Chicago on Xmas Eve!

We arrive at about 8ish on Xmas Eve. We had no flight delays and everything went surprisingly smooth. Even my brother Derek and his girlfriend Jen, picked us up within minutes of us retrieving our bags.

So straight to mom's home we drove, which Uncle Derek got to enjoy trying to scare Kai by giving him big eyes and making his voice intimidating..."Come here! Get in my belly!" So Kai struggles to get down.
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Cohen was esctatic to see Kai again and kept hugging him. Kai kept pushing him away.
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We open gifts from Derek and Jen as Derek has to work his fireman shift on Christmas, and Jen will be with her family. So Greg gets this lovely hoody and is doing his gang sign- probably says, "I am el geeko".

Derek gets this hilarious animated bald man gag gift that moans, farts and defecates, while jumping around on that toilet. Hmmm...may be a hint as Derek likes to eat a lot!!!

And Jen knitted us these wonderful 'chic' carves. 6 scarves total!

(left to right: Jen, Arleen, sis Cheri, niece Adira, mom Doreen, Dawn, and Aunt Rosa)

Don, Rosa, and my mom Doreen.

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The biggest surprise for the year was the new addition to our family. Auntie Rosa married Don Markell the week of Thanksgiving (a court marriage). She had been writing him via the internet for the past year or so and personally met each other a few days before they got married. Rosa is 67 and Don is about 72 years old. Don lives in Oregon and is planning on selling his property to buy a house either in Chicago area or in Arkansas. Either way, they will be close to either family.

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I cannot frown on this marriage arrangement, as I have a friend who met his wife via the internet, flew to Ethiopia and within that week was married. 5 years or so later, and he is still married and now has a beautiful daughter!

After eating this great spread my mom made including a xmas ham, we went to St. Joseph Church where Kai and Cohen were baptised. I totally forgot about midnight mass and nearly passed out (sleeping and from exhaustion) while standing. Luckily I had stabilized my body in the pew before me, otherwise that would have been a bad fall!

Derek and Jen checking out the decorations.

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Greg had taken Kai to the crying room at the back of the church, partway through mass as Kai would not stop his noise-making (this is usual for him when he's in church). And it gave me good reason to excuse myself, as I could here Kai's voice float all the way to the front of the church for "MOMMY, MOMMY, MOMMY!!!"

So here I am standing over a sleeping Kai (finally) in the crying room. At last- it was time to go home!

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But that wasn't the end of the day for me. I spent to 3am wrapping Xmas gifts I had my brother Fredi store for me at his house, gifts I had brought on my September trip. I drank glog wine that my brother in law Matthew concocted and sat there with both him and Cheri wrapping gifts while Greg and Kai were passed out in their bed.