New Year's Eve Week: LG

A couple days after Christmas, we went up to La Grande, OR (aka LG) to visit my mom and step-dad and my sister and her little family, and Bonnie.  But before my sister got into town, we went out to breakfast one morning at Joe & Sugars Cafe for breakfast and got these amazing homemade blueberry waffles, the kids loved hot cocoa with whip cream, and Scott said they had the best biscuits and gravy he had ever tasted.

 The next day Fred took all of us and his 3 4-wheelers up

 to Mt. Emily where we HAD. A. BLAST!

First we let the kids take a ride and have some fun,

and then I rode around for a little bit with my mom.

But the real fun was when I hopped on the back of Scott, Ella on the back of Fred, and Bonni behind Tanner, and we rode for an hour around the trails, going high and low.

Then when my sister, Kyle and her adorable baby came into town we had a huge family dinner, so nice.

New Year's Eve we always had a tradition of making homemade hors d'oeuvres.  We made homemade meatballs, little individual ham, bacon & spinach quiche, bacon wrapped water nut chestnuts, I made the oatmeal fudge bars, oreo truffles, and lil' smokies.  Delish!

 

 My brother surprised us all by showing up the day before New Year's Eve.... best present ever! He's single, busy working and traveling all the time, so when we get to see him it's a real treat! Plus, he's so fun, the life of the party, and growing up as the only boy with 4 sisters, he's kinda a favorite.

 We ate hors d'oeuvres, played the "things" game and watched football, I think and stayed up until midnight watching the ball drop on tv.

It was a great night just being able to visit with family that I don't get to see very often.

 

 Had to post one of my brother and my cute little niece. 

Love them!