.Out with the Old, in with the New.

Sometimes last minute parties, make the best parties. One thing, well a couple things, we will do different next year is to make sure all the "House" chores are done prior to the day of a the party. Levi and I were running around from 7am-7pm getting everything cleaned and set up. It was well worth it tho.
We had plenty of food, Relay Races, a little game of Musical Chairs (quite hysterical actually with adults), Bingo, White Elephant, S'mores, Fireworks, Kinect and of course ringing in the New Year.
Looking back, 2011 was probably one of my favorite years yet. Bought a home, went a cruise, Hawaii-twice, Alaska, California, plenty of weekend getaways, brother beat cancer, sister adopted the most perfect baby boy, parents came home from their mission, went through all the ups and downs with fertility, and grew closer as a couple.The trials and experiences we've had have only made us stronger.
Looking forward to 2012 and the new years resolutions that we have yet made....whoops!!

.Memorial Day.

Levi has many, many great skills. One of them being Softball. He has been playing with the same team for 5 years now and every year they compete in the annual Memorial Day Softball Tourney up in Showlow/Snowflake area. It's always a nice excuse to escape the "Valley" heat too.

We were in the C league this year (the team sorta did it on purpose...) which made it a lot more fun

for everyone. And the fields were right next to where most the team was staying. Score!

 Two Out Ralley ended up taking 1st, CONGRATS GUYS!!!! Double Score!

 A fun fact for all of you: Levi was born in Showlow, lived there till he was 2, and this street was named after his family. Even tho they spelt it wrong, it's still a pretty coo littlel fact!



.Valentines Getaway.

Mister had Valentines weekend all planned and kept it a complete secret the entire time. 

I am so proud of him. And maybe for the 3rd time in a our marriage, I didn't figure out what the surprise was!

Alexa, Darryn, Lyss and Owen were in on the surprise the entire time.

Props to all 5 of them for keeping their lips zipped tight!

We were "supposed" to go to Scottsdale, but ended up driving a few more extra hours and ended up in Huntington! Our fabulous friends {who really are the best of the best} let us stay with them once again!

We went to Disneyland, California Adventure, the beach, and time together.

Sooo excited to be on vacation!!

Alyssa and Owen came into town from San Fran too!

Such a stud! For a 2yr old, he was rocking that Razor too! 

Look at his lips!!!!!

 We love the Lane's. Even tho we live in different states, they are some of our dearest friends. I love that.

 California Adventure Toy Story ride! So fun

 Happiest Place on Earth

.Happy Ground Hog's Day!.

The history of Ground Hog's Day for the Owens fam...

Grandad Orr & Grandma Roxie started celebrating this day over 50yrs ago by cookin up some tasty Ground Hog and inviting all of their neighbor's and ward members over for breakfast every.single.year.

My parents continued on the tradition when they got married and have not missed a year since! My childhood is very blurry to me for some reason, except for Ground Hog's Day. My parents would invite everyone they knew over and easily 100+ people came. Even if they didn't get an invite, they would still know where and when to come! {Open door policy} I would invite friends over {Hillary and Allison were the first that I can remember and came every year}, go to school late every single year and now I even ask to come into work late. I mean come on, it's GROUND HOGS DAY!!! Hello...Owens National Holiday, duh!

{my parents serving Ground Hog to all of the Elder's this morning in Canada}

.T'was the Night Before Christmas.

The stockings are hung, the presents are wrapped, the Mister is sleeping.

Christmas Eve, soo close to Christmas day! I am so giddy with the thought of it.

I literally cannot sleep.

Mister and I did some last minute Christmas shopping, returns, wrapped the last of the presents, 

and made Posole soup and home made hot chocolate for the Yeager Christmas Eve party.

 It was a very eventful day together. Time which we hadn't have much of together lately.

Every year the Yeager's doing the traditional gift exchange with each other. My father in-law gave

all the couples the world's best pretzels. Pretty sure we have a year supply for the 2 of us. We had soup, hot chocolate and yummy cinnamon rolls. Sat on the front drive way next to a fire. Jumped roped and enjoyed

each other company's that we don't get very often. I love the holidays.

I am so happy with where I am in my life and the road that Mister and I have in front of us. So many

more adventures and memories to make. We have some the world's greatest friends that we hope

to keep forever. We are healthy and grateful for everything we have been given.

Mister and I started a tradition this year with the 2 of us. Open a gift on Christmas Eve, and that gift being Christmas Pajama's {of course} and that we buy them for each other. And I must say it was a success.

Merry Christmas everyone!!

.Annual Owens Christmas Party. {2}

I love traditions. Even if they are quirky and silly. One of the best traditions my family has is our family Christmas Party. You see, we always get 3 very very special guest that come and visit us alllll the way from Denmark {we're our ancestors are from}. It's the same every single year and everyone always looks forward to it. This year was a little different, with my parents being out of the country, us 8 kids+spouses had to get everything organized so we could carry on the tradition and still make it special for all 26 grandkids. It was not the same without "Grandma and Grandad" there to be the host/hostess, but we did ok getting things together. We missed my parents so much tonight, it was the first time we had everyone over at the house since last years Christmas Party. Crazy how fast time flew by!

For dinner, we always have posole {spelling??} Mmmm so good!!

Our 1st guest of the evening was the Dancing Doll. In order to get the doll to dance, you must have the Christmas Spirit. What's that you ask? Well, everyone has to be singing and clapping their hands. You see, the Christmas Spirit must have not been in the air tonight, because only my brother Raymond got it to dance without holding onto it. The little kids sure had a fun time trying tho!

getting into the Christmas Spirit

Our 2nd guest of the evening was the Dumb Baby. Why is it dumb you ask? Well that's simple, it can't talk! But she is best friend's with Santa Clause and knows what all the little boys and girls are getting for Christmas. Each child gets a turn, or two, to ask the Dumb Baby if they're getting a certain gift. The dumb baby then answers back with nodding her head yes, or no. To see the reaction on my nieces and nephews faces when they get a yes is the best part. {it also helps the mom and dads really know what the kids want for Christmas...wink...wink }

"raise your hand if you want to ask the Dumb Baby a question!"

