December, the 2013 Migration and Christmas!

December view.... 

We had less than normal snow so we stayed and stayed up at Norwood.  It was cold but the cows could still get something to eat.  We put out protein blocks and Ben broke ice so they'd be able to get water.  Because we were still in Donnelly this year we met Santa's helper there instead of in Boise.  The kids made their lists while we waited.  Alice's says "ice cram, diamond, gold" - wow!  Clyde's says "bicycle, big fishing pole".  After the photo he added Legos. 

Randy Priest was Santa's helper and because he owns the hat shoppe, he was of course wearing a cowboy hat under his Santa hat.  He was pretty surprised by Alice's request!  

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We got in some more winter fun at Crocketts.  We had been trying to do Spanish club once a week but on our farewell day we just played.

Mommy, Alice and Clyde spent the last week cleaning and working on a homework packet.  The last day (December 13) we went on a tree hunt.  Clyde chopped down 3 little trees with his own hatchet.  We got a tall tree that we packed onto the top of my car for the trip down.

As always we were packed to the gills.  Two cats, two kids and a lot of random stuff.

 

It's always a little discombobulated when we get there.  

But luckily the Christmas fairy, queen of all the fairies, came to visit.

We had fun making ornaments and trees.

Daddy got home the 16th after the last cows were shipped the 15th.  And he experimented with a new kind of bread.... bagels!!!! Yummmm!  Once he got home we got to have him home a lot.  

We did a candy cane science experiment.  The fascinating thing was that even though the hot water and room temperature water dissolved the candy canes faster, the ice water mixed it better.  The red color stayed at the bottom of the first two jars but the ice water made a convective current in the water because ice floats and then as it melts it sinks to the bottom and the water there rises making a very slow current and dispersing the red color evenly.  That wasn't the point of the experiment which was much simpler but it was pretty cool. 

Daddy and the kids made a giant snowman while Mommy stayed glued to her streaming video CLEs.... boring!  But when you wait until the last two weeks you have to cram in a lot of hours.

We made our first croquetas and it was a success.

Alice went "hang gliding" all over the house (that's a hanger in her hand).

Clyde made a tennis racket out of hemp twine and a branch and some electrical tape.

Alice routinely changes her clothes 3-5 times a day and picks her own outfits.  This is the one she picked for going out for a ladies' lunch with Mumsy on New Year's Eve.

We had Christmas Eve at Harry's.  Then we opened stockings and had Christmas breakfast and presents at home. Clyde got a bicycle and fishing pole from Santa and lots of legos from Mommy and Daddy, plus books and from Alice he got an Annikin/Darth Vader doll.  Alice got a beautiful gold and diamond (cz) pendant in a jewelry box and a giant 3 gallon tub of ice cream from Santa.  From Mommy and Daddy she got books, jammies, a dress for Marie-Grace and from Clyde some Lego friends.  Christmas afternoon we headed to Mumsy's condo for Christmas with the Wises, JG, and Mumsy.

His mom's pie is so good you have to lick the plate!

A Pig Feed at Uncle JG's

 

Uncle JG and Aunt Rollins got married on July 20th in West Virginia.  Then they had a party at the ranch in October.  The kids had a ball playing in the straw.  The food was great.

Daisy's Spa Night

When Ben's family came over for dinner last week, I was sitting talking to Britta when a niece (I think it was Elena) came up and asked me for a hairband. I gave her the one on my wrist and didn't think twice about it. Then about 10 minutes later, Paige came and asked for another. I asked what they were up to and she was so excited to tell me they were doing Daisy's hair. I asked who was with her and after a long list of little girl cousins she said, "and Ben." I had to laugh picturing Ben supervising all these little girls as they did Daisy's hair. He said she got brushed and combed all over and she had a nice braid in her tail and another in her mane. It was her first "do" since we've had her, but she used to belong to a little girl, so maybe not her first ever.

New House/Clyde's Cabin

Mommy and Daddy moved us to a new house. It's called Clyde's Cabin. It's by Big Idaho Mountains (Donnelly). Please come play with me!!

This is what it looks like driving up to the cabin (Mommy says unfortunately you can't see the mountains from the cabin because of all the trees).

Sunset in front of the cabin...

This is Mommy's Uncle David's ranch. I helped to move cows there one day with my cousin Cassidy. It was fun.

This is my Mumsy's ranch. She has a playhouse and horses!

My First Trips

I took my first trip when I was four days old. My cousin Elliott and I went to a barbecue at Big Willow where my Uncle J.G. lives. Daddy had been helping brand, but I wasn't big enough to help yet. It looks like fun because you get to be so dirty!


My Aunt Catherine rode in the back of the car with me and Elliott. My Aunt Janelle said that was because all the kids had to sit in the back. Catherine is fun. I think she understands me pretty well.

Here's my Mumsy's progeny. She got her first two grandkids (me and Elliott) within about six weeks. We're trying to keep her on her toes.


My first overnight trip was to visit Mumsy at Raspberry Ranch. Daddy and Uncle Josh got to play with concrete, but I had fun too. I got to see the playhouse Mumsy got for me and Elliott, but they wouldn't let me stay there yet. Mumsy gave me a bath. I was kind of cold, so I don't look like I'm having much fun.


Mumsy and I like to hang out and sometimes she helps feed me: