Our First Christmas

December 25, 2009 - Keltan's first Christmas. We loaded up the van with a lifetime of clothes, some toys, and a few gifts and headed North to Oklahoma! Little did we know what an adventure our little man's first Christmas would be....
We knew the forecast was calling for a smattering of snowflakes across Oklahoma. I pondered the advantage of driving our Jeep, since it is 4*4, but Uncle Craig and my Dear sweet wifey talked me out of it. It is quite a bit smaller than the van, and Keltan's new car seat (he outgrew the little car seat/carrier and we got him a car seat/booster seat) does not fit in it. Plus, we had our entire closet, toys, and a few gifts to take. So, I relented and drove the van. UGH...
We left Texas Wednesday afternoon in 75* weather. Sunshine. Ahhhhhh nice.... We crossed the Red River and the temperature started dropping....RAPIDLY! By the time we got to Shawnee, we were at 40-something degrees. The rain started Thursday morning. The temperature continued to fall. About the time it hit the 20's and sleet started falling, I knew we was stuck! After a good layer of sleet was on the ground, the snow started. Beautiful white fluffy flakes being hurled through the air at super-sonic speeds from the hurricane-force winds. I think the only way snow go to the ground was after it got plastered to a structure and slid down. Regardless, Christmas morning we awoke to a calm, sunny, COLD, white Christmas. We were snowed in. The van was stuck in the driveway. All the highways in OKC were shut down, and the highways across the state might as well have been. In other words, it was a great time to be a tow-truck operator! Yes, Keltan has achieved in 6 months what it took me 36 1/2 years to achieve - he got a white Christmas! But, he didn't get to see Uncle Craig, Aunt Kim, Cousin Monkey, or Grandma. :-(
We finally got around to opening gifts in the afternoon. Grampy wasn't feeling too well from his surgery, and it took a while for him to get going. Of course, Keltan's favorite gift was the wrapping paper! He chewed on it like it was a t-bone steak! Then he performed so beautifully on the piano a tune known only to him, but wonderful nonetheless. I will post that video a little later.
I finally got my hands on a snow shovel Friday and got the driveway cleared, and went ahead and cleared walkways. I'm thinking a tractor and front end loader would have been a great idea! We loaded up Saturday and got out of the state before the roads re-froze. The carnage in the ditches was amazing. Oh, to have a tow-truck! I coulda made some nice cash!
We are going to Shreveport for New Year's. HOPEFULLY we will be able to meet up with Craig and family to have a "Christmas" with them. That, of course, depends on the next snowstorm coming into Oklahoma.
So chronicles Keltan's first Christmas....

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