Christmas in OKC

Frank, Alex, and I flew to Oklahoma City on Monday, December 22nd to spend Christmas with Jeremy, Robin, and Autumn. Dan, Carrie, and Vivian were celebrating Christmas in Ohio with her family. It was the first time in 35 years that Frank and I were somewhere other than Livermore for Christmas! This year there were nine Christmas stockings for family members. We trekked all nine stockings from California to Oklahoma and rehung them there to symbolize that we would all be together in spirit on Christmas day.

Nine stockings, all in a row, hung with care in Livermore.

Nine stockings, all in a row, hung with care in Oklahoma City. 

It was also the first time our Christmas tree was artificial –  a safety concession since we would be out of town. But we still got to enjoy the real tree in Jeremy and Robin's living room.

Our Christmas tree in Livermore.

Jeremy, Robin, and Autumn's Christmas tree in Oklahoma City.

Alex showed an interest in Autumn and Autumn viewed Alex as yet another adult to play with who had similar interests as she. They shared riding the swing set, putting coins in banks, watching videos, and tossing a large size ball back and forth.

The weather before Christmas was mild and perfect for some outside swing time.

Alex and Autumn are taking turns with Alex's coin bank.

Alex's Spiderman bank was a Christmas gift. He and Autumn take turns putting money in it.

But, My Little Pony, all encompassing for Autumn, held little interest for Alex. I think it just is not a guy thing!

Autumn is hugging Pinkie Pie.  Rainbow Dash is off to the right.
Grandma has lots to learn to name all the My Little Ponies.

Frank stayed home with Alex Christmas Eve while I joined Robin, Jeremy, and Autumn at services in Cross Timbers Church. Afterward, I read many, many, many books to Autumn upstairs in her bedroom while the Christmas tree in the living room below was populated with presents from friends, family, and Santa. We opened presents Christmas morning. A Spiderman bank and floor size puzzle were Alex's favorite gifts and Autumn loved anything related to My Little Pony or Frozen. Both Autumn and Alex liked Alex's Sort and Snap, a toy by Melissa and Doug where snap caps are pushed into holes over a picture overlaid on a perforated play board, matching colors.

Alex liked poking the brightly colored caps into the holes.

Autumn was actually quite good at matching colors.

In the early evening we ate a relaxed, low key, unconventional Christmas dinner of Sloppy Joe. The day after Christmas, Frank, Alex, and Jeremy went bowling and the day after that ... it snowed! It was not just a slight dusting of frost on the pumpkins, but rather a good 3" or so of accumulation.

The frost is on the pumpkin.

Brrr... Kinda cold!

About 3" of snow accumulated on the cars out front...

... and on the deck furniture out back.

The wind blew some of the snowflakes in to gather on the fully sheltered porch swing. But with a few sweeps of a brush and a spread-out towel, we could sit on the swing and watch the winter wonderland swirling around us. 

It is hard to tell if this is a buildup of hoar frost or a light dusting of snowflakes. Either way, I thought it was pretty.

Alex and I are chilling - literally- on the porch swing watching the flurrying snow about us.

Before Autumn was allowed outside, her dad put on her fur-lined shoes. I just love the contrast in foot size. Her jacket emulated the famous My Little Pony character Rainbow Dash.

One foot, two foot...  big foot, little foot.
Here are Jeremy and Autumn's feet compared side by side.

"I wanna go out!"

Autumn and Grandma sittin' in a swing ...
 It's S-N-O-W-I-N-G !

The day after the snowfall, we ventured out on the roads to run some errands and do some shopping at non-glamourous places like Crest Grocery and Lowe's Home Improvement stores. "Uncle" Alex enjoyed fastening the parachute clips on all the shopping carts and rolling around his niece. It was endearing to see him care for her and share with her in his own way. Autumn's posture indicates that we may have pushed the window a bit too much on nap time, however.

"Christmas can be so exhausting!"

Remember "Little Cindy-Lou Who, who was not more than two", the tiny toddler character in the book How the Grinch Stole Christmas? During our visit, especially snuggled in her Christmasy nightgown, Autumn so reminded me of her.  It was fun to watch Autumn grin from ear to ear when Frank lifted her way, way, high up and bonked her head against the ceiling!

"Again, Grandpa. Again!"

We played the game Set Cubed and the game Flash Point. Set Cubed is a competitive game with dice and a playing board much like Scrabble. The winners enjoyed playing it. Flash Point is cooperative game pitting our team of fire fighters against the board game. We won so everybody enjoyed playing Flash Point.

It's not whether you win or lose but how you play the game?
Not true for Set Cubed but true for Flash Point!

To be complete we took some posed photos of us all decked out in our comfy and casual Christmas finery in appropriately seasonal colors. But there were many more images imprinted in my brain, candid shots not captured by a camera lens, that made this a Christmas to remember!

Jeremy, Robin, Autumn, Alex, and Frank display some Christmas cheer.