Let it snow, let is snow, let it snow

Holy cow, we have been pressuring Julie to bring the boys up for a white christmas and did we get it!
On 12/26, we all headed out to meet up with Tracy's family in Michigan for a week of white, snowy fun.  It was a BLAST!!

In fact, it snowed nonstop from an hour before we got to Tammy until 2 hours after we left Tammys. I think it snowed over 3 feet in 5 days and it was amazing lake effect snow, nice and fluffy. It also meant that we missed the -10+ degree weather in MPLS as lake effect snow usually bring temps of mid teens.  Nice.

We'll share the week through photos...

Daily walk with Mom, Tammy and Julie, through the cemetery and down the lake.  Julie held up surprisingly well considering she hasn't been home in the winter in 20 years.

The boys were busy grooming their sledding hill and trying to find death defining ways to use skis, planks and other random yard implements

Billy loves To dig holes, always has always will

Platform tennis competition.  Jimmy and Joey beat out everyone to have the honor to play Jeff and Grandpa. Jeff and Grandpa nearly beat them too!

Herbie!

The gang eating pizza while getting ready for the championship round of platform tennis

Jimmy defying the weather in short sleeves

The moment before you get hit by a snowball from your cousin

Lake Michigan is gorgeous in all seasons - another daily walk

Grandpa and Grandma gave everyone a session at an escape room. It was adults vs kids. Kids in one room, Adults in the other, whoever gets out 1st wins.

The gang

The adults are OUT with 4 minutes to spare! It was hard and we had to ask for clues but it was really fun and we worked well together.

The kids did NOT make it out. But, we could hear them cheering through the wall every time they got a clue right. Billy was voted MVP and Jimmy is convinced that Billy could have done the whole thing himself, without help. Billy says that Jimmy and Joey were no help at all. They probably would have made it out if Georgia and Kay hadn't thrown all the clues, both new and used, into the same pile

Scattegories

Yogi in the snow

Bowling!

We headed to Chicago with Tammy, Jeff, Georgia, Joey and Herbie after Grandma, Grandpa, Sue, Julie, Cedric and Solomon left. We had dinner at Timothy O'Tooles and the worlds 2nd best magician came by with a few tricks. he was amazing and had the kids captivated. 

And now, for my next trick

Concentrating

Michigan Ave shopping with Herbie, Billy, Tammy, Georgia and Kay - The Nike store

Kay (finally) got her ears pierced!  Super cute!

Georgia's 15th birthday dinner was at Dicks Last Resort where the wait staff are rude and the food is amazing. We all wore insulting hats that our waitress made for us - Kay's said = More Annoying than Trumps Tweets - Tom's said = So old I fart dust  Billy's said = Fart here Tracys said something about a sex machine being out of order and Jimmy's said = I found my 1st pube.  Billy commented "Kay should work here"  Then, 10 minutes later Kay said "I should get a job here".  Too much fun.

Quick drop back to Cmas at Brigids with the other cousins

Grandparents and Dennis/Brigid

The cousins!

Again, Charlie got a Baby Alive doll and both she and Kay were in heaven

Cute group

Catching up with cousins

Sue and Julie

The kids table

Snow ball fight mixed with hot tub party

Loser gets snowballs thrown at them.

More action shots

Kay and Georgia

Billy and Sol

A nice fire by the tennis courts

Another snowball fight

We also watched a TON of football - Vikings, Michigan, Clemson.

Had yummy meals - Indian, Chalupas, Smoked Pork, Pizza

And played some pick up basketball, game of Risk and other miscellaneous family fun.

WE love how well the cousins get along, its always a super fun time.

Happy holidays to all!!