Christmas Eve 2010

On Christmas Eve, we gathered at Grandma Barbie and Poppi's house for dinner and presents. We enjoyed pork loin, potatoes, salads and cheesecake.

All ready for Christmas!

Getting ready for prayer.....

Jaxson couldn't quit smiling!

Look at all the presents! And it's only Christmas Eve!

The front room tree is adorned with gold and a train underneath which our children never tire of watching.

After dinner, we gathered in the great room for presents. Cheri was the self-appointed leader of the gift-dispensing this year! :)

Austin sat on Uncle Steve's lap

Jaxson and Austin got their remote trucks from

Aunts Cheri and Cindy and their families.

Austin was so excited too!

Carson loved his Star Wars Dictionary!

Alyssa loved riding Aunt Cheri's back!

What did the boys get?

Marshmellow guns!

Alyssa loves her Grandma and sits on her lap all of the time. Here they are opening pjs from Grandma and Poppi.

Elex and Hope getting some jewelry.
They were overwhelmed by the experience.

Alyssa was really into opening her presents!

Jax got some darling PJs from Grandma Barbie and Poppi

Uncle Steve got new golf clubs from Cheri and his daughters.

Toys R us

When Alyssa opened her doll, she said, "baby" and we quickly had to untie the baby out of the box. Our baby loves her babies! :)

A few weeks before Christmas, we were making some hot cocoa in our cocoa-latte (a Christmas gift from Aunt Cindy 2-3 years ago) and it busted! The motor went out. Dave immediately went to his phone and sent Cindy a text, asking her to get him another one. And she did. Thanks Cindy and Cheri!

We gave Dave's parents a book which I created called, "Let's Go To Grandma Barbie and Poppi's House." I compiled our favorite pictures and memories and wrote it from the voice of our children. At the end, the children shared their memories in the form of letters to their grandparents. They seemed to really love the gift!

We didn't arrive home until 11:00pm. I quickly gathered the kids (and our nephew Carson) next to the Christmas tree for a picture.

"We Can't Wait For Santa Claus!"

"Here Comes Santa Claus"

Lindsay/Vanderwel Family Christmas Party

On December 22, we met at Aunt Joanie's church for a Lindsay/Vanderwel Family Christmas party!

Right after Thanksgiving, Dave was thinking about how much fun he used to have with his cousins at Christmas time, so he called his aunt and said, "We ought to have a family Christmas party like when we were younger!" Aunt Joan was smart and replied, "Great idea! You're in charge and Charonne will help you." That meant that JODY and Charonne would be planning the event!

The evening was a hit. I really think it was. We met at 6:00pm which meant we didn't start dinner until 6:45pm. We decided to do it easy with soups, chowders, rolls, green salad and strawberry/raspberry cheesecakes for dessert!

Dinner....YUM!

While we ate, Dave and I went around taking a few pictures of our family.

Dale and Cindy

Cheri

The 3rd generation Lindsay/Vanderwel grandchildren

Uncle Jim and the cute kids

Mandy was all about supper!

Carson, Jeffrey, Elex, Jaxson and Hope

Vanderwels and Watts

Dave and Jody

The next few pictures might scare you, put they are self-taken-pictures of Dave:

Alyssa was a hoot! She was playing around with
Grandma Barbie throughout the meal.

Charisse's kids played their violins beautifully!

Bryson and Tyler playing a duet.

I thought it would be a great idea for the grandparents to share favorite Christmas memories from their childhoods with us and the grandkids. Uncle Jim told an amazing story about Christmas in Holland when a German soldier came in on Christmas eve and they ended up being friends throughout the next days, weeks and years.

Bentley looked so old playing the cello. Darling boy!

Poppi told a story about his German grandmother melting lead and predicting the future, a tradition I teach my German students each year during our Christmas unit.

Tyler, an accomplished violinist, played Silent Night. It was incredible!

Aunt Joan told about Christmas morning and going down to Hollywood for the parade. She is always so interesting to listen to.

Brittney sang a Christmas song

Grandma Barbie finished off the night with showing one of her favorite Christmas gifts...a beautiful doll!

Here are some more pictures of dinner with the gang!

WHITE ELEPHANT FUN!

After the program, I gathered the young kids for white elephant while the adults got their game ready on the other side of the gym. The kids were so energized and excited to play.

Charelle's daughter and Taylor walked around holding hands the entire night.
It was so darling.

Adult White Elephant

We had the greatest time!

Thanks for the great times, Vanderwels and Lindsays! Until next year!