6. I am thankful for. . . GRANDPARENTS!

I have been blessed with a great family and I absolutely love my grandparents. They have all blessed my life in so many ways.

Grandma Grace Ida Houghton

Grandma Grace has taught me a lot about strength. She has taught me that during those hard times you have to laugh. I love to hear Grandma’s laugh. It is a beautiful sound to me and a familiar one at that. Grandma is a tough woman. She is also very talented in her taxidermy, cooking, and her staff making. Grandma is also very artistic. When I was younger I remember her babysitting us and I always wanted “Grandma draw me a rose.” I remember her telling me to draw a rose and I would always come back with the line she hated, “but grandma you are the artist.” She would always draw me my picture and I would take it away, admire it and come back for more. She would patiently fulfill my requests and continue until I was satisfied. I treasure her drawings and paintings. SHe also makes beautiful staffs out of diamond willow drift wood. You can see some of them pictured with her above. Arthritis has slowed down her work, but it is still as beautiful as ever. I have always thought of Grandma as a hardworker. She is constantly working to do things for other people or gardening or fixing something else. I remember one time when she was babysitting and we were hanging in Mom and Dad’s closet. The bar that was holding the clothes fell off and made a mess. Grandma took the pieces of wood and cut a little dip into each of the two pieces of wood so that the rod would sit in place and couldn’t roll out of it. I thought she was a genius! I also have to laugh as I remember her watching us and she had peeled the skin off of an apple for us to eat. I bet she regretted that action because after that we refused to eat apples with the skin on them. I remember Grandma coming over to can with Mom or to help Mom with skinning something or cooking something or whatever it may be. Grandma makes the best pumpkin pie! She always “whistled as she worked” and I always knew where Grandma was in the house because she would be humming away. It is something that has been passed down to Mom because I will catch Mom doing the same thing. Grandma always tried to find uses out of everything. It would humor me to see what kinds of ideas and functions she could come up with to go with her object. She seems to always put her kids first and she cracks me up as the little country girl she grew up as. I love my grandma and it always brings a smile to my face when somebody will say, “You must be Grace’s granddaughter. You have her smile.” She has taught my Mom a lot and helped to make my Mom the person she is today and because of that I have a great Mom. I love you Grandma!

Grandpa and Grandma Vaughan

Grandpa Thayne G Vaughan

For most of my growing up, Grandpa was a truck driver and his visits and stops home were always special. I remember always being excited that Grandpa was home. I also remember climbing on him like a jungle gym as we would hold onto his hands and walk up his legs to flip ourselves around. Haha. He would always be happy to give us tons of hugs. One of the things I enjoyed growing up was to watch Grandma DiAnn get her “love jewlery” While Grandpa was out in the truck he always brought back jewlery for Grandma and he would always put a little note in the jewlery box for her. I just thought it was so cute. Now that I am older and he has retired I have grown closer to him and been very grateful to have him home. He is always a pleasure to talk to and he is the SWEETEST man! Grandpa has such a kind heart and he is always a true gentleman holding the doors open and he is constantly using chivalry. He would help me when I had problems with my truck and he was always patient with me when I needed a ride. He is always willing to help those around him. I love having Grandpa around and to hear his memories and experiences as he has lived his life. He has always had a good sense of humor and a smile on his face. Although he is a quiet man he is very important in my life. He has come from a very fine line of men in the Vaughan family and I especially love to hear stories. He always gives me a hug and a kiss goodnight before I go home from work if I come over to visit and he always makes sure I am home safe. I may have only one grandpa but I don’t want any other because the one I have got is the best! I love you Grandpa!

