Christmas get togethers

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were very busy for our family. Christmas Eve was spent at the Bailey's with the whole extended family and then some. Every one was having a wonderful time chatting and eathing. The children were waiting anxiously for Santa to arrive. You should have heard the craziness when he came. Stephen and Ethan of course had a great time telling Santa what they wanted for Christmas. Christopher however, was a little coy about visiting with Santa so he stayed near Mom and Dad this year to open presents.

Christmas morning was spent at Grandma and Grandpa Tlustek's with the whole Tlustek clan! Grandma prepared a delicious breakfast. We of course opened gifts there as well. One gift was a pass to the WonderLab. That is one gift that keeps giving through the whole year. Thanx Mom and Dad. Hein and Stephanie had our name for the family gift and we received a warm blanket and hot chocolate and a gift card. The children of course got plenty as well.

Christmas Day we went to Grandma and Grandpa Paces for a late luncheon feast and more gift opening. We all received some real great and useful gifts. After eating we talked while the children played. We also had in our company three dogs this year. We have had a welcome addition to our home in Mali, a border collie we are watching for my soon to be brother-in-law Aaron. Of course we had with us Beretta our lab mix and Mom and Dad Pace's dog Maggie, a bassett beagle mix. Later on in the evening we played many rousing games of Pente. What a busy few days we had.

We also got together for a family meal Dec. 30th to say good bye to the Jackson's who are going back to Utah. We really enjoyed spending time with them and it was so great to have everyone home for Christmas. It was so wonderful for all the children to reaquaint themselves with each other. What a blessing family is.

School Concert

Stephen had his annual Christmas concert at school. He had a speaking part and helped accompany his contemporaries during the 2nd grade singing. Unfortunately, the pictures were not of good quality. I am still learning how to use the digital camera. It was really neat because the concert music was solely provided by the children on the various xylophones and glockenspiels. A special treat this year was that Grandma and Grandpa Tlustek attended. It was a packed audience as well. Christopher of course was very squirmy but I was glad I didn't have to remove him from the room. We really enjoyed the whole evening watching all the school children perform. I think the music teacher was very pleased with the results.

Decorating for Christmas

We decorated for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. The house looks great! The children have done several really cute projects and ornaments for Christmas this year at school. Every year the tree has more and more character due to these contributions over the years. Stephen helped me string the lights and garland and of course all the children decorated as we played Christmas music in the background. This year Sister Isom gave us a book that has readings, songs, and stories related to the 25 days till Christmas. Each day has something to enjoy. We have been using the book and really like the closeness we feel as we read and sing together.

Ethan's Birthday

Ethan had a lovely party on Dec. 6th.
He loved his Black Spiderman cake and enjoyed
all his gifts. Hard to believe he is already six years old. Guests that were there were his Tlustek and Pace grandparents, Stephanie and the children, plus Bethany and Porter. The children after opening gifts and having cake decided to play the game cube. It was funny to see the gaggle of boys around the cube. I think a good time was had by all.

Introductions

Here we are and I never thought I would try to do this. It is a great way I think to send pictures and let the family know what we are doing on a regular basis. Here is a picture of us hiking at Patoka Lake in the late fall. We were blessed in November to have some great weather that allowed our family to extend our family hiking season. We were able to hike in many wonderful state parks and recreational areas this year.