Tuesday, February 10, 2009

the ghost of christmas past. .

Okay, I know it's the middle of February, but this is how I do things lately. Besides, this is our family history, so if I don't get these posted, the girls will wonder what ever happened to Christmas '08. Here's the story:
christmas eve
. . .sticking with tradition, we gathered at Grandma C's house for our annual Christmas Eve dinner and of course, the acting out of the nativity. This year, Grandma added a new dimension to the nativity. She asked each family to take part by representing one of the people told of in the nativity story. The girls and I were asked to represent Mary, and Courtney was asked to share the feelings that Joseph may have had. For our part, the girls chose to sing the song "Mary's Lullaby".
Claire was right in the spirit of things!As usual, we traded white elephant gifts. And, as usual, some of them were quite stunning. Brayden was quite pleased with his new look. (So was Grandma C. We couldn't get her new Hannah Montana fiber optic hair extensions away from her. Sorry, no pictures available.)Claire, in her swaddling clothes. She did a great job in her casting as the Baby Jesus.Halle (aka Mary) and Matthew (aka Joseph) ride alongside Bop (aka donkey).The girls and I singing our song. (You can see Shawn was completely captivated by our talent.) What would Christmas Eve be without new p.j.'s?

Part of the crew. We missed the Stosich and Croney boys this year!
Christmas morning
. . .We had a great Christmas morning. Santa left lots of surprises and goodies for everyone. Guess we were all nice this year!
Ryenne received an authentic "Santa Certificate", which read:
Salutations Ryenne,
My records indicate that you didn't specify the style and size
of ballet skirt and ballet shoes in your Christmas wish.
I'm sure you understand that those measurements are
needful for my elves to produce the products to your satisfaction.
You are hereby summoned to produce this document at the following location:
Diva Dancewear, Brigham City, Utah
Where you will be properly fitted to a new ballet skirt and ballet shoes of your liking.
Merry Christmas, my dear child.
Sincerely,
Santa Claus


Pretty sassy aprons, I would say!

Kate's new gymnastic get-up.

Our local New England Patriot fan club president and his new shirt.
(Which he actually didn't like that much! Oh well- win some, lose some.)

Courtney gave me some money for new apparel (much appreciated!) and an overnight stay to the Anniversary Inn. (Extremely appreciated!) We went a few days after Christmas and had a fantastic time! When we got to the room, he'd arranged for them to scatter rose petals on the floor. What a cutie-batootie.

The biggest Christmas surprise of the day was a little box to the girls from Mom and Dad, in which was a key to the playhouse. We all bundled up and trudged through the snow to see what was in store. . .guess what? The playhouse interior definitely has a new look!

Even though it's not quite finished, they were pretty excited! Dad had been working through the night the weeks before Christmas, trying to finish it. Even Uncle Shawn and Grandpa Lloyd spent some long hours in the effort. Bop was waiting in the wings to do the painting. We were hoping so much to get it completely finished before the big day, but finally realized it was not to be. It always takes longer than you think, doesn't it! Nevertheless, the girls were still so excited and love that the playhouse has "walls" (sheetrock)! Once Courtney finishes up the trim, Bop will get it painted. Yeah! We can't wait to see the finished product. It's going to be pretty darn cute!

Christmas afternoon. . .
We spent the afternoon at Grandma Tam and Grandpa Lloyd's, where the girls were so excited to see their cousins and open their "Build-A-Bear" stuffed animals from Grandma. Pretty fun!
Later on, we braved the gigantic snowstorm to head for Grandma & Grandpa J's house. What a snowstorm! We had a few moments without electricity, and wondered if we would spending the night in Fielding by candlelight! It was a great night, and we definitely got a "White Christmas!"
What a lovely day.

2 comments:

Darcie said...
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Heather W. said...
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