Christmas with the Kids......

We met together for our Christmas celebration on Saturday afternoon the weekend before Christmas. I love this tradition because then I get our kids "UNDIVIDED" attention. No rushing off to see other family members. I have them ALL TO MYSELF!!! hehehe.... Am I greedy or what?!?

(I have tried once again to do some collages when I post but the pictures seem so small. If you want to view them larger just click on the picture. Hopefully it works. I am pretty new at this.)

We had a few munchies before the activities began....

The Race for Rudolf.....

We started off the party with a game. I heard about this from my friend, Siri and it sounded like a lot of fun. The object of the game is to be the first team to create Rudolf by blowing up balloons, stuffing them into pantyhose, sticking the antlers on your head and putting on the Rudolf nose. First one done WINS!!!

Tyson and Howie had a great strategy when they began. Ty was amazing to watch as he blew up two balloons at a time. He definitely wins the prize for the most concentrated competitor. He had a steady flow of balloons he was feeding off to Howie. The problem is that they were too big to fit inside the panty hose which slowed them down a bit. They soon learned that smaller worked much better.

Ape and Kylan had an unfair advantage. They had extra helpers on their team. The kids stayed close by ready to step in and help at a moments notice! The kids were jumping up and down cheering them on in the race. It was fun to watch them. It was a tight race right down to the finish!

Ash and Shawn caught on from the very beginning that the smaller you blew up the balloons the easier the job was. They breezed by the other two teams and won the prize!

First Prize Winners..... Rudolf and Santa!

The runner ups in the contest....... Ape and Ky

Howie and Ty

This was a fun game and I enjoyed watching them use their teamwork and problem solving skills to play this. Lots and lots of FUN!

The pantyhose antlers were a hit with the kids. The antlers were much bigger than the grandkids but they each wanted to take turns wearing them around the house.

Hey do I see Dasher and Dancer or is it Prancer and Vixen?

Lyss looks like she is going to fall over backwards with these on!

Human Christmas Trees......

Our next game was decorating Human Christmas Trees. My friend's daughter had done this activity at a party before so I stole her idea. It was a RIOT! We paired up in groups of two and gave everyone crepe paper, ornaments, tinsel, and lights. They chose who would be the tree and the other person had to decorate them. The winner was the first one to actually plug in the lights to their "Tree"

Howie trying to get a head start....

Let the games begin..... April was off to a quick start!

Tyson's strategy was a very neat and tidy approach.

He was definitely going after the best decked tree in the competition. Very neat and precise.! She looked like "ONE SEXY CHRISTMAS TREE" that's for sure!!

Howie and Kylan on the other hand had a few "technical difficulties" which slowed them down just a bit. Howie spun around so fast at one point that I thought he was going to fall over. His crepe paper was struggling to keep up with his amazing speed.

I have a video of these guys but couldn't get it to upload. So I just copied a few of these clips off of it. That is why the quality of the pictures are not the best. Most of them are a little blurry and grainy looking but you can tell how much fun it was.

Karah joined in and decorated herself as well as Lyssi....

Little Luke enjoyed helping Ky decorate Papa Howie. He would take the ornament hangers and put them on the tinsel. It was funny cuz each time Kylan would untangle one from the package to put on the ornament, Luke would take it and run over to Howie. The kids laughed as they watched their moms and dads acting silly.

April was the first one "lit up"

Then it was a mad race for second place.

Howie and Ashlee "waddled" over to the plug to turn on their lights. Ashlee ended up taking second place. Howie and Kylan struggled to get his "Star" stuck to his head and to "turn him on". (Hey if I was his partner he wouldn't have had a problem in that area! ) ha ha ha

Here are three of the most favorite people in my life!

Karah showing off her tree that she created all by herself. She is at the age where she wants to be involved in all of the "grown up" activities. Luckily I had extra supplies so the kids played along as the adult decorated each other.

All lit up and looking festive....

Hey maybe I can get a spot for them next year in the "Festival of Trees" I'd pay a lot for them, wouldn't you????

I honestly did not know if these guys would go along with these silly games BUT.... they did and I think they totally enjoyed themselves. It was fun to see the teamwork and listen to the laughter filling our home. I love making new memories together and this night is one I will not forget.

