Christmas Break

Christmas Break is full of lots of fun activities.  A 2 night slumber party with the Christensen kids.  It has been warm enough to play at the park.  We get to play lots with our new toys.  Lots of playing the new Wii games.  Playdough. And driving Mom absolutely crazy.

Showing off their new PJs Grandma Mona sewed them.  The boys are matching and Zoe is able to match her doll.

Being Playdough chefs, wearing their new aprons.
                                     

Jack Jack tries too hard to keep up with the big kids.  He often falls asleep while eating his lunch.  Today it was in between bites of chicken nuggets.

I can't believe I have another week until Noah is back in School.  Can't wait to see what fun we can have  next week.

Christmas Day

Christmas fell on a Sunday this year.  We were trying to figure out the best way to handle all the commotion of present opening and playing with toys, while also putting an emphasis on the importance of attending and paying attention at Church.  Church this year was going to be a combined Sacrament Meeting with the other Fernley Ward.  Which means things would be really crowded and in order to get a good seat you would have to go early.  Lucky for us Dan already was going early to do his Bishopric duties, so we were able to grab great seats.  Since I know he'd be on the stand the whole time and I was worried about behavior during Sacrament Meeting with the kids focused on the toys they had to leave behind.  Or the mood they would be in resulting from tearing them away from their new toys.  I decided to postpone present opening until after church.  I must admit it was a little selfish on my part.  I didn't want to get up super early to have everything done before church.  So, we agreed to let the kids look in their stockings and open one gift before church.  The rest would have to wait until after church.  I thought this would help the kids be on their best behavior.  Boy was I wrong.  They were just as squirmy knowing they had gifts to open and distracted by the anticipation.  It probably would have been better to do it the other way.  We'll have to see, when Christmas falls on a Sunday again.

We didn't get too many pictures, or good pictures of the festivities.  I wasn't feeling well at all and managed to get in a nice nap in between present opening and our Christmas feast.  Dan did a great job cooking dinner and putting out a spread of appetizers and snacks.  Santa filled all of our stockings with our favorite snacks.  Laughing Cow Cheese, Gardenia Mix, Smoked Oysters, Pickled Herring, Cheese Logs, crackers, and Smoked Sausage.

Here is Zoe opening her package from Santa....

Tea Cup Piggies

Noah opening his present from Santa Clause...

A Crayola Cars 2 Glow Board

Jack Jack opening his present.  It took a lot of convincing and coaching.

A Shake and Go Car.  Fin McMissle from Cars 2

Christmas Eve

Can you believe Christmas is tomorrow?  We had a few more things to check off our list.  It wouldn't be Christmas without visiting the life size Nativity at the Egberts' home.  This wasn't that hard to do.  Zoe and I had the privilege of attending a special Birthday Tea Party for Suelen Egbert.  We got to taste so many yummy Brazilian treats.  She made this amazing chocolate cake that is to die for.  I hope she's around to make it for my birthday. The boys kindly dropped us off for the event and did a few last minute holiday errands.  When they picked us up we did a quick photo shoot before heading home.

Jack didn't know what to make of the giant camel, nor did he really want to be sitting on its back.  The older two had a blast playing and posing with the different figures.  There were way to many photos to post.  Some will make good blackmail material some day.  You would think with the way they acted that they owned the place.  We are so blessed to have the Egberts in our lives.

We spent Christmas Eve with the Christensens.  We ate lots of snacks, watched "The Polar Express," drank Hot Chocolate, and had a visit from one of Santa's Elves.  We found a package of Christmas Pajamas on their doorstep.  How did he know we'd be there?  We made sure to wrap things up pretty early since Christmas Morning would also be Sunday Morning.  Plus we needed to leave Santa plenty of time to visit our house.

Here is Jack and I enjoying the movie on the couch.

Kysha, Zoe, Noah, and Erik all cozy on the floor.

Our Family Picture.  Notice Mom & Dad match each other and the kids match each other (the same print, different colors).  I wonder if we can keep up this tradition?  Will the elf find our house next year?

