Hi readers! I apologize for not posting yesterday. It turned into a whirlwind of a day. The only thing worth blogging about from yesterday was Hurricane Elle…
She completely destroyed her new squeaky toy. We told her to keep her day job and leave open heart surgery for the professionals.
Not being home for the B (aka, the Circus) family Christmas has it’s pros and cons. It was good in that the Viper Pilot and I got quality time together before facing the challenges of 2013, and it was bad in that I really miss my family.
The two hats Henry is holding are the Viper Pilot and I.
Thanks to modern technology, we were still able to partake in the Iowa festivities and watch everyone open their gifts from us.
{That’s the Viper Pilot and I Skyping with the Circus from Munich.}
All the kids got Deutschland license plates with their names on it from the Viper Pilot and I.
A silly family tradition that was continued for the third year in a row was
the Kermit the Frog Footie PJs. My sister, Angie, gave them to me in
2010, I passed them on to my dad in 2011, and this year he gave them to
my other sister, Alison. The rule that if you receive them, you HAVE to
wear them still holds (and Alison did wear them), but I didn’t feel it
would be very loving sisterly of me to post the picture without her
permission, so here’s Cale modeling them.
In 2008, we started the t-shirt tradition. All of our niece and nephews get a t-shirt
from the Viper Pilot and I relevant to where we live or what we are doing at that time in our lives. As far as I can tell, they really love the
shirts (the CU shirts from 2008 even make an appearance every now and then) and they wear them everyday that they are at my parents house (which usually means my poor mother, aka the kids’ awesome grandma, is doing laundry daily).
In 2010, I started another tradition: the “jump” picture. On the count of three, all the kids (the two ankle biters don’t always cooperate, and that’s okay) hold hands and jump at the same time. If I’m lucky, I photograph them in midair.
Each year at Christmas, I take TONS of pictures of my sisters’ kids. It’s fun to see how they grow and change each year. Since I wasn’t home this year, my parents had the honor of taking the 2012 “jump” picture of the kids in their Germany t-shirts we got them. It made my day when the picture appeared in my email.
2012 L-R: Nick (3), Henry (10), Cale (8), Maddie (10), Jack (2), Blake (11) |
My heart melts into a puddle when I see how much they have grown. I wonder if they will still let me take this picture when they are teenagers…
I’m off to have a lunch date with the Viper Pilot. I love when I get to see him during the day! Catch you later with a recipe post!
PROST!
Have you ever had to spend a holiday or special occasion miles away from your family and loved ones? What made it easier for you? My sisters and parents were constantly sending me pictures of everything from their food/drinks to people opening presents to people being goofy throughout the day. I almost felt like I was right there with them!