Tag Archive for: Happy New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL! I just finished watching the Rose Parade with my mother.  It’s a tradition in our family and reminds me of when my grandparents took me when I was a child.

We didn’t have tickets to the parade, so my grandfather carried a ladder from their house (which was close by) and set the ladder up at the edge of the parade route.  Each of us kids would take turns climbing to the top of the ladder to watch the parade.

Even though we didn’t see much of the parade, it is still such a special memory.

Well, Christmas is over and the decorations have all been put away.  But, we had a wonderful time over the Christmas holiday.

Here are a few highlights…

 Rose Parade

Baking Christmas cookies with my kids along with my young nephews.  Every year, I have all of them come over and we have so much fun making the cookies.  Then they get to take some home for ‘Santa’.

famous lasagna

Christmas Eve.  Every year, my mother-in-law makes her famous lasagna.  It is delicious.  But, she says that this is the last year that she will be making it.  So, I took a picture of it just in case no one else takes up making it in her place.

Twas

Each year, on Christmas Eve, all my kids (those that still live at home), ask me to read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’.  The dogs enjoy the story too 🙂

Happy New Year!

Christmas morning at our house.

Happy New Year!

After Christmas morning at our house, the entire family gathers at Double S Farms.  My granddaughter, Lily is excited about opening more gifts.  Well, not really.  She just likes to tear the tissue paper up into tiny pieces.

Happy New Year!

Our family just keeps getting bigger.

Happy New Year!

After we finished opening gifts, it was time for our ‘treasure hunt’.  This is a family tradition where my mother writes clues, which eventually lead us to our last Christmas gift.  We all work together to solve the clues.

This year’s hunt took us to the chicken coop and to my mother’s vegetable garden…

December

Doesn’t it look fabulous for December?

Anyway, here is where found one of the clues…

broccoli plant.

There was a note inside this broccoli plant.

 Rose Parade

After gifts were all opened, it was time to play outside.  The men and boys played football.  My twin nephews had fun on the toy tractor being pushed by their mom.

 Rose Parade

Lily wanted to play ball, but Johnny wasn’t going to share.

 Rose Parade

So, her aunt and cousins decided to give her a ride in the toy tractor.

 Rose Parade

Trees were climbed by my nephew, Oliver.

 Rose Parade

The ‘men’ had fun talking.

 Rose Parade

And my 2-year old nephew, Danny, finally got to ‘climb’ a tree with a little help from my daughter, Rachele.

 Rose Parade

My mother got her wish…a photo with all of her grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Although, this was a wonderful Christmas for me, it was also a little bittersweet.

 Rose Parade

My daughter, Rachele, holding her niece.

You see, my second oldest daughter, Rachele, is entering the Navy in April.  While I am so proud of her, I will miss her.  She will probably not be with us next Christmas.

And so, every memory from this past Christmas are extra special to me.

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I have lots of plans for the garden this coming year  and some road trips.  So I will have lots to share with you.

AZ Plant Lady’s Christmas and New Year Newsletter