Countdown to Christmas

The Christmas Season is upon us.  I don't feel ready for it at all, but I am ready for this year to end.  It has been a very eventful one at our house and not always in a good way.  I sometimes feel I have had more than my fair share of trials.  I have learned a lot from them and have come to realize my Heavenly Father's hand in my life.  When I was faced with something that seemed impossible to handle or deal with, there was some one right there encouraging me and helping me out.  It's funny how things work out that way.

We decorated the tree the other night.

I wonder how many more years Dan can get away with re-decorating it after the kids have gone to bed.  They don't seem to notice how drastically different it looks when they wake up in the morning.  I think it would be fun to leave it as is.  The kids always have a favorite branch, where all their ornaments end up.  So only half of the tree looks decorated.  This drives Dan crazy, he wants his tree to look perfect.  This is our attempt to keep a one year old from destroying the tree, tuck it in the corner and block most of it with the couches.  We shall see how it works.

Last night was the Ward Christmas Party and Talent Show.  I was so busy making sure that the food was ready to serve and everything was running smoothly that I missed out on a bunch of things.  Thanks to the Foist family my kids got to visit with Santa.  Too bad I never figured out where the pictures were posted.  Zoe was eager to ask Santa for a baby sister, I don't think she knows how things work.  Noah was yet again
terrified to sit on Santa's lap and really didn't know what to ask him for.  It took a lot of bribing and convincing him to do it.  I'm not sure how Jack did.  Next year he should be more aware of things.

The kids participated in the Talent Show.  They sang, "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas," with a bunch of kids from the ward.  Janie was kind enough to take a few pictures for me.  In all the craziness of getting out of the house on time and all my responsibilities I forgot the camera.

Dan Participated in the "12 Days of Christmas," with a lot of the priesthood brethren.  He was number 2 this year.  He created his own costume, fashioning it after Napoleon Dynamite.  He was really creative and came up with 12 different ways of saying, "Two Turtle Doves."

Unfortunately, Noah missed his Winter Concert this year.  He had the misfortune of coming down with a stomach bug the morning of the performance.  He was particularly bummed since he had a solo part.  The countdown to Christmas Break has officially begun.

Peek a Boo and Other Tricks

Where is Jack Jack?
There he is!
Where is Jackson?
Peek a Boo!
Jack has figured out how much fun it is to hide behind curtains and play peek a boo. He thinks he is so funny and it keeps him entertained for a while. That is as long as someone is willing to notice him.

Jack is getting very good at being aware of what is going on around him. The other night Dan began making kettle corn. Jack caught on quickly. He went to the draw pulled out a bowl and handed it to Dan. He then proceeded to stand there watching and pointing to the popcorn popper. He could hardly wait for the tasty treat to be ready.

Here he is enjoying his own bowl...

I am Thankfull for...

Zoe had a homework assignment the week before Thanksgiving to write down a thing or two she was thankful for. Her initial response was the Prophet. This made me smile, but I thought we should do something a little different since she attends a community based program. In an effort to achieve this we made the following lists. One for Noah and one for Zoe. I find their answers and reasoning very comical.

Zoe (in the order she gave me)

1. The Prophet - he leads the church
2. light switches - to turn lights on and off with
3. light bulbs - they light the rooms
4. TV - to watch shows on
5. houses - to keep us warm
6. Heavenly Father
7. Jesus - he's our savior
8. brothers - they help me
9. Mom & Dad - they make us food
10. baby brother - because he's my baby brother
11. jackets - because they keep you warm
12. coloring books - to color
13. crayons, pencils, paints - to draw with
14. toys - just to play with
15. chairs - just to sit in
16. attics - so you can get air
17. friends - they help us
18. cars - to go places in
19. diapers - because they're for babies
20. fans - they keep you cool
21. clothes - because they keep you warm
22. pets - so you can train them
23. cups & straws - to drink
24. refrigerator - to get water
25. shelves - because you can put stuff on them
26. wallets - to put you license plate and money in
27. phones - so you can call people
28. vacuum - you can clean your house
29. baby sitters - they can watch your kids while you're gone
30. cd's - to listen to songs and watch movies
31. cousins - to play with
32. homework - so we can learn
    

