Discoveries, holidays.

We made it up here to Indiana, and have had a wonderful time. I know that Mom must think that we're the biggest slackers ever...on vacation, we tend to stay up until 2 or 3am and then sleep until 10 or 11. Mom gets up at 5am every day, so her day's half-over before we stagger up the stairs. Even so, we're all having a grand time.

I've taken it upon myself to scan and document the hundreds of pictures Mom has collected over the years. In the process, I'm uncovering dozens of previously unknown stories about my family. Some are sad. Some are hilarious. Some just make you go 'hmmmmmm.' But I'm absolutely loving every single one of them. Many of these pictures are completely new to me, so I have to ask Mom about them. She acts like she doesn't remember, but then launches into a rather detailed (and often funny) account of the circumstances that surround the picture.

Luckily, my wife is a scrapbooker possessed of mad skills. She's absolutely salivating at the prospect of having all of this history at her fingertips, and I know that she'll produce some fantastic scrapbooks eventually.

I'd love to post what I'm finding, but frankly, there's just too much for me to write about just now. I'm attempting to box everything up so that I can ship it home for scanning, but I keep stumbling across something that just needs to be scanned right away.

Christmas was great! Mom is far too generous, as always. As the Master Chief, I'm totally bad-ass...the Covenant aliens don't stand a chance. And just what the heck is Viva Pinata anyway? The best I can figure is that it's something best played after imbibing far too much Nyquil. Sis-in-Law Joanna had her baby, Evan Monty Tucker, on Dec 26, and all is well. Cute kid!

Max, Connor's Elf-on-the-Shelf, was supposed to appear when we got here. However, he was in our luggage, and so we didn't get him until Christmas Day, when he was supposed to 'head back to the North Pole.' Connor was crushed that he didn't get a chance to say goodbye to Max. However, Max miraculously reappeared that night, and we explained that he had probably been watching over our luggage, thereby earning a couple of extra days with our family. I've never seen a little boy so happy.

Mom's really enjoyed spending time with Connor. Truth be told, we feel a little bit guilty leaving him with her while we run little errands here and there, but she assures us that she adores spending time with him. However, she probably won't take him shopping again, as he can be a bit of a handful.

We enjoyed watching the UFC fights with my brother this weekend. I had the chance to play the Wii. OK, I admit it...the thing is kind of fun. I still box better without the controllers, though. And I'm a touch embarassed that my 5-yr-old niece bowls far better than I. It must be that loopdy-loop delivery that she's perfected. Crazy stuff. If Dad were still alive, I bet he'd have found a way to beat us at Wii golf, bowling, and tennis, just as he did before.

We'll spend the rest of the day packing up and otherwise being lazy. We're looking forward to getting home, but leaving here will be a bit more sad for me than usual. Mom's finally on Facebook, so that'll help keep us closer. One of these days, maybe she'll actually post something there.