Grandma Ruby DiAnn Hawkins Vaughan

Grandma always makes me laugh. She has a sense of humor that even just the way she handles some things makes me laugh. Although I can sometimes tease her for her lack of hearing I always am grateful to have her as close to me as she is. Grandma has taught me the importance of scripture reading and journaling. She was always faithful in journaling and in her scripture study. I remember when Grandma and I joined Grandpa in the truck and we went up to Alaska. That trip in itself is full of fun and funny memories haha, but while we were there, every night we would (together) read our scriptures, read a chapter from Jesus the Christ, have journal time, race to finish a crossword puzzle (Grandpa cheats) and we would have prayers together. I look back on that trip constantly and I always think about it before I journal. It helped me to establish my habits of journaling especially. Sometimes after work I will wash my laundry at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. While I am waiting for the load I go upstairs and sit on the edge of Grandma’s bed and visit with her. She always greets me with a “Do you know what time it is?! I want you to know Miss Muffet that you are the only one who gets away with jumping on my bed at 2 in the morning!” It always makes me smile because I know I am loved. Grandma has always been able to be very intune with my feelings and I appreciate that. She always knows when she needs to call me and just let me know that she loves me or that she is there when I want to talk. I don’t think I give Grandma enough credit for what a great person she really is. I usually will harass her or give her a hard time, but I really admire her. She has such a testimony for the gospel and she is very knowledgeable in the scriptures and the teachings of the church. If I have a question she can always answer it for me and she is always teaching me things. Her testimony strengthens my own and I am always grateful when she shares her experiences with me. Grandma is also a very patient person. I think of when I was growing up. Grandma always took the time to sit with us kids, under her crooked tree, and have us read to her, or learn calligraphy with our feather pens and ink bottles. She taught us to tie quilts and she would attend a lot of our school functions. She always supported us in our fundraisers and any other silly event we were in. I think of some of the things she would endure and I see her doing the school functions with my little brother and I am grateful for her support. I remember sitting on her porch or under the tree reading The Twits by Roald Dahl and Wendy the Witch. I also remember memorizing I Know an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly. In elementary school Barrett and I knew that Grandma would come eat lunch with us on our turkey and gravy days. When she was the ward organist I remember going and practicing with her while she would play the hymns and I would sing them. Grandma taught me the beauty of music and the importance of having it in your life. When Grandma got her hair permed I knew I was to meet her at The New Do and then we would walk to Penny’s Gourmet to Go to have our fun talks and lunch. She would include me in hers and Mom’s retreats and I loved the memories I got during those times. I also remember getting up early in the morning to go with Grandma to set up for Relief Society dinners and any other thing she was involved with. I watch her dedication to the scouts in our ward now and I am truly grateful for all that she has taught me. Grandma has taught me the enjoyment of a good book, and she always says to only read that “which is worth repeating” or that you “wouldn’t be embarrassed if caught in the middle of it.” She has taught me the importance of good and quality literature and if you were to open one of her books you would find her star ratings inside the covers. In high school Grandma would help me with my summer reading by reading some of the books with me in my wee hours of the night because I had postponed it til the night before school started. My Grandma is a wonderful person and one of the kindest, she always seems to see the good in those around her and I love that about her. She also cracks me up because she always keeps stock of chocolate, chocolate milk, and People magazines for when I come to visit. We always seem to laugh because when I leave and give her a kiss and hug goodnight her glasses always catch my hair-ouch! I am happy to have her and Grandpa right next door so I can visit them at anytime! I love you Grandma!

