Fair Warning: A Gazillion Family Holiday Pictures

Granddaughter CC is such a charmer and she loved watching the hens.

The holidays are over, our family have returned to their own homes,

and I am finally posting pictures--a gazillion of them.

Monday before Thanksgiving was sisters here for lunch when Deb came to Nashville.

Here's my sister Teresa and her husband,

and Teresa and Deb with Deb's granddaughter,

only sister Jenn was missing this day.

We sisters let Fred and R.H. get a word in every now and then.

Next, Defee and Wallace arrived bringing our two granddaughters.

Wallace was my sous chef early Thanksgiving morning--or was I hers?

And Nora was such a good helper!

Wallace will kill me for posting a picture of her in her PJ's but

if I looked as beautiful as she did Thanksgiving morning--

after a sleepless night with baby CC sick--I'd put mine here too!

And she had us right on schedule by Thanksgiving afternoon.

Table set, dinner ready, and Amens said.

Beer bottle on table, these are not magazine photographs, people.

Two sons and their families present for Thanksgiving dinner,

our daughter and son-in-law absent, at their home in FL,

Zack and Courtney made the rounds of her family,

introducing Zack, but came by afterwards.

Isn't she beautiful!

Thanksgiving over, we had to say goodbye to Defee and Wallace and the girls,

and before we knew it, Christmas week came and our daughter Christy, son-in-law Bryan,

and their two schnauzers arrived, ready to help us celebrate.

I think we were too busy getting ready for Christmas to take many photos,

but Christy and I cooked, she and R. H. grilled out one night,

we talked and laughed and watched Christmas movies,

and Christy and Bryan managed to get in quite a bit of shopping in Nashville--

all week in pouring rain,

muddy paws of 5 dogs getting wiped at the doors.

And the night before Christmas Eve

Christy and Bryan's son Alex and daughter-in-law Melissa

came for dinner.

We failed to get any pictures but this is Alex and Melissa

where they just moved to new jobs after graduation.

Can you guess what city they now live in?

The next night was Christmas Eve and Zack brought two of his friends to join us.

Tom and Brett's family live out of state, well one's family lives out of state,

and the other one's family lives in Canada!

Zack's snuggling up there with Zoe, one of the schnauzers.

The next morning was Christmas Day so after my traditional Farmer's 

Breakfast with buttermilk biscuits, it was time to open gifts.

Christy, with their Maddie and Zoe in nests beside her.

Bryan....

R.H.  with Otis in his lap--see the one big eye open...

Zack had to leave his bulldog Bentley at home--just too many dogs present.

Other family joined us that night for dinner but once again we forgot to get pictures.

And before long it was time to wave goodbye to our dear daughter and her husband,

Florida seeming very far away.

A few days later we welcomed back Defee and Wallace to help us celebrate

a new year approaching--oh yes, they brought two sweet little munchkins with them!

Here is a rare moment when the girls were at rest,
about time to read bedtime books.

I got lots of shots of the girls playing but most of them were a blur, like this....

Okay, I admit I helped that one along a bit.

There were wonderful days of talk and meals and uncles visiting.

Some excursions out and also a visit from Zack's high school friend
and his family who now live in a much colder state
than our TN that broke records for high temps.

New Year's Day night, grandsons Caleb and Drake, and Drake's girlfriend Emily
joined us for our traditional meal of pork loin cooked in sauerkraut and white wine,
collard greens and black-eyed peas, mashed potatoes and cornbread.

Zack and Courtney had parties to go to but here's another cute picture of them...

Again, completely forgot to take pictures but here are Emily and Drake
dressed for this year's Christmas Ball of his Army Reserve unit.

And here is grandson Caleb with them...

Drake and Caleb grew up next door to us and were R.H.'s helpers outside
here at Valley View when they were little,
along with grandsons Alex and Luke. 

What's a man to do after his kids and grandsons all grow up and leave
him to take care of 24 acres by himself, I ask you?

Well that's about all the family holiday pictures.

It was  cozy and relaxed...

Even though we had our moments of looking like rock stars...

All good things must end, wonderful holidays and a gazillion pictures.

Everyone went home and I was more than a little blue,

wasn't I, Milo?