Weekend

 

We had a fun, family filled weekend. We had terrible weather on Friday, and it brought in frigid weather. It was still cold on Saturday, but nothing kept us from our annual Birthday lunch out for Tim. This year we had 20 people at the restaurant. We go to a Fuddruckers about 30 minutes away. It has a big dining room and being Christmas Eve they are never busy. We take the back wall area and have a good meal and good fun together! My grandgirls love it because there are machines you put quarters in and get things out. Like bouncy balls.

I didn't take one photo.

I did get photos at home of our birthday boy and his gifts

and family interactions. We do our stockings on Christmas Eve.

I love the photo of Kennedy and my mom. The kids were playing Mario Kart until we opened stockings. Then Nate and Kay and kids left for Kay's work party at her boss's home.

Christmas morning we had church. My parents went with us to our church, and we always take all four girls now.

It was a good Lessons and Carols type service. Advent readings and the lighting of the candles, with Christmas Carols inbetween. It was very nice.

We dropped the girls off at home to open gifts with their parents and we put a ham in the oven and started potatoes cooking when we got home. While they were cooking we opened gifts. Lindsay and Joseph surprised us by dropping in, we weren't expecting them.

We draw names to exchange, so Tim had Kyle, I had my dad, Rachel had my mom, Kyle had Kay, my dad had Nate, Wes had Lindsay, Kay had me, Lindsay had Sarah, Sarah had Tim, my mom had Rachel, Nate had Wes, etc. 

I received a cute cottage sign from Kay, a Barnes and Nobel gift card, and taco holders. I bought my dad Land's End dress shirts. Tim got Kyle a leather jacket (found on marketplace. Like new. $50 real leather). Rachel got a dress and gift card. Mom got photo books and a canvas photo from Wes and Rachel's wedding. Lindsay gave Sarah and volleyball set. Tim got tools and a book.

Tim and I still give all our kids, my parents and our friend Denny a gift. This year we gave mostly gift cards, but we did give camping lanterns to Emma and Vinnie and Wes and Rachel. They're the kind that use 20v batteries. Emma and Vinnie lost power the other day and already but theirs to good use!

Mom and I both took photos of Kyle, Sarah, and Rachel on the couch.

These are my gifts. Tim gave me the two books I've been wanting. Nora Murphy's Country House Style, and Establishing Home by Jean Stoffer. He also gave me a new ipad cover and phone case. Not shown are my gift card and a photo canvas from Rachel's wedding.

We were having so much fun that we scorched the potatoes and had to peel more and start over! No one cared! We don't do a formal meal on Christmas Day. We eat breakfast casserole, and then when the ham and sides are done we eat when we feel like it.

Nate and Kay came down for a few hours to exchange gifts and eat, then they headed home with their Little Women. 

We don't take the gift of being together for granted. We had four generations together yesterday. That is a GIFT!

I'm thankful that we have always worked to give thoughtful gifts to the receiver. I've always said that it a gift is best when it is something special to the one being gifted. Sarah's favorite gift ever came from a yard sale and cost less than $2.00! Kyle's leather jacket came from marketplace and is a bomber style. That never goes out of style, but because it was owned by someone who said it has hung in the closet for years, it was sold for $50! Kyle's response to the gift showed me that he was really wanting a leather jacket!

I got Tim a new belt for working in. It's a nice one. He also has a tool coming from me. 

We give gifts to each other because we were given the ultimate gift! Jesus!

I hope your Christmas was good. For me the sweetest things this year were time together with family and friends. We video chatted with Emma and Family on Christmas Eve, and that was almost like being together! Tim and I are thankful we saw all of our kids this Christmas.