christmas with the brands

We spent Christmas Eve in Fort Wayne with Dan's family and had so much fun! We were supposed to drive up Tuesday evening but the ice on the roads caused us to wait until Wednesday morning to leave. Dan's brother, Steve, tried to get through it and spent 3 hours on I-69 to go 7 miles---then decided to stop at our house instead and go up in the morning like us. It was CRAZY weather!

Dan's mom Kathe is one of the most creative and thoughtful people I know and she always does the most unique things for Christmas! This year she made all of our stockings out of cute animal slippers!

Sammi loved opening her stocking, full of toys, bracelets, and chapstick!

She also got SO MANY awesome toys (so much more than what's pictured even) from her aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandma and grandpa, including Dora dolls...

Books (which Uncle Steve read to her)...

And Aunt Krystal did too....

Her own (kid) laptop...

A toy chest full of dress up clothes (which she is wearing in the first photo)...

She was having a lot of fun with those slippers all day...

Lots of Mickey Mouse stuff....including a Mickey movie to play in her new DVD system for the car!

Her very own first scooter...

Brad couldn't wait to open he and his brother's gift from their aunts and uncles and cousin Sam...

Everyone was excited to explore the Power Wheels Hybrid Cadillac with real working radio stations! :) 

Kathe always does a "Cool Yule Tool" for all the guys, and this year they got these hilarious hats with working lights on the front!!!

Sammi actually did really well for her first scooter attempt! It was funny how long her strides were!!!

We had such a relaxing and enjoyable time with everyone and wish we could have stayed much longer. We ate so much of Kathe's wonderful food---a huge brunch, then late lunch, then dinner too, all homemade--- that I just might pop! I didn't want to come home!!! We appreciate all of the amazing, amazing gifts we got from everyone. We are so spoiled and so blessed to have such giving families. THANK YOU SO MUCH, Orlie, Kathe, Scott, Jenny, Brad, Ryan, Steve, and Krystal!!!!!!!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!