Christmas 2009!!!!

Ok, I debated breaking this down into several different posts but I think maybe I will just do one really looooong one! The short story is: Slade and Sierra came to spend 15 days with us! We are loving having them here. We'll put them back on a plane tomorrow and then will be counting the days until summer when we beg their mom to let them come hang out with us again!

Two days before Christmas, we loaded all 14 of us in the big ol' white van and headed off to Utah. My siblings, their spouses and kiddos were all going to Grandma and Papa's house and it would be the first time in almost 8 years that we would be together. It was too good of a thing to pass up so we decided to join them!

The roads were perfectly clear and the weather couldn't have been better. We made it down there in 13 hours!

We stayed for 2 days and then loaded everyone up and drove home. We didn't have room for a lot of extra stuff so everyone got one backpack to put their clothes in. We took 2 portable cribs, 3 large Costco bags of food, one cooler and 2 GI-NORMOUS duffel bags with sleeping bags in them. Everyone took their winter coats and gloves. And that's about all the room we had!

Now for some pictures!!!

What on earth are these boys doing???

Oh, of course! Catching birds with a trap! (Don't worry, no birds where harmed in this activity....in fact, I think all the birds left the area when this contraption came into sight!!)

Cookies and cousins!!

Karaoke and cousins!!

I-Pods and cousins!

Celebrating Aunt Kari's birthday on Christmas Eve!

Everyone singing!!

Play-dough in Aunt Kari's kitchen with cousins!!

Hanging out with......cousins!!

Sledding with cousins.....and Papa!!! Not too many injuries but we did end up with a cousin with a cracked rib and two people with bruised tailbones! Ouch!

There goes Papa in the yellow jacket! He had quite the moves!!

Just a bunch of little ants all over that hill!!

Lil'snow bunny Jazz, hanging with her daddy!

The much anticipated gingerbread house decorating contest! Boys vs. Girls....

The girls were having quite a time getting that thing put together.....

They were working very intently.....their honor was at stake here!!!

The boys with their masterpiece!! They were so proud!!! The girl's roof caved in and things just went downhill from there.

Isaiah ready to scrape the windows......from the inside!!! Dude, that is one big glove!!!!

Girl's gone loopy after being in the car for sooooo long!!!!

"Christmas morning" after we got home from our trip! The kids were perfectly content to wait and have Christmas when we got home!

Scott took all the kiddos swimming one afternoon. Sabrina didn't feel like going, so she stayed home with me and we decided to redeem the girl's in their gingerbread house contest! Turned out pretty darn cute huh??

Scott's dad, Tom came and spent 3 days with us after we got home. I'm pretty sure he needed a vacation from his vacation when he got home! These kids wore him out!! We took him to Zoo lights with us, he danced and sang with a bunch of the little ones in the kitchen, he survived dinner time at our house.....he was a real trooper!!! Thanks for coming Papa!!

We decided after we got home that we were going to need some more cookies for our New Year's Eve party.....so the day before New Year's Eve, we had a cookie party! Looks like Levi is ready!!!

Oh, look at that!!! Slade and Tanner are ready!!! Those guys crack me up!!

Ready for cookies!!

Sabrina and.......what is he doing???

Ok, there he is.....Sabrina and her friend, Michael. No really, they are just friends. Honest!

Quite a team!!

Oh Levi, this is for posterity!!!! Just act normal!!! Crazy kid!

Well, there you have it!!! If you made it this far.......I'm impressed!

Hope you all had a Christmas full of memory making experiences!!!!

Happy New Year!!