Christmas 2012 Highlights

This Christmas was a little different from previous ones.  Our family grew by 1—Evy (officially) + 1 James (unofficially).  I say James is an unofficial addition because I don’t hang a stocking for you until you marry in and are all legal and everything.  That being said, this year I made all new stockings.  Annika was thrilled (she never liked her stocking, it has buttons on it—don’t ask), Kirsten and Joshua weren’t so sure—change isn’t their favorite thing.  They liked their old stockings and they really didn’t want to part with them.  I gave Joshua’s stocking to him and said he could hang it up in his new home.  Evy saw it and CRACKED.UP.  I wish I had a picture of his stocking so that you could understand.  It is a rather strange stocking, His Grandpa and Grandma C gave it to him on his second Christmas.  It is fashioned to look like a red Converse hightop sneaker, only instead of saying ‘Converse’ it has a badge that says ‘Santa’s Helper’.  Then there is what looks like a red and white striped sock that comes out of the hightop topped by a white fur cuff.  It is rather ridiculous really, but Joshua loves it.  When he was little he liked to put it on and wear it around the living room.  Honestly, I was glad to see it go so that I could create new stockings that were a bit more coordinated and traditional.  Kirsten’s old stocking was a simple one I think I picked up for a few dollars at a drug store, it had pictures of nutcrackers on it.  She can hang it up in her new home next year.

Each one has a silver bead initial.

 

Picking out the tree.

the finished product…I LOVED our tree this year, I hate to take it down!

So, we had new stockings [check], new family members [check], and time together, Dean and I and the kids, ALL the kids.  The ‘other Haans’ were gone to Florida this year, so we didn’t have the traditional Haan Christmas on Christmas Eve (good thing because Joshua had to work until late that night).  Joshua and Evy came and stayed the night and we all did our stockings together in the morning.  Then Kirsten and James were off to his Dad’s family for lunch, then back to our house by late afternoon.  We had time together exchanging gifts and laughing, always laughing.  Christmas night we had Grandma H over for dinner (Grandma C was in Portland).  Grandma went home early and then we ended the day watching A Christmas Story.  No matter how many times I see that movie, it still cracks me up.  It was nice to be able to have time with just our kids, but part of me misses the years when the kids were younger and we would spend Christmas Day with my cousins and aunts and uncles.  The kids still ask me every year ‘are we going to be with the Johnsons at all this year?’.  Sadly, it is part of getting older and everyone having their own families and traditions, some traditions end and new ones begin.   All in all, it was a pretty great day of celebrating the birth of our Savior.

Where did 2012 go? Some of the highlights.

I have been a very, very bad blogger.  I have no excuse except to say that a lot of life and a lot of living have been going on at the Haan household.  Since Joshua and Evy’s wedding on September 1, I have lost complete track of time.   Work, surgery, work, quickie vacation, holidays, more work. 

For a long time I didn’t want to blog because I was waiting to get some pictures back from the wedding.  Those took a loooooonnnnnnggggg time.  I still don’t know if I have official permission to post, but I think it is probably ok.  I apologize for the lack of clarity on some of the pics, but standing still and posing for pictures was not Joshua and Evy’s priority on their big day.  The pictures I am posting are a smattering of pics taken by friends, family members and the official unofficial photog for the day.  When asked if they had any regrets about their big day, Josh responded that he wished they had spent more time talking with people and less time taking pictures.  This made me laugh.  Pictures are one of my FAVORITE things (not to have my own picture taken but instead to take pictures and look at them over and over and over).  From what I understand, Josh and Evy’s wedding day was exactly as they had hoped—a picnic in the park where kids played and people ate good food and hung out. and enjoyed themselves.  I wish I had a chance to pick my own camera up that day because there are things I wish I had a picture of…people lounging on picnic blankets, kids playing on the playground toys, dear friends who shared the day with us  The day was gloriously sunny and it was a special treat to have all of my siblings together in one spot for the entire weekend.  It meant a lot to me that they all traveled to witness our oldest get married.  The last time we had all been together was for my Dad’s funeral 4 years ago, so we were long overdue.   These are just a few of my favorite pictures from the day:



Last minute flower arrangements thanks to a friend's beautiful zinnia patch (and a few little extras we found along the way).



and daisies, lots and lots of daisies, their wedding website was 'a daisy bouquet'. 

All along the right of the room were french doors that opened onto a deck where more were standing listening to their vows.

Thank you Scott for capturing this one…SO perfect, Joshua holding her bouquet while Evy says her vows.

  LOVE.THIS.

The Haan Family photo for 2012.

This cracks me up, but it gives you a great shot of how casual the bride and groom were!

   I love this one because Evy is SO excited!

A combined family photo, again we all are looking in slightly different direction than the photographer—we are SO good at this!

Dean's entire family photo (I shouldn’t say all his family, because we are missing Dean’s sistes and their families, and our niece Dana and her family) but hey, we got everyone else in, even the honorary significant others Joey and James.  The biggest shocker of this picture, my MIL is actually smiling (over my right shoulder)

My entire family—I laugh when I look at this, my sister’s husband (bottom left) I don’t think can ever smile, my oldest brother, top center has the perfect familial smart-ass expression, my mother is grimacing having to even be IN the picture, I look like a hot mess, and of course my girls are cracking up over something.

  see what I mean?  easily distracted…I don’t know who was leaving, but they must have been important.

All group photo, unfortunately the far left got cut out.

So, the wedding done, the newlyweds firmly ensconced in their south Bellingham apartment, we continued on with life.  Kirsten moved into her dorm room at Western and adjusted to becoming a WWU Viking.  Annika started her sophomore year at Lynden High School and we feel into a routine.  In October I had a second surgery and was relieved that no knee scooter was required for post-op recovery time.  Phew!  I think Dean and the kids were happier than I was.  Dean’s Mom fell and broke her hip and collarbone and began a lengthy recovery of her own.  This has led to all sorts of interesting discussions and debates on where she is best living.  The jury is still out on the final word on that one, but the beginning of December she moved back home. 

Thanksgiving, Dean and I decided that we needed a quick get away and so booked a spur of the moment vacation to Hawaii.  We enjoyed 5 full days doing nothing but laying on the beach or lounging by the pool.  We came home vowing that this needed to become part of our annual routine.  It was great to spend time alone, together and reaffirm that we still like each other and really enjoy spending down time together.  We returned ready to tackle the holidays.

Then, these two made a BIG decision:

They asked our permission and got engaged in mid-December.  They plan to marry on August 30, 2013.  James will finish school by the end of summer and they plan to live here in the county while Kirsten finishes up school at WWU.  We couldn’t be happier for them. 

2013 should be another interesting year for our family.  Happy New Year!