Christmas at our house 2009

A Glimpse of Christmas!

(remember--to view an image larger just click on the image)

Christmas Night

Christmas Day

My Sister and I live fairly close to each other where Mom and both brothers live four hours away. When our first children were little we would occasionally have Christmas with them. As we got more children and they got bigger and bigger we decided that it was too hard to take Christmas on the road.

We started having Christmas supper at my house late on Christmas day. It is totally casual, just soup and playing games. This year one of our "kids" from the singles ward came and spent the evening with us. It was a riot to have Tim embarass A in front of her boyfriend. Uncle Kirk was also on a roll---funny funny stuff.

I hope that we can continue these traditions--even as things change.

Cousins 2009

Grandkids-2009

We have been going to Grandma and Poppa's for Christmas dinner for years. This year after we ate a wonderful dinner and opened presents I had all the grandkids pose for a picture.

The oldest, Jess is engaged. Everything will change after this Christmas. I just knew that I needed to get one more picture---no matter how poor--before those changes.

(Notice all the cute hats? Handmade by me! It was fun to see them love them.)

Highlights 2009

Highlights from Christmas 2009

*Taking the two little ones to the store and having them choose and then try to hide their gifts in my cart.
*M and A spending two hours creating a treasure hunt for E.
* J choosing flashlights for Dad and M
* Watching E prepare treats for Santa
* J being so overjoyed with his RC car
*Watching big M play with the new legos.
* Watching M try to wrap presents.
* MissE just gushing over her art supplies.

*being grateful to have a healthy happy family.

Christmas Morning 2009

J was so excited to open up a super duper cool RC Car. He is still so little and fun.
E was still so excited to put out treats for Santa and the reindeer. She put out the carrots for the reindeer with a little note
"dear Santa, Rudolph gets two carrots because he is a very, very special reindeer."


The two big kids decided to make a treasure hunt for E's present. I know that they had to have spent almost two hours creating the clues. The clues were hysterical. She had a ball trying to locate her little present on top of the Christmas tree. It was so much fun having them really try to make it fun for her.

It was a crazy yet fun Christmas morning.

I always love it when about an hour or two after the chaos of unwrapping has stopped, I look around and my children are building, drawing, reading with the new things. M was so good to help J learn how to drive his new car. Then he spent hours helping him learn how to build with Legos. Miss E just loves her new art supplies. She has been drawing up a storm.

Christmas Past

I remembered these pictures late last night and came to the computer to find them. I am so glad that I was able to scan hundreds and hundreds of old pictures.

This is my Grandpa. These are my brother's and sister and also cousins. The joy in the faces of those little ones---that is what Christmas is all about.

Do you ever get over being a child?

I still miss it.
(pictures taken about 1970)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

I decided that we would try to take a family picture after church today. We set up the tripod and started shooting.

After the family shots we got lots of silly shots.

Merry Christmas!!!

Family Picture Outtakes!

Family Picture Outtakes!
This is what I get when I say the words "Family Pictures"!!!!!

What a Funny Little Boy!

This little Boy!!!

He may be the death of me! He goes from being Mr. Helpful, helping me vacuum, mop and unloading dishes to----

Painting a masterpiece on his wall!

Luckily for me, they were washable markers so after a day or two leaving his creativity on the wall I was able to get most of it off. Be warned, the brown marker is not nearly as washable as the rest!

Rose Family Out takes.

Meet My Family!

On Saturday after Thanksgiving we had a family get together. The potluck feast and then the "boys" and "girls" telling old stories. It is always funny to hear my Uncles tell stories. I think that the stories get bigger and bigger each year--like the old fisherman's fish!

At the end of the evening we always take the obligatory picture. Here we line up as many siblings as we can.

Meet the Rose's. This is my Mom, (on the right) her sister and four of seven brother's. Two are deceased. In the first picture I want you to notice the faces of my Uncles. Barely a smile between them. "hurry up and take the picture" kind of faces. Well, as old Uncles and old Geezer's go--the fun was just about to begin. One of the brother's , whom shall remain nameless--baby brother, had one of those geezer moments. That is where the fun began. What began as the obligatory picture, where no one is smiling turned into a round of outtakes that are priceless!

MERRY CHRISTMAS--YOU OLD FARTS!

Remind me--why do I live here?

Guess what we woke up to today? Snow. Not a teeny bit of snow. No---we awoke to more than a foot of heavy,wet back breaking snow.

Anyone want to come and shovel?

12 Days of Christmas! Explained

My new friend Crystal received this email explaining the ever annoying yet catchy song--
The 12 Days of Christmas.

I found this very interesting, I love knowing the history behind traditions.

The 12 Days of Christmas--explained!

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.
-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So the next time this song is played, try to remember some of the symbolism behind it! Thanks, Crystal!

I'm cold.

Winter has finally hit--with a vengeance! We have snow and COLD. I am wanting to just stay inside and crotchet by my fire. However, my family keeps insisting that I drive them places, pick up things they need and feed them! I am looking for the laundry fairy again.

Grateful

We went to dinner tonight with our dear friends. They are slightly older than us so their youngest child is now eighteen. As we were visiting over dessert the conversation turned to one of my children. This child is going(has been going for a very very long time) through a very difficult stage. This mother is NOT handling it well at all. Today was one of those difficult days. I did not win any mother of the year awards today. In fact, I won " scary, mentally crazy person who needs medication" award of the year.

