christmas 2014...

 am i the only person who is sad that christmas is over and done? I actually start getting a little sad a few days before Christmas because I know I have to wait a whole year for all the wonderful festivities to come again- christmas music, presents, lights, programs, delicious food, and family. It takes me almost 2 whole months to wean my self off the christmas music - it is an addiction so I have to start slow and add a little Phil Collins in the mix.

here's to another successful christmas season... 

 a cup of christmas tea

 a visit with "santa" (not our usual santa...but the REAL santa did come to our house before Christmas to bring the girls treats and check in to see if they had been nice)

 a visit with frosty the horse

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christmas eve

 hot cocoa bar

 tree-mendous prizes (the prizes were hanging on the christmas tree)

 

snowman necklace craft

 all the granddaughters with grandma nancy

 the sederholm family

 the withers family

 bobby. susan. jill. sharon. nancy

 our family with grandma nancy

 aren't they cute? 

 ready for bed

matching pajamas-check! 

cookies, milk, and carrots laid out for santa and rudolph - check! 

 good-bye, sam! see you next year!

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christmas morning 

 look at what santa brought! 

 rudolph pancakes 

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christmas at the woods' 

 pictures after christmas mass with grandma and grandpa 

 just the girls...

 don't forget the boys! 

 and copper, too...

 sophia with isabelle (they had matching dresses and shrugs!)

 look at those stuffed animals!

 christmas craft...

 reese's pb trees...not exactly like the picture on pinterest ;) but they did taste delicious! 

 bobby went a TAD overboard with the green frosting...

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christmas with the urbanski's and johnson's

 all the grandkids 

 leonice with the kids

(nesha. stephanie. shawn)

 mike's kids (lexi and cassie) and leonice's children

 sophia, danyka, and cailyn (they said, "we like to have our picture taken!") 

 all the kids and their spouses with mike and leonice 

 all the grandkids

(brayden, livia, avery

elayna

danyka, sopha, and cailyn)

 elayna with her bows from the withers family

the girls playing with their legos from christmas 

whew! we made it.

and to all a good night....

holiday photos...

it has become a tradition in our house to have our family photos taken for our holiday cards. Our friend and photographer extraordinaire, Angela, has taken our pictures for the past 4 years...wow! How did that time pass so quickly?

We had a nice warm Autumn day for our pictures, however, the winds were hurricane strength. Thankfully Angela was able to work her magic, and we found a few spots to take cover from the elements (a BIG thank you to barb and ron for allowing us to use their beautiful backyard for our backdrop!). Here are a few of our favorites - minus the ones we used for our Christmas card (you will just have to wait). I am thankful to have such precious memories of our girls and our family at this age. I am blessed to have Angela capture their beauty and their spirit inside and out!

 we jokingly told them they were our "children of the corn"...does that date us or what?

 let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! 

  

  

 we laughed so hard trying to get these pictures "just right"...you know how when you envision something in your head how it should look? well, ours did not come out QUITE as we had hoped. does it look like we are spitting or blowing???  

another year of holiday photos are done...

another year older...a new one just begun...