Christmas Trilogy, Episode 2

The second installment of Christmas pictures...very late.  I find that I get bored posting about our lives...I'd much rather post on food.  It's more interesting.  Right now, I have a zillion different posts I'd like to do, so I had better get started.  I flipped through pictures today, only to discover that most of the ones from our trip to TX somehow got left behind...so after dispatching an email, we'll have to wait and see what happens with that.  This second post is generally about our trip to the land of Texas and since I don't have all the pictures, I'll throw in our Christmas post as well.

 Do I even need to say anything about this?  Boys will be boys.

 And Katie.

 While this group of swordsmen/woman are a nice lot, the one on the far left is my favorite.  He's the tallest, strongest, biggest, and bestest.  And I don't even care that that isn't a word.  He's also smart, handsome, caring, and an absolute nut.  We have the best fun together.

 Ok...so the lighting isn't that great.  But this is Christmas dinner.  Candlelight.  3 Course meal.  Pictured--Seafood Chowder.  Dressed up we are--after attending a Christmas Eve service.  Oh, did I fail to mention I did a lot of cooking so we could have a special dinner Christmas Eve and then I wouldn't have to cook for an entire weekend?  It's the way my Mom always did it...and we loved it!

 

 Salad...with lots of goodies!

 Beef stroganoff crepes (crepes are my newest skill and are delicious! still can't flip them in the pan, though...), Biscuits and cinnamon butter, and what's left of the Fruit and Cheese Kabobs...

 Breakfast Christmas morning (after a late night of games, movies, and cuddling.  followed by a slow morning of sleeping late, more cuddling, opening gifts, having devotions...)  Actually, this should be Christmas afternoon...by the time we were up to eat it...it was well after 12.  Omelets--finally made the perfect omelet!  Bacon, scrapple (with blackstrap molasses!), coffee, and eggnog.

2 Layer yummy cake.  We're still eating it, though.  Brian keeps saying he's afraid it will run out.  I think that's a hint for me to make more.

And now for family pictures (a.k.a: The Sea of Red).  Anyone who has ever taken family pictures knows that it typically involves taking about 1,000 pictures to have one decent picture, hysterical laughing, patience, smiling until you are no longer sure whether you have cheeks or bruises, dressing everyone up to look the same, if you wear glasses, you will no longer possess eyes--just glare, and when it involves kids, performing acrobatic stunts to produce smiles.  It's really quite amusing to think of all one goes through to get a picture.  Definitely memory making time. ;-)  I'll be nice and not post all the funny ones...but I won't promise not to scrapbook them.

The nephews and nieces.  Aren't they cute??!?!

 Smiles!