December 23rd - December 31, 2023 - Kelly's 75th Birthday Party; Christmas with Alexa, Erin, Kellen and Freedom

Kelly's 75th birthday was the 23rd. Daughter Alexa FLEW IN from St. Louis on the 22nd with a suitcase full of gifts for Kelly from her and her sisters. After Kelly went to bed on the 22nd Alexa decorated the lanai for the birthday party. The girls gave Kelly 75 gifts for her 75th birthday! Kelly was really surprised.

Daughter Erin and her two boys, Kellen and Free, arrived for the holidays from California on the 23rd. Kelly waited to open most gifts until they arrived. Here are the boys enjoying the party. Free was kept busy bringing presents to Grandma.

Later Kelly enjoyed sitting in her easy chair opening a few more gifts with the help of Grandson Free.

Christmas Eve we all went to Mass at Sacred Heart parish. Kellen and Erin ended up spending the time in the "cry room" with Free. He was not into Mass at all.

This was a great Christmas for Free at two and half. He had a Santa Hat and would walk around telling everyone "Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Chritmas". It was great. After Mass we rode  around on the "go cart", as he called it, and he would say "Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Chritmas" to everyone he saw. Here is a picture of Free, Kellen and me after a golf cart ride. Free has on his backpack, which he had to have seeing his mom and brother with one all the time.

 

Free couldn't get any big items for Christmas because they would have to be taken back to California on the airplane. He got three Spider Man shirts and couldn't wait to take off his pajama top to put one on. By Christmas morning his braids had all been taken out.

There was no helping Free open his presents. He insisted on doing it by himself. He is a sharp little guy and had no problem getting the ribbon and paper off.

He also got magnetic blocks, crayons, coloring books, snowballs to throw, and a lunch pail full of dinosaurs. It was all scattered all over the floor most of the entire visit. LOL 

Free enjoyed the magnetic blocks and, with grandma showing him how they worked, he quickly learned how to make things like a house.

Kellen got new shoes and a new "Xbox". I don't know what size his feet are but his shoes are huge. If I had white tennis shoes like that they wouldn't say white for one day.

It didn't take long for Kellen to get the Xbox set up on the TV and begin playing his favorite games. He loved grandma's seventy inch TV for that.

Of course Erin and Alexa got presents as well and opened them while relaxing on the couch with a cup of coffee. 

The weather all week was cold (by Florida standards). On the 26th we went to the Bird Sanctuary in Mideira Beach. Kelly couldn't come along because we all couldn't fit in the truck at the same time. She had been there before so she didn't feel she was missing anything. Free loved looking at the big birds. 

The sanctuary is located on the water so we walked from there to the beach. It was cold and foggy but Free enjoyed splashing in the ocean water for his first time with brother Kellen and Aunt Alexa.

It was a great opportunity for a couple of pictures of me with Erin and her family. 

After the Bird Sanctuary we took Alexa to the airport for her flight home. She didn't check any luggage so the liquid items she got for Christmas will have to be mailed to her.

Erin had to work from home a couple of days so one day we took Free to "Munchkin Town".  He really enjoyed it, immediately gravitating to the "Monster Truck".

He likes toys with wheels. After the monster truck he pushed a baby around in a baby buggy until he spotted a car he could drive. He went all over in it.

He then spotted the "kitchen area" and cooked a meal. I had to go outside to get a good picture of him at work through the window.

Not long after arriving at our house Free spotted my iPad and promptly told me it was "my iPad. He pushed icons on it all day every day trying to get something to work. One day I put it on the charger on the shelf. He spotted it, unplugged it and carried it around with him. These little guys are amazing with technology. He had somebody's cell phone with him most of the time, again randomly pushing buttons. Once he sent a garbled message to my sister.

The 29th it was still cloudy and cold. We loaded chairs in the truck and headed to John's Pass.  John's Pass is a huge tourist area in Mideira Beach - blocks of T-shirt shops, souvenir shops, restaurants, etc. Our hope was that after walking around a while the weather would clear up enough that we could sit by the water. A picture opportunity as we arrived.

We weren't there long and Kellen found a place to get a temporary tattoo. He loved it. I think it lasts for up to a month. I just don't get it.

We strolled through a few shops. In one Kellen bought his girlfriend a necklace. We then headed to the pier to look for dolphins playing in the bay and to find a restaurant for lunch. We did see some dolphins but the big attraction for Free was the "Pirate Ship". It is a daily tour boat built to look like a pirate ship. He was fascinated by it. We had a nice lunch. Kellen bought a drink that is served in a coconut. He got it because you get to keep the coconut, which can be used as a piggy bank or vessel for small items.

After lunch it was clear that the weather was not going to cooperate for a sit on the beach so we headed home. The boys were worn out. Free was tired because he didn't take any naps while here and Kellen was tired because he stays up all hours playing his video games.

The 30th Erin and the boys headed back to California. Their flight took off at 5:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. California time. Kelly and I helped them get the bags and car seat checked and then headed home. All went well with their flight but it was 1:30 a.m. California time before they got home and in bed. A very long day and night for them.

It was such a treat seeing them for the Christmas holiday. We haven't had a little one around on Christmas since Kellen was a baby. It made me get into the Christmas spirit by putting a tree up for the first time in years. One of Kelly's birthday gifts was a pink flamingo. The girls and Kelly insisted I put it on top of the tree, replacing the star. This tree is in Florida after all.

We really wished the weather had been better for their visit so that they could have had a day at the beach but it wasn't meant to be. Maybe next time.

I spent New Year's Eve stripping beds and doing laundry. We are going to a New Year's Eve party tonight here in the park. There is live music and you bring your own drinks and snacks. It should be a lot of fun. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!