Girls (& Noah) Just Want to Have Fun!

We had the opportunity to go to Grandma Sandi's after Christmas for a quick visit. We knew Brandon and Melody were going to be there, but were surprised to find out that Trevor and Sabrina decided to make the trip too. It was so fun having all the cousins together and siblings together. It was a nice treat for my parents. Unfortunately it is impossible to get everyone to cooperate, so no pictures of everyone together (especially the 6 pack) were taken. However, I did manage to capture a few of the fun activities.

Brandon and Melody were given a night away from their girls for their Christmas present. I'm sure you can imagine what mischief 3 little girls and a little boy can get into when they are so close in age. We noticed things got really quiet all of the sudden and sent Trenity to investigate. She found all four of the kids locked in the bathroom, after Noah unlocked the door this is what we discovered.The girls were having a blast covering their hair with hand soap. It was too cute and too funny to get mad at - needless to say they got a nice bath after all their efforts. Adia managed to get into the soap at least 4 more times before the day was through. Who knew hand soap could be so much fun.

Earlier that morning Grandma enjoyed a snuggle in her chair with Adia, Layla, and Cali...

Not the best picture, but they sure enjoyed watching Playhouse Disney with each other.

Zoe loved sneaking Chex Mix off of the counter......

Out of everyone I think Noah and Zoe consumed the most Chex Mix.

Granny treated a bunch of the grand kids and great grand kids to lunch at McDonald's.....

My wonderful and very talented Sister-in-Law Melody gave me a much needed hair cut. She even colored it for me. I absolutely love it and can't thank her enough. Here's a pic of Zoe and Adia watching the process....

Zoe enjoying Granny's lap....

Other activities not captured on film. The kids met their Uncle Cameron and haven't stopped talking about him since. Noah loved how Cameron played with him and Cameron looked so cute holding Zoe (I hope to get a copy of the photo that was taken). We also had the privilege of having dinner at Aunt Charlynn's house - she makes a killer lasagna and the yummiest Chocolate Mousse. It was nice to meet some cousins and learn more about our new found family. I can't wait to get together with them again. We also had a nice afternoon and Grandma and Grandpa Woffinden's house playing with their dog Peenut, some old matchbox cars, blocks, and eating yummy treats.

We celebrated my parents' 36th wedding anniversary with a nice dinner of Chicken Parmesan. 3 out of 4 kids and 11 out of 12 grand kids were present for the festivity. The next evening we had fun bringing in the New Year complete with poppers and a sparkling cider toast. The kids had a blast and didn't even notice we celebrated East Coast New Year. It was so cute to see them all excited that Grandma gave them confetti poppers to do inside the house and fancy glasses to toast each other. Afterwards there were plenty of cookies and cheesecake to go around. I think my son holds the record for most cider drank in an evening. He couldn't get enough of it.

New Year's Day meant vacation was over and it was time to head back home. Grandma and Grandpa Woffinden treated us to a nice lunch before we made our trek over the summit. The week was full of fun, but I was sure glad to be able to sleep in my own bed.

Christmas Morning Video

Sorry this post is out of order. This is how we started Christmas Morning....

Christmas is here!

Some Christmas Eve magic...Noah was so excited that both the FedEx truck and the UPS truck stopped at our house today. He also thought when our friend Janie Chapman knocked on the door to deliver some yummy cookies that it must be Santa. He got so excited, I was laughing so hard when I opened the door. Janie thought I must have heard her scream, as when she went to ring our doorbell a bird flew right towards her. She was the second or third person to alert us of this mysterious bird. Come to find out he had been hiding out in the wreath we hung on our door, probably trying to stay warm.

We also had fun finally putting the gifts under the tree and discovered as long as we left an open spot for our Kitty he left all the presents alone.

That night before bed we set out special candy cane cookies for Santa and carrots for the Reindeer. We also sprinkled Reindeer Dust on our front porch and lawn, so Santa could find us. The Reindeer would smell the oats, and the glitter would light the way to our front door, since we don't have a chimney. This is what happened the next morning.

Noah very excited to discover that Santa stopped by and left him a stocking full of cool stuff.....

Even Pumpkin Pie got a stocking.......

Opening the present Santa left.....

Noah "kissing" his Lightning McQueen truck Grandma Sandi got him........

