Christmas Has Come & Gone

It’s the day after Christmas, one of my least favorite days of the year.

Our Christmas holidays were spent with both sides of our families.

Jason’s family tradition is to eat Fajitas on Christmas Eve. I look forward to these every year!

Jason’s grandmother reads the Christmas story from the book of Luke prior to handing out presents.

We love taking family group photos. Its fun to see how everyone’s changed throughout the years.

On Christmas Day, we all enjoyed a batch of homemade Pumpkin Pie Cinnamon Rolls for brunch.

They were delicious!

Mid-day, Jason and I opened our gifts to each other…and the doggies opened theirs, too. Madalynn and Pixie remembered gifts being put under the tree and they were ready! It was hilarious watching Madalynn with this bone…she didn’t know what to do with it at first!

We had traditional Christmas Day food at my parent’s house and it was SO good (and yes, my eyes were way bigger than my stomach)!

Our group picture!

After having our fill of food, we played a rousing game of Mall Madness. It had been YEARS since this game was played and we had a lot of fun with it!

My brother won! He’s an excellent shopper.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! Only 364 days to go!

How did you spend your Christmas? What did Santa bring you?

Merry Christmas 2013

As I was driving to work yesterday morning, a song began to play and it brought tears to my eyes. The song spoke words of truth for so many during the holiday season – there are those all around us who are hurting.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the fun and happiness of the season (myself included), we often forget those who have lost loved ones throughout the year – those who are spending their first year with an empty chair at their table. Those who have no family at all to share the holidays with…those who are sick, in a hospital, or a hospice ward. I’m not saying any of this to be a Debbie Downer, I’m hoping this will serve as a reminder to show love to everyone, especially during the holiday season. You never know what others are going through – a simple smile or a small act of kindness can make a stranger’s day.

Source

On a lighter note, we had fun taking family Christmas pictures this year!  I didn’t have outside assistance with our pictures this year, so the fact we captured a good shot was a miracle in itself.

I set the scene with my additional lighting and positioned Jason, Pixie, & Madalynn the way I wanted them. As soon as I hit the timer button, I would dash to my chair, then grab Madalynn and pose. Right before the timer went off, I would throw a treat or a toy towards the camera in order to make the dogs look that way. All in the span of 20 seconds…whew! (I did this about 30 times – talk about my workout for the day!)

What we received in turn were several “out-takes” before one we were both satisfied with.

Evil eyes…haha!

I mustache you to have a wonderful Christmas!

Yummy treat…why is it on the floor??

Mid-air treat toss…too late!

Last but not least, from our family to yours….

Have a wonderful day and enjoy every moment…a very Merry Christmas to you!