Christmas time is here.....and gone.

WARNING!!! This may be the longest post to date!

Grab a cup of hot cocoa (or wine), a blanket to snuggle and enjoy :)

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of frantic last minute shopping, packing, unpacking, packing, unpacking....oh and packing and unpacking. It is always sooo worth it, just a lot of work!

We were lucky to have my mom, step dad Les and my older brother Troy here with us on Christmas Eve.  After a wonderful dinner, opening gifts, sprinkling reindeer food in the driveway (they wouldn't be able to find us if we didn't), leaving cookies and milk and a fruit cup for Santa, we tucked three very excited and extremely tired kids into bed.
Raegan was up at 4:30am ready to go...trying to convince us it was time to get up and wanting to just "peek" under the tree.  We managed to convince her to snuggle with us and luckily she went back to sleep.  I'm sure the days of her coming in our room and asking to go downstairs are soon to come to a screeching halt.  Back in the day my brother's and I would wake each other up way before any person in there right mind would get up, take flashlights and tippy toe to check out the Christmas tree.  Then we would head back to bed and wait for mom and dad to wake us up (pretending to be surprised!)  Sorry mom and dad!  Ahhhh....memories.

Christmas Day was spent lounging in our jammies playing with all the new toys. It meant so much to have Ahma and Ahpa here Christmas Eve and morning to take part in old and new family traditions.

Christmas Eve Pictures
                Raegan in her apron from Ahma & Ahpa
     Walker and his new leapster
           Beckett and his tricycle

Alex and Beckett Singing Christmas Eve

             Christmas morning!

I spent the later part of the Christmas day packing up all of us for a week up north. Our goal or should I say my goal was to leave by 10am the next morning. By 2pm we were on the road with everything but the kitchen sink! The first few days were spent at Auntie Jo's and Uncle Ricks. The Jokela's and Dave's dad and Joyce were there to enjoy all the chaos that three little ones create. We built a gingerbread house, sang Christmas carols (Jo on piano, Rick on bass and Alex playing guitar), we convinced Alex to sing a few solo, broke a few laws sledding down the middle of an icy dirt road, went to the animal humane society to drop off donations and "help" with the kitties, played countless games...some of which seemed more like torture but the kids couldn't get enough (see pics below). Oh....and we ate and ate and ate some more. There is no such thing as less is more at the Ziemann's when it comes to food! I even missed out on the annual lefse making this year! (Good thing I'm getting my own grill so this DOESN"T happen again) So many wonderful memories made.

Christmas at the Ziemanns

Singing Christmas Carols

You can pause the blogs music at the bottom of the page


Building (and eating) the gingerbread house
with cousin Sibee



The masterpiece



Animal Shelter






"Clothes Pin Game" Made up by the aunties..."let's see if this hurts?"

"See it doesn't hurt!"




Daddy and Beckett

Walker


Auntie Jamie & Rae Shae



Not only did we tell the kids to go play in the road....we joined them!

Only up north!

The gift that somehow finds it way to Alex EVERY year!(He's gotten these every year since he was 5)


We packed up and headed to my Mom and Les's for a quick overnight. We had a nice supper played mexican train (dominos) and called it a night. The next morning we had every intention of going into town with the kids and doing some shopping but when my mom offered to keep the kids Dave and I ran to the local sporting goods store to look for some winter gear for me. It was nice to do a little shopping by ourselves. Thanks Mom! It was a short but sweet visit. We got to relax and unwind a bit, I jumped on the elliptical a few times to try to undo the prior few days and the kids managed to tear up Ahma and Ahpa's in the short time we were there. 

Our final stop was at my Dad and Barb's. We continued eating until we were miserable, opened gifts, played on the snowmobiles, had a turkey dinner with my grandma, met my cousin and her husband and kids at my grandma and grandpa's, went out to pizza with them, played countless games of phase 10 and dominos, hit the local Target for some after Christmas deals and just hung out. There may have been a few margaritas involved  also. Oh yeah and Beckett also flooded grandmas kitchen (see video)

Loving on Grandpa

He refused to take the helmet off!
Splish Splash!

Raegan playing Santa...Beckett refused to sit on her lap!

Crafting 

 

Our yearly after Christmas trip up north is always jam packed with laughter, fun and food. It is nice not to be on the run all the time and keeping up the house. Errands, groceries, preschool, work and all that grown up stuff.  Despite the packing... I can't wait to make more memories next year!