Christmas 2010

I'm really getting used to this whole not-traveling thing for all the holidays. This year was really nice. Nate had two weeks off, which he spent mostly with us and partly with our yard.  He built a fence. Yay! Now the passers by on their way to the river trail can't just glance over and peer into our whole back yard. And it's a really pretty fence too!  We had house guests for three days, which was so much fun. Our friends from Eugene OR moved in with their 8 month old, Anderson (cutest baby ever!) and they didn't mind at all when our family became a petri dish of germs! Between the stomach flu and colds, the Monleys were pretty pathetic for a few days. We still had a good time, but usually one of us was fighting something nasty.

Needless to say, Christmas morning was a little bit of a bust. (We didn't let this get us down though....Baby Jesus was born after all!) Our amazing Christmas morning breakfast was oatmeal. The kids were a little too under the weather to truly appreciate all their gifts, stockings were left half full for hours. (I think Santa will fill them a little less next year.) Nate and Selah stayed home from church to rest and since I sang in the choir, Finn was left all by himself to be a shepherd in the live nativity scene at Mass, something the kids had been asked to take part in a week prior. Selah was supposed to be an angel. (All three angels were no-shows. due to sickness......fallen angels ....) Finn did fantastic though. He was the youngest one among the group and they all looked so cute in their costumes. Our priest even sort of interviewed each child during his sermon. Trying to draw the comparison of all of us as "sheep" and Jesus as our "shepherd", Fr. Bill asked Finn what he would do if one of his sheep ran away. Finn answered (into the microphone) that he would go and find the sheep and then he would probably lock him up with a gate next time so he couldn't get out. Honest answer, but hilarious.

Never too sick to scoot!

I'm glad we tried these costumes on Christmas Even because the next morning was sort of crazy and a camera was the last thing I was thinking about.

 Sickness aside, Christmas was quite nice. The kids really soaked in the story of the birth of Jesus. They played with our little nativity scenes all month. And we got some great quality time with all of Nate's siblings (and spouses) who were in town visiting for the week. The annual caroling party was awesome as usual, with tons of folks over at the grandparents house and a whole lot of music. My parents came and my dad brought his banjo, my brother in law brought his cello, and uncle josh had his drum, aunt Mary with her mandolin, and Nate with his guitar, everyone singing...it was great. It's fun to be part of a musical family around Christmas time.

We joined my side of the family the day after Christmas, at my aunt and uncle's house/farm out in Hilmar. There were horses and 4 wheelers and the guys went out and shot clay pigeons. The kids had a blast. I love it out there.The only thing we didn't do this time is go up in my uncle's little airplane. (Nate won't get near it) But I've always thought it was the coolest thing.....a little 2-seater plane in the barn out back. Roll it out along side the orchard and up we go, flying over cows and alfalfa fields. Maybe next year.

I think we were all very alarmed when Finn declared that he did indeed want to get up on the horse. I thought for sure he would just want to sit this one out. But he got right on up there and asked for more!

I love my uncle Lloyd. He's such a cowboy.

He's already doing better than his daddy, who was on one of my uncle's mules last year (Hilary...and yes they named her after Mrs. Clinton) and she got spooked and ran into the orchard and scraped Nate all up in the face. It was funny.....but it would have freaked me out if it happened to me.

I feel the need.....the need for SPEED!

My mom, getting back to her country roots!

The thing about a farm is......sometimes there's some dirt.

Who needs a pool stick?

Selah and my cousin's daughter Trileah had fun hanging out. I wish we saw them more. I spent several summers at my cousins house out on this farm, working in the orchard. Maybe these two rag-a-muffins will do the same some day!