Montessori Party - Owen's Eyes

Don't let the title fool you. We haven't moved Owen to a new preschool. This Montessori Party is for MY Montessori friends. The ones we carpooled with 25+ years ago and continue to gather with each Christmas. We call this group our "Christmas Family" as we have really come to feel more like cousins than just friends over the years. The gifts have changed (we now collect games or puzzles to donate), the food and beverage have matured, the circle has widened to welcome spouses and growing families, but the friends remain.

This year, Owen was kind enough to be our photographer:

We were missing a few faces this year. Colin and Erin were home enjoying their 10 day old baby girl, Clare! Tyler, Kristen, and super cute baby William had postponed their holiday visit until January... so they would be sure to meet their new niece... who decided to show up as a quite early (but thankfully healthy) Christmas present. How does Susan look after welcoming TWO grandchildren this year:
It was a treat to welcome Jenna into our group (she and Ryan just got engaged!), hear Tim's stories from a life on the road, and encourage Ashley on her continuing adventures through dental school.
When the presents started flowing, Owen got out from behind the camera. He was especially excited to see Deanna again, as she has visited my parents down in Bend and endured quite a few tea parties over the last couple years.

Though we were short four "kids" but the kids table was still pretty crowded. Next year, we'll need a separate grandkids table to hold Owen, Josh, Clare, and William. This group is Todd, Tim, Ashley, Ryan, Jenna, Scott, Owen, and Myself.See, us Montessori kids know the importance of instilling the love of reading early!
See you next year Christmas Family!