Merry Christmas with Pam & Larry
(All the kids in 2010 at Deadwood)...
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There are many shots worth looking at... now loading, (to the left on newer monitors).
It was fun with 16 people... especially when half were children under the age of 7.
Pam said she was counting me... (but I still got to eat with the "growed up" people).
But so did "TommyTom"... (We actually have 2 Toms, 2 Marys, 2 Larrys, and 2 Bryans).
We often say Brian with an i, Mary with an E... or the Larry with that silly beard.
But there was only one Pam, and she did wonderful... Never even missed a shift or burned a roll.
Before that she made 9 Christmas baskets for those more in need...
Pam is still president of Alter Society... (But now we have another gal under 70 working with us)!
They even went to the rest home and entertained for a day... With treats!
I did my part hauling some of the handicapped... and Kathleen even "put on the ritz" for the old coots!
Everyone did their part. Mary even swept the walk... (after she found it that is)!
Ben did the trains, Tommy tested them for durability...
Mary and Becca both took the pictures, I shot the video...
James brought most of the kids, and took them away after we filled them up with sugar...
We did presents in stages... and tried not to break everything until it was all over!
We had to move the tree into the living room... (So it did not fall off with the front of the house).
The plan was to put it in the sunroom, which now had a weak floor sloping downward and showing daylite!
(I think I can fix that... James was glad to take his Engineer License back to the west coast in a hurry).
Bryan said he will help with that later, after the kids are safe back at home!
(The next time I level the house for new carpet... I am going to start at the end, and work to the middle).
All and all, it was by far the best Christmas we have ever had... Having grandchildren is such fun.
Buying stuff for them is also lots of fun for everyone...
Our kids have done us proud... not a single one of them are in jail or anything!
They all have jobs, and some of them were not even broke at Christmas time???
OK, Maybe I should not ask them about that after New Years... (But this is the first time in 20 yrs I can say it)!
We took them to Story Book Island to see the lights...
And Santa...
We even got out of there without losing any of them in the dark!
Mary had to work with HeadStart kids even after school was closed, (some mothers need to work)!
Ben helped too, showing them how to make houses that stand up better than mine...
We found the pool at the "Y" came in very handy, it is located just below our stairs!
We were the only ones there in fact... on the day before Christmas anyway!
We walked home in five minutes... although the roads were almost closed at the time!
The kids still had many treats... but only after something healthy went into the tummy first!
It helps when you have 5 with teaching degrees! (Brian teaches High School, James teaches Admirals).
Hey, I taught catechism and coached little league... Does that count?
OK, Mandy also has a degree in early childhood development... And Bryan teaches how not to gamble.
Sorry... back to the Christmas pictures
Lydia was the oldest, and she taught everyone something this year.
Brian showed Bryan how to turn a turkey into meat...
Ben read the tags on the stockings, Jacob was in charge of the remote...
Mary E opened the package, James did the assembly...
Mandy was in charge of fashion, Tommy tested all the batteries...
Everyone tested the trains, and then it was game time!
They played hide and seek with the little one while we got some desert...
Things were cleaned up and the kids were ready for bed... so Santa could come again tomorrow!
Becca promised not to fall down the stairs with all her presents this year...
All this actually happened on the 23rd... (The holidays fell on a weekend, everyone was working by then).
We gathered once more for a card game with Mary Ann... Within a week all arrived safely back home!
Now it is time to go back to school...
Ya... good luck with that
Go to another page on Deadwood during Christmas for the rest of the story...