Angell Family Christmas Party

I have always really enjoyed spending time with my dad's side of the family.  I have some pretty hilarious aunts, uncles, and cousins.  Our family has really grown and the last few years we have had our family Christmas party at a church instead of a house.  I love it this way because the kids can play and the adults can catch up.  A lot of my cousins I only see once a year at this party.  Anyway we had a lot of fun and Karin and McKall did a great job of planning the party.   

 

My dad had his hip replaced in July and his knee in November, we make fun that he is going to be a bionical man before long.  He is getting around much better now though and it is so nice to see him progressing and not in so much pain all the time. I would never say this to him but I have secretly enjoyed him being layed up just a little, it gives me an excuse to go over and visit and pamper him a little!

Hagen had been whiny and clingy all day long but was in heaven having so much room to run around.  I really wanted him to let me get a picture with him but he was much to busy.

These are the great-grandchildren minus about ten.  It is mind boggling to me that in ten years a family can grow so much. 

My dad and his siblings, my grandma died from cancer when I was five and my grandpa died when I was 20.  Some day I would really like to have everyone in the family write a favorite memory of my grandpa especially, he was one unique speciman!

I made my parents and siblings line up for a picture, they grumpily obliged but we really don't have many family pictures together like this and for sure need to do more.

My mom is pretty darn happy to have Regg back, we all are really!

Hank is always the life of the party and made his grand entrance fashionably late with his hair done like the mayor on "The Grinch". 

Christmas Program

The kids had their Christmas program at the school.  We missed our alarms and got up way late, but Kallie has pretty much rocked the ponytail every other day this year so I thought, "what the heck".  I love to sit way in the back and zoom in and take pictures when the kids don't know it.  (I really need a better camera for this) Kallie seemed to be ready for photos at all times, but I can still laugh at all her friends.  I'm loving Preston biting his nails, it was an intense moment in the program!



I swear that top button was done up on Cole's shirt when he left the house but that kid has a mind of his own! Don't those kids just look like they are having a blast?

The little darlings sang their hearts out and were adorable.  The fifth graders acted out a little program and we were pretty much rolling laughing the whole time.  Seriously adults are so wicked to make kids do what we make them do....

My point is emphasized in the photo below, that poor girl is dressed like Rudolph and those boys are like eleven years old! Wicked I tell ya!

Broc Stoddard as Santa was hilarious and took his part very seriously.  I missed a photo op of my very favorite part which was of a boy in Kallie's class, in doing the actions to the songs he nearly caused bruising to all the children around him.  He was way into it and they were all ducking their heads and backing up to divert the blows.  Weston and I giggled ourselves sick in the back row. 

The video footage will be very entertaining someday that's for sure.  The kids had a great time and did really well.  Grandma loved on Hagen through the whole thing which made my giggle fest all the more enjoyable!

After the show I snuck down to the kids classes to take some pictures of their friends.  Kallie has a great class with tons of girls and she really likes all of them.  Cole however, had already put on his snow clothes and was out to recess before I got to his class.

 

Family

Living within a 35 mile radius I have two brothers, two sisters, six brother-in-laws, four sister-in-laws, four parents, ten neices, thirteen nephews, and four grandparents.  We won't even mention the ample amount of cousins and aunts and uncles that, yes live within that same 35 mile radius.  At times the family drama is more than I can handle and I would LOVE to be judged for the choices that I make and not those of my relatives.  As small town people there are very few if any secrets and sometimes it would be nice to not even have to know or hear about the stupid things that family members have said or done. (I'm not naive enough to think that they don't feel the same about me at times either)

However; the chaos, drama, and irritaion are all worth it to know that my kids have so many people around them that love them.  I know that in any emergency I have a whole network of people to help me.  I always have babysitters and my kids never lack for a friend.  I love all of them and I will be forever grateful for the friends all those kids are to my kids.


We see Chelsey and her kids the most since she comes over to exercise with me every morning.  Tagg and Hagen are really more like brothers than cousins.  They sure know how to get on each other's nerves and they have some wicked brawls, but they really are great friends. 

 

It is a special treat when Kash gets to join the boys for their rowdy play.  These four (Hagen wouldn't sit still long enough for the picture) play so cute together.  There is exactly one year between each starting with Cole as the oldest.  I really am so grateful for each of these sweet kids that we call our family.

 

 

Cole and His Friends

Cole had his friend Hudson over to play after school one day.  They played all sorts of games and spent a big chunk of time making paper weapons.  I was quite impressed with their creativity.  The picture gives it no justice, but there was some serious detail considered on this project. 

Cole is an interesting kid to say the least. He is always creating and inventing new things.  He asked for tape and a stapler for Christmas, the stapler was a no go but Kallie pulled through for him and bought him a bunch of tape. That kid was ecstatic! The other day Cole made a skateboard out of cardboard and used some wooden chopsticks out of a drawer in the kitchen to make an axel for the wheels.  He was pretty disappointed when he realized that he was too heavy for it to actually work, but then he colored it up real nice and gave it to Kallie for her doll.  He took that cardboard skateboard to school for show and tell.  Weston and I were dying and worried that all the kids would make fun of him.  They didn't, in fact he came home more proud of it than when he left.  Now if only I can keep that homemade scarf hidden until he forgets about it.  He wants to give it to the neighbors for their new baby! Cole is such a funny boy!

He's Home!!

