New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve is always a toss up as to what we'll do. Most often we don't have anything planned and end up going to my parents house. Luckily we aren't the only ones. Jeff and Tiffany are usually there as well. Jenny and Brian on the other hand normally go to a cabin with some friends. It's been a few years since they have spent New Year's Eve at Mom and Dad's. 

Since we're a game crazy people and we were already at Mom and Dad's (since we now lived in the basement) we started our New Year's Eve celebration early. Instead of our go to game on New Year's of Risk, Jeff brought a new game for us to try out, Pandemic. It looked really complicated, but with some instruction, we caught on without a problem. 

Jeff, Ben, and myself were all members of a disease fighting team and we had to keep 4 deadly diseases at bay all while trying to discover a cure for those diseases. We had to work together while traveling the globe, treating the infections, and finding resources for any possible cure. We were each given a specific strength to help in this endeavour. Against the clock we had to do our best to save Humanity. Our first attempt proved futile and we lost, but our second attempt we succeeded. 

When we were done playing, we cleaned it up while Jeff went home to pick up the rest of his family. While he was gone, we helped Mom finish up dinner. We kept it simple this year and just did pizza and snack goodies to share. Once Jeff and Tiffany were back, we all sat down to eat.

After dinner, we cleaned up, and were ready to play the next game. Jeff pulled out Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle. Mom had played with Jeff and Tiffany before and I had played with Taycina, but this would be Ben's first time playing. The description of this game was simple: 

The forces of evil are threatening to overrun Hogwarts castle. In a cooperative deck-building game it's up to four students to ensure the safety of the school by defeating villains and consolidating their defenses. In the game, players take on the roles of a Hogwarts student: Harry, Ron, Hermione, or Neville, each with their own personal deck of cards that's used to acquire resources.

By gaining influence, players add more cards to their decks in the form of iconic characters, spells, and magical items. Other cards allow them to regain health or fight against villains, keeping them from gaining power. The villains set back players with their attacks and Dark Arts. Only by working together will players be able to defeat all of the villains, securing the castle from the forces of evil.

Since there are only 4 players for this game, Jeff and Tiffany played as a team. She was also there to help Ben and I, to answer any questions that we might have had. One by one we were handed our characters and we briefly looked at our skills. Then as the game got started we worked together to tackle the creatures and defeat the Dark Art wizards. We had to work together to defeat the Dark Art Wizards before they were able to summon Voldemort. Ben caught on really quickly and it was all coming back. I was glad Tiffany was there to help. 

The one thing I didn't understand was the different levels, but we started with level one and made our way up through the next levels. We played until we lost, which was at level 4. Then just for fun Jeff wanted to see how hard level 7 was. We didn't last long at all. So we tried it one more time. We got farther than the last time, but we still lost. It was a blast. 

While we were playing our games, the kids were off doing their own thing as well. They played a few simple games that we had downstairs, otherwise they were watching movies in Mom and Dad's front room. Netflix had a countdown to the New Year with different fun shows, so the kids started that half way through the night. It must have been entertaining because we didn't see them the majority of the night unless they were coming in to get a treat. 

When it was time to countdown to midnight, the kids actually had to come in and tell us. We were too into our game to realize that it was almost midnight. When the kids yelled "Happy New Year" we looked at each other, said the same, and went back to our game. When we finished, we cleaned up and went downstairs to put the kids to bed. It was awesome that we didn't have to drive after a late night of playing games.

Christmas outfits

After the fun of getting to open them, it was time to show them off. The kids happily got ready for church in order to show their primary teachers and their friends their new Christmas outfits. I was surprised how quickly they got ready and when it was time to go, they were actually happy to be going. So we all loaded up and headed to church.  

After church they all said how much everyone commented on their outfits and how nice they looked in them. It made their day.

Christmas with Annie

Beth volunteered her house again to hold our Christmas festivities with Annie. She's the only one who had enough room to do so. I'm grateful that she's willing to take on that big responsibility. Plus it saves us from having to find someplace big enough to fit all of us. Deep down I think she really likes it and she'd great at throwing parties. 

When we got there she had everything decorated so cute, like she always does. She had pretty much everything ready to go, all she needed was everyone contributions to dinner. Once everyone was there, dinner was complete and it was time to dish up and dive in. Once everyone was dished up, we all sat down to eat. While doing so we of course visited. However there wasn't a ton of visiting. All the food was so good, our mouths were busy eating.

