Merry Christmas

What a busy past 5 days!  Two trips to Stillwater and back, a new oven and cooktop installed, a day full of baking and cleaning, my house full of ALL of my children and grandchildren (yes grandchildren, plural!!).  A full dinner, with the table extended as far as it goes, every chair in the house pulled up around the table and every plate used. 
Hmmmm....I think I might need to get more dishes if I get to have more dinners at my house. 

My family has grown! 

We have a brand new member, little Alex.  He is wonderful!

He is already so loved!  He has met almost everybody too.

Mr. Man sure likes him.

His Aunt Mattie is really crazy about him.

His Grandpa thinks he is cute!

Aunt Carrie and Uncle Rob got to love on him.

I wanted to get a picture of all of us while we were all under one roof. 

It didn't happen. 

There just wasn't enough time.  James had to leave to work before we all finished dinner.  Then Mattie, Kita, Eric and Alex had to leave.  I got to keep Rob, Carrie, Tyler and Cohen for the rest of the night but they all packed up and headed out first thing this morning. 

No full group photo!

I was able to get a few pictures of most of them when Santa came for a visit.

 

Next time!

  I will make all of them hold still long enough to get a FULL group picture. 

I didn't get any pics of Mattie and James together OR with Santa!

 

My house is back to being quiet again.  *sigh*  I like it better when it is noisy. 

 

I spent the evening at Grams' house visiting.  She hasn't felt well the past few days.  She did wake up for a bit and play a few games of cribbage with me.  We shared a pot of coffee and talked about all the times she made my Christmas wonderful as a child.  I have great memories because of her.  The back bedroom has a tile floor and a wall furnace that is on the same wall as the den.  The tree was always set up in the den back then.  There was just a little bit of a view to be seen if you laid on the floor and peeked through the bottom part of the wall furnace.  I remember as a small child watching her and Aunt Mary wrapping gift after gift to put under the tree through that furnace.  Of course my big brother and I hogged the view and didn't let our little sister Lisa see much at all.  Not that we could see all that much.  Just a peek here and there.  But we could hear them talking and we knew they were wrapping presents for us!  The floor was so cold!  I remember my tummy getting numb laying there in the floor trying to see what I got for Christmas. 

Grams asked me several times what day it was.  Each time that I told her that it was Christmas Eve she seemed excited.  She kept looking at the tree and seemed to be lost in thought.  She told me that she misses having her friends.  We talked about all the parties she used to have in her house and how she misses that.  Her and Gramps loved to entertain in their home.

 

I snapped this picture while she was looking at the tree and we were talking about the past.  She was so lost in thought she didn't know I took it. 

 

She hasn't had a chance to meet Alex yet.  I wish I could take a picture of all 5 generations together.  Wish, wish, wish......always wishing.

Wish in one hand.......

 

Anyway...

Merry Christmas everyone!