Tis the Season with the Bowen's

Grandma & Grandpa Bowen & The Grandkids (We miss Matt's Family in Iowa)

Navi was the most popular person this year, we had to take dibs on who got to hold her next. Needless to say she was not set down at all.

Day after Christmas, Jenna's Birthday we got together and had dinner, I made Ice-Cream Cake Roll at Jenna's request & played Grandmas bells. The kids had a blast doing them, well ok the adults had just as much fun too. Mom had music and someone never returned it when they took the bells to borrow, so Laura had taken the music Mom borrowed from someone else and copied and laminated it all, so that was a super nice surprise for Mom. And of course we made Mom cry again when we were such good bell ringers.

Me & My Bud Izzy

Jenna's Family

Nelson's Family

My cute Family!!

Spencer's Family (No he hasn't become a professional Mountain Man yet)

Not a dull moment when Spencer is in town, and always a lot of people at Christmas, it is loud and chaotic, but lots of fun. We go over early before the extended family comes and open presents together then the extended family comes over for for an early dinner/late lunch, we eat, hang out, and do white elephant exchange that is always lots of laughs. Every year I think everyones goal is to make Mom cry, and it was done again. This year instead of exchanging family gifts we started a new tradition. Jenna was defiantly inspired when she suggested this last Summer when everyone was in town and we were together. This is how it works, each family writes stories like a family history book. Spencer was in charge of the organizing this year and I will be in charge next year and we will rotate. Each family is to write at least one story, this year we all wanted at least one about Grandma Miner. We ended up with more then just one from each family we had I think 19 stories to start for the year. Spencer had Aunt Darla write one about her thoughts about my Mom and Dad taking care of Grandma and Grandpa Shurtleff when they lived with them. Yup Spencer was the winner this year to make Mom cry. This is going to be a family tradition I think we will all enjoy for years to come and we will all remember and treasure forever. I was so excited I put my stories in page protectors and bought a nice leather binder, I went home that night and read them all. Of course I cried reading a few and laughed reading some too. I look forward to next years stories. I had Tanner tell me what to write and I typed his story up on our trip to Colorado, and Brylee I asked her questions about a day at school and made a little story for her. I wrote just some random favorite thots/memories of Grandma Miner. Now the only dilemma is what will I write on next year?!?