Minne-SNOW-ta

 Here's an update from our Christmas vacation.

Before we got started on our trip though - we celebrated Evan's birthday! (Shout out to Shirley and a happy birthday to her too!) The week before his birthday, we hosted a holiday party for some friends from our ward. We played board games and ate holiday treats. It was super fun! It was also a secret fun party for Evan's bday. Then, the night of his real birthday, we ate out with some friends and played games at our house.

Here we are that night with our new dog! For those who don't know yet, we got a new dog. Her name is Pepper and she's a 3 year old dachshund mix. She's a rescue dog and has bounced around a little before she got to us. We definitely lucked out because she's AMAZING!

 

After our friends left our house, I played Evan a song that I wrote for his birthday. But then he quickly stole away the guitar and we ended up jamming for the rest of the night. Perfect!

 

Fast forward to our trip to Minnesota! It started with both of us on the couch for a couple days. Evan was getting over being sick and I was in the middle of being sick. I caught it from him... 

Anyway - it was much needed R&R.

Here we are all refreshed and dressed up for Christmas! Do you even recognize that silly viking I'm snuggling up with?

We were on our way to my Grandma's house for Christmas Eve. Traditionally we have dinner together - Clam Chowder and Chili with a table full of other goodies - and then we exchange gifts. This year we also had a Dirty Santa gift exchange. It was amazing! My family went extra redneck with their gifts and it made for some excellent gifts: Evan got a used tin of Bag Balm and I got a coyote head and tail fur. We were both really, oddly happy with our gifts!  

Here's my brother, Eli, helping Sophe play with his new RC car. 

On the way home from Laporte, we picked up my Grandma Dorothy and had her spend the night with us - because Christmas morning is extra magical! We opened all our gifts and had a lovely breakfast. Traditional egg bake, Perkin's muffins, and flavored hot chocolate. 

Some of us needed help with our new gadgets :) Gran got her first Kindle.

Exhausted, we all cuddled onto the couch and watched the Grinch - my mom's favorite holiday movie. "Love it, love it, love it!"

The next day we ventured out to see where Eli's been spending the majority of his day's off: his ice-fishing house. Fully equipped with a heater, flat screen TV, PS3, bunk beds, and indoor bathroom. Why would you ever leave!

Sophe, Sierra, and Bryan even came out for a little bit. We taught Sophe how to say: "Here fishy, fishy" and "Goodbye fishy" (with a wave) - for when we tossed them back in the hole.

 Eli is a pro. We had so much fun fishing and both caught a bunch of perch. Here's Eli with a little walleye.

Here are we with some of our catches. Eli helped us professionally pose for the camera - he is really fun to fish with! Have I said that yet? :)

One of Eli's friend's showed up with his catch of the day! For the first time in 40+ years, it's legal to hunt wolves in Minnesota. There were a very limited number of tags out for the year and his friend was elated to get this one with his tag. A beautiful female Timberwolf. For scale - the kid is over six feet tall! 

As if you haven't heard enough about fur - here's one of my dad's specialties. He makes these amazing fur hats! Eli's gift this year was a custom coyote hat, line with fleece. Ridiculously warm for only the most elite outdoorsman.

I had to throw this picture in - although I really wish I would have captured this moment in video. Sophe was making us all laugh hysterically! She would point up at the TV, then look at my dad and boisterously fake laugh. Then look at the TV and laugh again. Mostly it's because we're always laughing at the ridiculous things we watch on TV (example Duck Dynasty). It was a perfect ending to a great Christmas vacation!

Before the trip was over, I squeezed in a breakfast with two of my dear friend's: Chance and Emily. We are all over the country right now, but the magic of the holiday's brought us together! They were full of fun memories, new adventures, great belly laughs, and a much needed boost of confidence.

Whatever you did and wherever you were during the break - I hope you had as excellent of a time as we did!

And a happy new year!