Merry Christmas 2018

It was so nice this year having all my babies in my house for Christmas!  We missed Jensy for the last 2 years!  I'm not sure where I was this year but I completely checked out and poor Jeffy had to do 75% of the shopping and 95% of the wrapping!  But I sure was relaxed this Christmas season, haha!  It turned out really nice (thanks to Jeff!) and we all had a great time!  Most of the cousins came over to see what "the old fat man" left for us and we had fun seeing all of them.  Mark Johnson (senior) also came over with sticky monkey buns for breakfast.

I feel so fortunate and like the richest person on earth when I'm surrounded by loved ones and friends.  And they all made my Christmas so wonderful with their presence!

Jeff surprised me with this new table and lamp.  Its exactly what I wanted and I love it!

Our Annual Christmas Eve Open House

As usual, I open up the house for anyone and everyone who wants to drop in on Christmas Eve and have a bite to eat and to visit.  For more years than I can remember, I've had Chinese food on Christmas Eve, but this year I did sandwiches, veggies and dips, cheeseballs and crackers, chips and desserts.  It was SOOO much cheaper BUT was definitely more work for me.  This has never been, nor will ever be, a formal thing.  Its just for whomever wants to pop in.  We had my mom, Dan & Suz with Chase, Nate & Kate, Joel & Julie's family, Julie's mom Sonia, John & Scarlett's family - excluding Gunnar, who didn't make it home for Christmas and Amberli and her kids, including AJ and Jessie.

Everyone had a bite to eat and visited - and "debated" over stupid crap, haha!  Afterwards when everyone was gone, we went to the cemetery to put candles on the graves.  The whole place was lit up SO pretty!  Salem does such a nice job with candles at the cemetery on Christmas Eve.  The cemetery is always so busy on Christmas Eve night and looks like Memorial Day does with flowers, only with luminaries.  They're EVERYWHERE!  It's like a flickering fairyland.  There were also lots of people sending Chinese lanterns up in the sky.  Its a great way to remember those who have gone before us and still include them in our family.

Gingerbread Houses

I love to decorate gingerbread houses!  We decided to do a competition again this year and we put it to Instagram to have people vote for their favorite.  Mine won with Molly's coming in second.  Jens and Cade only got 1 vote each, and that vote came from themselves, haha!  But it was still fun - no matter WHO the winner was..... it was ME!  I was the winner!!!  HAHA! Victory is mine!  (just sayin')  Sidney was out on a date with someone so she missed doing it with us.  She was always going to make one later just on her own but she never did.

Cade's

Molly's

Mom's

Jens'