Christmas Moments in TN

Christmas Dinner (thanks, Carrie, for your quality picture)

Playing with our Barbie dolls.  We got her a ballet Barbie this year to add to her collection.

Playing the Christmas Bingo game I made for them.  The chocolate bell markers were a sweet touch.

Out for an evening walk/scoot on Sabbath

Playing a Go Fish kind of game we made up with her "cat" card deck

This is the FP school house Ryan and Amy played with that I recently found in our storage room

She finally fits into the dress I made for Amy. It's a perfect fit.  And it seemed soooooo big for her a year ago when we held it up to her.  

December of 1993 in New Market, VA in our matching dresses. I was so glad when Amy finally outgrew it and I could get rid of mine, since it never fit me well. 

She works hard at her closed-mouth smiles to hide her missing teeth I think.

Maestros Ryan and Easton at the keyboard

Easton loves driving his cars over the bumps in our living room carpet. Too bad they don't show up in this picture.

Claire does quite well at ping pong.

After the Christmas Eve service that we attended at our church

Easton wasn't going to cooperate for a picture till Carrie told him that his big smiles by the Christmas tree would result in presents on Christmas morning.  What a big smile he had then. . .

. . . then he wouldn't stop smiling  :)

Opening gifts from Aunt Anne on Christmas Eve - Ryan was trying to guess what was in the box, and NO, he didn't get it.  Well done, Anne!

Reading the Usbone book we got her about the family who loved books  - on Christmas morning

Books, cars, dolls - a pretty perfect Christmas

Cheese!

I didn't have to call them twice to the dinner table!  The Clubbs gave us the beautiful Christmas center piece.

Claire's Christmas tree relish plate

Christmas evening Settlers fun

Then Ryan got out the Life game. . . it lasted three hours before Claire finally won!

Christmas PJ's

Story time the night before they were going home

I made this flannel nightgown many years ago so I dug it out and put it on over my clothes when Claire came out in her flannel nightgown.

It was so good having them home for Christmas - the best Christmas present we could ask for.  It just went by waaaaaaaay too fast. (They came Friday, Dec. 22, and left Wed. morning, Dec. 27.)

Christmas Trip to Dollywood with Claire n Easton

We started the day (Fri., Dec. 22) on the antique cars while Ryan and Carrie went on the new wooden roller coaster and waited forever in line.  The line for these was pretty long too.  

Ready to spin on the tea cups with Grandma Jane

Now for some flying elephants fun - this was a little wild for Randy since Claire made the elephant go up down, up down, up down, up down. . . 

Carrie's picture as we left

Christmas in the Smokies production - my favorite Christmas show at Dollywood

It rained lightly on us while waiting in line for Twas the Night Before Christmas.  The chance of rain in the forecast helped keep the crowds away we figured.

They both really enjoyed the carousel on this visit.  

This was Easton's last free Christmas visit to DW  :(

Our First Snow!

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care. . .

The snow started falling this morning when we were out walking, just little tiny white things. Then it stopped, but soon it was really flying and big flakes and kept at it for quite awhile.  Hamilton Co. schools closed 2 hrs. early.  The Christmas program we planned to attend tonight at a Baptist Church in Ft. Oglethorpe was cancelled.  But it is also being presented tomorrow night and Sun. morning so maybe we'll catch it yet.  

This is our mixed-up bay window display in our bedroom - from the beach to the Christmas tree and snow outside!

Part of the drive that's cracked up out by the road that soaked up a lot of sealer Sun. needs another coat and isn't fully dry, so he's still blocking it off with the used up buckets of sealer.  Now he has to wait on warm enough weather to re-seal it.

We put up the lights  outside Tuesday night and so far none have quit working!

It was so pretty when we walked on our street this evening just before sundown.