Ellis Christmas Get-together

A few days after Christmas, all of Mommy's side of the family gets together for supper and games! this year was fun for me, because I got to introduce Samuel to everyone! Thankfully everyone liked him and he 'fit in'! :) Rachel went with us as well, and we really enjoyed having her! 

Making Quackamole - a long standing tradition! :)

Morgan, Aunt Linda holding Ava, Mommy, Sarah, Andrew and Ashley

The 'older' twins, Andrea and Matt

Hannah and Sarah

Emily Grace

sitting around and visiting

Uncle Roger and Aunt Karla busy in the kitchen

Rachel, Hannah, Amy and Ashley visiting

playing pool :)

Daniel lining it up

this one is a little blurry, but it's a Dr. Pepper vs. Coke picture! ;)

Daniel making a shot while Jack looks on

This really is a serious thing, peoples! :)

art

Uncle Roger and his two Grand-girls, Addie and Ava

Ava is soooo cute!!!

Sarah and Ava

Peter and Ben playing Wii

Addie, Parker, David and Daniel

Addie having a very intelligent conversation with Uncle Parker :)

And, the Ellis get-together would be complete without Aunt Linda getting the group pictures! :)

All her nieces and nephews

back row: Peter, Andrew, David, Daniel, Parker, Jack, Andrea and Matt

front row: Hannah, Sarah, Amy, Esther, Morgan and Rachel

No matter if you're family or not, if you're there, you get in the everybody picture!!! :D

Back row: Roger, Andrew, Sarah, David, Peter, Amy, Daniel, with Ben, Van, with Emily, Mommy, Daddy, Rachel, Jack and Matt

Front row: Rachel, Hannah, Morgan, with Ava, Parker, Ashley, Aunt Linda, Esther, Samuel, Aunt Karla, and Sue, with Addie

(Andrea managed to conveniently slip out before this picture!)

Flighty thoughts... :)

This morning, Mr. Murphy, a friend of ours that has a 2 passenger Luscombe and an airstrip in his field, invited Samuel and I out to take us flying!!! Faith and Andrew went with us, and we had a total blast!!!!
He was able to take all of us up, but gave Samuel a longer flight, and while we waited, we chatted in the warm with Mrs. Murphy. Thank you very much Murphys for having us!!!!!!

Showing Samuel a motor for one of his cars

looking at the engine

fueling up

About to take off! 

right before Mr. M and Samuel took off, another small plane flew right over the runway! 

Andrew, Samuel and I after Samuel's flight

:)

right before I went up

Mr. M. was teasing us....just a little! :)

flying over I-30

our farm from the air! :)

the 13 acres we the guys have been clearing

the five acres Daddy just bought this week! :)

L-3 in the distance

Faith :)

A few videos of taking off and landing:

Mr. Murphy and Samuel taking off

Mr. Murphy and Samuel landing

Mr. Murphy and I landing

Celebrating Christmas at the Hales House! :)

This year, because Christmas fell on a Sunday, we decided to do our family Christmas on Saturday - and of course, none of us minded doing it a day early! :)

Friday night, while Mommy and Daddy went to Dallas to see a Canadian Brass concert with Mr. and Mrs. Davis, and Daniel and I hung the stockings :)

Sarah was finishing up her gift for Grandma, and knitted toboggan

Christmas breakfast - 14 people around the table, 15 if you count R&J's baby! :)

looking in the stockings

reading the Christmas story :)

:)

opening gifts.... 

Peter's new hat from Daddy :)

David had to try it on!

Andrew's hat.... :)

Mommy opening a gift for her and Daddy from Rachel & Jack.....

♥ ♥ ♥

after all the gifts had been opened, they guys and I went out to were they had been working in the woods, and started some of the brush piles on fire! :)

two of the puppies followed us out

Andrew had carved his initials in a stump with a chainsaw :)

the creek

Andrew in his natural habitat! 

I thought the erosion from the trees roots looked kinda neat!

Samuel and Daniel crumpling newspaper to start the fire

There is something very cheerful about a fire!

the ensemble of books I got from Mommy and Hannah! ;)

my gifts from Samuel - I'd say he's figured out what I like pretty well! :)

My gifts from Hannah! :)

(we draw names to give gifts, and she drew me! :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christmas morning, we had church in our basement! 

It was more like an extended family get-together than church, though!!! 

Mr. Davis reading part of the Christmas story from Matthew

After lunch, we played volleyball - but I didn't get any pictures of the games...but we had boatloads of fun!!!