'Twas the Day After Christmas, and All Through the House.....

Not a creature was stirring.....much less PaPa and GaGa. On December 26, the VanderHorst siblings gathered at our home and had a wonderful dinner, gift exchange and plenty of time to catch up on the happenings, as the kids played, played, and played some more....
Here's some of the candid pics I caught people in....entered here in no particular order. (You already know that I am not good at getting pics put here in a specific order.) Gathering around all the goodies to catch up on "stuff".

The "missing tooth grin" from Charlie....I managed to catch him as he shot through the living room playing with his buds.

Dawson is testing out Josiah 's etch-a-sketch. Ya know....those toys have been around forever. They keep re-appearing every year in a new form. Good old Ohio Arts. And the kids love them.

Siah and Charlie stop for a pose....eaually toothless....

Lincoln & Charlie are engrossed in Josiah's hot wheels.....a hot item this year.

Here is our "polish princess", Jozie. Her Aunt Charolette used to have that title, but I think that Jozie has definitely taken over the title.

Susan & Christopher....of course Chris has to have his usual football shirt on....he has many. This picture was taken before he went outside with Dean to shoot a gun; and he got a kick-back from the gun or something like that.....tore his finger open. Stephanie had to do a few stitches to sew him up....fun day for him.

Jake and Kristen, his girl friend. See one, see them both....She is a sweetie, too.

The youngest of the VanderHorst grandchildren....Kennedy, or otherwise known as "Danger Danger". Don't let her cute looks fool you.....she is a wild child and will be balancing a-top a stairway railing if you don't watch her!

Chris & Susan's youngest, Dakota, shows her beautiful smile and she and her cousins were having a great old time....

Aunt Michelle and Madison smile as Madison shows this cute little angel she received from Michelle.

And again, our "polish princess" who dressed herself that morning, posing in front of my Christmas village.

This is the most wonderful picture of Santa and our second youngest, Charolette. Isn't it a beautiful picture? Really a wonderful moment.

And finally, just 3 days before Christmas, Josiah turned 6...He was just beside himself with excitement. He even got to blow out his candles 3 times!

What a week.....

Breakfast w/ Santa in Ashley, IN

This was how they announced the arrival of the guest of honor at the Breakfast with Santa at the firehouse in Ashley. They drove through town at 8 am and announced over their loud speaker: "ho ho ho, Come to the firehouse to have breakfast with Santa!" Chris thinks that he woke up a few kids.....and even saw one running down the street to get to the fire station before the firetruck. This was such a nice success. The firemen were happy....as were all of the kiddies.

Miss Jozelynn

Isn't this the most beautiful picture??? I just love it....so I thought that I would share it. Dean took Jozie to Chuckie Cheeze today. (A place that I would avoid like the plague!) But, I guess they were the first ones there and it was not chaotic.

Thank you Yvonne ....

I have resumed posting now ONLY because my computer wise little girl,Yvonne, was able to help me find the "error of my ways" with pictures. Inadvertantly the Html editing was clicked and it gave me giberish....but now things are resolved and here are some cool family pics. Here's Josiah posing with his newly lost tooth. Funny thing was that Charlie, his cousin had the same tooth loose and lost his the next day....

Here's a cute picture that was taken at Charolette's "Santa's Open House" last week. Litte Reagan just got so tired with all of her friends all day long that she crawled up on Santa's lap and snuggled down for a "winter's nap".

help!!! I'm getting frustrated!

This may be the end of this blog....cuz it's frustrating me. I have some cool pics to post, (like Josiah's first tooth lost, Josiah in a combine, and Santa!) but it's not letting me. They are only going on as giberish. I've tried every which way to Sunday....and no luck. If anybody has any ideas, please let me know. The alternative is to ditch this one and start another one....hate to do that, though....

HE'S GOT THE BIG BUCK! A 9 POINT!

Is that a happy face??? Jacob's face, I mean....not the deer's face. He just looks dead! The second day of gun season Jacob brought back this deer. Not what one would call a trophy for a mount because one of the tines was broken from fighting. But, like his Grandpa Chris says: the best trophy is meat on the table. And Jake has done that very well. This is his 4th deer since he first started hunting a couple of years ago. Pretty good for a 14 yr. old hunter.
If the back ground looks a bit funky....I tried to clone out the big red truck right behind Jake...not a good back ground for a picture. But I was glad to have one taken in the woods. Thanks Uncle Julio.

FIRST SANTA "GIG" OF THE YEAR

Well....we thought that it was awfully early for a Santa visit....but Kroger was having their annual Holiday open house. They invited us to join it. We jumped at the chance....if nothing else, but to get out their and try on the new Santa suit!
Jozie and Josiah have been sheltered from the fact that PaPa is Santa's helper....they were a bit surprised to see PaPa in Kroger! Their sitter today, with her family came over to get a picture to send to their Dad, in the Reserves in training for Afganistan deployment....and he's gone out west right now.

They have the "T" names(left to right): Ti, Trenton, Santa, Tayden, and Tonie; Trevor is kneeling on left. Tonie....the young lady on the right, was babysitting Jozie and Josiah today. So when the family came to shop at Kroger, J & J just came along..... Aren't they a beautiful family. Daddy leaves for Afganistan after January 1. May God protect him and keep him safe.