Week of wonderful!

After last weekend, I am happy to report that we were back on track to enjoy the run-up to Christmas, Christmas Day and the Christmas weekend! On Wednesday, Nathan and I had a boy's day out and spent most of the day at the Great Lakes Science Center. There, we watched an IMAX movie called "Prehistoric Sea Monsters", We were enveloped by the giant wrap around screen which seemed to bring the creatures to life around us. Afterward we had plenty of time to explore all three levels of the Center, with Nathan enjoying electrical demonstrations, operating a model train and raising a draw-bridge, landing a lunar module, and driving a remote lunar rover over a moon-like surface! The hot-air balloon, tornado, and sound demonstrations also captivated him. Reluctantly, we left the Center and headed home for dinner.


On Christmas Eve, The McCarthy family had the privilege of lighting our church's Advent Wreath during the Christmas Eve service. Liesel read a passage from Luke, beautifully, and I led the congregation in prayer. After my prayer, I handed the microphone to Nathan, who immediately finished it off witha confident "Amen!". The congregation absolutely loved it, and he received so many compliments afterward! We then headed home, had dinner, bathed the boys and once Josh was in bed, we gave Nathan the option of opening one gift, which he eagerly did! After discovering a Talking Microscope under the wrapping, he had a few minutes to try it out before he had to head to bed! When he was dreaming about Santa's visit later that night, Liesel and I went into the lounge and exchanged our gifts, in a quiet and candle-lit living room! This way, we could appreciate our gifts in a serene setting, and then on Christmas Day, we could focus on the boys, and be a part of their excitement as they rip the flimsy gift paper apart!

Nathan awoke around his normal time and came downstairs to wish us all a "Merry Christmas". After a couple minutes, his eye's suddenly lit up as he shouted, "I wonder if Santa ate my cookies?" and disappeared into the lounge! He was greeted by an empty plate, a note from Santa and a lot of gifts under the Christmas tree. So the rest of the morning was spent in the living room as Nathan made his way through the plethora of presents! His favorite presents were the Tonka Garbage truck he requested from Santa, and his Lego City Police Station that he got from Liesel and myself! The rest of the day was spent playing with his new toys and starting to piece his Lego City Police Station together.

That evening, we were invited to friends to enjoy a Christmas Dinner together. The food was delicious, the company delightful.

On Saturday, most of the day was spent playing with toys and building Lego prison cells. The weather was particularly nice - so that afternoon we all went for a walk around the neighborhood. That evening was famaily fun night, and Nathan chose to play the 3 new board games that we received for Christmas. It was 90 minutes of fun, playing Sorry, Blockus and Cariboo!



On Sunday we went to church as usual. Right after the service, a friend of mine took me to my very first Football game. We went to the Cleveland Browns Stadium, as he was a season ticket holder, to watch the Browns take on the Oakland Raiders! His seats were in a preferential position, right near the top, under a limited roof that is around the stadium. This was perfect for us, since it began snowing heavily during the game, but we were not affected. It was really cold, sitting there in 30 degree weather (-1C) for 5 hours. Luckily I had my extra layers underneath keeping me warm, as well as my woolen hat, snow gloves, and hood all playing their part in keeping hypothermia at bay! Even though it was cold, it was rewarding, as the home team put on a good performance and were victorious at the end of the game! Thanks for taking me, Jim! I had a blast!



What a great way to end a great week!