Zoe opening the Princess dress up clothes from Grandma Sandi.......Zoe's gift from Mom and Dad - A baby complete with a stroller, car seat, bed, and diaper bag. She hasn't let the baby out of her sight since......

Noah's gift from Mom and Dad....A Shake and Go race track complete with cars that crash......

The kids played together all afternoon - it was so nice.....

After calls were made to both sets of Grandparents thanking them for the fun stuff, I laid down to rest. I wasn't feeling well and had a touch of the stomach flu and greatly appreciated the much needed sleep. Dan watched the kids all afternoon and prepared a wonderful Christmas feast.

We finished the evening off by watching Christmas movies with the kids. All in all we had a wonderful Christmas this year. It was especially fun, since Noah is old enough to understand and know what Christmas is all about.

My Best Christmas Gift

As I walked in from the garage with purpose, my arms loaded with Christmas gifts and surprises Shauna and I procured in an insane attempt of trying to get all of our holiday errands completed in a single day while our kids were still with their Grandma Sandi-I heard a familiar voice on our answering machine as Shauna was reviewing our messages. Sights still focused on the destination of operation "Hide Christmas" I heard only enough to register it was the voice of my Grandma Carolyn. Once said items were properly hidden I returned to the kitchen to hear what I had missed and hoping everything was OK in my typical worried/neurotic fashion, only to discover everything was far more than OK, and the largest Christmas gift was not hidden, but there on our answering machine.

Carolyn sweetly explained that if I was available, she had arranged (and not easily) for my three brothers and I to meet for dinner on December 22. It was time for chapter 2 in this new section of my life story. I made the arrangements with work the next day, called my grandma to advise I was definitely in, and then tried to endure the week of waiting. So a few hours of overtime, in part due to my difficulty to focus, and I was on my way.

I spent the night with my in-laws as the weather forecast looked grim and talked my poor mother-in-law's ears off with anticipation of the next day. I truly felt like I was five again on Christmas Eve too anxious to sleep.

The rest was simply amazing. While I could rattle of each poignant detail and recount the many moments of my trip, I apologize that I do not feel they belong here for all to see. I cherish them more than that. But I will share that while I have never felt lost or unsure of who I am, I feel like I know even better now. Where I came from. Why I am. A study in the argument of nurture vs. nature. While I'm so very thankful to have been raised by a loving family, the one I've only known as my own -I feel so honored to be so readily loved and accepted into the one with which I share blood. My grandmother oft apologized for loving me without really knowing me, but as I looked at my brothers I felt what I believe to be that same love. It's awkward and you find yourself questioning yourself for essentially loving strangers. Yet you catch glimpses of yourself in each of them and it's almost like de'ja vu, that feeling that maybe you've been there before, that that piece of you is from them or in them or from you and you feel that while you know nothing about them, you also know something. I suppose it's that feeling of validation or belonging that comes from hearing you have your uncle's laugh or your brother's eyes- but hearing and seeing it for yourself, without question, for the first time.

My brothers. I love these guys and I feel honored to be numbered among them. They are my greatest Christmas gift and I look forward to knowing them better and better. I hope they do to.
Merry Christmas!

Dan, Matt, Jason, Cameron

Grandma Carolyn, Dan, Matt, Jason, Cameron, Grandpa Art

Dan is hijacking the Blog again

I have another personal installment for our family blog but needed a buffer between the entry to come and the cat photo. It just seemed inappropriate. So . . . here is our tradition from my time in Italy. A seafood pasta feast known as capellini frutti di mare. We have it each year on Christmas Eve. Buono!! Buon Natale!

Christmas Preparations

While Dan was off meeting his brothers, the kids and I were home making final Christmas preparations, and participating in parties. We had brunch at the Fetherstons'. Erica and I tried to get all of our visiting teaching ladies together, but only one was able to attend. We had fun anyway and enjoyed a ton of yummy breakfast treats. That night Noah and I made mini cupcakes for our Christmas Party at the Library.

Instead of regular story time during Christmas week, we had a special party full of stories, crafts, food, and a special visitor. The party started off by sprinkling Reindeer Dust on the lawn (so Santa could find us), followed by a story, and then the much anticipated visitor arrived - Mr. Claus himself. At first Noah was terrified of him and held on to me as tight as he could. Zoe couldn't wait for her turn. It took awhile but, I finally convinced him to sit on Santa's lap. The pictures aren't great because Dan had the digital camera and I forgot to get a disposable camera, so they were taken with my Polaroid camera.

