Over the years we have established the week between Christmas and New Years as Robertson Week. Our Robertson family is expected to come together, in Oroville, and cram into the house and enjoy time as a family. I LOVE THIS WEEK. We had a great time this year. We drove on Saturday the 26th and came home on Saturday the 2nd. The week is always a blurr because we are up late and playing hard and entertaining each other and just having fun, all while sleeping on some sort of make shift bed with lots of kids in close proximity. It’s wonderful.

 

Road Trip! Taylee and Kylee road with us 🙂 The weather was clear and we made it in our usual 11 hours. I did read and sleep for as much of the trip as the kids would let me.

Tommy and Ray opening gifts from the Grandparents

Millie being a ham and opening presents from Grandma and Grandpa – duckies and an outfit!

Cali’s Loot from the Grandparents

 

Benji and Packer got similar gifts as their cousins. guns and sling shots and shirts, Rose and Cedar opening their Barbie’s!

 

Christmas is Chaotic with this many people – but the FUN outdoes the CHAOS. We had Garbage BAGS that couldn’t even fit out the door.

  

The Men all got Fanny Packs! and Ben got a Green Bay Jacket from Jarsh – it was the first sibling exchange gift because Josh had to leave early – it was special! 🙂

 

My oldest Siblings, that don’t have babies right now, were very helpful to those of us with lots of babies right now. I love that everyone helps me.

 

And then there was a cousin gift exchange.

 

and nails were painted and Grandpa held Tiago late into the night so that I could play Nertz 🙂 and we helped Brady apply for a job.

    

We went to the church and played basketball. The kids are getting older so we had lots of people to play.

This was our first year spending the week at Kevin’s house now that my parents have moved. It was nice having more space and a garage and a fun yard.

All of the adults went to Hula’s!

 

Tiago got to meet Eliza and play with Aunt Kelsey.

 

The kids did a play for their older cousins.

And we played at the park. I do love California winters! Football and kickball 🙂

     

And Ben made Benoganoff  for everyone! (especially for Mikila)

   

Each night we played games and colored and visited. We let the kids stay up late and hang out and we stayed up later.

      

One afternoon Jaydn got a guinea pig so we all went to the pet store and played with the animals.

   

And the guys of course had to go to Hula’s AGAIN :), and Ryan and Mary were here by this time…

 

Girls table, ready for dinner… and Ray was ready for dinner…

 

More HELP with kids: Christy with the babies and Kelsey entertaining all of the kids with Simon says.

  

Nertz and girls shopping with my sisters and Ben’s salsa is always a favorite…

  

The guys took the kids to the church again while we shopped:

     

NEW YEAR’s EVE: Pinata in the garage!!

      

Tiago playing with Aunt Mary:

Ben and I taught Mom and Dad how to play Bounce Off:

I lost at Nertz playing against Mikila and Amber:

These girls love Sean’s fiance, Jana:

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2016!

  

We were all exhausted and then we stayed up even later…

  

And then it was already time to go home 🙁

I’m sure I missed some stuff so I’m posting now. To BE CONTINUED:

SPLENDOR was the game of the week, and Incan Gold. I love Tracie’s Pineapple Hair!

The kids LOVE the trampoline – even if it is cold (California Cold)

And the playground was great! These kids were going non stop all week.

We even had exploring to do and the barn to check out.

Michael really is the baby whisperer 🙂

even the kids were into the gaming this year:

Ice Cream with the Cousins!

I did win the BOUNCE OFF tournament, and us Utahans that had been playing for a month already did have the advantage.

Maybe I am the baby Whisperer, but it’a an unfair advantage when you are the mom.

I got to see Katie and Katie for a few minutes!

and then the front porch diaper box was full and we knew it was time to go home 🙂 (6 kids in diapers)

a long day in the car, Ritz are my friend! (I think the Hancock kids call them Jana crackers)

Taylee and Kylee were troopers in the back seat with Millie. All of us slept a good chunk of the drive (except the driver) and we were just grateful for clear roads and a van that runs well.

Until Next Year!

We had a Robertson Christmas Party at Joel and Megan’s house. We had a fun/fancy dinner. First the adults SERVED the kids and then the kids served the adults. It ended up being super fun. Our Family, Joel’s Family, Ryan’s Family (15 kids) and Shannon, Sean and Jana (9 adults).

They had fun ordering and then asking for lots of beverage refills 🙂

And then it was our turn to be served…

the menu

Somehow we convinced the kids to give us shoulder massages post dinner 🙂 and they sang and danced for entertainment.

We ended the night with 2 tired babies.

Our kids were so well taken care of while we were in Hawaii… I don’t think they even missed us. They had Cedar and Bren and Hadley staying here with them. Tracie and Grammie spoiled them. Then all of my other siblings stopped by a time or two and BOOM – Hawaii week over and we are Back.

