Merry Christmas from the Epps/Ritchies!!!
We spent the week on the Outer Banks, in North Carolina. It was great to be with everyone -- we spent the week playing pool, ping pong, football and soccer on the beach, shuffleboard, and lots more. Rachel even went swimming in the freezing ocean with our cousin Don! Good thing we stayed so active, because we sure ate our fill -- I can't even start to list it all here, but highlights were mom's homemade baklava and Mike's homemade Cafe Rio pork burritos.
We also had fun listening to the girls play their instruments (I jumped in on the piano a couple times, but it was mostly the stringed instruments we listened to). They have learned (and written) some beautiful trios for violin, viola, and cello. They've really come a long way. I know we all wondered a little bit how it would all turn out when each of them started learning an instrument, with their screechy hours of "tacca-tacca-stop-stop." Now we're all so glad they've practiced so much, our favorites are "Scotland the Brave" and the theme from "Pirates of the Caribbean."
Being the oldest, growing up, you keep saying to yourself "I can't wait for these little kids to grow up so we can play together!" Well let me tell you, they're grown up now. And now they're winning at all the games we play too! We had a lot of fun hanging out this past week, and having Mike there to join in on the fun was fantastic.
Mike and I are back in Argentina now. It was a great week -- a big thanks to my family for showering us with good food, great gifts, and fun times.
2 comments:
What a beautiful family. Those girls certainly are grown up. Thanks for sharing the pics. Sounds like an awesome vacation.
When you said beach pictures I didn't realize you guys had been there for Christmas. What a fun thing to do! I was also blown away by the girls' composing and arranging skills. It says volumes that they brought their instruments to the beach. I am most intrigued about Mike's Cafe Rio imitation. Does he give out the recipe? I have only been there once but became an instant addict. Great post Shannon!
Post a Comment