Post Christmas Jitters

Stockings to empty, presents to open, a feast to eat, toys to put together, candy wrappers to pick up, wrapping paper to bag, dishes to be done...  All one really wants to do the day after Christmas is sit back in a big comfy chair and take a good nap.  Too bad the kids only participated in the first three of these and are still on a Christmas high.  They are ready to go, go, go. 

So go we went, all the way down to Tucson for a bit of spelunking in Colossal Cave.

Besides a visual treat, Colossal Cave holds quite a history.  It was used from about 900 A.D. to 1800 A.D. by several different Indian groups for shelter, storage and as a shrine.  The cave's history also claims to have been a hideout for different groups of bandits, one in particular made off with a significant amount of gold and Mexican silver dollars from a train heist.  Though the group was eventually arrested, their loot was never found.  Unfortunately, or fortunately, all we emerged with was what we went down with, but...

In the process got to touch a piece of history!

Merry Christmas!

Though the hat says grumpy, the smiles say it all.

Merry Christmas!

From Braden slinging his BB gun,

Hadley and Chloe rolling on their roller skates,

Emmry tearing it up on her rollerblades,

RJ pushing his broom,

and Ryan and CeCe surrounded by all that is precious to them!

Disneyland

Sometimes life can seem a bit mundane. We do the same things over and over again, day after day, week after week. School, work, running around, laundry... Sometimes you've just got to mix things up a bit, so Friday night Ryan and I went out on a little date to a local car dealership. I suppose it was a good date because we left our 2000 Odyssey there and came home with a bit of an upgrade. And seeing as every new vehicle needs breaking in, the next morning we pulled the kids away from the television for a little drive to Disneyland.

We had heard that the early weeks of December were ideal to avoid the crowds in "The Happiest Place on Earth". Mix that with a weekday and some rain and you've got yourself a walk onto many of your favorite rides. The deserted park did come with a bit of a cost though, wet feet and a some complaining... but wait times were rare and we did get to see the Hillbillies perform in their indoor venue three times!

Sunday we took a bit of a time out and visited the Observatory overlooking Hollywood, the inspiration for the observatory in Megamind, and the Los Angeles temple all lit up for Christmas, before heading back for more happiness. Kids have a way of making things more fun though, helping you see things in a new light. Who new that Disney had canoe rides and rope swings?

All in all, the trip was a welcome retreat from the day to day tasks of life. The kids got to leave school behind for a few days, Ryan escaped from work, and I got to set aside the demands of running the house.

It seems though that there is always someone that can't quite leave life behind and is difficult to please. The demands on a 13-month-old must be exhausting!