Christmas With the Wallaces

This weekend we celebrated Christmas with my side of the family up at my sister's place in Cleveland, GA. It was a really good weekend and I think everyone had a good time (except for a quick stomach bug that ran through several of us and precluded me from joining in the festivities on Sunday). If you've never seen the Grande Gang, click here. Of course, you can also see how we really are here. My brother, Rob (his family is in black) pulled up a big camper and all the kids were dying to spend the night in it. I thought it my be a cousin Eddie experience (from the Griswald's), but it turned out to be really nice. Sorry Rob, just had to give you a hard time! My sister Lara (her family is in red) came down from Pennsylvania. My other sister Jenny (her family is in brown) was the hostess with the mostest. We are in blue (except for me because I forgot to go to the dry cleaner). My parents are in denim.

We ate, exchanged gifts, played cars, rode four-wheelers, and had a generally relaxing time (once the family photo was over...what an ordeal!).

One of the things I've always enjoyed doing with my nieces and nephews is teaching them to say out-dated, slang terms which aggravate my siblings (it's the little brother in me). I got a kick out of teaching Harrison to say, "peace out, yo" while tapping his chest with two fingers. While I was taking individual family photographs, the kids were getting weary, so I told him to say it. He did, while tapping his chest then pointing with two fingers, which I managed to capture (merely by chance, of course...or by providence if you're Reformed), in this photo.

Another favorite photo was when I getting Rob's family over to take their photo and his two oldest boys were deciding where/how they would sit. We had a few small stools for people to sit on and I commented to them that if they couldn't fit to just put one cheek on one stool and one on the other. This is how they understood my instructions!

Leslie has continued to feel really good throughout these past several days. Her strength has been at an all time high since beginning chemo. We are all so very thankful for God's continued graciousness.