Half of us saw The Hobbit, the other half saw Les Miserables. The Les Mis crew then spent the rest of the trip bursting into spontaneous song...and luckily, many of our more talented singers were included in this group. Unluckily (for everyone else), so was I!
Games, games, games, games, and more games. The Ellis Tournament Brackets were out in full force this year, with a record number of participants. At times we wondered how we would ever finish all of them, but a Christmas Miracle occurred, and we did. Not to brag or anything, but Rob was DEFINITELY the overall victor this year....which was a nice counterbalance to my less-than-stellar performance.
Cousins, cousins, cousins, cousins, and more cousins! All of the kids were so happy to see each other and every day was a non-stop party.
Lily and the Linkous crew instantly bonded over TV
The Annual Nativity reenactment with Rachel, Conlon and sweet baby Jane as the main event
The newest member of the Ellis clan!
The magic of Christmas morning multiplied by a million
Waiting to go downstairs
Stopping for the obligatory photo before the main event
Presents everywhere!
Sporting our Christmas Light earrings that match our PJs from Mama KK
Christmas PJs! 42 coordinating pairs of pajamas. Sewed and distributed before Dec. 1. My mother-in-law is AMAZING.
24 Grandkids
The Men
The Women
The Entire Clan, at Caitie's baptism
Even though I'm sure there were times when we all wondered if this house could really hold THIS MUCH FUN without bursting at the seams, it was such a blessing to have the entire family together for Christmas. We are so grateful to have 42 family members (and counting) to love and to laugh with.
And I'm not making any predictions as to what our numbers will be the next time we're ALL together for Christmas, but I'm sure it will make this year look nice and cozy. I wonder who will be hosting that reunion? :)
At the end of October, Rob had to go on a 3-week long business trip, and I definitely did not feel like staying home alone. So we arranged (with the help of honorary Auntie Marianne) to get me and the girls up to Minnesota for a long visit to see my parents!
This picture was taken approximately 45 seconds after we walked into the house...
The flight up was a pretty large mini-miracle. We were flying with 2 dogs (Marianne was adopting them from a family down here) and 2 babies and all of the associated gear. I had been dreading and praying about this leg of the trip for weeks, but it was the smoothest airplane ride we've been on yet. No lines, empty plane, dogs didn't make a peep, babies fell asleep (!!!), and our bags were waiting for us when we got off the plane in MN. Seriously, I couldn't even BELIEVE how painless it was. Just goes to show that God is in the details--He even hears the prayers of a stressed-out, "what-did-I-get-myself-into??" mother of twins.
The weather wasn't quite what we were used to...
I don't know that we'll ever need these coats again...
But Mom ended up equipping us all with the proper gear and we didn't let the "cold" (a high of 45 degrees is downright chilly to us Houstonians!) stop us from getting out and about.
But they were definitely a necessity at the time!
We had a blast spending time with my mom, dad, brother, and his girlfriend/fiancee Megan. Erik and Megan were living in MN for the fall semester, taking online classes, working, and getting ENGAGED!
At a corn maze, where Pig-Racing was the definite highlight
Then, mid-trip, Rob surprised us when his business-trip ended early and flew up just in time for Halloween.
I love this picture!
At first the girls didn't quite get the concept that all of the neighbors were giving away candy, but after a few samples of what was going into her bag, Lily quickly figured out she wanted ANYTHING that was wrapped in brightly-colored plastic!
Lily-the-Zebra asking for MORE CANDY
Savannah, who had just come down with whatever bug Lily had just gotten over, wasn't interested in leaving Dad's arms--even to get candy.
Savannah the sickly (still cute) elephant
Even though I'm sure future Halloweens will be much more exciting for the kids, I'm so glad Rob got to be there for this one!
Showing them how it's done.
By the end of 3 weeks I'm sure my mom was ready to have her entire house not looking like a tornado had just hit, but I can't help but think she will also miss seeing this incredible cuteness every day!
Lily going through her 15-month old repertoire:
Savannah sending her Dad a little video-message (please excuse the bumpy camera and my ridiculous baby voice):
And I just have to end with one more picture, because it's so stinkin' cute...
We almost bought a house. The process went like this: We put in an offer, negotiations happened, an agreement was reached, sellers backed out. Repeat 3 or 4 times. We walk away and decide just to keep renting Rob's parent's home. (AND WE'RE SO HAPPY WE DIDN'T BUY THAT HOUSE NOW!!!)
With the weight of being almost-home owners off our our shoulders, we felt footloose and fancy free. We spent some extra time in MN, visited Rob's family in Kansas, and Rob got a few extras for his camera to play with before he started back up at the firm.
And for Rob's ACTUAL big day, we had chocolate chip banana pancakes (arranged into an artistic portrait of the birthday boy) and then went to see Joy, Darrell, and Co. in Austin.
Birthday Pancakes on the "You Are Special" plate.
Chocolate Birthday Cookie a la Joy. 30 candles...I was worried we'd set the house on fire!
Before we left Austin we got to cheer Joy and Darrel on during their 3rd Annual Triathlon.
Darrell rocking the purple swim cap
Joy is feeling good
Ready to ride
Still smiling even though it was BLAZING hot out on the road
Finished!
Rob is such a wonderful, hardworking, handsome, fun man. He is a great father--every night when he gets home from work the girls start squealing and RACE to climb into his arms. He is a great husband--he supports me and loves me unconditionally. And he is my best friend who can always make me laugh. I'm SO GLAD we get to spend all of our crazy lives together!
2. Cornhog: the winner of the title "Largest Boar." Age: 2 years old. Weight: 1200lbs.
I kept hearing this line from Charlotte's Web in my head, "That is SOME pig."
3. The 4H Animals parading down the road. The idea of 4H kind of boggles
my mind; growing up I never knew ANYONE who raised giant horses, cows,
pigs, chickens, goats, rabbits, sheep, etc etc. I still can't believe
kids actually do this...
Savannah LOVED the animals. Lily, not so much.
4. This cow's udder. I had recently finished nursing the twins and I felt deep empathy for this poor gal.
So...did anyone out there actually participate in 4H? Or know a significant population of kids who did??
