What a week of Christmas it’s been for us. It started last week Friday, Dec. 19…I did have to go to work for about 2 ½ hours and then they finally closed the college, which all in all wasn’t too bad since I got what I could done, got to go home early, and I didn’t have to go back this week.
Ally is sitting on the snow in the driveway after Jerry snowblowed a little bit. It was perfect height for her.
On Saturday we went to Aunt Joyce’s house for Christmas. The girls had a ton of fun playing with Liza and Sawyer. There was a ton of great food and conversation. It was actually quite quiet, not normal for a holiday over there, but a few people were missing, including Jeremy, Esther, Autumn, Wyatt, Matt, Pete, Aunt Julie, and Uncle Howard. We all missed them terribly, but they all had reasons for not being able to join us. This is the only picture I got with all 5 of the kids in it. From left to right: Lauren, Olivia, Ally, Liza, Sawyer...after this picture Liza wouldn't get in any more.
Sunday came and there were blizzard warnings, but Jerry and I decided to ignore them because we had to finish Christmas shopping. We dropped the girls off at my mom’s house and shopped all afternoon/evening. It was good to get it all done, but the weather wasn’t too exciting for me. The girls had a lot of fun at grandma and grandpa’s of course!Monday was a day of rest for us…well for most of us. I went upstairs to start some laundry and low and behold water wouldn’t come out of the washer. Darn pipes…they froze on us. Jerry was messing with those all day long. He ended up cutting a chunk of drywall out behind the washer and in the garage. The project won’t be 100% complete until the spring, but for now he just wrapped the pipes with heat-tape. We’ll call it good for now.
Tuesday I took the girls over to my friend Kari’s house. Aunt Anne, Jude, and Ava met us there and the kids had a great time playing together. We haven’t gotten together like this in a long time. And we need to do it more often.
Wednesday, Christmas Eve, we went to my mom’s for Christmas with Uncle Paul and Aunt Amy, because they had to leave for Kentucky early Christmas morning. We ate dinner and open presents. The girls once again had a great time. They really got into Christmas this year. It was really fun watching them! After presents we ran over to the neighbors house to wish them a Merry Christmas. Joan and Tom are my mom’s neighbors and Lindsey is their daughter. Lindsey and I have been friends since I was in kindergarten. Her boys Koby and Kyan are now friends of my girls. So we dropped in to say hello and see them for a few minutes before church. Church was fun, and entertaining. The girls must have had a little too much sugar before church, they were running back and forth between family members and OG even took off down the aisle. We sent Ally after her. People all around us were laughing, but I’m sure they were thinking, “those kids are so misbehaved!” Oh well, at least they were smiling and the girls were definitely having fun. Then there was a surprise guest at church, Santa Claus…he came to wish us all a Merry Christmas. Lauren and Olivia thought that was so cool. They kept waving to Santa and yelling out “SANTA, SANTA, SANTA, SANTA!” Jerry and I thought it was very funny…again, I doubt people around us did. After church we brought the girls home and Ally and I left cookies out for Santa and his reindeer. Then all 3 girls were out like a light.
All of us sitting at the table eating Christmas Eve dinner (except for my mom, she's taking the picture).
Christmas morning we slept in a little bit. Ally ran downstairs and ran back upstairs to tell us that Santa had come and brought lots of presents. We all went downstairs and got the cameras ready so the girls could start opening their presents. Then Jerry’s mom and step-dad came. They had a lot more presents for the girls. Then my mom and Bob came over and brought a few more presents for them. WOW, we could barely move in the living room with all the presents that didn’t fit under the tree. We all ate a Christmas brunch together and the girls dug into their presents. Again, they got a lot of nice new toys and had fun ripping them open and handing them out and then finally playing with them. It was a busy day and they all crashed that night!
