I will try to recap for you our time in Indiana. I want to put a lot more pictures in here, but this site is not letting me for some reason, so I'll just explain it and not show it.
We arrived in Winona Lake on Saturday the 23rd, around noon. Our family does a progressive dinner every Christmas and Saturday was the day. When we arrived at my parents, Barb Wooler came over to practice with my mother for Sunday's service at church (Barb was playing guitar and my mom was singing Mary Did You Know). Esther suggested I sing with them.....so I began practicing as well. Also, Saturday afternoon, Alex rolled from stomach to back for the first time, this picture is the roll, in progress. YEA!
Saturday night was the progressive dinner. We had appetizers and soup at Scott & Kelli Schneider's house (Kelli is my second cousin), salad at Noel & Joan Hoke's (Noel is Kelli's dad), stuffed cornish game and green beans (Esther made the beans) at John & Maria Tucker's (Maria is my sister), and then we went to my parent's house for dessert and to open presents. I received a Selah CD and a crank flashlight from cousin Emil and Esther got pot pouri and a candle from Joan. The picture is of (L to R) my cousins Kaylin and Karla getting to know Alex.Sunday morning I sang with my mother. Esther did not make the service because as she was getting Alex dressed, he threw up. This was not your average baby spit up, but rather a geyser of baby yuck! After the evening service, we ate chili at my parent's house with Uncle Charles, Aunt Frances, my brother Dan, sister-in-law Marna and my niece Maddy.
Christmas morning, like a 5 year old, I could not sleep, so I went down to read at 5:30. My mom is normally up at that time so we sat and talked for a while. Esther and Alex had no problem sleeping in. The rest of the morning we spent helping to get lunch ready. We had ham, duck, mashed potatoes, green beans, sweet potato casserole, corn casserole, fruit salad, bread and four different kinds of pie. It was a feast for the ages. After dinner we opened presents and talked. That night, Esther and Marna beat Dan & I in the first game of euchre, but then Dan & I stormed back and took the next two games.
Tuesday morning, Esther went to drink coffee with the Pacheco women and Alex and I spent the morning hanging out at home. He cried a lot and didn't want to take a nap, it was terrific! They returned in the early afternoon and started going through a bunch of old family pictures while my Dad and I went out for a long walk. My old roommate Aaron Waggoner came over for a surprise visit after we got back from our walk. That night, my parents treated us to dinner at our favorite chinese place in Warsaw, Peking. It was fabulous. After Alex went to sleep that night, Esther and I went to visit with her Uncle Jim & Aunt Tammie.
Wednesday morning was spent at my parent's house and Esther's Cousin Tara (Jim & Tammie's daughter) came over to see Alex....and I guess the rest of us too. (Personal note: Tara, you made the cut, but the picture wouldn't upload for some reason.) At noon, we went to my friend Seth's house and had pizza with Seth, Missy, Brendan and Sam the yellow lab. After that, I dropped Esther off at her Christmas gift from my mother.....a 1-hour massage. When I picked her up, she was walking as if she were boneless. She looked extremely relaxed. Shortly after that, we left to come home to Illinois.
It was a great week in Indiana and Alex was so cute at his first Christmas!
Tomorrow we'll go pick up Esther's parents at O'Hare and celebrate all over again.
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