Christmas Season

By
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Merry Christmas to all our family and friends.

This is what has been happening in our last couple weeks leading up to Christmas.

Christmas Concert at Trinity.  Patrick, and the other seniors, were narrators for the Christmas program.




Patrick's last day of his last Advent Calendar.  Now that he's 18 his next Advent season will look different.  *gulp, sniff

 

Christmas Eve morning - here comes the tree!
 

We had to resort to a step ladder to get the star on the tree...no more little kids to put on Papa's shoulders.

The tree is ready and the presents are in place.
 

Our annual family picture.
 

Patrick's wishlist item - goggles for motorcycling with the visor up
 

 Katherine - 100 different color pens for her epic story-writing

Another wishlist item (first aid kit) for motorcycle travel (and a new pair of suspenders)

What do you get the kid who has few interests, but reads TONS?  A Kindle with Kindle Unlimited membership!

She just loaded an Amazon gift card from Oma and Opa - "way awesome!"

Saddle bags for...yep...motorcycle riding.
 

After our family Christmas; singing, the Christmas story, and presents, Patrick and I went to church where he sang with the Youth Choir for his last Christmas Eve performance (in the Youth Choir).
 

 (pardon the camera drop in the middle of the recording)


After the Christmas Eve service we returned home for a fondue dinner.




Christmas Day includes a lot of video games, television watching, a little hike, and - in Patrick's case - nursing a cold.

It got so late on Christmas Eve, and we were SO full after dinner, that we had dessert for brunch!  Cheesecake with raspberry sauce.  Yum!



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How quickly it turns.

By
Image
As long as I'm in Montana, I might as well be productive. I met with our draftsman in Billings to make some changes to the exterior of the house plan and talk about some interior changes.  Once I was done there I was able to schedule a meeting with our builder to meet at the property to discuss house placement and orientation on the lot.  Joining us was our excavator. As I drove from Billings to Absarokee (pronounced ub-ZOR-kee), I thought I would document how long it takes to get from the highway to our property.  No sooner had I hit the stopwatch, I encountered an obstacle...one of Montana's (and the west in general) extremely long freight trains.     A few minutes down the road (after the train passed and I could make my turn) I cross the Yellowstone River.  This river runs straight through Livingston (where we will live while we build the house) as well. In Vermont, we had an art installation known as The Whale Tails.  In Absarokee we have a tall white cross.  I haven't
Read more

Surprise!

By
Image
 Life in Grand Rapids is, well, grand.  Great conversation, lots of room to spread out, space for an office, big windows for views of the outside, yummy food, dogs to pet, and a completely different pace from what December and January were. To break up all that monotony ☺ I decided it was time for a road trip.  I could meet with the draftsman helping us bring our home design dream into reality, I could wrap up some business at the bank, and I could visit family. Katherine and I hit the road on Thursday. On Friday, we arrived in Livingston Montana and surprised everyone.  The drive was lovely.  Time with Katherine was fun.  And the plan was a success! On our way to Livingston, we drove through Billings and would pass right by Absarokee.  Since we were good for time, we decided to stop and see the property on Plenty Coups Road.  For Katherine, this was the first time seeing the place where our house would go.  I'm only sorry that pictures don't accurately convey how beautiful and
Read more

Calm after the storm

By
Image
For weeks (actually months) we have been sorting, packing, pitching, selling, and pitching some more.  For the last two days those efforts were kicked into high gear as the movers arrived to load all that hard work into their truck and haul it away.  Once they were gone and the house was clean and the car loaded with stuff we need for the winter, and our final farewell was said, the urgency of the day was past.  That constant driving to fill one more dumpster, load one more box, or say good bye to one more friend lifted like a fog when the sun rises. Today, Katherine and I had a truly leisurely start to the day.  Eventually, I went out to run some final errands, fill the car with gas, and buy a little driving food.  As I drove around town I realized that I felt oddly disconnected.  These roads, the buildings, the views as I drove around town were very familiar yet somehow they feel foreign to me now.  "My" church is now just a building.  The people in it are and always will b
Read more