Christmas Afternoon

Around Lunchtime on Christmas Day we headed over to my moms house. Noah insisted we start the afternoon with opening presents...

In all our gifts there is usually one or more with "a story" behind it. This year along with his REAL gift, i gave Barrett the gift with "the story". So the story is..... way back when i was in high school I used to "borrow" one of my dads polo shirts just to hang around the house in. I would get it out of his closet and when i would put it in the wash it always ended back in his closet so I would go in there and get it again. When I went off to college i left the shirt behind and when i came home for a break I couldn't find it anywhere. I asked everyone but no one had seen it...or so they said. Then my dear sweet Brother came downstairs wearing it. He just thought that was so funny and every time he would wear it I would tell him it was my shirt and Barrett would ever so gently (like brothers do) remind me it was not my shirt but dads. This went on for YEARS.....Barrett would wear the shirt, i would tell him it was mine and he would basically say "na na na boo boo". But all in good fun of course. Well, This past summer my mom had a garage sale and Barrett finally decided to give the shirt to Goodwill. Lucky for me I found it in the Goodwill pile and took it out. And guess what Barrett opened on Christmas Day...



Allen got another gift with a story to it. I won't tell the whole thing but basically there is this paper weight that has been passed around from family member to family member every year. We try to disguise it so no one knows what it is while opening it. This year my mom wrapped it in box after box until Allen finally got to the small box and figured out what it was...hmmm...who will get it next year???? Only Time will tell!
And of course, our favorite tradition...the Fish Gifts between Sandy and me!!
(Bonnie, the shirt was a HUGE hit!) Sandy got a "Fishboy" shirt and I got a fish rosary!
check out moms snow village....beautiful!
Bonnie did a great job on the shirt!! everyone loved it!!! Especially Sandy!
And Sandy got a fish rosary too!




Archbishop came to celebrate with us...

Not sure which is harder to get a good picture from...Noah or Nancy.... try number one...
try number two
gave up and took mom and Sue...
Sue and Aimee...
my tired Noah...
Nathan, Noah, and I....

the trouble makers...
check out all the food....
Nancy, me, and mom...
Archie and Noah...
Merry Christmas 2009!