A CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE WE ATTENDED

Saturday, December 23rd, we were out to go to the Pastor Swope's home for an Open House gathering of church people last evening. We expected to find traffic to be terrible. However, it was not. We were confronted with firetrucks which appeared to be going to a home about a half block off the main street we were traveling. Hopefully, it was not a fire!!
I did start right in taking pictures when we arrived and enjoyed doing so very much because of the small children of theirs. I will share those with you.

Their oldest two children.
And notice if you can the GREEN out the patio door!!
That green yard is very unusual in Arizona!!
I imagine that they are thankful for it since they herald from Iowa.

The next younger son and a young friend/relative from Iowa.

Pastor David Swope

Aly Swope and the youngest child, visiting with friends
of family from Iowa.

The couple on the right are originally from Akron, Ohio

Pastor's wife, Aly, greeting Pastor Bauder and his wife,
Delores. Tom was our first teacher at this church in 2015.
And Delores has an interest in genealogy research, in
common with Gary.

Little Autumn fell on the patio and was not a happy
little one. But daddy had a good touch and a brother
took a second out of his football to give her a kiss.
Such good little kids!!!

Gary shared one of his stuffed rats with the boys, which they named Willis.  Pastor says that they have had to learn to take turns playing with it. But Autumn has had a tougher time adjusting to that concept!! I am sure as the only girl as well as being the youngest, it will take a little longer to learn.
And the snacks were delicious.
Ben, the young college kids visiting were not aware of Baptist Bible College in Scranton/Wilkes Barre. They go to a Baptist College in Wisconsin and another one in Pensacola, Florida. It was fun talking with them.
On the way back into our park I did take a couple pictures of Nativities that have been put out since we drove through after dark taking all of the pictures on Thanksgiving weekend. We might do that again tonight after the Christmas Eve service at church.  It should be dark by then. It is finally a warmer day here. It's been jacket weather here for a week or more!!
Victor has been texting - - to find my pans, then to find Christmas wrap and scotch tape. And where to take his trash, even though he passes the dumpster each morning when going to work. I'm sure he will figure it all out by time he is ready to buy and move into a place of his own. I think that he was surprised but thankful to sell his house so quickly.  We were glad to be able to help him by offering the condo for the interim. He still has to close on the deal.
We are looking forward to talking with the family tomorrow morning. I know that it is always a busy day for Richard's, especially with Lynn's family also. They are a much larger family in the area than ours.
MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!