Christmas morning we slept in a little bit. Ally ran downstairs and ran back upstairs to tell us that Santa had come and brought lots of presents. We all went downstairs and got the cameras ready so the girls could start opening their presents. Then Jerry’s mom and step-dad came. They had a lot more presents for the girls. Then my mom and Bob came over and brought a few more presents for them. WOW, we could barely move in the living room with all the presents that didn’t fit under the tree. We all ate a Christmas brunch together and the girls dug into their presents. Again, they got a lot of nice new toys and had fun ripping them open and handing them out and then finally playing with them. It was a busy day and they all crashed that night!Christmas morning opening presents.
They got a doll house from Santa, they LOVE it!
Above: All of us eating Christmas Brunch, except my mom (she's taking the picture) and Jerry (he's cooking bacon).
Below: The MOUND of Christmas presents that grandma and grandpa brought over.
Yesterday was another day of relaxing for us. Jerry went hunting in the afternoon and shot 3 deer. He brought 2 of them home and left 1 at his dad’s. He got 2 doe and 1 button-buck. While he was out hunting my cousin Amy and Aunt Julie came for a visit. Amy is moving in with us in a few days so she brought of load of her things over. We had a nice little visit and the girls had fun playing with cousin Amy.Today we started off playing and Jerry and Ally went to Meijer. This afternoon Jerry’s dad, his girlfriend, and Aunt Arlene, Uncle Marshall, and cousin Marshall all came for Christmas. We had a very nice pizza Christmas and a very nice visit. The kids ran around like chickens with their head’s cut off, they jumped off the furniture, they played, and laughed and had a grand old time. It’s always nice when we all get together. And the best part was the girls crashed within 5 minutes when they finally went to bed.
Grandpa and all 4 grandkids. Marshall, Olivia, Lauren, Allyson.
So she just lays down with her, but because she's feeling better, she just kicks her feet at the wall and plays while Lauren lays there feeling like crap!
I know my children aren't looking too hot in these pictures...just make a quick note, Ally dressed herself (she did NOT go in public with a red shirt and hot pink pants on) and Lauren & OG are sick, and it's the end of the day, almost time for bed...I can come up with more excuses too, if you want...
Next we have the "older kids". From left to right, Kelli, Steve, Ryan, Will, Kari, me, Jerry, Esther, Jeremy, Amy, Paul, and Pete.
The day after Thanksgiving there was no shopping for us. We woke up early and my mom came over to stay with the girls while Jerry took me to the hospital. I wasn’t sick; I had to go to the radiology department to get tested to make sure the Essure birth control process that I had done back in August actually worked. My doctor had to run a die in to see if my tubes were closed or still open. The whole process took about 30 seconds. It’s amazing how much pain can happen in 30 second. It wasn’t as bad as the first process, but it still wasn’t too comfortable. But the good news is my tubes are permenantly closed and we will NOT be having any more babies! For the rest of the morning I slept and in the afternoon we dropped the girls off at Aunt Anne’s to spend the night. While they were there, Jerry and I cleaned the house and got it all ready for Saturday’s Baragar Thanksgiving at our house.
Bob opening our present to him...black olives...no that wasn't all we got him, but that was the best part. Next time we're over there, I'm sure Bob and I will devour the black olives. A few weeks ago him and I ate a whole can...yeah, a whole can. Afterwards I wasn't feeling so well...but we thought it was pretty funny!
Olivia has been sick for most of this week. She started off with a fever and tiredness, today it turned into diarrhea and not eating. She’s been lying around and sleeping wherever she feels like stopping and dropping, including the living room chair, the love seat in the basement, and on Jerry’s chest. The other day when she was lying on the chair, Lauren decided that she needed to sit with her. The bad part about the two of them following each other and doing whatever the other one does, is when OG doesn’t eat (because she doesn’t feel well) Lauren decides that she doesn’t need to eat either. I’m sure she’ll learn fast that if she doesn’t eat, she’ll be hungry. But until then, I guess we can’t make her eat. 
Tomorrow should be a big day for us. We’re supposed to get out Christmas tree. I know what you’re thinking, Christmas is next week…yes, we’re a little slow, but we always go cut one down and it turns into a HUGE pine needle mess if you get it too early. So we’re going tomorrow and we’ll probably take it down a few days after Christmas, depending on how much we have to yell at the girls to stop touching it.