Ramona's Holiday Tour

Because Forest and I currently have the luxury of living within a one-hour radius of our parents, it was both our duty and our pleasure to take Ramona around for a tour of multiple Christmases. But we celebrated a Christmas of our own on the 23rd, before our journeys began.
It started with angel food cake french toast for breakfast, new and improved from last year
. . . and included a stack of gifts, which dwarfed our tiny 18-inch Christmas tree.
Upon opening a few gifts, generally disregarding the contents, and playing with boxes and wrapping paper, Ramona commenced her holiday travels.
The 24th at Parry's
We spent the next couple of nights in Cerro Gordo, where a one-of-a-kind Christmas tree is always there to greet us this time of year. I can't decide which I like better--the Parry Tree '08 or the Parry Tree '09.Some of us wore festive socks for the 24th,
gave kisses under the mistletoe,
helped make an enormous Parry-style pie in the kitchen,


and watched the rain fall.


Christmas Eve at Grandma Carol's
At Grandma's house, Ramona played with a giant bucket of toys,
received plenty of hugs from Grandma,

opened more gifts,
gave Grandma a gift,
and attempted to steal ornaments off of the Christmas tree.
Christmas morning at Grandpa Parry's
Despite our hectic itinerary, Santa was well aware of Ramona's various locations on Christmas as evidenced by the plentiful gifts left for her at all of our stops that day.
He must have known what a nice baby she has been these past eight months.


Speaking of Santa, he never forgets to bring Parry a fresh supply of chocolate raisins.

Christmas lunch at Dutch and Bill's
Teresa's parents have a house that feels like some extension of the North Pole when this season arrives. Her lawn is covered with decorations, and a large section of her living room is dedicated to a tiny village of lit homes, ice skaters, and even an electric ski lift. It wasn't until after we arrived at their home that the snow finally came, transforming wet Christmas into white.
Diapers are perhaps more of a gift for mom than baby, but Ramona was still pleased . . .. . . and she was just as pleased when Teresa handed her a pickle to taste for the first time.Christmas afternoon at Ojiichan and Obaachan's house
More gifts awaited Ramona at my parents' home in Normal . . .

. . . as well as a basket of markers, promptly dumped out on the floor by guess-who?

A few successful family photos, after several attempts:

Ramona stayed with Ojiichan and Obaachan on the 26th while Forest and I headed up to Chicago to visit the temple. It was blanketed in snow by the time we arrived.
As we were leaving the temple, we saw three deer in a lot nearby. They looked back at us once before leaping away. I asked Forest if they were "snowdeer," instead of "raindeer." For all the pun-filled jokes he has told me, he should have laughed.We also saw a snow-covered nativity display still set up on the temple grounds. Somehow, looking at those figures and standing there together made it feel like we had found a moment of true "peace on earth." After all the busyness and activities of the past few days, I felt a contrasting sense of calm in being there. If I were a deer, perhaps I would wander by there, too.Merry Christmas.