The things we do to keep kids happy.When we got to Idaho we were all happy to see that we would be having a white Christmas. There was a good layer of snow on the ground, and it snowed every day for several days after we arrived. At first, Avary was actually just as interested in eating the snow as she was in playing in it.
After playing outside for awhile, she came in and said she wanted a snack of snow. So Mike filled a bowl with snow and brought it inside for her.
My dad spent a ton of time shoveling snow the whole time we were there. But he did have some help from Avary...oh Mike and Jack helped a little bit too.:)
Mike also dug a tunnel for Avary, which he later turned into a cave.
And the nice smooth snow really needed some snow angel designs.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were great. On Christmas Eve we acted out the Christmas story. Avary was Mary, and her Blue doll was Jesus. Uncle Jack was the donkey, and Avary got to ride on him to Bethlehem. Mike was Joseph, and later a wise man. Grammie was the angel, and Grandpa and Sam were shepherds. I was the narrator. I wish I had some pictures, but my camera batteries were dead. After the kids went to bed, the grown-ups played Monopoly for awhile,and then Josh and Challis came over. Then the grown-up kids (me, Josh, Jack, Challis and Mike) watched "A Muppet Christmas Carol", which is a tradition that my brothers and I have observed since we were kids. Yeah, we could all probably quote the entire movie by now, but hey, it's tradition.
Christmas morning was spent opening presents, eating Mom's Christmas breakfast casserole along with cinnamon rolls, and just hanging out and talking. Later on, Avary helped me make noodles for the chicken noodle soup I made for dinner that night.
That afternoon Mike and I took the kids sledding at Tautphus Park. Avary had a blast. Sam got too cold, so he wasn't a big fan.
Some trees at Tautphus Park
A couple of days before we left we were able to go over and visit with my Grandma for awhile. She spent Christmas out of town with my aunt's family. It was so great to see her and spend some time talking. She's such a wonderful Grandmother and Great-Grandmother! (Thank you Avary, for putting your finger by your nose at just the right moment for that picture :))
On our last day there, we met Grammie, Uncle Jack, Uncle Josh and Challis at Arctic Circle. Grandpa had to work, but we got to see him right before we left town. Arctic Circle has an awesome play area. It was a great place for the kids to burn off some energy before getting in the car for another long drive. Sam's hair was hilarious. He kept climbing up the stairs and going down the slide by himself, and whenever he was in that tunnel slide, his hair was standing straight up. The second he was out from under the tunnel, his hair would just go flat again. It was really funny to watch.
It was wonderful to have the whole family together while we were in Idaho. Josh and Challis were home from Boston, and had to split their time between both sides of the family, but we were able to spend a lot of time with them. Jack was home from college, and it was great to be able to spend so much time with him. Jack, Mike, and I even got a chance to go skiing one afternoon. So thank you Grammie and Grandpa, and everyone for helping to make our trip there so much fun! We love you!
It was great seeing you again. I am sure it was a very sad good-bye! I hope you travel safe. Thank goodness for blogs so we can stay in touch. Take care and very cute pictures!!!
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