Sitting with Santa...and liking it

We had our ward Christmas party the weekend before Christmas. I was asked to do a musical number, so our whole family sang, "Picture a Christmas" (the primary song...which I love). Santa made a surprise visit to the party as well. You know those pictures of toddlers who are screaming and crying as they are sitting on Santa's lap. Well, that was NOT my son at all. Caelan, Ben, and Megan weren't ever terrified of Santa at that age, but they liked him more from a distance. Nathan, on the other hand, was elated at the chance to be able to sit on his lap. He was grinning from ear to ear, and he talked and talked to him. A bunch of other parents were totally surprised. And he LOVED the candy cane he got from him. It was great.

First Snow of the Season

YAY! We got our first "real" snow of the season. There was a tiny little snow sprinkling the week before Thanksgiving, but this is the first snow that is actually piling up (we've probably gotten 3 inches so far). I was really hoping to get a good storm before Christmas, and even though it will probably melt by next weekend, it sure is fun to look out the window and see snow falling (and it has been going all day). The kids are loving it (well, until Nathan's hands get too cold - then he's not such a fan). We tried to make a snowman, but it's just too powdery...but we did make snow cones and eat them. YUM! We got a snow suit from Grandma Sorensen the last time we were in CA, which definitely helped him stay warmer.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

We are fully into the Christmas season. Dad was out of town again last week (in Texas doing some training on how to be a trainer). The kids and I pulled out the Christmas decorations for the inside of the house (except the tree). We also made some homemade Christmas card to send to servicemen who won't be able to home for Christmas, and we've been reading a Christmas story every night. Then the weekend hit...and we had Christmas activities galore.

Dad and I then put up the Christmas lights on the outside of the house (which look fantastic, by the way.....not very many people will see them because of where our house is located, but they look great to us - simple, but nice).

That evening we headed into Albuquerque to a Stake Center that had over 400 nativities set up around the building (anything from snowmen nativities to crocheted blanket nativities to nativity sets from all around the world).

After that we drove downtown and found a great seat on the curb to watch the light parade, which was fun. The kids especially loved when people handed out candy (we're seriously going to have a sugar fast after the holidays...).

On Monday we went to Albuquerque Botanical Garden River of Lights (a huge light display set up all over the gardens). Very fun.

Thanksgiving in Casa Grande

We had a nice Thanksgiving in Casa Grande with a bunch of the Dick family (Great Grammy Dick, Grandpa Dick and all his brothers and their families and Grandma Dick and Lindsay). We went to the park one of the days that we were there. Nathan has become a little playing machine at the park. He climbs up on all the equipment with no fear. He has been doing this for a quite a while now, but we got some pretty good pictures while we were there. He loves the slide. He will go up and down the slide over and over again.

Little Boy for Sure

Nathan came into the living room the other day and let out a huge burp. Then he giggled and giggled about it. And then he went back, got more water, came in and burped again. He thought he was just so funny. I was totally shocked - he seems so young to find amusement from bodily noises. He is definitely a boy!!

Tom the Thankful Turkey

Here's a little bit of what we have been up to lately:

* Nathan and I accompanied Megan's preschool class on a field trip to a place called Hoots. It's one of those indoor jumping places complete with a giant slide, a blow-up obstacle course and more. The kids had a blast (and I even got in there and had all the fun jumping and sliding around too).

* Dad went on a scout camping trip last weekend. While he was gone the kids and I went to the Family Movie Night at the school. They showed Toy Story 3 (such a cute little show). We wore our pajamas and laid out blankets and pillows on the ground and got a few snacks that were being sold there. Overall, it was a fun night. And boy, was it chilly when we got back into our car to go home.

* Last week for Family Home Evening we made "Tom the Thankful Turkey". We all got to think of a different blessing and write it on a feather or two and add it to the turkey. The kids wanted me to make more feathers so that they could add more throughout the week. It was a hit. It is now hanging in our living room until Thanksgiving.

