Thanksgiving!

O.K. So I'm late. Thanksgiving was over a month ago, but in all the whirlwind of getting ready for Christmas, blogging was on the bottom of the list. Warning! Many pictures follow! But hey, we packed a lot into our short week of vacation!

Our destination: South Lake Tahoe. On the drive down, we stopped in Tulelake, CA to pick up Harvey's parents so they could join us for the holiday. Not too far out of Alturas, CA, (Ravendale, actually) we drove past this oddity:

We stopped and turned around to confirm what we'd seen. After some internet research, I've found out that this is called the "Shoe Tree". I don't have a clue what the history is behind it, but it was amazing. Countless pairs of shoes filled its branches! Tennis shoes, baby shoes, men's shoes, etc. After the holiday, when we drove past again, Harvey and Chloe got out to try their hand at "replacing" some of the fallen shoes. It was harder than it looked!

Drew & Jillian and the girls drove down as well, but a different route than us. Come to find out, Charlotte DOES NOT travel well anymore. She basically screamed the entire trip south. All in their car were quite frazzled when they arrived at our rented vacation home. Except for Charlotte. She toodled around as if nothing had happened! Later in the evening I looked at Drew and commented how cute she was. His reply: "Ummm, yeah. But I haven't forgiven her yet." Can't blame him!

She is awful cute, though! And Chloe was glad to see her Bumpa!

It was a good time to:

Catch up on good times, and have some quiet reading time.

Eat! (Appetizers one night.) And sleep . . . zzzzzz

Ryan taught Jillian some break dancing moves . . .

. . . while some of the family watched on in awe .

Kate skyped us--she's pregnant! And Neal and Chloe researched Elmo.

Some attempts were made for a granddaughter photo shoot.

We went ice skating:

"Walkers"to get our skate legs! And couples skating by Drew & Jillian.

Neal adds his style to the mix, and Jillian brings on MJ.

Ryan's arabesque, and a friendly game of ice hockey.

More family together-time. Katie & Jared, Kyra, Tyler & Bodie, and . . . we missed you!


Snow the day after Thanksgiving! And Lake Tahoe with whitecaps.

And because of the snow, sledding! A few favorite clips:

Ryan's Smooooth Run

And Chloe's Wipeout!

Neal's Superman Run

Ryan Biffed It!

Just trying to warm up a little! And Chloe's ready for Christmas.

Diamond Peak, Oregon on the drive home.

What a great time. Bring on Christmas, we're ready for more family time!

A Renewal of Love

It's been a busy time of year! A graduation, a wedding, another graduation, and now a vow renewal. Growing up, I had the fun privilege of occasionally tagging along with my aunt, uncle and cousins. Diamond Lake, OR, Oceanside, CA. Great fun and great memories. I never had a sister to play with, only two older brothers; and traveling with my aunt and uncle gave me at least TWO sisters to play with (although we consistently ditched the younger one. Sorry Kathy!). Anyway, I loved this family, and they always made me feel loved and wanted.

With the passing of my mom this past December, there is only one sibling left of her family, my Uncle Bob. And though he's always been very dear to me, he's the closest person I have left of my mom.

He'd had a terrible fall shortly before my mom passed away. This fall caused a hemmorage in his brain, which although pressure in his brain was relieved by surgery, it still left him with quite a struggle to survive and rehabilitate. While he was in a semi-coma recovering, my aunt pleaded with him to fight and get better, so they could renew their wedding vows on their 61st anniversary. Fight he did, and while he'll never be quite the same again mentally and physically, he's still very much aware and alive.

On Friday, we were able to attend the celebration of their anniversary. It was a sweet, sweet experience, to witness their strong love for each other. They, along with my parents, have been a wonderful example of love and togetherness, strength and perseverance, and humor and fun. I love them both dearly.

A Wedding Weekend

Harvey's niece married a wonderful guy (Tyler) this past weekend. It was a great time . . . all of our kids, their spouses and our granddaughters were able to be there. Our family can be loud and irreverent, thank heavens we're not scaring Kyra's new husband away!

Here's all the Bateman/Drescher clan in attendance.

Bodie and Charlotte rode in style as the ring bearer and flower girl, dragging baby shoes behind their getaway vehicle. Chloe and Elysa made sure they both stayed inside the wagon!

Kyra’s Uncle Forrest walked down the aisle with a bouquet of red carnations to represent Kyra’s mom who passed away several years ago, and her Uncle Harvey walked Kyra down the aisle, where both uncles “gave” her away in marriage in behalf of her mom.

Sealed with a kiss!

And celebrations afterward included a hamburger bar (what a great idea!), cake nose-stuffing, toasts, visiting, laughing, and dancing (with Drew as D.J.). A highlight was the bride/uncle dance. So sweet! Yet another successful addition to our family!