Overboard & Overdue

I'm that annoying girl who carries her camera everywhere to catch that perfect 'shot' & if I can't seem to catch it, I take a zillion tries at catching it & if the moment's over, I make everyone reenact it.


Well, since I somehow skipped sharing our incredible holidays with you all, I thought this might be the perfect way to share another zillion pictures.

I remember sitting down at the table for coffee with Shad one morning around Thanksgiving & he asked what we should do for Christmas, I said, "Let's surprise everyone in Montana & just show up Christmas Day!"

He barely agreed with me because he thought theyd' all kill us for allowing them no time to prep for 3 visitors.

So, I compromised & we told his sister, Shauna.

And that was it.

We left for Montana on Christmas Eve morning from Twin Falls.

With Shad's insane training schedule for work, we were limited on time to view homes in Twin, so we drove over on the 23rd & looked at 16 homes, stayed the night & left from there, which cut our drive down by 2 hours.

When we got in, it was a huge surprise for the majority of the family. Shad's Mom even cried. That made it worth it.

It certainly made for a full house at Shauna & Dyl's & presents GALORE!

And we managed to make time for lots of food & lots of drinks.

... & lots of love.

... & more love.

The kids were in heaven when their youngest cousin, Cashe, showed up on their doorstep. Not to mention, Cashe was in heaven with all the love & attention he got!

The kids even shared a twirly straw with Uncle Stephen so he could enjoy the festivities.

Big brother Dylan read stories to the younger siblings ... while Cashe slept in like a teenager (or someone who doesn't quite understand the gift part of Christmas yet).

Then we made our way up to my Mom's for breakfast on Chrismas morning. When my Mom opened the door, she gave me a smirk & said, "I knew." Yeah right, Mom.

Alicia had no idea though & when she saw our car in Mom's driveway, she jumped out of their car (that was still moving), ran into the house, picked me up & twirled me around! Yay. And that made it all worth it.

The boys got to have their Christmas morning coffee together ...

Nana got to snuggle on Cashe a little.

... overall, it was a success! Hooray!

So, we opened a few gifts.

Sage opened hers.

And then we had some peppermint ice cream for breakfast with Auntie because that's what we do in Montana.


Alicia & Luke & Mom continued with their Christmas day plans, which was dinner at Luke's parent's house. So, we headed back to Shauna & Dyl's for our own Nyquest Christmas dinner.

... & a little wild turkey chasing in the backyard.

The day after Christmas, my Dad came to Missoula to surprise Alicia too, but the problem was, Alicia got sick. So, Dad & I spent the day playing with Miss Sagey-Pooh while Alicia slept.

Sage played with Gunner's really small tail.

Then Nana came over & she played with Nana.

Then Dad & I stole Sage & brought her to Shauna & Dyl's for the night. The older kids were thrilled ...

... & I didn't have to do a thing!

Shad played a little "Memory" with Colty. (And afterwards, Shad was awarded the title, "best friend" by Colty. So sweet.)

Colty helped Cashe open his Christmas gifts from Grandpa & Gramma Dee.

Cashe was infatuated with Shauna & Dyl's 'portly feline' (pronounced fi-leen by Alicia) on their back patio.

Sage did a few acrobatics & batted around the ornaments on the tree with her feet.

Cashe ate every piece of candy anyone set down for more than two seconds.

... & Sage continued to soak in all the love.

Alicia finally got better, so we got all bundled up & took her little polar bear to the brewery! (Doesn't get more Montana than that.)

... with her Uncle Shad, Grandpa & Daddy.

Muah!

The next day Cashe got his very first Starbucks Steamer. (Such a big boy.)
And mama got her very first fancy iPhone. (Such a big girl.)

Cashe shared his gummies with Gunner.

... & then we took Mom & Dad to dinner ... together.

Afterwards, we watched a movie at Luke's Theatre & Cashe got front row seats.

The cousin love continued ...

The Nyquest love continued ...

... & the Cars love never ceases.

Unlike our normal Montana visits, the snow never showed, but we managed to still dress the part.

And we still had a ton of fun on game night.

... so much fun sneaking chips too.

And we topped the trip off with a nigth out with the Tripps (& the Nelsons & the Williams too, but that didn't sound as cool) for New Year's Eve.

We even managed to find some old friends ...

... & got much closer to those we love.

Merry Belated Christmas to All & Happy Belated New Year to You!