Multiple Nelsons

We had the everyone over for Tapoica Night! This is a tradition in our family, my dad used to make a HUGE batch of tapoica and everyone took turns sturring the pot. Then the quadruple batch always gotten eaten. Les made the batch and it was really good. I ususally don't like it but I had some of Marissa's bowl. After dinner and dessert we did the famous Robison (Mom's side of the family) Indian Leg wrestling. I beat Colette! Yeah. Daniel (Colette's boyfriend) was creamed by Les. Annie and I leg wrestled each other, we couldn't tell who won b/c we couldn't flip each other. I finally gave in and let her flip me. Grant tried to go up against Les and lost. Elise and Tessa did it too!

Can you believe at one years old, Marissa is wanting to dust. How awesome! :) Of course she wouldn't have wanted to dust without Troy and I's influence. hehehe!

On Christmas Eve we went to the Hall's house and opened gifts. Since I was a child, our tradition has always been this: Reenact the Nativity Story and open up gifts from family on Christmas Eve. Then on Christmas morning Santa's gift would be there with our stockings stuffed! It was nice watching the kids reenact the nativity story. It was quite cute! Christmas morning we headed over to the Nelson's house and spent Christmas night with them. We played games, ate and watched movies!

Last night the we ventured over to the Halls to have a Gingerbread house contest. It was great and differently interesting. The theme this year in the Gingerbread contest was, "Remembering Grandma Loanne and Grandpa Paul in Australia". Among all of the entries there was really only two houses. The first entry was Elise and me. Elise had the idea of doing a home with lots of landscaping around it. It reminded her of Grandma Loanne's landscaping creativity. Annie's entry was a lovely quilted graham cracker with log cabin designs. What a colorful quilt. The next entry was Colette and Daniel. It took a while b/c they wanted to build mom and dad's house but it ended up being a huge compounded looking graham cracker fortress . So after considerable discussions the plan was changed and ended being a lovely little romantic Cottage with lots of snow around it. Another entry was Les and Grant's, a skyscraper with a pond and they used the most candy out of all...

Since I am home with a bad cold I thought I would snap a couple of pictures. As I was putting some of Marissa's clothes away, low and behold she wanted to get on the bouncy. With her feet dangling out and shaking the entire bouncy, you think she would be too big for this!

On Saturday December 15th as a family we trekked to the NCState vs SCState Basketball game. It was great and exciting. We encountered expensive parking costs and food, but we endured and survived. Thanks Rachel (my sister) for putting this together. I think the Halls, Colette, Daniel and the Nelsons all had a good time. I felt bad for little Evan (Ewan, as Rachel says) b/c he wasn't feeling good. We were all "decked" out in our Red (too bad for Troy and Les being other fans for other schools) and it was awesome!

So we had an YW/YM activity at the house and one of the YW drop their gloves in the driveway. We thought they might fit Marissa. Well I guess they don't. :)

In the first picture Marissa & Owen (Friend's little boy, 15 months) are trying to hug. I don't if it is a choke hold or just a friendly hug.:) I think he likes her. In the bottom two pictures the friends are: 1st picture-Amber Ogarek Taylor (9 months pregnant) & Owen, 2nd picture - Helen Starritt Durrant (8 months pregnant), Alana Ogarek Hutchins (6.5 months pregnant), Gabriel Hutchins and Angie Gandolph Waldorf. We had the shower for my friend Amber and it was a blast. She is having a girl and her kids will be 16 months apart.

Posing while climbing the dishwasher Marissa has figured out how to climb the rocking chair. Marissa is trying to climb again!