Christmas back home!

So many wonderful people to visit with, so much wonderful food, and Santa was especially good this year! So much to be thankful for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i won't detail day by day.....because that would be boring to most of you and a lot of typing for me....i'll just bullet point some highlights!!
* hostess Joy made us warm and welcome!
* Tommy's still has the BEST subs!
* Leapster games are timeless!
* church service with Doug's mom
* Christmas eve dinner that included ALL of Doug's family under one roof!! this meant a great deal to douglas!
* Crown pork roast!
* my fathers fettuccine and Aunt M's salad
* honeybaked ham!!!!!!!Nana's shrimp salad and papa's beans!


* seeing the future Detamore boy.
* big girls CHOOSING to attend midnight mass TOGETHER!
* this allowed Douglas and I to attend Christmas mass TOGETHER ALONE!!
* crying in Amy Z's arms and then feeling silly.
* seeing my forever Baba and Papi and seeing him 'up'!!


* letting everyone see Mini Lu walk!

*having everyone get mr. k Thomas and Spiderman underpants
* driving down my street and forgetting that i don't live there anymore!
* the GIANT snowman at Cavelaro's house!!!
* Christmas eve beers with the 'pool girls' but missing Susie and Anne.
* seeing baby Colleen.
* almost hitting Chris R with my car on the way up to get a Molson.
* speaking of Molson...my GIANT molsen cup!!!!!
* douglas winning at poker and the fact that his buddies put together a HUGE game just for him!!! he had a GREAT time!! even if he couldn't walk the next day!!:)
* not missing my ornament exchange
* HOMEMADE cookies!!
* midnight run to ToyRUs and Walmart with Joy (next year will check with Catharine O before running out to look for boy's electronic toys!!! THANKS AGAIN Catharine/Will)
* waking up our children to come downstairs on Christmas morning because Santa REALLY HAD come!!
i could go on and on,,,,and i know that i am not listing everything....i fear that someones feelings will be hurt!! Please don't let that be the case!
WE love you all so very very much, and wish that we could have stayed another few days so that we could get 'everyone in'. but this year, we just needed to get back and get our house in order. i promise at spring break we'll have much more time and i've already confirmed with nana that they will keep all four kids so that we can go out!!
As we move closer to friday's chemo treatment...please know that we rely on your prayers all that day to life up douglas and to help those meds kill the cancer!
he has a new hat and blanket to take to chemo with him this time from Baba!! i'll be sure and get a picture for you all...it is quite the 'hat'.

our children are happy to be settling back in i think.
mini lu is already in her crib.
mr. k can't decide which of his many thomas trains to covet....so he is just lining them ALL up along the table.
my big girls are laying on the couch (TOGETHER.....AGAIN???) watching a movie.
my hubby is in bed. he has two legs to 'get out the door' as he says...in the morning...
will keep you all posted on how friday goes!!!!

goodnight all of our dear wonderful friends and family!!! to you we owe a wonderful - memorable holiday! i will post more pictures to the slide show to the right in the morning...i'll need to load up all of V's pictures from her new camera! stay tuned!!!