Christmas morning began with little Drew waking up all wet. He called frantically for his Momma, who was in the kitchen making breakfast for her husband and his mama, Abuelita Merina. Poor little Drew ended up in the bath tub. His sister, Katy washed him thoroughly with soap and rinsed him off in the warm water. Pretty soon, he started crying, “I’m cold, I’m cold.”
Whining and whimpering, Drew got out of the tub and Katy wrapped him in a towel. The whining continued as my daughter dressed him in his favorite hoodie shirt and corduroy pants. He was all ready to start Christmas Day.
Drew did not want his waffle and orange juice so his Momma wrapped the waffle in plastic wrap and put the orange juice in a travel cup and put both in his backpack for the trip to Grandpa Roy’s and Grandma Ruth’s house. We would take two cars this morning because Papi was bringing his Mamma. Drew and Katy were going to have all three of their grandmas together in one place.
My son-in-law, Rico drove his car with his mother, Merina and my daughter. Tracy was going without the children this morning to get a little break from her whining son. Chris, my son, drove with Drew in his car seat, Katy in charge of entertaining herself and her brother, and myself in the front passenger seat. The drive was pretty quiet until Drew got too warm. He started whining, then crying. Chris became nervous and asked Katy what was wrong. Katy told her uncle that her little brother was too hot. Chris told her to take Drew’s jacket off. As she did that, Chris turned the heater down and opened the window a crack to let in a little outside air. Everything was fine and Chris settled down for the rest of the drive.
Before long, we were off the freeway and driving along side the cargo runways at O’Hare Airport. We were almost to our destination. Ten minutes later, we were in Grandpa’s and Grandma’s driveway. We told them we would be there by noon and we were in the driveway two minutes before noon. We went into the house and received a wonderful Christmas welcome.
The house was filled with the smells of Christmas, with Wassail, appetizers, little meatball hoagies, shrimp & cocktail sauce, sweets, and more. In the kitchen, Grandma Ruth was cooking a savory crown roast of pork, with dressing, real mashed potatoes and gravy, salad, and fresh rolls. Dinner was absolutely wonderful. Little Drew was so excited and exhausted, he hardly ate a thing. Katy ate what was put on her plate, but she had eaten so many appetizers, she wasn’t very hungry for dinner.
We ate dinner and talked as the children ran around and played with Drew’s Ben 10 watch and light saber. I helped Ruth clear the table. She put the majority of the food in containers for everyone to take home, as I put silverware, salad bowls, and little punch cups in the dishwasher. When we finished, Ruth let everyone know it was time to open presents.
The children raced to the Christmas tree as Grandpa Roy started running the Christmas train around the tree. Drew was mesmerized by the train. He wanted to run the train, so Grandpa helped him. When everyone was seated around the roaring fire and the Christmas tree, Grandma Ruth and Drew handed out presents. Even Abuelita Merina got some nice presents. By the time everyone was finished opening some really nice gifts from Grandpa Roy and Grandma Ruth, Drew started crying tears of exhaustion. Understanding what these tears meant, my daughter picked her little boy up and took him in one of the bedrooms. She rocked him as she walked. Before too long, Drew was out like a light, asleep. Tracy laid him on the bed and let him sleep.
At that point, we sat down at the table for coffee, tea, and dessert. After Katy had her cookies, she went back to one of the bedrooms and laid down on one of the beds as well. She was tired too.
We sat and talked as Rico translated everything to his Mamma. Merina doesn’t speak English. I think Merina had a good time, though, because Grandma Ruth made sure she felt wanted and comfortable. Abuelita Merina was with her son Rico and his family. She had a very happy look on her face all day.
The day had gone by quickly. Everyone was feeling very comfortable as we sat and talked over dessert and coffee. I wanted to get into the kitchen and help Ruth wash the dishes that could not go into the dishwasher, but she told me it wouldn’t take her and Roy very long. By the time I rolled up my sleeves and started the water, my daughter came in and told me we were leaving. We left at 6:45 pm, it would be 8:45 pm before we would get home.
My son helped me into the front seat of his Escape because there was ice on the driveway. The temperature had gone down from the low 40s. Snow was falling, replacing the rain. This time, Tracy rode with us so her son would be happy. As we started out, I thought I would close my eyes for a minute or two to rest. Before I knew it, we were making the turn from US 45 onto Pilgrim Road, 5 minutes from my daughter’s house. Wow! I had slept the whole way.
Drew was happy to get out of his car seat and into his house. The first thing he wanted was his Ben 10 watch and the discs. We looked everywhere, in his backpack, in the car, in his car seat, in Katy’s backpack, no watch or discs. My daughter called Grandma Ruth’s and sure enough, the Ben 10 watch and discs were in the bathroom, where Drew had gone potty and washed his hands, with his Momma’s help. Grandma Ruth promised to mail Drew his Ben 10 watch first thing Monday morning. I hope Tracy, his Papi, and Katy can make it until the watch comes in the mail.
I gathered my beautiful presents and my pajamas and headed for home. Ahhh! Home Sweet Home. A little lonely without Hank, but I was home. Saturday morning, I woke up late around 10:00 am. I got ready to drive to West Allis to pick up my dog. He wasn’t all too happy to see me. I suppose he was giving me the stand offish act. Into his kennel he went and we were off. Before I was on the road two minutes, Hank let me know he had to go out. I stopped in a large parking lot near the local CBS Television Station and Bally’s Fitness Club. He went twice. I picked up to “doo doo” with one of his diapers and went to find a trash can. By the time I was ready to get started, he whined again. I let him out one more time. This time, I walked him around awhile in the parking lot to allow his system to settle and back he went into the kennel.
I got on I-94 knowing I would not be taking US-45 because there were two accidents going North. We continued on I-94 until we got to Moorland Rd. I got off at Moorland and took Pilgrim Road east to I-45 totally bypassing the accidents. Throughout this drive, Hank whined letting me know he didn’t like being sequestered in the kennel. This was not a fun drive. However, by the time we got on US-45 at Pilgrim Road, Hank stopped whining. Apparently, he realized I wasn’t going to let him out so he settled down and stopped whining. What a blessing!
The weather did not cooperate on the drive home anymore than Hank. Snow fell in almost blizzard-like conditions. Between running the windshield wipers, quieting Hank, and easing the brake to stop without sliding I truly had my hands full. By the time we got home, I felt like kissing the ground. Hank got out of the kennel and went straight to the back door. He went out, did his thing, and went straight to his bed. The poor little dog was exhausted. We were home safe and sound.
This was a true story. All the names were of real people and there will likely be a similar story next Christmas. As you can see, my Christmas was memorable. I hope your Christmas was as wonderful as mine. God bless you all and I wish you all the best today and everyday throughout the year. See you tomorrow. Take care.