Noah (in the order he gave me)

1. water - because it's good for you and good calories
2. bathrooms - because they help you in an emergency
3. Heavenly Father
4. Jesus - he's our savior
5. rain - because it gives you water
6. exercise - it gets you energy
7. food - so we don't starve
8. outside - because it gives you fresh air
9. veggies - because they're healthy
10. plants - they help us grow
11. beds - they help you get sleep
12. families - because they help you learn
13. clocks - because they tell time
14. books - so you can read
15. fans - because they keep you cool
16. bags - because you can put stuff in them
17. airplanes - so you can get somewhere fast
18. brothers & sisters - because they can help you do stuff
19. grandparents - so you can visit them
20. Mom & Dad - because they can help you

It was so hard to hold in the laughter with a few of their responses. However, it was nice to see all the things we have to be thankful for.

I wasn't feeling so thankful at the time. I was having a little trouble seeing the blessings around me. I was more frustrated with our continual furnace problems. The money it was costing us to get it fixed. Them not fixing it right the first time. The hassle of flipping the breaker to get it to work in the mean time. How long it was taking to get it fixed. Finding out that the builder installed it wrong and that it shouldn't have passed code. And that it still might not be fixed completely and that we should consider replacing a third piece or buying a completely new furnace. Basically I was feeling pretty sorry for myself.

I'm glad I have my kids to remind me of the good things around me.

Thanksgiving 2011

I didn't get any pictures of our Thanksgiving Celebration. I guess I was too busy visiting. We had a fun filled Thanksgiving weekend. We got up early Thursday morning and headed over the hill to Roseville, California. We were lucky enough to make it over the pass before the snow started sticking to the roads. Our destination was Aunt Charlynn's. We were the first ones to arrive and were able to help with the many preparations going on. I got to help cut up vegetables for the stuffing and scoop out the corn fritters. Dan got to help with the gravy and other side dishes. The kids got to help gather eggs from the chickens.

Zoe was spoiled rotten by Lindsey. She got her hair styled several times. She got her fingernails and toenails painted. Along with other girly things. Noah got to rough house with his Uncles: Matt, Jason, and Cameron (all 3 of Dan's brothers were there) Tommy.

Dinner consisted of two types of turkey. One oven baked and one smoked. We also had mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes with and without marshmallows, broccoli, stuffing, rolls, two jello salads, corn fritters. It was good, but dessert was amazing. Uncle John brought the yummiest pies ever. He brought the best Pecan Pie ever. I am not a big fan of pecan pie as it usually just taste like super sweet sugar to me. However he made one that actually tasted like pecans. He also made a marscapone pie in a chocolate cookie crust with chocolate chips and homemade carmel to drizzle on top. It was heavenly. There was also a chocolate cream pie, a coconut cream pie, a berry pie, and a pumpkin pie.

After dinner we headed up the hill to Grandma Sandi's house. Papa Tim was kind enough to watch Noah and Zoe while the rest of us went Black Friday Shopping. Walmart was crazy, but we had a pretty good system. We almost got everything on our list. Dan waited in line for the electronics that went on sale at midnight. He also held Jack most of the time. My mom and I took turns watching carts and scouting out merchandise. We'd grab the right sizes and then meet back together and decided what to keep and what to keep back. We helped a few fortunate people by letting them pick out of our carts. Checkout was kind of a nightmare but we all survived. Dan and I splurged and got us a nice gift that I'll talk about later. Most of the stuff we picked up for the kids was very unexciting. We found a Rio blue-ray combo pack for $10 that we gave them early as an incentive for good behavior. I was also able to grab a few long sleeved plain colored tees at a cheap price.

