Christmas in Dallas

Phil and I headed to Dallas on December 13 to spend 4 days with Andy, Mike, Stacy and Emma to celebrate Christmas 2007. We had a great time, and got to spend time with Princess Dora and Cinderella along the way! (Emma in dress-up!)
Thursday:
We flew in, got the rental car, and picked up Andy. Then off to see Mike and Stacy's new house. When we got there, the house next door was in demolition mode, so we stood outside and watched the bulldozer tear it down in a brief period of time. Then inside to see the family. Emma and Nana got to work baking their cake (a requirement). We went out to dinner at Mi Cocina, one of Mike and Stacy's favorite Mexican restaurants, and then went on a horse drawn carriage ride. It was the best night of all that we were there - cold, but no rain!
Friday:
We spent the day hanging around the house, playing with Mike's Wii, and just generally chillin'. All the boxes we had sent down to Dallas got unpacked and put under the tree. Nana had gotten Emma a Dora beanie baby and explained that Dora was going to watch the presents and make sure nobody opened them. (Will it work???? Amazingly it did!) Andy made Pesto for dinner which is really really good. If you have never had fresh pesto on angel hair pasta, you have got to try it. We made stuffed mushrooms too, which is a family favorite. Later that night we played a game of Three goats and a Chicken - one that Andy learned from his Croatian friend. Stacy is wicked competitive - you have to watch out for her.
Saturday:
This was the day we opened our gifts. Emma got to take Emma out of the Christmas tree where she watched over the presents, we distributed the gifts, and did our usual one-at-a-time opening. Emma was super-good with taking turns opening. I think her favorite was her Dora dress-up box. As soon as she opened it, Princess Dora came to life. She put on the outfit, shoes and hat and wore it for most of the day. We all got really nice stuff. In the afternoon we went to the bookstore and Emma got a chance to talk to Santa without her parents hanging with her! First time! She was so brave to even ask Santa where his reindeer were, listening close to the answer, so she could tell us all about it. With all the excitement of the day, plus the fact that she was getting a cold, it was pretty hard for Emma to settle down for bed. The guys stayed up late to play on the Playstation 3. I think Andy finally went to bed around 3a.


Sunday:
Time to get some work done, pack, and head back home. Phil, Mike, and Andy got a chance to hang pictures while the rest of us, including Cinderella, supervised.

All in all, we had a great time for our Christmas holiday. Emma has left a couple of us with a special gift, which requires NyQuil, Vicks, and cough drops, but what the heck, the hugs are definitely worth it.

We are heading up to the cottage on Friday, December 22. We'll spend Christmas Eve with Norb and Karyl - hoping to see Jay, Sarah and the kids that weekend. Christmas Day we will take a run down to Madison to spend the afternoon with Phil's Mom and sister. Then most likely will head back to the cottage in hopes of seeing Jen, Shawn, and the babies before we have to head back to Illinois.

Happy Holidays!