Oh, it's just Braden and Kiara wearing Tessa and Emma's Hannah Montana wigs.   

(I want my money back!)

On January 16, 2008 my niece Kiara was nominated by her math teacher for The United States Achievement Academy Yearbook for Math.  Go Kiara!

(Kiara is on the right)

My sister's kids and my family had a Gingerbread House competition.  (My dad bought two Gingerbread house kits from Costco for us to make.)  I had planned to win… but the roof of our house fell in had structural problems, so my sister's kids won.

My house started out okay…

then disaster struck.  Apparently the contractor who put the roof on this house needs to be fired!

Braden and Kiara did a great job!

Wow!

Emma was mad that Braden won, so she sat on him.

My sister's kids Kiara and Braden stayed with us last weekend.  Kiara was trying to have a little rest on the couch and instead got a free hairstyle curtesy of Tessa's Beauty Salon.  Purty! 

We had our Christmas celebration at Grandma and Grandpa's house on December 22nd so we could head to Canada and surprise Rogene's family on Christmas eve.

First we had Christmas dinner.  Yum!

 It is our tradition to have "crackers" at Christmas dinner.

And we all have to wear the paper hat that comes inside the cracker during dinner.  We had 100% participation this year!

Then we opened presents, but not before we made the kids pose for a picture!

Kiara got an ipod!

Braden got blue lights to put under his car.

Tessa got High School Musical Sing It! for the Wii

and a Barbie Island Princess doll!

Tim got a lap top from mom and dad Santa!

Emma got a TMX Elmo (not pictured) and a Barbie Loves Elmo.

And Elmo books!

Rogene got a potty humor shirt at the free Christmas celebration.  Luckily Tim stole it.

See the pile of free Christmas gifts?  Don't take the blue on on the right, it has the yellow star in it!

The yellow star.

Tessa passed out the gifts she picked out, bought (at the dollar store) and wrapped herself.  Here is the list of what each person on her Christmas list received.  (I used all my restraint this year to not influence her what to buy for each person.  It's more fun that way.)  In the picture you can see she picked out pink wrapping paper for the girls, and silver for the boys.

Grandma - plastic hair rollers (because she has curly hair)

Grandpa - ?????

Tim - Car polish (because he takes good care of his car)

Pam - Hair brush (because she has long hair)

Darryl - Key chain/flashlight (because he has a lot of keys)

Braden - Plush football (because he likes to play sports)

Kiara - Lip gloss set (because she is pretty and likes make up)

Emma - Sparkly wand (because she likes wands)

Rogene - Retractable USB cable (because he likes computers)

Me - A hand mirror (because the one she bought me last year for Christmas broke)

Later, after the gifts were all opened, Tessa and Emma sang together and fought over the microphone that came with the High School Musical Sing It! Wii game.

A good time was had by all!

We drove to Canada and surprised Rogene's family who didn't think we would make it to the big Christmas eve party.  My sister and her family came too!

I ran into a store somewhere in Washington state to get some crushed pineapple (for a recipe I was bringing to the Christmas eve party) and when I came out my girls were peeking out the sun roof.

Lolo and Lola were very surprised!

Tessa, Emma and Andrew have a pre-party slumber party.

Gabriella and Emma at the party.

Tessa and Rianna

Pam and Darryl at the party.

Braden and some girls upstairs. 

Emma provided the music for the evening.

Tessa and Emma got to open presents Christmas morning with ALL their cousins!

The tree and a million gifts.

Tessa, Rianna, Emma and Andrew.

Anson, Tessa, Rianna and Andrew.

Waiting to open gifts.

More waiting…

Okay, now OPEN!

Kiara doesn't look like she just crawled out of bed.

More passing out gifts.

Emma opening one of her gifts.

Jordan and Anson getting a big surprise.  Lhevinne (their mom) told them she was not able to find a RockBand for them, which was their biggest Christmas wish.  She even wrapped and hid the box so they for sure would be surprised.

Playing RockBand.   Jordan on drums, Braden and Lhevinne on guitar, and Darryl on vocals.

