Shoveling Snow

New Year's Eve 2011

We spent New Year's Eve at my parents house where we celebrated Christmas with my immediate family.  Tom and Debbie supplied and cooked a huge prime rib (which was absolutely delicious), and we had just a super time enjoying one another's company.  After supper a group of us played the board game Balderdash (which absolutely generates almost pee in your pants laughing), and another group played cards (Sheephead - which is a staple card game in my family).  Here are the photos from the day.  Fun, fun, fun.

My parents got a laptop for Christmas, and Michael just climbed up on the cupboard to watch my sister and her daughter Hayley look on the computer.  He certainly looks quite comfortable!

Adam and Michael

Michael with his favorite cousin Paul

Christmas 2011

A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!  Technically, it is still the Christmas season until tomorrow so I'm not in error sending the good tidings this late.

We had a special Christmas this year with Michael and my immediate and extended family.  We hosted Christmas this year (with snow on the ground!) for the first time in 15 years with 38 attendees.  It was a grand time with great food and good company, and we finished the day off with a Green Bay Packer win!  Most of my immediate family spent the night since the football game went so late. 

Michael had a semi-understanding of Santa coming to bring gifts, but it still didn't really hit home for him.  He did enjoy opening gifts though, throughout the Christmas season.  Here's a sampling of pictures from Christmas Day and the next day.

Christmas morning......

Getting more presents out from under the tree....

Santa wanted Michael to have his own tractor to ride

Santa brought him his own workbench with his own tools, and boy did he love it!  He hammered those nails all morning even before Russell could get the workbench put together.

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The older kids on Christmas Day didn't want to stay inside so they went down to the pond and swept the snow off and asked Uncle Russell to give them sled rides with the 4-wheeler.  Uncle Tom built them a bonfire next to the pond so they could see in the dark (and there was some moonlight) and boy did they have fun.  Then all of the smaller kids wanted to go out and see what the action was all about, so we were trying to find everyone boots and clothes to wear.  Well, everyone got bundled up and all of the Dad's took their kids down to the fire and pond for some good ole' fashion fun.  Aunt Tracy didn't make it out there to get pictures so we got pictures the next day...in the daylight....

And to end this post here is a picture of my Mom with my youngest nephew Joshua (Bill & Bridget's son).

Christmas Tree

We decided to cut a Christmas tree from our own woods this year.  Russell and I picked one out a few weeks ago, and this weekend we took Michael out to cut it down and bring it back to the house.  It was in the 20's when we went out, so we all got bundled up to stay warm.  Michael DOES NOT like the cold, so I couldn't get him to crack a smile in any of the photos.

We headed out on the 4-wheeler....

Now mind you, the blue spruce we picked out was about 16' tall, and we only have 8' ceilings.  So we cut the whole tree down and basically used the top half of the tree.

We dragged the tree home with the 4-wheeler.....

....and Russell and I decorated it while Michael was taking his nap.  I just didn't have the patience to let Michael help us decorate...maybe next year....

It turned out to be a fine tree, one of the best we've ever had....

Grandpa's Guitar

Michael is fascinated with any musical instrument, but especially Grandpa's guitar.  Michael is always asking Grandpa for the "tar". He loves to strum on the strings, and he dances to Grandpa's songs that he plays and sings.

Michael's Best Friend

This is Michael's best friend - Moosie (as Michael calls him).  Michael received this moose for his birthday, and he's become so attached to him.  Moosie always sleeps next to Michael at bedtime and now Michael seems to be carrying him everywhere he goes...into the car for rides and this week he joined us at the dining room table for breakfast.

Visit with Santa

While Russell was away last weekend visiting his 96-year old Grandma in Mississippi, Michael and I made a long weekend of it at my parents.  The local fire department has a visit with Santa party every year so we made the trip over there to see what Michael would do.  And here's what he did...

He made Mom sit on Santa's lap with him!

He was pretty shy, but didn't cry.  Then we enjoyed a nice lunch with Christmas cookies and all.