My Christmas in Review!

I am still here.

And for all of you who may have missed me a tiny bit, I have a photo-filled post for you today that just may surpass my other marathon photo posts.

This is not one for the faint at heart.

So here is my Christmas in review-

The Friday before Christmas vacation included

going to Toot's Christmas program at school which involved

falling on my butt on the ice directly out of my car

sprawling and dropping all the contents of the diaper bag.

This was witnessed by a kind lady. I did not like having a witness.

Sat in church.

Arriving later in his own car, Hottie Husband walked in and said to me

I just fell on my butt!

He too succumbed to the icy parking lot.

We are such Californians.

Then we watched this little guy

stand off to the side and make strange body motions while singing songs such as

Mary Had a Baby

and

Happy Birthday to Jesus!

But, he sure looked good in that tie.

We then packed and picked up the boys from school, finding Jackie Boy laying in the snow.

He indicated he was tired.

That was all.

Then, on the way to the airport, car filled with luggage, no reason or time to go home, it sounded

 as if someone has turned a faucet on in the back seat.

Have I mentioned that in my NEW car, the kids are not allowed to eat or drink?

Because they trashed  had issues with spilling in the old car.

Well, I just have to say that I have never seen so much vomit come out of one person in one shot.

Mister Luke compared it a hose turning on.

HH and I just looked at each other stunned.

Then he said- sure glad we don't let them eat in the car. 

We cleaned it best we could and then let it sit closed up in a parking lot for 5 days at the airport so we could really savor the whole incident.

Got on the plane and proceeded to get into trouble for taking this photo.

See my prior post for the trouble I caused.

Now, I am really happy that this did not happen after Christmas day because of that other incident involving a fire recently in the news.

Scary thing is that I picked up a follower due to that post who was not my type of follower- rather the name led me to indicate that it could be someone who might rhyme with the word merrorist.

I blocked him.

We arrived and my mom's house, who we have now decided should open up a Bed and Breakfast. Yummy food, nice sheets, great accommodations.

Highly recommended.

Had a Christmas party at Grandma Betty's

Told you I'd put a good picture of you in Aunt Carrie!

Took pictures of my cutie eating leaves.

Good roughage right?

Headed to Newport Beach for  HH's family's big Christmas Party.

Little Bear got his stocking from Grandma Dody, who has made all the kids stockings.

Enjoyed seeing Papa Don and Uncle Tom.

The party was a Aunt Minnie's house and you just have to see how lovely her table was set.

Here she is making a cosmopolitan

with these peppermint candies.

Here is very kind, Berkeley-attending super smart cousin Kayley

holding the finished product.

The boys enjoyed hanging with their cousins

and Little Bear got to try whipped cream for the first time.

We then headed back to my mom's

where she gave our whipped cream guy a bath in her kitchen sink.

Don't worry- it is a brand new sponge- no bacteria.

We went to the Grove for pictures with Santa, shopping and lunch at Cheesecake Factory.

We stopped foot traffic and nearly trolley for this photo.

They had a great big tree with great big bulbs.

I love this photograph. If you look closely, you can see my niece holding Little Bear and me taking the photo in the bulb.

It is tradition to make my mother's sugar cookies and I am not allowed to give out the recipe.

But really, they are the best sugar cookies.

Here is my niece who I have purchased boy repellant for  did an amazing job rolling out that dough.

Good cookie making takes teamwork.

I am not even going to show you them with the frosting because you will be even sadder that you can't have the recipe.

It is certainly not because I forgot to take a picture and if Hughston is reading this - just know that I so owe you many cookies next year. 

We made sure that the kids got to see their friends while in California.

Some actually teared up when they saw the boys.

We celebrated Christmas with my mom and she spoiled the boys as you can see.

Little Bear tried to eat his present from my sister

and I received some more preparation for my new climate.

We tried to fit all the gifts in our bags and on Christmas Eve got on a plane to head back to Montana.
I got this very cool shot of the wing out of my window.

Had Christmas Eve dinner of bagels and Wendy's frosties in the Seattle airport.

Made it home at 11pm and prepared for Santa to show up.
Little Bear woke up to this new sled.

We stayed in our jammies for most of the day, then headed over to the fire station.

The kids got to explore and we shared Christmas dinner with other firefighters.

Not our normal Christmas Day of brunch for thirty at our house,

but a new kind of Christmas Day that was fun all the same.

If you actually made it through that post and are still reading, I wish you a Happy and joyful New Year. My sister and her chillins arrive tomorrow and will be here for a week.

I probably won't be posting much because I'l be soaking them in.

But, I'll be back with a vengeance real soon.