BUT, we have all gotten along famously, despite five adults and one pre-teen using one bathroom. We put Mom and Dad up in the local Hampton Inn Suites so they could escape from the madhouse when necessary, but only my Dad used that option for an occasional nap. We started the day around 5:30 am, but the rule in our household is that the kids can get up anytime they want, but PARENTS do not get up before 8:00 am. So, all the kids can do prior to that time is open their stockings (and don't think that buying stocking stuffers for SEVEN kids didn't put a dent in the old wallet!!). Present-opening began at 8:15, when all the adults had coffee and a slice of pumpkin bread (except for Mark, who is sick and tired of pumpkin anything at this point in the holiday season!). The present-opening for 11 people lasted until 10:30 -- yes, 10:30!! We had anticipated it going to 11:00, so either there weren't enough presents this year, or we were VERY efficient at the opening process -- maybe it just gets better every year... or something like that [grin]. Judging by this photo, it certainly wasn't the former!
Dinner was the traditional roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, squash, stuffing, green beans, and cranberry sauce. My mom and Kennedy made an apple pie and 2 pumpkin pies (much to Mark's dismay!), and Cassie helped Kennedy make sugar cookies, which we frosted heavily the day after Christmas. We also frosted ice cream cones to make Christmas trees and decorated them with jimmies and frosting garlands. Between all that, a lemon poppyseed cake that Aunt Judi sent us, and the muffins that I baked on Christmas Eve, we had a ton of food that we are STILL trying to eat!
We really planned a "family" holiday -- we gave every family member red t-shirts with "Fowle Family Christmas 2011" and a snowman wearing skates and brandishing a hockey stick emblazoned on the front. In the kids' boxes with their shirts were Hurricanes hockey tickets for the Dec. 26th game at the RBC Center as well! See the photo below for a group shot of all of us at the RBC Center in our shirts (which several of our group promptly covered up before and after the picture because it was supposedly "embarrassing"). Some of us (Serena and Charlie) had a great time with them, tho! And, the Canes won the game (amazing!!)! We all agreed that it was because of all 9 of us being in attendance AND our amazing red shirts!
One of our goals this Christmas was to have everyone back home -- its been about 2.5 years since all our kids have been here together at the same time, and we needed an updated family photo. So, isn't it a natural progression to fly all the kids home just to snap that perfect family pic and get it up on the wall? I don't see the problem with it!! :) So, they were all here, and Cassie even had a free morning on the 27th, so my friend Jill came over and snapped about 30 photos of us. This photo below is the unretouched version of what will most likely be in the big frame on our wall. We also had individual shots taken of the boys (the ones on our wall are 5-6 years old), and photos taken of the couples (Sam and Colleen, and Serena and Charlie). I might just have to find a bigger wall for our family photos -- or just prohibit any of my other children from ever dating anyone seriously enough to be in the family photos!!
May 2012 be everything you hope it will be and more, and stay tuned for more Fowle updates this year, as one of my New Year's resolutions is to write more often!!
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