliding door.  Dad was quick with the rake and then it became a game to the big kid and the little boys.

Then we headed to the beach.  It was high tide and the water was cold but fun was had by all.

Johnson kids minus one (Katie)

uh oh - looks like trouble

Grandpa and his granddaughters

Ian in the ocean - this kid was soaked 2 minutes after getting his feet wet.

The vacation started a little shaky with whining boys at the cruise terminal and tired voices were heard throughout the vacation but what a vacation.  The boys still talk about the cruise and park and want to go back.  I had a wonderful time with my husband and kids and the big bonus was for us to spend Christmas with my side of the family.  I know this family is loud and obnoxious at times, but dang it we made some memories.