Christmas 2013 (Part 1)

Moving into the new home the week before Christmas and then flying to Oklahoma a week later for a week of more Christmas fun has me way behind on my Christmas blogging.  So, I will use the next few posts to provide a quick Christmas 2013 recap.

Nana and Pops and a dear friend from college drove many miles to attend our daughter's class's Christmas chorus and band concert.  Our daughter loves to sing, so she was in the chorus this year, but we secretly hoped the band concert would renew her interest in playing an instrument since she has stopped taking piano lessons.  As soon as the concert was over, she picked up my old flute from my middle and high school days and started trying to play it.  She played it almost every day until we flew to Oklahoma.  We all enjoyed a Christmas feast in her classroom after the concert, and I was pleased to see these girls who are usually so stiff as they assume one of the school's four formal mandatory positions giggling, hugging, and having a great time.

Nana likes for us to celebrate Christmas with my side of the family first. So, we headed to my hometown the weekend before Christmas where we were blessed with a very special surprise as a long lost member of our family has decided to rejoin the family.  We slayed the fatted calf, so to speak, in rejoicing over his return.  Here are some pics from our Christmas with Nana, Pops, my brother and his family and our extended family.  In the first photo, you may notice that our bunny hitched a ride since he would be spending the following week with his human grandparents.

 

 

Since we moved into the new house a few days before Christmas and would be traveling, we did not decorate for Christmas. A dear friend did bring us a small tree covered in ornaments the kids made when she watched the kids for us during our annual life class Christmas party date night.  So, seated in front of our simple tree in a half-unpacked house, the kids opened their presents.  Instead of finding stuffed stockings (which were still packed) this year, the kids found presents stuffed inside of some Christmas hats we had on hand from our Christmas card photo shoot.  The house was our big present, so we kept our family Christmas very low key this year.

That goofy bunny hat was at the top of her wish list!