On the thirty-first day of December...

meant sleeping in till almost 9am and eating a favorite breakfast!

brought an end to trip laundry...washed, folded, and put away!

brought lots of laughter with Teddy's new Wii game...Wipeout2!

lots of playing with toys...

eating up the leftovers...this was the remains of the failed supper the other night...and it tasted good...to me!

using Christmas gifts...to go grocery shopping...

wearing Christmas gifts...

planning a simple party...to say good-bye to the old year and welcome the new year...

all before 10pm!

Happy New Year...a few hours early!

On the thirtith day of December...

remembering more fun in pictures.

Singing Christmas carols together...and realizing that the bigger the kiddos get...the smaller the room seems!

Gift exchanging...

brought a lesson to me...don't try on your new Sister's ring that is still attached to the packaging...it renders your hand useless until your niece shares some of her new lotion...

and people will laugh at your lack of fore-thought.

Perfect!  The one time the delay in your digital camera works to your advantage!  Mom's excitement as she watched Dad open the lefse iron package.

How many batches of Swedish pancake mix did Grammy make?  I don't know exactly...but she cooked for 45 minutes to be ready for breakfast.  We helped with all the other duties...and kept her coffee cup fresh.

The grand-kiddos enjoyed every last bite!

And the big kiddos did too!

Teddy's new glasses...change color according to his beverage choice.

Competitive building...

Grampy's mashed potatoes!

The Moms can make a lunch with this...and on top of Mrs. T's homemade rolls...YUM!

Sitting and talking/reading/knitting/playing/surfing/puzzling...

and causing problems!  We figured out where the loose screw came from...Mari and I cleared the coffee table accidentally...thank goodness, Brad was willing to work with a screwdriver for a couple minutes.

Playing games with the kiddos...

and then we kicked them out...so the adults could play.  The level of competition went up considerably!

Grammy and her puzzle loving girls took turns sitting at the table when the mood hit.

Thank you, Grampy and Grammy!  Oh what fun it was to come and surprise you!

On the twenty-ninth day of December...

I am looking back over the last few days and my heart is full.  God is so good to give me so many blessings!  I was reminded tonight that we never know how much time God will give us with our loved ones.  In an instant, a family's life is changed...forever.  As I look through the pile of pictures, I am reminded of Mom and Dad's favorite saying...You just never know...and I am so grateful for the blessings we have enjoyed this week!

4 plus hour van ride...just the girls!  Our daughters watched multiple episodes of Lucy and my sis and I had uninterrupted conversation!  You just never know how much we both needed that...

complete with coffee and candy canes and other various treats!

You just never know...till you sit back and watch the interaction...how fast your children have grown and how important cousins are to each other!

A special Christmas gift that we were able to "hand-deliver"! 

You just never know...what an encouragement it is to sit and talk with men of like faith and practice!

You just never know...what emotions will flood your heart as you walk into your parent's home.

You just never know...what the kiddos will find to do and how long they will do it.

You just never know...how much you really wanted to see a white Christmas...till you see some snow on the ground.

You just never know...what two boys will do next and how they will respond to each other's antics.

You just never know...what blessings God has in store when you spend time in His house with His people...

but you know it will be what you needed...when you needed it!

You just never know...how many cups of coffee you actually consume as you sit around...

You just never know...what type of treats Mom will pull out...this time, it was maple cotton candy.  Oh my!

The combination of caffine and sugar late at night increases the laughter and fills tired hearts.

You just never know...how much you will miss your sister when you grow up and life moves you miles apart.

You will remember all the times your mother told you this would happen and you will know that your mother was right!  You will hear the words of your father ring in your ears about the importance of having and keeping right relationships.  Without the Lord...and without your family...who do you have?

Would you please pray for the Weber family?  I was in the CBBC youth group with Tim.  We met up again at college.  He met his wife at MBBC and they have been serving the Lord together.  We got the word that God called him home this morning.  His wife and children know how quickly life can change,

 and they need His grace.

I am thankful for the times that God gives us...they are gifts!

You just never know...

but you can know Him...

and you can trust Him!

We LOVE surprises!!! On the twenty-seventh day of December...

Mom asked the question yesterday on her blog, "Where are the girls when I need them?"

WELL...we were on the interstate headed to THEIR house.  Yes, I said WE!  We have been coniving and planning since Thanksgiving. AND WE PULLED OFF THE SURPRISE!  We wish we would have videoed the reactions.

Dad has been saying "This is amazing!" as he walks through the sea of people.  We were welcomed with a pot of coffee and treats.  Grammy and Grampy have been smiling and passing out lots of hugs.  We are enjoying the time.  We celebrated Christmas after eating a taco supper by singing carols and opening gifts together.  The adults are content to sit and talk.  The kiddos are bundles of energy and have lots of room to roam!  "Oh, what fun this is!"

Dad and Mom's new lefse griddle from the Stille family.

We are enjoying some of the traditional fare...Swedish pancakes for breakfast this morning, herring, "goat" cheese, pecan tassies, cinnamon rolls, gallons of coffee, and Pepsi.

On the twenty-sixth day of December...

a quiet day at home...enjoying a few of our gifts...

after cleaning, straightening, and waiting for our cousins!

 Coffee and treats as we fought against the desires to take naps!

Supper fun...and then the moms went on a little outing.

"Just a little treat"...eaten in the van...in the parking lot...just the two sisters.

It is fun to be together!