Our Christmas Day

This was an unusual, but wonderful Christmas.  Now that I'm back to my computer I'll try to do a proper post.  (Sorry this will be a repeat of some of the things I wrote in my previous post.)

Since Lori and Anthony were not able to get to our family fondue party last Saturday, we decided to do one up here on Christmas Eve.  Even with just five of us, it was a lot of fun.

Austin started out here,

then here, 

and finally here, watching a Baby Einstein video nearby.

A knock at the door brought a delightful visit from Lori and Anthony's pastor Mackenzie and his beautiful wife, bringing us some of his homemade peanut brittle.  

We were planning to have Christmas morning with Anthony, Lori, and Austin, but the weather forecast called for ice, so Dick decided it would be better for us to head to Lancaster County after our fondue was finished.  I was disappointed, because I had planned to make croissant egg sandwiches, an on-again-off-again Christmas morning tradition of ours over the years.  However, Anthony and Lori encouraged us to leave that evening and said we could have the croissants Saturday morning.

We left about 9:30 PM and arrived at our Lititz house at 11:45.  The house wasn't so cold this time, because Ray and Thyda have been staying there this week while on their leave.  They got there shortly after we did, after having been with her family for their Christmas Eve service.

Christmas morning was extremely laid back and slow - just what I needed. Miki called from Sweden, and we probably talked for an hour.  What a treat!  I also talked with Jeremy by phone, because I wanted to make sure he heard Celine Dion sing O Come, All Ye Faithful in a live Christmas show that ABC was broadcasting.  

By 2:00 Sam and Jenn as well as Frank and Destiny, Frank's friend Kayla and her daughter were there.  We had the most non traditional Christmas meal imaginable - cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and ice cream sundaes.  It's the best I could do this year.  But the fun we had being  together, eating, laughing, and playing games made up for it.  Here are random pictures from the day.

We parted ways around 7:30 PM, Dick, Destiny, and I driving back to State College in the rain.  Thankfully the temperature was in the high 30's, so it wasn't ice. I talked a while with Lisa as we drove.  When we walked into the house at 10 PM I said,  "Merry Christmas" to Anthony before I went downstairs to our quarters.  And with that I had talked with all seven of our children on Christmas day!

Dick had to be at work by 8 this morning, but before he left I made sure he had his croissant egg sandwich.  The rest of us had ours a few hours later.  Yummmmm.