Christmas 2010 in Pictures

I'm a bit late on this one, but it's been an action-packed month, so I'm actually quite impressed with myself that I'm posting these pictures before budding green leaves begin their merry sprouting on trees around town.  We had the good fortune of a) not traveling for Christmas this year and b) having my brother and his family come out for the holiday (and my parents for a few days as well).  One might think that houseguests for 13 days (and a total of 5 children amongst us) would not necessarily be considered good fortune, but in all honesty, it was fantastic.  Here are some of the highlights; briefly narrated but I'll let the pictures speak mostly for themselves.  As per usual, I tend to heavily prefer black and white, and have only used color to show the amazing blue skies we get in Denver or to show the wonder of my niece's pink accoutrements that I am not normally accustomed to seeing.  Warning to mothers of only boys--prepare your eyes now before you scroll down to the section on Christmas Day!

We spent the first few days enjoying the unseasonably warm temperatures, eating/drinking at our awesome neighborhood hangout, Vine St. Pub.  Sam and the kids built a stick sculpture out front; 6-year old Lexie immersed herself in the activity for hours.

 



Tyler and Lexie looking very official in
 their winter gear

After staying for a few days, Matt, Bodia, and his two kids got a good dose of winter as they left the balmy temps in Denver and headed to visit friends in Pagosa Springs.  The kids had never seen snow before--a day earlier, Bodia excitedly pointed out the window at our house to show them frost on the ground.  Frost.  When you live in Florida, any hint of a change in season is thrilling.  In Pagosa Springs, they snowshoed and sledded before heading home a day early to avoid being stranded by the epic snowstorm hitting the mountains.



Family Snowshoeing Snuggle



Yes, it's a miracle--they DO make
snowshoes in size 16!



Matt and Bodia

They arrived snowy and tired from a long day's drive home, and we had the perfect antidote--another meal at Vine St. Pub! We had another day before Nana and Papa arrived, and the cousins got to spend more time together.  At first, Kenyon, the youngest cousin at 2 years old, was quite taken with bullying his cousin Ty, two years his senior.  With an older sister who loves pink and prefers names like 'Sparkle' and 'Rainbow', he wasn't quite used to the rough and tumble kind of atmosphere that comes with three boys in one household.  He quickly got a thicker skin, and I really was continually amazed at how well everyone got along. 







 And then Christmas was upon us; here are a number of pictures of the festivities.



The boys in their matching Star Wars
 jammies, and Lexie decked out in pink fluff





The cousins testing out their swords and shields
Nana and Papa brought back from Lisbon



Lexie in her pink jammies, pink slippers, holding up her Barbie, with her pink scooter at her feet :)



Both Sam's family and my family do a traditional English Christmas dinner, so we all worked together to make the prime rib, Yorkshire pudding, salad, and pies for dessert.



You'd think I would have dressed up
a little more...what's up with the tank top??



Taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather, we managed to go on a couple of great hikes.  Mt. Evans State Wildlife Area had a great frozen river to explore...

 

We also hiked around Red Rocks...

It was a fun-filled holiday season spent with people I love--what more could I ask for?  Well, I wish my brother lived here, so we wouldn't have to wait until holidays for our families to get together...could this be a foreshadowing of future events??  Only time will tell... :)