Sunday, January 17, 2010

Christmas - Finally

We had a wonderful Christmas holiday.  It started out in PA at our  house then we went to CT the Monday before Christmas and finally late on Christmas Eve we drove back to PA to Shawn's family's house.  It was a fun time to spend with family and friends enjoying the season.  The kids did really well traveling and sleeping which always makes the trip that much more fun.  We are truly blessed to get together with our immediate families and both of our extended families on a regular basis and especially at Christmas.  We were sad to say good-bye to our loved ones and pack away the tree for another year especially Symeon who loved the Christmas tree and still wonders where it went everyone once in awhile.

I think total they opened gifts 5 different times and I am pretty sure Symeon thinks every morning he wakes up there is a chance for additional presents. I had a hard time picking which pictures to use since we have so many but I hope the ones I chose show what a blessed Christmas we experienced this year. 

Christmas at our home in PA


At 8:40 we were all still waiting for Symeon to get up.  I guess he didn't realize it was Christmas morning.
About the time he woke up Marin was ready to go back to bed so we opened a few and then she slept while we played with Symeon's new toys.  It actually worked out really well.



 
 Marin loved this Elmo book we bought for Symeon


 
 Symeon loved this drum we bought for Marin


 
 Symeon's holy grail of gifts this Christmas a $10 plastic shopping cart.  We thought he would like it but we had no idea how much he would love it.  He plays with it so much I am glad we stood in line twice at Toys R Us to get it. 


 
Here he is on Christmas morning walking the halls with the cart.  During the next week he wanted the shopping cart to go everywhere with him.  We took it to the hair salon and the ladies loved it, we took it in the car wherever we went, he wanted it on the table while he ate but I drew the line, and finally at night when we were reading books before bed he wanted it in the chair with him and I was displaced to the floor to read.  Although we have stopped taking it everywhere with us he continues to use it everyday to pick up the mail, go to the kitchen to pick up eggs and milk, and to visit his friends around Paxton who love to put things in his cart.  He often comes back to our apartment with lots of loot from his walks around the building.


Christmas in CT



 Papaw and Austin


  
Austin with his butt bank and Clover with her name necklace

 
My Dad with a picture of his girls Angel and Sweet Thing

 
Symeon and Marin both loved the blocks their cousin's picked out

 
 
 My Dad both kids piggy banks and my mom puts their names on them.  It is a tradition we all have one so I was so happy that they both received one this year.  Marin was so cute in her Santa hat which lasted all of 10 seconds but we did manage to get a picture. 


 
Marin sporting the hat my Mom made her.  Symeon had a green one which they both wear all the time.

 
Our family picture in front of my Oma's tree.  I have a picture in front of this tree every since I was a baby.  It is fun to see how life has changed over all these years.  In the last several years I have gone from married to a family of four I am truly blessed.   
 
 
 My Oma and Marin helping her open her gift

 
My handsome cousin James and my beautiful Sister-in-law Traci

 
My wonderful cousin Joel and his lovely girlfriend Ashley

 
My family

 
 Austin - 9, Clover - 8, Symeon - 22 months, Marin 7 months
We like to have our kiddos close together in our family

 

All  the cousins, spouses, and kids
Across the back- my husband Shawn, my cousin Jesse, my cousin Joel, my cousin Travis, my cousin James,
my sister-in-law Traci in the purple, Marin and I in the middle, Austin- my brothers son, Clover- my brothers daughter, Symeon in the front my son, my brother Michael kneeling


 
 Travis with Marin



The ladies
me, my Mom, Traci, and Marin


Christmas in Telford


 
 Maya 10 months, Sam 2 1/2


Shawn and his Nana,  Nana and Marin, 3 generations


 
Managed Chaos
 
 These two are the best of buddies with matching Phillies hats and Flyers hockey sticks

 
Admiring the gift they gave Mom Mom which of course would be pictures of them

 
Outside in the snow.  Please don't fall over Symeon you won't be able to get up!

 
One of many quiet and relaxing meals with 4 kids under 2 needing to eat.  We decided there was always someone who was sleeping, eating, or just in a bad mood.  
 
 Symeon and Sam baking cookies with Mom Mom

 
Pop Pop and Marin, by this point Marin was done which you can read all over her face.  I wonder where she gets that from?  
 
 At the Delp family Christmas the kids and I spent quite a bit of time riding around in this make shift cart we found, singing songs, and generally entertaining ourselves.

I have finally finished my post for Christmas 09 and although it took me awhile it was nice to go through all the pictures we took and count our blessings once again.  There are so many people in the world who on a daily basis are lonely and desire to have a place called home where they are treasured and loved and as I finish this post I realize just how many places our family has to call home.  Being "home" was the best part of Christmas. 

Ok so a side note that keeps coming to my mind as I finish this post somewhere inside my Sunday school days keeping coming back to me and I don't think I mentioned the birth of Jesus quite enough in this Christmas post.  I asked Shawn about it and he laughed and said it was fine.  So to ease my Sunday school guilt issues here it is - "Jesus is the Reason for the Season"  

 


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