Boice Family Christmas

Sunrise on the Tetons from the East window

OK so it is February and I haven't blogged about the amazing time the whole Boice clan had at the lodge in St. Anthony. Thanks to Ashley who got the ball rolling on Thanksgiving by deciding the whole Boice family needed to get together in a bigger place than Bob & Berta's for Christmas. She did some research & found the best place in St. Anthony called the Reunion Lodge. We were able to get a sweet deal on it because it wasn't rented yet for Christmas.

Thank you Bob & Berta for the AWESOME Christmas present. They footed the majority of the cost as a gift to everyone, so that all would be able to afford and enjoy.

This is how it went down:

Because we were having actual Christmas up there with presents and all, it meant I (and everyone else) had to be ready before midnight Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve morning, all was not going well. I had to run into town (just a trip & back to town without doing anything is an hour) to finish a odds & ends. Shawn had to finish a few things up for work, so needless to say I was getting a little grumpy. By the time we got the car all loaded and headed out it was a little later than we had hoped, but we were on our way, there was no turning back. On the way up Shawn called & said he thought his truck transmission was going out. Not a good thing since we had already lost an engine in another truck earlier that week. More about that later.

When we arrived at the Lodge, some people were already there. Ashley was making some yummy meatballs for lunch, Nicole was setting out all these DELICIOUS and FATTENING treats. I could see already this wasn't going to be the best Christmas for my waistline! The kids immediately fell in love (lust) with the place. They wanted to take it home, move in, do whatever it took, to make it theirs! I have to admit I was in lust to. I mean, the kids literally disappeared, to places unknown (I really did know where they were) I just couldn't hear them and that made it heaven. There was so many places for them to play like the play area (4 car garage size) with concrete floors, slides, basketball hoops, floor hockey stuff, black board walls (my dream). Then there was the bunk bed room with large blocks to build amazing forts, and slide from upstairs. Anyway you get the picture, it was a dream for the kids and parents!Nicole played beautiful music for us (Tyler get her a piano)!

Tyler, Nicole & Ashley

Shade unloading the snowmachine

Building blocks & slide

Carter & Ollie on the bikes.

Shade totally idolizes his uncles. He played basketball & broom hockey with them for hours.

Shawn made a bet with Shade. Whoever won 2 out of 3 games of ping pong. If Shawn won Shade had to cut his hair. If Shade won he got $100 bucks from Shawn. Shawn won & Shade got a hair cut a few days later!

Everyone was there and that was what made Christmas so special. Griffin and Katrina came up from California, Tyler & Nicole from Reno, Cameron & Leah from Utah, Schyler, Whitney & the boys from Pocatello, and Cortney, Ashley and the kids from Utah. Then of course us locals Bob & Berta, Heather, Brian & the boys, Alice and our family. What memories we made. The food was to die for. Everyone chipped in and was assigned a particular meal so there was tons of variety. We never ran out of snacks, and the company was out of this world.

A Boice tradition is to have the kids dress up and play the Christmas story. This year Brian was the narrator.

What a view from the lodge of the Tetons.

Christmas morning everyone opened presents together. It was so fun seeing what everyone got. Bob & Berta got all of their kids and their spouses a kindle. I think it was actually mostly for the wives, but whose saying. I for one know Shawn will be lucky to read a book off of ours. This was on top of footing half the bill on the cabin, which was supposed to be our gift. Oh, but it was worth it. Shawn gave Cortney a framed picture that Roberta took of Cortney while fishing on the South Fork of the Snake River this past summer. Shawn made the frame, it was breathtaking, and Cortney loved it.


Some of the other gifts my family got were...All of them got their photo book which I give them every year.

Shawn...

• Photo book of South Fork fishing pictures (custom made by Aimee)
• Frames for the pictures Berta gave him for his birthday (custom made by Kandee)

Shade...

• Snow boarding helmet
• Snow boarding shovel to build jumps with

Morgan...

• Snow board bindings
• Board for her hair stuff & other valuables
• Snow board gloves

Carter...

• DS game
• neoprene waders for fishing

Aspen...

• Dora bike
• skirt (that Morgan made)
• v-smile game

My present was this awesome bench Shawn made me for the base of my bed. Now all I have to do is make some pillows to go on it. He also got me some clothes.

What a great memory for our family. The kids are already talking about when we will get to do it again. Hopefully soon.