Christmas Party Time!

It almost feels like I’ve already had Christmas. This Saturday ALL of my family got together and we enjoyed a pre-Christmas Christmas party at my house. We all brought something for brunch and then opened presents. For us that will be away for Christmas, it was a nice time to enjoy some presents now from the people who gave them to us. My mom had me for Christmas and I got some beautiful running clothes. I needed something for running in the dark as I had nothing reflective. Now I do. I’m set to go. Now I need to run run run.

It was a really nice time to just share with my family. There’s five of us kids so getting us AND our husbands AND our kids together is a rare thing. It was nice to add Mom and Mark and Grandma and Grandpa to the bunch.
Although, I do wish my family were more outgoing, they really are quite the drab bunch. Just sitting around, sipping their tea. Sometimes I just yawn and yawn because of the boredom. I’m the only exciting one in the bunch! Seriously.  *note the sarcasm*

Later that evening we went to Jennie’s house and had the MOST amazing Greek food. There’s this place that just has the best food. It was nice to get take out and just eat in a casual setting. I’m sure the kids enjoyed it too. We all stuffed ourselves to the gills and I think I mentioned like 400 times how amazing the calamari was. It melts in your mouth…incredible.

I love getting together with my family. It was wonderful. I was surprised things didn’t get more rambunctuous. Sometimes we have an intense round of Around the World on the ping pong table. Usually someone is sent to the hospital because Terry’s amazing dedication to winning Spoons or Dutch Blitz. And we didn’t have our usual dance party where even Grandma and Grandpa join in. I think we were all just tired of all the stress of Christmas. Usually THOSE kind of parties happen AFTER Christmas, when we’re not so stressed out.

At any rate. I enjoyed having my family over at my house and just being able to see them all in one place. I love them all very much. My siblings are my best friends.

Now for some more respectable photographs of the event.

Jill and Isaac

The crazy men that married us…well…one isn’t married yet…but almost…hopefully there’ll be a wife in there one day for Andy.

Niall(Jill’s), Terry(Jennies), Brent(mine mine mine) and Jay (Juliet’s)

My beautiful mother who’s FINALLY let her hair go gray, I love it!

Grandma doing her favorite thing, holding a baby.

Mark enjoying his Grandson

hanging out

My beautiful Grandpa

Enjoying Ikey over at Jennies. I think they were thinking of stealing him.

and the precious family photo of everyone!