Now that it’s February, maybe I should tell you about our Christmas trip.
It had been two whole years since I had seen my family, so it was good to be together and make some new memories!
Our little band of travelers took off on Christmas Day. The boys were cute about wanting equal time sitting next to Brynn so they could help take care of her.
Mom, Dad, and Ruth Anna greeted us when we f-i-n-a-l-l-y arrived in Fairmont around 2am. We were exhausted! The next morning (and lots of the mornings we were home) Dad cooked us a hot breakfast–his specialty. We opened Christmas presents that first morning home, and it was fun to see the kids’ joy, and Mom made a turkey dinner for the special day. We also announced that Baby Moody #4 was on the way! The rest of the visit was spent playing with new presents, playing games, reading, singing, catching up, and watching movies. Stephen even did a few odd jobs around the house for Mom and Dad.
Grandpa was impressed with Silas’ sketches.
Brynn finally found her Grandma. She would often point to random women here in Oregon and ask, “Is that my Grandma?” She was so happy to be surrounded by so much family that she kept giving hugs and telling everyone she loved them!
Silas became a board game junkie, playing Monopoly 4 times! He was very proud when he won his first two games, but then Grandpa brought him back down to reality. Brynn and Cooper took a little field trip up to Aunt Rebekah’s classroom where they explored some fun toys and crafts.
We managed to visit a new place in WV, a small park in Morgantown called Dorsey’s Knob. There was a historic log cabin, and we hiked up to Sky Rock where we got a good view of the area.
One day we visited our dear friends, the Bells, and ate lunch with them. Silas has been interested in learning about WW2, so it was extra special that he got to talk to a real life WW2 veteran and friend!
On our last day, we drove up to Pittsburgh to meet Uncle Tim, Uncle Paul, and Aunt Elissa for lunch. I hadn’t been to an Eatin’ Park since childhood! Afterwards we explored the city with Uncle Tim, visiting Fort Pitt at The Point, the Duquesne Incline, and then going out for supper at the “almost famous” Primanti Brothers.
The house where my dad grew up.
Pittsburgh actually reminded me a lot of Portland with the bridges, rivers, and gray skies.
It was a long trek, but very worth it to be with family!