Christmas 2018

We had a much quieter Christmas than usual, since Alei, Moriah and Chris all flew to Colorado to have Christmas with Gabriel and Alayna and my darling grand-sons. It's funny to consider just six kids and one son-in-law quiet but it really was compared to what we are used to! I missed the chaos and extra mess honestly. 

I have fought with the lights on this tree all of December; two strands are currently out and I think the whole thing is going to come down earlier than I hoped. I bought lots of new lights in many varieties on the 26th, so next year we will be set!

 

Tori got two ferrets for Christmas and we only took video, so I'll have to get some pictures of them. They are quite entertaining; Selah is in love with them and has set up playgrounds for them. My plan is their run time is the hours Tori spends doing school in her room anyway.
 

Aunt Deb and Elijah

Bella and Selah

Tori

Kylie guarding her Christmas bone from the big dogs.

I was pretty excited about company we have scheduled for tonight and tomorrow night, however, Elijah has a wicked cough and I think I'm going to have to postpone both occasions. 

Ready or Not

 After dragging the kids through town for nine hours the other day, I think we are ready for Christmas. I came home and ordered the last few things and the big girls have helped me wrap them as they have rolled in. The girls are all great shoppers; it's poor Elijah who was requesting to go home the last several hours.

 Look at these super darling cookies that Tori made as a gift for a friend - I just love them. 

 We are off for some caroling with friends to several shut-ins. Merry Christmas!

December Miscellanious

 We have really been enjoying the Christmas season, just not taking enough pictures to prove it. Elijah is obsessed with football! Here is a ticket he made for Chris, Moriah's fiance, to come and watch a game with him - 

We have been blessed to do several new Christmas activities this year; we went to the Richmond Ballet for The Nutcracker for the first time, we saw CYT's A Christmas Story, which was greatly entertaining, and tonight we attended Winterfest at King's Dominion. It was really beautiful but got so, so cold!

Last year I got the basic Willow Tree nativity; this year we added the shepherd and animals. Next year I am hoping for the wise men. 

JD made me these two mug racks for the overflow mugs he buys me on travel - they are from wood we had the Amish mill after clearing for our house. 

 Here is some interesting cauliflower that just came in the farm share box - I'm kind of drowing in strange greens around here that I'm not sure what to do with.

  
We often have two polar bears relaxing in the living room; Alaska is scared of the wood floor so we put a towel down for him to walk in and out. 

 We had PJs and pancakes at CC with a book exchange and "minute to win it" games; the kids had a blast.

Today we finally made gingerbread men and sugar cookies; there are still a few dozen awaiting decorating tomorrow. 

 Tonight Alyssa joined us at King's Dominion Winterfest. This was in front of the Christmas tree at the entrance -- it's so big that you can't tell it is a tree. The lighting isn't good, but it's still the best I got!

 See? My other attempts were even worse.

  
Alyssa with our friend's son.