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...It's December, so it means Christmas is coming...
...Christmas is the season of JOY, of gift giving, and of families united...
"Peace on earth will come to stay when we live Christmas everyday."
...He who has not Christmas in the heart will never find it under a tree!...
"Like snowflakes, my Christmas memories gather and dance...each unique and
beautiful....some gone too soon!"
~~~
Elf on the Shelf...
...Ruby is back...and brought snow...
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...Holly is back...She was hard to find not being at eye level...
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So, the fun begins....for their mom's! 😃😃
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...Rhema Lights with the bunny's mom & dad...
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Philbrook Festival Night of Lights...
...This is a night we all love attending w/ Uncle Roger & Aunt Debbie...
...Thousands of lights illuminate the beautiful Philbrook Gardens...
...We start the night by eating from the burger shack on the Philbrook patio...
...the girls stop to swing on our walk to see Santa and Mrs. Claus...
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...the girls loved the "Mirror Ball Lane"...
...it was hard to get M to leave b/c kids were building a fort in the back w/ long sticks...
...As we were walking to the car afterwards, she told her Uncle Roger, "I can't wait to
come back to work on that fort...it's my destiny!" (Out of the mouth of a 5 year old!)
...On our way to the Holiday Hangout for S'mores...
(We missed our turn to walk to the cabin)...
...Stopped by the Tempietto to get a pic of the littles in front of the fish pond w/ a
full view of the Mansion...
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...enjoying the igloos for a short rest...
...s'more time...
..."Take and Make Craft Shack"...
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...enjoyable evening w/ beautiful weather, although the heavy mist arrived as we were leaving...
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Camera roll...
...more holiday fun...
...The weather was warm today, like 74 degrees, so the ice got a little sloppy wet...
...M fell a couple times, so she said, "she was soakin"...
...Ali was the photographer...
...She is apprehensive of falling and messing up her knee again...
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...the Junies ended their week-end on their momma's lap while watching "Home Alone"...
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...from spring like temps yesterday to winter temps today...
...the bunny is ready for it...
...She looks too cute in her bell bottoms...I remember those times!...
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...giving their momma a few hour break...
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...BOOMER SOONER...
...Where legends are made...BOOMER!...
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...Junie M just relaxin'...
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...A styling some hair before getting ready for school...
...One good thing it's not her own...😄
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...ready for her Elite Dance Christmas party...
...She was happy how Nonni fixed her hair...
...The bunny was excited to get home and use her gift before bed...
...Masking faces...
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...the Junies shopped in their school's Santa Shop for their cousin...
...they were excited to give her their gifts...
....Sweetness is Sharing...
...the bunny was so kind and excited for her gifts from them...
~~~
...It never ceases to amaze me what tornadoes can do in a matter of seconds...
...This deadly tornado left a path of destruction across 6 states on the night of 12./10...
...It's being reported as the longest path of a single tornado...230+ miles...
...Praying for the loss of life and those that lost their homes and places of employment....
...This is a sad time, especially with it being so close to Christmas...🙏🙏🙏
~~~
...Ruby, their elf, must be taking note of their kindness...
...She left them with this 'crystal holiday growing kit"...
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...at the end of the first night...
...this is so awesome...they love it...
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Cedar Ridge Country Club Children's Christmas...
...Yep, .reminds me of one of my co-workers...lol!
,,,She knows who she is....😘
...a great time to dress up and act like big girls...
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...busy writing a Santa letter...
...it may not be their first...but, at least, we know Santa will get one...
Camera Roll...
...my guy in the woods cutting pine and cedar for me...
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...at 5 1/2 years, our brown-eyed Junie lost her 1st tooth...
...her momma pulled it...
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...ready for dance pics...
...for the 2nd time...1st time was postponed b/c of a covid outbreak...
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...proud of how far our bunny has come with her anxiety...
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...a Nonni pick up day for our bunny, so we went to pick up the Junies...
...and then, to PeachWave...
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...Our cute lil' Junies w/ their dog, Perry...