After much anticipation, baby brother is back!  I have to admit I was extremely nervous for Regg to get home from his mission.  His letters were never great, and I had a sick feeling that he was going to be; arrogant, bitter, synical, and a whole list of other adjectives when he got home.  I just never got the "warm, fuzzy, I love my mission" feeling from him, and I was worried that he hadn't gained his own testimony but instead spent two years in misery to prove that he wasn't a quitter.  I was very wrong.  I have spent a lot of time with that boy in the last month trying to get him into college and registered for classes.  The depth of his testimony is shocking to me and we have had many conversations about why he never mailed home the "greatness" that he was indeed experiencing.  That boy has a personality all his own, but he is now a changed, grown man and I am proud to say I helped raise him. (Okay so brushing his teeth, combing his hair and doing his homework doesn't exactly give me bragging rights to raising him, but it took a bunch of us working together that's for sure!) I love that kid!

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Weston got tickets to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise.  We used it as an excuse for a little weekend away together.  The kids stayed at Grandma Crapo's and we left late Friday afternoon. We had a nice dinner at Tucano's (not all the rave, but still good).  Saturday we slept in, had a late breakfast, did a little last minute Christmas shopping and then met up with some of our favorite friends; The Blakes.  After lunch we went to the game and had a great time talking, laughing and freezing! Wes LOVES it when I make him let me take pictures of ourselves, but he would be even more embarrassed if I asked someone else to take it.  We drove home late Saturday night, the trip was short  but just what we both needed. We have only had a small handful of weekends like this in the last ten years and we decided that we need to do it more often. Sometimes I forget how much fun that guy can be!

Hagen and Elfie

I got a lovely text from my sister in law at 6:30 in the morning a few weeks before Christmas asking if Cole could go over and play after school.  I shipped the kids off to school and without a shower or exercising I headed to Idaho Falls to finish up my shopping.  It is a rare thing that I get an uninterupted day with the kindergarten schedule so I took full advantage of it.  Hagen and I made a quick trip and crossed everything off our lists.  Hagen was a pretty good shopping partner considering he is an almost two year old boy! While trying to find Cole some new church clothes he decided to try on a few hats and went completely crazy when I made him take them off.  He proceded to throw his whole tube of mini M&M's all over the store.  Shortly after I was giving him a little break from his stroller and letting him walk, he was following behind nicely and then I could hear him saying "uh oh" a bunch of times.  Without looking back I told him to come on, then a nice lady said "um Ma'am, your son's pants fell down." I turned around and said "shoot" and then couldn't help laughing.  Hagen loves to be laughed at and for the rest of the day kept trying to pull his pants down and saying "shoot" excpet it sounded a whole lot more like "shit".  People kept staring, but I thought it was pretty funny!

Our elf is like a boil on my behind! I really don't enjoy him being around much, but Grandma Crapo insists that we need him so alas he stays.  After being reprimanded by our 7 year old about how our elf isn't that fun and creative like some of her friend's elfs, we resorted to pinterest and the final week that that dumb elf was at our house, the kids were very amused by Elfie's tricks! (Yes I realize he also has a very creative name, creativity is NOT my forte)

Hagen thought hiding in the dryer would be a fun trick one morning, actually his brother and sister thought it up, but that kid is quite the follower and will go along with anything those two tell him.

After watching the kids sprinkle Elfie with magic dust (I call it messy dust) a bunch of nights in a row, Hagen decided to sprinkle himself with the whole bottle of dust.  I was hoping he would be shipped off to the north pole for a night, but I think since he never sleeps that was mostly impossible.  I made the little stink clean up his own elf dust mess that time.  (Boil on my butt that elf is I tell ya!)

Pre Christmas Festivities

Gingerbread houses are a must do in our family during the holidays.  The kids love to be creative and they love to do anything to prep for the holidays.  This year we did our gingerbread houses with the Stoddard's and that made it all the more fun.  I forgot my camera so I just had to take a few pics when we got home, but they turned out really good. Hagen was a disaster and climbed all over the table the whole time eating everyone's candy.  Good thing those neighbor kids love that boy so darn much!

 

Aren't my two little reindeer adorable.  Hagen loved these funny little antlers! They had little bells on them and he would run around with those things flopping around jingling. So fun!

 

My Friend is Creed...

This picture that came home in Cole's backpack recently made my heart happy.  Creed is Cole's best cousin and best friend.  I am so grateful that my kids have all of their cousins close by and get to see them so much. 

I love my Kids!

I found these rugrats in the pantry eating peeled apples the other day, it was the cutest thing to see them all sitting on buckets visiting with each other and munching away.  I stood behind the door and listened to them for a few minutes before I opened the door and let some warm air in there because that pantry is about 40 degrees I tell ya!

Uncle Braxton gave Hagen this coon cap before he left for his mission.  Hagen loves that thing and looks so cute in it.  He always wants a hat on when we leave the house, and this is his new preferance.

 

My dad had his knee replaced right before Thanksgiving.  It has been a rough fall for him, but we have enjoyed having him layed up so we can hang out with him a bit.  Cole was able to have him read to him, one of my favorite childhood memories.  My dad would always use funny voices and make up different names for the characters.  Cole was just a giggling and his cute little feet were bouncing up and down with excitement.

Everyone has a little OCD in them...

Kallie had crazy hair day at school, the idea of that gives me anxiety.  For the last two years Kallie's crazy hair has turned out ridiculously cute, this year she requested "crazy" not "cute".  She was very particular about how she wanted it, I was not too excited.  I ended up putting her in a cute outfit,insisting she at least wear a cute headband, and sending her off to school looking completely crazy!

I don't claim to be too picky or OCD about very many things, but hair is definatly one of them.  I am embarrassed to say that all I could think about all day was how terrible Kallie looked for school.  She was thrilled though and I decided that I could let her have her fun.

I was pleasantly surprised when I took Kallie's hair out that night and realized that I had invented a great new hairdo. No Heat Curls!! They were so cute, and looked like that all day the next day!