NAVIDAD 2013 AT THE GLICK'S!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

We were not sure what to expect for Christmas 2013 at the Glick's.

Last year Sandi & I talked about the coming year. It would be the first year without any of our own children at home. We were thinking we may pass Christmas with just the two of us.

WRONG!

9, yes NINE, stockings full!

 Early in 2013 Luis joined our family, then late in the year Evelyn came to stay with us.

Then we invited Luis' brothers and sisters, David, Erika and Elizabeth & Sonia, to stay for Christmas with us, and Martina was alone so we asked her....and, that is how we had NINE full stockings without any of our own children here!

Elizabeth was excited that Santa had come!

 To have our nieta Elizabeth here was a huge joy! She is a great age to watch her take in the excitement of Christmas.

It was fun to watch them all experience Christmas North American style! 

They loved it!

Sonia with her gift

 After the stockings, Luis passed out the gifts and it was so much fun to watch them all. 

Everyone got a few things and watched each other and the house was full of laughter and smiles!

Sandi impressed with my wrapping job

 The nena, Elizabeth, of course was spoiled rotten and received more than anyone, yet with all the things she got she just wanted MY Tigger that Erika gave me.

Elizabeth wanted MY Tigger!

 While the traditional Christmas mess was being cleaned up I went and started breakfast for everyone.

I must say it was pretty good!

Making breakfast for the tribe

 After breakfast we all headed out to the backyard to share with the 9 people waiting there!

Out in the backyard

 Ernesto, Susana & their boys, nephews, cousins etc!

So much fun to have so many people to share a special day with!

Inside & outside total of 18 people at the house!

 Finally in the afternoon, things had settled down some and I was working on pictures etc from Nochebuena. 

I kept hear a faint tapping, but ignored it as it is usually for someone out back.

After a while I realized there was still an occasional tapping.

So went out the side door to see. From the distance I could see through the front gate there was a very pretty young señorita out front. Susana often has people visit so I assumed it was for her, but I called to her in Spanish "who do you want?"

She answered something I didn't really listen to, then all of a sudden it dawned on me she had spoken in ENGLISH. She had said "open the gate, PAPA!"

Our Christmas surprise!

 Sandi had been looking out the window thinking, "that's a pretty girl, I wonder who she is looking for?"

When she heard her reply to me she came running out and I was just standing there speechless, unable to move.

It was our daughter Felicita!

We had absolutely no idea she was coming!

Christmas dinner

What a blessed Christmas it was!

We were so worried about our first Christmas without our own children, and God blessed us beyond our wildest imagination surrounding us with so much love!
We miss tremendously Jacob, Kimberly & Sergey and Maria, but God put so much love in our home it was bearable.

Christmas dinner was so special for me. The Canil kids are just like my own in my heart and to have Felicita arrive was more than I could have asked for..

I began to give thanks to God for the dinner and as I said my heart was filled with joy, I choked up, began to cry and couldn't speak. After a few moments of silence, Elizabeth said "AMÉN"!

It was a wonderful dinner Sandi prepared, and I thank God for a truly wonderful blessed Christmas!

"AMÉN"