Joy to the World

We had a wonderful Christmas: mellow and relaxing - just our little clan. We enjoyed a stress-free Christmas Eve day (a quick trip to Walmart for a handful of things that morning and then we just hung around for the rest of the day). We had turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy and peas for dinner, with Sparkling Apple Cider. We haven't established a firm Christmas Eve food tradition yet (we heard about a couple of people who do homemade pizza on Christmas Eve, which peaked our interest a little.... maybe we'll try that next year). We talked about what Christmas really means as we sat around the dinner table. That evening we had a Family Home Evening where we read the scripture from our Christmas chain (our chain this year included a scripture or a story from the Friend or a song each night, which has been a nice way to incorporate the true meaning throughout the entire month). We prayed and then watched "Muppet Christmas Carol." The kids got treats ready for Santa and then headed to bed. We got going the next morning at around 7 AM. We opened presents. Nathan got a remote control car, Cars 2, cars, Lincoln logs with train table and a Batman mask. The last presents were the new quads we got (one was in the garage and the other was wrapped up in the front room). Sean watched as the kids took turns riding the little quad later that day. The kids played and played with their new loot. Tom and Carolyn and Rachael and Great Grammy Dick came over that afternoon for dinner: ham, scalloped potatoes, rolls, roasted vegetables, orange salad and pie for dessert. It was a perfect kind of day.

Family Photos

We finally got some family pictures taken....the first time we have ever paid to have pictures taken. WOW! IT went well. The kids were all pretty happy, the weather was decent. Nathan is at the tricky age where he wants to over-smile. We got some cute ones though. We had to take a few more a couple weeks after the first set because our photographer (our good friend) realized she didn't have her lens on the right setting (so we wouldn't be able to blow them up very big). The second time around we mostly did family shots because those are the ones we want to really enlarge. The second time we just took the pictures right in our own yard.

Thanksgiving at the Cabin

This year we wanted to get out of dodge for Thanksgiving....but we didn't really want to drive all that far, so we coordinated a Thanksgiving holiday in Heber, AZ with Grandpa and Grandma and Great Grammy Dick. We stayed at their friends, the Moore's, cabin. It was great! We had a tasty Thanksgiving dinner (we made most of it before we left and carried it with us: I made homemade sausage and roasted mushroom stuffing, sweet potatoes, raspberry pretzel jello, cranberry sauce, two kinds of cheese balls and pumpkin pie. We also had turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, peas and homemade apple pie. Delish. We spent the rest of the weekend watching movies, playing games (the kids were introduced to the game, Sorry, and they loved it), riding quads, playing outside, doing a little exploring and hiking, crocheting (a new skill I learned from Sean's Mom while we were there). We also had a bonfire in the yard and roasted hotdogs and made smores. Sean and Grandpa took the kids fishing in a fishing boat. They came home with 5 fish: Nathan even boasted about catching one (it did get caught on his hook, although Sean reeled it in). We went to church on Sunday morning, ate homemade lasagna that Grammy Dick made and then packed it up and headed home. It was a very relaxing and fun weekend, minus that Nathan wet the bed the last night we were there. He was sleeping on one of the couches. EEK! I had to do some good cleaning - especially since I found out that the couple who owns the cabin doesn't usually lend it out to people with little kids. We got it under control and headed home.

So Many Parties

Nathan dressed up for his preschool party the day before Halloween. Then on the actual holiday the kids dressed up for school. They have a costume parade and then class parties. I took the boys and went to watch the parade and then make our rounds to the parties. I took Nathan to Library Story Time that morning, where he dressed up. Then, that night we stopped by the Beehive Home (an assisted living home) and the kids went trick-or-treating from door to door. Then we headed over to our ward party. Dad made his famous chili - with all the spices and peppers in it this time. It got gobbled right up. The kids came home with a loot of candy, as usual.

McCall's Pumpkin Patch

We've always wanted to go to the well-known McCalls Pumpkin Patch in Moriarty, but we haven't quite gotten there yet. This year Megan took a field trip with her class there, and then Nathan's preschool class went about a week later. Austin and I went along with Nathan. We took a hayride over to the pumpkin fields where we each picked a pumpkin to take home. Then we went to the petting zoo area: pigs, goats, bunnies, sheep, chickens, cows, etc. There was a fun underground slide that Nathan had fun going down. Then he spent lots of time over at the new fort playground. We explored the old western town and both boys enjoyed playing in the corn pit. Maybe next year will be the year that the whole family goes together....

