Christmas Eve

For Christmas break this year, we went up to NWI from

Friday (23rd) through Tuesday (27th).

Unfortunately we didn't leave on time Friday, due to

an ORDEAL that happened on Thursday night.

I'll spare the details, but it involved meticulous hair combing

and laundry and laundry and laundry!

After arriving just in time Friday night, we all met at the

Sioux Center Pizza Ranch

for supper on Friday night!

Grandma and Grandpa and all 8 of their grandkids!

meeting Dakota Dawn for the first time 

the cousins had fun eating and coloring together 

playing games together 

books with Grandma

(with a towel around Avery :))

This became our nightly (and morning) routine

as we all colored, while Steve and I combed out Avery's hair 

with the lamp on the table :)

On Saturday, Christmas Eve,

Aubrey gave Grandma and Grandpa an ornament she made in school.

Grandma and Aubrey were too embarassed for a picture,

Grandpa thinking it's funny, and Avery eating a pretend donut :)

"I don't care what you look like, I just want pictures of you

to remember these moments before you're dead!"

Grandma and Grandpa started a new tradition this year

to take the big kids to Wal-Mart to pick out a gift and out for lunch!

They had a great time together shopping for their $10 gifts

and eating lunch at Culver's.

Grandma helping Aubrey with her new make-up.

She needed to work on closing just one eye at a time,

Then, in the later afternoon while others had other family Christmases,

our little familyand Grandma went to Orange City to the movie SING!

We had a great time together 

(despite Avery dumping a huge drink of pop all over Steve)

They had these handy little boosters for kids -

a clever idea as Avery usually just slips through those seats.