an instagram Christmas

because i'm feeling lazy, and it was app of the year after all.


our christmas party-ing started early with a weekend visit from aubry. she came to town for the mindy gledhill christmas benefit concert. somehow when i bought tickets i sort of missed the "benefit" part.
it was a sweet little concert, even with a silent auction going on in the back, and i still wonder if we mistakenly, maybe, occupied a sponsorship table...
BUT the free food was rad.

the evening aubry headed home, my brother kyle and his wife jeneca came into town. we spent most of the next week with them. i talked them into babysitting so i could get a much needed haircut, they threw my kids around while i played on facebook and napped, we talked and laughed and shopped, and ate too much. kidless married siblings make the best aunts and uncles!

a few days after kyle and jeneca came, my brother nate and his family came into town. we bowled of course, nate lost to tanner and had to do an interpretive dance without music in the bowling alley parking lot. 
there was a pinochle tournament and lots of cookie baking and decorating. 
olive and clara held hands constantly and giggled at each other for 3 straight days. we even had a sleep over at nana and papa's (more like a no-sleep over)so we could make our traditional midnight merritts run for scones (can you say classy). 

hello baby gracie, nice to meet you.

singing "sweet caroline" with the jukebox at merrits, a family tradition.

spencer's parents flew in on the 23rd. their traditional christmas eve dinner is always incredible, and the prep begin the minute they walked in the door. my dad and scott bonded over snowball express, while the meat cooked on the grill, and the meal on christmas eve was to-die-for. we did the winter light botanical gardens and played lots of "there's a bear in the garage"
it's like this: 
nana says "what's in the garage" 
girls: "A BEAR!"
nana: "how many?"
girls: "(insert number)"
nana: "shall we go see?"
girls: "YES!"
running to the door into the garage, opening it, screaming a lot and running back and laughing on the floor.
loads of fun i'm telling you, LOADS!

hanging in the fort with papa

santa clausing

testing out the new play kitchen set up on Christmas morning

santa delivered that guitar with strings, NOT buttons.

now that's a play-doh snake

spencer and harry potter visiting the reindeer

shoveling the walk with papa

tara and her two youngest girls kennedy and emmy flew in to join the party on the 27th. we shopped and played and made these cookies, they really were THAT good. 
we prayed for snow and got just enough for our much anticipated dinner sleigh ride in the mountains.

heading out for nana's glowstick treasure hunt

glowstick path from the party to the potty

life size self portraits

the only decent picture from our winter sleigh ride/cowboy dinner. kennedy you're so cute.

it was a very merry Christmas at the marshall home.
*this probably should have been at least 3 separate posts, but if you lasted until the end thank you, i'm guessing you're related to me.