Grandma Carole La Mont

I feel like I should also include Grandma Carole. She is Jake’s grandma and what a joy she has been in my life. I have only known her a little over a year maybe two and she just brightens my day as well. She is a strict Catholic woman, who reminds me of a proper English woman. She carries herself with such grace and dignity and all her words are filled with love. I have enjoyed getting to know her and to hear her stories. She will let me and Jake come and visit her at anytime and she is always fun to visit. Her grandsons will joke about how they have been booted out of the favorite list when I came around. Haha. She told me that “I told Jacob that he could borrow my car only if he got ice cream and brought you back with him.” She always greets me with a hug and even though she lives about a block away from me, I would have possibly never met her if it hadn’t have been for Jacob Dean. She is always pleasant to be around and she has been a huge support to Jake and me. She is also funny in her mannerisms. I think they are so cute! When we went to visit her one time she disappeared for awhile. We were kind of wondering where she had gone to and when she arrived she informed us that she went to “have an icecream cone with her neighbor.” Jake and his Dad were harassing her about how rude because maybe they had wanted one too. She seemed oblivious to their comments and just responded, “It was very good.” After Thanksgiving Jake and I came to visit. She had offered me a moolatte and told Jake that we could share it. I told her no thanks and then she said, “Well there are pumpkin bars in the freezer if you would like some” Jake answered, “No thanks I am good.” In all seriousness she said to Jake, “I was asking Jessica. Not you Jake.” We both started laughing because she was so serious about it. Jake and I had gone to the Christmas stroll and we ran into Grandma Carole. She was in Amazing Toys, which used to be a dollar store. She told us that it was the weirdest thing because she had been in there for awhile and had looked that store up and down and couldn’t find an extension cord. Jake told her that it was now Amazing Toys. She was like, “Oh. Well that could be why I can’t find one.” She is such a sweetheart and such a joy to be around. She also helped a lot and brought good memories to Jake’s childhood and he always seems very fond of those memories when he speaks of them. She also has been a great help with helping Jake and I to learn more and more about his family history! I enjoy our visits and am grateful for her welcoming me into her home so graciously each time I come to visit! Love you Grandma Carole!

5. I am thankful for. . . .. . AUNTS AND UNCLES!

My family has been very close and although I love all my aunts and uncles I think I am closer to those on my dad’s side. Throughout my childhood they were geographically closer (sometimes even in the same neighborhood) and they were the ones I would visit more often. However I have memories and am fond of all of them.

Uncle Nels and Aunt Colleen

They have always been so welcoming to us when bringing us into their home. They have a beautiful house, but money is never thrown in your face and I love that. I love to hear them teasing eachother and Nels does this thing where he makes this cute face and laughs. It is funny. We go and spend Thanksgiving with them each year and it is always fun to visit them. Colleen has been a fun addition to the family. She is boisterous and loud and there is nobody like Colleen. I love being greeted with a hug from her and how she is always trying to make sure we are going to drive home safe. She is wonderful. Nels is a joy to be around. He is funny and he is also a caring person, always willing to help. I love to hear about his protection of my mom as she was growing up or to hear her stories of her and Nels. I know he took care of my Mom and that means a lot. I always loved camping trips with their family and going shopping with Colleen and Mom. They are both very down to earth and great people.

Uncle Charles and Aunt Suzanne

For a little bit growing up I thought that Charles was this mean uncle who didn’t say much. Little did I know haha. He is so funny. I love to hear him and Nels get together and hear the two of them just feed off of eachother. They are very funny. They are also funny when they pick on Colleen. Suzanne is a sweetheart and she always seems to say nothing but kind things to those around her. She is always giving compliments and finding something nice to say to you. One of my favorite memories with Suzanne was when I was quite a bit younger and my cousin Emmi and I went to help Suzanne work at an auction. Suzanne let us tally up everybody’s votes and take their totals of what they owed. It was a fun experience!

Uncle Jim and Aunt Kristina

I feel bad because I don’t know them as much as I would like. I always remember Uncle Jim for his laugh. He always has fun and adventurous stories to share. It was a pleasant surprise to run into him at the hospital as he was one of the guards watching over our patient. I remember growing up thinking Kristina was so beautiful. She always had the darkest hair and had her makeup just so. To me she was very glamorous. She now owns a shop in the mall where she sales a lot of her stuff, I have swung past a couple of times, but haven’t ever run into her unfortunately.

Aunt Tina

One of my memories with Tina would have to be when she taught Emmi and Me a dance to go with Christina Aguilera’s genie in a bottle song. We made her do that dance with us for everybody. She would do it too. She never told us that she was too busy or anything. She and my mom were pretty close growing up and I enjoy hearing their stories as well.

Aunt Ida

Ida and I had some fun times for sure. Ida taught me when I was pretty young the hand game of Say Say Oh Playmate. She was always teaching me things like that. I remember when I had first gotten my driver’s license and she let me drive her car to Billings. Haha I made her pretty nervous. She was always willing to let me borrow her car. She was also my size for a little while and so I got to borrow her clothes a lot of times as well. I had fun memories with Ida. She was my crazy aunt. Haha.

