HAPPY NEW YEAR! How many days until NEXT Christmas? is what Tony asked us when we got home late yesterday afternoon from our 10-day Christmas Odyssey to Minnesota. Ugh. As you can see, we put Christmas out on the curb - yay! As much as we all love Christmas, it sure feels good to put it all away.
We left Nebraska early Saturday the 22nd while it was still dark outside. Nasty weather was in the forcast, so we were proactive and took a route that kept us ahead of the storm. We spent the 23rd in Mt. Iron watching it snow, celebrating Gramma Sally's "39th" birthday and frosting gingerbread persons....by the time we were done we had a hula girl, a cyclops, a mummy, an alien and one heckuva big mess!
This little angel here made this one of the BEST Christmas' ever! What a joy it was to have our niece Celia running around and keeping us all entertained. She is a delight! We all look forward to next year when a 6 month old (Brian's) will be added to the mix.
Celia really took a liking to Nelson. She was very gentle and he was very patient with her.
Christmas Eve is our day to celebrate Christmas with the Maras family in Hibbing. Here are Elizabeth (6), Liv, Tony and Drew (3) (Chris' sister Jen's kids) lined up to receive their bounty of presents. Every year it is a crazy free-for-all when they start unwrapping!
NOT THIS YEAR!!!!! What a bummer....wise Auntie JoJo declared we were going to open gifts one at a time. No wonder she is such a great teacher....the kids did a good job of waiting their turn and actually enjoying seeing what each other got. There is a value in learning to GIVE as well as receive.
Lizzie and Livie model their matching fuzzy white sweaters from Gramma Nancy. Aren't they a couple of cute Oompa Loompas?
Late Christmas Eve night Tony woke up with a nasty stomach bug. He spent all night and Christmas morning throwing up. Poor Tony. Here he shows us his Grinch face as the kids had to wait for Celia to wake up to see what Santa brought! This year was really a lesson in patience!!!
This picture says it all....poor baby just didn't know what to make of all the commotion around the Christmas tree. Or maybe it was the fact that she didn't get to bed until 11 pm the night before?????
It didn't take Nelson long to figure out how to open his own presents! He was a really good boy all week and pretty much everyone fell in love with him.
7 or 8 years ago, when Uncle Brian was a clueless bachelor, he gave Livie this giant, talking Tigger for Christmas. Chris and I vowed he would get it back someday. Well, now that Brian and Amanda are expecting their own child it was SOMEDAY!!!! Enjoy!
Livie models her white furry vest that she had been wishing for and her cool new pink boots. We enjoyed another wonderful Christmas day at the Thompson house in Mt. Iron....in between cleaning up vomit. Sigh. Again, poor Tony. :(
The look of glee on her face is priceless. Celia discovered it's quite fun to splash in the dog's water bowl. Not sure if she ate any dog food????
Warning....Ernie taught Olivia how to play Monopoly! Here the real estate tycoon shows of all her property and money. She's a natural....gets that from her dad. I love this picture as you can see Tony's puke bucket, Celia crying, Jocko resting his sore back.....ah, the reality of it all.
Gramma Nancy gave both kids cd players with headphones with Christmas. Maybe not as cool or current as an ipod, but a GREAT gift nontheless and the kids LOVE them! I caught them here in a quiet moment listening to tunes and reading. Ahhhh, Peace.
The Friday after Christmas we took our annual trek out to Papa John's Hunting Shack. It was just a perfect, beautiful winter day as you can see behind Auntie Jojo, Lizzie and Livie.
Joanna's boyfriend Nick ferried the kids to the shack by snowmobile as it was too far for them to walk. Thanks for being such a trooper Nick...and for driving very CAREFULLY and SLOWLY.
We lined them up yet again, for a photo op. Good thing is they can't move fast when all bundled up! We just don't get to see them often enough....they are getting so big!!!