When we were done eating, we all pitched in to clean up the table and chairs. We left some of the chairs out, but everything we put away. When that was all done, the kids begged to opened presents. We decided to agree to their wishes and pulled out the present that they had for each other. Every year someone gets a sibling because of the odd combination of our kids, but somehow it all seems to work out. 

This year we had Jayse, Cami, and Owen. Jayse of course was easy and we got him some construction trucks, which he immediately opened up and stared playing with. For Cami we got two DC SuperHero Girls, but we didn't get to see how she liked them. She wasn't there, none of her family was. Owen got a Pokemon jacket. He was the reaction I was waiting for. It was weird buying it for him from William, but it was kind of fun at the same time. He was so excited for it. He literally jumped up and down. He couldn't believe it and said that he would wear it every day. That put a smile on my face.

William got three diecast Paw patrol cars and Gabbi got a super cute outfit. They all seemed really happy with what they got, at least with the ones that were there. That is what makes all the craziness of finding the perfect gift that much better. 

Next up Grandma Annie decided to hand out her gifts to the kids. She gave all of the kids a pair of gloves and a snow hat. Along with that they each got a toy as well. The boys got a Hot Wheels truck with a few cars and the girls got LOL Dolls. I wasn't really sure what the LOL Dolls were, but all of them seemed really excited about them. This would be a first for Gabbi.

When the kids were done, Grandma handed out one more surprise, a family gift for everyone. Inside was a game, Jumanji. As soon as I saw it, I crossed my fingers that our kids would keep their mouths shut because we already had it. Unluckily so, they didn't. Grandma just smiled and told them that we could just exchange it for something else. Which we did on the way home. We stopped at Burlington, where Grandma originally picked it up from and the kids picked out Rubiks Race instead.

When that was done, we sent the kids off to play. They boys of course opened their cars and the girls opened their dolls. The seemed to be aving a lot of fun with them, which made it easier for us adults to play our gift exchange game. 

Beth had a dice game all set up for the gifts that we brought. You shake the dice and depending on what the dice landed on determined what action you did. The actions varied form pass to the left, pass to the right, open your gift, etc. As we went along everyone eventually ended up with an opened gift and seemed okay with what they ended up with.

Once our game was over, it was time to clean up. With everyone's help it went rather quickly. Once we were all done, we packed up our things, said goodbyes, and headed home. We had a great afternoon despite not having everyone there, we were missing a fair amount of them. They missed out and we missed them, but we still had a great time.

Christmas morning with Mom and Dad

Christmas morning we met up at Mom and Dad's like we do every year. We planned to have breakfast first and gifts afterwards. Every year Mom and Dad try to put together the entire meal, but as always we insisted. This year Mom said that she would take care of the breakfast casseroles and that we would take care of the rest. Jenny got the waffle mix, Jeff the toppings for the waffles, and we got the milk and juice. With all that it made the perfect breakfast. To make it even better Aunt Cindy surprised us with some fruit kabobs. They looked delicious and it looked like everyone was excited about them.

Once everyone got there, we all pitched in to help set up and put out breakfast. It all came together rather quickly with everyone helping out. When it was ready, we all gathered to say a prayer and then sat down to eat. The kids ate downstairs at our table and all the adults were upstairs at Mom and Dad's table. It wasn't ideal for the space, but it all worked out and we all enjoyed our breakfast. 

When it was done, we again all pitched in to clean everything up and once that was done, we all made our way into the front room. We sat on the couch and on the floor and waited for Mom and Dad to take charge. Instead of handing them out in a specific order, Dad just grabbed one and that's who went first. My kids waited impatiently until it was their turn to open their gift. Once it was they excitedly ripped open the wrapping to see what was inside. They shouldn't be so surprised considering Nana and Papa pretty much get them what they want every year, but somehow it's still a surprise.

When Gabbi opened her gift she excitedly found a fitbit watch. She had wanted one since Ben and I got our watches a month ago and a lot of her friends had them. I told her not to get her hopes up because I wasn't sure how much they were. I told her that Nana and Papa would do their best to get her what she wanted and to her surprise, I guess they did. She pulled it open and instantly put the band on the watch piece and put it on. It wasn't working yet because we had to program it and install the app, but she put it on proudly.

When it was Owen's turn, he knew exactly what he was going to open. He started with one little corner and when he knew for assuity, he ripped that wrapping faster than anyone. He could wait to get the wrapping paper off. He excitedly opened another Lego Jurassic Park set. This time it was a big set, the Carnotaurus, a set that he's been wanting for a while now. Now he just had to wait till the festivities were over. This would be hard for him. 

