Animal House!

OKay, be honest, if you're my age you were expecting Bluto, and perhaps Jerry and I dancing in togas right?!  Well lucky for you that is not the Animal House I meant! (crazy memory of fall of 1979 and frat rush at Syracuse...every house we walked into ((just for a friendly visit!)) was playing the movie-and drinking in togas) This year all the kids were rockin Animal Hats! Fun and warm, they can be worn at all times, outside,inside,just not to church. "Come on Mom!....NO!" Get Yours Today and post a photo!

 

last Christmas post!

Gracious, that'll teach me not to put off blogging! I keep looking at the photos I took and realizing that I never wrote about Christmas. I wanted to share a few photos of Christmas eve and morning. We had a lovely time. We opened presents with Jake and Cassie before they headed out in the afternoon to go to Cammy's Dad's house. We loved watching Cass open presents, what a change from last year! She loved the zoo animals Aunt Molly bought her! Charlotte and I went to mass at 4pm, and I got to be a Eucharistic minister, what a blessing for me on Christmas eve! We then had dinner and Jerry, Molly and Danny headed off to midnight mass. Jerry and Danny carried on their tradition of ushering and did a great job.  Christmas morning got a late start, with poor Charlotte up early and raring to go, but the midnight crew sleeping in! When she finally got to open her gifts, she was thrilled to find the ipod touch she had been dreaming and talking about for months! Jake, Cammy and Cassie stopped over for a few hours in the afternoon and more gifts were exchanged. Then it was early to bed to prep for the long drive to NJ next morning.
And I think that brings me up to date...on to the New Year!!

a guy should know how to cook!

checking out the Middle Earth London Tube map t-shirt

Merry Christmas

hanging the stockings

come fill this Santa!

Mom and Dad get stocking too!

Merry Christmas dear

Reading the wonderful window

all the animals are friends!

Christmas morning breakfast

stuffed french toast and sausage

our tree looks great!

it's a small box...

what?! is this my touch?!

oh yeah!!

I'm done! My Christmas is perfect!

Jerry doing his "Christmas Wrapping" doododoododooodo

wireless speakers to blast my opera

Legos!!!

new snowboard socks...and a new Snowboard!!!

oh my!

a neat John Wayne thing from Cammy

Cammy models her new hat

enjoying the hubbub

Aunt Molly gave Cassie and owl puppet

Djadja and Uncle Danny set up the new bowling set

Merry Christmas baby!

One of our favourite Christmas traditions-Breakfast with the Stewarts!

Cassie will be a reader, rest assured!

she's very advanced!

banana cupcake made by Chacha-yum!

Lindsay is in the spirit with a gorgeous set of antlers

Charlotte and Sammy

Jake continues the tradition by wearing his pj's

the family group

Sam loved the puppy

Sam reads a story to the dogs!

settle down boys!

"the two dogs saved the day...."

The End!!

UNO!!

the dynamic duo

Smile Jake, I have a draw four!

How to die in the outdoors!

Lindsay and Molly

GOD is Good, look at these kids!!!

Sam gives Cassie a quick dance lesson

Charlotte introduces Lindsay to her dog(note his festive Christmas bandana!)

Jake, home safe and sound, spending Christmas eve with the family and his baby girl! LIG!

Doesn't everyone join with their friends on Christmas Eve to play UNO?! Our wonderful tradition began years ago on Fairway Trails when the Stewart Family would come down the street in their PJ's to have breakfast and exchange gifts. If you know our Molly, you know how much she loves UNO, so we would have a tourney between food and gifts. Now that we have moved three miles away, the Stewarts usually arrive in clothes, but the spirit remains the same! This year, with both girls living out of state and having so many commitments when they come home, we felt especially thrilled that we could still host this gathering. Russ and Lindsay are as cute as always, darling, young and in love, and Samantha looked so relaxed and beautiful, New York and teaching obviously really agree with her. And we had all our kids this year, Jake was able to join us,and having him in the US, at our table, instead of in Afghanistan, we are so blessed! The menu was a chocolate coffee cake with nuts and raisins, an oven basked ham/egg casserole and fresh baked gingerbread biscotti. And coffee, LOTS of coffee! The UNO games were fierce, and in a stunning turn of events, the Stewarts took two games...Hinckas will look for payback next Christmas! We are so blessed to have "family" to spend time with at this special time of year!