New Year's Greek Dinner 2016

The tradition lives on, even if the crowd has grown too large for our house: 30 people without the Hastings. So we reserved the church for a fun evening. The food was excellent: the best ever.

 Anika looks excited for the food

 We added a Greek flag to the decorations

 And Kris added some table decorations

 It's fun to be together

 Good food

 Good company

 The food disappeared

 Mabel is very fond of Harry

 And Finn is very fond of Evey

Too cute

The next day the Youngs headed south and the house was empty

Thanks to Maren for some of the photos. That's all for now.

OXO

D.

New Years Eve 2015

On New Years Eve, the gang gathered for snacky food and games. Gavin and the boys actually managed to stay up until the New Year.

 The Taylor Brothers' Building on my morning walk...

 

 ...Early on a wintery day

 All the kids in the neighborhood enjoyed our snow piles

 Katy and Daniel tucking in

 Rock Band: Phillip on vocals

 More Rock Band

 Plenty of good junk to eat and bubbly to drink

 Lizzy on vocals

 Evelyn getting ready for bed

 The beat goes on

 That baby just couldn't keep her eyes open

 Apples to Apples

 Lots of fun

Pictionary

This was a fun and spontaneous evening. Spontaneous means it just kind of happened as it does every year. One more New Year's post to go, but that's all for now.

OXO

D.

Christmas 2015

We awoke Christmas morning to almost a foot of fresh new snow. After opening presents and a leisurely morning of play and shoveling, we joined the extended family at Jeff and Amy's for Christmas brunch. We made the rounds to see everyone's loot displays and then met up for a Christmas screening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was brilliant! The remainder of the week coming up on New Year was spent in various activities including snow forts, ice skating, bowling and eating, of course. Harry elected to celebrate his birthday early with his cousins. Thanks to Maren and Gavin for some of these photos.

 The Christmas-ghost tree in the back yard early Christmas morning

Santa has been and the hoards will soon descend

 Good stuff!

 Two old guys trying to keep up with the shoveling

 A Christmas nap for Evey in the only quiet place in the house

 Headed back home after visiting Phil, Meags, et al.

 Hurrah for reserved seats

 Everyone loved the awakening Force

 The Youngs

 The Taylors

 A beautiful winter evening

 Pho and bun with the kiddos

 Bowling at the BY

 Cath Kidston came too

 Skating with the cousins at Peaks

 Harry 

 Gavin and Beckham on ice

 An Indian nosh

 My enormous piles of snow made wonderful forts

Harry celebrated #9 in the bosom of the family

It was a very COLD week but we felt warm with family gathered around. There will be more from New Years, but that's all for now.

OXO

D.

Christmas Eve 2015

Tradition is strong stuff. We gathered with the SKT cousins for a nativity prior to dinner so they could join us. Dinner was then followed by a talent show and some singing. Grammy read stories and suddenly it was time for bed.

 Pippy narrates the nativity

 Evelyn was not interested in playing baby Jesus

 Baby Jesus objector with her auntie

 The entire cast

 Rib roast, spuds, gravy, dressing, rotkohl, Yorkshire puds, and rolls

 Grammy and "Elevyn" (as per Beck)

 Binkers

 Adultos

 Encore de adultos

 Jingle Bells

 Tiny dancer

 Clarinet solo (missing photo of Ollie's drum solo)

 Star Wars jokes and riddles

 Gavin's rousing 12 Days of Christmas

 Christmas songs with Pippy

And then it was time for dessert!

The good times kept right on going, but this is all for now.

OXO

D.