From our house to yours.... Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

I guess my gift to you is this...

After 12 post in 3 days I am caught up!

Hope you enjoy!

My Christmas Gift

I have been asking for quite a while now to have a new picture of all 6 of my kids. Just so hard to make it happen.

But here it is and I love it!

Thank you Nate, Jenni, Mal, Cathy, Joy and Mike.

I love it!

( I am so blessed~ Thank you God for my family)

Hidden Treasure

In a dark closet for the last several years, an old Saltine Cracker tin has laid quietly waiting to reveal it's wealth. Within it's walls were several small reel to reel tapes of Steve's family and their communication with his Dad during his tours in Vietnam. (1968-69 and 1972-'73)

This year Steve was was finally able to find someone in Arizona that was willing to convert these 40+ year old tapes to CD's.

For Christmas Steve was able to present one set to each of our kids, his Mom and his siblings. A very precious and priceless gift. It was precious to see each face as they realized what they had.

A sweet familiar and missed voice of Dad. The voices of Mom B, and each child as they spoke their message to their Dad, thousands of miles away. Familiar but distant voices of the past as they were teenagers on down to little children. Discussions of meeting up in Hawaii for R&R and of finances, life concerns, parenting while separated from family and life as a soldier in Vietnam.

Very precious...

Christmas Eve

We celebrated with our family on Christmas eve this year. Mom and Dad were able to make it up as well.

Breanna and Danissa read the Christmas story from Luke 2;

We each shared what gift we would like to give Jesus this coming year.

Gifts were exchanged... early dinner served, and then Cathy had to be at church early for worship team. We met up with her for the Christmas eve service.

We then all came back and opened the Christmas stockings.

Poor Nate had a pretty rough day but so glad we were able to share the day with him despite it all. He had gone fishing the day before and his pole broke.

Long story short~

fiberglass in eye,

ER visit at 3am

another Dr visit at 9:30 to drill object out of eye...

After I patched his eye, his eye was a happier camper but still not fun!

Off to Disneyland

These pictures don't look like Disneyland, but Joy and Mike left the kids with us and they took off for Disneyland WITHOUT the kids for their anniversary.

We had 4 wonderful days with these 4 busy kids...

Between school schedules, gymnastics, another piano recital, decorating the Christmas tree at church and... oh yes, Nate and Jenni brought the cousins and we had a pizza night and a few rounds of Nerf War...

We were busy and had a whole lot of fun along with it.

Danissa played "Away in the Manager" as a duet with her piano instructor.

Great job Danissa.

(and Joy... here are the recital pictures!)

Great Try Grandpa

Miss Chezney- a little 4-1/2 yr old spit fire!

We try to rotate the grand-kids having turns spending the night. Usually it is two at a time which makes them happy because their turn comes up again sooner. They all love coming and we love them being here.

This last round of sleep overs we have had them one at a time. I must say it is taking a lot longer to get through and still have 2 more to go...

Chezney's turn came up in December, so Papa bought a gingerbread house to make with her. I was really quite surprised since Steve is not one to spend a great deal of time in the kitchen-

he does and will but not his desired gift...

Halfway through the decorating, while Steve was trying to pipe on the frosting, Chezney came up to me and said...

"Grandpa doesn't know how to do this very well, does he? "

He was having trouble with piping at one point and it started to fall off of the door or window or somewhere on the house and Chezney came back again and said...

"Grandpa is putting a sad face on my house"

(Steve and I couldn't help but laugh~ out of the mouths of babes!)

So, here is Steve and Chezney with their finished project...

Turned out pretty good I would say.

Oh, Christmas Tree

We had our annual Turkey Soup and Chocolate Eclair's the week after Thanksgiving.

I think my name would be worse than mud if I didn't prepare this meal for everyone...

We all look forward to it and it has also become our tree decorating night as well.

It's wonderful to have all the little ones here and wanting to help decorate.

Uncle Nate and Jonathan bonding time...

(or should I say Jonathan and Jonathan bonding time.)

I know there were more pictures but I have a feeling they are on Joy's camera... hum mm...

They all wanted to be on the ladder and was difficult to get any ornaments on the lower end of the tree, but we finally convinced them to even out the tree.

...and the final product! Excellent job kiddo's.

Jonathan... 7 months

A very precious little boy...

A Get Away

Just before Thanksgiving, and once I was done with my class, Steve and I went to a favorite spot up north for a little get away/R&R.

So beautiful... so quiet...

and bit eerie since we literally were the only one's there.

A perfect weekend... snow, wild life, picturesque view, a fire, a good book and my sweetie!

Exactly what we both needed.... but a bit longer!

Breanna's Harp

Breanna, now 10, started playing the harp2 years ago. She is just finishing the last song in book 3. That means she is advancing quickly. She moved from the small harp to a larger harp this summer and now needs a pedal harp. Wow~ a used one is several thousand.

I think we will need to help Mom and Dad with a fund raiser of something!!! :)

Breanna does play beautifully and now with my new camcorder for Christmas I will be able to record her and give you a sample! Yea!

(video coming soon yet needs to be made!)

Piano Recital - first of many to come!

Danissa started piano lessons this fall.

Her first recital was in November and she played "Firefly".

Catch up Time....

Wow... I am so behind on my posts.

Last time I was here was Oct and I had just started my on line class... and just so you all know,

I did pass!

Next step is a national exam. I have applied but I have to be accepted to sit for it,

so now I wait and see.

I now have a lot of catching up to do on this blog, so hang on to your hats...

Halloween, Joy and Mike's kids came by trick-or-treating as little pirates, princesses and lions.

Even the dog got in on it....

Cathy and Mal's kids, (as well as Mal), went to the church and helped with "Light the Night".

They were dressed up as pirates and had a couple friends stop by to help them out...

Great looking crew there Captain!

My Beautiful Daughter

She will do anything for a good picture!

A Very Special Day

Today, Jonathan Christian is 6 months old.

And...

Grandpa Steve had the awesome privilege to dedicate both Jonathan and Goldyn today at church.

[Goldyn is a very dear 2 year old who is a "Grand-daughter of the heart" who had to come all the way from China to join her family. Her family has been very close family friends for many years now~ and our families just keep growing.]

Today has been a very sweet day for us all, but extra special for Grandpa. This was Steve's first dedication service to be part of since being ordained.

Work, Work, Work!

This last several weeks all I have been doing is working at my on-line class for work. I go to work and come home and all day long/night long its still the same thing. Can't wait till this class is completed so I think and dream about something other than anticoagulation.... (Dreaming about clotting factors is not exactly relaxing or restful.)

We did have Isabella stay over night last night however. That was a nice break. We ate pizza (her request) and I made tapioca pudding for her. (something new) Steve played a few games of checkers with her and then we watched Cinderella. (after the world series of course.)

This morning we finished Cinderella. She likes the cat Lucifer- the bad cat. Then we played Critter in the Candy, Candy Land three times and Shoots and Ladders.

She is a hoot! Keeps me on my toes, that's for sure.

Love you Belle Belle.