November 24, 1991

Still no thought of going to church, and it's been at least a month since JoAnna confessed to some minor religious yearnings.  As Christmas approaches, I wonder about how to explain the significance of the holiday to Andy.  There must be a children's book to help me out.

The predicted snowfall never happened.  A think blanket covers the ground, but it's enough to keep me from raking the rest of the leaves in the back yard.  Except for a soffit and fascia inspection of the house, I stay inside.  JoAnna strings up the Christmas lights with Andy's assistance.

After supper, I watch the original "Cape Fear" with Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck, and Polly Bergen. Great flick, and, until Scorcese's remake, inexplicably obscu

December 25, 1990

Andy comes to our bedroom first when he wakes up instead of checking under the Christmas tree for evidence of Santa's visit.  Andy's abundance comes to an end, although he still checks the perimeter of the tree for more.  The books on tape don't hold his attention as much as I want them to.  Very quickly, he's planted himself in front of the TV.  More videos. 

I read, play with Eddie during his occasional waking time.   We receive a mid-afternoon phone call, a woman's voice asking for Eddie.  At first I think it's a wrong number, or maybe a joke, but then Kim identifies herself.  The major news is that Barb plans to fly out here.  Dad's not up for the drive.  At 75, road trips are an unwelcome occurrance, no matter what the destination.

December 25, 1990

Andy comes to our bedroom first when he wakes up instead of checking under the Christmas tree for evidence of Santa's visit.  Andy's abundance comes to an end, although he still checks the perimeter of the tree for more.  The books on tape don't hold his attention as much as I want them to.  Very quickly, he's planted himself in front of the TV.  More videos. 

I read, play with Eddie during his occasional waking time.   We receive a mid-afternoon phone call, a woman's voice asking for Eddie.  At first I think it's a wrong number, or maybe a joke, but then Kim identifies herself.  The major news is that Barb plans to fly out here.  Dad's not up for the drive.  At 75, road trips are an unwelcome occurrance, no matter what the destination.

In a Sentimental Christmas Mood

This treetop Santa has adorned our trees since JoAnna's and my first Christmas together. (I should have taken a picture with Santa's hat off. It looks like we're celebrating the season WWF-style.)

And then there are those truly special ornaments, which the boys would prefer we keep off the tree, actually. Although the frame says 1996, this pictures features Andy in his football uniform from the fall of 1998, when he played for St. Francis Xavier in Cross Plains. A group of parents took turns providing taxi service to the from the practices for the 14-mile round trip. It was probably one of those memories I relived when Andy first got his driver's license.

This picture is from the fall of 1997, when Eddie was in first grade. His soccer team chose the name Sailfish. Marine names seemed to be the trend then. When Andy started out in socccer, dinosaur names were de rigueur. His team was the T-Rex's.

Bonus round for Eddie!