Christmas morning!! Savannah and Jonny are both here to spend some holiday time with us. They got here last week and are staying for about 10 days. It has been so great to have them, I love them both as if they were my own kids! Delwyn made them a stocking--Savannah's is a gingerbread girl and Jonny's is a soldier. I love all the stockings hanging up!!
Ready to see what Santa brought!
Our traditional line-up, youngest to oldest!
Ryan had a very small present in his stocking and he was very curious about what it could be.
What?? A can of Spam?? Gross!
Ryan was very excited to get a new laptop!! He has been using Landon's old one for quite some time, and it is very outdated. Now the Spam makes sense! Someone (I suspect Megan) helped Santa make sure there wasn't any Spam on Ryan's new computer--haha!!
He didn't think it was very funny.
Luggage is the traditional gift in this family when you are a senior, and Britta needs it! She is going to Europe with the Porras family in March!
Jonny checks out one of his gifts, a coloring book for grown ups. He also got a drone and some clothes.
A water bottle with her name on it!! Not very many people can find that!
Savannah is hoping to go on a mission soon, what a beautiful dress!
Denya has been wanting a nice ring for quite some time...
and so she was very excited to see a small box next to her stocking!
It's a beautiful rose gold color with small diamonds!
A hug for one of Santa's elves for such a wonderful gift!
Savannah must like candy!
Britta has been writing notes to Santa about a gift she thinks Mom would love. It's very big!
I don't get surprises very often, and WOW! I will admit I jumped up and down when I saw this.
I am watching Landon's kids full-time now, and Britta knows how much I like to ride my bike. She didn't want me to have to give that up. She is so sweet!! She did a lot of begging to get Santa to agree. I can hardly wait until the weather is good enough to try it out!!
Of course we had to set it up to see how it looked! Pretty fancy!! I see a super fun summer with lots of bike rides in my future.
Matching jackets! And such a cute color!
Santa knows how much we enjoy puzzles, we get one every year. Denya loves cats and was excited to see the puzzle we got this year.
Selfie sticks are a girl's best friend these days! I want to see a lot of cute pictures with you in them!
The girls all got light up make-up mirrors. Perfect for living in apartments with roommates when bathroom time is scarce.
A Christmas hug!
We both got some short boots! We are so stylish!
I sure love Savannah and I am so happy she wanted to spend Christmas with us!
The Bellums gave us this Believe nativity set for Christmas. I have some blocks that spell believe on a shelf above the piano. The shelf is a little high, and so I don't look at it that often. Blake liked to re-arrange the letters so they spelled "be evil". When you come in the front door, your eyes go to that shelf. Amy Bellum and Kelly Hudson came over one day and saw the "be evil" and laughed and laughed, asking me what was I teaching my kids. That Blake!! Always a joker!
Amy sent me the sweetest text that said, "My hope with this gift is each year as you pull it out, it brings a smile to your face in remembrance of your sweet son and all that he did to make you laugh (Be Evil). Also remember that we do BELIEVE and know that you will be able to laugh and smile together again someday."
I love nativity sets! I have several of them, so this gift was especially meaningful to me.
Jonny looks so handsome in his uniform! He holds a special place in my heart. I am proud of him for choosing to serve our country! He has added a lot of humor to our holidays.
Christmas is on Sunday this year and we are dressed and ready to go! We have the 11:00 am schedule, which is perfect! We did our Santa things, went to church, came home and had dinner, then did presents. And of course I took a ton of pictures since everyone looks so nice.
All the girls!
Two handsome boys!
Mother and daughters!
Sisters!
Friends and English majors!
Best friends!
Brother and sister!
Many Christmas songs and stories talk about a Christmas goose, so Megan decided to cook one for us to try. I wasn't too sure about that, so we made a ham too.
The meat was pinkish and tasted a lot like pork. It was a little greasy and quite pink, so it made me feel squeamish that is wasn't thoroughly cooked. I like my meat well done! I am not a fan of prime rib for this very reason. I'm sure it was baked long enough, it's just pink in color. No one thought it was that great, so we probably won't have it again. But we can say that we have tried Christmas goose! I would bet that not many people can say that!
It was late afternoon when we were finally ready to open presents. Denya and Britta organized the gifts and gave each person their stack.
A big present for Landon from Jonny.
Some beautiful artwork! Thank you!
Jonny got a disc shooter from Denya and Ryan got one as well. I'll be surprised if we don't have a battle before the day is over!
What could it be?
Landon has gotten interested in old time shaving using a safety razor or a straight edge and he is getting everyone else on board to use them as well, including Britta!
Landon and Megan got a stand mixer! I'll be happy to sample any cookies they make!
Denya has been wanting a panini maker for quite some time! Delicious sandwiches coming right up!
Britta takes after her Dad when it comes to joking! She bought this box of Whoopie Pies and changed the label to Cow Pies. A good treat to remind Delwyn of the farm!
A Kindle! How fun! Most of us Palmers have a Kindle--we love to read and play games and use social media!
A Colorado hoodie to keep Jonny warm.
The kids all got money from Grandma Collins! Thank you Grandma for always remembering your grandkids!
Kimberlea takes a sniff of her new lotion!
Another shaving gift! Wade pretends to lather up!
This was a big surprise too--Wade made a shadowbox for us and filled it with mementos of Blake. It was so thoughtful and made us cry a little bit. Wade enjoys woodwork and this is beautiful! It has a light inside and has a little remote to turn it off and on. We love it!! Thank you so much Wade!!
Loretta Johnson is such a sweet neighbor. She wrote us the nicest letter about how she really pondered what she wanted to give us for a Christmas gift. She decided on this book that she reads to her elementary school class every year when they study the Westward Movement. It's a powerful story about what have you done with your time and what have you done with your name. She feels that Blake left a great legacy with his name and used his time serving and loving others.
Loretta felt this Eagle scout shirt ornament showed what Blake did with this time. She said it symbolizes hard work, dedication, and the satisfaction of achievement. It has Blake's name engraved on the back. I will treasure it forever!
Savannah gave us this ornament. Someone gave it to her, and since it will be a few years before she has a tree of her own, she gave it to us. So sweet of her! I have heard this saying before and I really like it.
We took this picture without Jonny to post on social media. He is such a funny boy, he didn't tell his family that he was coming here for Christmas.They have moved to Texas since he joined the Marines and he didn't want to hurt their feelings that he came here instead of going home. He is stationed in South Carolina right now.
My favorite people!!
It was a great Christmas. I was worried that it would be really hard without Blake, and I did miss him a ton during the holidays! I got teary several times during the month of December. There were several tender mercies that I noticed that made me aware that Heavenly Father is watching over us and cares about us. I felt peace and love today and my testimony that God has a plan for each of us was strengthened once again. It felt right to have Savannah and Jonny here, and I'm so glad they wanted to come. It helped to have a house full of people. I am thankful that Christmas was on a Sunday this year, it added to the spirit of the day. I love Christmas music and I felt Heavenly Father's love during the meeting. I am grateful for our Savior, for His birth, His life, His example, His love. And especially for His atonement and resurrection so we can be with Blake again forever.
Merry Christmas!