Fishing Campout with the Scouts

Nathan got to join Dad and some of his Scouts on a fishing campout this weekend. There weren't a ton of boys going, so there was space in the car, so Dad let him tag along. What a lucky guy!

Happy 4th Birthday

Nathan went to preschool and brought a special treat to share (fish sugar cookies). Then he went to his buddy, Jonah's house for a couple of hours. Tuesdays are our busy nights, but we managed to get dinner in before we headed off to soccer practice and such. Originally he told me he wanted noodles and rice for dinner. I asked him several more times to see if we could get something other than carbs added to the menu. Two days before his birthday he told me he wanted "the same dinner as last night. Only no peppers and no meat and no zucchini." I said, "so you want corn on the cob?" "Yep, just corn on the cob." HE HE HE. I managed to get him to agree to chicken, so we had chicken, rice, corn on the cob and red peppers ("not cooked"). He had been telling me for months that he wanted a shark cake (I'm thinking he got the idea from Jonah who had been saying the same thing). Then about a week before his birthday he changed his mind and said a wolf cake. Then he changed his mind again. The day before his birthday I went through thing after thing (cars, race track, truck, shark, monkey, any other animal I could think of, beach, etc, etc - probably 30 things, showing him pictures of different options and everything). Sometimes he would said yes to something and then a minute later he would say no. Finally I gave up and decided to make my own choice. So I made him a snake cake, which he was happy as could be about. It was a fun day. The next morning he asked me if it was still his birthday. I said, "no, but guess how old you are," and he got a big grin on his face and held up 4 fingers. Nathan is quite the character in our home. He is a real mix between the personalities of all our kids. He is just an all around fun kid - fun and happy. He's smart. We can see the wheels moving around in his head (about all sorts of different things). He is a sneaker. There has been more than one occasion that we have found big chunks taken out of the middle of cakes or brownies during the night (realizing it was him). He likes to ride bikes on the back deck and jump on the trampoline and jump from the couch to the love sac (despite the number of times I tell him not to). He loves cottage cheese, other cheese, most fruits, red and orange and yellow peppers (he will eat them like an apple), anything sugary (he must take after his Mom), chicken, rice, plain noodles, pancakes, and lots of other things. He will ask me if he can help me drive once we get onto our little dirt road almost every morning...and he has some pretty good control. He LOVES his little brother. Austin can make anything better for Nathan. He says great prayers. He finally likes our dog but isn't very fond of most other dogs (well, he likes them....from a distance). He is pretty independent and capable: can buckle himself in the car, put on his own clothes and shoes, take his own showers, help himself to his own snacks and is even pretty good at cleaning up (when it suits him). He says some awesome things. We just love him to bits and can't imagine life without him. Grandpa and Grandma Dick sent him a Swat costume in the mail for his birthday. At first he wasn't sure he wanted to try it on - he had another costume on at the time and was pretty content wearing that. But we convinced him and then he didn't want to take it off all day.

State Fair

State fair time in Albuquerque. We love to go to the state fair. We tag along with a home school group (so we get in for free). The day we went was "Military Day" so they had military gear for the kids to try on. Nathan loved going into the military tanks and vehicles. We got a milkshake to share from the Dairy Farm. They climbed the rock wall. We watched the pig races and walked through the McDonald's Farm.

Dirty Dash

We ran in our first ever "Dirty Dash." I ran earlier in the morning and then brought the kids later for the "Piglet Punge." This is just a one mile race where they still get to go through some of the mud puddles, but not as many of the obstacles. Nathan was all excited to do it, but after the first puddle the novelty had definitely worn off. He was DONE after the second puddle, which was super slippery and hard to climb out of. I pretty much held him for the last 1/2 to 2/3 of the mile. And then he wasn't very fond of rinsing off with the hose once we got home either. Maybe next year he'll like it a little more.

First Day of Preschool

Yesterday was Nathan's first day of preschool. He has been talking about going to "Megan's school" since her last day in the Spring. We have been counting down the weeks and days for the entire summer. And it got even worse once the other kids started school. He was so excited to get ready and go. He was ready to go get in the car a half an hour before we had to leave. When I went to pick him up at the end of the day he said, "I loved it Mom." His best little bud, Jonah, is in his class with him.

