For the first part of our visit, we overlapped with Granddad Scott.
This was the first time we got to see the cousins' new house in Davis, and we all enjoyed exploring the nearby park and taking walks.
Uncle Kevin had a great idea for our visit - a ride on a Christmas train!
Granddad Scott treated everyone to the train ride. Thanks, Granddad!!!
We had a nice, comfortable space to sit down in our train car and were treated with hot cocoa (they gave us a vegan version) and cookies (I brought some vegan ones).
As the train went down the tracks, actors came through the cars to act out a story about a girl and her exceedingly large teddy bear. Our host, a woman who called herself "Candy Cane", led the passengers in several Christmas songs.
And, of course, there was an appearance by Santa Claus!
The cousins got along with each other wonderfully during our visit. Brielle and Sylvia spent a lot of time creating movies together on an iPad.
We had our first Christmas celebration with Granddad on the 24th.
Granddad received the traditional grandkids calendar.
We gave Ronan a marble run kit, which ended up being a favorite toy for the kids.
Aunt Anoosh's father, Paul, joined us for Christmas Eve dinner.
Last year's stockings met an unfortunate demise thanks to critters in our storage space, so I bought new ones for the kids. They chose their favorite one (and luckily they each chose a different one!) and decorated them with their names. Dog Juni and cat Ginny had stockings too!
The next morning, the kids woke up unfortunately early, excited to check their stockings. They really liked the presents from Santa.
Granddad left after the stocking celebration to travel back to Florida and celebrate Christmas with Sujata and all their kitties. Later Christmas day, Aunt Anoosh prepared some gingerbread dough and helped the kids create some fun gingerbread cookies. Thanks, Aunt Anoosh!
Grandma Pat and Grandma Sue arrived in the afternoon for a fun visit and Christmas day gift exchange.
The girls were excited to receive matching dresses and headbands from the grandmas.
The next day we headed out to Sonoma to visit Grandmas Pat and Sue's house for the first time. It was pretty and peaceful and a short walk from the main square in town. We explored the square with its unique stores and beautiful duck pond, and enjoyed a nice lunch together.
In the afternoon we drove just a few blocks to get to Train Town. After seeing photos of the cousins there, we were excited to finally get to visit. Ronan and Tavi are still into trains, but all of us truly enjoyed the lovely, relaxed train-themed amusement park.
We went on several rides, but our favorite was a train trip around the park. The scenery was thoughtful and beautiful.
Thanks for taking our picture, Grandma Pat!
After traveling through the greenery, into tunnels, and over little bridges, the train stopped for a few minutes at a petting zoo with a miniature town to explore.
On our last day in town, we enjoyed a visit (and another gift opening) with Anoosh's mom, Fran, and her husband, Mark.
They gave the kids some great gifts, including a "George" pig from Ronan's current favorite caroon (Peppa Pig) and a lego space shuttle for Tavi.
This was a fun photo taken by placing an insect-eye-type filter onto my camera. Brielle liked how the images of her and Ronan came together to make a heart shape.
Thank you to everyone for a wonderful visit and the generous gifts. Happy New Year!
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