Horton Christmas

It was good seeing everyone at the annual Horton Christmas gathering. Of course, Katie had a ball playing with her cousins, Trey, Ty and Keisha. Poor Keisha still got sucked into playing with the little ones. What can I say? She's got the special touch with the kids and they love her. Trey loved the fact that Uncle Millard and Aunt Peggy had a playground since the last time he was there. He wanted to stay outside the whole time and play on the slide. It might have gotten as warm as 57 degrees, but the wind made it feel much cooler than what it was. The kids had to bundle up before going outside. It was funny talking to Trey (approx. 5 years old) because he's at the age, where he will tell you everything about his mom and dad. Oh boy! I can wait until Katie gets to that age. Here are some pictures of the party. We don't have family photos anymore, so all we have is just snapshots. There are more pictures posted on our photosite.

The little girl that Keisha is holding is Cheyenne or "Sissy". She is Diane's great niece. Diane & Malcolm take turns taking care of her. She is such a sweetheart.

L-R: Katie, Trey & Ty

This is what I had to work with yesterday morning. Daddy and Katie would not get off the couch & get ready to go.

We played Dirty Santa after the kids opened their gifts. Poor Vonell, the men kept swiping her DS gifts. Can you tell in the background that I could use a nap? Yep! I was so tired and not feeling all that great. Oh well.

Trey and Katie were having fun, spinning around in circles, sitting in Millard's chair.

Comment Questions
Allison left me a question yesterday regarding the horse and buggy rides at Sportsman's Lake. She wanted to know if they were doing that everyday. You know, I really don't know. Katie and I went on a Friday night. They had an extra buggy and horse, I guess if there were a big demand. They were also running the train at the same time. If Katie and I were clothed properly, we might have gone for a train ride as well.

Prayer Request
Allison asks for our prayers for her family after the sudden loss of her uncle. Allison - I'm so sorry to hear this news. For some, it makes it harder to handle when it's so close to a special holiday like Christmas. You and your family will be in our thoughts and prayers.

Katie and I visited our little neighbor, Ms. Evelyn. As you may know, she lost her husband last Feb-Mar (I believe) around Turkey Hunting Season. While Turkey Hunting in Indiana, he had a heart attack and died in his tree stand. Well this time last year, her and her husband, Charles, celebrated their 50th Anniversary. As one of the decorations for the 50th Anniversary celebration was a Christmas tree full of gold and ivory decorations. There were these beautiful gold and pearl frames with black and white photos of Evelyn and Charles' past. Trust me, this tree is gorgeous! Well, Evelyn had the tree with the decorations put up in her Living Room as a reminder to everyone of their love. I've been afraid to ask her how she's handling this Christmas without Charles, but what do you actually say. So, I haven't said anything. While visiting her the other day, she seems to be handling it very well. Mr. Charles was a big outdoors person. He loved to hunt and fish and just enjoy God's country. Evelyn told me that she took their old Christmas tree and set it out in Charles' shop. Her and her daughter decorated it all in fishing and hunting ornaments, which is him all over. She said if there was one thing that she regrets is Charles has always loved colored lights on the Christmas tree, but Evelyn has always loved the clear lights instead. She said every year, she would tell him "maybe next year". So, she bought some colored lights and put it on the tree in his shop. Please continue to remember her and her family this Christmas.