Holidays in Review

We hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and your New Year's is off to a great start. Our Christmas was one we will always remember. We spent time with family which always means a good time.

Christmas Eve morning we received great news, my Dad was finally released from the St Cloud Hospital. He had been in for well over a month and was more then ready to go home. As of right now he is home with his wife, Donna, and their dog, Mikey. He's happy to be in the comfort of his own home but he is still very sick. A full recovery is no where in the near future.

CHRISTMAS VACATION TIMELINE
1)Christmas Eve - went to Bob and Janie's (Justin's parents) in Byron. The entire family was there - all 24 of us. We ate, opened gifts, played Pictionary and had an adult gift exchange.
2)Christmas Morning - opened gifts, just our family, at our house. We spent the morning playing with new toys. Actually, that's not totally true...Justin and I spent the entire morning trying to get toys out of their packaging while the kids sat next to us waiting with great anticipation.
3)Christmas afternoon - went to Jen's house (my oldest sister). Mom, Leah, Alayna, Dale, Jen, Brian, Ellie, Nathan, Thomas, and Dean (Brian's Dad) were there for the festivities. We ate way too much but it was so worth it as the food was fantastic. We also played Wii, opened gifts and enjoyed each others company.
4)Day after Christmas - Carly slept the entire day (not an exaggeration). She was running a fever so we let her sleep on the couch for as long as she wanted which turned out to be from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. She woke up at 6:00 feeling fine and wanting to play with Nolan. I think she just needed to recuperate from the Christmas excitement.
5)Saturday the 27th - Happy Anniversary Becca and Jay! After putting the kids to bed Justin and I watched UFC with Chris and Sommer. It was so nice to have the Yarolimeks over. We're blessed to have great friends.

6)Skip to New Year's Eve - we spent the morning at the Children's Museum which was the highlight of my week. Needless to say we all had a great time. New Year's Eve night Justin and I watched a movie, stayed up till midnight but were in bed by 12:01.
7) Friday January 2nd - We had a couple neighbor/friends over to hang out. Evie and Carly had a great time playing together. I love our neighborhood and the good friends we've made here.

8)Saturday January 3rd - went to Byron to see Justin's first cousin, Gene. Gene was been to Iraq once and Afghanistan twice. Because of his service to our country, a few individuals got money together to send Gene, his wife and son to MN for a Vikings game. It was great to see Gene again and meet his lovely wife, Mary, and their adorable son Ryan. We also celebrated Janie and Ryan's (Sara's Ryan - turned 13) birthday. Happy Birthday to both of you!


Our Christmas vacation was jam packed with events, family and friends. We loved every minute of it. We are so blessed to have all of you! Happy New Year!
***SIDE NOTE: I was not very good at taking pictures on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. So sorry!