...Perry is aging...along, with others....
...He is temporarily staying w/ them b/c their dad had hip surgery...
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...a momma drop off day for school and the bunny is dressed in shorts on 12/15...
...This weather is unbelievable...
...Today the high is said to be 78 degrees..
...It will be the 8th day of 70 degrees or above for December...
...It ties the previous record of 8 days, and we are only half way through the month...
...Cool front coming in tonight, so we can expect more spring storms following I-44!...
~~~
...Christmas season at my fave place...
...No snow this day in the village, but you can see snow on the Sierra Mountain...
💓💓💓
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...the bunny posing in front of her tree@ her dad's house...
...look closely to see her nutcracker ornament that she got when she and her dad went
to the "Nutcracker" performance...
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...Ruby, the twins' elf, has been busy...🎁🎁
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...it's pajama day @ school...so she wore her "Cindy Lou" pj's...
...it is also her party day, however, her school still doesn't allow parents b/c of covid...
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...Freedom's pajama Christmas Party Day...
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,,,w/ their teacher, Ms. Felden...
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...Elite competition @ the BOK...
...random pics w/ Team Elite...
...@ the Brook Downtown w/ her JW teacher...
...Ahhh....our bunny got to hold the trophy @ her private on Saturday...
...only if we knew her conversation w/ Jayme...
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...stepped outside to get an early morning pic of the moon...
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...popcorn & game/ movie night w/ neighbor friends...
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Christmas fun day w/ friends doing crafts and an outside obstacle course...
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...lunch @ Wildfork and shopping @ Utica Square...
...you can see the littles in the background making a nest for the squirrels...
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...we ate outdoors in the sun and under their heaters so the littles could play...
(...Lindsay was not w/ us b/c she was working...)
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...waiting in Starbuck's for our lemon citrus mint tea while eating cake pops...
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...the bunny went to her dad's, and I brought the Junies home w/ me to give their
momma a break...
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...look closely...Bleu is wrapped up in their arms...
...They wore their jammies home...they wanted it to be a pajama day...lol!
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...Today is the first day of winter but you wouldn't know because we
experienced a sunny day with a high of 68 degrees...
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...AND, covid has exploded....Ugh!...
...Cases are skyrocketing daily...
...Omicron has now hit every state....It is milder than the Delta but more transmittable...
...WE have the tool to get this behind us...Take a deep breath...vaccinate and get the booster!...
~~~
...Ali sent me this pic and ask if I noticed anything about the carton of eggs...
???
...Yep!! The Junies wanted to "hatch" an egg, so they replaced an egg with a paper
one to trick their momma....😍 Everyone w/ twins will know what it's like!!😏😏
~~~
...the cutest pic of the bunny's sweet Aerial...
...She has been a good girl and not tried to get in their tree...just likes to lie under it...
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...the Junies went to Ms. Jade's for a playdate w/ Eli Grace...
...always a great day @ Ms. Jade's...
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...These littles have a lot in common w/ the bunny...
...They all 3 are "pickle eaters"....
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...her face is full of joy to be home w/ momma...
showing off
her ornaments she made when she went to a neighborhood party in her
dad's neighborhood...
~~~
...It's a JOYous time of year!!...
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...lunch @ Napa Flatts w/ their momma before going to the aquarium...
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...Jenks Aquarium...
...loved watching Santa swimming Under the Sea...
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...Utica Square shopping and eating @ Napa Flatts...
...the owner @ Lolli Garden chased us down after we left to give our bunny
this Rubix Square she was working on while I was shopping...
...so nice of him...
...the bunny didn't give up...she worked it until she got it....over & over!
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...the cousins exchanging gifts since they won't be together on Christmas Eve...
...the bunny is enJOYing her art pad from her cousins...
...apparently Aerial is finding it interesting, too...
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...the "Gathering Place Christmas" w/ the bunny and her mom & dad...
...beautiful sunset...
...nature walk headband...
...a magical night @ the Gathering Place...
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...O' Christmas Tree, O' Christmas Tree...
