Christmas 2016

Every year we are lucky to celebrate Christmas at least 5 times!  Christmas is when we travel south and get to see all of our extended families.  It's a ton of fun.  Santa is nice and comes early to Indiana so that we can have our own family Christmas too, with our own traditions.  It was a wonderful holiday this year, even my grandmother's passing.  It was good to be with family during this time.

Here Bailey is pouting because I'm eating my Subway in the front seat while he has to (gasp) sit in the back seat with his brothers.

This is my view for 90% of the trip south.

Grandma Nan got Brennan this very cool bird who balances on his beak.  Here there's a physics lesson happening.  Jeanne - recognize this sweater?  He's wearing it as I type too.  He loves that sweater you got him!

Bailey says "Dad, why are you holding another dog?"

Christmas Day lunch at the Rupps.  An absolutely wonderful meal!

Stella, Dexter, Ringo, and Bailey.  Did someone say TREAT?

4 exhausted puppies after Christmas gifts were exchanged. 

While in Canton, we got to meet the newest member of the family - Harper!  Such a sweet girl!

Jane Marie was Santa's helper, handing out gifts to all the kids with Thomas.

The day we celebrated Christmas, Charles Curren turned 2!  We had a little birthday party for him as well.  Notice the blue icing from the Thomas the Tank cookies?

Taylor and Brennan - the 15 year olds (well, Brennan is ALMOST!)

All the cousins - Elizabeth (15), Curren (2), Jane Marie (4), Thomas (16), Ellie (12), Brennan (14), Taylor (15), Harper (4 months), Sara Brady (17)

We did a cousins re-creation from 2005!

Brennan, Elizabeth, Sara Brady, Ellie, Taylor, and Thomas

So cute!!

We celebrated Christmas with my family in Jackson and Shelly made plans for us to burn off some Christmas calories at the trampoline place.  This is less than half of the building.  The kids had a blast.  Then several of us went to see "La La Land" while others watched football and took care of the dogs.

Natalie represented the kids for "La La Land".  Isn't she beautiful?

Our final Christmas was after my grandmother's service.  Bailey got to see his cousins Bandit and Sonny.  We must be a dog family!

And this is a precious that my grandmother would want me to frame for her if she were with us.  It's her great-grandchildren holding their 2016 ornaments from her.  For the past 13 years she has given the great grandchildren an ornament and of course from her with her name and the date. This year's were extra special of course.