After arriving, we got a tour of the new place. And ended up in the basement, watching a bit of TV. We ended up sitting at the basement bar, watching the second half of “It’s a Wonderful Life” – which was a nice thing to do, as we were visiting for our “Early Christmas” celebration.
Liz and I travelled to Atlanta this weekend, as an early holiday visit. We took an earlier flight than we normally do, which was nice as it allowed us time to have dinner with everyone, and to hang out a bit afterwards.
An early Xmas in Atlanta, with the Ford kids in the midst of opening up their gifts.
I have to say – playing Skee-ball with the kids, they’re all arms and power throws. Every ball is a hail Mary attempt to hit the small “100 point” spot in the corner. And I’ll be damned if they don’t hit it more often than one would think. I was clearly the worst player of the bunch, score-wise.
One great gift that the Fords got was a Karaoke set. Shortly after it was plugged in, all the kids began taking turns singing songs. As you can probably imagine, it was both awesome and incessant for the remainder of the day:
One of the things we did a lot of, while in Atlanta, was spend time in the pool. Oftentimes in the past, we’ve visited mostly during Christmastime (and not really swimming weather).
With the sun out and the weather as nice as it was… any chance we had to go in the pool, I was there.
On the first full day we were in Atlanta, Liz’s dad arranged for a canoe and kayak rental, and made plans for us to spend the day going down the Chattahoochee River.
I know going out on a river was on Liz’s to-do list this summer, so it worked out perfectly. The day was gorgeous, and we joined a large throng of people who had the same idea.
As is our annual tradition, we had an early Christmas with the Holder family at their home in Atlanta, GA. Recently, the Fords moved down to Atlanta as well, and are currently staying with the Holders. Needless to say, we had a very full house – which, over the holidays… is the best kind of house.
On our last day in Georgia, it was all about the food. Each year Liz makes a fruitcake for her dad, who’s a huge fan of fruitcakes. While I’m not partial to them myself, I have to clarify that this is not your regular, gross fruitcake that most people pinch their nose at. In addition…
We woke to the sound of Isabelle pushing on our bedroom door, asking if we were awake yet. The kids were up and ready to open gifts, and Liz and I were the last ones still in bed. On walking downstairs to the kitchen, I saw the main course for our lunch resting on the…
One of the staple parts about Christmas day with the Holders is Anne’s monkey bread. When it’s early and you’re still waking up, this paired with a cup of coffee is a little slice of heaven. Napoleon, with a little sad look on his face… but still cute as ever. Gifts spilling out from under…
Flying in to Georgia last night took about 3 times longer than necessary. Our flight was delayed for an hour or two, and after our plane finally landed… we were stuck behind three other planes, waiting for a gate. To top things off, a part of Liz’s luggage didn’t show up. And so we killed…