Burke Family: Merry Christmas 2014

We started off our Christmas Celebrating with our Randle Family party.

Nate and Ally hosted it in their new home.

We ate spaghetti dinner and then went downstairs to watch a clip

of the Savior's Birth and read the Christmas Story.

The kids opened presents from Grandma Davies and played together.

The very next day, Austy welcomed in the flu.

Awesome.

I had just barely proclaimed how healthy we all were.....

I jinxed us for sure.

Austy threw up all day that day.

The next few days all was well,

and we just assumed it was something he ate or something.

Christmas Eve day, we usually go snow shoeing with our Randle Family.

With there being very little snow, Austy having been sick,

and Spencer and Steph both working, that didn't happen.

Dad had gone up to the cabin to get it ready for all of us to go up the day after Christmas,

so Trav and the kids and I just hung out at home and relaxed most the day.

That afternoon, we loaded everyone up in the car and went to Morgan Pavement to

decorate and set up for our Burke Family Christmas that next Sunday.

After we had finished there, we took a Poinsettia to sweet Marli's Grave.

We spent a few minutes there talking about Marli and this first Christmas without her.

Next we went to visit Grandma Randle's grave to leave a poinsettia for her,

and to see the sacks of candles all lit up around the cemetery.

It never quite got dark enough to really see all of the lights really well,

but it was still a really beautiful sight.

We stopped by Uncle Spencer's new Bike Park to see the new room he is building.

It's been fun watching him build his dream.

We then hurried home to get things ready for Santa, Track his progress online,

and to do our traditional opening of our jammies and our gifts to each other.

Grandpa Randle came down and joined us for a bit to watch the kids open their gifts

The last few years we have drawn names, set a 10$ limit and then headed to the mall

to purchase our gifts for each other.....a few days before Christmas.

That is what we open Christmas Eve with our Jammies.

This has been so fun to do.......it usually takes us a couple of hours to shop.

This year Julia had Garrett and bought him a nice wallet for his Drivers license
(Down the road).

Ty had Austy and gave him a wooden Truck Car Hauler.

Garrett had Dad and bought him a couple pairs of garments.

I had Sis - I went straight to Claire's jewelry store and bought her a purse with popcicle lip gloss.

Dad had Ty and bought him a new gray Hoodie from Aeropostale.

Austy had me and somehow his budget was open ended!

He bought me some new perfume.......thank you Austy!

We wrote our wants/hopes to Santa on the plate, left him treats and milk and

placed the key on the porch since we don't have a chimney for him to enter!

There is always a little "Discussion" over who's turn it is to put the key out.....every year!

Even among the oldest ones!

Good thing I document this event with pictures every year,

so we can keep the peace and pull it up to see who's year it REALLY is!

Garrett was up this year!

Before we nestled the kids in their beds, we took a picture and said our prayers.

That is when the real fun began.

Julia got on her bed with Austy, and I read them some Christmas stories.

We tracked Santa on my phone and found that he was in the U.S.

and it was time to close our eyes.

Julia started complaining about a belly ache.

I wrote it off to excited nerves and anxious feelings about Santa coming.

Within 10 minutes she was running down the stairs for a bowl!!

NOOOOO!!!

She could not stop throwing up.

The flu had hit, and boy did it hit hard!

She was up non-stop til about 3:30 a.m.

No sooner had we finally got her settled, MY STOMACH STARTED RUMBLING!!!

I spent the rest of the morning with my own bowl in hand.

Never in the history of ever have we waited until 9 a.m. to wake up and open presents.

But this year......we did!

Julia feeling a little better, went in and got Austy out of his bed.

She then came in to our room and laid down again.

Assuming Austy was in the boys room with them, we all continued to lay there for a bit.

Before we knew it.....Austy came running in to our room with a toy from Santa in hand!!

He had been downstairs that whole time since he woke up

and could tell us everything Santa had brought him!!!! OH NO!

We missed our 3 year old seeing his presents!

At this point, we figured we'd better get ourselves up and get downstairs.

The kids all sat at the top of the stairs for their picture,

waiting for me to get to a point where I could join them.

Poor kids waited for me for close to 15 minutes.

Austy got a Ride-on Dusty Crophopper plane (that he drove all over the kitchen, all day!)

A couple other dusty's to play with, paw patrol toys, movies, clothes and treats.

Sis got a loom/elastic set to make bracelets, Girl Legos, A My Salon Doll that has real hair to do,

A walking Panda toy, clothes, treats and lip gloss.

Santa brought Bubba some new Basketballs so there are more balls for training,

Itunes cards, calogne, clothes and new Basketball shoes.

T-bone was the same as Bub practically.

They are into the same things.....so they usually get very similar gifts.

They both got a 94-50 ball that tracks their basketball skills on their phones....

dribbling, shooting, etc.

It helps them to know what areas they need to improve on and what they need to do

to change their shot, dribble etc. to make them better.

Santa brought Mom and Dad a new camera lens so we can get closer shots on the court and field!!

Along with a new camera bag!

Once again, aside from the flu......we were spoiled on Christmas.

I spent the entire day on the couch feeling absolutely horrible.

We had to call all the Grandma's and Grandpa's and dis-invite them from coming over at all!

It was a different Christmas home all by ourselves for sure.....

but we FINALLY GOT SNOW!

By Christmas night......Ty had his own bowl and spot on the couch!

Our Randle family trip to the Cabin was cancelled and

our Burke Family Party was moved to the first Sunday

in January due to all the sickness in our families!

The only positive in it all was the boys got to play in the AAU Christmas tournament after all!

Both teams lost in the semi-finals, which was a bummer, but they played great!
Bubba kicked off his 15th Birthday with a bowl and his spot on the couch!
WORST FLU BUG EVER!
Trav was the only one who didn't end up ever getting it.....not sure why he was so lucky!
Poor Bub.
Just laid on the couch all day......I had to keep begging him to open his presents!
He didn't feel much like doing anything.
I totally understood.
That bug hit me and lasted a few days.