I left the white snow to go the white sandy beach for Christmas, not because I am a sunbather (ha!) or because snow is cold (it is), but because my sister and her kids, my brother and his kids, my cousin (who is a awesome) and parents all decided to head to FL for the Christmas holidays. So the dogs and I hopped into the car and drove 1600 miles to share in holiday fun. The house is full of the chaos and noise that corresponds with children, and I just love it. The dogs have been complete troopers, both on the long 2 day drive (I know!) and with the small people who insist on tugging and pulling on the dogs while teaching them how to play Candyland. My parents are of the age where the loudest noise they hear during the day is when Dad pops the top off a beer. So the riotous fun of the children is a big change for them. (They mute television commercials because they don’t like the noise.) The kids, of course, are having a grand time – they are other adults to pounce upon with books, demanding stories, and all kinds of new games. Aunt Mary thinks poker is a great way to teach numbers and counting. Grandpa loves to teach toasting. Grandma is working on Scrabble with the 6 year olds. Great Aunt Mary is a fan of building sandcastles with shoes on. So far, so good. No major meltdowns or fits of crying, and the kids are holding up too. Merry Christmas! Mary