Goin' to the Big Table

My parents were kind enough to invite my good friend Ginger and her family over to their house for dinner on Christmas Eve. Bruce called up Ginger and told her she was pretty much family now since they were officially invited to "the big table" (my parent's house.) John was flattered to say the least and the boys couldn't wait to check out Darren's grandpa's house.

These are they flowers that Liam personally picked out for my mom. How sweet!



Check out the yummy prime rib we had that night:





Oh, here are a few pictures from the cookie-baking marathon day. I have to say that I was quite pleased with this year's mix. I added fudge, a rich dark chocolate cookie with white chocolate bits and magic cookie bars with graham cracker, marshmallow and coconut. I was bummed I hadn't thought of taking pictures of the filled cookie tins when they were getting packaged but I was in such a rush that morning I didn't give it a thought. There's always next year!






The kids exchanged their gifts that night and Bruce was given his Christmas gift a day early since they were too hard to hide in our house. I think the big grin is his stamp of approval.









Darren proceeded to wake up at 5 a.m. Christmas morning but we told him he couldn't wake us until after 7. Needless to say, he came bounding in at 7:02 ready to open up the presents under the tree. It was definitely a Lego-themed day. Will I ever be able to vacuum my carpets again? Hmmm....











Tomorrow Ginger and I are taking the boys to Yosemite for a day in the snow while the hubbies are at work. It'll be a long day of driving back and forth but the fun to be had will be priceless. Until then, happy holidays!