Albuquerque

Bode spent some quality time with the McGuirk cousins the weekend before Christmas.  Ashley and I decided to play hooky from work and headed down on Friday, arriving just in time for a scrumptious dinner.  Dana is quite the chef and made a delicious lasagna.  We really needed all that food because we were *so* active while we were down there :-)  Actually, Bode probably played as hard as he has ever played.  As soon as we showed up, Sean was there to greet us.  Sean is nine, and is Lord of the Universe in Bode's eyes.  He always wanted to sit by Sean, eat by Sean, play with Sean, well, you get the idea.  And it was great for the parents because we really weren't needed.  At all.  Sort of a window into what it will be like when Bode is a teenager. (Sigh) The ABQ McGuirks took great care of Bode.  They all slept in the same room--sort of a minicamp out (and with a big-screen TV and climate control--my kind of camping).  Here is a nice shot of the McGuirk cousins' sleeping arrangements.

That's Brenna on the left.  She's twelve, and the next time we see her, Ashley might be looking up to her.  Devin is next to Bode--she's about six months older than Bode and very cute (must have gotten the Lithgoe genes).  And, of course, there's Sean, or as Bode called him, Zhhawn (it sometimes sounded like John, but with a very soft J).  The first night, the kiddos watched movies and ate popcorn. Ahh, to be young again.  The next day, we lazed around during the day.  Brenna and Sean each have electronic phones/games, and Bode loved watching them play.  Here is a nice shot of them on the couch.

At some point, Bode got hold of the camera and started taking pictures.  Gotta love the close ups...

In the mid-afternoon, we headed to the children's museum, which was a blast.  Bode told a few people it was just like the Boonshoft, which, if you haven't lived in Dayton, is meaningless.  The museum had all sorts of interactive displays and ways to entertain the kids.  Water is always a big attraction.

The bubble factory was also a hit.

Afterwards, we went to a park and played.  I tried keeping up with Brenna and Sean on the monkey bars, but my shoulders don't seem to work like that of a young child.  We also walked through Old-Town, and saw the very large Santa.

There was also this cool Christmas tree.  It's hard to tell, but every branch is its own tree.  Very neat.

That night, we went to the Walk of Lights (or something like that).  It was awesome--lights everywhere, with all sorts of great decorations and lighting arrangements.  It was a tad chilly, but fortunately, we were dressed appropriately and none the worse for the wear at the end of the evening.  I didn't take any pictures, because my pictures of holiday lights always turn out horrible--just looks like a bunch of little fireflies with a lot of dark.  I think Ashley took some, and if she ever ports her photos over to the computer, I'll be sure to load them.  Following the festival of lights, we dined on Mexican (we needed more food) and headed home.  The kiddos, once again, did the camping thing, staying up too late, and doing what they do.  

Sunday was a great day.  Dana, Brenna, and Devin went to The Nutcracker ballet.  The men plus Ashley went to a place a lot like Bounce U--lots of bouncy houses and such.  Once again, I left my camera at home (this time by accident), so Ashley has all the pics of Sean and Bode bouncing around.  I did race Sean through the obstacle course.  I lost.  Badly.  Sunday night, we did a gift exchange.  Prior to opening, we posed for some McGuirk Family pictures.  

Afterwards, we opened some presents.  Bode must have inherited the gene from Ashley about how to NOT respond to a present.  He was soooo excited to open this big present from Uncle Pat and Aunt Dana.  It turned out to be a mini-trampoline (which he now likes).  Evidently, it did not ring his bell because he said, "Do you have any other presents for me?"  Nice.  Here are some action photos.  Bode really likes opening presents--even those that aren't his.

We had a lovely time in ABQ.  We got home on Christmas Eve--we did not want to confuse Santa.  Bode was so tired that nice.  At 7:00 pm, he tells us, "I just want to go to sleep."  Fortunately, he was up early the next day for Christmas!