Christmas with the Keeners.

We headed over to Tacoma for a long weekend to celebrate Christmas with K's family. Also, get some errands done like going to Ikea just because it's there. Although in our haste, we forgot to drop by a See's Candy to pick up our annual chocolate loot. Dangit. Next year I guess.

Here then is our weekend, told mostly through photos I took on my phone…

We started off with espresso at home.

Said goodbye to the snow and sun.

Loaded up our little RAV along with a roofbox on top and headed over the mountains, from sunny Blewett Pass to snowy Snoqualmie Pass.

We went straight to Tacoma for a work thing of K's. She was meeting a group of co-workers for the first time in maybe two years to walk through the zoo's light displays. With kids, weather, and traffic we ended up pulling into the zoo parking lot forty or so minutes late. We did run into one of her coworkers at the carousel and chatted for a bit before sort of being forced by each of our kids to go our separate ways. Sefton loved the carousel!

We ordered takeaway from our favorite pizza joint along the Tacoma waterfront, Katie Downs.

The kids both crashed.

We had eye appointments in our old town, Puyallup. Afterward, we drove by our old house. She did have a new roof installed after we negotiated that in her offer. Added a smart doorbell and hung a porch swing. From the outside, that looked like about all she's done to the place. Neither K nor I miss it or living in Puyallup.

We celebrated Christmas and exchanged gifts. A few years ago, K's siblings came up with the idea to draw one name each year for whom to buy a gift. Brilliant. Hadley was her little elf self.

There was an evening in Tacoma while K's parents watched S. We caught up with an old friend of K's and her husband for coffees while also meeting their nine-month old son River. Then Ikea.

There was an evening with her mom's extended family tradition of white elephant gifting and get together. Then home again, back across the mountains. S was wiped.

We snuck over Snoqualmie Pass in between storms and collisions. After being closed on and off all week, it was sunny as we whisked over it east toward home.

It was a great weekend and we're always grateful for the cozy place to stay at K's parent's place. Now we get to enjoy a quiet Christmas by ourselves at home. Well, as quiet as can be with a crazy four-almost-five-year-old. Happy Christmas and holiday season!