The Prosser Christmas Dance

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Christmas Traditions, Part 5

A few years ago, we started a new tradition of having Jeff's family at our house the weekend before Christmas. This was really two-fold. First, we loving having family at our house. Secondly, this would allow us to stay in one place on Christmas Day, something we weren't getting the chance to do since we were traveling in between families. So, we asked if they would be willing to come to us the weekend before, share a meal, open gifts, and just enjoy being a family. It's turned out to be one of my most favorite parts of the Christmas season.

Last night, everyone arrived and we had a dinner together. Next came presents (the kids couldn't wait much longer!) and then the traditional "Sanctioned Rummy Game". The Rummy Game has been going on for YEARS in this family. We play at every get-together, and we compete for the trophy- the coveted MOUSE! This year got a little crazy, to say the least. See for yourself.

Here are a few pics of our time together last night....

Cupcakes made especially for Breanna... NO NUTS OR PEANUT BUTTER!

The "fellas"...showing off their gifts

Jeff showing off his princess dress (oops... I mean Breanna's dress!)

Love this girl...

Did I mention we get a little goofy with the Rummy game?

Grammy and her crew getting in on the fun!

Scary Mary...

Grammy wins the mouse! Grammy wins the mouse!

I feel so blessed to be a part of this family. They are a gift from God to me, and I love being with them. Merry Christmas ya'll. I can't wait until Ellie gets to meet you too!

Christmas Traditions, Part 4, and a birthday blast

Today, I celebrated my 36th birthday. Geez, can I really be this old already? I don't feel 36...
Anyway, I had a great day. Here's the recap...

It snowed! Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE snow, so that was a fantastic way to start my day. I loved driving to work in it... seriously! I love the fresh snow first thing in the mornings when the traffic hasn't messed it all up yet. beautiful...

Jeff, Bryan and I have a birthday tradition of going to dinner at the restaurant of your choice. I chose well. We ate WAY TOO MUCH at PF Changs tonight... yum. Holy cow.


Afterwards, we went to the KY Horse Park to the Southern Lights. It's actually a yearly Christmas Tradition for us, and one that I always look forward to. We had a blast! The lights were great, but I have to admit that they are not my favorite part of the night. I LOVE the petting zoo and the indoor exhibits. Here are some pics for you to enjoy.

Jeff and Bryan at PF Chang's

Six Geese a Laying...

Jeff choking a llama

I think the llama was kissing Bryan. He looks embarrassed, doesn't he?

If you enlarge this and look closely, you can find the spotted elephant from Rudolph, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the Abominable Snowman too... along with tons of other Christmas characters. This is my absolute favorite exhibit. We played "I Spy" with this for a long time!

How was I to resist a "man" in uniform?

Oh no you didn't look up Mrs. Claus's dress!

Thanks Jeff and Bryan for the wonderful night out! I had a blast. You guys make every day special, and I love ya'll. And thanks to Mom, Dad and Joann for going in with Jeff to get me tickets to see Wicked!! I am psyched about that! You can be sure I will have plenty to post about when that comes around in January. I have wanted to go for so long now. You couldn't have gotten me anything better! thanks, and I love you all.

Christmas Traditions, Part 3

The Christmas Prayer

When I was a kid, we had a tradition for several years of going to see a movie on Christmas Eve. Afterward, we would come home and gather around the Christmas tree to open gifts. However, before we opened them, Dad would read the story of Jesus' birth from the Bible and we would pray together as a family.

I really don't know exactly when it started to go wrong. I suppose it was because of the excitement of finally getting to open those presents we'd been shaking and staring at for so long. We were kids, after all! Whatever it was, though, it went like this. The Christmas story was read, Dad began to pray, and Chris & I busted out laughing. I mean the kind of laughing that has tears rolling down your face! We couldn't stop. The first year it happened, I do remember Dad stopping mid-prayer, looking at us, and asking what in the world was going on. We quieted down, but as soon as he started again, so did the laughter. Every year, it was the same thing. Seriously.

Every year.

Fast forward to now... The same thing still happens. I remember in 1991, and Chris and Shelly were sharing their first Christmas as a married couple. Jeff and I were engaged, and I guess I thought that since we were "grown up" now, we would be able to make it through a prayer. But, no. We couldn't do it. Shelly and Jeff must have thought we were insane. I tried to explain it, but I was laughing too hard. Mom just smiled and rolled her eyes, no doubt thinking "What have I done wrong?"

