Christmas in the Mitten

We spent seven cold but fun days in Michigan for Christmas. My high hopes of playing in the snow with Henry were dashed; all I have to show from a week long trip is a pitiful little dusting. It didn't matter much because Henry wasn't too fond of the "told" (his C's are T's) anyways. He's already a Georgia boy!

At Grandma and Papou's house, Henry had fun standing in the foyer and flipping the light switches. His mind was blown when Papou let him operate the remote for the outdoor Christmas lights! He also got a nice early Christmas present when we accidentally let him open a package with his gift from Uncle Alex, Aunt Anna, Ella, and Mila. Oops. It just meant a few extra days of Lego building!

On Christmas Eve, we attended mass with the Makris family and enjoyed a traditional Italian dinner with the Longo family. Henry's favorite part was blowing out the candles on Jesus' birthday cake. After a bedtime story of the Night Before Christmas from Papa, Henry said "ni night".

Christmas morning was a joy. Henry's excitement was contagious. He loved his musical instruments from Zia-Zia, his parachute and magna-doodle board from Papa and Mimi, and his locks and latches puzzle from Aunt Cathy and Uncle Joe. Staying true to toddler form, he also loved a cardboard box.

For Christmas dinner, we headed over to the Makris home. He enjoyed his lawn mower from Uncle Joe and Aunt Abby, and his Elmo Doctor Book, and tool puzzle from Grandma and Papou. After handing out kisses, Henry took a nap while we enjoyed a delicious dinner and opened the rest of our gifts. Mom and Dad loved the canvas of Mila to add to their collection. We also gave them (and the other two sets of grandparents) a cute plaque to display with their "names." Later, Henry happily enjoyed Grandma's homemade pfeffernusse cookies and milk on special Christmas china, because Grandmas can do that sort of thing.

Before our trip was over, Great Papa Longo came over to visit some more with Henry. And again, because grandparents can get away with it, Henry enjoyed even more Christmas cookies during his visit.

Our flight home was delayed. Henry passed the time playing near some large windows in the terminal. When the sun popped out for a moment, Gus, who has taken as many pictures in his life as I take in a day, noticed that the light was pouring over Henry, and he was quick to grab the camera for the last pictures of our trip. Who knew tax lawyers had an eye for the beautiful?