The Samford Clan *finally* took a break from all the day-to-day doldrums and had an event worthy of having people over! Our cousins drove in from as far as Las Vegas, Nevada (you know people *live* there, right?)
Lisa and our Mom drove all day and into the night, arriving right about bedtime. Everyone was so excited to see each other. Dakota is SO TALL now. Well, everyone is taller (with the exception of me and my mom!) Hunter has beautiful dimples. Jericho is becoming a sassy pants and Libby is just tender. Love them ALL! I pulled out every blanket I own from every nook and cranny I keep them in so none of them would freeze to death while adjusting to the arctic tundra that was our part of the world the week they came.
Thursday was a bust. I had to work all day so Lisa took her kids to see more cousins up north and Mom visited with Marjorie.
Friday, we decided to hit the slopes! Well, not exactly *the* slopes. But, our front yard sits at a minimum of a 15' angle and then, there's the Grandview Park hill. I'm guestimating a good 80' on that one. Seriously, it's almost straight down. IN ICE. I bought a "snow board" from a local secondhand store for $2.50 and a few of us tried it on the short hill first. Daelynn got the hang of it so well, she made the big hill. Hunter decided if Daelynn could do it, so could he and nearly broke a rib! The speed was amazing. The ice? Completely unforgiving. The kids all went down and climbed up a million times -- their faces lit up with the thrill of it. Until Dakota was so cold, she couldn't stand it anymore. She begged to sit in the car just before Hunter biffed it on his ribcage and we decided it was the perfect time for ice cream.
Yes. I said ice cream.
Did you know Lisa has a thing for Jake's Over the Top? Did you know that we have one not 5 minutes from our house? Did you know that until Bethany was hired there last month Lisa had NO CLUE we had a Jake's so close? All of this time, she could've been visiting us *just* to get an ice cream fix. (Seriously, we went four times in 2 days AND she figured out that Bethany gets a friends & family discount.)
Where was I? Oh, yes, dipped cones.
Lisa ordered while I iced up Hunter's chest and tried to assess the damage through the tears. She had them put all of the cones upside down in a cup and ordered French fries to "warm the kids up". Samuel was so sad he couldn't get his out of the cup, we decided to order another one (which was good because I hadn't made the original tally).
Lunch was lame. (Ramen noodles & chili dogs) Then, more cousins came! John and Quinn brought their boys to see us. There was more playtime and, even a gift exchange. I decided my house is not actually big enough for everyone. It's the first Christmas we've shared with so many cousins since...well, shoot...I don't even remember because it's been so long. Aunt Pollyanna couldn't make it, but she still remembered everyone and Uncle John undressed in front of everyone to try on the hand-me-over clothes from Toyota Bountiful that James couldn't fit (shorts and a t-shirt just in time for his next on-site filming in Puerto Vallarta).
But dinner was delicious! (Beef stroganoff with real mushrooms. Hunter was SO excited for mushrooms.) There were card games and games of Sorry. There were movies to watch ("Despicable Me 2" and "Ang: the Avatar"). Lisa and I talked and talked and talked. (Working full-time does NOT allow me to visit with my family enough).
In the morning, we prepared everyone for Gabriella's baptism. She looked lovely, but was so nervous.
We went home afterward for pumpkin pie and learned I need more sleep before baking. I forgot to add the SUGAR. All four pies (two regular, two GF) were unsweetened. Is there a diabetic in the room?! The flavor was, surprisingly, not awful. It just wasn't *good* either. Thankfully, Lisa picked up whipped cream at the store the night before.
John and Quinn joined us again for our Saturday fun. Good thing too. Chrissee went out after pie to buy books for the semester and some other errands. She had Dakota and Bethany with her and they had drained the battery playing the radio while she did a "quick" errand at one store. Quinn was the only one who answered his phone when they called for a rescue! He & John drove to her with jumper cables. When they got back, we at chicken enchiladas and jalapeno cream cheese bread. Deliciousness! Except, Jericho didn't think so and wouldn't eat his required bites. Good thing we have uncles.
Later, we all took to the front yard for sledding and "snow"ball fights (let's be honest, we were trying NOT to throw ICE at each other because the snow was so old by then). It was truly the best day ever of 2014. Everyone tried the snowboard and figured out how to balance on it. I'm pretty sure our frontyard antics entertained the entire neighborhood. (They didn't come out of their houses, but we were so loud, I'm sure they checked us out and chuckled once or twice!) We were sad to see John and Quinn go, but happy they'd stayed so long (a couple of hours beyond their plan).
That evening, Bethany and Dakota joined the Burch Creek YW group at the Bountiful temple for proxy baptisms. (I hear that Dakota can tell stories from here to there and back again without taking a breath and that every one of them begins with... "Ready?"...) Hunter, Gabrie, and Samuel made themselves busy with games while Lisa and I took Jericho and Libby to the mall for suspenders. Miss Libby is ADORABLE and it made Aunt Becca sad that she heard so many times in two days, "Pull up your pants, Libby. Your crack is showin'." I asked Lisa about belts and since they'd tried everything else, I suggested suspenders. Libby chose the black and white skeleton ones. She looked *so happy* that her pants were in the right place when we walked out of that mall, she made my heart sing.
Since we were already in the car, we stopped at Jake's again. Since it was Saturday night, Sunday is the Sabbath, AND Lisa was leaving for Las Vegas the next day, Lisa bought TWO flavors of "Mini" (oreo mint and cheesecake cashew). I really didn't know that Lisa loved Jake's *so* much!
Back at the house, we braided hair and listed to Grandmere (our mom) play a logo guessing game with Chrissee and Dakota. The cousins all played so well together the whole time. The older ones and the younger ones -- age didn't really matter. Neither did personal space. Or the general lack of a good night sleep. And I love that.
