Christmas on the Farm

So I'm finally back at my own house and can sleep in my own bed tonight. Unfortunately I brought back my Mom's germs along with my presents. She was sick throughout all of the holiday which was really sad for her. I started sniffling a bit this morning but didn't feel really bad until I dropped the kids off at their house this afternoon and was finally able to relax. Funny how the body works like that.

Mike and my family traditions work nicely together. His family has always celebrated on Christmas Eve and mine has always had Christmas morning. We drove down to the farm at the worst possible time, right in the middle of the snow showers. We had a white Christmas but it was a pain in the you know what driving in it. When I talked to Ani that evening she informed me that it was the first white Christmas since she's been here. I guess that means since she was born.

The girls had great fun opening their presents and then wondering what Santa had left for them in Texas. I thought I'd share just a few shots from the festivities that morning. I have lots of other pictures from the week and I'll post some through the rest of this week. I had fun exploring my camera but I didn't get too crazy with settings. I've stuck to a few basic settings but I can definitely tell a difference in the picture quality with my Rebel.

The top shot captures all the craziness of Christmas morning in our house with my sister Angie's entire crew including the new puppy Buttons. You can tell in this shot that Kate was not too sure of the sparkling grape juice that Dad and Uncle Jack were toasting too before Christmas dinner. Savannah enjoyed flaunting around in her new tutu and the girls enjoyed capturing it all on their new cameras, particularly getting embarrassing videos of each other to share with everyone.

Hopefully a good night's sleep will help me feel better for the rest of the week. I may be off work but I have lots to do. We also have a funeral to fit in tomorrow. Mike's Uncle passed away the day after Christmas. It really was a blessing as he had gone down hill so fast and it was brutally painful for his Mom to watch. I've agreed to host a small New Year's Eve party so I have to get things ready for that along with all the other things on my list. I really don't have time to be sick but my body could only hold the germs off for so long.