Another Christmas in Connecticut

We just returned from our trip to Connecticut for Christmas. The important stuff (i.e., the pictures) are included below. But the brief summary is as follows.

It snowed a lot the days before and after our arrival. Margaret and Teddy had fun in the snow, although we spent almost as much time getting them prepped and out the door as we did actually playing in the snow. Which is pretty consistent with my recollection of snow days as a kid.

Abby and I then deserted the kids for few days to head into New York City where we hung out with Eleanor. A lot of fun (esp. being sans kids), but I don't think that I could live in NYC at this point in my life. Too dirty, too crowded and too expensive. But it's a nice place to visit. Although it was cold. Damn cold.

Margaret enjoyed all of the hoopla associated with Christmas including making cookies and opening presents. In fact, she really seemed to grasp the gestalt of the whole event as it's defined on her mother's side of the family. She did get worn out by the excitement of opening presents on Christmas day with the initial excitement about opening each present eventually replaced by a desire to immediately play with each one.

Compared to last year when he was just a blob, Teddy was naturally more involved in the whole scene, but he was primarily interested in playing with the wrapping paper and, more generally, creating havoc. He's a walking disaster at this point, and I would just complement him with a "Good job, boy!" as he found something new to pound on.

Our drive back was fraught with delays as we ran into bad traffic throughout New Jersey and Maryland. But we sang Beatles songs and showtunes for the kids which kept them happy, for the most part, until they eventually fell asleep.