Gramma Nancy took a digger and the kids immediately saw the opportunity for a monkey pile. What a good sport she is!
The kids love going inside the "Stinky Shack", warming by the fire and drinking hot chocolate.
I finally figured out my self-timer and was able to get a shot of all of us. Sorry you had to work Jen, we missed you!!! The Shack is a very special place, and means a lot to Papa John. I'm glad we are able to get out there to share it with him.
While figuring out my self-timer I discovered a Sepia setting also...what a gorgeous sight. This is something we just don't get to see in Nebraska. It ALMOST makes me like winter, almost.
So, after our visit to the shack Friday, we were supposed to head to Cloquet and visit our friends the Hartung's Saturday until Sunday. Unfortunately Friday night I got the flu as did my friend Tracey Hartung! How wierd is that??? So we spent another day at Gramma and Grandpa Thompson's house. Papa Jocko got sick a few days earlier, so we were quite the crew. We were able to head to Cloquet Sunday for an abbreviated visit. Tony had fun playing with his friend Solomon Hartung. You can see Sol's new GIANT Nerf gun behind them....that was a real hit with the boys (not to mention the BIG boys)!
It's always fun to get together with our old friends. Livie and Veronica have been friends since they were 2 when her mom and I met at an ECFE Class! They immediately disappeared into Roni's room and picked up where they left off. Thanks for a nice visit, albeit short, and the delicious lunch. Come visit us soon Hartungs!!!!
It's not over yet!!!! After our visit with the Hartung's we traveled south to Rosemount, where my brother Brian and his wife Amanda make their home. Although we were getting travel weary, Amanda convinced us to head into downtown St. Paul and enjoy the holiday displays. Tony spied the dinosaur statues he remembered from our last visit. He and Brian hop aboard one outside the Science Museum, which we decided we MUST visit on our next trip up.
Brian put on his "Super Uncle" hat and took Livie skating in Rice Park. She was just thrilled to get out onto the ice. Thanks Brian! The rest of us warmed up next to the fire pit....whimps!
Here we are posing in Rice Park amidst the beautiful lights and Christmas display....it was a chilly, but a fun evening. We enjoyed a delicious meal at Cosetta's Italian Restaurant, hot chocolate at Starbucks and precious time with family.
Thanks for talking us into it Amanda....especially considering she is 4 months pregnant, and had worked all day. What a gal! No wonder we all love her so much. Erin, Jeff and Celia were supposed to meet us but Celia ended up with a respiratory infection. We missed you guys! Hope our little peanut is feeling better.
Sure the food was good, the lights beautiful, the skating fun....but nothing impressed my kids more than the GIANT library we walked by. Livie insisted on taking a picture and I promised we'd make a point to visit there one day. I may never get them out!
Whew! That's it. What a trip...we are truly blessed with wonderful families and we wish all of you much peace and happiness in the New Year!!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! How many days until NEXT Christmas? is what Tony asked us when we got home late yesterday afternoon from our 10-day Christmas Odyssey to Minnesota. Ugh. As you can see, we put Christmas out on the curb - yay! As much as we all love Christmas, it sure feels good to put it all away.
We left Nebraska early Saturday the 22nd while it was still dark outside. Nasty weather was in the forcast, so we were proactive and took a route that kept us ahead of the storm. We spent the 23rd in Mt. Iron watching it snow, celebrating Gramma Sally's "39th" birthday and frosting gingerbread persons....by the time we were done we had a hula girl, a cyclops, a mummy, an alien and one heckuva big mess!
This little angel here made this one of the BEST Christmas' ever! What a joy it was to have our niece Celia running around and keeping us all entertained. She is a delight! We all look forward to next year when a 6 month old (Brian's) will be added to the mix.
Celia really took a liking to Nelson. She was very gentle and he was very patient with her.
