Christmas 2008

The Christmas celebrations with our families have come and gone for this year and we had a great time at both! We enjoyed good food, good company and games along with the gift openings. Christmas Eve was spent with the Gervings in Glen Ullin and Mike & Sandy's house was packed to the brim with family and fun. We also stopped by to see Grandma Schaff at the nursing home on Christmas Eve and I think she enjoyed our company. Christmas morning we got up, had some breakfast and went to Christmas Day Mass in Glen Ullin as well. Here are some pictures from the Gerving celebration:

Jay & Landon working on the Rubik's cube:

Let's get started on those gifts, right kids?

The 4-year-olds:

Lexie dancing around:

There was a dancing/singing Santa at the nursing home that Payton & Sydney enjoyed. Syd even danced with him. Here's a pic of the girls with Santa and Grandma Great:

What Grandmas will do with/for their grandchildren! :)

A couple other pictures of the gift opening at the Gervings:

Mason & Jay with the gift Mason got for his Godfather - a Denver Broncos football mouse which was promptly attached to our laptop here at home once we got back!

After Mass in GU on Christmas morning it was back to Bismarck for the Gerhardt Christmas celebration. Here are some pictures from our day there:

A few years back Jay got the idea to buy what my parents call their "half beagle" - which is a plastic rear end of a beagle that if you put it in the garden looks like a beagle has dug a hole in the ground. My parents are forever asking when they will get the other half of the beagle. My parents decided this year they would "get back" at Jay with a gag gift of their own - a "deluxe" snowball maker!! Jay looks elated at the thoughtfulness of this gift, doesn't he? (I believe a new tradition of gag gifts has officially begun!)

Gift opening began!

Jay & my Dad

Candace & Grandma Vivian:

More gift opening:

After gift opening we enjoyed some great food and then played the game called "I Think" which Tom & Candace got me and Jay for a Christmas gift this year. Lots of laughs were shared during that game. I also got into an intense game of "Sorry" with Gabe, Micaela and Riley (until I got a bloody nose, so then Jay took over for me). I believe Gabe ended up winning. It's pretty cut-throat - haha!!

We got some very nice gifts which of course we are grateful for - but the best part of the holidays is that we live close enough to both of our families that we are able to spend time with both during the holidays. Jay & I talked about that after getting home - how great it is we are able to be so close to our families not only during the holidays but all the time! This will be especially important when Baby Gerving (and any other children we are blessed with) arrives.

Not surprisingly, not only did the beagles get a few gifts for Christmas but so did Baby Gerving! Jay is especially happy with the tiny Elway Broncos jersey that Mike & Carrie gave us back this year for Baby to wear. Jay had bought it for Michaela when she was a baby and Carrie said all three kids wore it when they were little! (It shows some wear and tear and that makes Jay really happy that it got worn so much!) I'm sure he'll have it on Baby every chance he gets!

Baby is approximately 4.5 to up to 6 inches long now - at 16 weeks along. He/she also weighs about 4 ounces and is about the size of an apple, according to one site. In the last week or so I have really noticed some changes in my belly - mainly that it's really started expanding! Despite one night of being sick last week I continue to feel well overall and am happy that the baby appears to keep growing each day!

Besides the gifts we are working our way through leftovers and Christmas goodies. It's a tough job but we, with the help of the beagles, will manage, I'm sure!

Yesterday was Taylor's 8th birthday and we hope she had a wonderful day!

Yesterday I got to spend time with Aimee, my friend from law school who lives in Denver, CO. We did some shopping, went out to eat at Ruby Tuesday's for supper (yum!) and watched a movie at our house last night. Always good to catch up with friends we rarely get to see!

Jay is off ice fishing with our friend Travis today so it's just me and the beagles at home right now. It's a picture perfect winter day - ABOVE zero for once, the sun is shining and no wind! We did get some fresh new snow last night, so Jay had the joy of snowblowing yet again bright & early this morning before going ice fishing! So far, the beagles and I have worked on making birthday cards, address return labels and some other odds and ends around the house. We plan on going through a bunch of boxes to put more stuff away in the house today - I started that process yesterday and got on a roll so I'm hoping the same for today.

I'm sad that tomorrow is my last day off before going back to work next week but I will try to continue to enjoy the time off from work that I get over the holidays! Jay is off of work until Jan. 5th - so I'm a bit jealous!

I plan on going cross country skiing tomorrow morning with my parents which I have not been able to do in MANY years. This is the first winter in a long time in Bismarck that has had enough snow to do so! Tomorrow night is also the big game between the Broncos and Chargers which determines which team will go on to the playoffs this year. The Broncos flag will be flying high outside and I'm sure we'll be dressed up in all our Broncos gear by tomorrow evening! Go Broncos!

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season this year! Until next week.....signing off!