We had a very relaxing and fun Christmas celebration this year.
We began on Christmas Eve in Eureka with the Joachims.
Our lifelong neighbor Violet made this quilt for David and me. She had given each of our babies a quilt when they were born and she felt bad that I had been left out. It is beautiful and I love this loving gift from Violet, who is an adopted member of our family. She is 87 and still works part time--she is one amazing lady!
We also made a visit to Grandma Joachim at the nursing home. She was happy to see and visit with us. We all sang Christmas songs together, which was a blessing for especially me. I always remember Grandma singing and/or playing the organ when I was at her house as a child.
Christmas Day was spent mostly at home, and with the extended Melius family in the evening. The family Christmas carols are always a favorite there, too. My Christmas Day photos are on my other camera . . . however, the kids discovered at 4:30am that Santa had brought remote control cars, a karaoke machine and a Barbie swing set. (Thankfully the karaoke machine did not start at that time! It turns out the 4 o'clock hour was quite popular, with several of our friends saying that was the time to check out the surprises under the tree at their houses, too!)
The next day began two days with the Melius family, We all took our turn at snuggling miss Hannah Faith, who is now just over a month old.
The new favorite this year was Grandpa's "Barrel of Monkeys" made out of an old water tank. He loaded up all of the grandkids and they went "dashing through the snow" behind the tractor!
It was all a wonderful celebration, and we are always thankful for a HEALTHY Christmas break which made it even better!!!
