The eve of eves....

The only event that could trump Christmas would be the wedding of Bethany Seibold, conveniently both of those monumental events were scheduled the same week.  The Seibold fam made a trek to the promised land on Beehive state soil for the holiday cheer and we enjoyed a Christmas even talent show and program that we could hold our heads high about...

Liv's favorite "Tay Tay"

Elliot and Esther led us in "Hooked on a Feeling..." which was synchronized...for about 2.1 minutes.

Kimber introduced us to Iphone idol which gave us some good cheap laughs

 Don't be jealous that you missed the sister in law dance to "All I want For Christmas is You." Mariah Carey would have been proud.

 Dyl did an egg trick....

Ben and Josh dazzled us with their musical talent of "Carry On"...

Tay recited a poem...

Cathy's talent of handing out homeade chocolates topped the charts as an instant crowd pleaser...

Good thing no babes were watching or they would have swooned at Tanner's musical debut...

We weren't worried about Savannah leaving the talent show early since she was in her body cast...

I couldn't be more pleased when Becky won our gift of the shark at the gift exchange. Some things are just meant to be. 

We enjoyed Bruce's cowboy poetry, but Live loved grandpa's playdough talent more.

Bacon at the hannakuh party...

Christmas traditions are always welcome but this year we started something new (so technically it can't be a tradition since it is its premiere showing) by having a Hannakuh party.  I would say the highlights included the homemade (or more accurately, home drilled, menorah by Tay), the personalized goblets from DI, homeade pizzas, bacon wrapped sausages, and the driedel game.

 It was a double celebration considering Cole was also reaching an important milestone...his one month birthday.  I always enjoy a good fun dip cake.  I don't know what those little colored beads are made of in that mix but it's always a delight to digest for me.

Even though eating bacon at a Jewish celebration was probably the opposite of kosher, I would say a good time was had by all. Perhaps a new tradition was born after all...

Pre Christmas festivities...

As cheesy as it sounds, some songs are just true. The lyrics I appreciated in all the full veracity this year were, "There's no place like home for the holidays."  Since G had a crazy work schedule, Liv and I went a week early to soak up some Christmas cheer.  There's something with being family that fills apart of you that nothing else can.  Maybe its because the things that are weird and quirky about you don't seem as weird and quirky since you're surrounded by people with the exact same quirky DNA so it's not weird, it's normal.  Maybe its the fact that I wake up and love having pancakes already made and feeling like I'm a teenager being taken care of instead of the homemaker.  Maybe its the fact that I love staying up even though everyone is too tired to say anything valuable but no one wants to go to sleep because it just feels so happy to be in the same room.  Maybe its all that and a million other things that make home, feel like home even when that includes an emu in the backyard and an alligator in the basement. 

 Liv loves being home because she is a celebrity and has non stop stimulation.  I never knew my brother Jeff was so good at pretending fisher price animals until this Christmas.  That's just one of a gizillion things I don't know about him and love. 

Another thing I love being the fact that he and I went and got facials at the beauty school together and I couldn't stop laughing under my warm towel and face mask thinking about Jeff in the next room.

Liv loved all the attention and soaked it up like a cheap slipper from Walmart on the snowy sidewalk.  It's so fun as a mother to watch people you love, love your right hand woman and constant companion. 

It's so fun to wake up every morning feeling excited about the day ahead because you know no matter what it is going to be memorable.  There's nothing better than family time. Nothing.

Michigan Family Vacation Extravaganza...

In case you haven't been reading any previous posts, let me make it very clear that I love family time. Not like, not tolerate, not appreciate...LOVE. As in, I don't think there is anything better on Earth. Moving to the middle of nowhere (ie West Virginia) I have realized that there is nothing more important (especially when G wears his mother's white visor on the boat at family vacation).  I couldn't have better in laws and I loved every day we had together in northern Michigan.

Seeing as I married into a golf family, I participated in the 18 hole family scramble.  I admit my attitude wasn't the best on the last 9.  Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that I spent a lot of time in the trees and far from that frustrating hole. I just haven't caught the golf vision but maybe someday, until then I will support G in his valiant efforts to become the big dog...

Every couple was in charge of a dinner and activity which made for a wide variety of options each evening after we finally put the offspring to sleep. 

A few activities included family four square tournament:

A poker challenge where Kody took it all:

A "protect your egg being dropped from the top of the stairs with only 20 straws and 10 pieces of tape" game (duh, don't act like you haven't played that):

 An 11 pm capture the flag game on the golf green where our house was located:

 

A girls afternoon in Petoskey including shopping, lunch, gelato and talking (please ignore my hideous bangs in this pic, it was windy, I'm not making excuses, it really was windy):

Boating with Kerry showing all of us up with her tube standing trick of impressiveness and Esther turning out to make all the boys look bad with her surfing and wake boarding skills:

 Family Truth or Dare (my contribution and participation was mandatory):

 And plenty of eating, sitting, Olympic watching, game playing, more eating, and just being together:

(No, we do not encourage kissing cousins; although this is a nice change from Jaxon chest bumping Liv whenever no one was watching...)

Savannah is yet to be thrilled with Liv but it doesn't matter because they are forced playmates for the rest of forever so we'll keep working on that bond at future family events...

The grand magnum opus finale was the blessing of Hudson Alexander the Sunday we left...

I always love the classic bro shot. Who inherits 6 quality brother in laws when they get married? 

Oh, I did and I love it :

 (Liv wasn't being blessed, she just really likes attention while Hudson practiced sucking on a straw:)

I'm telling you, if you don't know these people you are missing out.  I love my family like crazy. It was a needed week of what matters most.

 

While we waited to move in...

We had 12 days before we could actually close and Garrett had to start residency and slept over at a residents home meaning Liv and I were homeless.  Luckily we are now a 58 minute plane ride to Zion so Liv and I stayed at the all inclusive petting zoo/homeade bread/family festivus and enjoyed every minute.

There is nothing I love more on Earth than family time. It was so fun to stare at Em's protruding belly, eat mom's best dinners, sit on the porch swing, and enjoy the visitors center of guests, friends, and families that walk right in without every knocking. I'm definitely not the only person who considers this a home.

Liv was an instant celebrity and fell asleep exhausted every night from so many animals, wagon rides, attention, and action.

The week would not have been complete without a class, "Whack a cracker" competition with the Korean foreign exchange students who were home as well as a new edition of "Toss the Tortilla on the Plate" championship:

If you have not played either of these games, you need to.  Not more than once, but at least that before you die.

Goodbye West Virginia...Forever.

I think de ja vu is so weird. There's de ja vu when you have no idea why you are feeling like you have been somewhere or done something before and then there is logical de ja vu where you know EXACTLY why you feel like you have been somewhere or something before...because you have.  The photo above is one year old. The only difference in the Penske truck we rented in June of this year is that Liv is no longer a noodle neck teradactyl shrieker 2 week old baby and G and I have both gained weight.

  After a week long voyage across the country we finally arrived at our new home in Aurora Colorado:

 After we wasted a good 4 trees signing a thillion papers, 2 dirty diapers and dinner at Panera Bread we were on our way:

G was so excited about owning the home that he was looking at the door instead of the camera.  As soon as we got there we just laid in the backyard grass, OUR grass and felt very mature.  The inside of our house still resembles a giant garage sale with boxes everywhere but we are slowly making progress.  We are ridiculously excited to be in Colorado. We have a guest room and no guests so anyone is welcome. We make good french toast.