As you can see, he wasn't too thrilled, but this is progress. He asked Santa for a Dump Truck and then was disappointed that his wish wasn't immediately granted, Santa only handed him a coloring book and crayons. Zoe asked for a baby doll. And was very content to just sit on his lap.Maybe next year they both will be smiling. Other adventures while daddy was away include: Zoe sticking candle wax up her nose and Noah declaring he was going to be Jesus.

Zoe managed to find a chunk of wax Noah had broken off the candle holder and shove it up her nose. After panicing a bit I managed to use Saline Nose Spray and she sneezed it out.

Noah was laying on daddy's pillow, so I asked him if he was going to be daddy tonight. He simply replied: "nope - I'm going to be Jesus." Confused I asked him again and got the same response. He then went on to explain: "I am going to go to the top of the stairs and sing." I guess in all his excitement from seeing the kids sing in sacrament meeting, and visiting the primary room with several pictures of Jesus, being told he was going to be a Sunbeam, and singing "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam", he got confused. I assured him he was going to be a Sunbeam not Jesus.

Pumpkin Pie....

Sometimes he can be as stubborn as the kids......

The Kitchen Staff has Returned

My big helpers are finally back from Grandma's....I don't know how I survived a week without them.

We made Papa Tim's special Cheese Waffle Recipe for dinner the other night. They were very tasty. I know they sound weird, but it is one of the Thueson traditions. We usually have them on special occasions: Holidays, General Conference, or whenever we can talk my my Dad into making them. Most everyone who has tried them, loves them.

Reminders of Christmas Past....

Trenity wrapped Christmas Presents for Grandma this year. It reminded me of jobs I did when I was younger. All the extra tape and unfinished edges. I can't believe she is even old enough to attempt a task like this. She can even write the kids' names. Boy has she grown up fast.

These pictures just put a smile on my face..... We haven't put the presents under the tree yet as we don't want the kids or the cat to open them before Christmas.

To Answer the Question.....

So, what do you do without your kids?

A whole lot of nothing. Just kidding.

1. I managed to catch up on sleep, I didn't realize I had missed so much.
2. I cleaned my house and it actually stayed clean for more than 10 minutes.
3. I went through the kids closets and realized they didn't have many winter clothes.
4. Caught up on all my TV shows, I've been recording.
5. Got completely ready for Christmas - shopping and wrapping.
6. Finished a conversation or two.
7. Saw more than just the children's section of the local library.
8. Finished a soda without having to share.
9. Enjoyed the peace and quiet.
10. Enjoyed sleeping in my own bed - without any kids!

As you can see, nothing too exciting.

Towards the end I missed them terribly. We tried to get them on Sunday, but with the storm the roads weren't clear until Tuesday. So, Noah and Zoe were gone a full week unfortunately during that time they managed to get the stomach flu. Hopefully this doesn't deter Grandma and Papa from taking them again.

The kids had a lot of fun - Noah cried because he didn't want to come home. Luckily he was asleep during the exchange, so Grandma wasn't a liar. The first thing out of Noah's mouth when he got home was, "Why is the house so clean?" I guess he realizes that he and his sister keep things pretty messy. Zoe kept repeating: "My home, I home!" The following day Noah packed a suitcase to go back to Grandmas but informed me, "I can't go, I can't open the garage door," and "remember I can't drive?"

You can say this was one of the best Christmas Presents ever. Thank you Mom and Dad. Of course a thank you to Tiffany, Trenity, Chelsea, and Granny for helping out too. My kids love you and miss you all very much. Can't wait to see you after Christmas.

Holiday Fun!

This was the only photo I managed to take at Dan's work party. I thought it was pretty funny. Only in Reno can you see a pair of Mr. & Ms. Claus as well as 3 wise men. Reno has this yearly tradition known as the Santa Crawl. It's an excuse to go from club to club, or bar to bar all in the name of charity. At midnight all the participants gather under the Reno Arch and sing Christmas Carols. This year it happened to fall on the same night as Progressive's Holiday Party, so Tori and her boyfriend, and Bethany and her husband (I don't remember their names) came dressed to participate once the party concluded. While in the middle of dinner this group of guys came wandering in - I couldn't resist the photo op.

