Christmas memories of 2022!

Christmas Eve Day did not start out the way we expected but we made it through!!!!  I had a few groceries to get yet for Christmas Day, so I made a quick trip out to town.  Mike was home not feeling well, when he heard a crash in Austin's room.  Austin pulled out all his dresser drawers and the dresser fell front.  The cactus plant and lights went flying since they were on top of the dresser.  Potting soil and dirt and cactus prickers now were everywhere.  Mike called me and I said I'll stop at Kens for a new pot and some potting soil.  Not a big deal, right?  Meanwhile, the kids got to sweeping up the dirt and clean up the mess.  Cactus prickers were getting them everywhere!  The sweeper got clogged and Mike was on his sickly way to find a snake tool to clean out the clogged sweeper pipes.  I got home to a house of not happy people.  I have a small hand held sweeper that also got clogged up but after changing the bag, it did a pretty good job at cleaning up the mess!  Mike was not happy!  He tried to push the snake tool through to unclog the mess but he was making a mess everywhere is went.  Sweeper dirt and dust everywhere.  Matthew and I looked at each other with rolled eyes and even though I was not happy either, I laughed!  

Mike calmed down.  The kids cleaned up as good as possible.  I washed all of Austin's bedding in hopes to rid of the cactus prickers.  The cactus got repotted and the sweeper is still clogged.  Pros will have to come out next week to fix it.

 

Christmas Eve came and our attitudes were adjusted and we opened our stocking gifts.

Matthew got a magnet light to hang on the car they are fixing up!

Austin got fishing bait and lores and football gloves!

Ashlyn received makeup, jewelry and a monkey pen!

Mike gave me a snowflake Pandora charm for my bracelet!

We ended up over at Tony's to play Four Up and Four Down with their family!  We laughed at the sweeper story and Mike was still home with a handkerchief against his nose and praying he feels better for tomorrow Christmas Day!

Christmas Day arrived!!!!!  Mike was feeling better!  Thank you Jesus!  Hadassah called and said she was also sick but on the mend.  We were so excited to have the family all sit around the dining room table and celebrate Christmas!  Jesus was born long ago and we are so grateful for his birth!!!  

Ashlyn helped set the table and make it pretty!

Mom Lapp and Ritchie joined us too!  Mike and I made steaks, crab cakes, lobster tails, scallops, shrimp, biscuits, etc.!!!  It was a feast!

We cleaned up the dishes, read through Luke 2 and gave gifts.  Austin got a new bike!

Ashlyn was given shoes.  Matthew a sleeping bag and a huge Lego car set!  Hadassah was given shoes, etc..  Jeremiah we gave hunting gear.  Mike gave me a beautiful watch and I gave him a golf photo!  Gifts are wonderful and we love each other so much!!!

We spent the day just being together!  We played some games of Marble Chase.  We watched some football.  We ate good food!  We laughed and enjoyed the day together so much!  Happy Birthday, Jesus.  

Matthew left for Florida later that night with friends.

The next day, we gathered with the Lapps at Moms house.  Again, so much good food, fun and games!

All the grandchildren that were awake!

Mike mentioned Ugly Christmas Sweaters for his family gathering!  Here we are!

We played the big Dutch Blitz for the first with the Lapps.  So fun!

Gathering with friends and family is so special!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas from the Lapps!

 

We are so blessed to have family and friends to spend Christmas with!  We celebrate because Jesus was born!  He came to save us from our sins and offer salvation to the world!  

Rejoice, Jesus is born!

Christmas week.

This is Christmas week and we are finished buying gifts.  They are all wrapped up and ready for Christmas day!  We cheered at two basketball games and made a meatball sandwich meal for the team!  The children had class Christmas parties I attended!  There was much happening and that's why I think this photo of Matthew racing down the basketball court is spot on!   

Christmas sweaters was the theme for one of the basketball games!  Go Warriors!

I made a fresh batch of Peanut Butter Crackers because these make the best little gift!  I grew up making these for the holidays and now I do the same thing for my family!  Spread peanut butter on a Ritz cracker and dip in chocolate.  Decorate with white chocolate!  They are delicious!

Wednesday night, we attended a Christmas Celebration at church!  The worship team sang carols and Christmas songs!  I loved it, of course! So much talent!  

Thursday was the day of parties in school!  Children were encouraged to wear red, green or festive sweaters!  I love themed events!  Austin made a snow globe craft and ate gingerbread cookies!

Mrs. Flahive is such a great teacher!  Austin is really enjoying second grade!  And here we have the twisted fingers again!

Thank you!

A story was read and Christmas vacation began!!!!!

I miss Ashlyn at the elementary campus because I didn't get to pop in her class party but that's how Upper Campus is.  They do things as groups more and that's OK.  She had a great party too!

I decided to quick shampoo the carpets before Christmas.  It needed it and I wanted it clean for when we open up gifts, etc..  Wow, look at that water.  Gross!  My intention was to just do the living room but after seeing the water, I think I might do more carpets in the house!  Anne is letting me use her machine and she's not in a hurry for it back.  Maybe after Christmas I'll get to more areas!

