On Saturday we went to the beach for a few hours & got a little pink.
We made the mistake of sitting on a thin towel on wet sand--oops!
It was very nice to get away for a short vacation, but I really enjoyed coming back to my little smiles Tuesday morning!
The Younger Brother missed his nap before I got there, so we through the afternoon by watching How to Train Your Dragon. (Mom's idea!)
I was trying to keep The Elder from hitting/kicking/wiggling into his brother...his feet just couldn't stop!
...we stay inside & bundle up! We couldn't get warm enough one day last week, so we kept the kids moving or wrapped them in their blankets. Most of them seemed pretty content to cuddle up!
My boots disappeared around the 12" mark, and the last measurement I took for the snow was 13" in my front yard.
With my friend Rachel
With Clau & Judit
With Ruben, my "Mexican dad"
Natalia, 3 weeks old, my "Mexican niece"
The girls were keeping their eye on Ariel during church!
Mom has grown her hair out for the first time in my life--and it looks like mine! (Or maybe mine looks like hers?)
We had about 6" of snow while I was taking care of my brother's dog; he loved romping in it!
Participating in the feeding of the cows
Puppies!! Seven lab puppies were born two weeks before this picture. They're now 3 weeks old & growing fast!
Kids don't really need that $100 toy that's all the rage this year--just get them a box!
But be careful around Santa--he's a little suspicious!
You may remember last year's Pablo el Pavo, from Mexico. This year, Tammy the Turkey spent the morning at the spa, and came out nice and juicy! I forgot to take an "after" picture though! 
Another "turkey" joined us for dinner this year. Some friends got together at my house this year, including this little guy. He kept us all pretty entertained for the afternoon. He loved getting zerberts, and bent almost completely backwards! It was fun to hear his belly laughs.
There's a distinct possibility I could've stayed in this tent for months...but I actually stayed in a 2 person tent with a friend. That one was a bit small for two for one night. :-)
Here's that boiling lard: heat it up over the fire, toss a little salt with it, and fry the pork!
I'm not even sure how many layers we had between us, but we certainly weren't cold!
Up early enough to see the fog rise off the lake...in my book, waaaaay too early!
Breakfast was tamales...so good!
This baby basically put herself to sleep last night at 9pm, slept all night, and then woke up happy! What an easy-going baby!
Getting up early had one plus
Emanuel and I had a fun time exploring the woods--the boys were forced to hold hands with an adult, but I think by the end I may have gained a friend. It helps to sing ridiculous songs!
We played "Pato, Pato, Ganso", had a three-legged race, and a foot race.
Then we hit up the playground for all it was worth, and Ronda and I got quite a ride in the barrel! A friend pushed us, and had us going pretty high.
A creative re-enactment of 'American Gothic'
Help a stranger do their laundry...except these girls are helping someone fold her NEIGHBOR'S laundry!!
Doing "The Worm"
Extra points for your whole team on a rope swing over water (they are at a shallow creek)
A picture of a mustache
Re-enacting a scene from a Disney movie
Here are eight of our nine kids. I told them to "come stand up here" to do their memory verse for one of our helpers this week. In my head I briefly envisioned eight cute little toddlers lined up in a neat row in from of the bench I was sitting on. My visions were quickly adapted to "please everyone participate this time!" The kids are learning Psalm 100, and they are into verse three already! 
