Christmas Eve

Happy New Year! It has been such a long time since my last post. Following a fantastic five day Christmas excursion in frosty Ivanhoe and frigid Aberdeen, I managed to contract some type of illness that knocked me out most of last week. Fully recovered in the nick of time, but after a seriously lame New Year's Eve that ended well before 10pm, we were off for another four day trip - this time to surprisingly sunny (3 out of 4 days!) Michigan.

I took so many pictures (me? it's a Christmas miracle!) so will spread them out over a few posts. Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start... (name that tune, anyone? anyone?)

Chris and I began accumulating an excessive number of gifts before even leaving home. I'm certain Chris' favorite gift from me was the 16 quart All-Clad stockpot. Who wouldn't love one of those? He did ask for "a bigger pot" in which to cook ribs...

I was the lucky recipient of a Scooba. No surprise there, as I purchased it myself! The jury's still out on the effectiveness of the robot floor washer, as this was a deeply discounted floor model. Two unsuccessful attempts - both thwarted by inadequate battery life - indicate that Scooba might work quite well once I purchase a new battery.

Upon arriving in Ivanhoe on Christmas Eve day, we visited with the fam and Amber indulged us in yet another one of her fabulously odd poses, while Dad struck up his best stoic face and Chris grinned, probably still thinking about his All-Clad stockpot (I know I would have been).

Mom recently got a dog, a one year old Shih Tzu named Scooter. She's quickly become my buddy and I brought her a t-shirt in which she looked adorably festive.

Grandpa Dennis let Trevor open a gift early. Who knew they still made Lincoln Logs? They seem to be better than ever, with plenty of plastic accessories to help make the log structures more exciting and colorful.

Jon constructed a high-quality two-room cabin in a flash, not unlike the real-life work he does every day!

Lucky Trevor got to wrap up in his warm Cars blanket while Amber toted him to their next destination!
Dad and I looked fancy for church in our coordinating striped hats. Quite a pair!

Stay tuned for the next installment tomorrow...