Friday, Mike and I went to Costco to buy some seafood and groceries for our Christmas meal!  The kids are now off of school till the New Year.  They think we can stay up late and watch movies and I do love that too but my work still needs to go on.  Laundry and housework is always on demand.

Christmas Eve Day was not off to good start.  Mike was under the weather.  Sneezing and not feeling the best.  I had a few groceries to grab yet in town that I didn't get at Costco and while I was gone, Austin pulled the drawers out of his dresser and the whole thing fell front.  The lights and cactus plant on top went crashing to the floor.  Dirt and cactus prickers everywhere.  Mike called me and said the pot broke and I said I'll swing by Ken's Garden for a new one.  I got home to a huffy husband and a very dirty bedroom and children that are sweeping up the mess.  The central vac is now clogged up big time.  Too much dirt and pottery pieces got swept up.  Mike went out to the hardware store for a snake line to try to unclog the sweeper.  He wasn't feeling well and did not want to deal with this issue.  We all knew it.  Matthew and I looked at each other a few times and laughed or got mad!  He was making a mess trying to clean out the sweep line and didn't care.

Anyway, Mike did calm down.  The sweeper is still clogged and we used the hand sweeper to clean up as good as we could for now.  The cactus got repotted.  The bedsheets had to get washed to rid of the prickers.  All so much work but by evening, we were happy to rest, relax and open up our stocking gifts.  Then we went to Tony's for some games.  Mike stayed home to not spread his germs but the rest of us went to play Four Up and Four Down with Tonys!  We swung by to see lights on the way home!  It was so fun!

Christmas Day is almost here!!!!

Christmas with the Riehl's.

Sunday was a busy day!  We started with attending a Christmas church service!  The best Christmas program at church with the children doing all the acting and singing.  The worship team then lead in Christmas Carols!  Christmas is so pretty and special at church!

Austin was a wiseman!  He came and sat with me a little through the program because his head dress was making him be SO WARM.  Also, look at his fingers.  He's constantly twisting his fingers around these days.  It looks complicated.

The girls were the angles and Ashlyn said a narrative script.

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I love that we have a photo opportunity at church!  MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

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After church we went straight to my parents.  Mom and Dad hosted the Riehls in their rec room on the farm.  Mom always has is nice and cozy!  We ate lunch there.  Exchanged gifts.  Played games and played with the cousins!

Always a feast is prepared and served!

That's a big toy remote control!

We gave Mom and Dad a Brevanda drink dispenser for the cabin!

Mom gave all the older boys funny boxers.

Ashlyn was given a bean bag chair.

Mom and dad picked names out of a basket and when your name was called out, you got to pick a money envelope.  The amounts were not all the same.  Fun!

The guys loved the boxers!

My parents had a piñata for the children.

We came home with our hearts full and bodies tired.  Ashlyn remembered she needed to read for school yet.  She tried to stay awake.

Christmas with the Riehl's was wonderful!!!!  Merry Christmas!

Fun Saturdays in December.

We have had all our Saturdays in December be so fun!  We didn't plan it out really.  We just said to the kids on the first Saturday, "Let's go visit our little town and then get our Christmas tree!"  Hadassah even joined us because Jer was hunting and we had a blast!

The next Saturday, I took the kids to Fashion Cents and then we met Mike at Costco.  There we grabbed auction items for the banquet and gifts for Lacey's family.  

Last Saturday, Mike wanted to make a trip to Cabelas and last minute I thought to invite Hadassah and Jeremiah again!  It only suited Hadassah but Matthew hopped along and we had a full day of shopping at Cabelas, the mall and other random stores.  We got some gifts but mostly I wanted to have Matthew try on and buy winter clothes!  He needed boots, a jacket etc..  I don't buy for him unless he says he likes it and tried it on!  I've returned too many things in the past!  This was the food we grabbed at the mall!

 

Days spent with our children is so much fun!  We drove back home with Hadassah, Matthew and Austin in the back seat.  Ashlyn was at a birthday party and skipped out on the shopping fun.  We laughed and chatted and filled up for gas in DE to save a few dollars!  $3.05 is a good price right night for fuel!

We came home and snuggled on the couch sipping hot drinks and just being together!

This truly is the best time of year!

Lapp Structures Banquet.

Lapps Structures is a family business that Mike's parents started years ago.  Dad and Mom did a great job and now Mike is the CEO of the company.  Mike loves his job!  The banquet is a time for us to show our appreciation and thanks!  They blessed Mike with some gifts too!  One thing that was really fun was the auction that they did!  Mike hired an auctioneer and we bought a bunch of gifts.  Every employee was given Monopoly money and then they could "buy" the gifts that were auctioned!  So fun!

 

Thank you Lapp Structure Family for being a part of our lives!

We are blessed and thank God for you!