Our Wee Elf (and an Anniversary)

On December 20, our troops started trickling in, so that by the evening of the 22nd, there were 15 of us staying here under the roof of Casa Pearl: 11 adults (my husband and myself, our 5 sons, and our 4 daughters-in-law) along with 4 precious grandchildren under the age of 4.  (And let's not forget the 2 big, hairy dogs who stayed in the basement "apartment" with son #4 and his wife.)

Today, 2 of our boys took off for parts south, with 2 of our daughters-in-law...and the youngest of our beloved Christmas houseguests: a jolly wee elf, our almost-3-month-old grandson G-man.  Here he is, all tucked into his car seat and ready to get on the road, posing for one last priceless picture in this killer elf hat.

Can you see now why I've been too distracted to blog?  So much cuteness to soak in, so little time!

Tomorrow, 2 more sons will be taking off, and we'll have a few quality days with just our oldest son and his gang (including twins Bonny Babe and Cutie Pie and their younger sister Little Gal).  With such an "empty" house, I should be able to find a few moments now and then to write, and I intend to catch you up on our holiday doings.

We were inordinately blessed this Christmas, with all of our favorite peeps gathered together to celebrate.  We won't soon forget the week we've just had.  My husband and I didn't need a single gift (although our sweet and generous children insisted on giving them to us); just having them here was the greatest gift we could have ever asked for.

34 years ago today, my husband and I received the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony and started a family, our own little domestic church.  And happily, our pews are filling up.