Nut crackin' night

When my sister married Derek, he brought to the family a very unique family tradition. Around Christmas time, his family would always have a night set aside to crack lots of different kinds of nuts with lots of different kinds of nut crackers. He shared this tradition with us, and ever since, we have had an annual Kentucky Oldenkamp Nut Crackin' Night! It's usually on a Sunday night after the Glasgow Community Band Christmas concert. Sometimes we watch Christmas movies, sometimes we make gingerbread houses. We also munch on yummy treats, and of course, we ALWAYS crack nuts. Here's a look at Nut Crackin' Night 2011:

This was the first year that the boys were really big enough to help crack the nuts and eat them. Of course, their favorite kind of nut cracker was a hammer and a piece of wood!

Bubba and Kennick even practiced counting with the nuts they had cracked.

I believe this nut cracker is called the bullet. Baylen was very interested in it, and helped Grandad crack a nut using it.

Here's a nut cracker that you squeeze. Cash was just playing with it here. I'm not sure if he ate many of the nuts he cracked, but he did have fun testing out all the nut crackers.

Here's B taking a whack at a peanut with his trusty hammer.

Funny faces on these big boys -- they spent some of the time helping crack nuts, but they had the best time chasing each other around Bubba and O's house. They were wild!

This little guy knows who to ask to get a cookie, that's for sure. Bubba and Grammy give out cookies every time you ask!

Cash loves this green tractor. It plays all sorts of music, including the Chicken Dance. The reason he loves it the most, I think, is because he can run it around the house just like he does his dump truck!

A loving cousin-squeeze!

Mom has also added a tradition to the tradition (ha!). Every year she buys the boys new Christmas ornaments. Here they are before they opened them.

Cash was super excited about his! He loves Tom and Jerry, and mom found a Tom and Jerry ornament at Hallmark from his favorite episode.

B got a Bugs Bunny ornament, his favorite cartoon character. He liked it, but was more excited about the plastic in the box. 

In a matter of minutes, Jerry's sword broke. Cash was playing with them more like action figures, not ornaments. Since then, they've been changed to official "toy" status. He sat next to the tree all day on Monday asking if he could take them off and play with them. Finally, we gave in. Tom has gone everywhere we've gone this week, including the library, Hobby Lobby, Franklin, the gravel pile, and church.

The night ended with some horse-riding through the kitchen. Hold on tight!

Grandad got in on the fun, too! Only two horses and three riders, what to do?

Tackle! 

And wrestle!

Yes, it was another successful Nut Crackin' Night. Food, fun and lots of NUTS (by that I mean people and the edible yummies we were cracking!).