Christmas Eve 2009

Our Christmas Eve started out pretty well! We had a good morning with a good breakfast after Mark got home from work. We rested a bit, and then loaded up to go down to Elizabethton for the start of our Christmas Festivities! We stopped by Uncle Billy's first and visited with him, Aunt Sharon, and Amanda for a little while and had a VERY nice visit!

Then...we found our way to mom and Ron's house for our Christmas Eve Party! We had a really good time and enjoyed all of the food and games!

Our Tree on Christmas Eve!Here are Melissa, Madison, & Megan! Here are Mommy, Charlie (Melissa's Fella), Ron, and Mark!

Here's Herbie!!! Aunt Corvana is there in the middle!

Mackie and Creston got Cowboy stuff from Mom & ron for Christmas! They LIKE it!
Herbie, Melissa, Aunt Corvana, Madison, Megan, Mackie, Me, & Mom! The boys are helping Ron open his present!

Ron's Excited!!!

Our little Cowboys!!!

Here we are!!! All except for Mackie....BUT...we got his hat in the picture!

We had to cut our visit short due to impending BAD weather back up our way and we also needed to make one last stop at Nana & Paw-Paw's house to open presents with them!

Here we are waiting in line at the Gas Station in Elizabethton...along with the ENTIRE rest of the world!!!

As we came home and got closer to the TN/NC border, the snow/ice started and made us glad that we had started home when we did! As we got even closer to home, Paw-Paw called Mark to let him know that there was a house fire on Dark Ridge Road just behind our houses. Mark had me let him off at the Fire Department as we came by it and he took a tanker on to the fire. We went on to Nana's house to wait.

The family that lived in the house was not at home, and the house burned completely to the ground. They lost everything. What a horrible thing to happen at ANY time, much less on Christmas Eve. Please keep this family in your prayers.

Waiting at Nana's...

Mackie conked out around 11ish. He was soooo worn out!

It took a while for the men to get the fire out and to get everything cleaned up. It was 12:30ish when Mark got home (see the clock in the picture below). The roads had become icy and Big-Mack went to the FD to get him for me. When they got back I said "Creston's ready for CHRISTMAS!" Mark said "O.k.! Let's do it!" So.........we opened presents at Nana's at 12:45am-ish on Christmas Morning! Definately a first for us!

He's sooooo excited!

He got a tray! Paw-Paw said "That's not much of a present!!"

Mark TRIED to wake Mackie up, but it was no use...

He was just tooooo asleep to care!
So...Paw-Paw put his wrappings on top of him!

Creston got a scooter from Nana & Paw-Paw! (Mackie did too!)

Paw-Paw & Nana got a box of trinkets from Mark....little things that are as tacky as you can get that he told them they would have to place in each room of the house to remind them of him! LORDY!!

We got Nana & Paw-Paw a book made from the pictures that I took during "Molasses" season. It turned out really well!

That concludes our Christmas Eve festivities...on to Christmas Day...