oh, and...

Merry (almost) Christmas!!

Love, Team Barttels

do you need a laugh? just look at me!

in my defense it was a long long day. and this angle does nothing for me.
also, i look like santa claus.
and brad laughed really kind of TOO hard. as are you, i'm sure. :)

Family Karaoke

Whilst enjoying the wintry wonderland of Brian Head for Thanksgiving... the Andersons did family Karaoke one night. It was hilarious and fun.
Highlights for me being my nephew Matthew "singing" (reading?) the Phantom of the Opera. It was PRICELESS. Also I loved watching Brad try to sing Wicked. And Jes and Kevin doing "Tradition!!!" from Fiddler on the Roof. Good times had by all :)

Can you tell who LIKE to sing and dance around in our family???Kevin and Lindsey like to rock the Beatles.

Such intensity and teenage love angst, sisterface. She even has the rocker stance.

TRADITION!!! Tradition!
Little Russian dancing, P.A. Smith?

Cute & Smiley Kellie.
No wonder she's so popular...

And Brad really did great. It was, after all, his first time...You can't see it, but his other arm is crossed in front of his chest. Textbook body language for discomfort, right? :) We'll work on loosening ya up for next year, B.

"The.Phantom. of the Opera. is there. inside. My mind!"

Saturday is a Special Day...

it's the day we sleep in.
our husband makes us breakfast. high in protein, low in carbs and sugar.
enjoy a pajama morning movie with breakfast. gerard butler makes a stupid bounty hunter. note to self:when sister says movie is stupid, she is correct.
we wrap all our christmas presents and are excited again about them all.
we deep clean the whole house. we remember again why cleanliness is next to Godliness.
we shower and clean ourselves. now everything in house is clean, hooray!
discover we can't live without cheese. we go to the grocery store.
prepare, eat, and clean up a healthy delicious dinner. satisfaction.
we go to a great movie. i appreciate good clean movies based on wonderful literature.
we play 2 games of yahtzee. zero yahtzees all around this time.
and then our husband goes and visits a friend in town while i blog and relax.

and THAT is why Saturdays are awesome, especially today! :)

oh, to be the favorite uncle!

lets not pretend for a second, that brad doesn't LOVE that all my neices are in love with him.

at thanksgiving, upon his entrance into the house, one of the twins came screaming across the room falling into his arms all dramatic-like. when i am on the phone my sister says "want to talk to aunt lindsey?" and all three little girls answer with, "brad??"
he also has won the love of the oldest, kayleigh. when they come to visit she and brad are the early risers and they make breakfast, play games and have one on one play time while everyone else sleeps in. she drew this today at school.

b is for brad.

thanksgibing... gobble gobble

This year all the Anderson's headed to Brian Head, UT to a cabin we rented in the snow. T'was lovely. We were all very cold, very cheery, and very fat by the end!!
Hooray for Thanksgiving!