We had a wonderful celebration of Christmas!
Christmas Day started bright and early, of course! It was still dark when the kids came bursting out of their rooms and ran down the stairs. They began with their stockings, and Erik and I joined in. Eventually, we all made our way to the living room and began to open Christmas gifts. Cassie was most excited about her Amazon Kindle and a new hatchimal; Gavin was excited to open a hand-held gaming toy and Anki Overdrive, a toy car racing system that utilizes artificial intelligence to make the races come to life through a special app (it's kind of confusing!). Tyler was excited about new hot wheels toys and trains!
Later that afternoon, we headed out for Christmas travels. We headed first to Clarendon Hills and had a wonderful Christmas evening with the Browns! We played with Grandpa's under-the-tree train set (always a special favorite pastime), exchanged presents, and had a fabulous Christmas dinner. Grammy's meal has become tradition -- Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, green beans and her special jello dish - we look forward to it every year! Some portion of people around the table even tend to compete on who can eat the most Swedish meatballs...Grandpa usually wins.
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| The kids adore the special train that runs under the tree! |
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| Grandpa is the top train engineer...he knows just how to make it take the curves without coming off the track. |
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| Tyler got a fun gift that he loved - Peppa and George Pig, stuffed animals that fall over laughing when you press them - he was joining in the fun. |
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| Cassie loved this Harry Potter book that opens up like a gobbling monster when you press on it! |
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| Gavin loves this Star Wars drone! |
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| The Christmas Table |
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| The kids' table! |
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| Grammy's delicious Christmas dinner |
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| Mmmmm...the dessert spread! |
Our final stop was in Brown County, IN where we meet up each year with the Reder Family, at Big Sky Cabin. We enjoy a few days of leisure, hiking, baking, card games, board games, knitting, shopping and exchanging gifts. Since we aren't able to get this whole group together more than a couple times a year, we pack in as much fun as we can.
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| Lounging with cousins! |
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| Sweet Ellie and Tyler |
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| Going for a nice hike by the lake |
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| There are dozens and dozens of sugar cookies! |
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| Knitting lessons with Aunt Shannon |
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| Card games with Grandpa Reder |
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| Pizza night! |
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| Snuggles with Grandma Reder |
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| A shot from the stairway; ready to begin the kids' gift exchange |
