Christmas vacation

The short summary: 2 days in Nebraska - saw parents, Grandparents, sisters, baby Nathan; shopping on 26th; 8 days in Kansas - saw parents, sister, extended Unruh's, learned more Mennonite history, ate Mennonite food, Tom studied, kids sick.
Now for the longer version . . . . . .
NEBRASKA
For lunch we had a Starkjohn tradition of soup - chicken with vegetables. Tom made homemade, very creamy/rich ice cream - which was polished off in 2 days. The kids did get some decent naps, so we were able to enjoy the Christmas Eve service and Tom's parents church. We sang lots of Christmas carols and the gospel was clearly preached in the pastor's sermon.
The next day was the Starkjohn Christmas celebration. Grandpa Bill, Grandma Ella, & Tom, Renee & Nathan came to visit. We actually got a family photo taken - which turned out well. We took the photo and opened presents before Tom's grandparents came for lunch. The kids liked their sticker books, stuffed animals, and toys that they got. The adults enjoyed a fun white elephant gift exchange - where Tom's creation was most unique, a night fishing pole made out of fly swatter with candle attached and a razor for scaling. Check out the pictures on my picasa web album: http://picasaweb.google.com/WatchTheChildrenPlaying
We enjoyed a good lunch of duck, lefse, and all the other fixings of a feast. The young kids then napped and the adults talked and relaxed.
Next day, Bill & Connie watched our kids for us (which we really appreciated) and Tom & I did our yearly shopping - catching lots of really good sales. We shopped from 6am till 11 am up in Omaha. We hit at least 5 different stores, some of them more than once. Back home for lunch and then pile in the van and headed to Kansas.
KANSAS
It was surprising to see snow on the ground from a snowstorm the previous week. Kansas was having some colder weather and there was still tons of huge branches down from the big ice storm. Wed evening we watched a documentary on the Mennonites life in Prussia followed by their escape out of Prussia in the 1940's. On Thursday my parents and our family went to the Pioneer Adobe House and Museum - Built by a Mennonite family around 1880, the home features adobe construction. (an original mud brick house built exactly like the typical Mennonite homes in Prussia (Ukraine). Then to lunch for buffet at Pizza Hut, where we were joined by John & Jenny. Back home where preparations were made for the Unruh Christmas celebration. We opened gifts and then had our Christmas feast of ham and homemade pie - pecan made by Jenny. That evening we played Bible Outburst - guys against girls. The guys won, but not by much especially since 2 of them are pastors. Friday brought 6 inches of snow the previous night - the kids enjoyed playing in it. This evening we played Jenga - the John Deere version. Sat. was the Unruh gathering. Lots of good food, with plenty of reminiscing and sharing of happenings of the past year, and of course some singing as well.
Sunday we went to my parent's church where I grew up - Tom shared about our church plant here in Winsted during the service. During the week in the evenings we also watched a documentary on Hurricane Katrina and a movie on how the Mennonites got their start during the era Luther/Germany broke away from Catholicism. We played a card game Skipbo, and I made a puzzle with my parents.
Interesting and not so fun events of our time in Kansas were problems with our minivan's transmission - which turned out to be a fluke computer problem and our kids got sick starting Sunday afternoon and today (a week later) are finally getting over their temp's, but still have the coughs.
Tom was able to study Mon - Thurs in a classroom at my parent's church.
The foods we enjoyed while in Kansas - peppernuts, verenike, bierocks, frosted sugar cookies - which our kids made with Grandma, New Year's Cookies, 2% homemade ice cream, pecan pie, rhubarb/mulberry pie. The older 2 girls made lots of puzzles, helped feed the cattle and collect the eggs.
Now we're back home - hoping to soon be over the coughs and settle back into our home routine.
Thus ends the long version of our Christmas vacation.