Uncle Mike and Aunt Geri

I love looking back as I was growing up and remembering what the Vaughan uncles would include us in. Uncle Mike and Aunt Geri let Barrett and I be part of their dates. I remember Mike taking us and walking us to the apartment Geri lived in, a couple blocks away. He would have us hide under the stairs and “be very quiet” so we would be a surprise for Geri. She would come down the stairs and although I know after several times she knew we were there, she always acted surprised to see us. There was one date I remember where they took me to Gibson park with them. I remember sitting on Geri’s shoulders and eating this sour fruit roll up thing as we walked around Gibson Park. As I look back now I really appreciate them letting us be a part of their courtship. Thanks you guys! When I went to Utah for Lauren’s birth I was so impressed by our diligent scriptures and prayers before bed. Mike just showed such a love for the scriptures that it impressed me. He has always helped to strengthen my testimony through his example as I got older and I remember times of sitting with him in sacrament meeting and him teaching me stories through his drawings. Mike has always been famous for his milk shakes that can often be chunky haha. Good times! I remember Geri being big into making us ornaments each year for Christmas. She makes beautiful ornaments and as we still put them on the tree I am always grateful for the time she took on them. Love you guys!

Uncle Jeff and Aunt Katie

I was trying to decide which Aunt I should write about. Only kidding Jeff! I have many memories with Uncle Jeff. I remember going to his apartment on fifth avenue and we would spend the night. We would also watch Star Wars and play Candy Land. I remember when Barrett and I got that game for Christmas we were so excited and we never got tired of that game! I remember Uncle Jeff becoming Uncle Fester. Haha and watching Mom help Jeff to become bald. Even though I was young I remember going to Canada for a wedding and staying in the trailer park that had the candy store. I remember helping to put whipping cream on Jeff’s teal colored car. I especially remember doing the dances with Jeff. We always had a great time. I remember one time when Barrett, Jeff, Steph, and Me went to Hardees after a dance. We laughed so hard that night. It has got to be one of my favorite dance memories. I would also go to the out of town dances with Jeff and those were times that I got to bond with him. We got to talk a lot during those times. I always enjoyed our visits. We started Sunday dinners at Jeff’s and we still continue that tradition. I always enjoy visiting the family and knowing that my family is that close. It is something I will never take for granted. I kind of feel bad for Aunt Katie because I think she is the only aunt I didn’t get close to in the beginning. I didn’t really give her the time of day when she and Jeff first started hanging out. It took me quite awhile to warm up to her, but she was and is somebody I could always talk to. I remember having a tough time when I was in Missoula with Jeff for a dance. Katie was pregnant with Parker at the time, but she and I went to this deserted hallway and we just talked. She let me vent about everything and really helped me out. I think that is when my perspective started to change and I started bonding with Katie. I could trust her and I was realizing that she really is a very caring person. Plus she loves scrapbooking and Michael Buble—need I say more. I still talk to Katie and I love having her as my aunt! Katie has a good sense of humor. She is also very kind. Katie is awesome because when I needed to cry she would cry with me. Haha. It has been neat too because she and I have learned that we actually have a lot more in common than we realized. It has brought us closer. I also think Katie is very talented in her letters and journaling. She always writes beautiful journaling with her scrapbooking and I enjoy having her around me. I love you guys!

