The happiest time of the year

We LOVED Christmas with our families!  Oh, how we loved the holidays.  Bennett, Tiffany, Sam, Elise, and Parker Bennett (SUCH a great middle name!) arrived the last day of the kids' school semester, so it was the perfect way to begin the holidays.  SUCH well-adjusted, happy, loving kids, and what is up with Parker Bennett never crying?  Where does one even GET one of those kinds of infants?  (Not that my kids weren't perfect, of course, because they were.  So maybe it's genetic?)  GREAT conversations (we could stay up until the wee early morning hours of the night talking with B&T), great play times - Michael was in lego-heaven with Sam as a playmate, while Elise and Elizabeth disappeared to play secret games in E's room.  I love anyone who loves Fisher Price (thank you, Elise, and later, Kate).  We were sad when they left four days later, but we knew we'd see them on Christmas, so we held our tears in check.

  Steven's family came over in two waves on Saturday the 22nd.  Lots of food, gifts, memories, desserts.  No girlfriends this time, just the family members.  I really love it that Matthew is a student at GC and we have plenty of people to talk about!  Cozy and sweet.  Plus the guys got to catch up with some crucial (really?) football games.

Christmas Day was at Mom's.  SO familiar to be in that house on Christmas with the decorations and the gifts and the huge meal and fancy desserts and the Boggle victories.  Nick could not be more likeable.  I cannot imagine anyone NOT liking him.  Ever.  And he fixed a photo of mine within minutes, and I am all about efficiency, so I greatly admired him for that as well.  The long walk with just the girls was superb, even if we did run into Jim Tom.

Then glamorous Mary, yes-I'll-fix-your-computer-yet-again-without-complaining Mark, and their precious children Aaron and Kate visited us for several days.  It snowed, and according to Aaron, nothing has ever tasted so good!  Kate bravely sled down one of the hills behind our house by herself, and Aaron went down the huge hill on the golf course slope by himself.  The beloved Sprague-Rose family graciously drove to Lexington to watch two of Michael's basketball games - he never has anyone cheering him on besides his adoring parents, so I am sure he will remember that day for a long, long time.  It was good for EJM to be at the games as well, so others realize Michael's not an only child.  She definitely got a lot of texting and game-playing with Aaron done while seated in the stands.

I could write about all the specific events and experiences and activities, but I'll let the photos speak for themselves.  I was struck by the genuine joy and unadulterated laughter I kept feeling and witnessing during the holidays. And I will never foget how loving Sam, Elise, Kate, and Aaron were to Zoe and Niki.  Zoe and Niki are surely missing them so very much each day, wondering when their happy, playful, laughing buddies will come back and pet, feed, tickle, and entertain them again.

 There is nothing like family.