Christmas Eve is our day to celebrate Christmas with the Maras family in Hibbing. Here are Elizabeth (6), Liv, Tony and Drew (3) (Chris' sister Jen's kids) lined up to receive their bounty of presents. Every year it is a crazy free-for-all when they start unwrapping!
NOT THIS YEAR!!!!! What a bummer....wise Auntie JoJo declared we were going to open gifts one at a time. No wonder she is such a great teacher....the kids did a good job of waiting their turn and actually enjoying seeing what each other got. There is a value in learning to GIVE as well as receive.
Lizzie and Livie model their matching fuzzy white sweaters from Gramma Nancy. Aren't they a couple of cute Oompa Loompas?
Late Christmas Eve night Tony woke up with a nasty stomach bug. He spent all night and Christmas morning throwing up. Poor Tony. Here he shows us his Grinch face as the kids had to wait for Celia to wake up to see what Santa brought! This year was really a lesson in patience!!!
This picture says it all....poor baby just didn't know what to make of all the commotion around the Christmas tree. Or maybe it was the fact that she didn't get to bed until 11 pm the night before?????
It didn't take Nelson long to figure out how to open his own presents! He was a really good boy all week and pretty much everyone fell in love with him. 
7 or 8 years ago, when Uncle Brian was a clueless bachelor, he gave Livie this giant, talking Tigger for Christmas. Chris and I vowed he would get it back someday. Well, now that Brian and Amanda are expecting their own child it was SOMEDAY!!!! Enjoy!
Livie models her white furry vest that she had been wishing for and her cool new pink boots. We enjoyed another wonderful Christmas day at the Thompson house in Mt. Iron....in between cleaning up vomit. Sigh. Again, poor Tony. :(
The look of glee on her face is priceless. Celia discovered it's quite fun to splash in the dog's water bowl. Not sure if she ate any dog food????
Warning....Ernie taught Olivia how to play Monopoly! Here the real estate tycoon shows of all her property and money. She's a natural....gets that from her dad. I love this picture as you can see Tony's puke bucket, Celia crying, Jocko resting his sore back.....ah, the reality of it all.
Gramma Nancy gave both kids cd players with headphones with Christmas. Maybe not as cool or current as an ipod, but a GREAT gift nontheless and the kids LOVE them! I caught them here in a quiet moment listening to tunes and reading. Ahhhh, Peace.
The Friday after Christmas we took our annual trek out to Papa John's Hunting Shack. It was just a perfect, beautiful winter day as you can see behind Auntie Jojo, Lizzie and Livie.
Joanna's boyfriend Nick ferried the kids to the shack by snowmobile as it was too far for them to walk. Thanks for being such a trooper Nick...and for driving very CAREFULLY and SLOWLY.
We lined them up yet again, for a photo op. Good thing is they can't move fast when all bundled up! We just don't get to see them often enough....they are getting so big!!!
Gramma Nancy took a digger and the kids immediately saw the opportunity for a monkey pile. What a good sport she is!
The kids love going inside the "Stinky Shack", warming by the fire and drinking hot chocolate. 
I finally figured out my self-timer and was able to get a shot of all of us. Sorry you had to work Jen, we missed you!!! The Shack is a very special place, and means a lot to Papa John. I'm glad we are able to get out there to share it with him.
While figuring out my self-timer I discovered a Sepia setting also...what a gorgeous sight. This is something we just don't get to see in Nebraska. It ALMOST makes me like winter, almost.
So, after our visit to the shack Friday, we were supposed to head to Cloquet and visit our friends the Hartung's Saturday until Sunday. Unfortunately Friday night I got the flu as did my friend Tracey Hartung! How wierd is that??? So we spent another day at Gramma and Grandpa Thompson's house. Papa Jocko got sick a few days earlier, so we were quite the crew. We were able to head to Cloquet Sunday for an abbreviated visit. Tony had fun playing with his friend Solomon Hartung. You can see Sol's new GIANT Nerf gun behind them....that was a real hit with the boys (not to mention the BIG boys)!
