Suzie, Tim and Kids Come to Dinner

We had Sue (Guenther's youngest child) and Tim and their kids for dinner last Sunday evening, Dec. 30th. Bob and Genie came also...and Lincoln too. We had a really nice visit. My pot roast turned out great. (I have learned to add a flour/water mix to the water while the roast is cooking in the slow cooker, and it gives a great flavor to the gravy since it has cooked for such a long time). I enjoyed playing Koosh-Ball-Catch and Oh Wah Ree with the kids while the grownups visited upstairs. And Sam taught me how to play Solitaire on the computer.

Maxwell stares at the photographer. Sue thinks he has his grandpa Guenther's forehead and nose.
Sam, Max, Tim, and Lucy.
It was very nice that Lincoln could come.
This is Lucy's smile for the camera.

A cute shot of Max.
I enjoyed hearing Tim hold forth on several issues...I believe that he, Bob, and Lincoln started off with a discussion on the immigration problem.
Our sweet little Emma Claire.

John Henry and Emma. Henry showed me his excellent cartwheel while we were downstairs in the big basement room. He is taking gymnastics.

A shot of David as he opened and closed the doors on the stove. I love that stove...it never gets really hot to the touch...one can sit on it...and yet it does a great job of warming the whole kitchen. The secret is the blower fan.

Christmas Eve at Jackie's

Christmas Eve was cold and snowy, but it was warm and cheery in Jackie's home as we got together with everyone. As always, everyone brought delicious food. Sue and Tim flew in from Dallas, and it was nice to see them.

Amelie, Jackie, Krissie, and Jeannine.

Ryan, Landon, Sariah, Avery, and Garrett.

Lucy is her grandpa's little doll. Here she is with Genie and Emma.
Sariah holds Ella Marcelle.

Bob and Freddie (Mie Kyong's youngest boy)

Sue and John Henry.
Lindsey shows Jeannine the toy she won in the Bingo game the kids played downstairs.
Maxwell will be one year old next week.
Genie and Emma.

Guenther, Richard, and Sarah.
Guenther is talking on the phone with Tim's mom. He needed to get Tim's cell phone number. We wanted to see how they were making out as they drove to Jackie's from the airport.

Mie Kyong's Alex looks great in these funny glasses. Emily and Lindsey are at the table, and Jim Brown is standing by Alex.
Garrett gives a smile for the camera.
Brandon, David, Jim, and Alex.
Don't you love Ella Marcelle's beautiful brown eyes? When they arrived she was wearing a precious little cap that Krissie had knitted for her.

Gram Peachie's 90th Birthday Party

Guenther and I flew to Albuquerque on Friday the 21st. Salt Lake was in the middle of a big snowstorm when we left, but it was sunny in Albuquerque most of the time.

I made a photo album for GramPeachie with photos and birthdates of all her descendants. I had my family email me photos and information, but I didn't get started on it until week before last. On that Wednesday I developed excruciating back spasms, but, having read "Healing Back Pain" by Dr. John Sarno, I knew that the pain was most likely caused from the worry and tension I felt about making the album. Since I have never before scrap-booked, I was concerned that I would do a dorky job. However I went over to Tami's on Friday, and she showed me her albums, and then we went to Roberts where she helped me buy all the stuff I would need. And, as I suspected, once I felt comfortable with my scrap-booking, the back pains disappeared completely.

I spent several days on my project, working until one a.m., and neglecting my sweet husband, but I was pleased with the end result. And so was GramPeachie. The last thing she said to me as we said goodbye to her was "that was the best gift anyone could have given me."

My work in progress.

This page features Howard's daughter, Shannon, and her three children. They live in Mexico City.

Some pages from the album. I spent lots of time re-doing pages as I went along, and as I figured out how to make them look better.

Doesn't GramPeachie look great for a ninety-year-old?

The Finley Seven. In reverse birth order..Skip, Kathy, Mari, Judy, Cecelia, Howard, and Jeannine.
(Southbeach Diet, Here I Come)

This one has a few grandkids thrown in. Mother said it was so good to sit there and see her posterity lined up like that.

Howard's youngest daughter, Trish, plays with Cecelia's grandkids, Jadyn and Landon.

Howard's son, Todd (in the center) with his wife Kristin and Eric (Cecelia's son). Trish, Todd, and Kristin flew in from Dallas, and Eric from California.

Kathy and her daughter, Ashley.

A photo of Skip.A shot of Howard with Judy and her daughter, Danielle. Danielle's family drove in from California to spend Christmas with Judy.GramPeachie with all of her children, and some of her grandchildren. Hard to believe that all of these people came from that tiny lady.

Howard, Skip, Cecelia's son, Eric, and Mari behind GramPeachie.

GramPeachie hugs Eric.

Party in progress.

GramPeachie laughs when Eric asks her if she wants to read here or wait until she gets home the racy magazine that Trish gave to her.
She loved the album, and I felt like my efforts were appreciated.

When she looked at this beautiful cake, GramPeachie noted that the "great-great grandmother" was missing. It was a lovely party...Kathy and Judy did a super job getting it together. Mother had a wonderful time, and I am so glad that we were able to be there, and that I got to see everyone.

Photo Shoot of Two Losers in the Bump Head Event

Here we are...Ellyn hit the wall with her forehead, and there's my shiner from hitting Ellyn with mine.

Let The Christmas Fun Begin

We had a wonderful Crabtree Christmas party tonight at Nancy's house. I took a Chocolate Sundae Pie dessert similar to one that Jackie brought to our Thanksgiving dinner. Lindsay asked for the recipe...Jeannine told me that it originally came from Renee. I made a little change in mine:We played a Christmas Tree game with a game card and dice where the winner gets to be first to choose from the gift pile. We tried to bring funny gifts from home or the dollar store.

Jennifer and Jason.

Guenther has some ideas for speeding up the game a little.

Kai is watching all the fun.

A nice shot of Mike and Dave.
Drew and Summer got a kick out of the skeleton in the big shiny gift that everyone wanted, but Drew ended up with.
I love this sweater that Lindsay knitted for Ema and which now fits Ellyn.

When we first arrived, before the game started, Emalise had a ball with Summer's dress up clothes.
Hey, Jen. The blinking snowman's nose looks great on you!
You, too, Mike!

Two profiles. This is ole Jordan.
When Jen was a teenager, David would joke that his idea of a rich man was one who could afford to marry Jennifer. So it was funny when she ended up with this gigantic stocking for Santa to fill.

Summer clowns around with Jennifer's stocking.

Ellyn is staring at the singing dog.

Guenther looks good in his new tie that reads "I Love You, Man."
Jen called Guenther and me to come see on the computer the bobble head video that she made for us. We laughed ourselves silly. I can't get it on my blog, but I can email it to you.
Do my kids recall this nativity set that Booth made in the base hobby shop while he was serving in Korea?
Nancy and I swapped trees. The little one is perfect for us, and Summer did a wonderful job decorating the big one for their home.

Drew and Katherine sing a duet for us. They will be performing in a recital this week.
Emalise likes the slinky toy. And Ema and Ellyn look cute in these hats. And their dad looks good in his also.