Crazy Christmas

This year our little family spent Christmas (and a whole week and a half) at my parents house in Idaho. Twenty-five people in one house, that includes four toddlers and four babies! Christmas Eve we all get new PJs and I think this is the only picture with all of us in it. It is always fun to be together with everyone but I will say it was very loud and very crazy. Gordon had a blast with his cousins, aunts, uncles, and of course his Papa and GramGram. Here is a picture of Ellie, Ashlynn, Gordon and Spencer in their new pajamas.

My parents have always had a real tree but last year they got a fake one and my mom swore they would never do a real tree again (we are talking about a 12 - 15 foot tree here that almost fell through the window a few years ago.) Well, Chris gave my mom a hard time about it and threatened he would not come for Christmas unless there was a real tree. So when we showed up and saw this......we were quite surprised. My mom told us she cursed Chris's name everytime she watered the thing. =) We had a lot of fun activities planned: caroling, talent show, candy making contest, cross-country skiing, snowboarding (the last two I did not participate in on account that I am seven months pregnant), playing lots and lots of board games, and making gingerbread houses. Here is a picture of the houses we made. Mine and Katie's is the one in the front; Chris's is the second from the left. It was really fun and we all got into it.

Christmas morning was very chaotic; each individual little family was opening presents at the same time so there was a lot going on at once. I thought having Gordon open his "Cars" bedspread first was a good idea since he couldn't really play with it and wouldn't get distracted. I was wrong--he loved it and wanted to open it and sit and snuggle with it. He was eating some candy (I know, nice breakfast) while we were taking this picture and he was trying to smile. We saved his favorite gift for the end, his prized vacuum. He was so excited it was so funny. I was going to post a video clip of him opening his "ban-yoo" but it won't work. I am not very computer literate.

Gordon really liked to play with all the babies and he was so cute with them; it gives me hope for when our little one arrives. Gordon was reading a book to Fisher and I thought it was so precious.We also spent some time with Chris's family, who live in the same town as my parents. We went sledding, played games, and had a gift exchange. It was all very fun but we were glad to come home in the end. I speak for Chris and I; Gordon has been asking for "Menin (Maren), Bett (Brett), Fishis (Fisher), Ashin (Ashlynn), Papa, GramGram, and Eh-ie (Ellie)" since we left.