Tonight, these friends listened to me. They didn't have any real answers. They just listened and validated me and my frustrations.

They have survived longer than we have, maybe I will as well.

Fourteen years and counting!

Christmas Party 2009!

We have a standing Christmas party every year. We invite all of our neighbors that live right around our "block". It has extended a bit over the years, I invite a few couples that I just love that live a bit further than our original block. It has become quite a tradition. We figured out last night that it has been fourteen years. That is a long time.

Last night was the night. We had a house full with around 26 people. Funny thing is that half the people invited were not able to come! It usually works out that way, with schedules and all. I would love to have every one of my neighbors come but it is probably a good thing that not everyone can always come----it would be wall to wall bodies with 50 people. I could invite so so many more. However, I decided that I can't have the ward party at my house! So, I try to basically have the block neighbors and then those other close friends.

The neighborhood has changed over the 14 years. My MissA was only 2 years old when we started. Many(most) of the other neighbors children were older. Those children have all grown up and gotten married. We moved away(still had the party) and then moved back. We have had a few neighbors move away and we have sadly lost a few neighbors when they passed away. We have gained many new neighbors, some of these becoming dear friends.

It is fun to watch the groups as the evening progresses. We all attend the same church, so we all see each other there. However, if you have ever been to an LDS church we are busy people! We have a three hour block of three meetings. So, really there is only ten minutes between meetings to get to the next. At the end of three hours we are all starving and head out---without ever really just chatting with our dear neighbors. We are all busy people with jobs, houses, families and responsibilities. Unfortunately, this means that although we see each other often in passing--going to our little gas station(center of town--town square!), driving kids, picking up kids from piano, scouts, etc., we rarely have the opportunity to sit down and visit. I have watched over the last 14 years that some of my neighbors will sit and visit for an hour with their neighbor whom they have not really talked to since the last party at my house. I love this. I wish that I could provide more opportunities for people to connect.

A few years ago we started a new tradition of donating to the local food bank. This year we also incorporated our family's service project of hats, gloves and blankets for the homeless shelter. The response was overwhelming! We have the greatest neighbors in the world!

I am grateful that I am able to host our annual party. Now that the party is over it really feels like Christmas! I just wish that my house could be party clean ALL THE TIME!!!! (just don't go looking in bedrooms!)

Too much

I have once again realized that I am a hoarder. It is a subtle disease. Not the obvious case as ones on Oprah. Those people have everything they have ever owned in plain site. They have tunnels instead of rooms. They have stuff stacked floor to ceiling with black mold growing underneath. Me? No black mold!

I have about twelve medium sized boxes full of Christmas decorations. I have been trying to get a lot done today. Part of that list is decorating for Christmas--at least enough that I feel decorated for our party tomorrow night.

I have just brought a second box of ornaments up for the tree. Thanks to two little five year old boys I only have one left, hoping that the nine year old girl will finish that up for me! What I realized when I was looking at all the boxes covering my ping pong table downstairs was this. I don't need to use all the decorations that I have. In fact, I am just about finished. I don't decorate my basement(I barely clean it), I don't decorate bedrooms. I literally used stuff out of four of those twelve boxes. What is in the other eight, you ask? More decorations. Cute Santa's, angels, mugs, dishes, and school made treasures that I save but don't put out any more.

A year or so ago I bought new storage boxes for our Christmas stuff. I actually went through all the items and got rid of a ton. Things that I have had for almost twenty years, things that I had acquired, things that I have made. So, today, I still have four times more than I want to put out. I have things that are really lovely decorations, yet I tire of them. I don't really want to get rid of them(some of them gifts) but I don't have the space to put them out. What do I do with them?

I will leave them in the boxes for now. Perhaps before Christmas arrives I will put a few more out. Perhaps I will make another donation box.

Perhaps I will just put the boxes back in the storage dungeon and not worry about it until---next year when I pull it all out again!

Check

Lights are on the tree. They are the new LED lights. I don't like them. They give off this eery blue hue. I will leave them, however, because all the beads are also on the tree and if I take the lights off, the beads have to come off first--so, next year I will go back to energy sucking regular light bulbs that give off a warm yellowy glow.

lights

Opening the Christmas boxes to find NO LIGHTS for the tree. Maybe I need to write myself a note when I throw things away---REPLACE LIGHTS-THEY ARE DEAD!

Feels like a Monday!

I have too many thoughts running through my mind and not enough time to blog about all of them.


*Thanksgiving at Grandma's in frozen Idaho
*I am a GREAT-Aunt--weird
*The Blindside----fabulous movie-
*Black Friday shopping-fun with Sugar Daddy and cousins
*crocheting-I really like it-I will probably be over it in a few weeks, I totally made a hat just from inspecting another one--no pattern just the other hat!
*Christmas---it is here
*Our real Christmas tree
*laundry---I have Mt. Rushmore
*neighborhood party--my house is a wreck
*broken chair--one year old
*decorating-party on Friday!
*muddy footprints on the carpet(J)
*crazy stories from our family party
*socks-I hate folding them
*gym-5:00 am
*my picture my year blog and demise

Okay, now I am going to go and work on Mt. Rushmore, dry my hair and get ready to take M to the orthodontist.