New Year's Eve

 As we have flexed with our family, we have settled into a routine that includes individual family plans on Christmas (meeting up for games in the afternoon for those who would like), a family exchange and celebration on New Year's Eve and then a household exchange near epiphany on Jan 6th.

The first year we saved all gifts for New Years Eve we were in Japan and our college kids wouldn't be home for Christmas but would be home by New Years. This allowed us all to celebrate. It also took a LOT of pressure off this pastor's family during a busy Advent season; it allows us to focus on Jesus at Christmas...and a lot of the busy stuff just doesn't rear its head.  As adult Gherkins married it allows them to spend time with the "in laws" as they decide, and for immediate family traditions in their own homes without always having to be with Papa and Bachan on Christmas day. It's worked well. 

 Michael and I usually buy for each adult Gherkin as well as each grand. The rest of us also draw names. Krista set us up on Draw names (yes, she's organizing us from overseas) and the fun began. 

Most of the group in one shot 

Gideon front - Michael with C & D and Stacia

Eagerly watching Trudy open a gift

Ellie helped Uncle Jamin open gifts

Bella got shoes from Aunt Mary

We got Noah a hot wheels garage - storage thing

Alex!

Krista made this collage from sea glass she and Luke collected in Okinawa. The bottom left is a tree trunk and Michael and I....and then each family and gherkin has their own square...together they make a tree and branches. 

Stacia, Bella & Allie

Cousins! 

Ellie & Noah

Krista made all these squares for us...and she used full names and even added Melia (who was to join our home Jan. 1st).  Michael and I need to assemble it on a wall...

Ellie & Uncle Jamin - funcle

All the pieces together....

For years we've had a gingerbread competition but the heart of it left with Josiah. Maybe we'll do it again someday. This year we visited, played games and colored. We also opened a time capsule for 2013 and put new items in for the 2025.  I may as well just say what we all felt. JOSIAH IS SO VERY MISSED. Every day, but especially on New Year's Eve. He used to go with Michael to the town over to buy fireworks, he'd come over early and shovel paths to the firepit and help Michael set out all the fireworks. Opening the time capsule from 2013 was a leap of faith, and there were reminders that brought tears...and 2025...what a year! It began with a trial, had a sentencing in the middle and saw Krista and Allie both leave the state. BUT - we are still standing. We still love each other. We still had much to laugh about, but the tears and ache are real too. 

Catching up 

Charles

Roman Candles - closely supervised

Alex, Allie & Stacia

Jamin stepped in to help organize fireworks. He and Jared went with Michael to buy them. We didn't have much snow this year and we simply didn't shovel a nice path to the firepit. LOL 

Check out the stand Michael built

Alex, Stacia, & Luke

Benny

Keeping warm

Jared, Noah and Charles

Noah

Jared and Jamin 

Ellie & Cory

Luke, Krista, Arielle, Jared

CoRielle

Krista

Sparklers - Stacia, Krista et al 

Ellie & Cory 

Arielle & Ellie

Inside snuggles - Danny & Papa

Jared or Larissa sent this one late in the night. Noah needed to get out his gift and play with it before bed...seems perfectly reasonable to this Bachan. 

Making Memories

 Stacia, Allie and Nolan joined CoRille and Bre and the kids to the local theater to watch Zootopia 2. 

We're all making memories while Allie and KrUke are home for the holidays. While they went to the movies Luke and Krista took Michael and I and Mark and Mona, Luke's parents, to Orso in Anchorage. It was a yummy dinner.  

Memoires were made and fun was had by all. 

Sibling Tattoos

 I know there are various feelings so let me just say this now. We believe we are saved by grace through faith and what one has or doesn't have on their bodies is a personal preference and has nothing to do with salvation. You are free to believe differently. Michael is old school and doesn't like the look of tattoos, so he doesn't have any. I'd like to be attractive to Michael, so I don't have one either. But NO, he has not told me I can't have one.  

The kids have been talking for months about getting sibling tattoos. The plan was for them to go together and now that KrUke have arrived they are implementing the plan. They took over the business for the day. One Gherkin decided he's not a tattoo type. One Gherkin is still deciding what he'd like and one has two all planned but has been ill and unable to get one at this time. The rest prepared for their ink - many of them for the first time.  Kelly inked 7 tattoos for us this day. 

They all created their own design with a few common elements. All of them have a number symbolizing their order in the birth order and the arrows symbolize family and I think pointing down meant something specific too - but Bre can tell us latter. LOL Many have "3" ribbons, beads, feathers - memorializing Josiah as the 3rd in the group.

These six plus Jamin, Jared and I visited, played games, ate snacks, offered support and had fun being together. I'm glad they were able to do this when they were all together. Here are photos in no specific order. 

Arielle 

Allie & Jared

Arielle & Nolan

Jamin, Arielle & Nolan

Krista & Stacia

At some point in the day Michael stopped by and he, Jamin and Jared left to drive out and buy fireworks for New Year's Eve. 

Jamin

Bre, Krista, Stacia

Bre's had the most color and lots of symbolism. The arrow for family, the 10 different colored beads one for each child and their color, the three little ribbons memorializing Josiah's place in the family and I think something on here stands for Izaak and the kids too. 

Stacia's is an arrow with the number 10 clearly seen, three somethings and it's in a spot that can easily be hidden while in Japan. 

Krista, Bre, Stacia

Allie's is the numeral 9 with the x being made with arrows.  She had previously gotten a salmon with "love you" from a note Josiah had written her to memorialize Josiah. 

Krista ended up getting two. 

Bre's took the longest...all those colors. 

Nolan's is a number 7 and the crossbar thing is an arrow.

Arielle is the only one who chose to have it on her ankle. 

I love this verse and this tattoo. We all triple checked Krista's numbers. ::wink:: 

Krista's tattoo has her maiden name, the arrow, 3 beads for Josiah
 and 2/11 for her birth order