* We ordered pizza from a new place that we wanted to try last weekend. It was very tasty (definitely a place to go again). Nathan was chowing down on the Parmesan cheese PLAIN. What a nut.

* Sunday was the Primary Program in our ward (the Sunday where all the young kids put on the Sacrament meeting program). Nathan loved seeing his brother and sisters up on the stand.

Halloween

Halloween this year was comprised of: ward Halloween party, trunk-or-treating, carving pumpkins, dressing up (Nathan was a leopard), eating lots of candy (which was mostly the only thing that Nathan cared about). Yum.

Visit from Aunt Lindsay

Last week we were so lucky to have Aunt Lindsay come to stay with us for a few days. She drove up with Great Grandma Dick (Sean's Grandma) who stayed at Tom and Carolyn's house. We loved having her here and also enjoyed our visits with Grandma as well. One of the days they were here we took a fun field trip to the Albuquerque Bio Park. We went to the aquarium and then walked around the Botanic Gardens, which has a fun train display. Nathan LOVED all the sea life. He kept saying "feesh, mo feesh" (translation: "fish, more fish"). There was a big puffer fish in the big tank that just hung out right by the glass. It looked like it was a friendly thing, just happy for all the attention.

We are New Mexicans

We are now New Mexicans. We moved out on Sept 29 and got to New Mexico on Oct 1st. our stuff didn't arrive for about 4 days, so we camped out in the front room all together for a few nights. The kids loved wandering around checking out the closets and the upstairs.
We moved right as the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta was going on. It is the world's premier hot air balloon event. We got up ridiculously early on Saturday, Oct 9th and headed to Balloon Fiesta park. There was definitely traffic, but we figured that we planned it just about perfect (not too early, so we didn't have to stand around in the frigid air for too long, but just in time to get a little snack and find a place to stand to watch the balloons take off). It was pretty awesome! Nathan was a little sad at first (I think he was cold and not quite adjusted to the whole move yet), but he eventually came around and had fun pulling the wagon that we rented. We got to stand right there on the field with all of the balloons that are taking off all around. We saw fun-shaped balloons (Darth Vader, SpongeBob, a GIANT cow, the Wells Fargo Wagon and lots more). There were about 500 balloons that took off that morning. On our way back to the car we stopped and petted the police horses that were all over the park. Nathan thought this was pretty great. Well worth the wee early hours.

Happy 2nd Birthday

Nathan is TWO!

Yesterday was Nathy's birthday. He turned 2 years old. Unfortunately he got a pretty good owie on his toe (pulled away some skin), which made him an unusually sad boy for a good half of the day. He finally came around to almost his normal self by the afternoon. We decided that we were going to celebrate today (yesterday was a pretty busy day, and we didn't think he would mind). The kids couldn't wait to give him their presents, though, so we let him do that last night. Because we are getting ready to move this week I already packed my stash of gift bags and paper. I didn't remember that until last night, so we wrapped up the presents in the kids' blankets. He was very excited about all of his presents (especially the little snake Caelan got him - yep, he liked the $.99 gift the best). We continued the birthday celebration today with cake and ice cream. He has really started expanding his vocabulary, and he constantly is telling me EVERY time he sees a truck or bus or car. So, we made his a dump truck cake - he was pretty pleased about that.