World Travelers....almost

We had a great summer trip in July/August.We were gone 18 days, we traveled through 10 states, we attended 3 family reunions and we traveled almost 4,000 miles (and our van made it without a problem the whole way). Here are some of the highlights of the trip:*Camping at Carlsbad State Beach - we were literally right above the shore and we could hear the waves crashing at night. We stayed here during the Sorensen Family Reunion. We spent an entire day at the beach. Of the 7 hours we were at the beach, Caelan was in the water for 6 of them (she is our little fish). Sean went out in the water, intending to just wade for a bit, but a wave caught him and took him down. Unfortunately he was wearing his glasses, which were taken right off with the wave. Luckily we found an Optometrist office that gave us a trial pair to take for free. We enjoyed another day at the park visiting, playing volleyball, eating yummy food etc.*Caelan made friends with a bunch of my cousins' daughters, which was fun to watch. Nathan also made a friend, Brinlee. They played and played together. One day she fell and got hurt and Nathan put his arm around her and walked her to her dad (it was so cute). I sent my cousin a message after we left the reunion telling her how fun it was to watch those two little ones play together. She wrote back saying that Brinlee had been telling her that Nathan is now her boyfriend. HA! Love it.*We hit up Los Hermanos on our way from southern CA up to Northern ID, which is always tasty (and brings back fun memories).*The trailer story (but that deserves a post all on it's own)*Camping at Farragut State Park (about 20 miles outside Cour d'Alene, ID). It was beautiful. We played at the lake, went boating, had campfires, took a day trip to a mountain resort, found a delicious ice cream parlor and got homemade ice cream cones and had a fun time visiting. *We made the next trip to the final reunion in Boise, ID. For this reunion we stayed in an empty house with some mattresses for beds. *For this reunion, the Taylor Reunion, we had a couple of swimming pool parties, we watched "How To Train Your Dragon" outside, and I actually got to watch a little bit of the Olympics....finally.*We spent one day floating along the Boise river. There were only three decent drops and Grandpa Sorensen fell right out on the first one, which gave us all a good laugh.

*We spent one night camping at a Reservoir about 30 minutes away. The grassy campground was right on the lake, and the water was super shallow so the kids spent lots of time way out in the water. We boated and jumped off the dock and made smores and had a fun little overnighter. *I met Corbin in Eagle Mountain, UT at Charity's house and we caravanned together back home to New Mexico.

Sneaky Sneakerson

About a week ago after putting the kids to bed we were watching TV in the living room and I heard a little noise. It didn't last long and I didn't hear any little voices so I just ignored it. When Dad and I went up to bed we noticed Nathan sleeping on the landing of the stairs that are right outside the living room. It was almost like he laid there and watched the show with us through the doorway. The next morning I got up to get the kids ready for school and I noticed in the kitchen that the cake (that was made for one of Dad's boy scouts for his birthday the night before) was stripped of it's frosting as well as being picked at. Dad sent me a text later that morning saying, "I guess Nathan was too full to make it back up to bed....HE HE HE." Silly boy. He is our sneaker - this is not the first time he has snuck out of bed to eat a treat.

Horse Riding

I'm not sure how I heard about it, but at some point before summer I learned about a horse ranch that offers sessions for kids for free in the summer. I tried to sign up online, but they didn't have a date that would work for us, so I put us on the waiting list. Last week we were notified of an opening, so we went over to Rio Rancho and spent the morning at a horse ranch. It is a great place where everything is paid for by donations and fundraisers and all the workers are volunteers. The kids loved it. They got to:
*Ride horses (the highlight of the day)- Nathan was so pleased with himself.
*Groom a horse
*Hold baby ducklings and chickens
*Scoop up horse poop - even this part was pretty fun for him.
*Pet goats and ponies
*Write cards to organizations that have donated goods and services
*Play in the play area which consisted of an outdoor kitchen, a saloon playhouse (with a tiny little piano inside and cowboy dress up clothes), giant tire, play trucks, playground equipment, a corn box (like a sand box, but with corn), water pump rubber duckie races and more.

I think all of the kids at one point that morning thanked me for taking them there. Good fun....and free. Can't beat that.

Hiking to the Cave

We had a fun family day on Saturday. We went up to Sandia Cave - short half mile hike up to the cave and then we went exploring inside. We tried to do some geocaching along the trail but we didn't have much luck. The kids loved it (except Megan who isn't so fond of close, dark spaces). We all came out with a yellow film all over our clothes and skin, so we stopped at the stream at the bottom of the trail and rinsed off. Nathan went in with shoes and socks on and everything.

Comb Your Hair

I told Nathan one morning that I needed to comb his hair. He didn't want to so he said he would wear a hat. He couldn't find his baseball cap, so he came out to the car in the middle of June wearing this.

