Ghosts of Christmas Past

On a Christmas card this year I read that Christmas is a time of year that you think of everything and everybody you have ever loved and that is very true for our family. Christmas was spectacular. We had loads of fun with both families and most importantly our first Christmas as parents. Saturday before Christmas we had a Christmas feast with the Adams family and opened presents. Frank has to buy Jami's family pizza now because Polly cried when she opened Jami's present to her (Frank lost the bet saying that she would not cry). On Sunday night before Christmas we went to my Grandma's house when all of a sudden Santa came early and we got some pictures with Maelee. Frank now has to clean all three toilets in the house because he lost the bet about whether or not she would cry when Santa held her (she didn't, woo hoo for me and winning the bet).

Monday night we went to Aunt Amie and Uncle Jon's house for a Feliz Navidad fiesta and took a picture for Uncle Kurtis on his mission. We all sang "hi my name is Joe and I work in the button factory" to get Maelee to smile in the picture since her cold was making her cranky.

Then on Christmas morning we woke up and opened presents as a family. Here is Maelee in her spoils. Yes we do shamelessly pose our child for pictures and love every minute of it. We also sang "hi my name is Joe" to get her to smile in this picture. It as you can see is her favorite song on the mom and dad playlist.

We drove to Gramy B's house to talk to Uncle Kurtis on his mission in Minnesota and then we enjoyed a delicious breakfast (recipe from the main dish below) and a long Christmas nap.

Brunch Egg Bake
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 (4.5 oz) can sliced mushrooms drained
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup red bell pepper chopped
1/4 cup butter, melted
8 oz cooked ham (in strips)
1/2 cup flour
1 3/4 cup milk
2 TBS fresh parsley
8 eggs

Mix cheese together. Sprinkle 1/2 of cheese mixture in greased 9x13 inch pan. In medium skillet, cook mushrooms, onions, and pepper in butter until tender. Arrange vegetables over cheese. Arrange ham over vegetables. Sprinkle with remaining cheese over ham. Mix flour, milk, parsley, and eggs: pour into dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Serves 12.

Frank's big highlite this year (besides his America's Test Kitchen Cook Book) was that my mom found him his long searched for ugly Christmas sweater. We have been looking for a Christmas sweater for Frank for several years and couldn't find one, but mom hit the jackpot this year at New River Outlet. We want to host an "ugly Christmas sweater party" next year so be on the lookout for a Christmas sweater of your own.

Since we have several more amazing pictures of our gorgeous daughter I am going to attempt to do a slideshow, but I can't make any promises.