This year Christmas ended up being a pretty quiet time in our home. Due to the weather, Providence's Candlelight Service was canceled. That was a bummer for our family. Jesica and Justin were supposed to play their instruments, and several members of the family were in the choirs. Next year we'll try it again!
Mom and Sara
Mom and most of her girls watching a movie in bed!
On Christmas Eve we went to Ming's for Chinese food. This is usually our New Year's Eve tradition, but hope to start a new one of those this year. After Ming's we came home, started a nice fire, and opened gifts. Daniel and I had bought our own gifts last month. Daniel bought Ruger 10/22 rifle. My Kitchen Aid mixer broke, so I bought myself a new Bosch. The children had lots of fun opening their gifts. Justin also received a rifle and Jesica got the camera she's been wanting. Ashly has been wanting to learn how to decorate cakes, so she received some tools to do just that. Josiah and Mathias had a "Camo" Christmas. Camo outfit, PJ's, communicator watches, and rifles. Cara and Sara both received new dolls from Vision Forum. Cara also received a toiletry bag so keep all her hair stuff in order!
Our 7 Blessings
On Christmas Day we loaded up the van and headed north. After a 3 hour drive, we arrived at Mark (Daniel's brother) and Kristi's home.
There we opened more gifts and ate a wonderful meal. The children then sat and watched Wall-e with some of the adults, while the rest of us sat around, ate dessert, and enjoyed a glass of wine. Then it was back into the van for the 3 hour ride home.
All the Ryken grandkids
The day after Christmas, my parents came down. Their arrival was a bit delayed due to the ice, but they made it in time for dinner. After dinner we opened a few more gifts and then sat down and played games. Sara was having a really good day and even let Grandma and Grandpa hold her!
Soon it was time for soup and dessert! There's nothing like a good eclair and sherbet to round out the holiday season! Dad and Mom spent the night and after a breakfast of cinnamon rolls and scrambled eggs, got on the road. It's so nice having family spend the night. It gives us more time to spend together without having to watch the clock.
We took so many pictures during the holiday. Instead of showing each one here, I uploaded them to a photo album.
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| Christmas 2008 |
