The day after Christmas was filled with packing and getting ready for our trip to Connecticut. But for one last event we went to a Christmas party for Reese's soccer team and then drove up to Cincinnati. We had an early flight the next day and decided to try something new. Instead of getting up at 3am to drive to the airport, we slept in until 5am and took a shuttle. Long story short, we were in CT by mid-morning and the girls were able to go on a hike with their cousin Zoey by early afternoon. All was right with the world.
Fortunately for us the celebrations were only just getting started. That very evening Katie and Chris hosted their annual Christmas party and so we got to see a whole bunch of folks. And it was especially momentous because of how many Skonieczny's were in New England for the holidays. Only Steve, Barb, and Simon were not there, so we had to make sure to memorialize the occasion with a picture of the Sketch's who were there.
The very next day we all hopped in our cars for the drive up to Bethel, NY, and what has become a fantastic addition to the CT Christmas traditions - spending the night at Tommy and Terry's house. Since this was our third year doing it we have been strategic in wearing layered or cool clothes because they keep their place hot, just the way Sarah likes it.
As always, our magnificent hosts put an incredible spread together with stiff drinks for one and all. It is truly a special thing to all be together and have our kids get to know Tommy and Terry in this way. It is just a great time through and through.
And Tommy and Terry are so generous in opening up their whole house to us and letting the kids roam free. This year it meant that they allowed Reese and Zoey to decorate their bedroom in a winter wonderland themed extravaganza. Later in the trip it even turned into them giving tours to everyone who was there. Terry didn't take one thing down until the girls left, which just showcases her sweet, sweet, heart. After some very good meals, a good night sleep, and some fantastic conversations, we headed out. Our drive home was made slightly more exciting when Reese threw up in the car about one hour into the trip. Poor Zoey was a bit traumatized and our rental had a wonderful smell the rest of our time in CT.
Fortunately it didn't keep Zoey away forever and we didn't spend a lot of time in the car. We took a hike and spent some time at Hammonasset State Park, which means a lot to this landlocked state family. It was definitely cold, but the girls enjoyed hopping on rocks and hanging out with each other.
We even managed to grab a good family picture, which took a little bit of time because of Reese's goofiness. And Callie wouldn't let Sarah be the only one to get some real estate on the rock. Any time she can showcase her height in comparison to her mom she jumps at the opportunity.
These five just so happened to be sitting next to each other at our Christmas dinner celebration, take 17. We obviously had to make sure we got a good photo of the original five who started this expanded family. They are still looking good after all these years.
Because we don't get back to Madison all that often we try and make sure we spend as much quality time with family and friends as possible. It's hard to get dedicated time with everyone, but the Skoniczny family certainly gets top priority. The girls never complain about this because they love spending time with Ella, Ethan, and Eli. What better reason to get together than celebrating the new year. This year the celebration included an epic nerf gun battle in the basement. Everyone was involved and there was the right balance of intensity and eye protection. After their initial hesitance both Callie and Reese got into it and we brought in 2020 in style.
The action didn't stop there, however, and we were lucky to have the chance to see the UConn Women's Basketball team play in Hartford. The whole family made the trip up to see this legendary team in action, and it was a fun outing and certainly one that we hope to repeat in the future.
Nana Banana and Sport are big time UConn fans, so this was not their first game by a long shot. But they were especially excited about being able to share the experience with their granddaughters. And both Callie and Reese appreciate watching women's college basketball even more now that they have seen quite a few games in Lexington.
Since we hadn't yet gotten a picture of all the grandchildren with their grandparents, we chose what we thought was the perfect setting. This is a great group of folks right here, and it is so cool to see how well they all get along.
The grandkids even displayed a willingness to recreate a picture from years' past. Not sure whose idea it was, but everyone gave a good effort at trying to capture their persona from that years before. The only one who had real trouble was Zoey, who needed to be crying if she was going to be true to the past. But Zoey was just too happy to get into that headspace. We're okay with that and can't wait until we all get to be together again.
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