Minnesota/Christmas recap (finally!)

I have my computer back, so I'm back to blogging! Yay! Be prepared for a somewhat long post as I recap our trip to Minnesota for Christmas (now that we've already been back a full week. I guess better late than never.)

My parents live in a log home in the woods. I love going there, as it really feels like we're getting away. It snowed a majority of the time we were there, and I felt like we were in a snow globe. Here are a few pics of their house. They have a sauna in their house (which I love - I grew up taking saunas). I'm pleased as can be that my kids usually pronounce it the right way, with the sau- rhyming with cow.





My parents with the 6 grandchildren from left to right: Connor, Grace, Isabel, Lucas, Ben, Nolan. It's nearly impossible to get a good shot with so many little ones, so I posted a couple. I love that each of my kiddos has a "cousin buddy," a cousin of similar age and gender. Connor and Ben are 8 months apart; Grace and Isabel are 5 days apart; Lucas and Nolan are 6 months apart (Lucas also has Cameron on Brian's side - they are about 6 weeks apart). Quite a cute crew!

Waiting to open presents on Christmas Eve:

And then the frenzy begins. I must disclose that we don't have many great present-opening pics, as my mom sort of started passing out gifts to all the kids at once and it got totally out of control. I could barely keep up. I was doing all I could to keep all things possibly choke hazardous out of Lucas's grabbing hands. At one point Isabel said, "mom, what's this?" and I realize she had opened one of my brother's gifts! We all agree there could have been a better approach, but we were all laughing too hard to do anything about it. Better planning next time, although it was extremely entertaining. :) The kids got a ton of gifts from everyone. Connor's hook and sword have quickly become very beloved possessions.

Blueberries grow wild up north, and my dad has become quite the blueberry picker. Last summer he picked 11 ice cream buckets full, and froze most of it. We ate handfulls of frozen blueberries, blueberries in oatmeal/cereal each morning, and on Christmas morning my dad made blueberry pancakes with blueberry syrup. Completely and totally TO DIE FOR! Yum, yum, yum!
My mom made each kid a fun quiet time bag with lots of fun activities. Connor and Isabel love them - here they are trying them out on Christmas morning.

I grew up in a very very very outdoorsy family. We did it all: snowmobiling, skating, skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, swimming, camping, biking, snowshoeing and more. So we always spend lots of time outside at my parents'. And it was downright tropical for a MN Christmas - it was in the 20s most of the time! My kids learned the true meaning of "bundle up," and loved every minute of it!

One evening Brian and I went on a fantastic walk down a quiet country road.
Connor warming his hands at the fire pit in the backyard.
Connor, Isabel, and cousins Ben and Grace with my BIL Josh on the left and future SIL Alli on the right (Alli and my brother Nate are getting married this summer. Connor and Ben will be ringbearers and Grace and Isabel will be flower girls).
Connor and Isabel loved loved loved riding on the 4-wheeler with grandpa.
The long ride home. I must emphasize how beautifully well my kids do when we travel. They are super troopers! Even Lucas amazed me. The DVD really does make a HUGE difference! For some reason, Isabel likes to put blankets on her head and call herself "blankeyhead." We often thinks she looks like she's Muslim. Lucas seems a bit confused to be watching a movie in the van.



Whew! So many things we didn't even capture with pics. Saw some dear old friends, had fun shopping excursions with my mom and sisters, lots of late-night game playing after the little ones went to bed. All in all we had a terrific time.