Spencer came in at 4:40am. I followed him back to bed and noted that he hadn't noticed the tree. Spencer came in at 5:30. Mike followed him back to bed. Spencer came in at 6 saying 'presents!' repeatedly. I got up. Mike got a shower while my dad and John came from the hotel. I tried successfully to keep Spencer from diving in and woke Rachel.
Presents were opened. The kids were totally blown away. The only thing that wasn't an instant hit was the pirate ship, as I expected. They both liked the dollhouse, train set, and shake n go track. Rachel loved the doll set and Spencer loved the trucks (he also received a super cool dump truck from my dad and John).
We spent the morning relaxing with my dad and John before they headed on their way to their mini-vacation spot. It was nice. Yesterday with them was nice too. It's easy to relax around them now. I think just letting go of the past and living in the moment is good medicine for families that had a lot of dysfunction way back when. Just enjoy the people you've all become and stop worrying about who we were, kwim?
Lucy is not doing so well recovering from her second surgery/procedure. It's taking longer for her to heal - granted it was just Monday and the first was only 10 days before that - because she is not in good health. So we went down there to see them and exchange gifts. It was nice. She really liked the Swarovski ornament (I gotta start ordering those for myself too, they are sooooooo beautiful!), and Tom appreciated the car wash gift certificate. Seeing the kids was a boost for Lucy, but it was very evident that she is not doing well. I'm really worried, but there's not much we can do about that.
We came home and tried to get the kids to nap. Rachel cooperated. Spencer did not. When I went into his room I think I had just missed seeing him jump off his bed. Since he is just now starting to jump off things, I was actually pretty happy about that. So we came out and played more with the new toys until it was time to leave.
Then off to Melanie and Frank's house for dinner. I love that we have close friends that live right around the corner. Mel made a veal roast with carrots, mashed potatoes, broccoli, and rolls. It was excellent. I had gotten the girls a Wii game that I thought they would like. I was right, they played it all night and were still playing when I left. I also got Frank a Wii game that he will probably like, but the girls can also play. I got Mel the new Enya cd. I figured she would like it (how could you not?), but didn't realize that she really, really loves Enya and was super happy about it. She got the kids a doodle pro that is a school bus and these cool mega blocks cars. They really liked them. Spencer had an absolute blast. I was playing the cheer game with the girls and he wanted to hold my hand and 'dance' with me. Rachel had fun too. Mike and I also had a great time. It was nice to relax and let things be easy instead of constantly worrying that the kids would break something or whatever.
Overall, a really great day. I look forward to another tomorrow :o). Time for a few pics!!! There are more here .