It's always fun to get together with our old friends. Livie and Veronica have been friends since they were 2 when her mom and I met at an ECFE Class! They immediately disappeared into Roni's room and picked up where they left off. Thanks for a nice visit, albeit short, and the delicious lunch. Come visit us soon Hartungs!!!!
It's not over yet!!!! After our visit with the Hartung's we traveled south to Rosemount, where my brother Brian and his wife Amanda make their home. Although we were getting travel weary, Amanda convinced us to head into downtown St. Paul and enjoy the holiday displays. Tony spied the dinosaur statues he remembered from our last visit. He and Brian hop aboard one outside the Science Museum, which we decided we MUST visit on our next trip up.
Brian put on his "Super Uncle" hat and took Livie skating in Rice Park. She was just thrilled to get out onto the ice. Thanks Brian! The rest of us warmed up next to the fire pit....whimps!
Here we are posing in Rice Park amidst the beautiful lights and Christmas display....it was a chilly, but a fun evening. We enjoyed a delicious meal at Cosetta's Italian Restaurant, hot chocolate at Starbucks and precious time with family.
Thanks for talking us into it Amanda....especially considering she is 4 months pregnant, and had worked all day. What a gal! No wonder we all love her so much. Erin, Jeff and Celia were supposed to meet us but Celia ended up with a respiratory infection. We missed you guys! Hope our little peanut is feeling better.
Sure the food was good, the lights beautiful, the skating fun....but nothing impressed my kids more than the GIANT library we walked by. Livie insisted on taking a picture and I promised we'd make a point to visit there one day. I may never get them out!
Whew! That's it. What a trip...we are truly blessed with wonderful families and we wish all of you much peace and happiness in the New Year!!!!
8 comments:
Great pictures!! We sure had fun visiting with all of you. Nelly included. Do they have the flu in Bermuda?? Maybe we should go there next year? Liv, I'm still impressed by your Monopoly skills. You really cleaned house with those hotels on Livie Lane. Ton, hope your tummy is all better. Sorry my Sprite suggestion backfired on you. We miss you already.
Happy New Year!!!
Stubbed Up Nobes in Elk River
Jo....so happy to see all your pictures and read your comments. I was worried when I was checking the blogs and yours was still the Christmas pagent ones. Then I got an email from Jackie and he said he had such a WONDERFUL Christmas he can hardly wait for next years....NOT!!! Hope all the Maras are feeling better and glad you are back in business...Happy New Year to all of you...stay well!!!
Zia Gloria
We are so glad to finally see all the pics from your adventures up north. It was great seeing you all. I loved our night out St. Paul thanks for being such good sports!
-Amanda
Next year we plan to install a decontamination chamber outside our front door. We purchased it from the CDC in Atlanta and it can detect germs and microbes and annihilate them with one quick zap of the anti-germinator. All who enter will have to pass through this chamber...beware all germs and microbes! Also, now that I have learned to play Monopoly the right way...I issue a challenge to any takers! Glad you had a good Christmas and that you arrived home safely. Happy Anniversary!! Love, Gramma Sally.
Is the holidays really over??? thanks god..still have that old tree up..plan on taking it down today..everyone had a good time...JoJo was all bummed out she had to go to work...welcome to the real world of bills, & more bills..too bad everyone got sick..but it seems it works that way on holidays...take careXX00 Mom
We so enjoyed our visit with the Maras' and the Thompson's through this blog. I hope that we can make our next visit a little longer. I have to say it, "No helmets on those kids?!?" Forgive me! Blessings to you all.
The Hartungs in Cloquet
Believe me, I was NOT happy about the whole transportation situation, but was totally overruled. Sigh.
Editor
Jo,
I love reading all your family blogging. The Vertin girls decided we would NOT write ours because they make best selling books and movies about that kind of stuff!
I love your pictures. Your Tondy looks just like his Grandpa. Poor guy....... : >
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