The party was nice, I enjoyed meeting a few more of Dan's coworkers. The food was okay, the location a little noisy as expected for a brewery, but the conversations were great. Can't wait to see what next year's party brings. Since the kids were already taken care of, Dan and I decided to make the event a mini staycation and spent the night in a hotel. We enjoyed spending the following day together in Reno, getting all ready for Christmas.

Fun with Friends

We had a fun play date before the kids went to Grandma's. My friend Cylee put it together; a group of us together at the local bowling alley. The kids played on the indoor play structure, ate lunch, and bowled a game. Everyone seemed to have a real good time and it took up a nice chunk of the afternoon. It was so nice to be surrounded by great women and to watch our kids interact with one another. I can't wait to do it again.

This is a little out of focus, but I thought it was really cute to see my kids holding hands and playing together....
Noah actually cooperating and smiling for a picture. Of course it was his idea......
Zoe was more interested in eating the snacks I brought than bowling.....

A couple of group shots - we had a total of 9 kids bowling (ages 2-4)...

An Early Christmas Present

What do you do without your kids for 5 days?
We are about to find out. Plus 3 of those days Dan will be at work all day.

Yep, my Mom and Dad decided to take our kids for an extended stay. We made the exchange in South Lake Tahoe last night and we will meet up again on Sunday or Monday, depending on the weather.

Santa's Necklace and other funnies

I couldn't resist posting these cute pics from Christmas Past. As you can see, Noah didn't enjoy his first visit with Santa. (December 2006, 17 months old)

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Noah's bedtime story the other night was: "The Night Before Christmas". It went something like this:

D - "'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;"

N - Necklace? What necklace?

D - Not necklace, St. Nicholas -- another name for Santa Claus

N - Oh; But where's his necklace?.

D - (later in the story) "Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound. He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;"

N - I still don't see his necklace; is it under his beard? Yes, it's hiding under his beard.

D - there isn't a necklace, that's his name St. Nicholas. Just like your cousin Nicholas.

There was no convincing Noah. He insists that Santa has a necklace somewhere. So if any one knows where it is, please tell him.

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Noah:

after pooping on the potty....

Look a mommy poop, a daddy poop, a Noah poop, and a Zoe poop.

Yes, our child was naming his poop.

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Noah:

Mommy you're short.....yes I think you're short....yes Mom you're really short....Yep you are.

I was hoping he wouldn't notice for another two or three years.

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Noah:

Dear Heavenly Father.....Thank you for old McDonalds...Please let us go there....

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Noah:

I don't want to go to Mickey Mouse's house, we already went there....I want to go to Ego Land! (translation: Lego Land)

Only our kid wouldn't want to go to Disneyland again.

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Zoe's response to almost all questions is either: No I Fine! or No I Not! So the following conversation occurs at our house frequently.

M - Zoe do you need your diaper changed?

Z - No I fine.

M - Are you wet?

Z - No I Not! I Fine!

M - Zoe did you poop poop?

Z - No I not! I Fine!

M - But you are stinky.

Z - No I Not, I Fine! Mommy I fine!

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Zoe:

Jood Job!

translation: Good Job!

used in a sentence: I jood job mommy, I jood job!

Her response when she is doing something I asked her to do, or she wants credit for picking up the toys.

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Zoe:

I helpa you!

translation: I'm helping you. Or, I want to help you.

Baking and Counting

The other night Noah got to go bye-bye with Daddy on an emergency trip to Lowe's and Zoe got to stay home with Mommy. She wasn't too happy about this and threw a fit and then decided she was tired and tried to go to sleep. One problem - it was too late to take a nap and too early to go down for the night. So in an attempt to brighten her mood and to keep her awake I decided to try baking with her. So while the boys were out we baked Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies. She had a lot of fun, following me around the kitchen, measuring out the ingredients, dumping the ingredients in the bowl, and mixing the dough.

Trying to get a smile out of her...

I think she had more fun picking out and eating the chips than actually making the cookies......

We had a lot of fun and the cookies turned out great, we all enjoyed them after dinner. Zoe even managed to snag a few while they were still warm and fresh out of the oven.