These days the only thing that is different is that we don't get together on Christmas Eve. Instead we gather and Mom and Dad's on Christmas Day, and yes, we still laugh as soon as Dad starts to pray. Even Dad laughs now. Our kids, on the other hand... they think we are weird!

I love that I have a family I can laugh with. I love the joy of the Christmas season. What makes you smile at Christmas?

Christmas Traditions, Part 2

The Prosser/Osborne Cooking Baking Extravaganza

This is a favorite tradition that started in 1995, when I was still pregnant with Bryan. Jeff and I got together with our friends Doug and Michelle to bake some sugar cookies. It seemed so simple and fun. Now, 13 years later, it's a full day of baking, gifts, and lots of laughter!

We've gone from one batch of dough to a quadruple batch this year! We've added Bryan and Bella to the mix throughout the years. We've exchanged a lot of gifts. We've laughed til we cried, drank way too much Mt. Dew, ate a lot of Chinese takeout, and made memories to last a lifetime.

Here are some pics from this year's fun..

I am pretty sure Bryan's mouth is full of cookie dough in this picture!



Michelle and Bella sharing some dough....


Doug makes a masterpiece...


Bryan and Bella ready for presents. Bryan got a little taste of what it might be like to have a little girl in the house!! He's gonna be an AWESOME big brother!!

Christmas Traditions

We have a lot of Christmas traditions around here. The one that kicks off everything, though, is the decorating of the tree and home. Now, let me tell you... I LOVE to decorate the tree and the house. We have Christmas stuff everywhere. I love the snowmen, santas, nativity, bells, wreaths. You name it, it's in this house. I wouldn't have it any other way. Just walking through the house makes me smile.

Since the basement is complete, and we spend a great deal of time down here, we decided that the tree should go down here too. That way, we can enjoy it more. I have to admit that I was leery of not having the tree in front of the big window in the great room upstairs. That's where it always sits! But, it's perfect down here. I love coming down the steps and seeing it all lit up. But my favorite part of the tree has to be the ornaments.

We have all kinds of ornaments (see Jeff's blog about another special ornament here), but I want to show you just two of them here.
The first is my all time favorite. Bryan made this when he was in the first grade I think. All of the kids were making smiley faces out of their thumbprints, but not Bryan. A smiley face was not good enough. He made his a viking, complete with sword, shield and hat! How cute is that?? This is mine and Jeff's favorite, for obvious reasons.

The second is an ornament that was made for me by my Granny England.
She was not my "real" Granny, but in my heart, I will always consider her that! I miss her so much, and having this ornament that she made with her own hands is so special to me.

And finally, I will share with you a favorite decoration of mine. This is a Santa that I made when I was a little girl. I actually have two, one of which my brother made. I thought about giving his to him, but they have always sat together at Christmas (they always sat on the piano when we were growing up), so I couldn't separate them now! Sorry Chris. It's made of a toilet paper roll and felt! How cute is that?? Here is mine...

I pray that you are enjoying the sights of Christmas too! Stay tuned here as I share more of our Christmas traditions throughout the week and month!

Blessings on you all.....

I find myself feeling a bit out of sorts lately. I am getting antsy for Ellie to be home. We've waited a long time. I am tired of waiting. I trust God's timing, don't get me wrong. I just want her here with us.

Thanksgiving Day was hard for me. I filled my plate and sat down, only to find that my appetite was not there anymore. All I could think of was "Does Ellie have enough to eat today?" I couldn't get that thought out of my mind, and I found that my thoughts of Ellie being so far away really took hold of me. I enjoyed time with our family, no doubt, but it felt awkward.

It felt incomplete.

It was incomplete.

I know that God is taking care of her, but I want that privilege for myself. No, it's not that I think I can do a better job. And I don't want to cheat Ellie's birth mother out of any time with her little girl. But my heart longs for her to be with me at the same time.

I have prayed all year that we would know who Ellie is by Christmas. Maybe that will still happen, but I find myself more and more telling myself to not get my hopes up. I don't want to be disappointed. And I don't want these thoughts to keep me from enjoying every minute of this season with Jeff and Bryan.

Please keep us in your prayers as we wait. Waiting stinks.