Our two week round-robin Christmas Celebration with Family #2

Jeff and I left Dec 17th for our round two of our Christmas celebration trip.  We traveled East from Williston, ND to Lakota ND to visit my mother who is now in a beautiful Assisted Living, Prairie Rose Good Samaritan apartment.  We arrived mid afternoon and everything was very beautiful white and frosty.  Not from snow but fog.  There had been many days of heavy fog and this created some beautiful frost art work.    

The unusual frost on mom's bird feeder,this was a 93rd birthday gift in Sep from her granddaughter Melissa Sutton, It is beautiful, reflecting the light and attracting many birds.     

 My mother has a beautiful new tree this year thanks to her granddaughter Angela Steffan. She did a beautiful job of decorating the tree,mom's apartment and the entry into her apartment.  

 

Every morning after breakfast with a cup of hot coffee in hand, Jeff and I  loved  having devotions and prayer with my mom from the portals of prayer. This is a old table that belonged to my grandma and grandpa Hanssen when they were first married.  

In the hall outside mom's apartment. 

Below is the big activity/lunch room at Prairie Rose.  The tree was lovely and we also got to enjoy a well attended piano recital, (beautiful Christmas carols)  while we were visiting my mother. 

While we were there, we had the privilege to attend a advent and also a Sunday morning church service at my home church at  St Andrew Lutheran Church at Niagara ND.  We enjoyed both services and even took part in the Wed advent soup supper.  YUM! The frosty pictures below were taken by the church but i did not get any from inside the church. 

My mother is from a family of 11 children.  There are three children still alive, My mother is now the oldest at 93 and my Uncle Ed (below) is her 87 yr old brother.  We enjoyed a visit from him on Sat. Dec 20th.  Jeff and I also sat next to him at both the church services so we could enjoy his wonderful bass voice. 

My first cousin LeeAnn also came to visit, she lives close by and is a real blessing to my mother. 
   We missed seeing my brothers family this time but hopefully we will catch them on our next visit. 

We enjoyed meeting several of the other residents/friends of my mom from the Prairie Rose apartments.  They are very sweet and help each other if needed. 

 Once again we had a early Christmas with opening gifts.  My mom loved the warmth from the electric throw blanket.  

We pulled out some old wedding gift dessert dishes to serve Bryers vanilla ice cream.

We brought new  pictures to update the pictures of the nine Great Grandchildren.  She loved the pictures from before but they were two years old and you all know how much children change in a year or two.   Soon there may be two more through the adoption process by our youngest daughter Melissa and husband Tim.  What a blessing from God to live long enough to see and get to know 11 great grand children. 

 I will end this post with this beautiful picture showing the Heralding Angel at the top of the tree declaring good news, that our Savior is born.  We look to the day when He will come again and take us all to our home in heaven.   My mom has several nativities on display and you can see one under the tree to remind all of the Christ Child.  In the back ground you can see part of another that is a ceramic Bible with the holy family made for her many years ago by Kathy, her daughter in law.  It is so special depicting John 1 verse 14. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Then just next to it is a small clay nativity that was made by her granddaughter Angel many years ago when she was in grade school and given as a special gift with love to her grandma.