Christmas 2011--or the crazy cousin Christmas

I know you get tired of me saying this--but my computer is not treating me right.  It knows how little time I have for blogging these days but yet it will spend 30 minutes trying to load 4 pictures.  I'm crying Uncle after several days of loading these few pictures and going with my standby, "you get, what you get, and you don't throw a fit!"  Maybe after I get this post published my computer will drop it's grudge and let me load pictures---maybe.  Holly and Brian's family came on December 24th and it was fun to have 3 of the 5 families at Mom and Dad's on Christmas Eve.  It's been a lot of years since anyone did that.  We had the kids do a very quick nativity with the usual hurt feelings over parts---every girl always wants to be Mary, and since we had a real live little baby this was especially true.  On the 26th Brenda and Heather's families rolled into Royal and all 19 cousins were together again.  I noticed it's getting easier though--the kids are growing up and the amount of screaming isn't mainly made up of babies crying but mostly of boys getting rowdy!  We spent 2 nights up at Ensign Ranch and for the first time there was no snow.  The last night we were there it started snowing after dark, of course.  The kids didn't care they went out in the storm that night to make sure everything they owned got soaking wet.  The especially loved standing near the roof overhang waiting for huge "slides" of snow to fall on them--go figure.

Just the boys--this picture was the best of many,  here I'll show you...

                               Trying to corral the 2 year old and catch the eye of everyone except Carter.

                                     For a few minutes they found it impossible to stay on their feet.

                                         The sisters, Brenda Courtney, Moi, Heather and Holly.

       This one little baby was the most fought over baby -- ever.  ONE because Anistynn is so snuggly and sweet to hold and TWO because you don't have to keep track of the other wild ones or cook while you've got the baby!

                       All 19 of them--in one picture--at one time--with no tears--will wonders never cease.

          The girl cousins, I must say a much easier group to photograph!  It is a big deal to the girl cousins that they have 10 girls and the boys only have 9--girl power---they need to Thank Matt and Courtney for the buzzer winning girl!

Another easy group of cousins to photograph.  10 of the 27 Andersen cousins got together at Matt and Courtneys during Christmas break.  It was fun.  Grandma Andersen got her reminder of why she should be glad she moved to a retirement home. 

                              The directors of the family  feud game and the hosts of the evening events.

Intense team trying to win--they didn't.  David and Brittany brought their twin baby girls and Melanie brought her new baby boy and we supplied Anistynn---there was still fighting over babies.  Apparently there just can't be enough babies to go around this family.

Sydney, and sparkly Sierra and a fashionably animal print clad Anistynn.

                                 It's the nativity--Zoe and Adalynn stayed in character very well.

                      Sydney, Zoe and I made the worlds best brussel sprouts--not to brag or anything!

Sierra made "duchess" mashed potatoes for Christmas-big hit.  Weirdly enough a bigger hit than the brussel sprouts!

                                          Sammi managing to hide her face Christmas morning.

Zoe, Daddy, Jax and a brief glimpse of Sammi above.  The Cougar Man below--Christmas day 2011.  I swear Sierra and I were there too.