Holidays are a time for Family

Traci and Co. arrived late last night, so we naturally threw the cousins together and watched them play for most of the day. We miss you too, Lauri. It was another beautiful day, so we hit the Little Valley playground. The crew played for at least two hours at the park and another hour back at our house.

Hello Jack, Hello Jake, shake hands shake hands, shake shake shake.


George and Drew rocked the crazy swing.


And then the middle aged boys - Scotty, Evan, and Seth.


Afternoon Wii break. What a bunch of nerds.


Finally, the occasion we had anticipated. Aunt JoEllen's Gingerbread making contest. She puts in a lot of work to prepare the houses and the icing and then there is candy galore. I'm just glad I didn't have to be the judge, because they were all....definitely covered with candy.




In the end, everyone was a winner, and hyperglycemic, and not going to sleep any time soon. Jack won the Fastest award for finishing his house first. Seth won the Heaviest Gingerbread house (it was more like candy food storage for a month). Drew and Laynee made awesome houses too, but apparently not awesome enough for me to remember what awards they won. It was a nice Christmas Eve's Eve.