Christmas at Grandpa and Grandma's House

After the fun events of Christmas day, we prepared for flying to Ohio. We chose the day after Chistmas in the attempt to avoid some of the holiday travel rush, and I'm pleased to report that it worked. The airport wasn't very busy in Austin or in Houston. The Austin to Houston flight is a short one, and our lay-over allowed us to collectively have some lunch before the long flight to Cleveland. While waiting in Houston, I was standing next to a Continental pilot, and I asked him if he was riding with or flying us to Cleveland today. After stating he was our co-pilot for the flight, we chatted about Christmas while Jasper watched the carts roll through the airport and Benjamin slept in my arms. Before he went to board the plane, he asked, "Do you have a camera with you?" Later he ushered Jasper into his seat, and these pictures were captured.

We arrived in Cleveland in the early evening, and we were met by Jon at the airport to take us to Akron. It was cold, but there was little snow on the ground.

When we arrived and Grandpa and Grandma's house, Jasper quickly settled into playing on the floor with Uncle Jon while Grandma spent some time bonding with Benjamin.

One of the highlights of the evening was Jon teaching Jasper how to catch from his "ready stance". Before Jon would toss the ball, he would call out "ready stance", and Jasper would repeat it while jumping and spreading his legs out for a solid base. As Jasper learned, he was repeat "ready stance" more and more emphatically.

<>The next morning we celebrated Christmas and Grandpa and Grandma's house. After some great pancakes made by Grandpa, we settled in for opening gifts. Here are some of the highlights.

It was a great experience to be gathered in my childhood home to celebrate Christmas with my wife, two sons, parents, and brother.