So grateful for family that let us take a break from our busy Life. Didn’t make us feel guilty about being gone for a week. And we didn’t worry about the kids. LOVE FAMILY

 

My Grandpa passed away early Thursday morning – October 22nd 2015. He was 92. He passed quietly in his bed with his Wife and 3 daughters surrounding him the entire week. Arden Ford Johnson was a good man. He served his Country as a young man and he was devoted to his family. We only saw my grandparents once a year when we were growing up but these last 18 years I have been in Utah and able to see them more often and get to know them a bit better. Grandpa was always sitting in his chair and excited for any visitors who came through the door. He always had the heater going and a beanie on his bald head even during the summer! He usually had a good story or two tell and would always ask us “what’s new?” We Miss You Grandpa Great.

   

We visited with everyone on Thursday evening and looked through old pictures.

  My Grandpa loved his flowers! and this is their wedding picture 🙂

Grandpa lived in Orem but he was born and raised in Kanab and often spent the winters there. We drove down to Kanab on Sunday and met up with almost ALL of the family!

   

The Funeral was a Great Celebration of his life. Lots of memories were shared. At the Burial they had a 21 Gun Salute for his service in the Navy! Benji and Packer kept two of the shells!

 

At the end they let all of the Great Grand Kids send balloons up to Heaven for Grandpa Great!

It’s hard to say bye to your Grandpa. It’s really HARD to say Goodbye to your Husband and Dad.(good thing these ladies are tough). We got to see Uncle Bruce’s Grave Site and Grandpa’s Parents and lots of other Johnson extended family.

UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN 🙂

I got my wish for Fall Break this year 🙂 My parents are selling their house and moving so I wanted to go to the house one more time and help pack. We looked at just having me go but… we all went. The kids got to play with their cousins the whole time and we got to meet the new baby Hadley and we got to see all of the new California houses in the family. It was a productive and good trip.

We stopped right before Wendover at the Salt Flats for the FIRST TIME! We licked the Salt and the kids thought it was pretty awesome 🙂 The rest of these pictures are not in any great order but… we drove all day Thursday and hung out with the family that night. Mal and Liz and Tracie and Mom had been working all week and cleared out all of the closets in the house. So Friday we added us and Christy and Joel and Megan – our job: work with Dad to clean out the garage and the shed! It was a big job. 5 loads to the dump, 2 to the metal guy, 1 load of paint, another load (13) old dead batteries to Auto Zone and 3 trips to good will! (and Millie’s trip to the ER) We boxed up the good stuff and organized and put it in bins and then on Saturday we finished up some odds and ends and ran another load to the dump and then we drove down to Sacramento to unload what we could fit in the trailer and to check out the New Warehouse, and Tracie and John’s new house, and stop by mom and Dad’s new Condo. We stayed busy! Kevin and Liz took our 3 oldest to the pumpkin patch on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday we went to church and relaxed and celebrated Payton and Jaydn’s birthdays and went to see Kevin and Liz’s new house!

The STOVE, we used on every camping trip of our childhood 🙂

Mom and Kevin and I took the kids to run around in the gym Friday evening.

Laynie is getting so big!

Cousin sleep over every night…

Millie after she finally crashed on Friday with her sore finger.

THE HULA CREW

Tracie finally got to celebrate her birthday after spending it in the hospital with baby Hadley 🙂

working in the rain Saturday morning

 

couches? antenna? anybody? they might still be sitting there 🙂

piles of stuff

Cute stuff in our piles

Millie was unphased

Lots of little cousins in Antelope.

The 2015 babies: Gus in Feb, Laynie in March or April, Tiago in June, Hadley in Oct.

  

Crazy cousins and final shots of my childhood home. I spent all 17 and 1/2 of the first years of my life in that home. We love it. I will always have great memories of the Via Cedro house. Maybe it will still be vacant at Christmas so I can visit again, but hopefully not 🙂 I’m excited for my parents to live closer to work and prepare to serve a mission. Change is always hard but I think it will be good.

 

Celebrating Payt and Jaydns Bdays

Checking out Kevie’s new pool!

Baby Photo Shoot gone bad! 🙂

 

Going through Grandma Robertson’s Shell collection! We always helped her collect shells on the beaches of Fort Bragg and Santa Cruz. Grandma Robertson loved the beach and she made some fine shell art over the years. I elected myself keeper of the shells if anyone wants to replicate a Grannie R Special 🙂

I’m glad I got to go and help and spend time with my siblings and parents. Life is good.

It’s even better when your mom rides back with you and helps with all of the kids the 11 hours back to Utah 🙂