Christmas Afternoon in Stamford

After a very nice morning, we headed over to Mom and Dad's for our Christmas dinner and get together with family. Thankful for dry roads as some areas north of us had suffered a significant ice storm.

My three brothers and their families were there. There is always so much yummy food and this year we all made some type of dessert...so many goodies.

Glenn, Walt and Dan enjoy the food table.

Some of the lovely ladies snaking. All these girls are growing up and becoming such wonderful young women. Love them all.

We were able to Skype with Sally and Tom. We passed the iPad around and everyone gave their Christmas greetings.

We gathered in the living room to open presents. It was very full this year. So much living happens in this room and has for many, many years.

Hannah sat on Papa's lap and I told her she had to smile for a picture. She did a great job.

Dave and Zeb watching the activity and waiting their turn to open their gifts.

It was a wonderful day. New beginnings as Bess celebrated her first Christmas in Denmark and we without her here in the USA. Nothing stays the same and we talked about how the family is shifting again as the next generation grows up, marries and starts families of their own. It is all a bit bittersweet, but as it should be. We adjust, get used to a new way and enjoy the moments we have. New memories to store away. Life is good.

Thanksgiving

We had Thanksgiving dinner at Glenn and Theresa's this year. Theresa is such a gracious hostess, always pulling off a wonderful meal and making everyone feel welcome and certainly well fed. So much yummy food and she does it all with a smile.

We had a great day of visiting with Mom and Dad, Walt and his friend Deb and Robin (Theresa's sister) and her family. We all have spent many Thanksgivings together, so the crowd is relaxed and easy. There was plenty of football to watch and lives to catch up on as we were scattered around visiting. We missed Bess but were able to Skype with her Daniel for a bit so everyone could say hi. Denmark does not celebrate Thanksgiving, and I think this year was a tough one for all of us being our first apart.

Three of my lovely nieces. So pretty. Love you girls. :-)

I think this was the only picture of Gabe. I asked him for one and this is the best we could manage. Sure hope this no-photo phase passes soon.

So much love and friendship around this table. Thank you Theresa and Glenn for once again hosting our family Thanksgiving. You are the best.

Christmas Afternoon

We headed over to Mom and Dad's in the afternoon. Glenn, Theresa, Julia, Mariah, Abbie, Zeb, Dave, Sandi, Emily, Amber and Walt also joined in the Christmas celebration.

We had a buffet style meal of turkey, ham, scalloped potatoes, broccoli casserole, stuffing, squash, sweet potato, a veggie platter, deviled eggs, a pickle tray, cranberry sauce, gravy, rolls and pies and cookies for dessert. Oh, my, I'm stuffed all over again.

After dinner we opened presents. Each of the grandchildren draws the name of one of the other grandchildren, so the children get a gift, plus Noona and Papa give them gifts.

The younger guys went outside for a while. There was plenty of snow to play in.

It was a very nice day. I love our family and the closeness we have. Everyone enjoys each other's company and there are always plenty of laughs.

Birthday/Easter Party

Glenn and Theresa held Zeb and Abbie's birthday party on Saturday. This was also sort of an Easter party. Although the weather was predicted to be rainy, the showers held off and we had a very nice time.

Most of the ladies stayed inside as it was not raining, but quite cold and windy.

Theresa held an Easter egg hunt for the younger crowd. This was a lot of fun and they have a large yard, so there was plenty of room to hide the eggs.

Dan just loves the idea of those candy filled eggs. He is off and running.

Rachel joins in the fun, but a bit more lady like in her searching.

Glenn build a fire and the outside group enjoyed the warm and atmosphere. There were plenty of laughs and conversation inside and out.

Here are the birthday boy and girl getting ready to blow out the candles. (Zeb and Abbie's birthdays are only a week apart.)

And opening gifts.

Theresa has a gift for hospitality and her parties and get togethers are always wonderful. She makes terrific food and She and Glenn make everyone feel welcomed and at home. We always have a great time with them.

Thanksgiving Day

This year we spent Thanksgiving Day at Mom and Dad's house. We did some last minute baking before we left. Glenn and Theresa and their children were there also. We all had a very nice time.

