Third Day of Christmas....

OUR FAMILY

It's not often that our son, daughter, son in law, daughter in law, 3 grandsons and 4 grandaughters are all together in the same place.  That is one of the greatest blessings of Christmas for John and I when they are. It was a wonderful celebration together from beginning to end.  No matter how much work and preparation goes on behind the scenes it is all worth it when are able to simply laugh, love, and enjoy each others company for the moments we are afforded to do so.  I was telling our oldest granddaughter one reason Christmas photos are so important to me is because from year to year, they mark the growth in and of our family.  Last Christmas we had two very little babies, and this year those two boys are toddling around.  Our youngest grandaughter started school this year.  And so it goes.  Nearly 35 years ago, our family consisted of 2 people - John and me!  In the past 10 years both of our children were married, and each new family of 2 has also grown significantly.  It is hard to believe we have 7 grandchildren, each one a uniquely wonderful, enjoyable, loving child in their own right.  7 sweet personalities and each one incredibly intelligent and gifted as the child they are intended to be.  We're also blessed with our son in law and our daughter in law, each one means the world to us and we love them as if they were our very own.  All families have "stuff' to work through from time to time and ours is no exception.  But this Christmas there was no lingering "stuff" as we gathered together, relaxed, enjoyed each others company, good food and the special time around the tree. And yes of course ATB was an important part of our celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  I will forever look back at this photograph above with a smile on my face, proud of who our children have grown into and also still madly in love with the man I share my life with, and who has always been a great father but an even better Grandpa.  The last couple of days we've kicked back and relaxed around the house but today we are getting back on track.  Afterall, it is our Brittanys that we share our day to day lives and activities with at this point in our life.  But Christmas lives in our hearts and our minds long after the celebration of the day itself.  Having said that, we'll be posting some new pictures of the dogs, True, introduce the latest member of our family ;o), and hopefully have some more good news in the near future!  We hope that you and yours had a wonderful Christmas, thank you for the many cards and photos, and please know we didn't send any greetings out this year, but maybe we'll do better next time!

Take care and God Bless you always!  John, Ann, and All Things Brittany