Visit from the Parsons

I think I posted earlier that we went into the holiday season thinking we would not be seeing any of our family, but that our plans ended up changing. When the Parsons asked if they could come and visit sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas we were thrilled. We had not seen "Grandma and Tractor Man" since they came to see us in July and we missed them!

They flew to Illinois this time, which meant that instead of a two day drive they left Virginia and arrived in Illinois by 10:30am. They were tired from the early flight but agreed that it was the better way to travel. The boys loved getting to go to the airport to pick them up, although there was a little bit of confusion when we explained that we would not actually be going on an airplane. Lance wants to know when he gets to fly.

Having the Parsons here was a wonderful way to kick off the Christmas season. We enjoyed doing some festive things like decorating sugar cookies, looking at Christmas lights downtown, and watching Christmas movies. One of the things that they wanted to do while they were here was do their Christmas shopping for our family so we spent some time shopping. It was pretty funny to walk through Toys R Us with the boys pointing out everything and their grandparents behind them sneaking toys into the shopping cart. I don't think Lance realized what was going on, but clearly he knew who he was shopping with because at one point he just started tossing things into the cart. I had a chance to go shopping with just Pam and I told her that was just as much my present as anything she could buy me. The chance to go shopping and take my time and look at whatever I wanted without worrying about the boys was incredibly relaxing. Plus, I loved the "girl time"  and the chance just to talk and catch up. It was so much fun!

While they were here we did take the boys to go and see Santa Claus at the mall. This was our first time attempting something like this so I was worried about how it was going to go down. Lance tends to be very shy - and very stubborn. He seemed to pick up on the importance of telling Santa what he wanted though. Clark was well prepared and so Lance followed suit. They were so sweet talking to him and we even got what I think was a perfect picture of my boys.

The Parsons also gave Josh and I a gift - the chance to go on a date. We haven't been able to do that in months. We went out to dinner and then saw Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It was a great movie, even if the heat went out in the theater and we had to watch it wearing our coats and gloves. Why? Because it is ridiculously cold in Illinois, as I have quickly learned. The Parsons were here to experience our first Illinois snow - on December 3rd. I mean seriously, it wasn't even winter yet. It was beautiful though. The one thing that may get us through is that for us snow is still so much of a novelty. The boys and I love to go out and play in it, and luckily we don't usually have to go anywhere so I don't have to worry about driving in it.

The visit ended way too quickly, as it always does, but we had a wonderful time with Pam and John. We can't wait until our next visit, but after the weather they experienced I'm thinking they may not be back up our way until Spring.