Last Christmas!

SO, TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE ALREADY MOVED ON INTO THE YEAR 2011, I SINCERELY APOLOGIZE FOR CONTINUING TO DRAG YOU THROUGH 2010. BUT, I AM STUBBORN AS HECK AND AM DETERMINED TO "JOURNAL" SOMETHING IN EACH BIG MOMENT OF OUR LIVES AS A FAMILY, NO MATTER HOW BACKLOGGED I GET. "I WILL CATCH UP" IS NOW MY NEW MANTRA.

OUR CHRISTMAS, AS EVER, WAS ENTIRELY FUN. WE WERE ESPECIALLY BLESSED TO HAVE A FULL HOUSE OF FIVE AMAZING KIDS TO SHARE ALL THE MAGIC WITH!

ALL OF THE PICTURES TO FOLLOW ARE MOSTLY OUT OF ORDER, BUT I FIGURE YOU ARE ALL TOO EXCITED THAT I HAVE NEARLY REACHED THE END OF THE YEAR, THAT YOU REALLY DON'T CARE.

EVERY YEAR WE TAKE A FAMILY PICTURE BY THE CHRISTMAS TREE. WHO NEEDS A CHRISTMAS HAM WHEN YOU'VE ALREADY GOT SEVEN OF US?

TRADITION #2, CHRISTMAS PJ T-SHIRTS. LUCKILY I WENT TO BOOK CLUB BEFORE CHRISTMAS AND ONE OF MY FRIENDS WAS TALKING ABOUT CHRISTMAS PAJAMAS AND I REALIZED THAT WE HAD COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN TO DECORATE, LEAST OF ALL PURCHASE, OUR T-SHIRTS. SO, ALTHOUGH THEY MAY HAVE BEEN SPEEDILY DONE, I THINK THEY TURNED OUT STELLAR, ESPECIALLY ETHNE'S, JUST BECAUSE IT'S HER FIRST, AND ZACH'S, BECAUSE HIS MAKES NO SENSE. OUR "THEME" THIS YEAR WAS "CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS". ZACH'S WAS A DINOSAUR ORNAMENT, WITH TWO HOOKS, UNDER WHICH IT READ, "ZEBRA ZACH".

TRADITION # 3. THE GRANDKIDS PERFORM THE NATIVITY FOR GRANNY. MIKE'S GRANNY IS AT A HOME FOR PATIENTS WITH ALZHEIMER'S AND FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS ALL THE YOUNG'NS ON HIS SIDE OF THE FAMILY HAVE PUT TOGETHER A SHORT NATIVITY PROGRAM FOR THE RESIDENTS THERE. IT IS ONE OF THE BEST PARTS OF THE HOLIDAY, SIMPLY BECAUSE THE SPIRIT OF SERVICE IS SO TANGIBLE. ALL THE "GRANDMAS" THERE ABSOLUTELY LOVE SEEING THE CHILDREN. IT'S JUST BEAUTIFUL.

TRADITION #4. PINATA. ACCORDING TO MY KIDS, IT IS

THE. BEST. TRADITION. EVER.

MIKE'S FAVORITE PART IS GETTING HIS MOM TO SAY "PINATA", WHICH SHE CANNOT DO WITHOUT ADDING A HISPANIC ACCENT.

TRADITION #5. B - I - N - G - O. BINGO.

WE REALLY LIKE THIS TRADITION. IT IS OUR ULTIMATE FAVORITE. CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING BETTER TO PLAY ON CHRISTMAS EVE. THE BEST GAME EVER. BY FAR. SO BLESSED THAT IT IS IN OUR LIVES.

THERE.

NOW ALL YOU RAPIER'S CAN CUT OUT THE TEASING.

REALLY.

I LOVE BINGO!

REALLY!

ENOUGH SAID.

(ETHNE'S 1ST CHRISTMAS!!!!!)

NEW TRADITION! CAROLING! BY FAR, I THINK MY KIDS ENJOYED THIS THE VERY MOST! I STAYED BACK WITH ETHNE, BUT YOU COULD HEAR THEM FOR A BLOCK AND A HALF AND THE KIDS COULDN'T STOP TALKING ABOUT HOW MUCH FUN THEY HAD.

