next best thing - Skype

We chose not to travel back to Wisconsin this Christmas, but to stay home.  We've made this decision for the past couple of years, finding it necessary to spend that short month of having Dan at home to reconnect as a family, knowing that when we are with both of our extended families (and for Dan, many friends as well), we don't actually see very much of each other or our children, who are quick to disappear with their cousins.  We save that "back home" time for less stressful times of the year, and hope for some shorter visits from family in-between.  

This Christmas we discovered the next best thing to visiting in-person with family:  Skype! Dan has a  new-ish computer and we can finally get in on the fun!   This is where you would have found us on Christmas Eve day...

 ...chatting with Grampa Greg, who very willingly and with Gramma's help, took us on a tour of their Christmas tree, the stockings hung by the fireplace, and with some coaxing from the girls, down to the basement where his trains are all set up.

I think they were on for over an hour, but really, it was like being there!!!  We saw the trains up close, took a peek out the window at all the snow, visited with Ms. Beasley, the cat...

We tried again just the other day, when we knew Dan's brother's family would be there. We miss those boys so much, and the girls were literally jumping out of their skin in anticipation.  They amused themselves for quite some time while waiting for the call...(did I mention it's a new computer?)

 (Yes, I realize that I am sharing photos of a computer screen on my computer...but I laugh so hard every time I see these...)

Unfortunately something wasn't clicking on the other end this time, so our movements weren't in real time, but it was something akin to being on a long-distance call, with a bit of a delay, and we could see them just fine...they were very indulgent and patient, and let us jabber on for some time. Good sports!

I wish it were possible to be in two places at once, but in lieu of that, this was a real treat.