Christmas recap

The view across the lake is beautiful this morning.  I am sorry no one is here to experience it with me.  Weather.com described today as "bitter cold" with a high of -5.  It is currently -25.

Our Christmas tree is drying up and the decorations are falling off, so it is time to put it all away.  The tree will soon become firewood (although Brenden wants to keep it for next year).

My mom and dad worked very hard on their house preparing for everyone to visit.  The thing we appreciated most was the transformation of the room previously affectionately referred to as "the bad room."  It became our welcoming Alaskan room, making us feel at home in every way.

Even Ethan had his very own room.

Dec. 19

Brenden and Nolan became Frankenstein for a few days.  Nolan's Frankenstein looks more like a kangaroo, but it is so cute.  I love the way he says "brankentine."

Frankenstein CANNOT smile...

and walks without bending his arms or legs.

This is one of my very favorite things my dad did when we were little.  My dad can make amazing creations with pancake batter.

Going out to play.

Playing in the snow.

Brenden has always loved the Lego train and animals.

Dec. 21

Ethan was so excited his cousin's were coming!

Brenden really enjoyed the comics.

Rusty enjoys making it difficult for anyone to read the paper.

Kazoos (aka. spools of thread)

Making gingerbread houses

Paulette and Dylan were very precise.

I had a few too many helpers, but we had fun!

Our house

Paulette and Dylan's house

That night the boys had a movie and slumber party.

Dec. 22

We were surprised how the boys automatically categorized themselves by age.

Dec. 24 

Family chaos, I mean dinner

Brenden liked his new Superman pajamas.

The caped crusaders (who then spent the next hour "flying" and jumping off of things while beating up on other children).

Jared became the center of attention.

Can you tell who won?

Dylan after wrestling

Kolton

Santa came and went very quietly.

Dec. 25

Somehow Santa knew Brenden wants to be a rockstar when he grows up.  He says he has to be something "cool" and he would even settle for a monster truck driver.  He used to want to be an astronaut, but evidently that isn't cool enough anymore.

Brenden walked right past Doug, so I turned him around and he gave Doug a hug like he had been there the entire last week.  Nolan looked past Doug, but once he saw Doug he was very excited.  Ethan is a daddy's boy and wouldn't leave Doug's lap.  This morning Ethan guarded the door so Doug couldn't leave for work.  He is smitten.

Batman and Superman like toys too.

Santa even replied to the boys' notes - and he ate ALL the cookies!

Nolan had to take a break and eat a snack at Halle's new kitchen's bar.

Overwhelming, isn't it?

The boys enjoyed Halle's kitchen too.

This is Halle in intense play mode.  She continually warmed her new baby doll's bottle in the microwave.

Nolan is truly convinced he IS batman and most days won't answer to anything else.

But he sure makes a cute batman, doesn't he?

Even Kolton enjoyed Christmas morning.

Paulette made these cute matching pajamas for her boys - I am SO impressed!

Batman and Hayden shared their Christmas candy.

In the afternoon, we went to Doug's sister Sabrina's house for the Boehme festivities.  Yes, the crusaders are still caped.

El Guapo (aka. Uncle Greg) and Batman

The Pearson Family

(Lincoln, Alex, Olivia, and Felicia)

Dec. 26- Dustin and Paulette gave us our Christmas present and took us and Emily and Jared out to dinner.  Since Emily chose not to share this story on her blog, I insist on sharing it here: We were debating where to go for dinner.  Dustin and Paulette seemed to be geared up for mexican and it sounded great to me too.  Emily immediately vetoed mexican food, so we eventually ended up at Applebee's where Emily announces she is ordering fajitas.  Does anyone else see a problem with that?  We sat around the table talking until Dustin, the party pooper, decided we better go rescue grandma and grandpa from the 7 grandchildren.  We played the Kline's new Wii until all hours of the morning.  For people I never thought I'd like, I sure have fun with my siblings (and their spouses).

Dec. 27

Hayden and Nolan found plenty of trouble.

Doug and I went out in search of luggage and were called back for family pictures.

My kids are the only ones who wouldn't cooperate for the picture.

Mauled by the grandchildren...

Hurtado Family

(Jared, Halle, and Emily)

Kline Family

(Hayden, Dustin, Paulette, Kolton, and Dylan)

Boehme Family

(Doug, Ethan, Brenden, Erin and Nolan)

Dec. 28- We met up with our best friends from pharmacy school in Salt Lake.  We have sure missed them!  Then we went to Sabrina's house again for her birthday celebration.

Dec. 29

Nothin' better than laying around eating candy.

(Hayden and Nolan)

While the Klines went to SLC to meet my cousin Damon's new baby, Doug and I took our boys to "Old McDonald's" as Brenden calls it - a rare treat for our kids.  There I met up with my friends from my masters program.  They sometimes feel like invisible friends who know more about me than most anyone else.  I spent a whole year and half online chatting with them.

Dec. 30

Dylan and Brenden

The boys loved Mariokart and got pretty good at it too.

The Kline's Wii was well broken in by the time they left!

Kolton

And then we returned home to a cold house and a car that won't start.

Last Sunday Brenden and I went to church (Doug stayed home with the other 2 who were sick) and were surprised to find we were only having sacrament meeting.  It was so cold that they canceled the rest of the meetings!  (Cars freeze when left for too long - mine has only started once since we got home.)

Today was back to our real life again.  I was up at 5:30 and the mad rush began.  Ethan is a very needy sick child and unhappy with everything.  Nolan has been relaxing in front of Duck Tales for most of the morning (I SO want to swim through money someday).  

I guess the Christmas decorations aren't going to box themselves - I keep waiting and hoping.  It is such a beautiful day, all I want to do is sit and stare out my window and be a blob, but alas, that is not the life of a mother.