We spent Thanksgiving in Oneonta with James' parents. We had a nice day and a yummy dinner, but bedtime proved to be a HUGE issue for little Miss Ella! It was then (along with a few hints she gave us during other trips last fall) that we discovered that she really doesn't care for sleeping anywhere other than her own bed. Lovely.
Ella in the toy bin at Grandpa and Grandma's
Ryan playing with some of James' old GI Joe toys
December:
Mid-month, we attended a Christmas party for the kids that one of the dispatchers at James' station planned. It was a lot of fun. In the words of my 4 year old, it was "a wonderful night and the best party ever." Or, was it, "a wonderful party and the best night ever"? Either way, I think he had a good time.
Anxiously waiting for their names to be called to get their gift from Santa
Ryan opening his gift...a new car! How did Santa know?
Ella's turn...
A telephone! This one DOES like to chat!
We headed back to Oneonta for Christmas Eve where we celebrated with a traditional Swedish Christmas Eve dinner called dopp i grytan (which literally means dip in the pot). Basically, it is korv (a swedish sausage), ham, and roast beef. My mother-in-law also makes rice pudding and puts out rye bread and bond ost cheese. The way some people in the family eat the meal is to put the cheese on top of the bread, and then pour the juice from the meat on top . The swedish tradition is actually to stand around the pot and dip the bread into the juice. Hmm...I think I like the way we do it better. It was one tradition that took some getting used to for me, but it's nice to celebrate the Swedish heritage!
ANYWAY...moving along...We decided to brave it with Ella and stay overnight so we could celebrate Christmas with everyone. James' brother and his family, along with James' sister and her family were all there as well. Here are some of my favorite Christmas photos:
It was quite an effort to get all of us in one picture. This is probably take 23. I don't know, really, but I do know that it was the best one. Look how Ryan's eyes are closed and Ella isn't looking at the camera. Of course...the best one is NOT the best one of my children. Oh well. It was hectic.
A picture of all the cousins. Again, my children are the only ones who felt in necessary to hold their blankies. Come on, Ella...get it together girl and look at the camera! Ha!!
I'm not sure this picture does justice to the amount of gifts that were under the tree. When there are 15 people in one place for Christmas...it's quite a sight! Overwhelming, really.
Ryan checking out the array of gifts on Christmas morning
Ella and her Elephant
I thought this was cute...
There were more gifts to be opened when we got home. I love that Ella was more impressed with the paper than she was the actual gifts. So cute.
After Christmas we made a trip to Maine to visit with my Mom for a week. We had a great time visiting with her, as well as other family and friends. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures while we were there (oops!). Though we enjoyed our travels, it was definitely nice to be back home in our own beds. Did I mention that Ella doesn't really enjoy sleeping anywhere BUT in her own bed!? Oh, I did? Well, let me reiterate!
Now, it's back to the grind. I kind of like the grind.
3 comments:
Kate - I enjoyed reading your blog update. I can relate as Mady won't sleep anywhere but her own bed either (and unfortunately sometimes not there either). She also was really into the paper at Christmas - more so than the gifts. You have a very nice family!
Jill D.
Yay for updates! Don't you feel like a big weight has been lifted, now that you are all caught up? Ha ha. :)
PS - Ben pointed out Ella AND Ryan in this post! Cute!
Oh, and PPS - Sometime I will tell you about Ukrainian Christmas, which is how Josh's family often celebrates Christmas Eve. It's different, yes, and kind of fun, yes, to celebrate the heritage! :)
Thanks the for the updates, Kate! :) I know I never realize how "behind" I am in posting things until my mom starts making subtle comments like "You know, I checked your blog the other day and nope, still nothing new!" Uh, thanks mom...I get the hint. ;) I love Ella's Elephant (I used to collect them...still drawn to them, especially stuffed ones). :)
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