Uncle Chris and Aunt Kristi

Uncle Chris definitely brought fun memories into my childhood. He was the young uncle when i was growing up. I remember him always being so funny. He would jump on the trampoline with us and I remember one Halloween when Jeff and Chris decided they would tell us ghost stories on the trampoline. Chris told us about Bloody Mary. We didn’t believe him and he told us, “I said Bloody Mary nine times and then I ran out because I was scared.” We were like, “yeah right.” Then I remember Jeff told us a story about some guy named Ebenezer or something like that and he lived on the top of this hill and how everyone was mean to him and the kids would put a bag of poop on his porch and he would always step in it. These kids started disappearing and Ebenezer liked this woman and in the end of the story he was in the woman’s house and she HAD MONSTER ARMS AND SHE WAS CUTTING UP THE LITTLE KIDS! Jeff had yelled that part. We decided he told the scariest story. He was like, “No Chris’s was scary. It scared me.” I remember another time when Chris and Jeff babysat us—you guys were little stinkers! We were going to get pizza and I was trying to figure out everybody’s middle names. They had me convinced that the names were David Sprinkles Vaughan, Jeff Cupcake Vaughan, Mike Bubblegum Vaughan, and Chris brownie Vaughan. Little jerks! When we got pizza I got a taco pizza. There were sausage pieces on there and they were telling me and Barrett that it was rabbit poop! Haha. I don’t think I ever ate Taco pizza again and now whenever Grandma DiAnn does I always laugh at my bully uncles. I remember Chris taught us to jump from the garage onto our trampoline. I also remember him jumping on the trampoline when it was snowing outside. His feet got cold so he took these big fleece purple gloves and put them on his feet. We laughed because he looked like a monkey. I remember him holding Barrett and “shampooing his hair” by moving his feet with the gloves on, like he was washing his hair. It still makes me laugh. I remember Chris going on his mission and when he came home I remember waiting at the airport being so excited to see him. I remember sitting up in the attic in his room with him and drawing pictures for him to send to New Zealand. His room always had colored lights across it and big Christmas balls hanging from the ceiling. He was always big into biking and I remember him taking us biking and to Dairy Queen. I remember him going swimming at the Natatorium with me and Barrett and also going rollerblading with us to the CMR Museum parking lot. He was always fun! He also taught me to jitterbug whenever he would come into town from Idaho. He also taught me to be loose when dancing “so you don’t get hurt when you dance with a guy that doesn’t know what he is doing” I always thought of Uncle Chris whenever I had to dance with one of those guys and I was always grateful that I knew what to do. Uncle Chris also always let me meet his girlfriends. I got to decide if I liked them or not. It made me feel important. Aunt Kristi is the absolute perfect match for Uncle Chris. I remember when she first came to visit us. She was absolutely beautiful and so much fun! I still remember the New Year’s Eve dance with her and her leather pants. She was actually the person who got me into scrapbooking and I will always thank her for that because I LOVE it! Kristi always went the extra mile with me, sending me a note here or there but she always made me feel loved, she always let me know that she was thinking about me. I always love hearing from her and she is just fun to be around. She and Chris are pretty funny together too and I think they make a great pair. I love you guys!

4. I am thankful for.. . . .thankful people.

I am thankful for the people who are grateful for your actions or your help, especially at work. Sometimes I get irritated doing stuff for people and it seeming like they are never satisfied or happy. At work we can get some people who are more than capable to do for themselves, but they demand catering. Needless to say those people do a good job of adding frustration to my life. I can leave and be in a bad mood, but it is just that one person that will say, "Thank you" that makes it all worth it. I love receiving thank you notes or have people let me know that they appreciate all that you have done. So thank you for all you grateful people! You definitely make my day!

3.I am Thankful for. . . . . SHOES!!!

What can I say I LOVE LOVE LOVE cute shoes! If anybody knows me then they know I have a huge shoe fetish. I just love the feeling when I am wearing my heels and I just love looking for cute unique ones, especially with finding them at great prices! My brothers were asking my mom why she would let me wear her shoes and not let them even try them on. Mom responded, "Where have you been? To Jessica shoes are like diamonds." Haha. Jake will harass me too saying that if we were to get married he is worried that we won't have food on the table because I will drain the bank account, "but at least Jessica will have sixty more pairs of shoes." He will also say that he feels bad for the semi that will be hired to help move my shoes to any house I have to move to. Haha. Here are some of my favorites that I have.

On my Delaware trip I got these pink and white polka dot ones from Aunt Colleen. Thanks!



These zebra ones are actually my newest. They came from Grandma and Grandpa Vaughan for Christmas!



These black and white ones were actually one of my first pairs that got me the Shoe fever!
I call these ones my Cruella De Vil shoes, but Grandma calls them my "Floozy shoes" Thanks a lot.






