A Whole Mess of Pictures

The siblings who live here all got together for a family party on Christmas Eve, and I took some pictures. Here they are in no particular order.

When Sierra was a little girl, she and Mike (brother-in-law) made a bet that she would not grow taller than him. She was tall for her age at the time, and Mike is not tall for his age, so it seemed possible that she would outgrow him. Every time they see each other, they do the back-to-back measuring. Mike has managed to keep about an inch over her. Of course Sierra, who is now 18, hasn't grown at all in years, so I don't know why we need to keep doing this. Maybe Mike just likes to be proven right over and over and over again. Here's this months proof in a photo.

This is Noah. He's 5. This is his standard picture-taking face. Sometime I'll have to try to sneak a picture of him, so you can see what he really looks like.

Marla with her cute little William.

This is Jonah. He's looking older, isn't he? He just turned 7. Having a birthday (Dec. 6) and Christmas in the same month means that Jonah gets very little sleep during December. The anticipation of presents and toys is an emotional overload. It's fun to see how excited he gets.

This is my oldest brother, Aaron, and his wife Kristi. The party was at their house. Kristi is artistic and an impeccable decorator, so their home looks great. It's simple, but with color and style. Very nice.

Zachary and Josh managed to stand close to each other for a picture without it breaking out in a fight. When these two were little, they wrestled constantly. All day long. Wrapped up in a ball and rolling back and forth on the floor. I don't know how amused Marla was, but I thought it was hilarious. They don't wrestle now as much as they verbally pick at each other, with the occasional cuffing to the back of the head.

Sierra and Mariah. Such pretty girls. They hug a lot, and it's very sweet. They'll even hug in the middle of the mall. I had them in Macy's not too long ago, and Sierra said to Mariah, "Can I have a hug?", and they did. They still give me good hugs, too. I'm glad they haven't outgrown it. I certainly haven't.

Here's Savannah with William. He got passed around a lot that evening. Savannah spent the better part of her childhood wishing that she had a little brother. Having a little cousin has in part fulfilled her wish. She's very good with kids.

And last but certainly not least, Cortni and Brad. You might remember that they were married last September, and are doing very well. Married life suits them just fine. It's too bad her eyes aren't open here. I need to pay more attention when taking pictures.

I have a picture of Barry and Melody, but it's not very good, which is my fault. They're gorgeous people, I just didn't take a good picture. And, because Melody feeds me delicious mashed potatoes every Sunday, I don't think it would be wise to post an unflattering picture. I can't have her mad at me.

It was a good party. Food and games and the watching of "A Christmas Carol"... couldn't have asked for more. I spent most of Christmas day with Barry and Melody, after seriously sleeping in, of course. My roommate is out of town, and so I've had the apartment to myself. I had the unique experience of waking up Christmas morning at home alone. I don't say that to earn sympathy, I promise. I honestly didn't feel bad about it, and still don't. I mention it only because it was indeed unique. I layed in bed for awhile, then opened the presents that my mom and dad had sent, and then made waffles (delicious!), and talked to Marla on the phone, and then took my time getting ready to go over to Barry's. It was very quiet and relaxed.

Once I got to Barry's, relaxing was over. The girls have a Wii, and the Rock Band game, and a new guitar to add to the band, and some serious rocking to do. I took the microphone and played lead singer. What an awesome game. So much fun. The girls are really good at their virtual instruments. It's all harder than you might think. I tried the drums for a couple of songs and failed miserably. They did very well. If you haven't played Rock Band, find your chance and do it. You'll find that there's a little rock star in all of us.

Christmas was great. I got some good presents, ate good food, spent quality time with the family, and had some quality time all to myself, which was always renewing. Hope you all had a good time, too!