Christmas in Kansas

Out for a walk on a chilly day

I wonder how many family photos we have with a little one looking the other way?

What fun!

A quiet New Year's eve

Contemplating the mysteries of the new Dyson

The hat was a hit!

Urban cowboy and his steed

Technology helps the family share Christmas around the world

The boys, the cards, the fun

Family gathering at Christmas

Our week with snow in Vancouver just about made us captives. It began snowing the day we were to fly to Kansas for the rest of our holiday and by the time we got to the airport, flights were being delayed. We loaded about an hour late, then sat for almost three hours. At one point they pulled back up to the concourse to let anyone who wanted to depart get off. It was snowing so hard that they had to close the airport every 30 minutes to scrape the runways. The de-iced the planes as well during that time. Then they spent the next 20 minutes getting planes that were circling the airport down on the ground. The remaining 10 minutes was all that was left to get planes waiting to take off up in the air before they closed the airport and started the process all over. By the time we got to Denver, our connecting flight had already left. Denver airport was full of people in the same condition as we were. The hotels were full, the cars were all rented, flights for the next day were mostly full as well. Luckily, my cousin Sharon and her family live in Denver and she graciously invited us to stay with them. Not only that, she picked us up, fed us, and even got us to the museum the following day while we waited for the next flight we could get on - exactly 24 hours after the one we missed. We can't thank her enough.

A day late, but having had a bad experience converted into an adventure, we got to our destination in Newton. We swapped stories with our kids who had their own travel nightmares to relate, then got to one of the main goals of our trip - to hold and play with that new grandson. Although still a toddler, he's definitely all boy. He looks and acts a lot like his Uncle James.

Just seeing all the family was so good. Our children and their partners are a cohesive, fun group. We also got to see our brothers and their families and share stories of our kids, jobs, and activities. I'm glad to say that everyone seems to be doing well.