Christmas at ground zero

We went to Grand Rapids for Michigan this Christmas.  My in-laws are currently in the middle of adding on to their house.  And ripping out the entire kitchen.  And laying down unfinished and very nice cherry flooring.

Just as we show up with five kids.

Needless to say, our Christmas vacation was a weeeee bit chaotic, what with waking to the sharp crack of nail guns every morning, to being holed up in the basement on the verge of cabin fever, the mud swamp of a front yard, and a kitchen that consisted of only the kitchen sink.

Family... that is what is important about the holidays, right?

Despite all the chaos, we did still have fun while we were there.

Sophie got all bundled up for her first snow (or summer in Ethiopia.  Seriously... we saw kids in snowsuits there.)

We got a dusting of snow on Christmas Eve, but the kids were just dying to go for a sled ride.  So out came the Kubota to drag them over the snow.



They had fun for a while but then got cold.

"Dad... my faith ith num."



Levi, however... that kid lives for danger.  While everybody else piled in the back of the Kubota, he was screaming to go faster.  Faster!  So he got his own ride with the go pedal on the floor.  Behind that spray of snow and partially frozen horse plops is a boy experiencing pure joy.



Not sure exactly what she was so upset about just prior to this picture, but she can still bust out the goofy grin on command.



Speaking of Christmas at ground zero... I don't believe I have ever seen presents opened so fast.  There were eight kids and every present disappeared from under the sad Charlie Brown tree in approximately a minute thirty five.  It was insane.



Levi got what he has been asking for for several months... four coconuts.



Ella and Luke went ice skating.





I sat in a deer blind and saw bupkis.



And then did it several more time.  Stilllllll bupkis.



Sophie got some bling in her ears.



Levi and Noah saw more deer action than I did, albeit cardboard.



On my last day there, we lit a big ol' bonfire with construction scraps.  Noah here is animatedly explaining the technique Indians would have used with this fabulous smoke signaling fire.





Luke and cousin Max helping to haul sticks.



Levi, helping to provide a nitrogen boost for some lucky tree.



"We awe sowdiers hiding in da gwass and pwotecting our fowest!"



Attack! ('Bout lost an eye taking this.)