Final Christmas Post--I promise!!

So here are a few random things from our time in Madison over Christmas that I wanted to include on the blog.



1. Our beloved Camry finally bit the dust. It was 15 years old with almost 200k miles--it was the first car Matt and I had when we were first married (and our only car for 2 years). It has been a great car, although we weren't too shocked that it was done for. There have been a few signs that this was inevitable---there were no door handles on the outside of the car on either of the front doors (we had to get in the back seat and reach up front to open the doors---a whole lot of fun when you are carting around 2 kids), the key to open up the trunk no longer worked, the hood of the car wouldn't stay up on it's own and had to be held up, the fuse that ran the interior lights and radio in the car had to be removed every time the car would be sitting and not used for more than a day or so or else it would draw the charge off the battery and the battery would be dead, and the A/C didn't work unless you were on the highway where the air flowing over the engine could keep it from overheating. So, the final repair on this was almost equal to the value of the car and we opted to donate the car instead. We donated it to Rawhide--a great organization that uses vehicles, boats, trailers, and other things to help train troubled teenage men some life skills while helping them become responsible young men. But before we signed over the title, we took a few pictures and I'm sure, someday, our kids will be shocked that we drove such an 'old' car, as I was when I saw my parents first car.




2. A few days after Christmas, we took Wyatt over to the Kohl Center to see if we might be able to see the ice rink that the Wisconsin Badgers play on. We were lucky enough to be there during a practice in preparation for the weekend tournament and we got to sit and watch one of the visiting teams practice. Wyatt was in awe of these guys and just sat and watched them with Uncle Kyle.
Wyatt was so into each drill they were doing. And the guys on the team were so great---one of them came over by the glass and flipped a puck over the glass to Wyatt. Wyatt carried that puck around with him all weekend and we still have it here at home. His eyes got so big when the player flipped the puck over the glass and I, as a mother, was so appreciative to this young man for taking the time to notice my son and for setting a great example for him. I hope that when Wyatt grows up, he still notices the "little" ones that are constantly watching what he does and that he sets a good example for them.




Finally, we were able to go sledding a bit at my parents house. Actually, it was just Matt, Wyatt, my Dad (Pops) and my sister Mary Jo. But they had a great time, as you can see here.