The 3rd, and final guest of the evening was the Christmas Pig. It always brings lots of treats and candy for the kids. Each year there is always at least 1 child that goes running to hide, while freaking out. I mean, you would too if you didn't know what it was! This year, Bronson {who we all thought would run and hide} took one look at the Christmas Pig...then run up to it and started beating it up! Punched him in the face, kicked him in the side and the jumped on his back and continued to punch him! {Bronson is 3}. We were all laughing too hard to stop him and I didn't get a good enough picture of him in action. Soo funny.

Since my Grandma&Grandad were MIA this year, they had sent present for all the grandkids. They drove 3hrs to cross the border so the gifts would get here in time! Almost all 26 grandkids were in the picture. But they ALL loved them and kept them on for the rest of the night!

.kennady.sage.mykee.jayden.

The 10 oldest Grandkids had their first experience with White Elephant Gift Exchange. It was pretty fun to watch all of them fight over the best gifts.

The Adult White Elephant gift exchange. The rule: you couldn't spend any money on it, had to be something out of your house.

JaNae and Christy ended up with the oversize stuffed animals. Recognize the banana from a previous post??

{please don't mind the old family pictures on the wall behind you!}

 Mykee and Sage-Freshman's

Carson

Levi&Marley. Marley&Hayden

Cash.Brogan.Madison.Mykee

.Christmas Sweater Party.

Chrysha {Chris+Mysha} hosted the Christmas Sweater party this year. It was so much fun! I wish I would have gotten pictures of every couples sweaters. We played tons of games, ate waaaay too much delicious home baked goods {thanks Mysha!}, roasted marshmellows out on the patio and got to spend time with all of our friends, some that we don't get to see very often. Thank you so much Chrysha for hosting such a fab party in your gorgeous new home, we look forward to next years!!



 {natalie, shelbie, mysha, me, em, alyse, shayne}

{i am sadden to say that we will not be hosting our Yeager New Years Eve party this year. we will  be out of town. so friends look for your invite next year!}

.And it begins...

Let the cocoa-sipping
 gift-wrapping

tree-trimming

sweater-snuggling

family-gathering

season begin!

{that is of course if you don't live where I do with the high will be 80 this weekend...really??}

.Giving Thanks.

There is so much for me to be grateful for this Holiday season. My husband is on the top of my list. I wouldn't be able to do more than half of the things I do if it wasn't for him. For example, I wouldn't have been able to host the Yeager Thanksgiving at our place if he wasn't by my side and helping me be more organized. After everything was said and done, it wasn't as stressful as I thought it would be. I got all worked up for nothing! But one thing that I didn't do was take pictures of everything, bummer! I guess between being in charge of: decorations, set up, the turkey, home made pies and rolls, the Yeager "Pink Stuff', drinks, stuffing (would LOVE to learn how to make homemade stuffing!!) and having the house cleaned-there has got to be a "get out of jail free" card for not taking pictures-right? If we get to host it again in the future, I am very much more well prepared for it! I actually should take some mental notes and write them down somewhere....

I hope everything had a splendid Thanksgiving and that it was full of Family, Friends and FOOD!!

 

{the blog sale will start tomorrow morning and end Wednesday night at 9pm!!}

.Happy Halloween.

We had the best the Halloween weekend. Probably the best Halloween ever actually!

We started the weekend off by going to a costume party hosted by some friends of mine from High

 School. Bless Levi's heart, he knew none them but of course all of us wives know each other's husbands and feel like we're all BFF because of our blogs!But knowing the outgoing and super friendly guy Levi is, he had no problem getting to know everyone there. Thanks again girls for such a fun night!!

 

Levi as Zack Galifianakis from Hang Over with Baby Carlos. {yes that is his real beard}

Emily as a Birthday Girl {kinda lame I get it...I had nO idea what to dress up as!}

Later that night we met up with Lyss and Owen to go to the AZ Scream Park Haunted Houses. I was

pretty stoked to go because I had never been to a Haunted House before. And let me tell you...it was an

 experience I will never forget and cannot wait to go next year! Lyss had told one of the scary workers

my name and he literally followed me through the entire thing telling me I was his Birthday Present, and 

yes he scared me every time he popped out of a corner and through the wall. I didn't know how to react

and let's just say I kept everyone in our group entertained with my scream, horror, laugh. No joke. And yes, I ran like a like a little girl when the guy's came at me with the chain saw's.

End of Story.

Saturday we hosted a Murder Mystery Dinner at our friends house out in Queen Creek. It was a Trailer Park theme and everyone totally dressed the part! {for those of you who have never been to to Murder Mystery Dinner, I highly suggest you get one going! So much fun and a lot easier to put together than I thought it would be. Which meant a lot less stress on me!} Thank you Chris and Mysha for letting us host it at your gorgeous new home, looking forward to many more gathering's there I am sure!

Scott and his White Trash gift exchange "prize"

 Cameron {singer}and Alyse {tattoo artist}

Chris {the greasy mechanic} Mysha {the trany}

 The ladies

The Gent's

 Levi was the host and Trailer Park Owner

I was the Hostess and a Gypsy {thank you good will for such an awful, but fitting outfit for this event}

 Jon {Walmart Employee} & Em {Town Sleaze}

 appetizer's

 Big Hoss Beaver-don't mess