CHRISTMAS TIME = FUN TIME

On Dec. 22, "Santa's sleigh" was filled to the MAX.

 We head south, only to find we had lots of company.  SO MUCH traffic!!

Alex was leaving to come to Oregon the next day, so we had our Christmas with him on the night we arrived.

On Sunday, we took Payton to church with us.  The church is old, but nice and it has a pipe organ in the chapel.  I think the music is really neat.

We played games and had nerf wars and just relaxed. Lots of fun!

 Christmas eve tradition, baking cookies for Santa. Payton is striking quite the "pose" here.

 Young and old love to decorate cookies.

 Some like piling massive amounts of frosting and mega piles of sprinkles and eating the cookies.

 Here's someone who has had WAY TOO MUCH SUGAR!!

On Christmas eve, the cookies and milk are set out for Santa and also carrots for his reindeer. On Christmas morning we found this footprint right next to the cookie plate!

 Kevin must have been good this year, his stocking is bulging.

 Grand kids and grandparents make a wonderful Christmas (we miss you Alex)

 I sewed pjs for the 3 younger grand kids.  I haven't sewn clothes in many years and I really had fun doing it.

Siblings

 Burks

 Smiths minus Alex.

 We had Christmas day at Ryan's step-grandma's (Enita)house. The house was gorgeous and only about a year and half old. Enita, is in the black. Ryan's dad and step mom are on his left and then Ryan's sister, Courtney on the right and you know Crystal, Owen and Payton. That dog Payton is holding belongs to Ryan's uncle.  She is a Yorkie named Texas.  Texas did very little walking on Christmas.

 Two days after Christmas, Sophia had volleyball practice, in pink shirt.

 Sophie is in the middle of the line of girls.  She is the tallest of these 11 and 12 year old girls.

That afternoon, we left for Arnold, CA.  Chris' folks have a cabin there and the grandma has a cabin next door.  Can you tell these 3 are excited to go play in the snow?

 We built a snow fort.

Grandpa Jim didn't mess around molding and throwing snowballs.  He just scooped up a bunch of snow in the disc and threw it at us poor unsuspecting souls.  Evil!

 Here's someone that loves the snow. He walked up the hill SO many times and delightfully went sliding down.

 Chris bought him this snowball-maker tongs.  They were cool, no pun intended.

 Perfect snowballs every time.

 In the evening we played spoons.  Fun game, unless you end up being the donkey.

No Addy, that's not how to play.

 We put a puzzle together also.

We checked out the local burger place. It really reminded me of my workplace, Hasty Freez.  Giant Burger was enormously yummy.

 We also checked out the lake which is less than 5 minutes from the cabin. It was a little nippy for a swim.

One day we went to Bear Valley.  It is about 1/2 an hour away in the Sierra Nevadas.

The girls went snowboarding and Kevin went skiing.

Here goes Addy down the hill.

 Sophie too.

And Kevin getting ready.

Jim and I, no skiing or snowboarding.  Jim called us the Lodge Lizards. We sat near the glass windows and warmed ourselves in the sunshine.

That was our Christmas.  It was wonderful and filled with sweet memories.  Hope your Christmas was great also, jim and kathy