Christmas Card

I have abandoned my usual Christmas card for this.  Some years are like that.  I tried to copy the format of my usual Christmas brochure. 

 Merry Christmas

From

The

Hardackers

2010

This year as we do every year we celebrated birthdays and our anniversary:

Isabelle turned 5

John turned 40!

With poster

Jake turned 16 (we liked the poster idea)

Mel turned 40!

Really liked the poster thing.

We celebrated 20 years of marriage with a return trip to Duluth.

We celebrated holidays, tried new activities and reached milestones:

Easter brunch

Carving pumpkins

Jake tried track in the spring

And has fallen in love with wrestling this winter

I completed my first triathlon.

Isabelle started Kindergarten.

But as we get older and live life we have come to realize that the most important things happen not always in the big moments of life but in the day to day activities we don't always think too much about:

 

 Attending an '80's party in your old leather jacket and prom dress (and still rocking both).

Covering your body in body art.

Mopping in your tutu.

Making snow soup on a warm spring day.

A hay ride with your mom.

Seeing Grandma for the first time after a long winter.

Trying on your mom's wedding dress.

Dipping your toes in the lake.

Swimming in a pool on a hot summer day.

Chasing a frog through the grass.

Going to camp.

Watching the butterflies with Dad.

Finding a family of wild turkeys in your yard on a Sunday morning.

Playing dress up with your cousins.

Working hard supervising your booth at the Ren Fest.

Dressing up with your girlfriend to attend the Renaissance Festival.

Or dressing up for Homecoming.

Waiting for your ride to school so you can avoid that long 3 block walk.

Hanging out with your sister.

Making cookies with your brother.

Surviving snowmagedon.

We hope that you have enjoyed the dailiness of  your life this year and have a wonderful 2011.

 

Partying through Christmas

PHEW!  I love Christmas, the whole season and the actual day, but it is always nice when it is over. 

Remember when you were a kid and the day after Christmas was such a let down because you knew there were 364 more days until it would come again?  Now as an adult it isn't one or two days it is more like one or two months long.  Turns out Christmas doesn't just happen, it takes WORK.  And while I love every minute of it I am far less sorry to see it end now that I am the one doing most of that work.

Here are a few of the fun things we have done in the past couple weeks:

I actually made 3 different kinds of cookies.

I had help.

OK these two made one of the kinds all by themselves.

They are so darn cute!

Isabelle and I decorated a couple days later.

We have skills.

Party Number ONE: The big family party

Jake has a new admirer.

Closer than we realize.

We went caroling to the neighbors homes.

Santa came to visit!

He had gifts for all the good little boys and girls.

Unbridled excitement.

Even Jake's girlfriend was not forgotten by Santa.

Twas TWO days before Christmas: Gloria Josephine

And the time had come.

Party number TWO: Jake's annual party

A little more low key this year.  Not many pictures.

Party number THREE: Christmas Eve

A gift came from the birth parents that morning.

Isabelle was the hostess with the mostess that evening serving hot cider to everyone.  Although she only put about a swallow in each cup, wouldn't want to get too much.

The kids were so excited for Christmas.

"I know this is my new DSi, can I open it yet????"

Let the craziness begin!

An assist by Grandpa.

The new daddy of 5 couldn't quite stay awake for the whole evening.

I did this later when our new TV was brought it.  Well the jumping and screaming but I couldn't quite hoist it over my head.

Party number FOUR:  Christmas Morning

The genuine expression of surprise and joy at the sight of his new GPS.

I think the joy of Christmas comes in the enthusiasm of children who are so excited to receive $1 toe separators for doing her nails.

Which is not to say old men aren't excited by a stocking full of socks.

We had a quiet day together as a family, watched movies on our new TV and went to see the new Narnia movie at the theater in the afternoon.  Saw several families we knew.

Party number FIVE: Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house

Grandma in her natural habitat, getting dinner ready.

Still not tired of opening presents.  Found the crown at Grandma's, put it on, sat at the head of the table and didn't stop talking the entire time we were there.

Grandma said there is no photographic evidence she was at many Christmas' and so asked Grandpa to take her picture.  I can relate.  There isn't much evidence I was part of this Christmas either.

There is evidence I ate ice cream though.

We have one more week of Christmas break and while the Christmas celebrations are done we still have another week to have lots more fun.