That Crazy Fam of 6: Update (LONG)

So since it has been awhile since I posted here is an update of all the Lohrey happenings. At the beginning of Dec. Ephraim turned 12. I didn't think I was that old, but apparently I am. He enjoyed a fun family birthday and also had some friends sleep over and go mini golfing. Fun was had for all. Because he turned 12, some of my family came up at Christmas time to see him ordained a deacon. From his birthday to Christmas is a blur. I know there was a ward party, some shopping and lots of cleaning going on, but other than that it's fuzzy. We woke up Christmas morning to my dad, Camie, Mica and their kids in our living room. I knew they were coming then, but the kids didn't think that they would be here until late Sat. night. It was pretty exciting for them. We opened gifts and lazed around until 3 when we went to dinner at Ephraims parents. They were great to include my fam in the festivities. That night, me and the kids slept over at Dan and Julies (a tradition) and had breakfast with them the next morning. On to the rest of the week.
Sunday-My dad ordained Ephraim a deacon and he passed the sacrament for the first time. He is the only deacon in our ward and so the YM president asked both the grandpas, and uncle Mica to pass the sacrament as well. Pretty neat experience for Ephraim Jr. Big E was able to come for the ordination, so that was nice as well.
Monday-The sun was shining so we headed downtown to the outside stuff at the glass museum. The kiddos had fun looking at the glass, crossing the bridge and running around playing.
Tuesday-Pretty much took it easy. Aunt Cathy, Uncle Greg, Ryan, Adam, Carri, Jakob, Catie, and Ashley all came up for dinner and to spend some time with the family. My dad made spaghetti. YUMMY!!
Wednesday-For YM/YW we went down to the Tacoma Rescue Mission to serve dinner. It was me, Ephraim Jr., my dad, Mica, and Hannah. It was a little intimidating at first, but a great experience and a good teaching opportunity for our youth.
Thursday-New Years Eve and Big E's only day off for the week. We cooked and prepped and played around all day. We had Julie, Dan, James, and John over, so it was quite the full house. We played games and ate way too much. Rang in the new year and hit the sack!
Friday-The fam's last day here. Camie and I went and did some shopping, the girls played dress up and the boys were off in their own little world. We laundered, packed, and played one last game before bed. It was a whirlwind week, but totally worth all the chaos. Below are a few(okay maybe more that a few) pics of our week.