Some fun things about Nathan right now:
*He is still a very big boy (weighs around 33 pounds).
*He loves to run around, especially in circles around our kitchen
*He is a climber (at least once every day he climbs up onto the counter in the bathroom and puts his feet in the sink and turns on the water, often getting his pants and clothes wet in the process). That is one of the many places he frequently climbs.
*He is exploding is his speech. It took him a long time to start saying many words, but in the last month it seems like he is saying new words every day (and copying us a lot).
*He loves cheese, watermelon, cucumbers, macaroni and cheese, peaches and anything sweet.
*He is not a big dinner eater. Most of the time he just picks at his plate (even when it's something he likes).
*He LOVES to ride around on Megan's little trike or Ben's big wheel. He often gets on it when we are getting ready to leave for school, and starts bookin' it down the sidewalk.
*He has discovered the word, "No"...and he really likes to use it.
*He can tell me where most of his major body parts are.
*He is finally coming around to liking our dog, Bruno. Even though Bruno has been a part of the family since Nathan was born, Nathan has not been very fond of him. He is finally at a point where he doesn't cry hysterically anytime Bruno is near by.
*He loves to say animal sounds and point out any animal he sees on a walk or in a book or while we are driving. This is especially comical when he sees something in a book in the middle of church and bursts out, "Moo" loud enough for everyone to hear.
*Even though he sleeps really well at nap time and bedtime, he has ALWAYS let us know that he doesn't like the fact that we are putting him to bed (he cries every time we put him down in his bed - just for about 15 seconds until we are out of the room - I guess it's his routine and he wants to stick to it).
*He has the most jolly laugh, and his whole face smiles.
*He is very curious and loves to get into all sorts of things.
*He absolutely LOVES bath time. He would be happy if he could take a bath three times a day.
*He is a fun and happy little boy, and we all love him to pieces.

Blah Blah Blah

The kids started school: Caelan's in 2nd grade, Ben's in Kindergarten and Megan is in morning preschool. So it's only Nathan and me in the mornings. We usually go running and then run errands (if we need to). It's kind of fun to just have some one on one time with him everyday. He is always very excited to go and get the kids though....

He still doesn't say too much, but he is trying harder to copy what we say. I don't think it will be too long before he is saying stuff on his own. He has a special name for his favorite blue blanket. He calls it "vita." One day I practiced saying "blanket" with him. I said, "Say 'bla,' "bla,' 'blanket'," He said, "bla, bla, bla, vita." So I know it's not that he can't pronounce the "b" sound - it's just that he has a name for it, and that is what he wants to call it.

20 Day Summer Trip

The BIG Adventure
Well, we just got home (on Saturday) from our big summer trip. We were gone for 20 days (13 of which were just me and the kids), traveled about 2,400 miles and went to 3 different family reunions (plus some other visiting). Lots of fun, and now happy to be back home. Here's the condensed version of the trip:

Day 1: Drove to Flagstaff, got a flat tire on the trailer, but nothing too big. Took over 12 hours). We got to the campsite and immediately headed over to the family fireside. We set up a camping chair, Nathan sat in the chair, Nathan fell over in the chair, and Nathan had a bloody owie on his forehead. Good start.
Day 2: Played at the Sorensen Family Reunion (kickball, building forts, line dancing, etc). Did a service project (clearing the property for more tent sites).
Day 3: Went to Wupatki Ruins (cool Indian dwellings). Nathan walked all over the place...and LOVED the freedom.
Day 4: Left the Sorensen Reunion. Went to Mesa Temple. Sean met with a boss in Phoenix. Made it to Grandpa and Grandma Dick's and went swimming
Day 5: Swam and swam and swam. Nathan wasn't so sure about the water today.
Day 6: Swam some more. Played Farkle. Nathan slipped on the ground by the pool and landed straight on his head. He got a serious-sized goose egg. But, he also realized today that he LOVES the water. At first he held on to my neck with a death grip. Then I started swirling him around in the water and he thought that was pretty fun. So I did it faster and faster and he realized this water thing is pretty great.
Day 7: Went to church with Grandpa and Grandma Dick and took Dad to the airport (Nathan cried hysterically as he watched Dad walk away).
Day 8: Went to visit our favorite dentist (Grandpa) - everyone except Nathan. Had a small car problem that was easily solved with a $.99 can of coke. Then swam. Nathan started jumping off the edge to me today....and loving it.
Day 9: Last day of swimming. Nathan got so brave with the jumping that a couple of times he jumped before I was even ready. At least I was close by. Played Farkle. Grandma opened a door and it hit Nathan in the head. He just can't catch a break.
Day 10: Left Grandpa and Grandma Dick's at 5:30 AM. Traveled for 9ish hours to Brian Head, UT for the Grant Family Reunion. Had story time with my Grandma Grant.
Day 11: Went to Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks. BEAUTIFUL! Had a wonderful testimony meeting that night with the family. Stayed up until 4:15 AM chatting with Charity.
Day 12: Rode the Brian Head ski lift (had a small heart attack inside as all my kids rode too, but they loved it). Nathan got to wear a full blown helmet on his head as he was riding (it made me feel better though). Had a karaoke party that night where almost every person in the family participated. Caelan rocked her song, "Won't say I'm in Love" from Hercules.
Day 13: Left the Grant reunion. Aunt Kyra was swinging Nathan on a tire-made horse swing. He loved it, but then slipped off and had a real good fall. He had to bloody scrapes on his arms and his forehead was bruised and a little bloody. He screamed for a good half hour - it was that bad. Eventually he calmed down and was then totally fine the rest of the day (minus he war wounds). Had lunch at Chuck-O-Rama with Brittney and Porter and their girls and Charity and Coren and the Sorensen clan. Then drove up to Charity and Chad's that evening.
Day 14: Went to church with Charity and Chad (Nathan LOVED the nursery here - go figure - he went right in and played the whole time). Had left over Cafe Rio salads from the reunion with Dan and Natalie and their family that night. YUM.
Day 15: Slowly lounged around in the morning. Took a quick trip to Walmart to get food for the last reunion. Drove up to Jordanelle Reservoir near Park City. Hung out on the lake. Took a ride on the boat.
Day 16: Played at the lake ALL day. Rode the boat. We all took a turn being pulled on the tube, except Nathan. He did take a little ride on the boat though. The kids loved it. Moved our campsite up the hill. Had a family dinner and Family Home Evening that night. Nathan went to bed fairly easy even with everyone in the same tent.
Day 17: Played at the lake again. We totally wore out Nathan, and since there were no beds nearby he fell asleep on the next best thing - a rock....HE HE HE. He had fun in the water here and there. Rented and rode Wave Runners. Loads of fun. The kids really liked this. Wiped out only once with Kyra and Brooke. Ate fried burritos in the rain. Ate chocolate and graham crackers and marshmallows in our tent because it was too wet for a fire.
Day 18: Took down camp by 9:00 AM. Waited around with the Sorensen gang. Then headed to Jenny and Kelly's house in Layton.
Day 19: Spent the day at Jenny and Kelly's. The kids had all the fun playing in sprinklers, watching movies, dressing up, playing in the backyard and enjoying time with cousins. Ate pizza with Lani and hung out for a little while. Then started the journey home. I made it to Stateline where I got things ready to fall asleep in the van, but soon realized it was WAY too hot to sleep (even at 1:00 AM). So I drove for another half hour and then found a rest stop that was much more pleasant (going up that hill makes a huge difference). We all slept in the van until 6:45 the next morning.
Day 20: Finished the drive and got home at about noon. Lounged around for most of the day. So nice. Nathan was really a super traveler for most of the trip.

Balloons in Bed

The kids did this for Nathan yesterday morning when he woke up. I'm thinking he liked it....


At Caelan's birthday party a couple of days ago Megan was having a slight breakdown about something, and Nathan looked over at her so nicely wanting to see what he could do to help.


