Christmas 2012

 We started off our Christmas time at home together on December 23rd by having egg nog and reading the traditional story, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever".

Nice and perky at first.

Drowsy by the end!

On Christmas Eve we gathered with some of the Wasche-side family at Amy and Bill's.  We sang carols and ate yummy foods.  Fun as usual!  We listened to the 2004 family Christmas tape on the way there and back home again.  Lots of laughs and memories!  On the way home (in Shoreview), the faithful old van suddenly started shooting like a gun up front.  We realized that though it was loud, it was safe to keep driving home.  So you get the picure...about midnight this big old van pulling into the neighborhood sounding like a revved-up vehicle!

Me and some of my siblings.

Our own crew!

Christmas Day we had a nice brunch.  Then we took our usual lengthy time of opening gifts one by one.  

The usual sponge football!

Dad giving out the gifts.  But this year he changed the tradition
and opened his own when he came to them.  This was my suggestion, and
I do think it was nicer this way rather than him waiting till the very end.

Daniel gave some great
Dr. Seuss books to others.

The stockings were a little reminiscent of 2004, when the
stockings were stuffed way, way too full!  Remember?  

John gave each of the boys a jalapeño pepper in their
stocking.  Timothy had switched the camera to
black and white.  It fits the picture!

Esther donned her new apron.
She said she needed something in her
hands for the picture, so she grabbed some
of her stocking stuffers.

Timo got a new pair of footsie pajamas!
He hadn't even planned it, but he was still wearing
his pajamas in the afternoon!

The gift that Joseph gave the family!  We have already been
using the microwave a lot!  Yay!!

John's new car from Dad...
a lamborghini!
(Can you see in John's face
that he is still recovering?)

We all loved the homemade white hot-chocolate
that Kelsea made!

She even made homemade marshmallows!

Yummy!!

And then, since SOMETHING! was wrapped in bubble wrap, of course it couldn't be thrown away!

The Molitor Kids and
Too Much Christmas!

5 YEARS!!

                     Happy Anniversary Adam and Ruth!!!

                              We thank the Lord for 5 years of His wonderful faithfulness!  
                                                                      We love you!!

Happy GOLDEN Birthday, Daniel!!

On this very special birthday, Daniel's GOLDEN birthday, I thought it would be totally appropriate to re-use some blog pictures from 2009.  They are fun to see again!

Christmas Day 1997.  Daniel brought home from
the hospital 10 days old in a big Christmas stocking!

Not too happy yet!  He still needed to get
out of his "coat" and fed!

Some photos of his 1st birthday...

Daniel taking off his final link
on his birthday chain with big
sister, Rebecca helping!

We hung the
big stocking up for a fun remembrance!

We had a party for him that night!

Here Daniel is at 18 months old.  A pose he was sometimes seen doing!

The day of "THE GASH".  Daniel is
3 years old and just returned from
the hospital where he got stitches.

3 years old with new baby brother!

Supper time that day, 4 years old!

Morning of 4th Birthday,
taking last link off his birthday chain!

Daniel with Mom and Dad
on his 12th birthday!

HAPPY   GOLDEN  BIRTHDAY
                 DANIEL !!
        WE   LOVE   YOU  !!
 ~~~~~~~~~ 15 ~~~~~~~~~

Snow in Minnesota

WELCOME BACK WINTER!  Minnesota clobbered by 16 inches of snow

This was last nights's headline.  It had started to snow during the night, and then continued all day yesterday. We had no snow at all...and now a winter wonderland!

As I was preparing to leave for church in the morning, Dad called and said it would be good for Timothy and me to stay home.  They were safely at church by then, but had done a full 360 degree spin as they went over the 35 W bridge, and he said the roads were terrible.

It was mild outside, and the snow was coming
down fast and sticky. Actually the kind of
day that is wonderful to get out and shovel.

This is about mid-morning after Timothy had done
an earlier shoveling.

Every few minutes there were small
"avalanches" of snow falling through
the tall trees.  Very pretty!

  

See those big huge, heavy clumps ready
to fall?

John and I shoveled again in the late afternoon, and when the guys got home finally at night after church, they shoveled again!  

Joseph and Daniel had some fun making snow angels 

and then they headed in for some warming up pushups and a hot shower!

And this is what it looks like outside today!!