Abby's Family...NJ...Christmastime

This is a good picture of the scene at my family's "Christmas gathering" this year...We've been getting together for "Keener Christmas" ever since my oldest sister got married, which I think was just 20 years this fall! (Wow Nea! I didn't make a big enough deal over this milestone for you and Glenn!)
My Dad read from Luke 2 about the birth of Christ. Then, we sang some carols and the cousins sounded so good and WERE LOVIN' IT! But then, the adults (NOT ME!!) including my father, decided it was time to open gifts??!! Seriously, something's wrong with this picture!I think the kids could have sung for a while longer...
This was also the first Christmas that we were without my brother, Jon, his wife, Sharon, and their seven children. We missed you all!

Below (top left) is Annika in the middle of the aforementioned singing...and maybe Chloe to with the Santa's hat on...maybe my Dad and stepmom, Marie, too! Don't we look like we're enjoying it!?

Cami...ok, so, my brother-in-law, Don (Kristen's husband) is blessed with four daughters. And, we can remember when his oldest, Annika, was displaying her charms (long before Cami came to be) that Don looked into his future of fathering girls (let alone the four he has!) and said, "I'm *screwed*"( i.e. "I have no chance of making it with all of the guys that will come after these girls) Well, I look at Cami and her gorgeous eyes and I have to agree! Poor Don! We'll pray for you and maybe some time in your "free" time (wink, wink) you can write a book about it!

Precious "Panucka!" as my Dad calls her...if you click on this collage, you can see in the top right a sweet smile that my sister, Nea, is getting out of her.

Play-do...JJ was new to this, but seemed to like the fish shapes I was pressing out with the mold Sara had--she has all sorts of Play-dough gadgets and given her elementary ed/special ed background--knows how good tactile learning is for kids...hmmm...might have to start doing more things like this!

Ok, I don't know if you can see JJ's tears here, but he was "toast" from all of the travel and "Mommy Sara" (as he calls her--you know we're too alike to be Aunties) told him to sit in this chair until he could be happy...we joke that she has a lot of practice with "fragile emotional states" seeing as her twin was "Queen Emotional" growing up...and just like she did with me, she was helping JJ be "tough". So much so that JJ started saying "Mommy Sara help tough." before we left...
It was so cute here though, because Owen was next to him and was reading a book (literally--he's four!) and this is what calmed JJ down.

Susie in the exer-saucer...she really did like it, but the one on the left is her tired face...I like to say she goes "0 to 60" in a milli-second;)

JJ with the twins, Judah and Layna. I have some video that I might post of JJ and Judah. Before we visited, Sara and I thought JJ and Judah would "hit it off" with the same interests in sports, etc. AND WE WERE RIGHT!!! They had their own inside jokes...it was so cute! They are kindred spirits, so to speak, he is Judah Jay, so another JJ:)
I hope JJ is always close with both twins as they are only 7 months apart and depending on how things go, will probably be in the same year of school!
Susie had some extra cuddles with Mommy Sara the morning we left...we are planning on seeing each other in June...but it is so hard to be away when our kids are so young...
Miss you and love you sooo much!!!! Mommy Sara!!!! (and I won't forget Auntie Nea who is in NJ too...she is PLANNING to come and stay in April with her whole family! We can't wait!!!)