Christmas 2018

Our 2018 Family Pictures: ❤

These turned out really good!  (I'm happy I actually took the time to curl my hair even as I was feeling rough. Sickness is temporary; photos are forever. lolol)

Grandad and Babah with their four grandkids.

JoBug brought photo props - makes me happy! =)

And now with their four great-grandkids!

Grandad tearing up - I love that he's so tenderhearted!

A Christmas miracle - the cookbook arrived in the nick of time on Christmas Eve morning!

Parrish family

My happy Christmas nails (by ImPress)

Sister Pics (my phone did a surprise burst of photos so we got about 50 pics of us altogether. lol)

The kids got a new ping-pong table, keyboard, sleeping bags, etc.  Plus hoverboards for K&C, iPad for Jace, and a GoPro Hero 7 for T-man.  They were pretty happy with their gifts!

Rach got "chalkboard wrapping paper" and wrote everyone's names all fancy with puff paint and glitter. ❤ JB brought light-up earrings for Kyndal, but they were big for her and hurting her ears, so she gave them to me. lol  We had Christmas Eve dinner at Pelican's (surprise!) and then opened gifts and ate dessert at Rachael's.

Christmas day was pretty low key... we skipped the usual breakfast plan. Dad and I went to a movie at Penn Square, then the Parrishes came over for fort time outside and a spaghetti dinner!

These messages made me smile on our Connect Group chat on Marco Polo!

Saw Instant Family at Harkins with Rach and Dad this morning (great movie - it's funny and it presents a fairly accurate depiction of the ups and downs of foster care, family court drama, and adoption).  First time I'd seen a movie with Rach in years, so that was fun!

After that, I got to spend some time with these two best girlfranz, all fluffy for the winter!!  Miss Sam-Puff is still spastic and hyper-energetic, and Bellsy-love is still a lil' diva!! ❤

Of course, that got my allergies going even worse, but it was worth it.  I'm definitely still fighting a cold and getting lots of extra sleep -- Mucinex, Advil Cold & Sinus, Sudafed, and Benadryl to the (very slow) rescue!  Hopefully I'll be feeling better in time for the new year!  The semi-sad process of taking down all the decorations (at Al's house, Rachael's house, and then my own house) begins tomorrow.

I hope you had a lovely Christmas, friends!!!

*Soap Box Side Note:  It's a growing pet peeve of mine when I see Christians write the word "Xmas."  It's a lazy and ignorant way of giving up ground in the very real spiritual war being waged all around us.  If you're willing to write out Valentine's Day and Thanksgiving (rather than Xtine's Day or Xgiving), then by all means, take the extra second to write out the name of Jesus.  The only long holiday that gets shortened is the one with the name of Christ in it, and for Christians to think that's okay baffles me.  Perhaps it's because that's been ingrained into me by my parents, CHA, and the old school rap stylings of DC Talk ;-)  ...but you really can't (and shouldn't) spell Christmas without Christ!