Another Christmas has come and gone...feeling Blessed!

Yep another Christmas has come and gone. 
someone needs to put the Santa away...

and here I sit...

 We got home from Michigan last night...

 it gets harder and harder to leave my aging parents to come home after I visit them...

 My Arkansas son left this morning to go back home...

 my hubby left to go on a business trip...

It's quiet around here...which is sort of nice ...

but at the same time lonely...

I should unpack luggage...and repack Christmas...

but...

I may not get off of the couch...not even for church...

Thank goodness the sun is streaming in my windows...or I probably would be quite down...

Christmas always seems to come to a screeching halt...and I'm not really ready for the festivities to end!

apparently  Hallmark channel agrees, cause I'm still watching Christmas movies today!

We did have a wonderful Christmas! 

All 3 of my children were home...

I am so stinking proud of the adults they have become!!

Their beautiful families...

My Arkansas son's girlfriend and her 2 children were't able to be here...so I had to get random shots of him...of course he's the MIDDLE child, so I always get fewer pictures of him anyway!

We had a surprise visitor...

I don't know if I was more excited or the kids...and I took 1 million pictures give or take a few...but I'll spare you all...and  only show a few hundred of them...

(Princess) Sweet Pea was a little uncomfortable on Santa's lap...but otherwise loved him!

he brought small gifts, and did a great job with the kids...

he made it about Jesus instead of about him

The 3 Daniel Boone's

with a surprise in their back pocket...

The big kids stole them for a while...
and had a marshmallow fight!

little did they know...I got them each one to...we have had some kind of war at Christmas time for several years now...last year everyone got a bucket of pom pom snow balls...and we had a huge snowball fight...great for the wee ones!  One year before the little ones came along we used rubber band guns...didn't their mother ever tell them they might shoot their eye out? 
I bought them goggles to use...but they were to big and bad to listen to their mom and wear them...and yes one of them got it in the eye!

Great memories though!

I also wanted the little ones to play Santa this year...and since the older 2 just recently turned 4...and are only beginning to read...I used picture tags on the gifts...and that work out great!!

I wish you could hear this little one singing...
at the top of his lungs...
on my karaoke mike... 

"Deck the halls of falls with poll-ee
la la la la la....la la la la
tis the season to be chol-lee
la la la la la...la la la! 

I really should have recorded that!
ca...ute!

That was my Indiana Christmas...

Then on to see the family in Michigan!

I will show you just 1 pic to sum it up...
we are so blessed that my mom and dad are still with us this Christmas!
we were able to get everyone together for a picture...the first one with everyone in it...in many years...way before I had any grandchildren...
yes we were missing a couple of family members...but Mom and Dad's children...grandchildren...and great grandchildren...are all in the pic
(even if they are almost blocked by my big head!)

did we have more pics...yes
can certain individuals refrain from making goofy faces...no!

My husbands family also lives in Michigan...but I have no pictures...I was unable to go...since when I am in Michigan...I am full time care taker to mom and dad...and since I am the picture taker between my hubby and myself...there were no pictures taken with them this year...none the less we love them just as much!

This has been a rough year for my family with Mom and Dad's health...
all in all though...we feel very blessed!

May God bless you and your family!!

Sharon