...For every year, the Christmas tree brings us all both, JOY and Glee...
~~~
...throwback Christmas Memories...
...Being born in 1953, I was privileged to grow up remembering the fragrance of freshly
cut trees in our living room decorated w/ multi colored lights, bulbs, tincil,and hanging
icicles...always anticipicating snow, along w/ watching the Andy Williams Christmas show on our
black and white television, and, of course, Santa...
...I am guessing this pic was taken in 1956...
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...taken during Christmas break in our fave place, Ruidoso...
...So thankful for the special memories of Ruidoso...
...Through the many years, "Our cup runneth over w/ JOY"...
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...1995...on the Sierra Blanca...now, Ski Apache
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...oh, my heart...💓💓💓
....Father, I pray my littles know your loving grace...
...I pray you lift them up with JOY and LOVE!..Amen!
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...Christmas 2007, our last Christmas picture of all of us together...
...It's with broken hearts that we miss them every Christmas, every day...💔💔💔
...Father, in the moments when memories return in the midst of "no longer" and
sadness returns, help us to find comfort knowing our parents and younger brother,
and the girl's dad are experiencing heavenly JOY and peace w/ no pain.
Father, help us to live daily with a JOYful heart and the HOPE of eternal life
with our loved ones....AMEN!
~~~
...Downtown Tulsa...
...Christmas waves a magic wand over the world making everything more beautiful...
...I pray when the broken heartened see lights, they also see HOPE...
~~~
Christmas Traditions...
...The holiday traditions you start will become the good memories your family will have
in the future. It will leave memories the littles will look forward to all year...
...The one tradition I started with my daughters is collecting dated Hallmark ornaments...
...As they have gotten older, I changed to the Old World dated ornaments, and I have continued
the Hallmark tradition with my grands...
...A few years ago, I started buying Christmas books for the littles and wrapped them to put under
their trees. Every night before bed, they unwrapped a book and it was their bedtime story...
...The year I started this I used the "12 nights before Christmas" theme...
...well, my options of Christmas books has dwindled. However, we are still doing a few nights...
...Another, tradition we follow with the Matthews' family is eggnog...not store bought
eggnog, but homemade using my mom's recipe...
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...This year, I ask my brother-in-law to sing "Oh, Holy Night" before our prayer...I believe
this will be our new tradition...
...If you don't have a tradition, think about starting one...memories forever!...
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Christmas Eve Day...
...the Junies posing in front of their tree while waiting for their dad...
...going to visit their cousins @ Granny's house...
~~~
...opening the last door of her Lego Advent that Uncle Roger & Aunt Debbie gave her...
...She loved this...
...baking cookies to leave for Santa...
...dressed to go to her dad's for Christmas Eve and morning...
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Christmas Eve...
...preparation for family with our charcuterie spread, along w/ drip beef sandwiches & pizza...
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...The temp is in the upper 70's, and we have our fireplaces burning...
...it's just not Christmas w/out a fire in the fireplace...
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...No, these are not the booties I wore tonight...they don't match my top...
...But, everyone wanted to see the booties I bought specially for my niece's wedding...
....When it came time to change my clothes for the wedding, I could NOT find them in the
dressing area or reception area, and they weren't in the car, nor home..
...I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown...
...Well, in cleaning up the next day, their sweet wedding coordinator found them...
...She found them in the same room where I changed clothes...that's called aging...I was just
looking too hard and looked over seeing the shoe box....
...Now, to find a reason to dress up in order to wear my red sparkling booties...
...may be Mahogany's Steakhouse, or Fleming's or the Polo Grill...
...Anyway, I guess this was the great laugh for the evening...
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...Our newlyweds 1st Christmas...
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...(also missing one niece and family and 3 nephews and their families)...
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...my gift from Paul...
...I am struggling reading the pics...
...It's a water rower....in this pic, it's not totally put together...
...I have so missed rowing since I quit working out...perfect gift!...
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...Father, thank you for this night and all it represents. We praise You most of all for Jesus.