I AM SO GLAD THAT WE ARE PLANNING ON DOING THIS AGAIN NEXT YEAR!

OUR CHRISTMAS DESSERT. EDIBLE CHEEKS AND EVERYTHING. SO YUM!

TRADITION #, I DON'T KNOW, I'VE LOST COUNT. BUT IT IS A GOOD ONE. EVERY YEAR THE KIDS PICK A ROOM, SET UP CAMP AND WE "WRAPPING PAPER" THEM IN FOR THE NIGHT. THIS YEAR WE ADDED A "MAZE" OF SORTS DOWN THE HALLWAY TOO. THAT WAY THEY ARE STUCK IN THEIR ROOMS UNTIL WE WAKE UP AND MIKE AND I NO LONGER MISS THE FIRST LOOK OF EXCITEMENT ON THEIR FACES WHEN THEY SEE WHAT SANTA BROUGHT. THIS YEAR THEY STARTED YELLING FOR US TO WAKE UP AT ABOUT 4:30 AM. THEN THEY "PATIENTLY" WAITED FOR A WHOLE 40 MINUTES LONGER. IT WAS ONE EARLY CHRISTMAS, AND THE FIRST ONE EVER WHERE EVERYONE ENDED UP NAPPING LATER ON IN THE DAY.

EARLY, EARLY, EARLY CHRISTMAS MORNING.

I AM EXHAUSTED, BUT ETHNE SURE LOVED HER SLIDE. SHE FELL ASLEEP AGAIN SHORTLY AFTER THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN.

THE BEST PART OF WAKING UP AT OH-DARK-HUNDRED... A TRAMPOLINE!

(OUR POOR NEIGHBORS.

THEY TOLERATED OUR KIDS SQUEALS OF EXCITEMENT QUITE WELL.)

THEY WERE BEYOND, BEYOND HAPPY!

TRADITION #?. PUTTING TOGETHER CHRISTMAS LEGO SETS.

MY DAD AND OMA CAME OVER FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER AND BROUGHT ALONG A GIFT THAT THEY SAID SANTA ACCIDENTALLY LEFT AT THEIR HOUSE.

IT WAS A WII.

THEY HAVE A VERY GENEROUS SANTA, AND OUR FAMILY HAS BEEN LOVING IT EVER SINCE.

MY DAD AND COLIN. MOST LIKELY GETTING A BIG-MAC ATTACK.

EMMA AND COLIN SHOWING OFF THEIR NEW TRAMPOLINE SKILLS.

ME CARVING THE ALREADY PRE-CUT, SPIRAL-SLICED HAM.

IT TOOK EFFORT.

MY PRECIOUS OMA HOLDING MY LAST BABY. IT IS A MIRACLE TO ME THAT SHE IS STILL HERE, BLESSING MY LIFE WITH HERS. I'VE WATCHED HER WITH HER GROWN CHILDREN. HOW SHE LOVES THEM. HOW SHE INVESTS HER WHOLE HEART INTO THEM. SHE'S SO PROUD OF THEM.

THAT IS SOMETHING THAT SHE HAS PASSED DOWN TO ME. MY KIDS ARE MY MOST CHERISHED POSSESSIONS.

WILL THE TRADITIONS NEVER END?!? WHY, YES. YES, THEY WILL.

TRADITION # LAST ONE.

SEEING THE TEMPLE LIGHTS.

MY KIDS WERE EXASPERATED WITH ME. I SNAPPED A GAZILLION PICTURES WHILE WE WERE THERE. I FINALLY HAD TO PUT THE CAMERA AWAY, BECAUSE IT WAS LIKE THOSE MICE, YOU KNOW, IN THE LABS, WHERE THEY PUSH A BUTTON WITH THEIR NOSE, WHICH, IN TURN, GIVES THEM SOME SORT OF SHOCK IN THE PLEASURE CENTER OF THEIR BRAIN. THAT WAS ME AND THE CAMERA BUTTON.

BUT, I HAVE TO SAY IT.

I WAS SO, SO HAPPY THAT DAY.

MY CUP CONTINUALLY RUNNETH OVER.

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2010 EVERYONE!