A Mini-Anderson reunion.

Grandpa Anderson, who started this whole family,

shown here with his 2nd eldest son's kids.

Dad has been deceased now for over 10 years and look at us

still going strong in spite of his absence.

Aunt Lil and her family with us.

We made these plans to get together at Hillary's wedding.

Grandpa and Grandma Anderson. He'll be 90 this August.
He doesn't look any older than he did driving his boat at
Strawberry reservoir when we were little kids.

Cousin Tina and her family. Her husband will soon be fighting in Iraq.
He'll leave her right before the birth of their 2nd child.

Aunt Lil and my mom. She is the glue that keeps us all together.

I am thankful every day for her love, devotion and dedication to her family.

Glad that I moved back to Utah and Rylee is able to gather the

knowledge from her first hand!

A New Years Party of QUELF.

Do not ask, "What is Quelf?"
My best answer would be...
A horrible, annoying and utterly fantastically fun game!!

First of all it is a board game. Played with cards of different colors. Each pile of colors requires that individual to do an act, the entire game players to do an act, or that you do the required act on your turn.

(Just so you know this is my kind of game.)


For instance...

I drew a card that required that anyone taking the lead in the game to ride a pretend stick horse, slap their bottom and yell, "Get along little doggie."

(Loren, who hates the game, was the new leader at least 3 times. Hilarious watching him ride
his wild pony. Makes me laugh out loud just remembering. Love ya brother!)

At one point in the game Jolynn drew a card that required everyone to be silent until it was their turn to roll the dice. On my next turn, in my very best "Santa" voice I had to ask myself if I had been naughty or nice this year. Depending on my answer I could move 2 spaces ahead or go back.

(Since I am always good, I moved ahead 2 space!)

Then...each person had to take their turn sitting on my lap silently telling "Santa" what they wanted for Christmas! It was so funny, that they had a hard time miming their wishes while they giggled silently and uncontrollably.

(All the cell phone cameras came out when Wayne,
let me know he wanted Karen to have bigger you-know- whats!)

I have to tell my brother and

his family, "Thank You" for

including us in their New Years

plans again. This was our 3rd year

ringing in the New Year with them.

I even made up it past midnight.

WooHoo!!

(Although I fell asleep earlier while watching, Star Trek. Does it still count?)

2nd Annual Build-a-Bear shopping spree.

For the past two years Grandma has been getting the girls Build-a-Bear

gift cards. Then Kerri and I trudge to the store with the girls to spend every

cent they have. Rylee still had money left from her birthday that she

used in addition to her gift card.

Macee Moose and Ashlee

Erin and her bear. Don't know the name.

Rylee and Carli Bunny.

Kerri and her mommy and daddy polar bears. She even picked out 3 little babies to go with them. She got so emotional in the store that she told us all to rub her hormone patch. It was a riot going with her.

Christmas with Mary.

Joey
Jac
Erica

Tom

I couldn't wait for Tom to open his gift. He is the biggest Bronco fan around. We got him a leather wallet with an embroidered Bronco head on it. Before wrapping I put a bunch of Rylee's pictures in all the photo spots. Was gonna put in a condom too. Couldn't get ahold of one to use.

Gerri and Rylee

Woohoo!

Mary

Christmas morning.

My gift, that Rylee made for me at school.

Christmas PJ's

As is the tradition. Rylee gets to open one present on

Christmas Eve. It is always new Christmas Pajammies!

Gingerbread houses.

The frosting was so hard and cold in the beginning that it was hard for the girls to get it out of the bag. Their little hands would shake with the pressure they were using. Adorable.

Their houses turned out beautiful! Are these the faces only a mother could love or what??

(Ashlee confessed after they were all done that she ate most of her frosting and that maybe her house would fall apart en route to getting it back home to her house.)

Kids Christmas Party.

Grandma with most of her grand kids.

Chris and his family were unable to be here this year. We sure missed them.

HILLARY

ANDREW

GERRI

HANK

JOLYNN

LOREN

KYLE

JUSTIN

RYLEE

ASHLEE

CODY

ERIN

The only person exempt from sitting on Santa's lap this year was Kerri. And that was because she had just been released from the hospital earlier in the day after having a hysterectomy. She came to watch the kids and Santa interact. He knows our kids so well that several of them got up this morning and cleaned their rooms, even under the beds and closets!!!! Ha, ha, ha!