Original Pancake House with Mom and Dad

Last year, because of the way Christmas fell during the week, we had to skip out on our special Christmas-Eve-Eve-Morning breakfast tradition with Mom.  This year, Dad made up for it, by joining us at the Original House of Pancakes.  Mom warned him that often our conversations are absorbed in Christmas dinner planning, and stories of how far ahead or behind we are in our Christmas prep, but he decided to brave it and I think he's glad he did.  We are.  =)

The kids were all in good moods too.  Michele and the kids arrived around 8:30 that morning, and planned to return to Dallas that late afternoon, but this tradition was worth it.  Not to mention, it's become also a recurring plan to have Michele help me with the Sunriver grocery shopping that day.  Which is what we spent our day merrily doing, while the kids played together back at the house.  Even if it was just for 9 hours, it's not truly Christmas time when Michele's not around, so it was very much worth it.