And here is a typical spaghetti dinner at our house....HE HE HE

Dick Family Reunion

It's become a tradition to rent a cabin in the mountains of Southern Utah and get together for a little family reunion with Sean's family for the Memorial Day weekend. We left on Wednesday evening so we wouldn't have to make the whole 9 hour drive on Thursday (which isn't really that long, but we wanted to get there earlier in the day). We stayed at Nevada Landing ($29 room with two queen beds - much better than sleeping in the van...HE HE HE). We spent the weekend riding quads and the Mule (4 or 5 seater ATV - slower than a quad for sure, but still a blast, and the kids LOVED it). Megan called it "the awesome thing." Anyway, we also explored Mammoth Cave (Nathan stayed outside with Grandma). Dad went fishing (and unfortunately didn't get a catch, but he got a few bites on his line). We took walks on trails along the stream and through the mountains. We roasted marshmallows in the fire pit behind the cabin and also in this cool log stove. The kids played outside and got dirty and had fun with cousins. A fabulous time was had by all.

The drive home was RIDONCULOUS! I guess we should know by now to avoid Las Vegas holiday traffic at any cost! We thought we left earlier enough to beat it, but it took us 2 hours to get from Vegas to State Line. Holy Moly. But we finally made it home...eventually.

Water Lovin' Boy

Here is our water lovin' boy. He loves all things having to do with the bathroom. I have found him in there multiple times using the little potty seat as a cup and scooping up water from the regular toilet and drinking it. YIKES!! Other times he just uses the scooper and makes huge puddles all over the floor. I try to keep the door closed, but three other little kids in and out it is almost always open. He LOVES the bath. He would take a bath two times a day everyday if I let him. Sometimes he gets in even when it's not time to take a bath (fully clothed and everything). The kids like to use the foot bath every now and then, and Nathan gets right in there with the rest of them (and throws little fits when he thinks it should be his turn). And just the other day we were having a productive Saturday (chores, workin' on cars, checkin' out the yard sales, etc) and we went out to manually turn on our front sprinklers for a few minutes before we went out to dinner. Before we knew it Caelan, Ben and Megan were outside in their swimsuits ready to cool off. Nathan didn't need a swimsuit - he got right on in there in his clothes, playing right down by the spickets. I'm thinking we will be having a lot of sprinkler days coming up here soon.

Watermelon Lovers

Watermelon season is here. And Nathan is as crazy about the fruit as the rest of this family. I'll cut up a big slice of watermelon, and the hands start grabbing and grabbing faster and faster afraid it will be gone before they can get their hands on the next piece. Nathan is right in there doing the same thing. He loves most fruits: bananas, apples (which he has started to eat whole like his big brother), strawberries, blueberries, peaches (if they are cut up fresh or canned), pears (sometimes). He's not so sure about oranges, although he LOVES an orange julius (which we make pretty regularly around here).

Adventureland

So, we are celebrating Ben's birthday in stages. We were gone on April 5th - his actual birthday, but Grandma made some cupcakes for him. I asked him a few weeks ago if he wanted to have a party with friends or go somewhere fun as a family. He chose the latter. So, yesterday we did our family fun trip. We went to Adventureland - a Family Fun Center here in town. The kids rode the bumper boats and go-karts. Nathy was pretty content to run around EVERYWHERE and slurp on his drink. Afterwards we went to Me & Ed's - a pretty yummy pizza place. The kids were wired (climbing over and under the table and booths), and it was pretty ironic when a middle aged couple (just a husband and wife) sitting at a table next to us dropped their pizza on the ground. Here we are with craziness emitting from all parts of our group and this calm, quiet couple causes a big scene (oh, I'm sure they were mortified). Good times!

Homemade Pizza

Here's a funny little picture of my two shirtless dudes: one couldn't find his jammy shirt and the other wouldn't hold still long enough for me to put it on him.

Last Friday we all made our own pizzas: homemade crust and sauce and everything. Everyone got to roll out their own dough and then choose what toppings they wanted (pepperoni, peppers, onions, pineapple, mushrooms and olives). I chose everything for Nathan. Then we cooked them up and ate them. Delish! The kids thought it was pretty fun to have their very own pizza pie, and it's always a treat to eat in the living room (on a blanket, of course) no matter what we eat.