Well, I didn't get the Christmas quilt finished, but we did have a wonderful Christmas and that's what counts. And we had a white one!
Notice all the tracks in the snow? After Dan drove down to bring Mom and Dad up because of the wintery roads, he went out to plow the driveway. Keaton jumped on the back and they went to work. . .
. . . and after that, Cameron and Keaton had a riot driving all over the back yard and pulling each other on sleds. We are so glad to have so much room for them to play without having to worry about them out on the road. It was so fun to watch them from the windows!
Following the outdoor fun, it was hot tub time. It was so cold outside, we had our own little climate going on inside the sunroom which makes the picture looks a little foggy because it was foggy in there!!
We usually have our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve so that we can relax Christmas day without having to hurry to get dinner on. We enjoyed ham and all the trimmings and were forced to eat dessert later when we had more room. After an evening of visiting, we all took to our beds in anticipation of Christmas Day.
The stockings kept everyone amused until we were all up and presentable and amazingly, we even had breakfast before opening the presents! (Obviously the big boys are truly getting older, and Daniel was too little to know what was about to happen.) After eating, we all adjourned to the living room where Cameron and Keaton went to work distributing the presents. As the littlest, Daniel got to open the first present with Cameron's help.
Cameron was next and opened a Swiss Army knife which seemed to be well received. Papa Dan picked right on this gift!
Keaton got a new fleece blanket which Ann made. She made blankets for the boys about six years ago and decided it was time for new ones. You can see that it was the right decision! Keaton curled up right on the hearth with his.
Meanwhile, the grownups opened when their turns came. Here's Dan and Great Papa.
And Eric. He loved Twinkies and when Ann tried to buy some for him, it was too late, so he got a box of Cloud Cakes and a Twinkie the Kid holder! (Sorry the picture is so blurry--the photographer, me, needs to improve her skills in group settings.)
All my pictures of Ann are blurry as I only took some when she had Lil' D on her lap. Here's the best one as D plays with the new phone Eric gave her.
Meanwhile, the grownups opened when their turns came. Here's Dan and Great Papa.
And Eric. He loved Twinkies and when Ann tried to buy some for him, it was too late, so he got a box of Cloud Cakes and a Twinkie the Kid holder! (Sorry the picture is so blurry--the photographer, me, needs to improve her skills in group settings.)
All my pictures of Ann are blurry as I only took some when she had Lil' D on her lap. Here's the best one as D plays with the new phone Eric gave her.
Gigi enjoyed spending time with family and Dan got a photo of her with Daniel.
And one more picture. Cameron and Keaton went together and gave Papa Dan a special present.
It was a tin filled with pennies--a five pound box of money!! (They even weighed it to be certain!) Too fun and Dan absolutely loved it. (It's a phrase from an old song and when asked what he'd like for a gift, Dan often jokes and says that's what he'd like, so this time the boys obliged.)
As you can see, we had a truly lovely Christmas! When the presents were opened, Cameron and Keaton took turns reading the Christmas story from the Bible and that made it perfect.
And now it's New Year's Eve. Another year is ending, but we are so thankful for this one filled with love and blessings.
What fun and what great photos! And what about you? What was under that tree for the photographer?
ReplyDeleteHee hee, one thing about being the photographer is that there are no pictures of me!! I did get fun things including season three of Scarecrow and Mrs. King (I loved that show when it was on and Ann gets me a new season every now and then), a couple of super comfy nighties from Lands End, a new jacket, Max Lucado's new book, and more. The boys made me candles, which I love.
DeleteThe blankets Ann made -- are they fleece, quilts, or what? I notice the remnant bin at Jo-Ann is filled with fleece ends (not quite what I need for the AG doll), and I figure sewists (or non-sewists) must have made blankets for Christmas.
ReplyDeleteThe pictures are good. I wouldn't have noticed blur if you hadn't mentioned it. It's so true that we have to experiment with those settings in order to know how to use them.
Yes, one year ends and another begins, but in reality God shows the wonders of his love in one web of consistency. In that I rejoice.
Hi Kathy, the blankets were fleece with two fabrics. If you look closely at Keaton's picture, you can see the twined fringe of the Vandal print and the black fleece backing. She doesn't tie them, she has a special method of slitting the fringe pieces and looping. They are so warm and cozy and the boys love them.
DeleteRegarding photos, one of these days I'm going to have to read the manual. LOL
And your last paragraph is so true.
With Hallie's help, Mike bought an iPhone during the holidays. He had some frustration setting it up, but now he just loves it. "Where are you going with this random comment?" you ask. Well, Hallie warned Mike that the iPhone wouldn't have a manual. There are a few tutorials, but for the most part you're on your own to figure it out. So, maybe we could do that with the cameras.
DeleteI do have a manual, I just never have taken time to read it. I have manual phobia--too much information or not enough. I guess they need to make manual in steps: starting out, middle of the road, and expert. Or a better "What's causing this?" section.
DeleteGlad to hear Mike's loving his iPhone. I have yet to get any cell phone although Dan has one he used occasionally, mostly to tell me he's on his way home from the woods or a meeting.
I'd like to know the worth of five pound of pennies. What a funny gift!
ReplyDeleteHi Hallie! I just checked because I wasn't sure I remembered correctly, but it's 18 rolls of pennies for a total of $9. The boys wanted to pay for it themselves, so pennies it was! :-)
DeleteWhen we had the extended family Christmas Eve party, Uncle Bill was the recipient of kid gifts, mostly orchestrated by young Monica, I think. The party would come to a stop while Uncle Bill slowly went through layers of wrapping paper, pretending to be miffed by the hard work. The actual gift was some small doo-dad. The cousins had fun with that.
ReplyDelete