The next day (Friday) Auntie Tiffany was willing to watch the 3 kids while my mom, dad, Dan, and I headed down the hill to check out the deals at Kohl's. We then made our way to Burlington Coat Factory. On the way home we had fish tacos at Rubio's. It was a nice kid free day. We made it home in time to make dinner for a big crew. My brother Trevor happened to be in town with his 5 kids, visiting his in-laws. My nieces also decided to come home early from their Thanksgiving celebrations when they heard so many cousins were in town. By the end of the evening we had a grand total of 10 kids running around the house creating noise and chaos.

We were pretty lazy Saturday and didn't head back over the hill as early as we would have liked to. But we made it home in time to get everyone ready for bed so we could go to church the next morning.

Too Much Help

Is it possible to have too much help? Or maybe the wrong kind of help? That's what I'm dealing with these days. Especially when it comes to doing the laundry or emptying the dishwasher. I'm starting to think Jack has built in sonar. He knows the minute the dishwasher is opened or the minute the washing machine is opened. He comes running and starts emptying it or filling it. Once in awhile he gets the job right.

Like here:

He was actually taking wet clothes from the washer and putting them in the dryer. He was so proud of himself. He was doing such a good job.

However, I turn my head for a moment and find him doing this:

Emptying out the wet clothes from the dryer. Putting them back in the washer or mixing them with my nice clean and dry clothes. So 50% of the time he is very helpful, the other 50% of the time he is creating more work for me.

When it comes to the dishwasher he is really good about taking out the dirty dishes and scattering them throughout the house. Or worse yet sticking them in his mouth. Other times he is emptying the drawer of clean bowls and putting them in the dishwasher full of dirty dishes. When the dishes in the dishwasher are clean he takes them out and puts them in his mouth. Creating more dirty dishes. I'm trying to remember to do it when he is in his highchair, or taking a nap.

I know these are good teaching tools. Plus he really isn't hurting anything. He's teaching me patience. Sometimes it can be a fun game and I often find it very entertaining. I just need to relax a bit and remember what is most important. Spending quality time with my children. Not keeping a perfect house.

Who knows, maybe he'll be good at doing the laundry like Noah is. Or learn to love doing the dishes.

Twins

Noah was so excited to find matching PJs for him and Jackson.

(As you can see Jack didn't want to cooperate for a picture.)

He loves dressing like his little brother.

I don't know how much longer we can pull this off. It's getting harder and harder with how fast Noah is growing.

This is what Jack wanted to do instead of posing for a picture.

Eagle Project

We had the opportunity to assist Colton Egbert with his Eagle Project. The task at hand was to deliver 72 Hour kits to some elderly people through out the Reno, Sparks, Fernley, Fallon, and Silver Springs area.

We were fortunate to get a family route, so we loaded up the van and headed into town after a short instructional meeting and some yummy doughnuts. Our route took us to some very different areas of Sparks and Reno.

Our first stop was in a poorer area of Sparks, behind the drive in movie theater. The lady was really sweet and surprised to see us at her door. She was dressed in her robe and was so concerned that Zoe wasn't wearing her jacket. She offered us a sweater, but I assured her it was in the car and that she'd refused to put it on.

Our second stop was in a very upscale neighborhood of Reno. On the outskirts of where the Coughlin Ranch fire was. The lady opened the door, quickly said: "Sorry, I'm sleeping," and then shut the door. We left her kit on her doorstep along with her newspaper. This really confused and bothered Noah. He couldn't understand why she would lie. She couldn't be sleeping if she answered the door.

No one was home at our third stop. It was in a nicer apartment complex. Just a few blocks from police barricades due to the fire the day before. So we left his kit at the door.

Our fourth and fifth stop where in a run down trailer park near the Summit Sierra mall.

Unfortunately no one was home, so we left them on their enclosed porches.

So we had a pretty quiet and uneventful route. We found out the next day that others in the group had much more entertaining stories to share.

It was a good day doing service and spending the time together. I think it was a very eye opening experience for our kids to see how others live and how fortunate we are to have a nice house to live in and nice car to drive.

