Christmas Joy Part 3 - The Festivities

Is it too late in January to blog about Christmas?

Here is my reasoning why it's not too late -
1. If this were a scrapbook, it would be at least July before I got around to it.
2. I have had SO much going on since we got back, I really haven't had time to post before now.
3. Aren't we supposed to feel the Christmas spirit all year long?

So, in the spirit of Christmas, here are a few pictures from our trip...

On Christmas Eve, we had a special visitor come to the house! The kids were so excited when they saw who came through the door...They all got to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what they wanted for Christmas.

Even Teddy!Then we had our traditional family program with singing carols, musical numbers and Dad reading the Christmas story while the grandkids dressed up as the Nativity scene in the costumes my Mom made. They all looked so cute!

Ashley was a wise...man? A wise person!!Teddy was the understudy for the part of the wiseman.

Bella was an angel.

Tyler was SO thrilled to be a shepherd.And Ashlea and Tanner, the teenagers, were Mary and Joseph. They were very sweet to participate, even though I'm sure they were thinking the whole time, "I'm too old for this!"It was a very entertaining presentation! Ashley was a wiseman who wandered afar - like all over the living room. Bella decided she wanted to be the angel and the wiseman and the shepherd and Mary and kept taking Ashley's crown and gift and Tyler's staff and Ashlea's baby Jesus doll. Tyler was NOT INTERESTED.

It was hilarious! They were all so funny and it was definitely a memorable evening!

On Christmas Day, we went to Scott's aunt and uncle's house for a wonderful dinner. Grandma was able to come from the rehab center to spend some time with us and we were so grateful to be able to see her.Then we went over to Stephanie's house and had our traditional grab bag game! Everyone brings a ton of random gift and we all open them and trade and barter and laugh at the funny things we get.Looks like Scott's mom got some cool new sunglasses!Here I am with my grab bag gift....I think I'll keep him!I am so grateful for our awesome families and friends and how spending time with them makes the Christmas season even more special.

In Loving Memory

We just returned from Maryland for the funeral of Scott's Grandmother. She was an amazing lady who has left an amazing legacy in her family and her example to others throughout her life. She was known for her hour-long daily prayers in which she pleaded to our Heavenly Father for each and every member of her family by name. At 86 years old, up until the last four months of her life, she was very active and went to the gym to work out several times a week! She loved to play Scrabble and was a fierce competitor. She always had a positive attitude and encouraging words for those around her. She loved her family and we all knew it. We are so grateful for her example of faith and her incredible energy and attitude. This picture of her and Scott was taken over Christmas, when we got to spend some time with her and enjoy her winks and smiles for the last time in this life.We will miss her terribly, but we know that we will see her again. How grateful we are for this knowledge that gives us peace and comfort while we mourn her passing and celebrate her life. We love you, Grandma!

Christmas Joy Part 2 - Food, Glorious Food

With both of our families, when it comes to the holidays it is ALL about the food!

To the left is a picture of my family's traditional Christmas morning quiche. We MUST have this on Christmas morning. I can only remember one year when we have not had it - a few years ago, we all woke up on Christmas morning, opened the presents and then sat down to breakfast where my mom presented us with some breakfast casserole. We all cried, "WHAT IS THIS?! Where is the Christmas Quiche???!!!" She had thought we might all be tired of it and wanted to try something new....We didn't. She felt so bad she made quiche for us the next day!
I am a lucky girl to have both a mother and a husband who are amazing cooks. They really enjoy being in the kitchen together and sharing tips. I couldn't resist snapping this picture of them making cinnamon rolls...

Here we all are for Christmas Eve dinner, except me of course because I am taking the picture. Mom (with some other helping hands) made roast tenderloin, ham, baked potatoes with an amazing topping, sweet potatoes with marshmallows (my favorite), homemade rolls (also my favorite), broccoli-cheese stuffed tomatoes, cranberry salad...It was a glorious meal!!!

Isn't food the best?! Especially when you prepare it and eat it with the ones you love!

Happy New Year!!!

What a fun New Year's Eve! Mamalutz and Trekky Man came over and we feasted on shrimp, cheese dip with chips and chocolate fondue with tons of fruit and dippers. It was yumminess!!!
We played Apples To Apples, Taboo and Uno Spin. Of course, the girls kicked the guys' butts!! We didn't gloat TOO much...OK, maybe we did! The games started getting really fun at about 11:15 when we all started getting tired and loosing brain cells. (Are we getting old? Tired at 11:15? I never thought I'd see the day...)
So, at midnight, we watched the ball drop on TV, tooted our noisemaker horns, kissed, yelled "Happy New Year!" and the party was over - we were all off to our beds to rest up for a new year.
Happy 2008!