Christmas photo dump

I thought I'd do a quick Christmas recap.

 

All in one big sha-bang.

 

We started Christmas break with a  fun case of stomach flu.

 

First A, then baby L. (mild), then me (really mild)

 

 

Then Dave....whoa, Dave.

 

I'll spare you the pictures from that.

 

(You're welcome.)

 

 

On the 23rd, we had Christmas with Dave's side.

 

With all the kiddos in that house, most of my pictures are blurry.

 

Constant activity.

 

Here is a quiet brother moment...

 

...and yet, still a little blurry from their twitching for more sugar.

 

 

 

This girl loves her grandpa.

 

 

This was the first time in (probably) 7 years that everyone was home for Christmas.

 

All 5 siblings and their whole families.

 

Matt knows a photographer who lives across the street - and he took our whole family pic.

 

The ice storms created a surreal backdrop for this nearly perfect family pic.

ALL 21 of us are looking at the camera!

(this is not a photoshopped pic at all- he literally sent it to Matt within 15 minutes of our shoot)

 

 

 

We spent Christmas Eve as a family of 5.

 

I loved it.

 

Low key.

 

Games.

 

Books.

 

Church.

 

Quiet dinner.

 

Amazing.

 

Cute jammies.

 

 

 

 

Christmas morning woke up to gluten free Cinnamon rolls

and a breakfast birthday party for Jesus.

 

We played with toys a bit:

 

 

 

 

We gave Baby L. an Anywhere chair for Christmas.

She loves it.

She sat right down in it, and didn't get out for the entire duration of family present opening.

C. gave A. a mug for Christmas, and Baby L adopted that as her own too.
She put her bottle inside it, and proceeded to drink her milk that way.

HA!  She's a funny girl.

 

 

Christmas morning, off to church:

 

 

Baby L. is to the point that she will NOT sit still in church.

 

No one was working the nursery, so in an effort to hear snippets of a sermon, I stood in the narthex.

 

It was actually really neat- because we had some cool guests in church that day,

 

some with kids,

 

so I got to meet them while we had a mini-daycare in the back of church.

 

I hope they come back.

 

Anyway, Baby L made a new friend too.

 

 
 
 
 




After church, we high-tailed it over to my parents house for Christmas Day celebration.

And our traditional Christmas dinner: crab legs and prime rib.

Mmmmmm.

The pic below is from my phone.  I took a picture of the cuts on my fingers from the spikes on the crab legs.


First world problems, I know.

 

 

Next stop, their living room for gifts.

 

And Nerf-a-palooza:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baby L. was content to just sit in the boxes and drink her bottle.  :)

 

 

 

We had one day in between for some down time,

 

And then the next Christmas surprise for the boys.

 

My Facebook status update said,

 

My Christmas decorations may be down, but the Christmas surprises aren't over for the boys.

 

 

SURPRISE!

 

 

 

 

My brother and his family came into town for a few days.

 

They surprised their boys with Bears/Packers tickets for Christmas

 

(GO PAC!)

 

And since they were so close, decided to make it a few days longer and come see us in the Mitten.

 

I didn't tell the boys they were coming because I didn't know if they would make it north with the ice storms, etc.

 

So, my kiddos got a nice surprise out of it too.  :)

 

The picture above with the 4 boys just warms my heart.

 

The next day, Dave took the day off and we went back to my parents house for

 

Christmas: Round 63

 

(yes, slight exaggeration...slight)

 

In anticipation of the U of M football game that day, Baby L. donned her new Michigan outfit.

 

And showed support for our Packers by dressing it up with Trappers new scarf.

 

 

 

The boys:

 

happier than happy with one of the gifts from Uncle Dan and Aunt Erin

 

(they also got a Green Machine- which they LOVE as well!)

 

Well done, Uncle Dan and Aunt Erin!

 

Baby L. was loving everyone.

 

And the wrapping paper.

 

And the boxes.

 

And the ornaments.

 

It was a good sensory day for her.  :)

 

 

I can't believe I held this baby kid young man on his baptismal day.

 

 

 

And just for good measure:

 

The treat I decided to make for Christmas give aways (besides the Christmas crack)

was chocolate covered bourbon cherries.

 

They soaked in bourbon for 45 days.

 

Wrapped in homemade fondant.

 

Dipped in chocolate.

 

Oh yum.

 

 

And when the day was done,

 

the whole family went to bed.

 

I sat up.

 

Reading a book by the light of the Christmas tree

 

With the dog

 

who was cuddling up with her candy cane raw hide.

 

 

 Merry Christmas!