Christmas Past

It's unbelieveable that Christmas has come and gone, almost in a flurry of excitement and the exhaustion that comes with it. We had a really nice Christmas, even though it was busy and went by too fast!

My parents came up on the 21st, and so began our family festivities. We had fun playing games with Grandma and Grandpa, and just hanging out. My brother arrived on Saturday night, and it was good to see him after a year gone by!

Christmas Eve was a pleasant day, with church in the morning, and relaxing in the afternoon. We went over to the Betti's house and got to see Trish and Caleb which was a nice treat! We enjoyed hanging out over there for a while, and then came home to let the kids open their stockings. That is one of our family traditions...the kids open their stockings on Christmas Eve (has to be after dark, and after dinner!) We all went to bed fairly late, after playing cards (Nathan got to join the adults for cards).

Christmas morning was a busy time; everyone was excited! Tim organized a little game where we drew names to open our first gifts! The kids received lots of nice things; as did we all. I think my favorite gift this year was my new kitchen faucet that Kenny put in as a surprise! I know, not the most 'romantic' gift, but some of you KNOW how much we needed that new faucet! :) We had our big, traditional breakfast and then later our traditional dishes for dinner. The cooking and clean-up involved with Christmas Day food traditions keeps ME very busy! We even used my grandma's china...as we usually do. :)

Now, the family has gone home, Kenny is back to work and life is slowly getting back to normal. Most of the gifts have new homes and are put away, and we're gearing up for New Year's Eve and a NEW YEAR! We are very thankful for the many blessings that God has bestowed upon us in 2006, and look forward to the new year that is about to dawn.

So, with that...I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday week! Happy New Year! :)