I am thankful for Brian. He works so hard for us often being away when I know he would rather be home. This allows me to stay home with the children instead of working outside the home. He is a loving husband and attentive father.

I am so thankful for Bessie and Gabe. They are always quick to help, cheer me up, laugh and joke with each other and basically make life so much more enjoyable and easy for me while Brian is away. (And when he is home.)

I am thankful for the Littles. They constantly challenge me, but also bring a lot of joy. God has used them and continues to use them to expand and enrich my relationship with Him. I am learning to see the blessing they are.

I am thankful for lower gas prices. This is the lowest I have seen in a very long time.

I am so very thankful for Mom and Dad. This has been a very tough year for them and for us. Dad suffered his heart attack in January and Mom has had many months of surgeries and hospitalizations. They are both doing very well and it was a tremendous blessing to see them so fit and healthy again.

I am thankful for siblings and their spouses. We all get along so well and the cousins have a blast when we are together. It is always a pleasure to spent time in the kitchen with my sister-in-law Theresa. She is a natural hostess and loves working in the kitchen and serving others. I am always challenged to work more on my hospitality when I spent time with her.

I am thankful for all the nieces and nephews. They are a terrific bunch of children and young adults.

I hope you had a terrific Thanksgiving.

Fun Day at Glenn and Theresa's

Thursday we spent the day at Glenn and Theresa's. Their kids had spring break this week and it is a rarity that they had several hours without activities, so we jumped at the chance to spend the afternoon with them.


We had a great lunch and Theresa had made cupcakes to celebrate the spring birthdays. Dan was thrilled as it was his birthday this week. We did not have a celebration yet because Brian is out of town. We will have the full affair when he gets home.

It was so nice of Theresa to think of the kids and shower them with good things to eat and gifts.

Look at that grin

Opening gifts

The girls go next

Most of the kids headed down to the stream to do some exploring. They found frogs and minnows and of course, my crew all got soaked. I'm glad I have learned to always bring spare clothing. That water must have been cold!

Bubbles were one of the gifts the kids received and they were a big hit. I love watching Dan's face. He sure enjoys life to the fullest.

The big girls took time to chat and redo their nails.

All totalled, we had 12 kids there, all but one are cousins. We have the greatest fun when we get together with family.

Theresa and Glenn have a wonderful gift of hospitality and such generous hearts. Thanks guys for a great day.

Tin Ornaments

My sister-in-law Theresa is a wonderful person and a very talented one. For several years she has given us these lovely hand-painted tin ornaments at Christmas. It must take her a lot of time to make them.

It is always a treat to see what design she comes up with.

I love how they look on our very eclectic Christmas tree each year.

Gabe's Birthday Revisited

Like Kathy at Duckabush Blog, we like to drag out our birthday celebrations. We seem to celebrate as a family, celebrate with friends and then celebrate again with extended family.

Sunday was the planned day for our extended family celebration for Gabe. Throw in the fact that he has a July birthday and we also try and make this a pool party. We have been very fortunate in years past with the weather and we were not disappointed this year. The forecast at the start of the week did not bode well for a nice day on Sunday, but we were blessed with bright sunshine and warm temps.

It was a smaller gathering with Theresa and three of the kids (Glenn and Julia had to work) and Mom and Dad.

We cooked hot dogs and hamburgers, Theresa brought a pasta salad and mom brought a nice pickle assortment and chips. We also had potato salad and baked beans. We made ice cream cake for dessert. It was very yummy. We put chocolate sauce inbetween the ice cream layers this time and it was soooo good.

Mariah and Bessie

The bigger girls enjoy the trampoline

Abbie

Chef Brian mans the grill

Zeb and Gabe load up their plates

After lunch, the kids headed for the pool...well the kids and Dad. He loves playing with the kids in the pool. Dad is such a kid at heart and the grandkids think he is the greatest.

Mom watching the swimmers

Papa and the kids

Gabe and Zeb

Dad dives through the tube

(Not bad at 71 years old!)

Bessie and Mariah launch Gabe into the air

Yum, ice cream cake!

The birthday boy opens more gifts

It was a great week of celebrating a great little man.