To the farm

We left this morning for the farm for the Bentrup Christmas with kids (and Cindy) in tow. She did a lot of shopping here, but everything fit in the car and we were off. We stopped in Normal to pick up five gondolas to eat and share for lunch when we made it to the farm. L and B don't eat gondolas so we bought them pizza breads to eat in the car. Along the way, the car reached 36,000 miles. Here are some of the pictures from our Christmas celebration. We couldn't play bingo this year because Cindy didn't think her new dog would leave us alone long enough. And Cousin A is missing because he was at his team's basketball game.

Andy got a wind-up flashlight, new battery for his power tools, some sausages, a bottle of wine and the new Katy Perry CD.

E got microfiber sheets, a comforter and Soda Stream refills.

B got a new Mario DS game, a GameStop gift card, Hershey Kisses, seasoning salt from Steak 'n Shake and Hershey Air Delight bars.

L got a Dr. Who DVD, a Hershey T-shirt and tardis earrings. I think her favorite gift though, was this Dr. Who scarf from Kevin. It's 11 feet long.

Cousin T watches his fiancee open her presents. L, who watches "Ghost Adventures," says the unexplained white dot on the wall is a spirit. They showed up in several of my pictures - eerie.

I got a digital picture frame, a double small crockpot, some wine and chocolate.

I bought Cindy the DVD of "The White Queen" but it hasn't yet been released so I gave her a makeup bag filled with Clinique samples and a compact mirror that magnifies on one side. She was looking for one in the stores while she was here. Good thing she didn't find one.

We gave mom a new sewing box, a small cast iron pan and a collage of pictures from our recent New York trip. Again, look at all the white dots on the wall.

Half-way nice picture of mom with the kids. L is making a silly face though. And the rambunctious star of the night ... Kumar the Irish Setter.

Kevin was holding back Kumar from the living room all night so L opened his presents for him. I did manage to get one picture of him: