Merry Christmas

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We had a great Christmas around the Methot homestead.

Due to the bad weather, our friends Scott and Susana couldn't get a taxi to the airport, so they called me midday Christmas Eve and asked if I could drive them in their Subaru Outback (all wheel drive). We were just relaxing around home so I was glad to do it. It had the side benefit of allowing me to do some last minute shopping, since we were otherwise still housebound with our alley almost impassable.

Carol and I were up late Christmas Eve getting the stage all set for Santa. Then we all had a good night's sleep. Charlotte woke up at 6, but I was able to put her back in her bed and I crawled in the big bed in her room and all was quiet again. Although I couldn't sleep because I was excited for the girls' Christmas. Audrey woke up at 7 and then the house came to life.

The girls got some physically large items this year: a play house to share and a doll house each. Santa had shrouded them all in blankets in case the girls woke up in the middle of the night. Carol distracted the girls downstairs while I went up and uncovered everything and got ready to take photos. Then we had the reveal.

Both girls loved everything. Carol and I got to sit and devour Carol's Christmas morning cinnamon rolls and read the paper for an hour while they played peacefully with the new toys. Later we all went downstairs and watched Wall-E. Carol and Audrey saw it in the theater but I had never seen it. It's a sweet, delightful, funny movie if you haven't seen it.

Then it was time to go to Aunt Tricia's for the feast. Frank's mother Carmen and her husband Henry were also there. Tricia is a fantastic cook and as usual everything was delicious.

Temperatures are increasing and the snow began to melt a little Christmas Eve, a little more yesterday and still more today. By Sunday everything should be back to normal for Seattle in December: 45 degrees and raining.

We're really looking forward to having mobility again. However, I must say we've had a pretty good time being housebound. Audrey and Charlotte have really enjoyed having me around full time, and it's mutual. Charlotte gives me spontaneous hugs a couple of times every day. It's going to be hard for all of us when I go back to work, but I have nine more days to not think about that.

Merry Christmas!