A very Merry Christmas

My little family had a great time together with the big family.

Christmas is about celebrating Jesus' birth and I do celebrate it every day so when Christmas comes around not only do I thank God for our Lord Savior, I also love spending time with my extended family. I celebrate that we are alive, blessed and together.

Despite the fact that we, as an extended family, are divided and some are missing, gone forever, I still rejoice and cherish the moments when those who are at peace with each other come together.

I just love family gatherings. Spending time with family is such a blessing because honestly in the end that's all we have left. We are not able to take anything to heaven, but our souls and our families. I can go on for hours on how important family is and how that is getting destroyed, broken. So I won't get into something so deep and sad. I don't even know how I got here because I was going to say something else.

Anyway, we spent our Christmas Eve with my mom's side of the family at my uncle's house. It's tradition. One of my favorite ones too! Can I say lots of food.



Everyone was to bring something. My mom and I got fruit and Oliveyea, Russian potato salad. We took home the left overs from the salad and I've been eating it for 2 days now, yummy!

The table was set very beautifully with red roses and candlelight. We even had our own little gift waiting prettily for us on our dinner plate decorate in a bow. Little touches like these can make anyone feel just as special as they are.









The desert table was filled with all kinds of goodies that excite the taste buds. From Neapolitan cake, fruit, to walnut shells filled with all kinds of goodness.

Followed by a dance routine my little cousin Bella had put together. She had worked on her number for weeks. It was truly a grand show, so grand that all the little kids have to do a number come next Christmas Eve.









The pork my uncle made was simply amazing. It was so good that it belonged on the desert table! Since I have a little baby sitting down for the whole meal with the family is unrealistic. All Little Guy wanted to do was walk. Most of my evening was spent walking him around the room or watching him while he played with legos. It was great though. My heart was full and happy.



There was so much going on during gift giving that I didn't get a chance to snap a photo. The kids were screaming because of their new Wii's that they got. Augustin was busy ripping open presents and then playing with the wrapping paper. It really was a wonderful moment for both the children and the parents. Of course Augustin didn't know what was going on, but that was expected. Next year there will be lots of excitement for him when his name keeps getting called to go get his present.





The kids had their own personal Christmas dinner table. Where was that when I was small?!



In all we had 12 adults and 6 kids. To me its small. We are usually a group of 17 adults and 8 kids. Despite that we managed to fill the house with love, laugher and lots of presents.



It was great!



Christmas Day was a lot more laid back. We spent it with my immediate family. All together that was 8 of us.

We headed for the mountains where we can truly enjoy a white Christmas, as it should be.



We spent Christmas European style at a Bavarian Village called Leavenworth. It's the closest to Europe we can get here in America.  It's really a cute little village that has great Christmas spirit. There were many people there from babies to elderly people with their families. Everyone was strolling the streets, eating ice cream, sledding down the hill, going to shops and eating with friends. What a great site it was!







Little Guy cuddled with Grandpa as we strolled the streets looking for something to eat. He was so curious about everything which made for a very quite and wide eyed baby. I guess he looked so cute that I had people asking me if they could take pictures of him. He was one popular guy.



My older brother really made a great father, but as an uncle... I'm not so sure! I mean that in every good way. My son likes to stay away from his Uncle Dieter because if he doesn't then he get a whole lot of cheek squeezing, bear hugs & squeezes in general. I think it's cute!







It was really a great time with family. When we found a restaurant that was open and serving good food we made ourselves feel like home.







Out came the spoon, beer, smiles and good food. Little Guy had the spoon, my hubby had the smile, my dad and brothers had the beer and then we all enjoy the great food.





Later, once it got dark, I wanted to go on a walk in the park. I just love walking in the dark when there is snow on the ground. It creates such peace and romance. Unfortunately my camera wasn't able to capture that nor the snowball fight, but it did capture some beauty and the time we had together.




To wrap up our day we enjoyed some good ol' ice cream on the 2 hour drive home. It was just what we needed after a cold snowy Christmas Day outside.



Happy Holiday's from my family to yours!!!