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If I don't show you any other pictures from our Christmas this year,
I must show you this one ⬇️
Ron and I,
our four children and three children-in-law,
our fifteen grandchildren,
Ron and I,
our four children and three children-in-law,
our fifteen grandchildren,
my mom, and my sister
. . . all in one place at one time!
. . . all in one place at one time!
It was the first time that we had all been together at Christmas since 2021.
What a gift!
And there were a host of memory-making moments!
Some were recorded and some escaped the camera,
some are special and some are ordinary,
some are special and some are ordinary,
but all are treasured and stored in my heart.
Unhurried time together.
Hugs. Little footsteps. Guests.
Coffee. Lots of meals. Lots of leftovers in the fridge.
Unplanned dress-alikes.
Christmas movies. Christmas jammies.
CHRISTMAS DAY.
A very special rendition of "Joy to the World."
Christmas breakfast. Orange rolls.
Aunt Bekah opening her gifts.
Caleb and Ellie enjoying Aunt Bekah's new rug.
Visiting a friend who is in rehab.
More feasting.
Visiting Gammy. Goodies.
Good-byes . . . one group at a time . . .
until our gathering of 26 people was back to the 3 of us . . .
and then Bekah went to a conference for five days
and Ron and I were alone in the house.
Unhurried time together.
Hugs. Little footsteps. Guests.
Coffee. Lots of meals. Lots of leftovers in the fridge.
Unplanned dress-alikes.
Christmas movies. Christmas jammies.
Music of all kinds . . .
Christmas carols,
Christmas carols,
impromptu karaoke that went on for hours
(Peter singing "It's a Wonderful World" as Louis Armstrong had us all in stitches!)
violin, piano, guitar, singing.
I was thankful that my voice recovered enough that I could sing in our church's Christmas cantata.
(Peter singing "It's a Wonderful World" as Louis Armstrong had us all in stitches!)
violin, piano, guitar, singing.
I was thankful that my voice recovered enough that I could sing in our church's Christmas cantata.
Little grands decorating cookies. My mom made her sugar cookie dough, I cut most of them out (until the littles came in and cut out a few), and the littles decorated them. With LOTS of decorating sugar. Spoonfuls, in fact. They were true sugar cookies!
Little cousins doing crafts, playing Duplo, "playing" the piano, and eating breakfast together in the kitchen.
Little cousins doing crafts, playing Duplo, "playing" the piano, and eating breakfast together in the kitchen.
FAMILY CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION!
Joy. Togetherness.
Hors d'oeuvres buffet.
Gifts for all. Piles of wrapping paper. Ribbon "necklaces."
Ryan's prize of a $50 Amazon gift card to the person who most closely guessed the number of Jolly Joes in the jar. (Gavin won!)
Family photo.
Gammy's trifle, Bekah's fudge, and lots of cookies.
Christmas Eve candlelight service.
Joy. Togetherness.
Hors d'oeuvres buffet.
Gifts for all. Piles of wrapping paper. Ribbon "necklaces."
Ryan's prize of a $50 Amazon gift card to the person who most closely guessed the number of Jolly Joes in the jar. (Gavin won!)
Family photo.
Gammy's trifle, Bekah's fudge, and lots of cookies.
Christmas Eve candlelight service.
CHRISTMAS DAY.
A very special rendition of "Joy to the World."
Christmas breakfast. Orange rolls.
Aunt Bekah opening her gifts.
Caleb and Ellie enjoying Aunt Bekah's new rug.
Visiting a friend who is in rehab.
More feasting.
Visiting Gammy. Goodies.
Good-byes . . . one group at a time . . .
until our gathering of 26 people was back to the 3 of us . . .
and then Bekah went to a conference for five days
and Ron and I were alone in the house.
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| Photo by my friend Carla |
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| Photos by Kati |
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We had eight days full of memory-making moments!
And then there was one more celebratory day when Ron's siblings and their spouses joined us for a post-Christmas gathering.
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| Photo by my sister-in-law Pat |
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You really are the hub round which the family wheel turns! Lovely photos.
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful memories! Happy times for the next generation also. These are the "good ole days". Katie's little daughter looks so much like her, cute. I bet your Christmas list (or lists) is very long and organized. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAh! So much JOY! Plaid paper and bags, happy smiles, good food, Aunt Bekah got a Strawberry Thief patterned rug! I miss our Christmas visits with you.
ReplyDeleteI love seeing the photo of you, Ron and Bekah singing at church!
Deanna Rabe
Wow, how very wonderful you could all gather and then have more gatherings. Woohoo that your voice came back for the cantata. The house must have really felt quiet when it was just the two of you for those 5 days. So many wonderful photos to capture those special moments. Peter's Karaoke was fun!! The food looks amazing. What a delight!! Your grands are growing up. Sure goes fast...
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