gingerbread houses

when all the cousins get together before christmas, it has become a tradition to decorate gingerbread houses. we have learned through the past years that it works best if we divide these cousins up into groups for the festivities. for some reason the 12 year old girls have different decorating ideas than the 6 year old boys:)

i don’t know how i missed getting a final picture of the big girls house, sorry girls.

we are so glad that all of these cousins come to grandma’s house at christmas time so we can make these fun memories.

New Years Eve

We celebrated the new year with a bit of food, some treats, some trips to the doctor and pharmacy, some Minute to Win it games, and a movie. We had Morgan and Rachel organize some games. They had a blast, and it was nice to let them take care of things.

My cousin Jared and his wife Katie joined us for the celebrating. We have really enjoyed having them move so close to us.

Me and Rachel are blowing up balloons, and using the air to knock down a tower of cups.

Meghan and I unloading a box a kleenex. She totally beat me.

Cooper playing in the mess.

Jared and Aaron trying to get a cookie in their mouths without using hands.

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Michelle and Rachel

Mom and Dad stacking apples. Dad kinda won that one.

Morgan and her can of 7-up balanced on the side.

Morgan and Paige trying to shake the ping pong balls out of the empty kleenex bowl taped to their backs. The live video of this is pretty funny.

After Morgan and Paige took a turn with the ping pong balls, we gave Aaron and Shae took a turn. I am going to try to post that on video. It is a must see event:)

Christmas Morning

Christmas Morning in pictures…

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Eve with the Lowry’s

We always spend Christmas Eve with Aaron’s brothers and his parents. This year Aunt Sherry brought Grandpa Lindberg up from Wyoming to spend the evening with us. We always have a nice dinner, a little program, the Right and Left game, a cousin gift exchange, and a white elephant gift exchange. I was terrible taking pictures this year. Almost all of the pictures I have of Christmas I had to steal from my mom and sister. The only picture I actually took on Christmas Eve, was one of my favorites. Carson and Kinlee asJoseph and Mary. They weren’t exactly the most reverent Mary and Joseph we have ever seen. We actually had to try for a very long time to get a decent picture of them. They really thought it was funny to silly faces for all of the photos.

We had a great time. We came home with some LOVELY white elephant gifts…and lots of great memories. We really enjoyed seeing Grandpa Lindberg for the night.

Christmas Part 1

After all the cousins gather at Grandma’s house, we decorate the kid tree in the basement. The cousins have made some ornaments over the years that they like to hang up. We were lucky enough this year to have some Grandpa and a few dads to help out.

A cousin shot, everyone except Cooper and Rainbow Butterfly. (Apparently that is the name Brinley has decided to name her baby sister coming this Spring!)

A Silly shot. We promised them they could act crazy if they gave us one nice shot first. I am loving that the two little boys don’t look all that different in either one.

Cousin Gift Exchange

This little tradition is becoming one of my favorites at Christmas time. My kids loved to go shopping to pick out a present for a cousin. It is nice to see that excitement to find a gift for someone else, rather than themselves. We let them open their cousin gift and pajamas on Christmas Eve. They were so excited to finally open a couple presents.

Meghan and Brinley

Zach and Haylee

Carson and Zach

Haylee

Paige and Brinley

Paige and Isabell

Morgan and Rachel

Isabell and Rachel

Meghan and Paige

Cooper in his Christmas Eve jammies.

Morgan had Coopers name.

I am loving those cute pictures of cousins hugging!