Team McPherron: I could go for some chinese food right about NOW.

For the past few years we've gone to my mom's for Christmas Eve.. BUT, she decided to ditch us this year. For warmer weather, and a brand new, itty bitty baby, in Florida. Sure, my sister Traci went and moved hundreds of miles away from us, and then decides to have a baby. I mean, WHO DOES THAT?

In all seriousness, CONGRATULATIONS TRACI!! I can't wait to meet baby Jude!!

Anyhoo.. we still got together with my family, well, the few stragglers that were left. (My brother and his family had gone to Wyoming, and my sister Kristi's family didn't come up from Price.) When we were contemplating what to do for dinner a few weeks earlier, we decided that we did NOT want to spend all of our time preparing and cleaning up dinner. Enter Panda Express. I'm telling you, I think its a new tradition. It was delicious, and the best part is, we just threw away the empty boxes and were ready for PRESENTS!!!

We draw names in our family, for the adults and the kids. I'm tellin' ya, its a life saver. Our family is GINORMOUS.. unless you compare it to the Duggars... which, seriously, who has 19 kids and is STILL COUNTING?? Stop already.

Me and Cody had Jalynn and Shawn. Shawn was blessed with a Utes hoodie.. lucky him. He was excited.. just look at his face.

We gave Jalynn a Pioneer Woman cookbook. Don't know who she is?? Just take a gander here at her website.. but I'm warnin' ya.. she's fab and you might just become best friends with her. Or wish you were anyway.

Jalynn said she was THIS close to buying the same thing for me... this picture caught her mid-sentence.

Shawn and Jalynn had us. They gave Cody a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles T-shirt (he was happy, like a five year old on Christmas) and a big old thing of fancy beer (he was in double HEAVEN).

I got a freakishly cute maternity cardigan and shirt AND a wallet. I felt mighty spoiled.

(I don't have pictures of the kid's present exchange.. since they weren't there. Traci's kids gave Kapri an amazing scooter.. she's scoots around the house daily. I can't wait until its warm enough for her to use it outside.)

Then we opened Christmas PJ's!!! This is seriously one of my FAVORITE traditions for Christmas.

We all got changed into our pajamas and lounged around for a bit. We kept checkin' up on the Santa radar.. and I think we headed home when he was in New York. That was probably cutting it a little close.

Once we got home, I realized, in all my dumbness.. that I had forgotten my camera at Jalynn's!! Who does that? (I do, I do.) Of course I had to go back and get it.. there was NO way I was usin' our dumb one for all of the Christmas morning goodness.

When I picked up the camera.. this is what I found.

These are all four of my sister Jalynn's kids..

Taelor.

Kelby.

Ashlyn.

and Cadence.

First of all, they're hilarious.. I giggled through all 857 pictures that they took. Secondly.. they almost NEVER get along. These pictures document that it is possible.. and they actually do have fun together!!! (Even if that fun does include "farting" on Kelby.)