Wordless Wednesday

New Tattoos.....kind of.....

We had one other adventure while we were in MN - we got new tattoos......Our sister in law does permanent makeup and she talked us both into getting a very subtle "lash enhancement". We both crazily agreed, and we're glad we did. Here is the play by play:

Make some drinks to help keep everyone sane:




















Take a before picture:

Numb the eyelid:














Just lay down and relax:

Let Annete work her magic:

Cool off the eyes:

Before and After:

The Hotel

For the past two years, MJ's mom has paid for rooms at a local hotel for the night so that we can all "get away." We enjoy sitting pool side with a few cocktails and the kids enjoy the pool for hours on end. This year, we were even smarter and brought lots of munchies along. We grazed on food all day, played dice, and just enjoyed each other's company.

The food:

MJ's mom and our sister in law Annette:

Our niece and nephew Sam and Alex with a cart of food they ordered from the restaraunt:

MJ's brother Scott and I:

We had a wonderful time enjoying each other's company, and of course the kids loved the pool!

The whole gang:

Christmas Day

We had a great Christmas Day as well.  We slept in after the late night before and MJ's other brother Scott and his family came over late morning.  After a yummy breakfast of egg bake and cinnamon rolls, we opened stockings and presents. 

Later in the afternoon, we let the kids play with the camera.  We always do this because we get some great pictures from their view of the day.  Here are a few of them:

 

We also enjoyed a wonderful dinner of ham, potatoes, and all the fixins.  It was a wonderful day spent with family.

The Beginning of the Trip

After a crazy flight in the midst of the major snowstorm in the Midwest, thinking we had missed our connecting flight, but being lucky enought to have it held for us, and terrible driving conditions on the way home, including a stretch of road where it was snowing so furiously you couldn't see a foot in front of you, we made it to MJ's mom's house.

Our first full day was Christmas Eve and we planned a fondue (it's tradition) dinner for that night. We had a thoroughly enjoyable dinner complete with lots of vodka and cranberry juice as well as wine. It was such an enjoyable time.

Our Sister - in - law Annette (left) and her sister Joyce













MJ's mom and I













MJ with her mom













The two of us with MJ's brother Jim













After we enjoyed our wonderful dinner, we deicded to play 6 - 5 - 4 (it's a dice game for those of you who don't know) - and this is where the hilarity began. We played until 2 in the morning, and I have not laughed as much or as hard as I did that evening. It was just plain sillyness, but oh, so enjoyable. I'll let the pics speak for themselves!

Happy New Year!

Here's to an incredible 2010 - we wish that for all our friends and family, both virtual and in real life.

We've made it home to Boston and we're finishing our journey home by bus and then car. If all goes well, we should be snuggled in bed by 2 AM. We have lots of stories and pics to share of our wonderful time spent with MJ's family. We'll work on a full update tomorrow.

Wordless Wednesday