Clear Skies And 12º

Aundraya And Tommy

Nick And Rhys

A Happy Boy

7:10

It’s another early morning for Mary because Rhys spent the night. He was up at 6:00—I could hear him playing—though I didn’t get up to join him until 6:45. He’s a wild man this morning: jumping around, yelling, and happily knocking his train off the table, a typical boy. Breakfast consisted of three or four helpings of blueberries and a yogurt, both of which seemed to fuel him even more. I have to admit to being a bit selfish, spending little time with Rhys and leaving most of the supervision to Mary while I sat at my computer. Fortunately, she’s great with him. I tried reading Richard Scarry to him for a while, but he was soon off in search of more blueberries.

Early Morning Play Time

Watching A Garbage Truck Video

Yesterday started in the 60s and ended in the teens. We woke in the usual order: me first at 6:15, then Mary at 7:00, followed by Tom and Evie at 9:00, and Marlena at 11:00. It must be nice to sleep until 11:00. We had a long, leisurely morning watching the Sunday news programs. The highlight was breakfast, courtesy of Tom—his specialty: fried potatoes, onions, and peppers, topped with eight fried eggs and cheese. It was scrumptious, something I could happily eat every morning.

By late morning, I was getting antsy from sitting around, so at 11:30 I put on three layers of jackets and headed out for another walk on the trails. It was already in the 20s, but I stayed comfortable thanks to the layers. A couple of other hikers were out, but for the most part, I had the trail to myself. I was out for only half an hour, but it was enough to get the blood moving.

Winding Trail

A Bleak Winter Trail

The early afternoon was spent watching football and waiting for Rhys and Tommy to finish their naps so Nick and Audraya could bring them over. They finally arrived around 3:00, and their arrival changed the dynamic of the afternoon: Evie and Mary played with Rhys, I held Tommy on my lap, and all of us watched Buffalo’s devastating loss to Philadelphia. Tommy was fed at least twice and took a long nap before dinner.

Tommy

Dinner

Rhys, After A Bath In The Kitchen Sink

We, of course, had wine time—and it seems to start a bit earlier every day. As an appetizer, Tom made a delicious guacamole, which we all devoured with Tostitos chips, of course. Around 6:30, we sat down to dinner: salmon, scalloped potatoes, creamed spinach, and rolls. Tommy was content to sit in his seat and watch us eat, while Rhys sampled the salmon but ultimately preferred chicken nuggets. For dessert, we had crème brûlée from Costco. Marlena and I layered the included brown sugar on top of each ramekin and slid them under the broiler for a few minutes—perfect and ready to eat.

Football Fans

Tommy, Again

Around 7:30, Audraya put Rhys down for the night, and after a few minutes of crying, he was fast asleep. Nick and Audraya left around 8:00 with a half-asleep Tommy. We watched the final episode of the Taylor Swift documentary, and when it ended, Evie went to bed. Tom and I stayed up to watch the NFL game, while Marlena and Mary went to their bedroom to watch another episode of Stranger Things. Everyone was in bed by 10:00.