Benny calls these red ones my "old lady shoes" Hardly.

2. I am Thankful for. . . SNOW!!!!!

It was snowing when I was leaving work. I didn’t notice until after the hospital was going to sleep and I was filling water pitchers in patients’ rooms. One patient always has his blinds up through out the night. I was able to see the giant flakes dance their way to the parking lot. It was dark outside except for the street lights, but the snow just sparkled as I walked to my car. I love the snow! It may seem funny but it relaxes me. It makes me want to just wrap up in a blanket and drink hot cocoa with marshmallows! The snow brings a peace to my mind and it just seems to quiet the world that at times seems way too noisy. I love the snow and I love the detail and ornate beauty of the individual snowflake. What a joy it has been to have snow this year, I didn’t realize how much I truly missed it.

I am thankful for. . . . SCRAPBOOK OVERNIGHTERS!

I don’t really remember how we got them started, but I love scrapbook overnighters. Every month Mom, Katie, Tara, Alla, and I would get together and scrapbook the night away—literally! Well it has branched out more so we have more people who join us that night. I love this night of sheer fun and therapy. It is always a joy for me to just spend time with those around me. I especially love spending that time with my mom. She and I seem to always be the last awake and I love our late night talks. She is wonderful. I also have to send a big thanks to all the hubbies who don’t make a fuss about letting us borrow their wives for the evening. Thanks and happy scrapping! These are the layouts i accomplished on Friday and of course no journaling is done haha.

2009

There are many things that I want to do better at especially this year, but with my New Year's resolutions I do not want to make a big list and try to do the impossible. I am pretty good at over estimating time for things. A couple of my resolutions this year involve:

*CHURCH--I have definitely been a slacker in a couple of areas so I hope to improve that. Most of them include personal and spiritual growth so I am working on those. Also Jake and I have set a goal to read the scriptures together every night. We are reading in the Doctrine and Covenants. We haven't been doing too bad. Jake has been such a good sport about it, even when I get off work late (like 2AM etc). He is always willing to read with me. I have noticed a huge difference already in my attitude and it makes me very happy. I look forward to continue reading with him.

*PEAK--I am hoping to join the Peak this next week. I am very excited to do so for a couple of reasons. First of all I need to get into better shape and to develop the habit again of working out. Also I think I want to try yoga, pilates, and do lap swimming. I haven't done them before but they sound fun to me.

*ME--When the boys got in their wreck I took it pretty hard. As weird as it may sound the thing I learned from that experience was that I needed to do more things for me. I am not as fun as I used to be and I am pretty uptight. I need to learn to relax and to take care of me too. this year I want to enjoy life a little bit more and to do more exciting things, and take on opportunities that come my way. I want to smile more this year and to laugh at silly things.

*JOURNAL--THis is like therapy to me. I am able to clear my mind before bed and I sleep better when I journal. I am hoping to take more time to journal and to do it every night. There are so many memories that I would like to remember and I have missed several because I didn't journal because I "would remember it." I don't want to regret not writing anything else down so I hope to journal.

*I also find myself not being very good at letter writing. I do not always send thank you notes like I should or keep in touch like I should. I want this year to focus more and to show more appreciation to those around me. I also want to be able to recognize the wonderful things around me and to also count my blessings. My goal starting tomorrow will be to start a Thankful blog entry everyday. I want to have a year full of things and people I am grateful for. Things that I may take for granted, but am appreciative of. I am sorry if I bore you with my entries, but I want to constantly be looking for the beauty that surrounds me.

I wish you all luck in your resolutions and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Talk about put on the spot

I serve in the primary at the church so I am with the children between the ages of 3-12 years old. I absolutely love it and the children always make me smile. Well as I was leaving church Jake and I were holding hands. We started out the foyer door and little Ethan who is about 5 looked at us holding hands. He then asked Jake very seriously, "Did you marry her?" We both just laughed. It was too cute!

