A Little Piece of Home

Yesterday was a banner day at our house! Three boxes arrived all at the same time, one from Grammy and Grumpy and two from our dear friends Scott and Lou Anne. In the middle of my pity party for having to spend Christmas at the bottom of the planet, it was wonderful to get love from some of my very favorite people. I'm spreading out the joy over a few days so that we weren't overwhelmed today.

I only let the kids explore one box (after I'd pulled out a few things to save for Christmas day) so they enjoyed some surprises from Grammy and Grumpy. The M&M's caught their attention first, but after their sweet teeth were satisfied they discovered their USNA goats. Having met Bill the Goat a few times in person, it's lots of fun to see my kids learning about him!

The big treat was a recordable book of the Night Before Christmas and the kids were absolutely captivated by hearing their grandparents' voices.

This was the very first listen and it took Ben a few moments to realize he was actually hearing Grammy and Grumpy's voices.

Ben listened to it cover to cover 4 times before heading off to play with something else. Alex didn't seem as interested and started watching TV, then half an hour later came back and started talking back to the book. It was so precious! Later, Ben was also talking into the speaker and telling Grammy and Grumpy that he loved them. What a priceless gift! Thank you, Mom and Dad, for sending it all the way here because I enjoyed hearing your voices as much or more than the kids, too :)