Family Friday

2:42 a.m. and I'm UP - blogging - I'm seriously deranged? No, I'm not feeling well, fell asleep early, and was later awaken. ::snort::

Early Friday a.m. Mike and Dad drove my Mom to Midland to catch a flight out to surprise her 83 yo brother in LA. I WISH I could be there to see their reunion. I love my Uncle Jim and Aunt Clara. One of my favorite family memories is exploring New Orleans with them. They lost their home in Katrina. Aunta Clara is now battling Altzheimers.... Their family celebrates Christmas on the 29th and Mom will be there to surprise Uncle Jim and Aunt Clara.

Other events of day? Produce co-op, MORE grocery shopping, more laundry, more games, more fun....we capped the evening off by watching Victor Borge from Netlfix.

Jamin was awarded a .75 cent raise! Yippee!

Sights of the day:

Baby Elisha only has eyes for Mom

Bre is the master of Phase 10 - I even learned

Stacia THINKS she's hit the motherlode with the pizza sauce

HOW did she manage to open a tea bag with us all sitting there playing Phase 10?

Beatrix is SO patient with the littles - and a bit blind and deaf as well

Thursday –

I drove Bre to the optometrist today and then we went out to lunch. It was fun to have some one on time with her.

While I did that, Mike took the trailer without the heater back to the base. That leaves only ONE trailer in our driveway. ::snort::

Deja called to let me know that our local health food store had everything at 45% off. They’ll be closing on Saturday. Krista, Arielle, Stacia and I headed over. We bought a lot of organic convenience food that I wouldn’t usually buy. We stopped by Sam’s Club on the way home. It wasn’t “one on one” but it was nearly one on one time with Krista. Stephanie, right after we saw you, the sample lady asked if my GRANDAUGHTER would like a sample. That happed all day – folks thought Stacia was Krista’s.

Josiah and Jamin are back at work. Jared is feeling sick. I'm not feeling great - but I'm not giving in just yet.

After dinner we headed out to see the city’s Christmas light display one last time for the year. It is nearly impossible to get a photo of the entire nativity, but we tried.

Thought this new fountain was pretty...

Family Photo Shoot

We took over 150 photos.....I have more to share...but we are busily photo shopping them and planned to only share the finished photo....but how could you miss this one....

or this one...

At this point this is the family one we settled on....not sure which effect we'll stick with. ::snort::

Seriously, I think we like the grey background

Or the sponge background....

Christmas Clean-up

I couldn’t take it a minute longer. I suggested several times throughout Christmas afternoon that we take the tree down. They thought I was joking. The walls were closing in.

We always leave the decorations up until New Year's Day or later. We have a LOT of people here. I was claustrophobic. I had an idea for arranging the furniture.....In the evening, while some played yet another round of Monopoly, Mike, Krista, Stacia and I took the tree apart.


When we moved in I wanted "intimate seating arrangements" in the living room and made an L of the couches. NOW, I realize that in a house this size, with a large family there are "intimate seating areas" all over the home. I want SPACE in the living room - the barn effect. I now have the couches on OPPOSITE sides of the room - lots of floor space.

We dusted and vacuumed every corner of the room - move all furniture and year round trees etc.


Mike hung my new sign and re-hung the quilt above the opposite couch as he noted I'd used "12 inch spikes" to hang it. ::snort::

It was good we did this on Tuesday night....because Wednesday we needed ALL the space in the living room for the annual ginormous family photo shoot. Entry to follow.

Christmas 2007

What a blessing to have Mom and Dad home with us for Christmas. There were many Christmas' when they were overseas and Mike and I take joy in having them around now for our children to get to know.

The highlight of this year, FOR ME, is to sit quietly and listen to ALL NINE children play games, visit in the living room, the older ones share their heart after the younger ones are in bed....they are growing up and these times together are precious. We know that in the not to distant future there will come a year when we won't be able to have all the children home for Christmas or a summer break (gasp - that didn't happen this year)...and so we are storing up memories. I found myself wanting to freeze frame a minute last night. Mike and I were in the library - trying to check out something on the computer. The little ones were in bed. Mom and Dad had gone to bed. We relished the sounds of joy, love and FUN coming from the living room as the older 5 visited. Life is very good.

Photos in no real order - maybe a few comments! It could be done perfectly with comments or it could be done. I chose DONE so I can go play with my babies! ::snort::

"Someone" has hid Jotham's Journey a few times this season. It was in the laundry hamper this a.m. when it was time to read.

Zander is glad Mike is FINALLY done reading. Then we had prayer in our prayer circle and then we finally opened gifts. Grandma bought Arielle a tea cup with butterflies

My gift from Cy - LOVE it!

Zander waiting and waiting for the candle to BURN OUT so it can be Christmas - we showed him grace and simply began. We DID catch the Advent Wreath on fire Christmas Eve. ::snort::

Ah...

Mike's a good sport - his gift from me didn't arrive - seasons 1 - 15 of The Red Green Show...maybe today. LOL

Nolan's gift from Arielle - and Zander said "I WANTED ONE!"

She had got him one TOO!
Mike asked for dress shirts and jeans - and the kids obliged.

Mike sent me on a scavenger hunt - a LONG one - clues were based around Twas the Night before Christmas. The funny thing is that I found a couple of them in the a.m. when I was cleaning and thought "someone is going to have to work for their gift".

The treasure was all the Sue Gregg cookbooks! YES!

Ah - they consider me a Prayer Warrior.

I'll ALWAYS remember their birthdays now. ::snort::

Cy's gift from Grandma - fellow south paw.

Stacia is TERRIFED of the pink aligator from G'ma and G'pa

The girls gave really creative gifts. Krista made them all (the hats the boys & Bre are wearing). Here Cy shows his gift from Bre - the older 3 boys and Mike all got warriors with cards about giftings, prayers and such.

Jared's gift to Stacia...



Zander was SO excited for everyone to open the gifts he got them.

He got Bre a PINK toolbox with whatchamacallits and thingymabobs! ::snort::

He got Krista a PURPLE elephant that massages

G'ma and G'pa got locks with KEYS because they can't remember combinations

Huh? OH - Jared opened the wrong gift - bound to happen with 13 of us here. LOL

Krista made these adorable dolls for Stacia

Wait - there are TWO

They must fight!

Krista made Mike a shadowbox (Bre made me one - but no photo)

Krsita painted this lighthouse with Isaiah 26:3

Jared's hat from Krista

Nolan - can't wait to watch *The Wizard of Has*

Jamin

We laughed at how many of Jamin's gifts came in Altoid tins. LOL

Krista made Zander a step stool with dino on it

We played games.

We ate.

We cleaned and rearranged - but that will be a seperate entry.

A small sampling of the photos - but it gives a taste of Christmas at our home.