Winter Break 2023

We started winter break with First Christmas, at Grandma Loveridge's house in the Sacramento area.

Jack looks on while Henry seems a bit overwhelmed by all of Grandma's sprinkle options for decorating traditional Spritz cookies:

Jack and Steve continue decorating:

Reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas on, well, the night before Christmas:

We allowed the kids to each open one gift on Christmas Eve. Henry received a guacamole Squishmallow and Jack got a toy dirt bike.

The gift-opening begins in earnest on Christmas morning with Santa Jack, while tired adults look on:

Opening one of their gifts from Grandma:

Pokémon cards! ("Ooo!" says Jack)

I didn't get a picture of it, but Grandma also got the boys a large pack of break-your-own geodes, which were a huge hit (pun intended).

I get to open one...

... hooray for Lego! It's a penguin slushee van!

Jack poses with the pendant he designed at school and gave me for Christmas:

Henry with the pendant he designed:

More Lego! Dad gets a very large and impressive Hogwarts Castle:

Henry rips open his "big" gift from me and Steve, a DJ mixing toy he'd been eyeing at Costco:

Henry adores music and is constantly singing, humming and playing any music he can get his hands on at the loudest volume he can get away with.

Jack and his "big" gift, a Penny board (a high-quality miniature skateboard):

Chilling on his board with a Rubik-style toy (not a cube in this case) that he was quite taken with:

Jack is still into toy vehicles, much to the delight of his father who purchased these for him:

Henry, hard at work on his Lego snowman:

Henry, pausing briefly to be annoyed at me taking pictures while building his Lego snowmobile: 

The kids absorbed by their new video game: Super Smash Bros. on Nintendo Switch.

Since playing the game with their cousins over Thanksgiving, Jack and Henry had been pestering their dad to get their own copy.

Jack and Henry have been agitating for Nerf guns for years. Not at all interested in spending my time breaking up fights over who shot who, I held off for a long time. I decided to cave a little and gave the kids each a small Nerf gun in their stocking. I tried to limit the carnage by getting them very small guns that have only two darts each, which have to be loaded individually. It seems to have worked to keep things from getting too crazy. 

Itching to try out their weaponry, Grandma suggested that they try to shoot the wreath she had hanging above the breakfast bar. Cousin Camdan came over to visit and the boys were delighted to try this new game with him.

Henry and Camdan take aim:

Jack and Henry try a different angle:

Overview of the shooting gallery: 

The Sacramento Loveridge tradition is to have Christmas dinner out at a Chinese restaurant. I love this tradition, which allows everyone to socialize with family instead of dealing with cooking and clean-up. Clockwise from left (described as related to Steve): Brother Ed, Mom Carolyn, Wife Lisa, Son Jack, Steve himself, Son Henry (who couldn't wait to dig in), Nephew Tim, Sister-in-Law Tiffany, and Nephew Camdan. 

After returning to Santa Cruz to work for a couple days, it was time for Second Christmas. So we were off to Grandma and Grandpa Pool's house in Southern California.

Henry is once again annoyed at Mom taking pictures, this time while they watch Charlie Brown Christmas: 

Jack gives me a smile while Steve harasses Henry:

Jack showing off Grandma and Grandpa's "weird" apples (that are red inside):

Jack and his stuffed wombat admire the front-room section of Grandma's slightly out of control Christmas village and model train: 

Henry and stuffed tiger look on:

Jack, Henry and their mom with the kitchen section of the Christmas village:

The Southern California branches of the Loveridge family were graciously hosted for dinner at Steve's sister Jessica's house. Jack and Henry with Cousins Libby and Brooke:

That's the best smile I've seen on Henry in a long time. He loves interacting with his big cousins, and has told me he wishes he had an older sister. 

Henry delighting in games with cousins, while Jack looks a bit tired:

My mom had mentioned more than once that she wanted to take the boys to the Rose Parade. So, off we went.

Me with my folks and the kids (absorbed with their screens) waiting on the parade route: 

Seats right on the blue line:

With Dad watching the floats roll by: 

Awesome dragon:

Colorful flamingoes and impressive flowers:

As I predicted, Jack thought it was really cool and wants to go back another year, while Henry reported that he was bored. You can't win them all. 

We drove out to the South Coast Botanic Garden and had a nice visit. 

Henry, Jack and Steve pose by a cool giant tree:

There was an art installation of large wooden trolls scattered throughout the garden.

Jack, disappointed that his hand is smaller than the troll's:

As per usual, Henry was unimpressed by the main attraction, but Jack found the trolls entertaining to search for:

Jack, Henry and Steve wandering down a path:

A rare picture of all four of us (in front of an impressive fern wall): 

Now, we present a series of Henry, perched on things:

Jack and Henry in the formal rose garden:

Jack liked the decorations on this little tree by the exit:

Too soon, it was time to return home for work and school.

Rainbow on the drive home:

It was a lot of traveling, but overall a good trip.