Ho Ho Ho...Holidays

So, I have been on Christmas break since the afternoon of the 21st.  You would have thought I have had all the time in the world and gotten everything done that I wanted and needed to do, but alas....NO!  With work, schedules, travel and such, It seemed like our Christmas kept going on and on and on and on.....Anyways...here is my (belated) Christmas post.  Enjoy!




Thursday December 20th~  My brother Kevin took the train down with his "friend" Allyson.  We celebrated his birthday (which is actually the 21st) that day.  We had a tacos for dinner and then we went bowling.  It seems to be the thing we do as a family.  I thought about it and noted that we went bowling for my birthday, Lynette's birthday and now Kevin's.  How funny.  Anyways, we had a great time.  I didn't do well.  Allyson kicked our trash and won.  Lynette even got 4 stikes in a row.  Can you believe it?  She took a photo just to prove it!  Happy belated birthday Kevin!

The birthday boy!

Notice her 4 X's there in the 9th & 10th frames?  Way to go Net!!

Friday December 21st~ Wade had been out of town for the week training in Spokane and it looked like he wasn't going to be home until Saturday.  Thanks to my "big" brother, Mike, we got him home.  Because Kevin & Allyson were headed back to Canada and my sister Lynette was headed to Australia (yes, as in down under), work schedules and all that, we did Rackham family Christmas Friday night.  So, without any major hiccups, we had a nice dinner and opened presents.  Sad to say, I did not tak one photo.  Crazy, right????  This year, Ms. M was "santa" and handed out presents.  She did a great job.  We sit in a big circle and open one gift at a time.  It was hard for her to sit and watch all this, but that is one of our traditions we do.  So, you can imagine how long this took.  However, it was nice.  Because we didn't ask for much this Christmas, we weren't disappointed.  It was fun.  It is always fun to be with family and the ones you love.  We were missing my sister, Laura, who is in Georgia.  Wade and I are planning on visiting her next Christmas!  Anyways...because Kevin and Allyson had to catch the 9:45 pm train, we didn't get a chance to play any games (I was kinda bummed), but it was a nice holiday.  Even though we didn't take any photos at Christmas (we had just done them at Thanksgiving), it was nice to be with family.

Maddy and her new present...her own piano with a seat and microphone.
She had a great time playing  and singing for all of us.
What a crack up!  

Monday December 24th~ Wade had to work, but got off early!  Yeah....so off to Ritzville we headed.  We had delicious food, a great time and lots of laughter, or should I say noise?  With 7 kiddos from ages 10-1, it gets a bit rowdy, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.  My mother-in-law got all 7 those slide whistles (gave it to them before dinner), so you can only imagine what they did with them.  It was nice to have all there (except for Garrett-in Madagascar).  Once again....no photos!  *sigh* not sure why.  The older I get, the more I love spending time with family.

Tuesday December 25th~Christmas Day~  We did not have anywhere to go or anything to do (which was kinda nice).  We had already celebrated with both sides of the family.  We slept in & Wade made me breakfast-pancakes.  We exchanged presents and stockings and spent the day enjoying each other's company.  It was nice because Wade has been working a lot of crazy long hours and it was nice to have nothing to do.  We were lazy and lounging around in comfy jammies was a bonus!  We did go to my parents for dinner later that day (they were home alone too!).  It was nice.  Of course, I was loving the snow.  It started coming down in the afternoon.  It was a White Christmas.  My favorite!

Oh, for those who were wondering...my brother's "friend" is now his fiancee....we got the text Christmas day.  How exciting for Kevin and Allyson.  (photo coming, as soon as I can find one of the two of them!)

So, as I continue my Christmas break (being lazy, catching up on sleep, housework and all that), I have had time to stop and think about Christmas and what it means to me.  It definitely means something different the older I get.  I was grateful to spend time with my family and apprecaite what they mean to me.  

As the year is rapidly closing (stay tuned for my year in review post), I had had time to reflect what the year has brought and what the new year brings.  Hope all is well with you and your families and that you had a most blessed Christmas season.  

(((HUGS))) to you all.....until next time....adios~J