We hung out on Christmas Eve, went to an afternoon carol service, and played Uno (which I found out some people thought may have been pronounced ‘you-know’…) and everyone had a fun time winning except Ian! Hubby just couldn’t pull out a win. We also took a little walk to see if we could see Mars (we’re pretty sure we did) and saw a gorgeous moon-rise. Then we did the traditional opening of one gift on Christmas Eve that is always a pair of pyjamas (UK spelling!). Mom didn’t fail us and we got our pyjamas and LOVED them :) we don’t have the pictures yet, but when I get them you will see they are pretty great pyjamas.
This was Lily’s first Christmas so everyone was very excited to see what she would get! I made chocolate chip pancakes as a special breakfast that were very tasty and then, while Lily took a nap, I did the Christmas reading.. It consisted of (in this order) Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 2:1-40; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Psalm 116. After Lily woke up we went ahead with the unwrapping.. She got an array of toys and books – some of which I think the gentleman had more fun with than she did, but we’ll get to that later. Ian got a French Press coffee maker, and I got a rolling pin! And some amazing sweaters that mom sent us. We got each other more gifts than that, but they haven’t come yet, so I’ll have to show them to you later.
Here’s Ian with a yummy cup of coffee made by his new coffee maker…
(I think they put extra caffeine in the non-instant coffee.. what do you think?)And here’s me making crust for the chicken pot pie with my new rolling pin!
Kate and I spent a lot of the afternoon in the kitchen making stuffed mushrooms (specially requested by Ian), green beans, and apple crisp for the big dinner we had at Holy Trinity (especially for those of us who didn’t go to be with family for the holidays). Here are some pictures of the event:
Lily and Isaiah made friends! We had Lily on the floor and he came and plopped himself down so he could play too! So cute :)
We sported the Christmas sweaters to the meal – thanks mom!In the evening we had the Williams over to play Uno and watch one of my favorites – Elf! Definitely going to be a family tradition :)
The following day we went for a little walk around St Andrews and took Lily down to the park..
But she wasn’t the only one that got to play!!!
Ian did an excellent job skipping rocks on the waves – he had the most skips I’ve ever seen at one time..
We had the Williams over again and played Texas Hold 'em with a poker set Ian and I inherited from a couple that just moved away, and I learned that it is very fun to play poker when there's no money involved! (I think we probably played Uno too, but I can't remember.. There's never enough Uno!)And finally, what you’ve all been waiting for.. Playing with Lily’s toys!!!
Ian and Brannan devised a very original game where they each took turns trying to build to tallest tower out of the giant lego blocks. It had to be sturdy though because when it was finished and had been measured, it had to withstand being hit with a pot at the base. Anyone else very impressed at the complexity of this game? Needless to say, much fun was had by all :)We bid our farewells to the Ellis’ Thursday afternoon and have been enjoying a few days of work mixed with play since then. We are looking forward to a New Year’s celebration tomorrow night with the McNeely’s! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! We are praying for blessing and growth in the year to come. Much love…
merry holidays
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