On Sunday we had our first family Christmas dinner. It was with the Riehl's and Ben's hosted. They do not have a real large house but they were willing to invite everyone and join in on the party! We all ate in the basement! The food was hot and amazing! We love the roast, mashed potatoes, celery meal!!! Then later there was a huge spread of snack from foods that we all brought to share! One of my favorites that I always look for is Allen's meat platter. I know I called it snack but he makes some of the best lunch meat and his wife rolls it up and puts it on a platter with their yummy sauce. I had a few pieces!!! :) Mommy Riehl passed away years ago so now the gift giving has come to a stop. There's still nothing like gathering with cousins and family and play games, laugh, and watch the kids tear it up! :) So glad it wasn't my house!!! Thanks again Ruthie!!! Some of the girls did do a 'now you have it, now you don't'. Hadassah liked that! Matthew played outside in the mud with the boys. They threw football and ran in the meadow. Ashlyn was outside a little too. Her new glitter shoes don't seem so new anymore. But she played on the swings and then with the little girls inside. This family gathering is always loud and a blast! No one can out beat the Riehl Family! :)
A hot game of Taboo ...
Where we ate and where the Rook games began ...
Snacks ...
From there, we stopped at Dave and Suz for two games of Acquire. Matt's and Dave's had burgers and then we helped clear up the left overs. Thanks Suz for the invite! Always fun to be with you guys! We got home all tired from being away since 9 AM! A whole day out is fun but we were so ready for showers and bed!
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Yesterday was a busy day with more Christmas activities. The kids were off to school. Mike went to work. (These two things I want to always consider a blessing! If the kids are healthy - they go to school. My hubby has a job - hence, he goes to work!) I got busy with filling mini filo cups with fruit dip and then topping them off with fresh strawberries, oranges and kiwi. I ate a bagel with yogurt in between to keep myself fueled. Eating before I get too hungry is a must for this momma right now! It really does help with any baby nausea. The filo's went out the door at 8:30. Ashlyn and I hung out and did some work here at home. I needed some prenatal vitamins (in hopes that the extra iron will help with my energy level!). We stopped at the health food store and got a bottle of vitamins! Then we stopped in at mom Lapp's to drop off a few things. We walked in a cookie smells! Warm sand tarts were baking. Anna Ruth put a few in a bag for Ashlyn! She was so delighted and loved them! Then we grabbed a sub at Subway before heading for the school program! Each year, Linville does a great Christmas program and they have one at noon and one at night. I went to both. The kids did great with all their songs and the play was awesome! Good job! It did help us get more into the Christmas spirit! We heard carols and bells! So pretty!
Here's the big tray of filo cups that went out the door for Hershey. Every year, Sue, goes to Hershey and sets up a Christmas food display for all the patients, doctors & nurses up there. I'm sure it's something they all look forward to! Filo cups are easy, they are good and they look nice. I fill them up with fruit dip and top them with fresh fruit. These would make a great little appetizer on your Christmas table!
Playing her piano piece at the program.
With giving two programs in one day, the kids were exhausted by the end of the night! Again, we all got tucked in ready to sleep! What a blessing!
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I've got a few things to do on my list today! One, post this blog. Two, finish up my Christmas cards. Three, wrap some gifts.
I've been kinda waiting to wrap gifts till we get the Christmas tree. We've never been so late with this before, but that's ok. We've had lots of rain and carrying in a wet tree inside isn't ideal! We are saying tomorrow night!?! If not soon, we may as well skip the tree thing this year! The kids don't want to hear that though! I hope not all the super nice one's are picked out!!! :)
I haven't baked any cookies yet either. I would rather take a nap in the afternoon right now then make a mess in the kitchen. It's a lousy excuse and I really hope that my energy will perk up here soon! My days are getting a bit better with how I feel. I'm thankful for that! I actually made supper last night AND ate it! :) The crock pot is full of meat and potatoes right now, so I hope that will taste good to baby and me tonight! I do hope to bake some kind of cookies soon. Maybe next week!
Have a great rest of the week. We are looking forwards to a fun weekend with friends!!!
