An Early Boise Christmas

Our Boise Christmas trip happened a few days before Christmas this year. The little girls were once again in heaven being surrounded by all of their boy cousins, new toys, Aunts, Uncles, & of course Grandma Pam. Bails had to do everything Clyde and Will did including making Chuck get her breakfast for her and refusing to eat or allow Sam to do anything; lucky Sam, unlucky Chuck.

These two were great, silent friends. Complete with following each other around, stealing each others toys and food, and laughing as they poked one another.

I already knew that Hazel was a small, petite little girl, but wow is she little...

Bailey and Hazel were both in love with the train set around the Christmas tree. I lost count how many times they derailed and almost broke the thing, but I do foresee some train engineers in our future.

She also decided to give the little train a chance on the rails.

There was also some fun with Grandma Pam...

While the rest of the crew set up at the table to decorate their gingerbread houses, Hazel camped out at her little desk trying to get all of her work done. This is pretty much the spot she could be found the entire four days of our visit.

 I started dumping candy into bowls with instructions to not eat anything quite yet. The boys were quite obedient and just waited patiently. Bails lasted for about a minute before she started to sneak little pieces. Will tried to enforce the no candy eating rule with her, but even he couldn't get his point across. There were plenty of "no no bails not yet" followed by blank stares from the little princess as she continued to snack on everything she could get her chubby little hands on.

 I am positive that she ate way more than actually landed on her little gingerbread Christmas tree.

 Even the stuff that did go on the tree to decorate it by Sam or me got pulled of and eaten just as quickly. This little girl loves her candy...

Almost as much as her Daddy...

 The next order of business was a race to a piece of candy by the 3 little baby cousins. Racing turtles as nothing on racing little humans. We cheered and screamed and pretty much made all three of them break down and cry at one point or another. Sitting behind them to nudge them along was quite unsuccessful as they just looked around at all the crazy people around them. That is when we resorted to cheating and the respective parent huddled around the piece of candy cheering them forward. Jack crawled right past the sugary treat with zero interest. 

 Hazel finally realized what was sitting on the floor, at which point her jelly bean instincts kicked in and she nabbed it before baby Isaac could inch worm over to it.

 The final thing on the agenda was the present exchange. The little girls made off like bandits with plenty of puzzles to keep them busy. 

 We were serenaded by Jana with a re-make of the brady bunch tune telling our story... 

 Parody of 'Brady Bunch' for Sam and Terri:

Here’s the story, of a girl named Terri

Who was studying poli sci at BYU

She missed the warmth of Southern California

Her youngest sister too!

Here’s the story of boy named Samuel Braden

Who was busy with some studyin’ of his own

He had friends, with whom he lived together,

Yet he was all alone

Til the one day when this duo started dating

He took her bowling, and shooting, and to lunch

He made sure they became neighbors and co-pruners

That’s the way they all began the Braden Bunch

The Braden Bunch

  

That’s the way they all began the Braden Bunch

The Braden Bunch

Here’s the story of a girl named Bailey

Who is busy being cute and smart and two

She loves iPads and phones and little Hazel

And don’t forget the zoo!

  

Here’s the story of a girl named Hazel

Who is busy trying to walk before she runs

A mellow babe, she’s her parents’ med school blessing

Also, she just turned one!

Now that fellow studies hard to be a doctor

And the lady makes good food on which to munch

But most of all they love their girls and each other

That’s the way that they all stay the Braden Bunch!

And Grandma Pam got her cute little calendar filled with pictures of the little girls. It was a fun little early sibling gift exchange that ended with some suspenseful battles of Monopoly Deal...

in between putting children to bed and picking all the candy off the gingerbread houses. We all had a fun night.