Catching up

Well, its been a little hectic and I haven't had time to post anything, so I thought I'd just get it all done at once. Here goes... Christmas was a lot of fun this year, as usual. A little crazy in places, but that just keeps life interesting. We always start Christmas break off with a "ranch" Christmas party. I don't like to call it a staff party. We're more family than coworkers. (especially us women) We do white elephant/dirty santa, whatever you want to call it, every year. It is always a hoot! Justin(our program director) and his son Zack, looking over wife, Holly's shoulder in anticipation of what she will find. It was a hideous looking horse!

Russell (very middle with the green shirt) was the first to open a gift and it was bald guy head wipes. It wasn't planned at all, but it was so funny!

Edana loves Crystal. She babysat them for a while and Edana thinks she is her sister. Next to Crystal is Gene and Rose, two of the sweetest hardest working people to ever live! Jeff is stealing Apples to Apples from Marty (his supervisor) Its a good thing she has a good sense of humor! That is a great game if you've never tried it. This one was actually a Bible version. We broke it in Sunday night with Brian and Christina and my parents. Great fun!

Pamela got a crazy looking monkey that squeaked and stuck its tongue out. (Jester got a new toy!) Wow! A picture of me and Jeff. Those don't happen often. And look! He has two usable hands! It was a great night and a great beginning to break. Everyone showed up and Steve brought a girl! She seemed super nice...we'll have to see what happens with that. There are a lot more pics, but I'll move on. If you don't know what happened the next day, read the last blog I wrote. Jeff came home from the hospital on Saturday to a house full of Baileys. I didn't really think to take pictures at that one. It was a smaller crowd than usual (i think mom counted 35). Her side of the family is huge. It is nothing for us to have 50 over for a holiday or family dinner. The kids all bring gifts according to their age and gender and exchange them with the younger cousin(3rd or 4th cousins that is) Edana got a new baby doll, Aidan got a transformer car, and Dec didn't get anything. (we'd planned to give the blocks as his present....we didn't figure anyone wanted Jeff's bloody blocks!) The adults do an ornament exchange and gift bags. Its definitely more fun when everyone shows up, but this year, I was glad for the smaller crowd. Jeff refused to go to bed until all the excitement was over and people started leaving, so I was actually glad that we had it earlier in the afternoon than usual. We left the next day for Shelly's. That is my favorite part of Christmas. We all go up there and usually spend a big portion of Christmas break with them. We had to cut it a little short this year to take Jeff to the doctor, but we're planning to go back up there this weekend. Christmas eve Jeff and I open our presents to each other after the kids are in bed and "Santa has come" Its just our little tradition to get a chance to focus on each other. Christmas morning is all about the kids! Boy is it fun. Edana got a Barbie and her dog Tanner that eats and poops. She was very excited about that. She ended up with her horse that eats too, and a ton of my little pony stuff, some puzzles and a vanity and make-up. A great time for any four year old girl! My little hero got plenty of heroes to add to his ever growing collection. He got a green lantern(shown in the picture) and Wasp. Jeff had to tell him who Wasp was, but when he found out it was Captain America's friend, he was sold. He really wanted Cap's sidekick, Bucky, but we didn't find it soon enough to order. He'll get that for Easter. He also got some army guys, a tank, tools, and serveral new vehicles.

We didn't do a lot for Declan this year. He was too busy to notice. This is the only picture I actually have of him setting playing with something. His birthday is in November and with their ages so close, all of the kids toys are in such good condition, it was hard even think of what to get him. Plus, he'd rather have Aidan's cars and trucks than his own age appropriate toys. He did love tearing open the gifts though Jason and Lena and crew came later Christmas night. We draw names every year because their are so many grand kids now. Its always fun to see who you'll get to buy for. This year we had Caleb, Jake, and Alyssa. (they are the easiest, other than Aidan) Except Caleb is getting to that in between stage. It took a little while to think of something for him. We ended up getting him a Louis L'Amour book. I hope he liked it. Jake got trucks. You can't go wrong with trucks, cars, or motocross with Jake! Alyssa got a baby doll complete with bath tub and accessories. She was really excited when she opened it! We made game night baskets for Shelly and Shawn and Jason and Lena. Just a little basket with cards, popcorn, peanuts, and a candle in it. (Alex helped me decide what all to put in that one.) We went shopping Christmas eve, just me and her. It was a lot of fun. She is at the age where we can hang out and talk and have fun on the same level. I think Alex will always seem half sister half niece to me. It was great spending the day with her. She even helped me wrap the gifts when we got home.

Here is a twosome to watch out for! Aidan and Alyssa. Edana had her hands full between the two of them!

The Kennedy's. I think Shelly may have gotten a better one of these. (Aidan just had to get in on the picture taking...little stinker!)

Shelly, Jason, and Mandee. (again, I think Shelly ended up with a better one of these) This one really isn't that good, but hey! Jason is clean shaven and has decent clothes on.

All the grand kids 1-10. From left-Bottom row: Aidan, Alyssa, Alex, Declan, Reagan, Caleb Top Row:Garrett, Jake, Edana, and Bailey.

This is how Aidan spent most of his holiday. The boy will not keep clothes on. Most days I don't fight it, but I did insist that he had to put on his p.j.'s before he could come and see what Santa brought! I didn't want all of his pictures to be of him in his undies! What fun! Christmas is so much fun. I love figuring out gifts for everyone. We got mom and dad a welcome mat for their front door and a boot scrapper for their back door. (one of mom's pet peeves is tracking mud in...maybe these will save her some frustration with dad!) I found Jeff a nice watch on sale. It took most of what I'd budgeted to spend on him, but I decided it was worth it. I stocked up! He had started a drafting table for me before the accident. (maybe that can be an anniversary gift) So he stocked my supplies with colored pencils, sketch pad, and various other things, and he found a punch bowl I've been eyeing since before we were married, and the Beatles One cd. (i asked for that last year, but it sold out. I had kinda given up on it) Needless to say, I felt a little spoiled. he did a fabulous job...and just think he had to come up with that while taking pain meds! What a man!

We took Jeff back to the doctor on Thursday (12/27). They scheduled his surgery to fix the severed nerve in his thumb for Saturday. Turns out, he had cut four nerves; two in his thumb, one in his index finger and one in his ring finger. They were able to find and repair all four with out complication. Praise God!! His splint and wrap is bigger than before. Its seems to bother him...the size. He will go in next week and have a custom splint made for better fit. I've learned how to shave him! There are soo many things you wouldn't think about not being able to do, although, he did pretty well signing left handed. He'll be in the splint for four to six weeks...Rileigh is due in eight. That is cutting it close! They have mentioned therapy for his hand, but I'm not sure what the extent of that will be. He seems to be handling the pain pretty well. Today, he didn't take any of the prescription meds, just ibuprofen. He wouldn't say much if it was hurting anyway. He's definitely stronger than me!

New years kinda slipped in this year. We put the kids to bed and watched a movie. After that we went to bed. Just before falling asleep, Jeff checked the time and told me happy new year. Exciting huh! That's okay. We had our traditional new years meal, complete with black-eyed peas and corn bread tonight! I think that is everything for the last week and a half....