On Board

We offered to throw my parents a big party to celebrate their 50th anniversary.  Instead they wanted to get everyone together and head to the beach.  With a group of seventeen, we figured that a cruise would be the best way to accommodate everyone.  Flexible, low maintenance and fun.  It was perfect!

The ship had a whole water park area, complete with water slides, buckets, etc.  It was a chilly afternoon, but it didn't stop the kids from enjoying the activities!  (I, meanwhile was wrapped up in a towel and tried to stay warm!)

 Having a ball!  How is it that kids just don't seem to feel temperature?

 The big cousins enjoying the water park part of the ship.

 And in the on board pool.

Brothers freezing each other out at the water park.

While the water play was great fun for the kids, I just loved having time with the whole extended family.  One evening everyone gathered in the library to eat Fanny Farmer French Mints, Stuckey's Pecan Logs (thanks Gary!) and play games.  Some of my favorite memories of my childhood were playing games after a day at the beach. I loved doing that again!

On board the staff always have a bunch of silly games going on and one of the games was "The Newlywed and Not So Newlywed Game".  My parents were picked to compete as the 'not so newlywed' couple.  It was silly and embarrassing and fabulous!

The cabins fit four people, so the Caboose, and Ginger's littlest one both bunked with my parents.  They LOVED being able to be with Nanna and Grandpa.

 The last night while all the grown ups were busy packing and getting everything organized, the kids gathered to play games in the hallway.  Some quality cousin time!

 Every so often at dinner the staff would play songs and start to dance.  When 'Gangam Style' came on, we all joined in on the dancing.  So. Much. Fun.

Waiting to debark and making the most of our time with my brother Gary and his wife before we parted ways.  While we were waiting, and at Aunt Caroline's urging, Big Boy #2 actually had two ice cream cones.  For breakfast.

 The last night the wait staff brought my parents a piece of cake and sang them "Happy Anniversary".  I love this picture!  They just look thoroughly happy. 

It's too bad that Gary and his wife didn't take too well to being at sea - they really struggled with sea sickness.  I loved the cruise and it seemed the perfect blend of independence and family togetherness.  It would be fun to do something like this again.  My family is just really fun to hang out with!

50 Years is a LOOOONG Time!

 In a world where many marriages fail to outlast a nice pair of sandals, I am beyond impressed that my parents have made it FIFTY years!  Certainly this is worth a celebration!  Our whole family met just after Christmas to enjoy a Bahama's cruise together.  My parents didn't want a big party with their friends.  They wanted to go to the beach with their own little family - something we have been doing together since I was a little girl.  The perfect celebration for the Green family!

While hanging out at the beach with my siblings is one of my favorite memories of my childhood, and the beaches of the Bahamas were calling to us, we wanted the 50th anniversary to have its own little party.  The night before we embarked, we gathered everyone up at the conference center of the hotel to play some games and honor my parents. 

We played 'Candy Roulette' where everyone tasted a sample of various candies and tried to guess what each candy was - several dating back to when we were kids, like Bazooka bubble gum, Pop Rocks, Cow Tails, etc.  It was late by the time the last of us got into town and the party got started, but all that sugar seemed to perk everyone up!

We also did a trivia game about my parents, asking questions like when/where did they meet, how long did they date, etc.  Some questions even my parents didn't know the answers to!  (I gathered several of the information from their wedding album).

Another game I called "You Can't Boss Me Around Just 'Cuz You're Older Than Me!" had everyone racing to put all members of the family in the correct order from oldest to youngest.  There are a few birthdays that are within about a month, making it a bit trickier than you might think.

 It was fabulous to have the entire family all together in one room!  It has been nine years since we were all together.  Much too long!