May you light our path as the Holy Star lit the way for the Wise Men...
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Christmas morning & day...
...The Magic of Christmas lies in your heart...
~BELIEVE~
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...spreading their reindeer food...
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...3:00 am...
...their momma put them in her bed since they wouldn't go back to sleep...
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...long story short...their dad went to ER overnight by ambulance...
...He got out just in time to make Christmas morning...
~
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...the neighbor's rabbit got in their backyard
...of course, the Junies had to catch it...
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...a pic from Grampies and Nana's...
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...Even though our bunny was at her dad's for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning this
year, Santa didn't forget to make a stop at the bunny and Momma's home. So, Poppi and
Nonni were waiting at noon to share the fun w/ them....First, they made a quick stop
at Uncle Roger's and Aunt Debbie's house since they missed her Christmas Eve...
...showing her Kendra Scott earrings...
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...Christmas @ the bunny's home w/ her momma...
...reading her letter from Holly the Elf that was left in her stocking...
...her tradition of getting a Christmas water globe...
...she has Aerial in a box and Charlie under her momma's legs...
...the animals need her attention...
...Ohhh, Char Char has a "pop it" face...
...Yes, she has 2 stockings...
...One that Santa fills and the other is the one Nonni fills...
...my sweet 8 year old...💝
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Camera roll...
...a nice sunset on the 26th...
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...the Junies playiing school w/ their American Girl dolls...
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...the bunny loves her gift from Missy, Brian's SIL...
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...face time pics...
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...playing school w/ her American Girl doll and having interference from Char...
...may need to be sent to the principal...
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,,,the bunny and her momma taking advantage of the unusually warm, winter weather...
...walking around the pond w/ the animals...
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...the Junies becoming card collectors...What the heck?
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...making slime...
...fixing their own pizza for lunch...
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...Our lil' Junies and their momma coming to slumber w/ Poppi & Nonni....
...and to watch OU go Duck hunting....
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...Santa put card holders in their stockings....
...He definitely knew this would make it easier for them to play card games...
...showing Nonni some dance moves...
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...Poppi's late arriving Christmas gift....
...fireplace tools for our outdoor fp...
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...loving on our baby Bleu and wearing way too much of Nonni's lipstick...
~
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...dinner date @ Bird & Bottle...
...showing off her Christmas present (earrings) from her bunny...
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...Our little OU fans...
...True descendants of the phrase..."Sooner Born, Sooner Bred"...
...so happy for this guy that didn't even play football his senior year of hs,
because of the Covid pandemic...
...came in as a freshman backup player and took over the position of Rattler, who was supposedly deemed a Heisman prospect...
🏈🏈...This whole scenario was the BEST!...🏈🏈
...and heck yes! This was awesome that Drake Stoops caught a touchdown pass
under his dad's coaching...Great moment for Dad and his son...🏈
...This guy, Bob Stoops, is definitely a class act coach and person....
...changing of the visor...so cool...from Stoops to Venables...
~~~
New Year Eve Morning...
...December 31st...stepped out to see this beautiful sunrise this am...
....on my way to meet up w/ Ali and Laura to go to Norman...
...bittersweet day to see Ali's sorority sister, Rachel, that now lives in Pennsylvania...
...We were so happy to see Rach, but it was a sad day to say our goodbyes to her mother...😢
...RIP, Judy...🙏
~~~
New Year Eve...
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...entertainment by our bunny to end the night...."I'm from Oklahoma"...
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...a good night to stay home close to the fireplace watching football...
...and if I make it, watching the "NYE ball drop"....
~~~
...from Our House to Yours...📣📣
...This week we walk into a new month and new year...
...Thank you, Father, for guiding us through every season of this past year. Help us
to put aside anxiety about the future and the past, so that we may live in peace...May
everyday glow w/ JOY, Love and Happiness through the next year. Be with us as we
move forward...May the grace and peace of Christ bless us now and the days ahead...
...Amen!...
XOXO! from Our 5 Acre Woods