Christmas 2012

On December 15th, which feels like eons ago, we packed up and headed to the airport for a super long Christmas break. The boys were considerably good on the plane thanks to plenty of stickers, dry erase activities, and a fascinating safety booklet.

We flew right into San Francisco so we could visit some of our bestest besties, Vanessa and Sam. Just look at this picture Vanessa posted on Facebook and you can see why I love her so.

Also, our children are desperately in love...almost to an inappropriate level. I don't know HOW I didn't get any pictures of Josh and Leah (Leash for short), but here's a little series illustrating Jude and Eve's relationship (Jueve). 

Like I said -- slightly inappropriate, no?

Anyway, after a fun night and day with those lovelies, we drove up to Redding to start the Madsen party. On the way up, we stopped to cruise through our old city, Walnut Creek, and show Josh where he was born.

 The very next day in Redding, we woke up to this horrific sight:

Real funny, Weather Man. Why do you think we left Michigan in December?? To find more snow? In California? Really??

So Matt and I ditched our kids for a couple days and flew to Seattle, where he had meetings and I had a major need to recharge. We stayed in Bellevue and spent two days soaking up the frigid cold rain, exploring the fancy mall, eating amazingly delicious and different food, and catching up on sleep. I even swam laps in the pool and finished reading a book in my quiet, comfy hotel room. 

Meanwhile...

Josh and Jude were having the time of their lives with their grandparents, aunt and uncles. Fire, rocks, sunshine, a creek, a tree house, an ATV, and a dog. What more could little boys want?

Oh yeah...their MOM.

Josh really liked his time hanging with the men, while Jude got all the attention he could want from the ladies.

He was on a roller coaster of emotions in Redding. With his parents disappearing for two days, a DOG arriving while they were gone, a different bed to sleep in, and people constantly snatching him from his mom, everything was a little off. But he's so cute...whatcha gonna do.

I think this picture accurately describes the majority of our visit

Yep, that pretty much sums it up. But you know I'll go on, because there a million more pictures to show.

And this video. You will NOT want to miss this video.

We saw our friend Caleb a couple times. Even though Jude was in a nasty mood, he decided to like Caleb right away. He sat perfectly still on his lap for a long time, but kept up his scowl for appearances.

There was a lot of napping, snuggling, crocheting, cooking, games on the phone, and experimentation with the weird physical therapy stuff Melissa brought home.

Jude made a mess with the fridge water about three times a day.

We had lots of visits with Grandma Mae in her apartment across the garage. We helped her set up her Christmas decorations and the boys took full advantage of her candy dish. Just this week she moved to Phoenix to live near her daughter. We're going to miss seeing her when we go home!

On Christmas Eve, I hardly saw my husband at all. He decided to make me a Christmas present in the garage that day, and I wasn't allowed anywhere near his work space. All the big boys decided to start projects too though, so he had good company.

Did you see what he made me? Can you guess what it is?? It's a PUZZLE TABLE. Awesome, right? The legs fold up so I can store it easily, it has a carrying handle, it fits me perfectly, I can cross my legs underneath, someone can work from the other side, and it's finished real nice and smooth. Good work, honey!

Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself...

Christmas Eve dinner was a shepherd's dinner. We didn't get dressed up this time because the boys would not eat with towels on their heads, but the thought was there. We ate what shepherds might eat -- fruit, flat bread, olives, grape juice...shepherd's pie? And pay no attention to the goblets or silverware. We know it was a half-A attempt, but everyone was happy anyway.

The Elves left us Christmas pajamas that night, as always. We didn't match this year, but we had to take some sister pictures anyway.

I am obsessed with Jude's Superman pajamas. The cape is detachable with velcro.

Odd that we didn't keep his cape on for flying lessons.

Christmas day was lots of fun. I don't have any pictures, but here is some video.

We got this AirZooka gun for my dad. It shoots gusts of air at people across the room. Jude liked to stand right in front of the barrel.

The missionaries came over for Christmas afternoon and played some ping pong with us. My dad has this little camera he wears on his head to make himself feel cool. This video is shaky because of that, but I love it.

The last day before we went our separate ways, we took some family pictures.

Then we all went out for Round Table Pizza, basketball at the church, and frozen yogurt. It wouldn't really be Christmas without that magic combination.

And lastly, for your viewing pleasure, the boys pretending to play arcade games at the pizza place. I think you'll enjoy the sound effects.

It was a very merry Christmas indeed. We didn't get the chance to send out cards this year, but we loved getting mail from all of our wonderful family and friends!  We hope your holidays were relaxing, delicious, and free of snow!