Christmas Cards....

So, these are by no means all of the holiday cards we've sent in the past. I didn't find all of them at the same time, so there's that....
But oh well. This was fun to look back over some of our holiday cards. I do have to reference "holiday" for the cards because I have been known to send New Year's cards rather than Christmas cards because sometimes---it's just hard to get myself together and get them sent out before Christmas!

So here are a couple from the past.....

(Yes, they are pictures of pictures and you can see the flash....oh well....)

Oh, my sweet boy was so little!

Cards from this year:

So, after I started on the Christmas cards, I realized that I didn't order enough and I realized that I wanted to send some cards but couldn't find or didn't have the addresses....good times.
Ordered more cards. But----ordered a different set because initially when I designed the cards I was torn between two designs. So, when I did my reorder, I just ordered the different design.
2014: the year of two Christmas cards.
:)

...and then----I never got around to getting those missing addresses.

To anyone who didn't get a holiday card from us this year---Ummm.....send me your address!
:p

Christmas Post V

Christmas at Darnin & PawPaw's, 2014

 Eliette was content to sit and watch the fire.

 Chris and Eliette had an impromptu jam session.

Eliette was eager to help Darnin in the kitchen....You know---all that fridge work that needs to be done. (Eliette is a big fan of the fridge.)

There was a lot of hanging out and game playing before the big meal....

Before dinner was ready, Eliette clearly needed to stake claim at the table...

...and try the food...

Before long, it was time to open gifts. Woohooo. The kids thought this time would NEVER come!

Gage got Umi---this cool (but freaky to some) little monkey that lives at Darnin's and he wanted... He was so excited.

It wasn't long before it was time for bed. Gage was tired, but wanted to read some before bed...

 And this is how I found him and Umi when I returned. So sweet.

It was a great day and a great night.
:)

Christmas Post IV

Christmas morning was busy. Christmas day---well, we all got a nap. That was pretty great. Really.

I spent some time cooking and getting ready for our evening meal.
Dad, Ruby, Chris, Colton, Gammy, Memaw, Poppa Joe and the Nelsons were coming over. Another neighbor would also be stopping by.

Oh---let me tell you.... the evening was eventful. Seriously---it was like Griswold type 'eventful.' But, looking back over the night---we had a good time. I handled the various 'events' gracefully in part to the mimosas I was drinking and a bestie who kept my glass full. {kisses!}

So, there was a lot of general chaos because there were quite a few little ones there, mostly playing downstairs underfoot. But the craziness started right off the bat.... "We can just fry the turkey." James has a turkey fryer, so it'll be great. Ummmm----detail: turkey fryer holds up to a 17 lb turkey. The turkey brought for the party was 26 pounds. "No worries. We'll just cut it in half."

That's right.
The guys cut a turkey in half and then fried it.

Frying the turkey, we were told, would be a quick process. "13 pounds? 30 minutes or so ought to do it." Nope.... So *finally* here comes Damon with half a turkey. Yaaaaay! We can eat.

About 2 seconds after the above picture was taken: "Babe, that's raw inside. It's not just pink, it's RAW."

So, the guys headed back over to James' to re-fry the original 1/2 turkey that's not cooked through. In the meantime---the food prep back at home is pretty much done, and then I was on "don't-dry-out-detail" with the side dishes.... the kids were playing....the adults were visiting....but we were all hungry and the kids wanted to eat and open gifts.....

Then, a dear neighbor dropped by. I hate to say she's 'elderly.' I'd rather relay, she's an "active senior." Well, she came by to drop gifts off for my kids. We weren't sure if she and her husband would join us for dinner or not. They didn't, but she wanted to see the kids and they had a gift for her too. As she was heading out, she tried to step over one of Eliette's riding toys, and her foot caught the handle. Well, she went down. I tried to catch her. We took down a table and vase of flowers and I just knew her knee cap was broken. Oh.my.goodness!

She was okay. She decided to stay and have a Mimosa with us girls. (see? 'elderly' just really doesn't fit!)

There we were, drinking off the big fall, and then water starts coming down through the air vent in the ceiling of the laundry room and hitting the tile floor. At the same time, here come some boys from upstairs to let me know that "there's something wrong with the toilet upstairs by the playroom."

At that point, I was fairly certain that Damon and James were slow-roasting this turkey just so that they could sit on the back patio over there---a bit removed from all the action. (He assures me that this is not true....) I texted him to "get home immediately."

He did.
He and my dad fixed the toilet easily (kids and their affinity to use a whole roll of tissue), and before we knew it---it was turkey time. This time for real.

After eating, Poppa Joe and Memaw left. The Nelson's headed home too. Before we knew it, it was gift time with that side of the family.

Gage got an "Action Bible" which he loves. He got cash from Gammy to pick out something fun. Eliette got a Mickey and Minnie (she loved Colton's at his birthday and wanted them!), and the Alphabet Train.

So---there it was. A crazy, but memorable, and really fun night.
...with a saw-it-in-half-cook-it-twice-turkey, an old lady drinking off a fall, and an overflowing toilet than infiltrated the HVAC system down through to the first floor. You can't make this stuff up. We often joke that the crazy things just seem to circle 'round....such is life. In the end, we all went to bed with happy hearts, cheeks tired from smiling and laughing, and plenty to talk about!
:)