Waited too long to finish my story so I've probably lost some details, but you'll get the gist of it.
My hubby had to work Thursday and Friday after Christmas, but the kids and I were able to stay at my parents. Mom works at an insurance company and needed some help with her computer updates, so she asked if I could come into town to fix things. Roughly 5 hours later, updates were complete. Things that weren't working before started working now! Sadly, mom called me last week that things that were working before weren't working anymore so she was going to have to call the computer guy across the street to come figure things out for her. So, while I was working on the computer, my dad and the kids played Scrabble JR and Hangman and then he took them back to the farm for lunch.
Friday turned out to be a nice day, so after lunch we got bundled up and went out to play in the snow. The wind outside the shelter of the yard was too much for us to want to go to the Old Mill sledding, so dad, being an awesome Grandpa, decided to get out his tractor and build a snow pile beside the barn so we could sled off the roof of the barn! Since the pile was fresh, it was challenging getting up and down the hill, but the kids and I had fun trying! Later that night, my little brother, his fiance and the twins came out to exchange a few gifts. It was fun to spend time with them too. My hubby made it back up, too. I was able to convince my mom to help me make lefse that afternoon and we made Swedish Meatballs for supper.
Saturday the kids and I took Daddy outside to see the kittens (now about 7 months old) and sled down the hill. We had such a good time trying to see who could sled the farthest. That evening I convinced my dad to get out his slides from his years in the navy (1965-69). Galen set up our camera on video and recorded my dad telling his stories. The kids loved seeing the big ships and the pretty sites. Dad spent most of his time stationed in the Mediterranean, so there were pictures from Spain, Greece, Italy, Malta, Pompey, The Rock of Gibraltar and even a few from a short leave to Scotland and Germany.
Sunday we slept in, had lunch, packed up and said our good-byes. On our way home, Galen called his folks and made plans for us to go out to their house on New Years Eve. He also convinced them to set up their slide projector and watch slides from their Newlywed days.
This is what the Holidays means to me. Time with family. Creating memories. Re-creating memories with our kids. Every year I get to share a little bit more of my childhood with my kids as they get old enough to appreciate them. And someday they'll be able to share them with their kids.
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Christmas 2013 (Part 1)
I've always looked forward to Christmas. As a kid, i could barely wait until Thanksgiving was over before I started begging my parents to let me put up the Christmas tree. All the memories those ornaments brought rushing back... fun times! Now, as an adult, I am have spent the last 7 years decorating the church for Christmas, too! I love seeing the faces of everybody that first Sunday morning when our 12 foot tree is standing in the main hallway and the decorations in the sanctuary. This year, my "partner-in-crime" and I made 2 new banners to decorate the sanctuary walls.
Last year was the Christmas that wasn't... The day before we were supposed to go to my brother-in-law's house, I got so sick. Not wanting to spoil the holiday for anybody else, I told my hubby to take the kids and go with his parents. I would rest better alone and didn't want to get anybody down there sick. It was a cold, lonely Christmas with an empty house. No visitors because I was sick. And no energy to do anything more than lay around watching movies.
This year was so much better! Other than a minor case of the sniffles, we were healthy enough to go to my parents to celebrate with them and my sister's family. We got there Thursday night and the kids ran off with their cousins to plan a Christmas Program. They only had about 3 hours (minus supper) to practice. We had a Hess family traditional supper of soup (Corn Chowder this year) and appetizers (pigs in a blanket some with cream cheese and jalepenoes). And then it was time for the program. All 4 of my sisters kids (youngest to oldest) each played a Christmas song on the piano. Then, in full costumes, Her oldest was the narrator, her youngest two played Joseph and Mary, Her middle one and JR were shepherds, and my girly was an angel. After their reading of the Christmas story from Luke 2, they sang 2 Carols each with a solo.
Opening presents brought many laughs! My kids had a "Christmas Store" at their school this year. Everything is a dollar. They went to the store and no parents were allowed to help. Each gift was picked out by the child, and wrapped by a helper. My mom opened her gift from JR first. He had given her an orange squeeky pig shaped dog toy! My parents don't have a dog!!! the ironic thing was, my parents were dog-sitting my brother's dog, so JR said it was so grandma could play with Dobee when he was at their house. We all laughed so hard we cried! (You had to be there to truly understand!) Then my dad opened his gift from JR. He received a little California Raisin figure... JR's reasoning was because Grandpa already had 3 in his toy box so he needed this one, too! :) ( original's were on my sister's birthday cake when she was a teenager.)
The rest of the presents weren't quite as humorous, but all wonderful gifts. To end the evening, I had been given 11 board games/activities from a friend. My dear hubby had suggested wrapping them and then using them like "White Elephant Gifts". We started with the youngest kid, he picked the first game and opened it. We went up to the next, and so on, until all were opened. Games like Don't Break the Ice, Scrabble Jr, Whack a Mole, Cranium Whonuu, Cranium Cadoo, Trivial Pursuit Jr and Activities such as a magic kit and K'nex Roller Coaster. We played several games that night.
