My most wonderful time of the year

The lodge is something we look forward to every year. The cousins actually make plans for it ALL YEAR LONG. Through emails and numerous phone calls, they plan what activities will be done, what movies will be watched, what pranks will be pulled and what special talent will be performed.

The lodge is not just your run-of-the-mill Christmas gathering, it's an EVENT. It ranks right up next to our Disney trip we take each year. It is MY most favorite part of Christmas. I cherish every second, and never want to go to sleep each night because I know it's one day closer to being over.






The way a huge family such as ours can live together for four days, with no one getting tired of each other is amazing to me. Not a lot of families can eat, sleep and play together for that amount of time. But mine can. Because we want to be together. We crave it. It's awesome.

















Some of us got alittle nutty and decided to go running. One of us dressed for the weather...one did not.



Sometimes we forget we are there to celebrate Christmas. What a bonus to get presents!





























Some of us were so exhausted after all the present opening and playing...Micah??? MICAH!!!





Then there was the annual talent show. These cousins worked so hard all year for this special night.








We had a special appearance by Hannah Montana:




Oh wait, and Miley Cyrus showed up too!




There was a ton of outdoor play, consisting of hockey playing, skating, and even winter olympics with medals at the end. (thank you Mariah and McKenna!)

















"The roots of a family begin.....
















.....with the love of two hearts."

It's Christmas!

It's a pretty amazing thing, that for the last 13 years we have been spending Christmas Eve with Mark and Mary. It's so natural...we don't know anything different. I have a feeling that when all our kids are grown and gone, we will still spend Christmas Eve together.

But, before heading out to Portage, we had to lay out our special goodies for Santa.



Then, I had the pleasure of singing with my brother to open the service at church. While we were singing all our girls (Mariah and McKenna too) passed candy canes out to the people in the congregation. After much singing, perfect words from Mark and the lighting of candles, we went back to their home to party. A little hot tubbing, lots of food and fellowship.









(Mickey Mouse hats courtesy of dad...so we can all match at Disney next month...an early Christmas present!)

Then, four excited girls and two just as excited parents, drove back home...tucked the kids in...and waited..... waited for Santa to come.

And he did.

:



Too many gifts to post, but let me tell you this; everyone got exactly what they asked for, and more.

A few favorites;






This was at the end of her string:



Nintendo DS's were not on anyones lists this year, but I think they ended up being the favorites.



And THIS was on the end of HER string!







MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Origin of a pretzel

Three years ago, on a Christmas "eve eve", Chris made my night by saying, "lets make pretzels at your mom and dads house." So we grabbed our homemade dough out of the breadmaker, walked three houses down to my mom and dads and said, "Surprise! We're here to show you how to make the best homemade cinnamon sugar pretzels you will ever eat."

My mom, happy to have her home invaded by grandchildren, immediately prepared her kitchen for something she had never done before. It has now become a fun little tradition, because we have done it every year since.