The Ray's Christmas Vacation......Round 1

We had quite the Christmas this year. We left on Thursday, Dec. 19th and returned yesterday (the 2nd). Two weeks filled with a whole range of emotions: Excitement, joy, annoyance, impatience, but mostly just a lot of of happiness. I love spending time with the family. There is never a dull moment when all the Hickmans get together. This season proved no different. Bare with me as I journal our happenings.......

These first pictures are from the hayride we took during the Moss family Christmas party. We rode around Woods Cross singing Christmas carols. It was very cold, but very fun. I think the picture of Shellie and Jason is so cute!!

This next one is Lucy and Graham on the Sunday before Christmas wearing the clothes that Grandma bought for them. Their cousins, George, Oliver, and Abby, had matching outfits, but we never got them together for a picture.....oops!

Like many of you, every Christmas Eve we act out the Christmas story as we read it from the Bible. Lucy was Mary this year and Graham was a sheep (he did a whole lot of wandering). Blaine, Lindsay, Jason H., and Shellie were shepherds. (They are in awe of the angel that has appeared to them.)

We also do the pajamas traditon on Christmas Eve. Mom did an awesome job this year! All the ladies got silk PJ's. Mine our pink leopard print.....so cute! The guys all got warm-ups with a t-shirt from the college they graduated from or are currently attending. Go USU!! Graham and Lucy loved their new jammers. That night all the adults (Maggie, Jason, Shellie, Lindsay, Blaine, Jason, and Beth) slept in the basement on air mattresses and watched The Christmas Story. Christmas morning was a success. Lucy got her "boots that light up" and her Cinderella music box among other things. My favorite of gifts: Nice copies of The Hiding Place and To Kill a Mockingbird (my two favorite books), Adobe Elements software, and some clothes and jewelry. Jason got a leather jacket (from yours truly) and golf wedge. We got quite the haul to come home with.

Graham woke up with a high fever on Christmas morning....no fun, but he still liked his gifts. Jason got a really sore throat and cough that lasted up until the day we left. Two trips to the Insta-Care clinic during vacation.....not too fun.