Christmas Day was another fun family day. The kids played dress-up and with many of the new games. Galen fixed my Kindle. And then after a wonderful lunch of Roast Beef and the fixings (including lefse) we bundled up and enjoyed the warm weather sledding at the Old Mill State Park. We used to do this nearly every weekend when I was a kid, so it was a blast to take my own kids. My daughter is much like me, not crazy about the speed going down the hill. Instead she parked her self by a tree near the bottom of the hill and hosted "Tree TV", interviewing the sledders when they reached the bottom. JR loved going down the hill... his little legs struggled with the trip back up, but he made it up and down the hill for an hour! Went back to the house for Cocoa and Christmas goodies. Everybody played more board games after supper. All except my poor hubby who had to go home to be to work the next morning.
This post has gotten long, so I'll share the rest of our memories later. Thanks for sticking around! :)
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| Our main tree |
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| In the Sanctuary |
Last year was the Christmas that wasn't... The day before we were supposed to go to my brother-in-law's house, I got so sick. Not wanting to spoil the holiday for anybody else, I told my hubby to take the kids and go with his parents. I would rest better alone and didn't want to get anybody down there sick. It was a cold, lonely Christmas with an empty house. No visitors because I was sick. And no energy to do anything more than lay around watching movies.
This year was so much better! Other than a minor case of the sniffles, we were healthy enough to go to my parents to celebrate with them and my sister's family. We got there Thursday night and the kids ran off with their cousins to plan a Christmas Program. They only had about 3 hours (minus supper) to practice. We had a Hess family traditional supper of soup (Corn Chowder this year) and appetizers (pigs in a blanket some with cream cheese and jalepenoes). And then it was time for the program. All 4 of my sisters kids (youngest to oldest) each played a Christmas song on the piano. Then, in full costumes, Her oldest was the narrator, her youngest two played Joseph and Mary, Her middle one and JR were shepherds, and my girly was an angel. After their reading of the Christmas story from Luke 2, they sang 2 Carols each with a solo.
Opening presents brought many laughs! My kids had a "Christmas Store" at their school this year. Everything is a dollar. They went to the store and no parents were allowed to help. Each gift was picked out by the child, and wrapped by a helper. My mom opened her gift from JR first. He had given her an orange squeeky pig shaped dog toy! My parents don't have a dog!!! the ironic thing was, my parents were dog-sitting my brother's dog, so JR said it was so grandma could play with Dobee when he was at their house. We all laughed so hard we cried! (You had to be there to truly understand!) Then my dad opened his gift from JR. He received a little California Raisin figure... JR's reasoning was because Grandpa already had 3 in his toy box so he needed this one, too! :) ( original's were on my sister's birthday cake when she was a teenager.)
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| Grandpa has a singer, a sax player, a guitar player (I think) and his newest is the one on the skateboard. Image from http://www.thecaliforniaraisins.com/pages/toy.html |
The rest of the presents weren't quite as humorous, but all wonderful gifts. To end the evening, I had been given 11 board games/activities from a friend. My dear hubby had suggested wrapping them and then using them like "White Elephant Gifts". We started with the youngest kid, he picked the first game and opened it. We went up to the next, and so on, until all were opened. Games like Don't Break the Ice, Scrabble Jr, Whack a Mole, Cranium Whonuu, Cranium Cadoo, Trivial Pursuit Jr and Activities such as a magic kit and K'nex Roller Coaster. We played several games that night.
Christmas Day was another fun family day. The kids played dress-up and with many of the new games. Galen fixed my Kindle. And then after a wonderful lunch of Roast Beef and the fixings (including lefse) we bundled up and enjoyed the warm weather sledding at the Old Mill State Park. We used to do this nearly every weekend when I was a kid, so it was a blast to take my own kids. My daughter is much like me, not crazy about the speed going down the hill. Instead she parked her self by a tree near the bottom of the hill and hosted "Tree TV", interviewing the sledders when they reached the bottom. JR loved going down the hill... his little legs struggled with the trip back up, but he made it up and down the hill for an hour! Went back to the house for Cocoa and Christmas goodies. Everybody played more board games after supper. All except my poor hubby who had to go home to be to work the next morning.
This post has gotten long, so I'll share the rest of our memories later. Thanks for sticking around! :)
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Merry Christmas
Hello all and Merry Christmas! (Names have been changed to hide our true identity... my Dear Hubby didn't like I had used real names so He asked me to change things a little.)
Hope this year find you all doing well. It has been another crazy year for our family!
