Merry Christmas 2013!

christmas morning came about 6:30.  not too shabby.  there was a red ryder bb gun for bentley.  iron man and batman decor for bridon, as well as legos.  and a fun crib that ben and i painted and made new bedding for the girls.  emerson got her beloved 'running shoes' and ellee finally got a new bottle and some boots that fit!!! there were new clothes from g&g and a fairy costume and books.  g&g mcintyre had given us the 12 days of christmas...the picture below is the only present ellee was interested in opening...a super soft and comfy throw from them!

after we cleaned up and did chores, ate, and got dressed...we were off to skype with aunt natalie at the shop.  that was awesome!  she was nice and toasty in her neck of the woods.  we miss her but know that she is right where she should be. gma had had knee surgery a few days before, so we brought lunch.  ben grilled ribs on our traegger.  as you can see they were a hit!  emerson loved them!!  we opened gifts, visited, and played a game, hung up the new flag that we gave them and then headed off.  the cows needed to be moved...by the time we got there, emerson and bridon were totally passed out, so bentley and ben went to work and ellee and i took a look at the cows.  she is quite mesmerized watching animals, so she enjoyed it until she wanted to get down in the cold snow and right by the hot fence. that nite we worked on legos and played some games together, had leftover fondue and called it a day.

we celebrated once more for a bit with the mcintyre crew and met jessica's fiance, ken!  then we headed down for the wells-moncur holiday party.  christmas around the world!  there was various food and lots of fun activities for all.  the hit was the pinata full of coins and candy.  watch your head!!check out the video of bentley with grandma trying to reign him in!  we played spoons where alison came out the champion and exchanged some gifts.  the cute little snowman was one that we made into playdough.  a fun activity for the kids on a cold afternoon the following week.  we had lots of fun on our visit!  exchanging presents, bowling, movie, eating out for lunch, lots of playing, church together and meals.  bedtime is cramped but fun...for the kids:).  before we left we watched the presentation of the berlin 'candy bomber' who is still alive by the mormon tab choir.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUh8OP5FTvw  and mom read the kids the book. this does not show the story.  it is well worth reading or paying to watch, the true spirit of christmas.  the reason we are here all year long, to build one another up and see past the negatives. we are so blessed to have such wonderful families to spend this special time of year with.