A Fun & Relaxing Week

It looks like my blog has been silent for almost a week now. It's not that I haven't had anything to write about; it's that I haven't had any time to sit down and write. I've been having much too fun with friends and family. That's what Christmas is ALL about for the Big D. Family.

Christmas Day ... as I said, 4 young adult men stopped by to spend part of the holiday with us. We LOVE that they know our door is ALWAYS open, and that there is usually food on the table, or coming out of the oven.

Friday ... 2 sweet young adult ladies came to visit for a few days. Twelve years ago, we were their Youth Group leaders in Puyallup. It is so fun to still be a part of their lives, 10 years after moving away. A "quiet" evening at home with our children and these two friends, quickly turned into a major young adult party night. FUN! FUN! FUN! Without much notice, I suddenly found 10 young adults playing Hand & Foot at my dining room table.



After the card tournament, the ladies joined Papa and the children and me to watch "It's A Wonderful Life", while the big boys played one of their strategy board games downstairs. Even though Carissa & Lindsey are living overseas, we invited their friend Kati to our Family Movie Night. She ended up staying over for a slumber party with Vicky & Jami (our Puyallup friends).

Saturday ... The Big Boys got up early and headed up to the mountain for a day of snowboarding, while the young ladies and children enjoyed sleeping in. The entire day was spent visiting, playing games, and ... (another FIRST for Jacob, Sarah, and Rachel) ... decorating Christmas Cookies.

Hosanna & Jami made all of the cookies ...







while the children enjoyed decorating them ....









The Big Boys arrived home just as we were cleaning up the cookie mess ... and just in time to head to church.

The children finally got to wear the new clothes that I had bought them to wear to the wedding last weekend (which they couldn't attend because of the road conditions), and to the Christmas Eve Service (which was cancelled due to the snow).






After church, Josh cooked up an amazing dinner of Pad Thai for all 18 of us. (The family + 5 extra young adults.) Delicious!


Sunday ... after a yummy breakfast of Josh's Coffee Cake, we hurriedly packed the van and loaded up the vehicles for a trip to Grampa's house (150 miles) ... and beyond. Jeremiah rode with Vicky, so that they could have some good chat time (all that good political science stuff). Jami rode with Cassie for some quality chatting. And, the other 8 kids piled in with Papa & Mama.

Once we all arrived at Grampa's, we said our good-byes to Vicky & Jami, as they headed home. Then, we made lunch for Grampa and Gramma and visited for a couple of hours. Grampa was so glad to get a chance to visit with Cassie and Jeremiah, as it had been quite awhile since he had seen either of them. Papa and I also had the opportunity for a very good discussion with Grampa about health, life, goals, etc... At 90 years old, we never know how long we will be able to continue to have solid discussions with him. But, he is really doing well for his age.

After a few hours, we got back on the road and headed to some dear friends' house (another 70 miles away). And, after dinner with our friends, Cassie got back on the road for her journey home. We sure enjoyed our 10 days with our eldest daughter. Sooo... much fun was had by all of us.

Sunday to Tuesday ... visiting with the Allen family, playing games (more Hand & Foot tournaments), shopping, eating, movie watching, kids playing dress-up, reading, and just plain relaxing. It was the perfect way to spend a few days of our Christmas Vacation.