Caelan and Ben slept on the trampoline one night. Nathan attempted it but came inside about 30 minutes later because he was too scared (Megan was too nervous to even try it). He and Megan wanted to sleep together. I thought they had gone up to Megan's room so I went to check on them before I went to bed, but they weren't there. I glanced into the boys room and this is what I saw:

Water Maniac

Dad took the Varsity Scouts to Moab for the first week in June. While he was gone I decided to take the kids to Grandpa and Grandma Dicks house in Arizona. We squeezed into our little Honda (which saved us probably $150 in gas) - it really wasn't too crowded at all. Aunt Jenny and her kids were there too, so all the kids had a great time playing with cousins. We did a LOT of swimming (twice every single day we were there - probably at least 15 hours of swimming). I decided not to put the kids in swim lessons this year, so I was hoping our trip to Grandma's house would help them all get a little more comfortable in the water. Nathan was pretty hesitant the whole time. He played on the step but would cling on to me for dear life anytime I took him off the step. Finally on the last afternoon we were there I grabbed him while he had his floaties on and took him out in the water. It only took him a minute to realize he could float on his own with the arm wings on. Then there was no stopping him - he was all over the pool and eventually started jumping off the edge and even went down the slide a few times and LOVED it. Too bad he didn't catch the vision 3 days earlier. Oh well - at least it finally came.
We also took a fun day trip to an indoor amusement park. It was great - small enough to be able to stand up and look around and be able to see all the kids, but big enough to have several different rides that were fun for the age of the kiddos. The first ride that everyone ran to was the fastest little coaster in the building. I thought Nathan was get a little nervous, but he got right on and laughed and laughed the entire time it went. It's one of those coasters that goes in a circle faster and faster and faster, and then stops and goes backwards.
Nathan also got to go and visit Grandpa Dick at his dentist office while we were there. He was great - sat right in the chair and was perfectly still the whole time.

New Family Reunion Location

This year after looking at several options Dad's parents found a cabin about 20 miles outside Durango Colorado. None of us had really spent much time there before so this was kind of a fun change. We went to a Gold Mine one day (it's a closed mine, but they have tours - they take you inside the mine in an actual mine train car and then tell you all sorts of stuff inside. When you're done you come out and can pan for gold). It was quite interesting and the kids enjoyed themselves. We found a little hike on the way back to the cabin. Dad carried Nathan part of the way up - I had Austin in the baby carrier on my back. We were supposed to be hiking to some lake. We found a body of water (I'm not sure it was the right one, but we called it good) and Nathan wanted Dad to dunk his head in the water, which Dad was more than happy to do. On the way back, Megan was tired and sick of walking so Dad let her ride on his shoulders. Nathan also wanted a ride, so I had Nathan on my shoulders and Austin on my back (I felt like I was a couple inches shorter when we got to the bottom of the trail). On Sunday we were in charge of the family devotional. We talked about Lehi's dream - and then we made a little rope course through the trees where each family walked along blind folded. Nathan was a peeker-Mr. Peekerson, which was pretty hilarious to watch. We love our Memorial Day vacations.

Father and Son Campout

Nathan joined Dad and Ben at the Father and Son Campout. It was a pretty chilly night so they snuggled real close together - not sure how much sleep they all got. He loved being a part of the "boy camp." I could tell he had lots of fun because he was worn out the next day.

CA for Spring Break

We headed down to CA for Spring Break. Dad had two days of work meeting in San Diego, so he drove down with us on Saturday and then went to his meetings on Monday and Tuesday and flew home Tuesday evening. We stayed with the Sorensen family. We had a great time:

Sun - Church. Charity and Chad and family got there that evening.

Mon - Took Sean to San Diego. Met Aunt Lindsay and her friend at the Mormon Battalion Museum (which was awesome: videos, panning for gold, dressing up, old fashioned photo, etc), drove by the Flower Fields in Carlsbad and visited Great Grandpa Sorensen, had smoothies at Jamba Juice.

Tues - Went to the beach. We have some serious beach-lovers in this family! Nathan loved it - the waves, the sand, the water, the sand crabs, the bonfire, etc. Played in the water and sand. Roasted hotdogs and marshmallows (for smores) around the bonfire.

Wed - Took Grandma Sorensen to lunch for her birthday. Hung out with Charity and Chad and kids before they left. Went to Preston's baseball game that night.

Thurs - Met Bonnie (a friend from high school) and her kids at the park. Played for a while. Grandma took the kids to throw pennies in a fountain and then to McDonalds.

Fri - Drove home. Made it in under 12 hours (with just me and the kiddos) - not too shabby.