In the process of baking the cookies I discovered that Zoe can count to 12. I'm not making this up or exaggerating at all - Dan witnessed the event too. While putting the dough on the baking sheets she started counting along with me. At first she would say every other number, taking turns with me and then out of the blue she counted from 1 to 12 all by herself. We were both kind of stunned and amazed.

Maybe she'll grow up to be a great mathematician.

Nap Time?

I think she takes after her father; one minute she's wide awake and the next she's fast asleep. Plus she can fall asleep just about anywhere. This was our quick trip to Walmart today:

Dinner Time!

I've been trying a new thing - Dan and I sat down and made a 2 week dinner calendar. It's made shopping so much easier and cost effective (we know what's in our freezer). Plus it makes preparing dinner so much easier. I don't have to figure out what to make, the decision has already been made and the kids get to help more. I can prepare through out the day, so I'm not rushing to get it done once Dan gets home.

Now the only stress concerning making dinner is the kids fighting over who gets to help, or who gets to do what. I need to invest in another step stool as that might help cut down on some of the pushing and shoving. I was able to convince them yesterday that they could help each other stir the gravy mix for Salisbury Steak.Tomorrow evening we get to sit down and come up with our next menu. I've also found some good, easy, and cheap dinner ideas from simplifysupper.com. You can also find a dinner calendar for the month and they will even help you figure out your shopping list week by week, if you use their recipes. If you don't like the calendar they put together you can put your own together. If you need some inspiration for dinner look them up.

I can do it myself....

This is what I found when I walked down the hallway one morning this past week......

I guess she thought she wasn't going to get breakfast and decided she'd better eat what was left from Noah's bagel.

She had taken a shower with me while Noah had breakfast with Dad. She was too impatient to let me get dressed before she wanted to eat. I guess you can call it being independent.

Party Time!

We've already had our Ward's Christmas Party. Our Bishop holds a special FHE the first Monday of December. The ward gets together for a nice dinner and a short program. This year it fell on December 1st and was a great way to kick off the Christmas Season. I took the camera, but forgot to take any pictures. Probably a good thing as our kids weren't in the best of moods. Zoe refused to eat anything except a chocolate cupcake and she made sure every one heard her. Noah cried and cried when it was over. I had to drag him out to the car and buckle him in his seat while Dan finished helping with clean up.

Later in the week I attended our Christmas Enrichment activity, I had the opportunity to decorate a table with my friend Lindsey. I finally got to use the Christmas dishes my Mom gave me. They were a hit as they were the only ones that weren't red, green, or gold. Plus they were Debbie Mumm plates and there are a few collectors in my ward. It was a nice evening with the ladies. Here's what our table looked like: Dan's work party is next week at Great Basin Brewing in downtown Sparks. The kids are excited to have Grandma come sleep in "Papa's Room" (our guest room) and watch them while we attend the festivity. So far it looks like the weather is going to be great - no snow over the pass.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I think this is the earliest we've had our outdoor and indoor decorations up. We were ready to go on the 1st. The kids are having so much fun this Holiday Season.

The House
Our house all decked out with lights....
The Tree
Noah excited to start decorating.....
Zoe trying to see how many bells she can hold at one time......
Putting one on the tree.... Noah's favorite branch on the tree.....
Zoe seemed to like the same area....
Zoe making sure she has more ornaments than Noah......

Hiding ornaments from Noah.....

The finished product.....(after some rearranging of the ornaments) Activities

A puzzle I found in the December issue of the "Friend".....

A Nativity Scene in this month's "Friend"......

I also found this activity in the "Friend" it lists a GAK (gospel art kit) picture and scripture to study each night until Christmas. It's an easy way to teach kids about the true meaning of Christmas. It has been a fun bedtime activity at our house, we also play or sing a Christmas song before putting the kids to bed. We started out the month by showing the kids "The Nativity" movie the church put out a couple of years ago. Noah and Zoe have been so excited to learn that Jesus once was a baby and that he too has a mommy.Countdown!

Zoe's countdown chain....

The star has the following poem on it:

Each evening after prayers are said,

take off one chain and jump in bed.

When only the star is left to shine,

then you'll know it's Christmas time.

Noah's countdown chain......

His Santa has the following poem:

December 1st until Christmas

Is the longest time of year.

It seems as though old Santa

Never will appear.

How many days until Christmas?

It's mighty hard to count.

So this little chain of links

Will tell the exact amount.