Boo with her buddy Ky....

It was nice to have Kylan join in with the family for our celebration. He is a wonderful son and we love him so much. He was a great sport too. I was afraid he would think that our family is a bit "whacked" with the strange things we do, but I figured it was about time he found out how true it is. We do go a little crazy sometimes when we get together but we love it!!! The CRAZIER, the BETTER!

Gingerbread Boys.....

We decided to make gingerbread boys and it was tons of fun. The kids seemed to really enjoy themselves as well as the adults. I was surprised how much time and effort the little ones put into this project.

Luke wanted things "just right". He did an amazing job with his yummy cookie. Brayden even joined in with decorating one. Usually he would rather be playing with the toys but he actually came over and made one. Notice he didn't want to put down the train he was playing with though. He is always happy as long as there is a train nearby.

Lyss and Karah getting help from mom and dad.

Hey Shawn I love the glasses. You're stylin'!

Hey Karah.... the frosting is suppose to go on the cookie, I caught you squirting it into your mouth! YUMMMM YUMMMMM!

Even the girls made one for themselves.

Very creative and very cute!



Kylan made one that looked like the Incredible Hulk.

He ran out of green jelly beans though!

We had planned to make homemade pizzas that night but we were beat from all of the things we had done so far. We decided to have pizza delivered and watch movies. The kids decorated the grandkid's christmas tree. (For some reason I have no pictures of this.) I take pictures of everything but I have no idea where these are! oh well....

We usually go on Trax to see the lights at Temple Square as a family but thought we should go to bed early this year because church began the next morning at 9:00 am. Ty had to go to work on Sunday morning so we decided to open the adult gifts and save the grandkids presents for the following day after church.

The kids were excited to give Ky his present. He was nice enough to let them help unwrap it.

He absolutely loves chess.... He got an electronic chess set. Ash and him spent a while that night playing it. I think Steve and I need some lessons from him. I would probably enjoy that game if I actually took the time to learn it.

April and Ash got family gifts this year.

A year membership to the Discovery Zone to take their kids. That place is so much fun for the family. Lots of things for the little ones to do.

April and Shawn gave us a nice plaque that said, "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.... It's about learning to dance in the rain". Which I LOVE TO DO as most of you know. Anytime we have a huge rainstorm you can find me out splashin' in the puddles. :)

Ash and Ty gave us some cute magnets and a plaque with the boys pictures on it which talks about the joy of being grandparents. It truly is a blessing and a joy to be the grandparents to these darling little ones. They are the BEST!!!

We had a giant sleepover and then woke up the following morning and got ready for church. I love spending time with my girls and their family. I especially love going to church all together. It was a nice meeting and as I looked down the bench at each of them I felt so blessed. I have a wonderful family and I love them with all of my heart.

Present time.....

After returning home from church the fun began! The older the grandkids get, the more fun it is to watch their excitement with the Christmas season.

I got the biggest kick out of watching them open up their presents this year. They were so animated and excited with each present they opened.

Lyssi was probably the funniest this year. Each time she opened up a gift she would say, "YEH....YEH.... smiling from ear to ear. Then she would then run over to Papa Howie to show him what new exciting gift she just got.

Several times the kids screamed out "OH, this is just what I wanted" "Can I open it right now" It was so much fun to watch them this year.

Brayden and Luke are so opposite it's funny. Brayden gets so excited and LOUD when he wants something or needs your attention..... where Luke on the other hand is a very MELLOW and QUIET child. It is fun to watch the different personalities and see how each of my grandkids are unique in their own way. I love and adore them all.

My little guys......

At the end of the day when everyone was busy playing and visiting I found Little Lyss upstairs by the front door playing with the things she loves most! SHOES! She was in Heaven when she discovered the shoes all stacked up by the door. The light was off and there she sat all alone playing away. I think when she grows up she will own her own shoe store or manage the nearby Payless! What a funny, funny girl she is!

This has been a nice few days spent with our kids. We feel blessed to have them part of our lives. So happy to hve them sealed to us for eternity! WE LOVE OUR FAMILY SO MUCH!

What a wonderful Christmas 2008!