The Orchard Team Huddle

I really enjoyed Christmas being on a Sunday this year.  Instead of our annual Christmas morning breakfast, we held the Orchard breakfast Christmas Eve morning.  Alas, no pictures.  Let me just say it is the best breakfast EVER...Christmas Casserole, cheesy potatoes, cinnamon rolls, fruit, juice, milk and eggnog.  It is such a fun tradition.  We held it at a church this year so the boys could play basketball. The afternoon was filled with Sproul Christmas Eve bowling.  I know I had pictures of this on my phone but I think a little picture deleting munchkin got rid of those for me!! The evening held a Cowboys game, potato cheese soup with bread bowls and cheesy rolls, a Christmas jigsaw puzzle and the traditional Christmas Eve pajamas and game (again, no pics). Christmas morning Mason came into my room and asked if he could check the prize box!  He had forgotten that Santa had come.  We headed down the stairs. Mason was pleased t...

One of the best things about Christmas is coming up with that perfect gift you know the recipient is going to love.  I had an idea in October that I really wanted to do for my parents but I needed a few weeks to let it roll around in my brain for awhile.  My brother, Dave, was the first one I told. The last picture my parents had of the grand kids was 4 years old. There have been 3 more added to the family since that time.  You can see where I am going with this...the idea was great.  The execution was the challenge. Dave and Heather live in Las Vegas.  They were coming for Thanksgiving but that left us a 3 day window to coordinate every one's schedules.  Oh, yeah, not 3 normal days either.  It was 3 busy and crazy holiday days.  Dave volunteered to take the pictures.  I volunteered to do all of the arranging.  There are 4 of us that have kids and amazingly enough we came up with a time pretty easily...10:00 am the Saturday af...

I am VERY comfortable and on board with the " holidays" .  There are those that complain about Thanksgiving being completely overlooked by all of the Christmas fanfare but I would disagree.  Bring on the music, bring on the decorations.  HOLIDAYS is an all encompassing word that to me means the time from early November when that amazing feeling of gratitude and love and peace on earth begins right through the New Year.  There is no need to keep them separate as I believe they all compliment each other nicely!  With that being said, here is a compilation of pictures and memories from our 2011 holiday season! Thanksgiving:  The big tree goes up before Thanksgiving.  Everything else waits until the day after. I had a LOT of help this year but I loved Mason's excitement and enthusiasm.  It all worked out in the end. I took 2 pictures of Thanksgiving. We really did have a lovely day but I apparently only felt the need to take pictures of the...

                                                                                                                                         December 2011 Dear Family and Friends, We hope our Christmas letter finds you happy, healthy and warm.  All is well in the Orchard home. Russell is super busy at Coldwell Banke...

December 6th, 1995:   The day I became a mom.  There are no words to adequately describe how that feels.  It was what I had dreamed of, hoped for and prayed for.  I was truly blessed with the awesome responsibility to care for one of Heavenly Father's finest spirits.  OK...enough of the sentimental.  Here are a few shots of that darling little boy and his very adorable mom and dad:). Awwww.  I know, not very good shots of the actual baby but I think it captures the joy we had in being new parents.  It seems so long ago, yet just yesterday. December 6, 2011:  Douglas turned 16!!  Unbelievable.  The countdown began a year ago when he got his learner's permit.  I got a good little chuckle out of the new found use of the Days til Christmas Nutcracker! Douglas slept in an extra hour and missed school to go get his driver's license.  Pretty cool parents if you ask me!  Mason could hard wait to show him the blowe...