Christmas memories...

He made his list and he checked it twice

and I'm happy to say...

He thought we were nice!thanks Bernard for the good report. we miss you hanging out around here already.

there were towers with cousins...

milk and cookies for the jolly ole saint nick...

and lots of toys he generously left from his pack!

a train from padre...

a new camera for me!!! now- all i have to do is learn how to use it!

there must always be the annual stand by the tree and get the Christmas day pics of the fam...

(and no- that's not our new puppy. though- Briley did ask Santa for one this year. that's mimi's furball Otis).

and there were cousins we hadn't seen in years.

can't believe we let life slip by us without getting together in a couple years.

can't wait to plan our next party. we had a blast!

(this is 2 of my 3 girl cousins on my dad's side of the fam, my sister, me and of course our kiddos)

for mimi and padre- i'm glad we snuck in your Christmas pic with the grandkids. only a day late- not bad, not bad.

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we are so incredibly blessed this Christmas season and look forward to celebrating the new year and all it brings (Bristol- it can't be long now!)!

We wish you a...

We are rejoicing because...

Down in a lowly manger the humble Christ was born
and God sent our salvation that blessed Christmas morn

from us to you...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

a story of lights

last nite was one of my favorite holiday traditions...
looking at the Christmas lights.

i love the lights. the kids love the lights. barron even points out porch lights and says, "hey- Christmas lights. yea!" he's a bit too easily pleased for me. i go for a much bigger show like seen below.

our first stop is hard to beat. i mean can you believe this? and this isn't even the half of it. the entire road does a great job of showing their holiday spirit!


next stop. why- George Jones' - of course. the possum always does a heck of a job. (not sure he hangs one single strand but hey somebody pays that light bill).

ooohh- the chair. We don't need no (little) rockin' chair! can't call it Christmas without posting yourself up in this big girl.

now. i know this is turning into a long post and too many pics but keep going...

part of the fun of Christmas lights is getting to climb around on the pallet in the back of the car. this year to make it a wee bit crazier we added eggnog. yep- i know- wild!

the pics tell the story... :)

addendum:

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after a full day on the job and almost 2 hours of Christmas festivities my Joe looks a bit frazzled. what do yout think? (pay special attn to the last 2 pics)

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he did inform me as we went to bed last nite that this activity is not his fave Christmas tradition. what? i am still in shock today! how can you not think this is the greatest?

*

well, Joe, they are only little once- thanks for being a trooper. and- by the way- you do know we have many more years of this fun- right?

party, party, and party

Briley had a big birthday bash in which we decorated aprons, decorated cookies, had a full blown nail painting session, and an 'almost still enough for a movie' time.

Briley and 6 girls partied hard.

and momma? well, i ended up tired, but happy.

but we didn't stop partyin'.

nope. we joined the "caroling cousins" and the rest of the extended Lankford fam for some Christmas merriment. it's always fun to play and hang with all these guys that we only see a time or two each year.

and nope.

still not done partyin'!

we got even more merry with this bunch. even though no one lived up to their "talents, demonstrations, acting skills, etc"- we sure enjoyed hype-ing it up!

here's to a few more parties...

hope your holidays are full of fun, enjoyment, family, and most of all JESUS!

it's great

it's great to be eight!

briley celebrated her big 8 yesterday. it was great for her, but 8 was a bit tough for me. she's getting way too big. i think i'll stop her here:)

i have to put a plug in for the 8 shirt i made her for this special occasion. i'm quite proud of how it turned out!

and a big thanks to one of our favorite people in the world uncle Gavin and his girl. the tie dye tanks turned out fabulous!!

here's to trying to keep a straight face. i double dare you...


CLICK HERE FOR AN EXTRAORDINARY ELF ADVENTURE



Merry Christmas folks!

Bethlehem

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we took the kids on an adventure to Bethlehem.

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what an incredible journey.

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meeting Santa this year

we could not have been any more excited to meet Santa this year.


Briley asked me on the way to see him if it would be ok to ask for a real puppy?!
I replied yes- i guess so.
After helping her brothers get settled on Santa's lap (see below) she proceeded to drop the bomb..
"I want a real puppy this year."
To which this wonderful Santa explained so perfectly- "I'll have to check with your mom and dad on that one" and "puppies don't like to ride in the sleigh they get too cold".
These answers made her happy. And not another word was said.
And NO we are not getting a puppy for Christmas. We have 2 in the garage she cares less about. Ok - i know they are full grown german shepherd beasts.
But hey, one was her birthday present just just 4 years ago this month.

i took a great smiling picture but it was too fuzzy. bummer. thank goodness- we got a good one from the photographer.

Santa memories- oh how i love this time of year.

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Around here we are feelin' it. Christmas and all the memories now and in the past. Stories of Baby Jesus- our Savior. Decorations everywhere. Spirits that are well, brighter. Excitement.


we started off with the annual gingerbread decorating but mostly eating candy activity.


then it was the find the perfect live Christmas tree excursion with lots of free cider and cocoa. always a favorite time for this bunch!

warm cups, warm hearts while we search for the perfect one.

next- off to the Christmas parade. we rode a float this year thanks to wonderful friends in our SS class. and boy oh boy- we had a blast throwing candy at strangers.

home again to light and decorate our tree we named "judy garland". fun stuff. i think i've finally rearranged the bottom half enough so she won't tip over from the weigft of all her ornaments front and center. the kids motto- find a good spot (the very front) and hang 'em all there:)

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the first presents of the year were given out- Christmas PJs. you would think by now they would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that PJs were wrapped in those boxes. Nope.

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after the annual get the tree, decorate it, and open the first present (pjs) we watch a Christmas movie. it varies every year. this year it was The Nativity Story.

if you haven't seen it- DO. God loves us so much He sent His Son. amazing.

didn't make the cut..

obviously these pics didn't make the Christmas card.

can you guess why?

not sure how we will do next year when we add our Ethiopian beauty to the mix.

it's hard to get 5 people looking halfway decent for a shot. can't imagine 6!

some things you could have heard had you been around our "photo session"...

quit picking your nose. open your eyes. cross your legs. do you want candy? get out of the street. shhh- they are having church. wait. cchhheeesssseee! one more, come on- one more...

a gazillion shots later i did finally give in,

and we picked the best we could from what we had.

not too bad. not too bad.

but, not posting the winner now...