Christmas 2009 moments - odds and ends...and the fun

Christmas 2009 moments.
-Pre-snow warnings, snow, sleet, rain, puddles, ice, more people movement than expected - this year it was all about the weather.
-Anna's new hair - curly or straight the tough decisions.
-Pete zooming in without delays - hopefully zooming out with the same ease.
-The flat roof full of water and ice...and dripping in the house. Eileen and Pete to the rescue.
-Nancy relives 50 again...how nice and to the tune of Jiggle Bells!
-Grandma with the ultimate whoopee cushion moment....gladly no photos
-Dawit joins us again - those Ethiopians are tough and resiliant people!
-Rocio and Nacho join us from Spain - and great participants.
-Abby and Lizzy get make up kits to look their best - and want to work on the rest of us. Ben getting "hair work"......
-Katy got her first grandma car...not sure it is nearly as nice as the original GC car - 1971 Green Pontiac Catalina.
-Dan must have been flying around the world with Santa, in many ways, needed to sleep through most of the days activities.
-Kindra, Lindsay, Katy and Anna had the worlds most important texting to do late Christmas night as the rest tried to play cards as their partners...hmmmm CIA?
-Lucille MIA...a victim of the weather sadly.
-Jimbo must have found better spots to sleep this year....I didn't capture them.
-Betty keeps trying to sell her position as grandma, she doesn't look like one...hmmmm.
-If we had just had Emma to pass around would that have been enough presents for all...would Ben and Becca have lost their mind completely had we tried it.
-Eddie the king of fun and hugs...if he has had a nap.
-Pat's new song - we will all be playing it for you.
-Abby's skating video and medal - hope you didn't miss it.
-Neil, Grace and Ed calling to make sure we were celebrating at adequate levels.
-And of course at 340am Tom was good to go and ready to check out if Santa had made contact in MN for him...and do you think he waited 5, 10 or 20 minutes between each time he asked again if they could go check before he got to make a move at 7...
-Not sure any of us "slept in heavenly peace" over the holiday but lots of joy, chaos and a Merry Christmas.

A few photo moments and another test of a our evolving gifting moments - mostly fun and games. Enjoy us at our best...some pics and testing videos once again.

Christmas 2009 moment - Grandma knits hats

We all have Christmas stockings knitted by Grandma or Great-Grandma - or Mom depending on your station in life. This year the grandchildren all got winter hats...and the moment was captured. You will have to ask her for the detail on the plaigerized hat pattern from the East Coast over Thanksgiving.........

Christmas 2009 moment - Nancy gets a reminder she has hit the 5-0 milestone

The die was cast when I hit the 50 milestone almost 5 years ago. Everyone worked hard to create a few embarassing moments to celebrate me and our lives together. And since, as each of us has hit out day we have found ways to find some interesting way to recognize the next ones day with props, stories or other various ways.
Nancy thought, as number 5, she could come to the Cities and have great night out with family and friends and move on from hitting the milestone 50 mark. Eileen, the youngest, and also most recently recogized in diapers as she hit her 40 mark, made sure that Nancy had her moment in the Cashman limelight.
Seems more than Nancy has to work with the old lady glasses.....

Christmas 2009 moment - DeMarkey family picture

Pete, Eileen and their gang were ready for church and the moment was right to capture the family looking good. Sometimes the blur is as much fun as getting 6 people to all be in sync at once...and then you have me and my camera that chooses how it reads the light in very unique ways...the camera is definitely in charge.
Sounds like I was even the biggest wild card in this endeavor! Let Eileen know if you like any of them.

Christmas 2009 moment - Anna got a new do!

Anna got her Christmas Eve haircut so she would be happening for the holiday. And then those tough decisions to curl or to go straight...
Looking good in Roch - look out when she gets back to Two Harbors. But no doubt she has texted both stories and pics ahead of her arrival to annouce the cut.

Christmas 2009 moment - it was all about the weather...or was it

We were warned of storms. The big one. Get moving sooner or you may not get there. Lots of early movement and action. Lots of phone calls here and there to get the latest plans and live accounts. And then it arrived.
I am not sure it was as bad as expected but in so many ways it provided plenty of chaos and adjustments to plans, events and just enjoying the holidays as they could have been enjoyed - how do you go for an after dinner walk when you will arrive home soaking wet and colder than if it was too cold to be out there...
We had the pleasure of snow, sleet, rain, wind and lots of wondering what is coming next. The cold finally arrived at the end of the festivities. On Christmas Day evening it was many degrees above freezing and moving water from puddles was the project but within a couple hours it was double those degrees below freezing and a virtual ice rink.
But the holiday, the activities and all the enjoyment and chaos must go on...and it did!
This is just a couple shots about midnight as the storm was getting started about midnight on the 23rd. It was a snowy white sleet. It is also one of the shortest days of the year and the white on the ground, in the sky and the clouds overhead made it feel like dusk and not dark at all...a very eerie yet calming moment as you walked and enjoyed the moment at the start of the storm.
Unfortunately, the pictures don't capture it all but with no flash they give you a sense of how much white, and undark it was for midnight light.

New Trier and Hampton MN - tradition, tradition tradition

Never know what kind of house of worship you will find popping up around the surrounding fields and woods...