Not interested in the Christmas posts? Check back in a day or two and we will be back to horses.
Christmas morning, the little grands had all slept over at Curt and Vanessa's home - a big cousin sleepover in the basement.
They were SO EXCITED and I doubt they got much sleep. Still, Christmas is not for sleeping, it's a time to celebrate the birth of Christ and be with friends and family, so no one complained.
While Santa put a few final touches on things around the tree, Curt and Vanessa worked on crowd control and led the kiddos in some Christmas songs.
That helped hold them all together until it was finally time to go see the tree.
We'd been invited over to Curt's but we decided to stay home and sleep in a bit. Sarah and Todd helped me put out stockings and gifts while Craig began prepping a few things for Christmas dinner.
JC, bless his heart, had moved all the furniture late Christmas Eve and set out chairs for all who came - one less thing for me to do. I thought I'd cry when I saw what he'd done!
Everyone arrived around 11:00 and we began sorting and handing out gifts and then a mass unwrapping began.
It did my heart good to see Lisa smiling. She was still heavily grieving, but I was glad she was also enjoying her Christmas, too.
Curt, Mila, Lukie, and Ian with Jessica in the back.
I was so excited about the gift that Lisa was opening here. (That's my sister Jenny who had come up from Indianapolis to join us.)
This is the photo the artist worked from - she caught Nashie well!
Meanwhile, a much quieter and less frenetic Christmas morning was happening over at our home.
I'd ordered this gift way back in August, not knowing how fragile she would be on Christmas Day.
It made her tear up, but they were happy tears - a portrait of Nash to match the ones she already has of Molly and Millie. I will frame this for her so she can hang it with their paintings.
This is the photo the artist worked from - she caught Nashie well!
Trinity and JC with their dad, Todd. They are both university students, so they politely declined the 8 and under sleepover in Curt and Vanessa's basement and wisely got some shut eye!
Kate (in the coolest vintage red dress) with her dragon, Susie with her pegacorn, and Emily patting Gus.
Julie got a plushie that she was pretty excited about.
I played a joke on Cole when I wrapped his gift. It was a small and narrow gift, and I'd actually lost it among the wrapping supplies a few days before Christmas and had had some moments of panic trying to find it.
Out of concern that it could get lost again, I decided to put it into a bigger box and ended up with a large shipping tube. Poor Cole endured some good natured teasing about the 1990s New Kids on the Block poster that must be inside.
For the first time in several years, we also had a white Christmas coupled with a sunny day. That sunlight reflecting off the snow and pouring through our windows plus the family togetherness served to lift my spirits.
Jessie and Mila compare their Jewels and Altair.
Julie got an interesting gift - a (toy) guinea pig in a hutch that gave birth to three pups! She had to water and care for the mama for that to happen.
These two big boxes were a mystery from me, but it turned out that there was a third one that was a surprise for me.
Rocking outdoor chairs that can be taken to soccer matches, camping, or just used on the back porch!
Naturally we set them up in the only place where there was still any space left in the house and everyone who wanted a go, got one!
At this point we were about two hours behind schedule on dinner (we eat our holiday meals midday), so the kids took their gifts upstairs to play with while the adults began cleaning up, setting up, and cooking.
Christmas dinner and Dirty Santa in the next post, so stay 'tooned!
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