Family Pictures and Christmas greetings for you.

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. ~Norman Vincent Peale

Season's Greetings from

John and Lura.

Merry Christmas one and all

We hope that your holiday season is filled with love

and the spirit of Christmas
Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree.

In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall. ~Larry Wilde, The Merry Book of Christmas

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family

all wrapped up in each other. ~Burton Hillis

This is our whole family except for Justin who was in Army boot camp.

(I just couldn't believe that his drill sargent wouldn't let him off for an
important event like taking our family picture!!)

...

This is the family picture that I sent out in our cards this year.

I told everyone they could come to my blog if they wanted to see more pictures.

So here they are.

(We went to all the trouble of taking these pictures so I have to show them off.

Bear with me.....It is a mom and a grammy thing.)

....

Our four children

Mindy, Lynell, John, Lura, Erin and David

Mindy lives in CA, Lynell and Erin live in Utah and Dave lives back east

...

It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air. ~W.T. Ellis

...
With our 4 children spread out across the states it is a rare

and special occasion when we can all get together.

The grandkiddos

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time. ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

So when we do get together, we always get a family picture.
To get 21 of us together and smiling in the same picture is not an easy task.
We are lucky that our Lynell and our niece, Mauree are both professional photographers.
Two grandsons are missing from the above picture.

Can you tell who is not there besides Justin?
It is little Davey.

He got sick with swine flu the day of the family photo shoot.
He made it though the group shot and his family shot and was even smiling...

then started burning up with fever.
That was the end of picture taking for him...poor dear.
...

This is our oldest daughter Lynell's family

(This picture was taken before Justin left )

Jalen(15), Lonica (10), Jordan(21), Dathan, Lynell, Justin(18) and Johnny(13)
Even as an adult I find it difficult to sleep on Christmas Eve. Yuletide excitement is a potent caffeine, no matter your age. ~Carrie Latet

....
This is our 2nd daughter Mindy's Family

E.J.(10), Mindy, Ernie, Claire(8) and Austin(4)

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!

~Hamilton Wright Mabie

...

This is our youngest daughter Erin's family

Erin, Patrick and Calan(8 mo.)

RememberThis December,That love weighs more than gold!~Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon

This is my "baby boy" David's family
(Don't tell him I still call him my baby boy)

Grace(7), Marla and Davey(4), David and Evan(7 mo.), Emma(9)

Christmas is forever, not for just one day,for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put awaylike bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.The good you do for others is good you do yourself...~Norman Wesley Brooks, "Let Every Day Be Christmas," 1976

...
I send greetings and best wishes from our family to yours

I hope that you have a very Merry Christmas

and a wonderful New Year.

In my next post I will republish the Christmas Poem I wrote for you last year.
Thanks so much for dropping by my blog.
Have a great pre-Christmas week.

Hugs, Lura
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