Now THAT'S sledding!

Christmas with my (extended) family

We finally made our way up to Ohio on the 27th. The roads were mostly fine, although there was an awful lot of snow on Jellico Mountain!

When we got to my parents' house, we had a couple of hours to visit with my parents. We exchanged gifts and opened our stockings.

We ate Skyline. Al Dog, who hadn't been to Ohio with us since before Little Sis was born, found his old rawhide and tennis balls. We were all happy to be there, but it was fun to see our sweet old doggie so excited to be with Nana & Papa.

Soon, we were joined by more special people. And the girls were overwhelmed with wonderful gifts from the family (and friends who are more like family) that loves us so much and so well. By the time we left Ohio a few days later, we had to do some major rearranging just to fit in the loot these kids received!

It can sometimes be overwhelming, making these quick trips to Ohio. It is hard to see all of the people who want some time with us and our kiddos, even when many of them make it easier by coming over all at once for a fun gathering. I appreciate my mom and dad for hosting extra holiday "parties" just so we can see all of the people we love. Somehow, and maybe it was just because I was enjoying the company, I didn't get any pictures that night.



The next day, the 28th, was spent with more special family, as we made our way to Bloomington for fondue night. We had food...

and wind-up toy races...

and more gifts...

and family photos...

and cousin photos...

and fondue...

and a few miraculous moments of the most beautiful carols and lovely harmonies I've ever heard, all led by Big Sister.



The next day we took some time to do the one thing my Hubby really wanted to do: take his Flexible Flyer to the park to the amazing sledding hill super close to where I grew up. We had a great time! Big Sis rode with Daddy on a trip that lasted over a minute; he even went onto a hiking trail at the bottom of the hill! (There are WAY too many photos to share in this already lengthy post, so I'll save those for the next one.)

Then the girls, my mom, and I all went to visit my grandma, and my aunt and uncle.

(By the way, the above photo was taken minutes before that seemingly harmless dog bit Little Sis on the neck. She is fine, but I learned to watch a little more closely, and Little Sister learned that not all dogs are as gentle as our Sophie.)

Everywhere we went, we shared sweet moments with people I'm so fortunate to know and love. People I have been blessed to have loving me for all of my life. And I get to share that blessing with my husband and my children.

More Christmas magic.

Snow fun, part 2

Originally, we were supposed to head up to Ohio on the 26th, after church. But church was canceled due to the snow, and we were a little nervous about some of the roads, especially through the mountains. So we gave it one more day to make sure our trip was safe and simple.

After a while (and hearing from others in this area who reported their roads were fine) we spent a wonderful afternoon/evening with our friends.


It made the snow even more fun!

And, admittedly, provided much better pictures. Can you spot the differences? Thanks to A and B for sharing- theirs are much fancier than my little point-and-click photos.

Plus, I got to be in a few. Here is one of the only time I went down the hill with my husband:


and there was even one of the whole family!

Christmas Magic

Waking up to a yard blanketed in white, giddy girls, perfect presents, cinnamon rolls, snowball fights, neighbors, Christmas dinner...

I have a hard time describing the magic of this year's Christmas Day. So I'll just show you:

It was the first white Christmas here since 1969.

Magic.


Or, as I told Big Sis, "God sure knows how to decorate for His Son's birthday party!"