When it was William's turn he was surprised at how big the box was. He couldn't believe its size. He started to open it not really knowing what it was. Out of all of our kids, he would be the one who probably wouldn't remember what he asked for, which made it more fun to watch. When he finally got through the paper, He was very happy to see the Mama to his baby T-rex robot. It's not what hit really was, but it was what he called it. He wasn't really wrong. The only difference between them was their color.

After all the grandkids were done opening the gifts from Nana and Papa it was time for the cousins to open the gifts they had got for one another. This time the kids opened them from youngest to oldest, which obviously meant that William got to go first. Jeff and Tiffany's kids had William and they got him two Hot Wheels Monster Truck Star Wars cars along with a bag of M & M's. He was so excited to add these to our collection of Monster Truck Star Wars vehicles.

One of Jeff and Tiffany's kids had Owen as well. He was just as excited by what he got as William was with his. He opened a bag of M & M's as well as three packs of Pokemon cards. Each of the pack had 10 cards in them. He ripped them open to see who might be inside. He was rattling off name after name and I had no idea who or what he was talking about, but whatever or whoever they were, he couldn't wait to play a game with them.

When it was Gabbi's turn, her's was from one of Jenny and Brian's kids. She happily opened her gift and within found her newest fetish, a flannel shirt. I'm not sure why she was interested in flannel, but she said that she was going to wear her new outfit tomorrow. I just smiled, she'll obviously follow the fashion trends more than I ever did or do.

After all the cousins were done with their gifts, it was time for the adults to have a turn. Mom and Dad then handed each of us an envelope. Inside was a card with some money in it. They leave it to us to get what we want for Christmas. Every year we tell them that it's too much, but that doesn't seem to sway them.

When we were done, it was Mom and Dad's turn. When we asked Mom and Dad what they wanted they instantly knew the answer, an Instant Pot and a whole bunch of accessories to go with it. One of those accessories was a cookbook. Mom made sure that we knew that it was Dad who really wanted this gift. She also said that this would give him a good reason to take turns making dinner for each other. We all laughed as he looked around, back to Mom, and then agreed.

After all the gift were done and handed out, Cindy asked us to hang back for another minute. She walked to the service porch and when she came back she had a handful of bags. She handed one to Jenny, Jeff, and Myself and inside each bag was a bunch of goodies. Those goodies consisted of mango salsa, chips, and homemade honey butter. Along with the goodies she also included her traditional yearly magazine subscription. Each year she rotates what magazine and even goes as far to make sure they are age appropriate. Our kids obviously have different interests than their older cousins, and she's mindful of that. It's so sweet of her too and the kids love it.

When the adults were done with their bags she again left the room and came back with a box that had nine small bags in it, one for each of the nieces and nephews. Inside the bags the kids found a plethora of little handheld games. Not electric ones, but the ones that make you think. She also made each of them little notebooks with spare scraps of scrapbook paper and a marker. All of them instantly started playing with the little games. Some of them were stumped and they all started helping one another. It was awesome to watch them, old and young working together.

When all was said and done, it was time for some to part. We all helped to clean up all the paper and then those that needed too headed out. We of course didn't have far to go, so our kids ran downstairs to play with their new toys, while Ben and I stayed upstairs to visit with Jeff, Tiffany, Mom, and Dad. As time passed the other had to take off too and we headed downstairs to relax and enjoy the rest of our Christmas Day.

Christmas Morning

After all of the Christmas Eve festivities, it was time to get ready and go to bed. A part of getting ready was leaving out cookies and milk for Santa. I kind of cheated this year, instead of making our own, we gave him some that were given to us. We had plenty and decided to share them with Santa. The kids were okay with that, so so was I. 

Once those were in place, the kids had one last thing to add to the table, notes that they had written to Santa, thanking him for the gifts in advance and for making sure Jingle knew where to find us since we had moved. She (Jingle) didn't stay long this year, but they were happy for the few days that she was with us. After that the kids were finally ready to go to bed.

In the morning the kids ran out excited to see whether or not Santa had taken what they had left for them and of course they did. They were so happy to see that he ate most of the cookies and took the notes with him. After seeing the empty plate, they then ran over to the couch to see what they got from Santa.

Santa pulled everything out from under the Christmas tree along with filling their stocking with all sorts of surprises. The kids happily went to their piles and waited for our instructions.

This year we started with William, our youngest. He first went to his stocking excited to see what Santa had left him. Inside his stocking he found a pair of slippers, a treat, and a tank. He couldn't believe that Santa had heard him and gave him what he wanted, a tank. It wasn't a large tank, but it was a remote control tank and that was even cooler. He couldn't wait to take it out, but we convinced him to wait until we were done with all the gifts. 

