I had the most amazing Christmas break with my boys. It is a time I will cherish for the rest of my life.
First I was able to take Tanner to Florida with me to visit Grandpa Terry from December 14-18. Aunt Kristy flew down from Michigan to meet us. Tanner and I flew on United Air into Fort Lauderdale. It was a good flight. Tanner loves to fly. He held my hand on takeoff because I am a wimp and don't really like to fly. We rented a Nissan Altima and drove 2 hours to my dad's home in Naples, Florida. I really miss my dad. I don't see him very often. It had been almost 2 years since I had seen him last and that is way too long. We visited with my aunt, uncle and cousins who now have children. We had a lot of fun. Naples beach is like paradise and amazingly beautiful. The last time I saw my dad was when we visited Michigan in 2013 with the entire family.
The boys spent time with friends every day over break. They hung out with old friends and even made some new ones. We had a wonderful Christmas dinner at our home with Grandma Vicki. Our Elf on the Shelf, Buddy, hung out with us everyday. He kept us in line so that Santa could come :) The boys received mostly clothes, shoes, and socks that they needed and their big gift was Xbox One, that they all share. We kept it pretty simple this year. I made sure we spent most of the time relaxing as a family. Sometimes I feel like our lives are a whirlwind with all of their sports, homework, projects, scouts, and friends. Sometimes I just want to keep them all to myself. Nolan and Garrett participated in a golf camp for a week at Bear Creek. Ty took them golfing 9 holes and I took Nolan and Garrett golfing 18 holes a few days later. It was so fun and they are really good. We used to play a lot last year with the boys. It is a sport I would love to get back into. I golfed for years before we got married and then with work, husband, and kids I just stopped due to lack of time. We all went to "TopGolf" and had a blast. Nick, Nolan, and Garrett went on a ski trip to Sunrise on a chartered bus with their church group. What a wonderful experience. We went snowboarding last winter, but don't go as often as we would like. They all came home in one piece. Other things we did included: playing basketball with friends in driveway, at the park, going to friends homes, eating out at In n Out Burger, Red Robin, Top Golf, eating Little Caesars, and Taco Bell. We went to the driving range, bought, wrapped, and delivered some presents for some families in need, and learned about service and sacrifice. On December 30 we had our annual Ruddell Christmas Party at our home. What a fun time we had with cousins and of course ate some yummy food.
Overall, we had an amazing 2 weeks together just being at home. There is no place I'd rather be at Christmastime.