Christmas 2008

Family gathering for dinner!

The aftermath!

Gabrielle's 1st "mink/fur"coat from Aunt Rachel! Its just what EVERY girl needs/wants! (tehehe)

Ah, the wonderment of the child!

Gabrielle opening/playing with the packaging

Niece Emily, Daniel, Rachel, Niece Erica

Nephews: Spencer, Tre', Lucas, Brian

Nephews: Brian, Antonio, Kevin, Phillip

We had an incredible Christmas! Well, we did have one "major" bump/bruise! Ric fell at work and, while protecting his right arm (you know, the one he just had surgery on in October) he landed on his left shoulder. We will hopefully find out today if he tore his rotator cuff in his left shoulder. Otherwise, Christmas was spectacular. Thomas, Lindsay, and Gabrielle dropped by for a visit after the Children's Mass on Christmas Eve. What a bonus. We didn't think we'd see them until Christmas afternoon so we really enjoyed that! Ric, Rachel and I went to Midnight Mass. Daniel was already there (working) and Thomas was broadcasting Midnight Mass from our diocesan cathedral. Midnight Mass at St. Timothy's is always beautiful! Great music, great liturgy! We are so proud of Daniel and his work in liturgy at our parish. He works very hard and does an awesome job. Our parish is sooooooo blessed to have him! Ric and I are even more so blessed to call him son!

Christmas morning was wonderfully relaxing. Ric was extremely sore, so it was wonderful that we could "lounge" around for the morning. Rachel and I prepared an awesome breakfast feast and we all enjoyed sitting down to a traditional Christmas meal. Granted, it was at 2 p.m. in the afternoon but it still felt like breakfast! The weather was overcast, rainy, and cool. It really added to the ambience of the day! After breakfast/lunch, we "did the tree" starting, of course, with the stockings. We all made out like bandits and piled our booty into our respective "piles"! It was sooooooooo much fun having Gabrielle! You know, it IS all about the children!!! As expected, she seemed to like the packaging more than the gifts with the exception of the piano that Uncle Daniel gave her. She "played" her heart out on it and gave us all a concert we won't soon forget! It was then off to my sister, Jenny's, for a traditional gathering of my sibs and their families (as many as could make it) for yet another meal/feast! It was great to see nieces and nephews that had made it in from, literally, around the world. Nephew, Phillip, made it in all the way from China! We look forward to meeting his new bride/wife, Honey, when she makes it here, hopefully, in the Spring. All I can say is, RED TAPE!!! We came home and promptly crashed by 9 p.m.!!!

We hope everyone's Christmas was as blessed as ours!

Here are just a sampling of our Christmas!!! Enjoy!