Trey playing Guitar Hero.

Tessa got a Nintendo DS!  (She is hugging it.)

Playing the DS with Auntie Pam and Kiara.

Emma says "More berry!"  (Strawberry)

And then it SNOWED!   Our first white Christmas ever.

Braden built a snowman.

Kiara enjoying the snow.

Here I am teaching Emma how to make a snowball to throw at Braden.

Braden pelting us with snowballs.

Pam throwing a snowball at Braden.

Emma enjoying the snow.

The day after Christmas we all went out for dinner.

Rianna, Gabriella and Tessa.

Cousins.

Lhevinne and her kids.

Riccoh, Rianna and Marj.

Original 5 Talentos.

Lolo and Lola with their grand kids.

The Larsons.

Emma and Gabriella.

It was a very fast but very fun trip!

Tessa and Emma (with cousins Braden and Kiara) right before our Christmas celebration with my side of the family.

Last Saturday afternoon (while we were yurt camping with Tessa's school) we went to the beach.

Rogene made a sand castle with Tessa.

Emma did a face plant in the sand and got a sand mustache.

She also liked showing off her sandy "beet".

Braden went boogie boarding (is that what it is called?).

Kiara and her friends Danielle and Jazmine went body surfing.

Meanwhile, all the adults sat around.

At one point when we were building sand castles and playing in the water Tessa said, "When are we going to do something fun?"

Emma was having so much fun she didn't even notice this…

We had a blast… check out these smiles…

Tessa

Emma

Rogene

Dear Tessa and Emma,

You are not allowed to go in the ocean.  Ever.  At all.  Please don't ask.

The pictures below of your cousin Kiara and her friend Danielle (on our beach camping trip last weekend) might help explain why you are not allowed.

Love,

Mama

Going….  (Check out the size of the wave at the top of the picture.)

Going…

Going…

Gone

Whew!  They are okay!

We set out from the dock on our annual family pontoon party boat trip.  Grandpa is driving the boat.

Soon after, Emma takes over driving the boat.  She doesn't yet have a boating license so we all have to watch out for the boating cops.

It is possible that we might have brought too many floaties.  What do you think?

Kiara has to hold on to the big colorful star floatie so it doesn't fly off the boat.

Tessa isn't so sure about boating.

Braden, right before he had to jump into the water to retrieve Grandpa's hat.  (Grandpa's hat blows off every year and we have to go into the water to get it.)

(Video of Braden retrieving Grandpa's hat… the hat is the white thing in the water.)

Rogene plays the guitar to entertain everyone.

Tessa and Emma got into the raft with me.

Pam and Kiara go swimming.

(Video of Pam and Kiara right after they jumped in the lake.  I think they may have had some regrets about jumping in.  What do you think?)

Emma LOVES the water.

(Emma and me swimming circles in the water.)

Tessa decides to see if she can fit in Emma's floatie.  (Pretty brave considering she told me at least 100 times that she was NOT going in the water).

(Video of Darryl, Kiara and Pam chasing Tessa and I through the water.)

Tangled up in the floaties.

Braden entertains Emma while she floats in the raft.

Rogene relaxing on the boat.

Grandpa staying out of the sun.

All this fun is exhausting!

Creepiest part of the day… when the tree stumps crawled out of the water up onto the beach.  Yikes!

Highlights of the day…

Rogene, Tessa, Emma and I taking a little ride in the raft.

Pam and Kiara jumping into the water and then scrambling to get back out of the water because it was so cold.

The look of pure joy and discovery on Tessa's face when she finally got into the water and realized how much fun it was to swim.

Swimming under the pontoon boat with Kiara, who kept telling me she saw a fish because she knows that gives me the creeps.

Swimming Emma around in her floatie boat and listening to her laugh.

Watching Braden dive into the water to retrieve Grandpa's hat.

Trying to trick Grandpa into thinking we forgot the sandwiches. (Inside family joke.)

Waving to the other pontoon boats on the lake and making it look like we are REALLY partying on our boat.  Why this cracks me up every year I do not know.  But it does.