Lisa and our Mom drove all day and into the night, arriving right about bedtime. Everyone was so excited to see each other. Dakota is SO TALL now. Well, everyone is taller (with the exception of me and my mom!) Hunter has beautiful dimples. Jericho is becoming a sassy pants and Libby is just tender. Love them ALL! I pulled out every blanket I own from every nook and cranny I keep them in so none of them would freeze to death while adjusting to the arctic tundra that was our part of the world the week they came.
Thursday was a bust. I had to work all day so Lisa took her kids to see more cousins up north and Mom visited with Marjorie.
Friday, we decided to hit the slopes! Well, not exactly *the* slopes. But, our front yard sits at a minimum of a 15' angle and then, there's the Grandview Park hill. I'm guestimating a good 80' on that one. Seriously, it's almost straight down. IN ICE. I bought a "snow board" from a local secondhand store for $2.50 and a few of us tried it on the short hill first. Daelynn got the hang of it so well, she made the big hill. Hunter decided if Daelynn could do it, so could he and nearly broke a rib! The speed was amazing. The ice? Completely unforgiving. The kids all went down and climbed up a million times -- their faces lit up with the thrill of it. Until Dakota was so cold, she couldn't stand it anymore. She begged to sit in the car just before Hunter biffed it on his ribcage and we decided it was the perfect time for ice cream.
Yes. I said ice cream.
Did you know Lisa has a thing for Jake's Over the Top? Did you know that we have one not 5 minutes from our house? Did you know that until Bethany was hired there last month Lisa had NO CLUE we had a Jake's so close? All of this time, she could've been visiting us *just* to get an ice cream fix. (Seriously, we went four times in 2 days AND she figured out that Bethany gets a friends & family discount.)
Where was I? Oh, yes, dipped cones.
Lisa ordered while I iced up Hunter's chest and tried to assess the damage through the tears. She had them put all of the cones upside down in a cup and ordered French fries to "warm the kids up". Samuel was so sad he couldn't get his out of the cup, we decided to order another one (which was good because I hadn't made the original tally).
Lunch was lame. (Ramen noodles & chili dogs) Then, more cousins came! John and Quinn brought their boys to see us. There was more playtime and, even a gift exchange. I decided my house is not actually big enough for everyone. It's the first Christmas we've shared with so many cousins since...well, shoot...I don't even remember because it's been so long. Aunt Pollyanna couldn't make it, but she still remembered everyone and Uncle John undressed in front of everyone to try on the hand-me-over clothes from Toyota Bountiful that James couldn't fit (shorts and a t-shirt just in time for his next on-site filming in Puerto Vallarta).
But dinner was delicious! (Beef stroganoff with real mushrooms. Hunter was SO excited for mushrooms.) There were card games and games of Sorry. There were movies to watch ("Despicable Me 2" and "Ang: the Avatar"). Lisa and I talked and talked and talked. (Working full-time does NOT allow me to visit with my family enough).
In the morning, we prepared everyone for Gabriella's baptism. She looked lovely, but was so nervous.
We went home afterward for pumpkin pie and learned I need more sleep before baking. I forgot to add the SUGAR. All four pies (two regular, two GF) were unsweetened. Is there a diabetic in the room?! The flavor was, surprisingly, not awful. It just wasn't *good* either. Thankfully, Lisa picked up whipped cream at the store the night before.
John and Quinn joined us again for our Saturday fun. Good thing too. Chrissee went out after pie to buy books for the semester and some other errands. She had Dakota and Bethany with her and they had drained the battery playing the radio while she did a "quick" errand at one store. Quinn was the only one who answered his phone when they called for a rescue! He & John drove to her with jumper cables. When they got back, we at chicken enchiladas and jalapeno cream cheese bread. Deliciousness! Except, Jericho didn't think so and wouldn't eat his required bites. Good thing we have uncles.
Later, we all took to the front yard for sledding and "snow"ball fights (let's be honest, we were trying NOT to throw ICE at each other because the snow was so old by then). It was truly the best day ever of 2014. Everyone tried the snowboard and figured out how to balance on it. I'm pretty sure our frontyard antics entertained the entire neighborhood. (They didn't come out of their houses, but we were so loud, I'm sure they checked us out and chuckled once or twice!) We were sad to see John and Quinn go, but happy they'd stayed so long (a couple of hours beyond their plan).
That evening, Bethany and Dakota joined the Burch Creek YW group at the Bountiful temple for proxy baptisms. (I hear that Dakota can tell stories from here to there and back again without taking a breath and that every one of them begins with... "Ready?"...) Hunter, Gabrie, and Samuel made themselves busy with games while Lisa and I took Jericho and Libby to the mall for suspenders. Miss Libby is ADORABLE and it made Aunt Becca sad that she heard so many times in two days, "Pull up your pants, Libby. Your crack is showin'." I asked Lisa about belts and since they'd tried everything else, I suggested suspenders. Libby chose the black and white skeleton ones. She looked *so happy* that her pants were in the right place when we walked out of that mall, she made my heart sing.
Since we were already in the car, we stopped at Jake's again. Since it was Saturday night, Sunday is the Sabbath, AND Lisa was leaving for Las Vegas the next day, Lisa bought TWO flavors of "Mini" (oreo mint and cheesecake cashew). I really didn't know that Lisa loved Jake's *so* much!
Back at the house, we braided hair and listed to Grandmere (our mom) play a logo guessing game with Chrissee and Dakota. The cousins all played so well together the whole time. The older ones and the younger ones -- age didn't really matter. Neither did personal space. Or the general lack of a good night sleep. And I love that.
I love family visits like this. Absolutely the best! Sounds like y'all had a grand time.
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