December started off with supporting a local business and getting donuts. The kids said we should support small businesses everyday!
We love to enjoy patio visits with Nana and Papa!
I made everyone get dressed up and we went to a nearby park for a quick picture for our Christmas card. This is the one that made the cut.
Here's a fun one.
Jack and Charlie brought sunglasses. They looked like Secret Service agents.
I had lots of helpers making Christmas cookies. I took a full time subbing job for the 2 weeks before Christmas break, so I didn't have time to make as many Christmas cookies as I usually do. It was just as well since we weren't having any gatherings this year.
Maggie lost a front tooth.
One evening Jim and I went to the Garden Glow at the Botanical Gardens. Neither of us had been before and I must say I was impressed!
I photoshopped the picture so we are both in it.
Patrick, Charlie, and Maggie participated in their first online chess tournament.
They all played on separate devices in separate rooms.
Patrick and Charlie placed in the top 10 of their age groups and earned a spot at the Chess Finals in February.
I made
Homemade Irish Cream for the first time. It's particularly tasty by the fire!
More cookie making!
I took the covers off the chair cushions to wash them. Someone took the uncovered cushions and made a snowman.
Once the kids were out of school for Christmas break, we took a short road trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park for 4 days.
Our first full day started with the Alum Cave Trail hike.
There was lots of beautiful scenery and a few bridges to cross.
We found hills to climb.
We found patches of snow on the ground.
We hiked to the Alum "cave" and had a picnic lunch.
We explored mountain farms and saw how early settlers lived.
Each night we came back to our cabin and most of us got in the hot tub on the deck!
The cabin had a Christmas tree which made it festive (we were there until Christmas Eve).
The next day, we drove the Cades Cove loop and stopped at many sites along the way.
We found this sign funny.
After Cades Cove, we pulled over to enjoy some time skipping rocks.
We finished the day with the Laurel Falls Trail hike.
Jack joined us in the hot tub on the final evening.
We got home the evening of Christmas Eve. We put the lasagna I froze before our trip in the oven, watched Mass on tv, and then had a nice family dinner.
The next morning, the kids were excited to come downstairs to see what Santa brought.
We open stockings first.
Then, we open the presents under the tree.
The big gift was a Pop-a-Shot. Everyone loved it!
We set the table again for a nice Christmas dinner.
Jim grilled a beef tenderloin. It is probably the first year we have ever eaten Christmas dinner together. Usually we are at relatives enjoying a pot luck, with people eating throughout the night. We missed seeing everyone, but we had a great meal together.
FINALLY we got the kids in bed so Jim and I could play!
New Year's Eve was a little different this year as well. We stopped by a friend's house for a pre-dinner cocktail and then came home for dinner with the family and a NYE toast. Our friends who host a New Year's Day brunch every year dropped some treats off for us since they were not hosting this year.
The kids wanted to stay up until midnight, but we said no. We told Jack he could if he wanted, and he did, but the rest of us were asleep.
