All around the iPad

A family friend Chris brought his new girlfriends kids over to visit one day, and they were enthralled by my iPad. They were all really good at figuring it out, even though they had never seen one, reminding me that technology really is intuitive! They found it great to play the games and all the maps and things!

Skype on Christmas morning

Right before I left, I got an email from my Grandma's neice. Her mom, (my grandmas sister) has just got an iPad for Christmas, and so we set up a Skype date for them, without them knowing. Needless to say, my Grandma was thrilled, and it was so sweet to hear them chat. They haven't been together on Christmas day in years and years and years!

Decorations

These are just some of the decorations on Grammie's tree. Each year, new ones are in front. Shelby brought her this heart one back from her travels in Germany when she went to the Christmas markets....in...Bonn maybe? I think it goes great with all the red and green!

Christmas Presents at Home

I love Christmas morning, but people were a little slow this year, but eventually we got around to opening presents. I was like a little kid waiting to open them! Mummy always picks co-ordinating paper for our presents too and I think it looks so nice!

Twas the night before Christmas...

We got home really late on Christmas eve, but I wanted to take some photos of all the presents I had wrapped and put out before they were moved and replaced by Santa presents. We still get Santa presents, but we all give presents to each other too! I love the lights on my Grandma's Christmas tree, they give everything such a nice glow! She has lots of decorations that Shelby and I have made over the year, and ones we have brought her from around the world. It really is such a nice tree. I had a present from Richard that he sent from England, which I was super excited to open as well! I love this snowman my Grammie has too!

Christmas in the Pole Barn

Christmas Eve used to be at Great Grandpa Peils house, but the last few years, it has been in Uncle Barts Pole barn. Everyone comes, and its nice and warm because of the wood burner. It was lovely to see everyone, and the little kids were all adorable, in matching outfits. This is Isabelle, Stephanie's daughter. Isn't she a cutie?

Going back home!

I was so excited to go home to America for Christmas, it was just a shame I had to wait so long untill I could go! My trip home was relatively uneventful...I had a massive wait in Hiroshima, no TV on the big flight to Chicago, but a lovely Marine took me to lunch in O'Hare, which was really very sweet, and I was glad that I made it home in one piece!