Sunday, December 24, 2006

Our First Day of Christmas (Saturday)

My family likes to have Christmas - a lot. It can last as long as a week sometimes.

This year was very special. EVERYONE was home! All the brothers. All the kids. I love my family. We are a large, loud, goofy, funny family - and we're not afraid to make fools out of ourselves, much to our own amusement.

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First, we dress appropriately. Then we try on each others' hockey helmets.
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Then we get out the paintballs and shoot each other. If you happen to hit an angst-filled teen and he attacks you, you get to put him on the ground and sit on him.
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This works especially well if you're a cop and have been trained to do this.

We are a large bunch and it very rarely happens that we're ALL together, so we celebrated with..... a family picture!!!!

First, put an old tractor in the middle of a patch of deer feed.
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Primp.
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Yes... I think the wig thing is genetic...

Try to round up everyone and fit them on or around the tractor.
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Good luck getting everyone to look at the camera at the same time. We're too busy joking and being outrageous to look towards the photographer, who is spending more time doubled over laughing than pushing camera buttons.

Success?
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Strike the pose - VOGUE!
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Looking good, Jerry!

After we think we have a picture with most people looking in the right direction, we adjourn to the backyard for sword-swallowing and fire-breathing.

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Yes - it's a real, solid sword. Not plastic, not collapseable. John Strong, who was visiting us along with his wife Candy and Paris (from Thanksgiving), proceeded to stick it down his gullet and had Walker pull it out for him. (Unfortunately, my batteries were starting to fade and my camera didn't recycle fast enough to actually get a picture of the sword coming back out of him.)

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First he ate a little fire to "warm up".

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No one wanted to get TOO close, so we all hung on the back porch to watch. In the head-on shot, I did feel a bit of heat as he spat fire towards me... Z-boy is very nervous about fire, but he thought this was COOL!

Moving right along... Dinner! Mom made garbanzo bean soup and cuban sandwiches, which were devoured in record time. It was wonderful!!!!
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There were 15 people to serve, so there were two tables in different parts of the house. It was also a birthday celebration - Jerry got a radio controlled four-wheeler and a massage from Z-boy! Happy birthday, Jerry!

During the cleanup, we had serious discussions about how tall we might get based on shoe size.
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Then it was time for presents!!!! I actually got presents for everyone, which NEVER happens since I am usually poor. We always agree not to get presents for the grown-up (or at least legal-aged) people, but I told them all not to gripe about it since chances were that they would never get a present from me again (I plan to be poor again next year).

Z-boy unwrapped "Bionicle Heros" video game from Uncle John and the cousins. I have a feeling that this will be "the best present ever" this year. When we got home, Z-boy immediately put it in the player and played until 10:30 last night. And this morning, he got up and played until I pried it out of his hands to go run an errand.
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And here's a picture of Andy - because we never see him and because I can. And no, he did not bring his black thong, his swim fins OR his sombrero...
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Christmas continues tonight at the in-law's. I don't think there will be any firebreathing - unless it's political in nature....

5 comments:

Pendullum said...

Merry Christmas Sayre...
Loved the family photos...
The flame thrower had me in absolute awe....

BlondeBlogger said...

You have such a beautiful family (inside and out!) Good luck at the inlaws. I'm heading to mine tonight, virus and all. It's going to make it even harder to endure!

And get this...they are LOADED, but they started this thing a few years ago where they only want to get the kids gifts and not exchange with Rob and I because they were hurting for money.

They have BMW's, Mercedes (they sold their two Ferrari's) and they live in a mansion. I know the real reason they don't want to exchange with us is because they don't want to have to buy me anything.

They exchange gifts with Rob's sister and her fiancee.

They buy the kids and Rob birthday gifts, but not me. And before this new "no exchange" deal, I'd see them hurrying to write a check in the kitchen, put it in an envelope, then try to throw it under the tree when I wasn't looking.

After everyone opened their gifts, they'd say, "Oh, look...there's something for Dawn that was missed." And the envelope would still be wet.

Yeah....that's what I'm facing tonight. I can't wait, lol!

OhTheJoys said...

Merry Christmas Sayre!! (And the whole "Smilin'" bunch!

Anonymous said...

wow...looks like so much fun ..all those people getting together ..and they all REALLY want to be together..i loved the photos....thanks so much for sharing them.

Janet said...

Now that gives new meaning to the lyric, Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Merry Christmas!:)