Christmas 2000
Decorating the tree is serious business, something you want to
do with your pants on. Jackson and Lisa are busy decorating the
tree. Jackson has come a long way in the 5 1/2 years he's been
around. He no longer puts all of his decorations within a
3 inch radius of one another.
The tree decoration is a multi-day process. Jackson resumed
work the following morning. My job was to keep the tree
watered, which I would remember to do sporadically. Usually
what would happen is Lisa would ask me "Did you water the
tree today?". I would pretend I didn't hear her and then
water it when she was off doing something else.
Zachary quickly got into the Christmas spirit even in the
morning. Here he is eating his breakfast before I hustle
them off to school and daycare. This is my Santa hat, so
naturally both kids wanted to wear it and almost pulled
the pom-pom off fighting over it.
Christmas cookies are fun! Not so much the getting the ingredients
out part or the mixing and baking them part. What is fun is
dumping an enormous pile of sprinkles or sugar crystals on
each one. We eventually had to ration them out to Jackson
and Zachary putting just a little of each kind into coffee
mugs.
The house was decorated, the cookies were cooked, it was time
for the relatives to arrive. The family also wanted to
organize a little golf outing at the golf course by Lisa's
grandparent's house. Angela and I were partners because our
golf games are at about the same level and we look so darn
good standing next to each other in our Santa hats.
We had our 2nd annual Christmas eve party for family and
friends. Zachary was his usual self, an older chick
magnet. Here he has lured Elizabeth and Haley into the
toy room where he is impressing them with his rendition
of "Down By The Station".
Here they are, the sisters with their nice picture smiles.
in front of a roaring Duraflame fire
The preliminary holiday stuff is over and boys are opening
presents. Zachary thought he had the system pretty well
worked out. Everything that said "Zachary" on it was his.
Everything that didn't say "Zachary" on it but was wrapped
in some sort of colorful paper was also his.
This is Jackson sitting next to his "LeapPad". This was the
hot educational gift for Christmas 2000. It was featured in
the newspaper and on TV. Every parent just had to have one.
I checked all of the on-line stores and they were sold out.
I went to three different local stores before I found a store
that had one copy left. I had triumphed. Jackson, naturally,
doesn't play with it. What he really likes is the Nintendo
GameBoy and Pokemon game cartridge he got from his
grandmother.