Christmas 2012, Part 4-- Greenville Photos

Tia Christina, Addie Mae & Nina

E with her favorite gift -- a real live DORA backpack!! That Tia Nicole is so good at getting great gifts. :)

Mid-way through our chuchitos, we headed out back for a family photo session with one of my mom's girlfriends, who happens to also be a photographer.  The results were amazing and can be seen over my parents' mantel.  I snapped a few shots of the action myself, just because everyone was having so much fun...

I. love. this. picture.  If you know my parents, you know this captures them so well.

Mom & Linda

Don't ask, because I have no idea.  "Sisters" about sums it up.

Anna giving us some modeling tips... or something...

Liam sporting one of my favorite of his gifts-- a full-body sweater!

Chillin with the Ads.

Not much more entertaining than watching GB with his grandbabies

Flying the babies!

Eowyn trying to tell GB (who was playing her little boy at the time) it's time for bed.

Nicole cut my hair!

Oh my.

Liam going to sleep on Nina

Eowyn thought her brother looked lonely in the pack n play so she climbed in

Christmas 2012, Part 3-- Ruiz Clan Christmas Dinner (Chuchitos Devoured)

We chowed down on our chuchitos with both my sisters & their families, my grandparents and two of my aunts (Olga & Sylvia) and their families.  My cousin Courtney didn't make it but her brother Justin brought along a pal in her stead, so it was the usual noisy, boisterous, never dull and VERY interesting family dinner!  Did I mention that the food was stupendous?  Salads, salsas, refried black beans, and of course the piece de resistance...chuchitos!!!  We had venison, chicken and vegetarian options.

Boys waiting for instruction

Papirucho (my grandfather) reading our family Christmas newsletter

Dining room table-- including my Aunt Sylvia & Uncle Joe, and grandparents

Yes, my husband being goofy... and check out my parents' amazing NEW dining room!
One of my favorite parts of the do-over is that we enlarged several of my parents' wedding pictures and now they are hanging where everyone can enjoy them.  They look so young!! :)

The Map that threw such a wrench in Nicole's & my plans ...and that has been such a fun conversation piece for my parents

Christmas 2012, Part 2- Greenville SC- Chuchito Making

Guatemalan tradition is to make "chuchitos" (like Mexican tamales) for holidays like Christmas and New Year's.  Chuchitos are cornmeal-filled husks with a kernel of yummy meat & tomato sauce at their center, boiled and served piping hot.  They are a bit work-intensive but not hard... if you know how to do them. Which is the hard part-- they're kind of a lost art!  So my mom had the idea this year to have as many as possible come over and learn from my grandma --known as "Mama Lulu"-- and then enjoy eating the fruits of our labor together as our Christmas feast.

Mom ("Nina" to her grandkids") getting everything ready

Step one:  soaking the corn husks

Mama Lulu washing & soaking

Nicole... being... critical?

Colin & Andrew, supervising with Boy Power

Browning the meat, simmering the sauce, and making the masa (dough)

Tia Anna tending to the adorable nieces & nephew 

Hard to get work done with this much cuteness! 

Mama Lulu & her oldest grandchild (me!)

Simmering one more batch of sauce while 2 batches of chuchitos boil

Explaining how to make strips of corn husk to tie off the chuchitos

Up next-- family photo session and the Meal!!

Christmas 2012 in Canton GA

Liam's First Christmas! (in the outfit I made him from my dad's old sweater)

Liam on Christmas Eve in his new jammies-- made from a flannel receiving blanket

Cousin Time!  Liam & Roo bonding

Best family Christmas pic we got --at Woodstock Baptist Church

Eowyn in her new Christmas Jammies (made from my
grandma's turtleneck)

Cousins.  They are 3 months apart.

Eowyn got a Fisher Price nativity set-- we are growing our basket of special Advent/Christmas toys, and I love it!
(one funny moment was when I heard her making a "whoo-oo-whoo--oo" noise while playing, and her explanation was "Mary's pumping for Baby Jesus.")

Poppy the Bearded One

Christmas Dinner at Grams & Poppy's (Ryan's parents) down in Canton GA

"Poppy", Ryan & Greg (his older brother) making breakfast the morning after Christmas--
one of Ryan's gifts (really a gift to me & the kids too!) was an all-male breakfast-cooking lesson from the experts!

Possibly my very favorite Christmas picture from this year

Liam opening gifts with Daddy

Opening his gift from Mommy & Daddy

Singing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus-- Eowyn helped bake the cake!!  It was a bit crumbly but tasted amazing!  We joked that it was a birthday crumb-pile, lol.