My family came to town for Christmas! We started our whirlwind Christmas Vacation with a visit to my mom's mom, Grandma Lee! The kids helped her open presents and she got to meet Cade for the first time!
Look at her pretty silver white hair! Gorgeous!
Sean has been a snowflake making machine in the month of December...We all know my dad loves a project, but who knew he was a snowflake master?
The best and most lacey ones are his! I stopped making some goodies to make a few snowflakes...
It can be addicting trying to get a desired look!
My mom found this neat nativity that focuses on What God wants for Christmas. Each character is in a present and the final box has a mirror so that you find out that God wants YOU for Christmas! After reading through, we kept track of great things the kids did and put them in the box and read them on Christmas Eve.
A cute baby face. While he smiles all the time...he often is sucking on his hands or looks down when I bring out the camera! I have the hardest time getting him to look and smile at the same time..but what a face!
My dad and the kids made I CANS. They glued eyes all over a can to remind them that they CAN do anything!!!
Cade was totally spoiled with attention!
My mom made an adorable Santa bag to hold the objects for the story about
Santa teaching the children about the Symbols of Christmas!
After both Sydney and Mike arrived, we went to visit Grandma Lee again...and as always sang her lots of songs...this years favorite was Little Drummer Boy ~ grandpa looked up all the words to the sweet little song and the boys tapped the bongos too.
More projects!!! My mom always reads the kids The Legend of the Candy Cane and we made bead/pipe cleaner candy cane ornaments (just like ones she's always had on her tree and a perfect activity while visiting Great Grandma Lee). Another day I helped the kids make felt Gingerbread house ornaments!
After visiting Grandma Lee we went to the LDS Oakland Visitor's Center to see Christmas lights and we got to see Sister Alyssa Doman! She was so cute and taller than me! Her dad was my BYU Bishop for three years and I even worked for him for a few years after Scott and I were married. Alyssa used to have sleep overs with our girls apartment and my roommates and I and later Scott and I would babysit their family when their parents left town. We just love them and now she's all grown up and serving a mission!
In front of the Nativity over the river flowing out in front of the Oakland Temple.
They do great lights here!!!
We finally caught up with Sydney and Mike...who had been visiting with one of Sydney's mission companions and her husband who was one of Sydney's District leaders!
Christmas Eve
Scott BBQ'd the Turkey! He was a genious ~ the coals were in a ring, foiling at the right time, covering the bbq at the right time! Cooked to perfection and tasty!
Dinner was scrumptious as usual! Syd brined the turkey, and made a caramel apple pie, Mom made a mashed Sweet Potato/Yam custard/casserole, garlic almond and cranberry green beans and the gravy, Dad made mashed potatoes, the butter/herb turkey rub, and the dressing, and I made a orange cranberry sauce, a simple salt and pepper butternut squash and a creamy pumpkin pie. It was all delish!
Hope I didn't forget anything!
Hope I didn't forget anything!
Later we all partook in the reenactment of the Birth of Jesus. As I was gathering items for costumes, I thought I was doing pretty good...but after seeing the pictures, I think I'm going to make some head dresses for wisemen that can be worn for many sizes, and get some fabric that could be wrapped/draped that look a bit better than blankets draped over our shoulders! Check out Ryan's (the shephard's) stuffed lamb though...I thought that was a great touch:) 
The wisemen brought their gifts....
Both Ryan and Sean made Reindeer dust (at school) to sprinkle on the lawn...(oatmeal and glitter)...to make sure the reindeer didn't miss our house!New Pajamas!
Christmas Day
Spontaneous pose!
Two of our household Giants fans got a team hat for Christmas!
Christmas Day hike around the hill behind our house.
Cute sister and her new hubby!
Cute baby face!
I'm sorry there are so many pictures of this baby! I can't help myself! Surprisingly, he did get some needed tummy time to stregthen his neck muscles...and is doing a good job!
The Steeler brothers!
This baby loves his brothers!
Yes, we made our gingerbread houses after Christmas.
Grandpa playing football with the neighborhood!
My husband got one in the centermost part of the target ~A serious Bullseye!
The older boys may or may not have worn their NFL Jerseys from Santa almost every day since Christmas.
- I loved how the boys really enjoyed caroling and bringing goodies to people...and wanted to add people they knew to our list.
- Sydney and Mike helping me with their super speedy wrapping skills!
- Games at night!
- Watching Home Alone with the kids...while it took longer than we remembered to get to the funny parts...and the family needs to be nicer to eachother, my kids loved the funny parts so much!
- Family Testimony Meeting followed by all three boys singing a solo...
So great to have time with eachother! My goal is to have more wrapped earlier and Christmas shopping finished earlier! We loved our vacation so much and it went by so quickly...and it's a little sad to go back to reality...I loved having our visitors and the kids and my husband here!
It was a very merry Van Christmas! Thank you mom and dad and Sydney and Mike for coming!
We love you!
5 comments:
So much fun! I've been in withdrawals for a week now. Too bad we all got sick in the end... I'm still down. Hope everyone is recovering faster than me!!!! But the joy and the fun are sincerely eternal memories I will cherish. Thanks everyone! Hug those sweet boys for me!
Those snowflakes are amazing! You don't realize how hard they are until you try it. Your dad has some serious talent. You should have seen mine for my party. So lame compared to those. Tell me you kept them for next year decor. Cade's faces kill me, so sweet and cute-especially this last picture. What a great christmas, sad we missed seeing you. But pictures are second best.
What an awesome Christmas! It really made me feel like I was there and you guys really packed everything in.
Also, who is doing your hair? It's seriously gorg.
And by the way... those two shots next to the bullseye were mine... Scott's dead on bullseye came some what later... And can I say I need new glasses... Not a bad shot grandma! The only thing you missed was all the jumping on the trampoline... Can't wait for more of that. Oh and all the shopping we managed to squeeze in somehow!
Whoa BB guns? You are a brave mama. BTW--did you make the dinosaur on Cade's onesie? Super cute. Looks like you guys had a fabulous time!! Maybe someday I will update :).
Post a Comment