Lots to Blog About!

It's been over a week since my last entry, but it has been wild around here!! I have lots to blog about, so I'm going to do it in a couple of entries. Here's a run-down of our Christmas.
Friday---December 21st:
Mindy arrives in the a.m., takes my car, has a daddy/daughter date while I meet a friend for lunch and a movie.
Lapps family arrives 11:30 p.m.
Bennett/Jackson (forevermore B.J. family here) arrive 1:30 a.m. (12 1/2 hours---traffic in Chicago)
As a result, we got to bed really late. Butch and I were feeling so good to have the whole family here---let the fun begin!

Saturday
I planned a surprise for all of us. Everybody had to be ready for pictures at 10:30. After all the usual groans and moans over the number and types of pictures I want, the family was surprised by the arrival of a hummer limo to start our day. I reserved the private dining room at the club for lunch which is always a hit. From there, we went to the Grand Ole Opry for a performance of the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes Christmas Spectacular. Butch and I had seen them in New York years ago. The show was great---and exactly the same as the one we saw years ago.

We got home about 5. While everyone rested, I had to make an appetizer for the party we were going to at 6:30. Last year, I hosted a family trivia party for the first time. I made the rule that the losers had to have the party the next year. This year, it was at the Black's. Everyone teases us about having the largest team (12) and how easy that makes it for us. But the opposite is true. With so many opinions and different answers, we don't do particularly well. In fact, Elizabeth saw how the wind was blowing and changed teams after the second round. We never saw her again. We came very close to being the hosts of next year's party, but luckily, we beat the Egberts by one point!

We got home about 10:30. At 11, the gang wanted to play Texas Hold 'em. Sandy and I declined. The rest played into the wee hours.

Sunday
I got up early and enjoyed a little quiet time in front of the fireplace in the living room with a pot of tea, my iPod and book. The Lapps and B.J.'s went out to breakfast. The guys (including MItchell) all went to the Titan's game and tailgated. Jordan and Morgan went to their dad's for the day. Sandy, Steph, Mindy, Victoria, Elizabeth and I had a quiet and calm afternoon. This was one of my favorite times. Just us girls---talking, talking, talking. Oh, and the laughing!

When the guys got home, the games began. We played a new game that Sandy brought---the first of many.

Christmas Eve
We started with a big breakfast in the dining room. This year, Victoria got to be the "santa of the sleigh". I have a lighted sleigh in the entry that I put small gifts in. Each year, one of the kids gets to don a santa hat and pass out a couple of the smaller gifts at breakfast. We have so many traditions that it's hard to get them all in.

Everyone is on their own for the day while I cook. This year, Morgan helped me. She's the little cook of the family. We have some traditional foods on Christmas Eve. Pick-up type food that we eat while opening gifts--beef tenderloin, crab spread, cheese balls, clam dip, petit fours, cookies, etc. After gifts, more games.

By the end of the week, my jaws were so sore that I thought it was from eating too much. Then I realized, it's the laughing!! Bryan has a great sense of humor. He and Greg really played off of each other well.

On Christmas day, Steph and Bryan headed to South Carolina and the Lapps went to Greg's family.

Mindy went back to New Orleans the day after Christmas. Steph returned on Thursday for the wedding festivities of her best friend.

We saw the movie "Enchanted"---GREAT! All ages will get a kick out of it.

Butch and Greg took all the kids except Elizabeth to the hockey game on Thursday night. Another calm evening for Sandy and me.

The Lapps family left on Friday. Morgan and Jordan asked if they could have friends over. Little did I realize that I had committed to them spending the night. Not good! I was pretty sick of kids at that point (or I should say the chaos). It went downhill from there. They were playing around in the dark and Jordan fell down the steps. She was quite dramatic about it all and was upset that I didn't take her seriously. I was more concerned about the hole she put in the wall. Not to be outdone, Morgan's friend threw up in Butch's car on Saturday when I was taking everybody home. You know how particular he is about his car---I blamed it on Mindy as she took my car (remember, I don't really have a car of my own---but I do have the Solstice now).

Mindy and the B.J. all left today. Bryan comes back next Sunday and I'll see Mindy in New York on Wednesday. Butch will see Mindy in New Orleans next Saturday, Sunday and Monday. He's going with his brother, Walter, to the BCS championship.

Damage and expense report:
slow running toilet
door to sunroom "stuck"
towel holder in kitchen loose
6 poinsettias wiped out
hole in wall
vomit in car
graffitti on underside of pool table
spending $250 to fly Mindy back to New Orleans so she could make $8.00 an hour for 10 hours of work

Sheesh, having family home is expensive! I guess we wouldn't have it any other way...but I am exhaused!