After the games we showed a thirty minute DVD/slide show.  It showed pictures of my parents growing up, of their young family and me and my siblings when we were kids.  Then it featured each of our adult families and my parents as grandparents.  But my favorite part was at the end, when it showed pictures of us as kids doing something (like making gingerbread houses, playing at the beach, or at Scout camp) then showed the grandkids doing those very same things.  We even had a picture of my dad on his mission, followed by pictures of each of my siblings on their missions.  Add Kenny Rogers singing Through the Years and my parents were all kinds of teary by the end. Their gift was a blurb book with even more pictures and over fifty letters from people my parents have known throughout their lives.  Good stuff.  Great stuff.

For dessert?  Nothing would do but an ice cream cake from Carvels!  (Too bad the whole thing melted before we had a chance to each it!  Oh well, half melted ice cream cake is still pretty good.)

Mom and Dad:  I am incredibly blessed to have inherited so much from you both, and not just my enormous feet.  :)  You have established a legacy of faith, education, hard work, patriotism, love and service.  Not only have I benefited from your example, but so have my children.  You are amazing grandparents who love my children so completely - and they love you in return.  You have modeled a successful marriage that is not free from problems, but rather is dedicated to working through the hard things.  You are both incredible people and I love you beyond all words.  I don't know how I was so fortunate as to have you for my parents.  Truly, I am blessed.  Love you both!!!

Christmas 2012

Christmas was so crazy this year.  The entire Green clan was heading to Florida to celebrate my parents 50th anniversary - right after Christmas.  Talk about a hectic December!  I was doing everything to prepare for a Christmas, plus getting ready for a trip and then planning the 50th celebration!  Exhausting!  Ginger and her family decided to fly out on Christmas Eve, and my family opted for an afternoon flight Christmas day.  It was a little strange to have Christmas Eve dinner without my sister and her family there.  Still great, but different.

Without Ginger and her family in town, our nativity was  missing several actors.  I was compelled to join the Nativity play - after all, our family is short on Marys. 

 The angel appearing to the shepherd.

 The shepherd coming to worship the baby Jesus (and Joseph). 

 This?  I looooooove!  My sweet little shepherd...

After the Nativity came the pajama hunt.  The kids completed a puzzle, which had a riddle written on  it, directing them to the place where their jammies were hidden.

The boys in their new jammies: with the Broncos having such a great season, our red and green Christmas turned orange and blue!

While talking one evening in mid December, BB#2 kept hinting at all these details about Santa.  I finally said "Did you want to ask me something?"  He did, and I came clean.  He was about 90% there anyway, and I just confirmed what he already knew.  He was pretty excited about it all, and we even let him stay up and help out a bit Christmas Eve.  Despite his new found knowledge, BB#2 was still totally jazzed to set out the milk, cookies and water (for the reindeer). 

Over the last several years, my mom made each of my kids a cool box, complete with lock so they can have a little spot all their own.  This year she made one for the Caboose.  He loves it!  To make it even more special, she added a little music box thing to the top.  Fun!

 Big Boy #2's favorite gift this year?  That's right, Peyton Manning, #18. Look at his face - so great!  

 

Big Boy #1's favorite gift was this banner to add to his Pepsi Light Center.  He was so excited to get such an unexpected gift!

All in all it was a great Christmas.  We had fresh snow on the ground, which made it even more fun leaving for the airport just a couple hours after opening the last of the gifts...

Elf

 As Christmas continues down the path of MORE! MORE! MORE! the Elf on the Shelf has taken a beating on Facebook as the straw that is beating the cheer out of multitudes of mothers across the country.

 I'm not someone who goes all crazy on the little things and Christmas can certainly leave me feeling burnt out and exhausted, but personally, I have had a blast with the Elf. 

 Mostly because my six year old has a laugh that fills my soul all the way too bursting.  And when he finds that silly ol' elf, he laughs and laughs and laughs. 

It was no surprise that it didn't even take a week before the elf didn't move one night.  Luckily the Caboose was able to leave some food for him and he perked right back up.  Phew!

 With everything that has happened in the world this December, it has done ME good to see the giant smile on face of my little boy.

Love that silly ol' elf!