I love to Dream, live to Create and hope to Inspire!

Christmas 2010

We had a fabulous Christmas this year.  We headed up to the farm on Wednesday and had a nice lunch with my lovely in-laws.  I really do have the best in-laws in the world and I love that ~ I've heard horror stories and am thrilled that I absolutely adore my husbands parents! After lunch we took a walk around the farm and of course I took my camera so here are some pics from our walk.

Everyone strolled in around 7:30p.m. that night and shortly after that we started playing games and Opa (my father in law) made his very popular spaghetti for dinner.

The next day (Thursday) we treated like our Christmas Eve and made the traditional Norweigian meal with Lefse, Kringla, Sviska (sp?) soup, Swedish Meatballs, Krumkake, Sandbakles (sp?), etc.  with lots of yummy cookies and sweets to eat afterwards.  Then we sat around in the great room and opened gifts with each other followed by more game playing of course.

Friday we treated like our Christmas and had our turkey and ham dinner for lunch with lots of yummy sides and of course the all too many sweets for dessert.  We took pictures afterwards (below) and my niece Gabby set up her new tripod so that we could take a family picture without having to have a photographer come over.

It was awesome to sit and listen to my sister in law play the piano and her, my mother in law and brother in law all sang Christmas carols.  My brother in law and mother in law looked too cute in the advent wreath with candles.

Love all the decorations my mother in law has around the house - these little angles playing instruments are from Germany from probably around the 1950's.

Our sweet Austin



Pretty much nothing was left undecorated - the elf in the mouth of the bass is an Icelandic stuffed Santa toy.



Gabs and Oma

Gabs, LouLou, and Oma

Me, Lynne, Oma, LouLou, and Gabby

Austin, Holland, Uncle David, Kendall and Dillon

Cookie - a bird dog that just happened to make the farm his new home! He is a sweetheart and has the other dog Brownie to play with (also a stray that made the farm his home)

my in laws - also known as Opa &Oma

my husbands parents and siblings

Me and all my mens!

Dillon, Lynne, and Michael

David

My hubby's sister Linda (LouLou) and brother David

Gabs is an awesome photographer! She is the reason I got the nice Canon camera I have ~ I love the photos she gets using hers ~ me, I'm still working on mine to look as great as hers.

David, LouLou, Hubby Steven, and Michael - Hubby's siblings

Oma, Opa and their grandkids

The grandkids

Kendall & cousin Gabby

Kendall - our middle son

I absolutely love pomegranates - had no idea that my inlaws had them growing right by the house.  These were a bit rotten but still pretty.

The cousins!

This HUGE oak tree in the back yard has been there for over 100+ years and it unfortunately had to be cut down.  Made the perfect bull riding machine - lol

and the perfect logs for picture taking

Steven said since I got to stand on a block for our family portrait recently I needed to show everyone that I really am shorter than all the men in my family - even when I'm not squatting - I'm still the shortest almost - I have a few inches on Holland still.

The cousins ~ so love how well they all get along and really enjoy being around each other.

These boots (and tennis shoes) were made for walking

Hey Hey we're the MONKEYS ~ people say we monkey around!

Can't believe I got them to walk down the driveway - it was quite cold outside and I thought for sure that I'd get a fight out of wanting more pictures!!  They were very patient though and I'm glad they were ~ I love these photos!!

More table decor from our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners

Oma and daughter - Linda

My niece Gabby took pictures too and since blogger isn't playing nice and letting me move them where they need to go here are some more pictures of some of the things you saw above PLUS some since she had her camera out more than I did!

Friday night my nephew and his family came over with their three kids - of course we all took turns holding the newest addition to the family Thatcher (3mos. old)

Baylor

Mimi and her grandpa Michael

Mimi

Gabs and Baylor

Baylor, Gabby and Emerson

Uncle David and Thatcher

Leave it to Kendall to rough house with the kiddos and get em all rialed up or warn out

Andrew & Holland
After we left the farm on Christmas morning we drove down to my parents and spent the rest of the day with them and my younger sister and her family.

Me & Hannah -  our hair (& my make up) wasn't look its best as we just finished Just Dance 2 on the Wii - WHAT FUN! I was going to go out and get it today but didn't want to deal with the crowds so am waiting til tomorrow!! 

Me and Andrew

Me and Mom

Andrew

Matt and Hannah

My younger sister (who also did the Wii and danced her butt off) and Andrew

O'Brien Family

My mom and dad - it was nice spending some of Christmas with them - it's been way too long as they have lived overseas for way too long!!

Nana, PopPop and our boys

Nana, PopPop, Hannah and Andrew

Me with my younger sister, mom and dad - we sure did miss you Linda and the rest of the family and you TOO Grandma!!!

Me and Steven

Me and my daddy



I tired putting these in order but blogger wasn't playing nice when I tried to move them! urgh
My mother in law, sister in law and brother in law singing carols for us! They all three have such beautiful voices!

more table decor!

Oma & Gabby

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas! Enjoy this week as we near the end 2010 and prepare for 2011!!
Blessings,
Sandy