Since we were in Reno already we took advantage of the time and ran a few errands. Had a nice lunch, stocked up at Sam's Club, and got our tire fixed at Costco.

Turkey Bingo Night

Cottonwood Elementary School held it's annual Turkey Bingo Night. A fun family game night and fundraiser for the school. You bought bingo cards 5 for $1. There were supposed to be 18 rounds, but due to time they cut out a few. It wasn't just regular bingo either. A few rounds were "blackout", "Picture Frame", "L", "T", I never knew there were so many ways to play.

Here is my Bingo partner.

He lasted through all the rounds. In the end he was even using multiple cards. I think it was a really good learning tool. By the end of the night he was really good at recognizing his numbers. Zoe lasted about 2 games. Lucky for me Jack slept through a good chunk of it or was very content to eat the snacks I brought for him. Especially since we had to go without Daddy. He wasn't back from training in Phoenix. Our efforts paid off...I won a Ham in the Blackout Bingo round.

The kids came home with bags full of free books. They sold raffle tickets for a chance to win different themed baskets. Noah was very disappointed that he didn't win the craft basket as they had some cool feathers in it. He really wanted to make a turkey with them. They also sold refreshments.

The best part is that Daddy showed up in time to help us all out to the car. I was struggling to carry the ham, a sleeping baby in his car seat, the new books, the diaper bag, and to keep track of the two older kids.

It was a fun evening I can't wait to participate again.

14 Months Old

Another month has come and gone. The days go by so fast. My little guy is getting so big these days. For starting out as my runt, I believe he is quickly passing them up. I'll have to dig out the height and weight stats and compare. For that matter I'll have to put Jack on the scale.

We've managed to stay well since our hospital stay in June.

His personality is developing more and more each day. He is such a clown at times. He loves laughing, making sniffing noises, and clicking his tongue. He also thinks it it hilarious to stick out his tongue and move it back and forth.

He loves playing with toy cars or anything with wheels and can make car noises.

He laughs like the count on Sesame Street.

He is still a boy of very few words, but he has no problem letting you know what he wants. He points to his bottles or the fridge when he wants milk. He brings you a diaper if he wants changed. He grabs a plate or bowl if he thinks you are going to eat with out him.

He is a master at shaking his head yes and no. Not always for the right reasons.

One thing I get a little tired of is his shrieking. He doesn't really cry, but if he wants your attention, wants something different, or someone has taken something from him, or just out of frustration...he lets out this ear piercing shriek. Hopefully this will subside as we add to his vocabulary.

He raids my pantry for cereal and crackers and helps himself if the door is left open.

He loves, loves, loves ice cream cones. He loves the ice cream, but I'm beginning to think it's more about the cone.

He loves chocolate, marshmallows, and popcorn.

He is still a major "Daddy's Boy" I think it has gotten worse over the past month. He cries and cries when Dad passes him off to me. Plus he tries his darnedest to reach the pulpit during Sacrament Meeting every Sunday.

He loves dancing and has added a few new moves over this past month.

He knows what kind of music he does and does not like. He's not a big fan of Country Music, we so have to work on this one.

He's got 4 teeth fully in on the top and 2 on the bottom. 2 molars are almost completely through on the top.

He loves tormenting his siblings by destroying what ever they are playing with in the toy room.

He feels our days with so much joy.

Jack's Table Manners

I have forgotten how entertaining meal time can be with a toddler. We have a long way to go when it comes to table manners. We have to learn that bowls and plates are not hats, food doesn't belong on your head or the floor, we don't play with food, and so on. It doesn't help that he is so cute about it and that it is hard to contain or refrain from laughing at his antics. It probably doesn't help that I grab the camera because I want to document his creativeness.

Here he is playing with his bowl of rice...

Why eat the bread when you can make silly faces with it?

Look you are all green if I look through my plate.

Maybe my plate will taste better than mom's cooking.

Maybe my plate will help keep my head warm, since the furnace isn't working all the time.