Celebrations!

Know what I love most about holidays? The family time. The time I get to just hang out with my family.

Every year we go up to the Mr.'s family's hunting land, where there is a shack to protect us from the elements...no running water, but EGADS!!! they just got electricity! What a blessed invention electricity is.

Anyway, if I'm going to be honest, going to "The Land" isn't one of my favorite things to do. The whole "peeing in the woods" thing doesn't entertain me much and then there's the whole "cramming 50 people into a small space" thing...not necessarily my favorite, but the kids love it. I think it's got something to do with the fact that they can run wild through acres and acres of land and get muddy and dirty and no one yells at them for doing so.

We kind of expect it.

This year, I was particularly dreading it, what with the 87 feet of snow on the ground that has been melting ferociously down to 80 feet which means that 7 feet of wetness is coursing across the ground and then there's not much grass at the land and a whole lot of sand and sand + 7 feet of moisture = muddy, yucky, mucky yuck.

Evidence of muddy, yucky, mucky yuck:

Ugh.

It turns out, though, that I enjoyed myself! Had a nice long chat with my SIL at their modern (hallelujah!!! running water! a toilet! heat!) cabin on the adjoining property, watched kids frolic through the snow, got pelted with a snow ball after I was smack talking my nephew:

"Oh, sooooo close. Not really."

"Bummer, you almost got me. Not really."

"You throw like a girl!"

And then, while I was looking the other way, WHAMMO!!!!

He got me.

And he was so proud.

Snot head.

My adorable husband turns into a big kid...built a fort, got into a mighty snowball fight, got just a dirty and wet as the young ones.

Then, there was a brief "let's play baseball with a shovel and a snowball" moment that ended quickly when said shovel came a bit too close to a kid.

Look, proof that I exist! Hubby had camera duty for a bit.

Right before the snowy egg hunt...cameras at the ready!

My father-in-law:

My Eric Church look-alike nephew:

And, lest you call me dramatic about the 80 feet of snow.

Proof:

Okay, so maybe not 80 feet. But at least 79.

And would you believe that I have not a single photo from Easter Day? Typically I outfit all of my children in colorful, springy, color coordinated outfits...this year? I bought them all stocking caps.

Kidding.

With the frigid temps and remaining snow, I just decided to forgo spending $$ on outfits they'd be miserably cold in, so we dug out semi colorful, warmish clothes and made do.

I can't, however, leave out photos of our egg coloring eggstravaganza!! ;) 

I found a set with roller brushes to paint on your eggs...biggest hit with all of the kids!

I'm happy to report that the egg dying didn't even take any years off my life...like how usually happens with an activity of this sort!

Phew.