Family Pictures and the Asian Buffet

Mom's birthday was on the 27th.  Kirsten's gift to Mom was a family portrait session.  We were all in on it, even Dad.  Each family selected a solid color shirt to wear and everyone wore jeans.  That way, we looked unified (jeans), but you could tell individual families apart by the color of their shirt.  My family wore black, Trina's family was in charcoal gray, Peder's family was in a fucshia, Erik's family was in tan, Kirsten's family was in red, and Mom and Dad wore navy.  It looked really great all together!  As a colorist, I approved of the mix of colors.

The photo session was long, but VERY entertaining... especially when it was time to take pictures of just Grandma and Grandpa with the grandkids.  Dad said he wished he had a camera to take a picture of all of us behind the camera man, trying to get younger grandkids to look in the right direction and to smile on cue. Now I really wish I had taken that picture, because it would have been priceless!

Another highlight happened after the pictures were over.  For some reason best known to themselves, my brothers, Peder and Erik, got in a wrestling match.  Two grown men wrangling around on the floor, just like they used to do when they were kids!  Oh, it made me laugh!  Mom didn't think it was that funny, though, and she quickly stepped between them and made them stop.  That was pretty funny looking, too!  This short grandmotherly lady stepping between her strapping adult sons and making them stop behaving like children.

Great times!

After pictures were finally all done, it was time for lunch!  We all headed back to my town to go to the Asian Buffet.  I always eat too much at a buffet and feel sick afterward.

Everybody loves having their picture taken while they're eating, right?

 After the Asian Buffet, everybody trekked over to Cabela's for some after Christmas sportsman shopping!  Dad went to look at shotguns.  Some of the cousins went off to look at the stuffed animals, still others went to look at the aquarium.  Will went off to look at whatever his Uncle Peder felt like looking at.  Bill, Helena and I went to look at ski clothing.  I found a coat that I absolutely LOVED!  So, I bought it!

After everyone was all 'funned out' at Cabela's  some of the family stopped by my house for a little visit, then went on their way.

We ended the day by stopping by Erik and Deanna's that evening, just Bill and I, so we could say one last goodbye to Mom and Dad since they were leaving in the morning.