Sloan cousin Christmas--2009

Christmas 2009 was a great success. Grannie and Gramps came up early to help prepare and stayed late to help clean, Paige and Steph brought baking and casseroles, music and books to share. The kids tobboganed, hot tubbed, played fiddle, ate way too much chocolate, did crafts and played games. We stayed up too late talking. The men stayed up too late playing Risk. (Nothing says "peace on earth" like a good game featuring world domination.) :D At the end of the Turkey dinner we still had enough leftovers to make up 6 turkey casseroles. ( 2 for each family to take home) Here is our living nativity. (close-up of Mary, Joseph, and the only child willing to play baby Jesus. (Uly))

Jam session with Grannie and Grampsie and Steph.

Early morning snuggle with Grampsie. Gage figured there *must* be room for one more up there.

The Christmas story with Grampsie.

Santa arrived on a skidoo at top speed, interrupting the "Christmas Eve Variety Show", opened boxes of candycanes for the kids with his HUGE pocketknife and then shot off his loud gun a few times before making an exciting exit complete with a skidoo jump off the hill and lots of hooting.

The living nativity. Wesley the "goat" has removed his head part of his costume and is writhing out of the sheperd (Silas') hands. We have 4 wise men (as Gage would only agree to the shiniest of costumes) :) And you can't see how relaxed "Baby Jesus" looks in this one with his hands behind his head... but check out the little angel Mollen in the middle/top. She struck a pose that gave me such a smile.

What it's like to be "the baby" in this family of 6 kids

At breakfast this morning, Wes started hooting and banging his tray. Funny how kids remember things we did with the last baby. Suddenly the whole table erupted in copycat banging and hooting. To Wes' great shock and thrill, whenever he banged, they banged, Whenever he stopped, they stopped. When he squealed, they squealed. He was on top of the world and in charge of many wild girls. What a way to start a morning! :)

The First Day of the Rest of Our Lives Together!

Here is what it looks like at breakfast time. Uncle Neil was stealing snuggles from 3 girls. One from each family. :) When it's time to pray for the meal, starting to sing is the easiest way we've found to get everyone's attention... no whistling, no yelling to add to the noise level, and everyone joins in. It's a great tradition. Paige's family sometimes leads in singing the "Johnny Appleseed Prayer". It's fun and fast and lists everything on the table. Steph's family has added "Dona Nobis Pachem" to the singing prayers which fittingly means "give us peace" in latin. But tradition seems to usually call for "Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow".

Happy New Year 2009!!!