Christmas . . .

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas holiday! Best wishes in the New Year . . . just a little more than 4 hours away. 

Lulu and Red REALLY enjoyed the Christmas holiday. Unfortunately, I think they are going to have a  warped sense of the reality that is the normal Christmas for most of us. Let me summarize:

Last year we spent a fair amount on the girls for Christmas, and with what the grandparents, uncles/aunts bought them they got too much. I am not kidding when I say we stacked the presents on top of one another which in the end towered almost as tall as the girls were. (I have the pictures to prove it.) So this year we decided to cut back a lot, and put the kids on a much smaller gift budget.

All was going well with that plan until we hit Dec 23rd. Their cousins here were not going to be in town on Christmas, so the family got together and had them open the presents that they had gotten for one another. They received enough that night that it SHOULD have been called 'Christmas!'.

December 24th we went to my Mom's for Christmas Eve dinner. She decided that she did not want us to come up on Christmas day so had everyone open there presents that night (even though we protested), so she could see them open the presents that she and my dad had gotten them. Again, they got plenty, and all normal reason was thrown out the door with a very large family gift which we received.

Of course the 25th IS Christmas, so Lulu and Red opened the gifts they received from us and ALL of you. That wasn't the end though - my biological father and grandmother came over for Christmas dinner later that afternoon, and brought enough presents between the two of them that the girls opened a second 'Christmas' on Christmas.

It really is amazing how little of the Spirit you can feel surrounded by that much materialism! So next year we are putting out a formal request that all of you cut back. Feel free to get us nothing. I don't want to sound like I am complaining. The generosity that ALL of you have given us was overly generous. But this year felt a little like J-dawg's 'Theory of Christmas' (*see her blog), with us not not being anyone in the stable, nor the inn keeper, but rather one of Herod's crowd sitting in the palace up in Jerusalem.

As for the New Year Eve, Lulu asked, "Can I stay a wake until I fall a sleep?" R- and I looked at each other and said, "Sure?!?!" -CRW

Family Christmas Shots . . .

I just wanted to say thank you for letting me take pictures of you this Christmas season. It is actually quite fun for me. It lets me use my camera, photoshop, and most importantly keeps me doing something I love. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas! -CRW

Foggy Beauty . . .

After the rain in November came the fog of December - that when the sun light hits just right can be very beautiful. -CRW

Baptism . . .

Yes, Lulu was baptized this last weekend; many in the family came and participated; we had a great time having you, but that is not what I am talking about. J-Dawg it is still raining.

When the In-laws arrived Friday night it started raining. It rained Saturday and Sunday as well when they left, and continues to rain even now late Monday night. Since it started we have had over 6 inches of rain. Many roads are starting to be over run by rivers, and standing water / backed up water is deep enough on some of the freeways that they have started shutting some of them down. I know that there is not going to be another flood, but maybe this part of the country needs to be re-baptized. -CRW