Christmas 2009

Christmas has once again come and went.  I packed up all the decorations today and finally downloaded all the pictures.  Ours started the Saturday before Christmas when we traveled almost three hours to pick up Brianna and Kenneth my step-children, and then traveled another almost two hours to get to my father and step-mother-in-laws house.  After much eating it was time for the kids to open their gifts.

Makayla was so excited with her Project Runway Set.  It's a traditon there that when you turn 18 that's the last year you get a gift.  Therefore my step-mother-in-law makes a quilt for you.  This was Michael's year to get his.  He loves music, more specifically guitars.  Not many pictures, because everyone is opening their presents at one time.  It's one big whirlwind of paper and squeals.
This was Makayla Christmas morning opening her Wii.  She got so excited that when she hugged me so hard, I thought she was going to knock me down.   They were so excited that they almost forgot their stockings.

Then we were off to Megan, Denny's and Emily's.  Look who's already standing up for a few seconds on Christmas Day.  It won't be long now before she is taking her first steps, and then walking.

Caught Megan reading the manuel to her new camera.  Denny totaled surprised her with a new Nikon camera. 

This is my Mom.  We don't get many pictures of her because she hates for her picture to be taken.  Needless to say I had to sneak this one I'm sure she thought I was taking one, of one of the kids.  She would probably be devastated if she knew I put it on my blog.

Then Christmas afternoon we picked up Brianna and Kenneth and had Christmas all over again.

The following pictures were taken at my Mom's the day after Christmas.  I didn't get pictures of it because we were all so surprised.  But the journal jar that I gave her last year for Christmas.  As mentioned in an earlier blog, she has wrote her answers in books.  I have a second blog where I have been writing her answers because she gave me my book when she finished it.  But now each of my other four siblings also have one, her grandaughters have one, and even a sister-in-law that was once married to my oldest brother but has always remained a part of the family.  My book has been re-written because she said the more she has wrote the more she has remembered.  In which it has kept her memory sharp by doing this.  Also this year we did something we had never done at her house, we opened our gifts one at a time.  I think it was so much more fun that way.