He then moved on to the gifts that Ben and I gave him. He started with the smallest box and worked his way up. The smallest box (the wear) held his Christmas outfit, a tie and a sweater. 

The next size up (a read) was a set of Ready to Read learners. The books were all about Thomas the Train. 

The next size up (a want or need) were the toys he had asked for. A Duplo Jurassic Park set and a Tank. We made sure that if Santa didn't get it for him, that we would still get one. He seemed pretty excited about what he got for Christmas, the smiles on his face proved that.

When William was done, it was then Owen's turn. Owen, like William started with his stocking. He also got a treat, a pair of slippers, and along with that the item that he asked for...Godzilla. Well it wasn't exactly what he asked for, but it was close enough. He wanted a large Godzilla toy, but that wouldn't fit in his stocking, so Santa gave him the next best thing, a lot of little Godzilla toys, 10 in all. He was so happy to see those toys. He for some reason loves the Godzilla movies and these toys would help him reenact the stories that he has seen on the screen. 

After looking at each little Godzilla, he finally moved onto the other gifts that Ben and I had given him. He like William started with the smallest one first and made his way to the largest. He too got a sweater and a tie for his outfit and happily pointed out that he and William would match. Sometimes that bugs them, other times they don't care. 

He then moved on to the next gift, Pokemon action figures. It wasn't as cool as his cards, which he outwardly told us, but seemed okay with them. 

Then he opened the big box, a Lego Jurassic park set. He of course was the most excited about this one. He talked about how it would go great with the sets that he got from Nana and Papa for his birthday.

Than last but not least he opened his books. We gave him a few Goosebumps books and the Jr. Novel of Jurassic Park. He seemed really excited about Jurassic Park. I knew he loved the movies, but I had no idea he would be so excited to read the story. Owen has the best expressions on his face with every gift, I would definitely say that we was happy with what he got.

Now it was Gabbi's turn. She waited to patiently and now her patiences paid off. She too started with her stocking. Inside she found a treat and a pair of slippers like the other. She also found a flannel shirt with a pair of earrings. I was surprised that that's what she wanted to ask for, but she did and that's what she got. She was so happy about it too. I was surprised that something so simple brought her such joy.

After she was done with her stocking, she moved onto her gifts from Ben and I. She first opened her books and was really excited to see the remainder of the Ever After High book set. She has books 1 and 2, now she has book 3 and the Once Upon a Time Story Collection. I'm not sure if she ever actually read book 1 and 2, but she said she couldn't wait to read these.

Then she opened one of her toys, a Lego Princess set. She had a few different Princess sets and now she could add this one to it. She was so excited that she finally got Ariel, her favorite Princess.

Then she opened her next toy. She slowly started to open it. When she realized what it was, she frantically ripped off the wrapping. Within the wrapping she found her very own Diamond art kit. The picture was of a Unicorn. She looked at me and said that she couldn't wait to work on it like I had worked on mine. Girl after my own heart.

Then last but not least, she opened her outfit. She had picked out a green dress. It was shiny and soft all at the same time. She loved it and couldn't wait to wear it to church the following Sunday. She like the others seemed to love everything that she got and couldn't wait to use them.

When they were all done, they seemed confused. We asked them what was wrong and they said that there were still gifts under the tree and wanted to know who they were for. We then told them that this year we wanted to get them a Family gift. They weren't sure what that meant, but Ben went on to explain, that we got them a gift that they all had to share. Not sure they liked the idea of sharing, but they went along with it and all at the same time, they opened the family gifts. Inside the wrapping paper they found a big box of Legos, the Play Station game Lego World, and the Play Station game Lego The Incredibles. We love our Lego games. They all said they couldn't wait to play the games and thanked us for this new "family gift".

When all was said and done it was time for Mom and Dad to get their gifts. Well we didn't get to open much. Our gifts to each other this year were our watches, but there was still one more from Owen that needed to be opened up. Ben did the honors and inside the wrapping paper he found a painting that Owen had done in class. It was mistletoes that he made out of his feet. He said it was a lot of fun making them while in class.

After all was said and done, we told the kids it was time to clean up all the paper and mess. After they did, I took one last picture of each of them with all their new treasures. After obliging me of one last photo, they asked if they could go upstairs and tell Nana and Papa what they got for Christmas. I didn't see the harm, they were already awake. I gave them the go ahead and they all ran upstairs. We weren't far behind either.