More Fun and Games

For those of us that had to get out and get some fresh air, we took a little walk in the freezing cold weather. 

Deidra taught us how to make candy canes.  Well, as well as you can when you don't have a candy thermometer.

Dalanie sure didn't want to miss out on the pulling fun.  It was under cooked, so it was more forgiving like that.

It is definitely a skill a person has to develop.

There were presents to exchange, notice the puke bowl was never too far away.

The cousins were so excited to share the gift they had carefully selected for one another.

Mom had been busy finishing up a quilt for each family.

Mine already has a home in our bedroom.  She made it to match our current bedspread and it looks great.  As an added bonus, the embroidered squares were ones that my Grandma JoAnn had made.

It seemed as though people were dropping like flies.  During the night you could hear rushed footsteps, flushing toilets, and a working washing machine.  Hudson seemed to have been the first to come down with it.  So all fingers were pointing at the poor kid already laid up with a broken ankle.

The party split when some left to go to the Aggie football game.  For those left behind, we went to the Ogden light parade.  Despite the cold, it was a fun environment full of holiday excitement.

We walked through the freshly lit city center.

There are all sorts of little buildings decorated with holiday flare.  The Grinch was easily a favorite.

We found a fun burger joint to fill our empty tummies and warm our frozen fingers.  

Aunt Deid convinced Dalanie to go to the football game.  She got a picture with Big Blue and an awesome coupon book.

Cool Runnings Thanksgiving

With Hartwells moving not happening until the middle of August, we were out of time for a reunion by the time they got back.  We decided to make our Thanksgiving get the reunion, and I was nominated to be in charge.  We had a Cool Runnings Bobsled theme.  Nik was kind enough to personalize a logo that I liked for the shirt.  I was really happy with the way they turned out.

There was a big snow on our way out of town.  Before we got to Fort Hall there were over 17 slide offs that we counted.  We questioned continuing, but our sources ahead told us to keep coming.  It was a white knuckled drive and took an hour and a half longer than normal.  We pulled into the rented home in Eden past dinner time.  It wouldn't have been as bad, but we were in charge of dinner and people were hungry.  I was past the point of sheer exhaustion and snapped once we were there.

I was determined to not let that define the experience for people and put myself to bed early.

Dad was in charge of coming up with a bobsled for the Turkey Trot/ Bobsled adventure to take place before the feasting.  It was a brisk morning, but everyone got out to participate.

Dad found a wheelchair so Hudson wouldn't have to watch too much from the sidelines.  Brent enjoyed trying to plow people over with it.

It was the bobsled's maiden voyage, so Dad had some kinks to work out.  It was temperamental enough that he took the responsibility of steering the vessel.

Not know exactly what a real bobsled should be like, the kids loved it and were all smiles riding in it.

Some of the fiercest competitors had a snow angel contest.  June won for the least amount of clothing between her backside and the snow.

The Smiths

The Hartwells

Grandma and Grandpa, the original gang

The Hillmans

Things got official when we decorated the sled and the kids each got to add their name to it.

Coloring was the perfect way to keep the kids busy until the food was ready.

There was a bit of delay when all of the potato peeling plugged the disposal and drain.  Never fear- WEPCo to the rescue.  He had plenty of moral support cheering from the ground.

In honor of Senka and his lucky egg, all of the kids got to decorate their own lucky egg.

Mom and Dad were responsible for a devotional and group activity.  We got to construct with spaghetti noodles and marshmallows.  The kids thought crunchy spaghetti was pretty tasty.

We watched Cool Runnings the evening and even had a dance party.  The kids were dancing fools.  The adults even shook it.

Thanksgiving Festivities

While we were in Germany, Richard kept telling us about their family tradition of cider pressing.  Once we got home, his family invited us over to press cider and have donuts.  This kids had the time of their life.  It was a chilly evening outside, but the company and food warmed our souls.

Hudson had volunteered us to smoke their class turkey.  I got up early to put it in the smoker.  The pellets had froze and the auger was stuck.  It wasn't what I wanted to be dealing with on top of jet lag, but Brent came to the rescue.

In the perfect world, the kids would have had all the leaves cleaned up by time we got back from Germany.  But with the excitement of Hudson's broken ankle all the plans were thrown out the window.  A good deal of snow was forecasted so I wanted to get it all cleaned up and set for winter.  It took a lot more time that I had planned, working into the dark and past dinner.  I don't know why it was so important to me but at the time it was.  The kids were pretty good help.  Minus the rake they threw down and I mowed over in the dark.  (That might have had an impact on our productivity, fishing a rake out of the mower deck.)

Each child has taken a popcorn-paper bag turkey to their class feasts in elementary school.  It takes the guess work out of the what to bring question.

Delsie was happy to join in on the festivities.  There was way more food than those kindergartners would dream of eating.

The kids were excited once the bell rang knowing that a weekend full of family awaited them.

Orphaned with a broken bone

Monday night we got a text from Blaine that Hudson had hurt his ankle.  He had slipped on the ice/snow while playing football at recess.  We had made sure to leave insurance and doctor information so they took him down to Katy Searle in Firth.  Sure enough, he had broke it.  They put him in a boot and sent him home to Grandma and Grandpa's.

It was a helpless feeling to be 1/2 a world away without a single thing I could do for him.  I automatically distanced myself from the trauma and went kind of numb.  At one point, Brent said "you act like you don't even care."  That was just my way of coping with the situation.

I was happy to relieve Grandma from her nurse's duties.  I didn't think he would still be in so much pain, but he was!  He missed the whole week of school.  It was difficult to walk with the boot and crutches.  He tried a walker too.  Man was he glad once we he was able to put pressure on his foot and walk with only the boot.

It wasn't ideal, but it gave us all a chance to serve Hudson.  Dalanie would open the doors for him and help carry his backpack.  There were several times I went to have him do something for me, only to realize that he wasn't going to be able to.  It made me realize just how much he does to help me.

The following week, we took him to the orthopedic specialists just to make sure that the break wasn't on or near a growth plate.  It wasn't, so no surgery and 4 more weeks  in the boot.