Memories of the Dargans

As you may know, one of our favorite games is 'My Team.' Right before my parents left at Christmas Time, we played a special game of 'My Team.' Our category was what was your favorite memory while Grandma, Grandpa, Tim, and Miranda were visiting? I think we had such a good range, I figured I would write them all down as our memories. In parenthesis is who wrote the memory down.

Just Spending Time (Robyn)- Of course, this was the best one. We just don't get to see my Washington family enough. Mainly because of the distance between us and the cost of travel. I have to hand it to my family. They are fabulous about coming out to see us. They come this way more often than we travel there. And I really appreciate it every time.

Color Me Mine (Ivory)- We love Color Me Mine. It is evident from many a post. And painting with Grandma is a favorite. We made sure to go out there first thing, so we could get all the pieces back before they left. Grandma decorated the adorable Santa, and Tim did the mouth watering ice cream cone and wand.

Our crew (oldest children) came along. June painted the owl. Robyn designed the long snake, and Ivory colored the curled up snake, that is actually a box.

I did another dessert plate. (Okay, I know that only makes two, but now it is an official set.) I love how it turned out.

We hung them both on the wall. They aren't exactly the same, but I don't want them to be identical. I hope each piece has its own style. (Two down, six to go.)

Gift Exchange (Grandma)- I wish I had gotten pictures of the stacks of gifts before we passed them around. There were a ton. And the exchange was so fun. My beyond-creative mother wrote a poem which had us picking, passing, stealing, and distributing gifts between all of us. The most heart rending moment was when Daisy had to put back the only gift she had. She was so sad, but she was so brave about giving it up. (And don't worry, everyone ended up with three things, so Daisy got her fair share.) It was really a blast. The gifts ranged from everything from Kool-aid to Trivial Pursuit. And everyone could trade at the end if they wanted. Although I'm pretty sure Vicki went home with the toothbrush.

Doing Puzzles with Grandma (June)- We almost didn't get a Christmas puzzle done because I hadn't picked one out specifically this year. Plus, with extra space, puzzle-making has become more commonplace. But I dug one out so we could put it together. Grandma is a whiz at puzzles, and the kids really enjoyed helping her.

The Pool Ring Incident (Tyler)- Ha ha. So...Grandma was staying at a hotel, and she invited the kids to come swimming one day. This was really fun for the monkeys in the middle of winter. The pool was deserted. We had it all to ourselves. The kids were jumping back and forth between the hot tub and the pool. Eventually this cute young couple came in. They kept to themselves and were usually in the hot tub or the corner of the pool. At one point, June was standing at the opposite end of the pool from them. She had a pool ring that she was going to toss in the water for me to retrieve. I was a little worried about her throwing it, but it seemed unlikely that she could hit anyone. Oh, I was wrong. She chucked that thing at a crazy angle, and naturally it soared right for the couple. I was watching it, thinking, 'Please don't hit them, please don't hit them.' Well, she didn't hit one of them. She hit BOTH of them. In the FACE. It bounced off one person's face right into the next. Awesome. She couldn't have planned it if she tried. I felt so badly for them, but at the same time, it was really funny. Admittedly funnier for us than them. Really, sorry cute couple. (They might wait a while to have kids.)

The Penguin Game (Tim)- I know little of the penguin game. It was on Tim's ipod, and he was very nice to let the kids play often. I did not play because of my lovely desire to throw up after watching too much motion on a screen. But the kids had a lot of fun.

Fairy Story (Maleen)- Grandma wrote another Fairy story for the children. She always says that she has to rush to get it done, and perhaps it won't be that good. (Ahem...total modesty.) They are always phenomenal. We love them. We sit around riveted and want another one as soon as she finishes. If she doesn't put them all in a book someday, I will be very disappointed.

Playing With Us (Daisy)- We played and talked and played some more. We went to see Frozen one day. We played cards, and did puzzles. Miranda colored with the littles and we watched movies. Grandpa, Miranda, and Grandma all read stories to the kids. It was just fun. Also, Tim was a trooper. First off, he had foot surgery a bit back and still had the boot on. Let's just say, he didn't move very fast.

But by the time he left, he was off crutches and moving at a fast limp. Way to go Tim.

Wreck It Ralph (Miranda)- One of the movies we got for Christmas that was a must see. I don't know why I like this movie so much, but there is a emotional attachment somewhere for me. Plus, it is just cute. And funny. Love it.

Christmas Devotional (Grandpa)- This one made me laugh the hardest. Grandpa wasn't very interested in playing 'My Team' that day, and I don't think he listened very closely to what the category was because the Christmas Devotional happened a couple weeks before they visited.  But....Grandpa is Grandpa. I'm still glad he came to visit. And condescended to play a few games with us.

***I feel like I should edit this even though Grandma did make the correction in the comments. Grandpa was referring to our family reading of Christ's birth that we did on Christmas Eve. That makes a lot more sense, although Grandpa is still absent-minded sometimes.

It is good to have family. Thanks again for coming, Dargan's.