Christmas in Review

We had an enjoyable Christmas in the frozen north. I was still recovering from my surgery when we left so the holidays in MN were not as we expected. Here are some pictures chronicling our holidays.

Goodbye Sofrina! We left Sofi in CA for ten days at the PetSmart Hotel. She posed so adorablelike before we left (literally hugging her stuffed beagle as she dozed off on the carpet.), we almost could not leave her. But, we did, and happily since I was too sore after surgery to chase after her.

The Earl Inn: We stayed with Tom, my brother, Tera, my niece, and her toddler, Adrianna. Tera relinquished her bed for sickie ol' me & Bubba and I can't thank her enough. Adrianna loved having two extra playmates and we spent many a late night playing games and snacking on treats. Adrianna so graciously introduced us to the Teletubbies and Lance and I are still singing the song. (Not sure what a hangover is like, but I am sure having this song stuck in your head is just as bad!) Here she plays video games with Uncle Lance. The picture is so cute it almost convinces me that video games are not evil and good for bonding with children. Notice I said ALMOST.

New Duds: Here is my new Christmas dress, courtesey of Hanna Andersson and Lance. I love this outfit.

Eve of Christmas: I was still feeling very poorly when Christmas Eve rolled around but was able to make a semi-homemade ham dinner with Tera's, Vicki's and Lance's help. While we were doing "women's work," the men did their work. You guessed it - watched a football game.

Smemoe Monopoly: Late Christmas Eve we broke out the Disney Monopoly game so we could honor the Smemoe family tradition. Lance was pretty disappointed because no one in my family is a big monopoly fan and we were pretty lenient with trading.

Our Christmas Miracles: We went to my Dad's for Christmas brunch. Their house was miraculously clean and beautifully decorated. It was almost as though my mom was still there running the Christmas festivities. Jeremy and my dad worked really hard to make a nice Christmas for us. Notice my Grandma Hufnagle's sweater (which I have worn every Christmas day since I was 11 years old) with Lance for our Christmas shot.

Our second miracle was I finally started to feel better Christmas. Sometime let me tell you about my trip on Christmas day to Walgreens and the wonder tonic I had to purchase. Embarrassing tale.

Aunt Titty Tat: Here I am with Baby Alex, David and Vicki's little guy. Can you believe I had invasive surgery not a week before this picture? David and Vicki started calling me Aunt Titty Tat (Gone with the Wind fans will understand) and Lexie Luu sure loved his Auntie. The feeling's mutual, Kid.

Cousin Love: Everyone seemed to love Alex, especially Adrianna. She would rock him in his car seat, pat his head when he cried and her favorite word was "Baybee." Here she tries to burb the baby with David's help.

Friends Again. . . Family Forever: I still wasn't 100% after Christmas and we weren't able to go visit Lance's sister Lisa in Canada. We did manage to visit a few friends and family between my naps and days of rest. We took our Heule friends to the Build-a-Bear Workshop. Lanceypoo is still Tatiana's favorite. (Tatianna is perched on Lance's shoulders in case you couldn't guess which one she was.)

My "girls" - cousins Helen, Sheryl, aunt Ruthann, and friend Amber went with me to enjoy lunch at Biaggi's. Four words: White Chocolate Bread Pudding. I love my cousins (Amber is an adoptive cousin as well) and my aunt. They were the medicine I needed.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jog: And then it was over. We returned the day before New Years Eve, picked up Sofi, and took a LONG nap to recover from our travels. Over all, Christmas was a success even though I wasn't feeling well for most of it.