The company Brennan works for shuts down between Christmas and New Years. It is nice to get that time off without using vacation but Iowa winter doesn't really lend itself to having a grand old time. This year Mara and Ben and co. made the drive up from Texas to spend a few days which was great! It was still winter in Iowa but at least we had company!
We made lots of treats, like more rice krispie peanut butter balls. And played lots of games, old and new.
Emry got chubbier.
Declan touched Emry's cheeks a lot.
Sleepovers in Grandma and Papa's room. Maybe one day they will learn to actually go to sleep when they are in the same room, but that day didn't happen on this trip. :) I have to constantly remind myself that they are making valuable memories with their cousins and it's worth my having to deal with grumpy and emotional kids.
We played basketball and spike ball at the church. Brennan made this fort for the kids right before we left. They were disappointed they didn't get to play in it more. We left it up, thinking we would come back but we never did make it back.
Watching an afternoon movie. Declan is
extremely outnumbered in this group.
Cousins in curlers!
Kickball at the old middle school gym. We tried to do boys vs. girls with the kids split evenly between us, but the women ended up with
all the kids (surprise, surprise) and we never ended up keeping score, that I know of.
It was a fun game and we got to visit Kelbie at the chocolate shop right down the hall.
Lucy loved holding Emry even though Emry wasn't often cooperative.
Tag at Papa's work is the
perfect winter activity. No better way to burn off that extra energy.
Oh, Emry. You are a bright spot in this dreary winter, that is for sure.
We got to have the Gardners stay with us on their last night. It was short but a lot of fun.
The day they left was New Year's Eve. It was the most anticlimactic New Year's Eve of my life. We were all tired out from the week and we just hung out at home, played some games and built with legos with the kids. Kind of lame I guess, but just what we needed.
It was fun to see Kelbie after her first semester of college. Somehow I didn't get any pictures of her! But she brought the kids these BYU sweatshirts and they love them.
And just like that it was 2017. And now it's almost February. Time marches on.
I too have to remind myself that the kids are making good memories with their grandparents and cousins when we are on day 3 or 4 of serious sleep deprivation. They'll make up for it eventually, right?! It is hard though. I feel ya. And I'm totally making those peanut butter ball things for family night tomorrow. Thanks Rachel. 😀
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