Christmases

I had been waiting to post about all of our Christmases until I got all of my pictures downloaded on the computer.  I tried to download them earlier this week, and for some reason the pictures from my nice camera wouldn't download.  I tried a couple of times and it wouldn't work, so I had Blake try the other night.  When he was working at it, somehow all the pictures got deleted from the camera...yes, all 323 photos we had taken over the past few weeks are gone.  I'm super bummed about it...no pictures of Brooks and Keely in front of the tree, none of the kids with Santa on Christmas Eve, and whatever else was on there...I don't even want to think what else is gone!! Oh well, I have to get over it, and I'll have to start asking for copies from others of our kids from all the Christmases! At least I do have the few photos from my small camera and my phone, so I will have a few to share!
On Dec 9 we had a Christmas with my Grandma and Grandpa Jost and my Uncle Steve and Aunt Sherry were in town too.
Bret told the Christmas story with a nativity before we opened gifts

 Brooks loved his gift of a ball and plastic cones that he could set up and knock over with it.

 Aunt Laura playing with one of Keely's gifts with Brooks

 A few weeks before Christmas we drove around looking at all the houses in York participating in the Lighting Contest (Blake's idea and sponsored in part by York Ace Hardware!)  It was a lot of fun, and there were a lot of great lights!

 Brooks got his first taste of a candy cane by getting one from one of the houses that had a Santa dressed up outside on their driveway handing them out! So fun!

Then we had our little Christmas as a family later that week.

 Keely loved unwrapping the gifts

 And of course, so did Brooks

 A new big boy water bottle! Brooks didn't get a lot of 'toys' this year...he got several stuffed Angry Birds, several balls, a board game, a few videos, a duffle bag to take on trips, a backpack, a couple new shirts, some books, some painting supplies, some mega blocks, and then a LeapFrog scribble and write.  (That's from about all the Christmases, but I thought I would list them so I could look back and remember someday!)

 Brooks loved his stocking too...so fun.  I wish I had the pictures of the kids in front of the tree from this night and others I took, but these will just have to do :(

Then we spent several days in Smith Center celebrating Christmas with friends and family. The first big gathering we had was with all the Burgess Cousins.  Here we are with Blake's Burgess Grandparents, his brother Luke and family, and Blake's parents.  I couldn't get the photo of all the Burgess cousins that were there together to upload...I tell you, I'm having problems with pictures lately!!

Another night we had Christmas with Blake's Lambert family.
Here is Keely with her Great-Grandma Lambert

The family with Lambert Grandparents

  Brooks and Keely opening gifts

 Brooks enjoying his first popcorn ball.  He loved that it turned his hands green.  He had been sick the whole week before Christmas, and this was the first night he had eaten anything in about a week.  I was so glad when he finally felt better and didn't whine and complain all day!

 

Picture of the cousins with grandma and papa after church

 Brooks showing Amos (Luke's dog, or Pearl's dog as Brooks would say!) how to play daddy's phone.

 

Brooks and Pearl played pretty well again this time...she is the closest to Brooks' age of the Burgess cousins, but she is still 2 years older than him.  So I guess that would make Rosa closer to Brooks' age, but since she isn't quite one yet, she couldn't really 'play' with Brooks.

 Winter, Pearl, Brooks, Grandma, and I made a rice krispie train.  I don't have the pictures of them with the final product because, yes, they were on the other camera, but here is me mixing it for them!

 Brooks eating jello-one of the few things he ate that weekend!

 When we got back home after Christmas, the kids and I went over to my parents' for an evening because my Reimer grandparents were over from Kansas.  Brooks and Keely each got a gift from them.  Brooks was super excited to open another gift!

 ooooo...an Angry Bird thing!!!

 Keely playing with grandpa and patiently waiting her turn for a gift.  She's so goofy!

 Keely got an activity table, and loves it...she can't stand at it by herself yet without falling over, but she really wants to, and gets a little crazy when we bring it out.  She loves it!

 Well that was about our entire month of December! super busy, but lots of fun.
 I unfortunately have no pictures from our Christmas with my side of the family that we had on New Year's Day...hopefully mom or Cody got some of my kids too!! :)