Better Late than Never!

Because we didn't spend Christmas with family this year, we documented everything with lots of pictures. We meant to post on (or even around) Christmas, but the weeks have slipped by, so for our families' benefit. . .Merry Belated Christmas!

One of our annual traditions is decorating gingerbread houses. The kids had fun decorating their very own houses all by themselves.

Steven's masterpiece

Sophie's Tree

Rachel's detail-oriented house

Ben just wanted to eat his!

Christmas morning began around 7:00 a.m. Rachel had woken up at 2:30 a.m. and I heard her downstairs rustling through the presents. "Santa came and brought me my bike!" she exclaimed.

"Rachel, do you know what time it is?"

"No," she replied.

"It's only 2:30."

"Oh," she replied, "That probably means I have to go back to bed. . ."

"Uh, yeah," I replied.

Ben was excited to know that he was a really good boy this year, so Santa brought him the Kirby video game he really wanted, even though Mom and Dad didn't think he needed more video games! That darned Santa. . .

Here's Steven opening up his Star Wars 3 book encyclopedia. He also got an air-rifle pellet gun--reminded us of our favorite movie, "A Christmas Story" (You'll shoot your eye out!) What the mom should have been saying was, "Make sure you shoot it outside and not in the house or you'll shoot HOLES in the wall!" (They used the gun to shoot targets INSIDE the house upstairs in the playroom under dad's supervision. Mom wasn't too thrilled with the plastic pellets and the mini-pellet holes in the wall--underneath the targets!)

Steven's favorite part of the day was playing outside in all the snow. He made a snow cave.

Sophie was in little-girl heaven with all the new toys and things to do. Here she is playing with a new baby Grandma Lacey gave her. She thought our family tradition of staying in our PJ's all day was "silly." When I gave her the choice of getting her clothes on after her nap, she hopefully said, "No, me want to stay in my pajamas." I said, "OK!" and she giggled incredulously!

Steve saved the best present (in his opinion, anyway) til last. . .Guitar Hero World Tour for the Wii. Here's Steven's reaction. . .

We spent the rest of the day rocking out. It was a very Merry Christmas in the Summers house (and a little too loud to take the annual Christmas nap--but lots of fun!!!)

After the aftermath of the presents, we had our annual Christmas breakfast of puff pancakes and sausage. (Steve calls them Popeye pancakes while the kids have named them Sponge Bob pancakes because they look like Sponge Bob.)

Thanks, Summers/Packer and Lacey family members for all of the fun and thoughtful gifts!

Have you ever. . .

I (Tammy) found this post on my friend, Tami's, blog and thought it was fun. This is to tide you over until we have time to update you on the happenings in the Summers family.

Directions - Bold the ones you've done & post on your blog!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity --See #67! TS :(
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train (We got there in the middle of the night--if that counts! TS)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (Except that I (Tammy) still don't have bedroom furniture--but I'm happy enough!)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain--(I'm usually too mad because the only time I'm outside in the rain is when we're camping! TS)
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie or on a TV show
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Had an encounter with a wild animal
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check--(It was a tithing check in college! TS)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Taken a martial arts class

Now it's your turn! I'd love to see it on your blog!