The 12 Days of Christmas

As our pastor reminds us, the 12 days of Christmas begin ON Christmas Day and don't end until Epiphany, which was January 6th this year, so technically this Christmas post is only one week late!

Mark gave me a new camera (a Canon point and shoot, love it!) so hopefully I'll get a chance to post a bit more frequently once I get the hang of the camera and my new semester of teaching and graduate school.


I'm just posting my favorite pics from the holiday break.  The first one shows Mark and all of his little girls..too bad there wasn't one more controller for Daddy to dance along!!

The Engelke Christmas was spent overnight at the MP hotel again, and Wynne brought her beloved Dora couch/bed to sleep on.  Little cousin Hollie took a liking to it, too:)

One of the first games I played when I got to know Mark was ping-pong.  Here he is teaching Ally the finer aspects of the sport.  (We are lucky to get the use of the ballroom for our family gathering!)

 Hollie enjoyed her new bean bag chair and look at how her brother Logan is getting!  Pam is doing well with the kids as my nephew Mitch serves our country in Afghanistan.

The cousins high school age and younger exchange names for gifts.  It's fun to see who has whose name and what they were receiving!

The annual grandchildren Christmas sing-a-long.  This is where I lost it, as Dad was such a big part of this for so many years...and his parents started the tradition with their oldest grandchildren half-a-century ago.  Grandpa was there in spirit, for sure!!  (Eight of my nieces and nephews were unable to attend, so it's been a long time since the whole gang was together!)

Wynne took it upon herself to share a little Christmas dance she's been learning with everyone.  Oh, if only she'd come out of her shell...

 Gifts of love from Grandma (and Grandpa) E !!  Love you, Mom & Dad!!!

The adult gift exchange is kind of a white elephant exchange.  We spend about $20 by either buying or making a gift and draw cards to see who's turn it is to open a gift.  You can open a gift or steal from someone else, but a gift may only be stolen 3 times per round.  It's a game we've been playing for years and it's a blast!!

Kaycie opened the gift we gave, a window frame picture/note holder we found at the Princess Potosa Gallery.  I added some old family pictures to make it even more special.  I hope she likes it!

I think this was the "Logo" game that has been popular this season.  

Cards, cards, cards....and football video games in the background;)

 We gather on Saturday afternoon and leave on Sunday morning after an excellent complimentary breakfast.  I think our family takes up the majority of the hotel for this!! I  know we kind of monopolize the lobby and pool area at times.  Here's everybody waiting to Skype with Mitch who's 8-9 hours away!!

It was another fun Christmas, but certainly not the same without Dad/Grandpa there.  However, just surrounding myself with these people makes me feel so much closer to him.  I am grateful for our awesome fun family!!

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away...

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.  --1 Corinthians 13:8 & 13