December 24th, Nana, Jason, the bebes and I piled into our car and made 
our way to the airport. We had a very smooth airport experience. We had the girls in Christmas hats and they attracted a lot of attention from the other travelers. The girls were smiling and cooing, and very tolerant of the entire process. We went through a special family security check and had no trouble bringing tons of formula past TSA. We also got to pre-board the plane and had time to settle in. The flight was great. We used the pacifiers for take-off and landing, and the girls seemed to enjoy the experience. No fussing, no crying, just playing and sleeping.
our way to the airport. We had a very smooth airport experience. We had the girls in Christmas hats and they attracted a lot of attention from the other travelers. The girls were smiling and cooing, and very tolerant of the entire process. We went through a special family security check and had no trouble bringing tons of formula past TSA. We also got to pre-board the plane and had time to settle in. The flight was great. We used the pacifiers for take-off and landing, and the girls seemed to enjoy the experience. No fussing, no crying, just playing and sleeping.The drive from New Jersey (yes, we flew into New
Jersey) to my grandfather's house in Connecticut took a lot longer than expected, and by the time we arrived, we were all pretty tired. We were greeted by a delicious meal and champagne, and ended the evening with my father's (Opa's) traditional reading of "The Night Before Christmas" (or as in recent years, "The Night Before Christmas in LA," which was written and illustrated by Andi and me... Homey Claus is the main character).
We had 19 people (not including the bebes) for Christmas dinner, including cousins, aunts, uncles, and Poppy (my grandfather). We had several days with everyone, and the bebes had lots of time to get to know their extended family.
It was wonderful to introduce the girls to their greatgrandfather, Poppy. Claire poses here.
The girls got to spend a lot of time with their grandfather, Opa, too, and Nina was lucky enough to get a guided tour of the tree.
The girls must have been good this year, because Santa brought them a lot of fantastic presents. In the picture, we are showing off Dartmouth (my sister's alma mater) and Stanford board books with bebe pictures pasted in as future graduates, thanks Nana! Auntie Andi showered the bebes with gifts too, including some great new clothes, and Poppy bought them Tiffany silver spoons (just to name a few of the many wonderful presents).
After I was born, my parents stayed in this house and we lived very close by for my first five years. It was incredible to help my bebes learn to sit on the same rug, in front of the same hearth where I learned to do the same thing.
When the family gets together, we generally sit down for formal dinners, which can last late into 
the night. The girls did very well through these and were passed around from seat to seat. They ended up staying on pacific time, which worked out well and led to a (relatively) easy adjustment when we got back to Stanford.
the night. The girls did very well through these and were passed around from seat to seat. They ended up staying on pacific time, which worked out well and led to a (relatively) easy adjustment when we got back to Stanford.While in Connecticut, we dug out a few fun toys from my childhood, including a music box, which Nina LOVED (we took it with us).
The girls got tons of playtime with Nana (singing Ainsi Font) and Auntie Andi, and didn't seem perturbed by the new environment.
I'll leave you with one final video of twin-twin interaction. We had a great trip. The girls were the perfect age: old enough to be interactive and fun, but not old enough to be scared of new people or able to crawl/walk and get into trouble.
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