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

If anyone has a chance to get out and go to the movies I definitely recommend this movie. Jake and I went to this on Saturday and we both absolutely LOVED it! It was soo good and just a feel good movie that makes you think . I wouldn't say it is a chick flick, it was just really good! Go see it!

Merry and Bright

My Christmas was an excellent one! I was grateful for so many things, especially that we received a white Christmas this year! I have to say that I missed all the snow. In the morning I had to run outside and take a picture of the new fallen snow before anybody made tracks in the snow. Here is our house covered in the snow.
We have many family traditions especially during Christmas time. For one tradition we always go to Jeff and Katie's house and eat Vaughan Enchiladas for dinner. This year we had extra guests as the Roberts, Parkers, Jake, and Holly (Barrett's girlfriend) joined us. The grandkids spend the night at Grandma and Grandpa's house and we get to watch A Christmas Story. This year the Vaughan girls wore matching candy cane socks to dinner!
Another tradition that I enjoy is that Grandpa always reads us the Christmas story from Luke. I hear it every year, but something always seems to hit me each year. This year I really reflected on what a great man Joseph must have been. I gained a greater respect and understanding, and appreciation for his faithfulness and dedication to Mary and Baby Jesus. What an amazing man! Well before we started with the story we were trying to get everyone gathered in the living room and to get all the little kids to be quiet. All of a sudden we heard this choking noise behind us. It was Dad. He had one of Katie's decorative trees and by the position that we were at it looked like he was swallowing it (if Katie sends me the pic I will post it). He acted like those guys who swallow fire and did it with the tree. However it started showing up behind his head. Katie jokingly screamed, "It is coming out of the back of his head someone call 911!" Jordan who was sitting on the floor grabbed Parker's play phone and pretended to call 911. It was so funny. So much for there being any reverence for the story. Haha.
I went with Jake to his Mom's house and we took pictures. Below is a picture of Jake, Gus (Jake's little brother), and me.
This is Jake's youngest brother Danny.
Jake and me

Christmas Morning was full of fun memories. We had the stockings hung. They are also hung on another window shelf on the other side of the room. However this picture shows you Mom and Dad's GIANT stockings! Talk about high hopes--jk.
Dad was a lot of fun this year. He was pretty funny. Well during this picture he had his stocking as you can see, but he yelled, "I am going in!" and pretended to dive into his stocking to get his gifts and goodies.

Santa was pretty nice to Danika. I swear this dog is truly loved aka. very spoiled. As you can see she has a front row seat to the fire. She also received a stocking full of dog bones, you can see the little bone in front of her.
We had to get her in the Christmas spirit. Last year we tried a rudolph nose and she was not game with that at all. This year she did better with her little hats. Might I add, these are all actually Dad's hats. Every year Dad gets a new santa hat and he definitely finds the coolest ones.
While the family was over and we were opening presents, Danika started to get a little nervous so she crawled onto Mom's lap.
She received her very own GIANT candy cane rawhide bone. She was hilarious as she protected this bone. If somebody tried to get it she would pick it up to walk away with it, but due to the large size she would be lopsided and wouldn't make it very far.
She even received her very own Santa Baby, which she has taken very good care of.

Mom and Dad went to Home Depot this year to get our tree.
and like every year Mom did a beautiful job of decorating our Christmas tree.
Another tradition we have involves the ornaments. We are German and the germans have a pickle tradition. A pickle ornament is hidden in the tree and whoever finds it first gets an extra gift. We always get the pickle gift as our last gift. Jordan found it this year and Jarom opened the gift. Also Mom does her own tradition of always buying a new ornament every year. She buys seven of the ornaments and puts them on the tree. We look and find the new ornament before we open presents. Mom buys so many so that when we get married and set up our own Christmas trees we will already have ornaments for our tree. So we will have a tree full of memories from growing up. These were our ornaments this year.
Dad had this awesome Mistletoe hat so Jake and I decided it would be fun to use for pictures! Geez Jake doesn't look like a happy camper. You would think he would be more excited to get free kisses.
My mistletoe shirt





I hope you all had a Very Merry Christmas and enjoyed your holidays!!!