DD is almost 3 years old. What a drama queen! She loves to sing and dance. She is very much a princess. She can recite her alphabet and count to 20 without any help (most of the time). What a clown! When asked what she wants for Christmas this year she said, "Presents."
DH has been working for Sweeney Controls for 8 years now. They have gotten a contract that has caused Galen to do a lot more traveling this year than ever before. Since January, he has been to Plattsburgh NY twice, Burlington VT, Orlando FL, Fort Dodge IA, Norfolk NE, Toledo OH, White Plains NY, Lawrence NY, and Manchester NH in addition to the hundred or more cities in the tri-state area. This fall he was gone so long that DD and I FLEW to New York for a long weekend so we could spend a little time with him.
My year has felt like a single mother with DH gone so much. Without the support of my friends and family I don't know how I would have survived DD's terrible twos! In addition to raising her, We are expecting baby 2 in February. It has been an uneventful pregnancy for which I am so thankful. I worked part-time from home for a friend doing bookkeeping for most of the year. I really enjoyed the challenge and was sad when my services were no longer needed.
As a family, this has been a good year. We were able to take a long vacation to Colorado to visit DH's sister and her husband. We went on the annual Jensen family camping trip held at Lake Shetek State Park (MN). And we took a long weekend and went camping with friends in Two Harbors, MN. We even managed to find time to get our house painted... well, I did with the help of friends and family as DH spent most of this fall on the road.
Up in Warren, my Grandpa passed away in May. Grandma is doing well and still living in her apartment. I got to spend a couple days visiting with her a few weeks ago. My Mom and Dad are doing great! They spent a lot of time camping and fishing this summer, visiting several Minnesota State Parks. In Pelican Rapids, DH's Grandpa is doing well and he keeps hanging in there. DH's Mom and Dad are doing great too! They've spent a lot of time with Grandkids and have put the business up for sale as they prepare for retirement.
In the coming year, we look forward to the new arrival in our family and may start looking for a bigger house to accommodate our growing family!
Hope your year was as happy and blessed as ours!
PS: Just got back from my parents and celebrating my Grandma's 87th birthday. There were over 30 of us kids, grandkids and great grandkids there to celebrate. We also had our first of 4 Christmas's with my parents, sister's family and younger brother. Last night DD, DH and I opened presents at home. The coming weeks have us celebrating Christmas 2 more times, once with DH's family and once with the rest of my family.
Hope this year find you all doing well. It has been another crazy year for our family!
DD is almost 3 years old. What a drama queen! She loves to sing and dance. She is very much a princess. She can recite her alphabet and count to 20 without any help (most of the time). What a clown! When asked what she wants for Christmas this year she said, "Presents."
DH has been working for Sweeney Controls for 8 years now. They have gotten a contract that has caused Galen to do a lot more traveling this year than ever before. Since January, he has been to Plattsburgh NY twice, Burlington VT, Orlando FL, Fort Dodge IA, Norfolk NE, Toledo OH, White Plains NY, Lawrence NY, and Manchester NH in addition to the hundred or more cities in the tri-state area. This fall he was gone so long that DD and I FLEW to New York for a long weekend so we could spend a little time with him.
My year has felt like a single mother with DH gone so much. Without the support of my friends and family I don't know how I would have survived DD's terrible twos! In addition to raising her, We are expecting baby 2 in February. It has been an uneventful pregnancy for which I am so thankful. I worked part-time from home for a friend doing bookkeeping for most of the year. I really enjoyed the challenge and was sad when my services were no longer needed.
As a family, this has been a good year. We were able to take a long vacation to Colorado to visit DH's sister and her husband. We went on the annual Jensen family camping trip held at Lake Shetek State Park (MN). And we took a long weekend and went camping with friends in Two Harbors, MN. We even managed to find time to get our house painted... well, I did with the help of friends and family as DH spent most of this fall on the road.
Up in Warren, my Grandpa passed away in May. Grandma is doing well and still living in her apartment. I got to spend a couple days visiting with her a few weeks ago. My Mom and Dad are doing great! They spent a lot of time camping and fishing this summer, visiting several Minnesota State Parks. In Pelican Rapids, DH's Grandpa is doing well and he keeps hanging in there. DH's Mom and Dad are doing great too! They've spent a lot of time with Grandkids and have put the business up for sale as they prepare for retirement.
In the coming year, we look forward to the new arrival in our family and may start looking for a bigger house to accommodate our growing family!
Hope your year was as happy and blessed as ours!
PS: Just got back from my parents and celebrating my Grandma's 87th birthday. There were over 30 of us kids, grandkids and great grandkids there to celebrate. We also had our first of 4 Christmas's with my parents, sister's family and younger brother. Last night DD, DH and I opened presents at home. The coming weeks have us celebrating Christmas 2 more times, once with DH's family and once with the rest of my family.
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