Christmas highlights... a month later...

Our Christmas season was filled with a lot of fun and craziness. The ENTIRE Severson clan was here... first time we've all been together in five years...and our family has grown quite a bit since then... Regardless of the size of the crowd, my amazing mom had activities and outings and innings (?) perfectly planned to a tee. Such activities include (feel free to be impressed when you consider that for these activities, up to 39 people were involved, and occasionally, babysitters for 21 kids were required):

1. Christmas Caroling around the neighborhood
2. Christmas day opening presents and Christmas dinner all together
3. Actually... dinner together pretty much every night (each family took a turn cooking)
   
4. Temple session in Oakland.
5. Musical number in Sacrament Meeting
6. Primary Program with all the grandkids
7. Trip to Sunset Beach
8. Couples date to Riverdance in San Jose
   
9. Family portrait in the backyard
10. Extended (well, more extended) cousins Christmas party and trivia game
11. New years eve under 5 and over 5 kids parties.

Only Cheryl Severson could pull it off and still have all the cousins, in-laws, and siblings like each other :) You're amazing, Mom!

For beautiful, pristine, pictures of most of these adventures, you'll have to visit my sibling's blogs... our camera is not the cleverest of electronic equipment, and didn't always flash at the appropriate time, but here's a few snapshots of our Christmastime fun:

Dawna's mom and dad presents: New Christmas dress, heirloom kitty necklace, and her very own REAL digital camera! The 100-picture capacity was filled in about 15 minutes... and Samuel, looking on from behind with his usual smile :)
Larry's Christmas was filled with "Vroom-Vrooms" (aka cars). From his Lightning McQueen Slippers to matchbox cars to this new remote control car... he loves EVERY one of his cars...and trains, I might add.
Dawna wrestling with Uncle Matt from San Diego:
Oh yeah... and Larry turned two somewhere in the middle of the Christmas day fun and excitement... he enjoyed a personal sized carrot cake and... you guessed it... more cars and trucks from both grandparents :) Seriously, though, he can't get enough of them...
Playing with Aunt Elizabeth and cousin Sofia from Texas (and that's Eli turned around there):

Lansing court Crew Re-United: Adele and Dawna and Lawrence and Samuel at Sunset Beach
Getting to know cousins that lived a little farther away than across the hall: Lawrence and Eli were cracking each other up! Really, this is a disgraceful representation of the cuteness they displayed... See Sarah's blog for WAY better pictures!

Dawna waiting for the Under 5 New Year (which apparently comes around 9pm... shhh... don't tell!) Jon and Deeb go Irish! Riverdance was awesome!
And slumber parties with cousins! Yeah... Hannah and Dawna ALMOST went to bed at bedtime! HA!

Can you believe it! All the Seversons together... This photo will be valid for about... four months... until grandbaby #22 is born in mid-April... Whew! What a Holiday!