Merry Christmas

Our Christmas was very calm and simple this year. We actually got hit with a nasty stomach flu starting on about the 20th. It swept through our house on a rampage hitting 7 out of 8 of us within 3-4 days (and then there were a couple of flair ups again a few days later). Luckily no one was throwing up Christmas Day, but we still weren't all back to normal. Even with that plus the busyness of December we still managed to get in all our Christmas traditions: baking and delivering goodies to friends, Christmas caroling, 12 Days of Christmas, reading Christmas stories, listening to lots of Christmas music, donating gifts/stocking to kids in need, seeing Christmas lights (we did this while we were on our trip at the end of November). We went to our ward Christmas party. This year the theme was A Night in Bethlehem. We all dressed up for that time period. Sean was one of the Wisemen for the nativity. They sang "We Three Kings", which many people mentioned was the highlight of the program. The whole gym was set up like a city marketplace. There were stations where we got our food (cheese, bread, olives, fruit, vegetables and treats of course), there was a clothing station, there were stations for kids to do games and make crafts. All of the stations required money (we got a bag of coins at the beginning of the night). It was great. We sang in our Sacrament Christmas program.We did our regular Christmas Eve things: Ham dinner with fancy dishes, reading the account of the Savior's Birth, reading "Jabeez Dawz," getting in matching pajamas and taking a family picture, watching "The Muppet Christmas Carol" and then heading off to bed. The kids actually forgot to leave anything out for Santa. Luckily he helped himself to peppermint ice cream and left them a note about it :) The next morning we could hear the kids awake at just before 7. No one is allowed in the living room until the music comes on. Sean and I came down and got the music going which was immediately followed by the pounding of feet running down the stairs. Santa left Megan her very own pet kitty ("a dream come true" she said), Ben got his own tablet, Caelan got a desk, Nathan got a sled, Austin got trike. We opened presents (the kids all got gifts for each other throughout the month of December...with their own, earned money). Nathan got cars and a retractable raceway, his own real tools (he asked almost everyone we saw for the next week if they thought they were "real tools or fake." He was quite thrilled with these real tools). We spent the rest of the day hanging around in our jammies playing with our new toys, watching movies, playing games, doing puzzles, etc.

A perfect family celebration.

Silliness

Silly Faces

Happiest Place on Earth

We had a great Thanksgiving holiday. We took the kids to Disneyland! We actually went to CA earlier in the week so we could hopefully miss some of the holiday crowds, which seemed to work out pretty well. It was busy, but we didn't have to wait too long in any of the lines. The kids loved it. Nathan conked out in the stroller before we were done for the night. We must have really worn him out. We had a nice Thanksgiving dinner with the Sorensen clan. Then we headed to AZ to round out our trip. We went to see the Mesa Temple lights. They have a great display there and we loved walking around to see all the different parts of the Nativity. We got home late Sunday night in time for school and work the next day.

Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving holiday. We took the kids to Disneyland! We actually went to CA earlier in the week so we could hopefully miss some of the holiday crowds, which seemed to work out pretty well. It was busy, but we didn't have to wait too long in any of the lines. The kids loved it. Nathan conked out in the stroller before we were done for the night. We must have really worn him out. We had a nice Thanksgiving dinner with the Sorensen clan. Then we headed to AZ to round out our trip. We went to see the Mesa Temple lights. They have a great display there and we loved walking around to see all the different parts of the Nativity. We got home late Sunday night in time for school and work the next day.

Power Kicker

Our Saturdays were sufficiently filled up with soccer games for about 8 weeks straight, but I have to admit I love it. I realize we won't have much free time on Saturdays for a couple of months each time I sign the kids up, but I so look forward to watching the games and seeing them improve. Nathan played for the first time this season as well as Megan. Nathan had all sorts of fun playing. You could pretty much tell within the first two minutes of the game what kind of day this was going to be for him: he would either be gung-ho and aggressive about blocking and attacking the ball (and therefore score a few goals) or he would be kind of in his own little world and run along side the ball but not really have his heart into it. When he had his head in the game he was pretty good. He definitely has a good power kick. A couple of times he scored from his kick-off kick.

Batman

I failed to get a good picture of everyone dressed up for our ward Halloween party (Nathan was Batman, Megan was Ariel, Ben was the Grim Reaper, Caelan was a gypsy, Austin was a worker guy, Ian was a bat and I was a little girl), but I did get a picture taken before the kids went to school on Halloween day. The kids had their annual Halloween parade and class parties. Nathan had a preschool party as well. We carved pumpkins the night before. Sean made his famous chili for the ward party. It was a great success. Nathan was a maniac trick-or-treater this year. He took off and went from car to car over and over again. Amber Pearce (a friend of ours) said she probably saw Nathan 7 times. Sheesh. They definitely made out in the candy department. Their plastic pumpkins were completely full (I LOVE that about trunk-or-treating). Austin even kept at it for a good round or two. There were also a few rooms inside the church with some carnival games, which the kids had fun playing at as well.

Harry Potter Closet

"Mom, can I take a rest under the stairs...like Harry Potter?" "Sure." He slept a good 3 hours in there. He's asked every time since then to take his rests in the closet under the stairs. We like those movies at this house, can you tell?

Balloon Glodeo

This year we barely squeezed in the Balloon Fiesta. We went the second to last night. We've never been to the night glow before, so we thought we'd do that this year. It was great. We drove down Friday evening and headed down to the field. It was still a little light when they start to fill the balloons, so we still got to have the experience of being right in the midst of all the balloons filling right next to us. The balloons don't go up into the air, but it's still cool to see them all lit up on the field. The firework show afterwards was GREAT. I think it was better than any of the 4th of July shows we've seen in the last several year - really awesome.

Preschooler

Here is Nathan's preschool picture along with his class picture. His two teachers are Miss Lydia and Miss Tara. He loves his school. His buddies at school are Jonah (of course.... we carpool with Jonah and he spends one afternoon at our house each week and Nathan goes to his house one afternoon each week too), Vicinte, Wyatt, and Ensonio (I'm probably not writing that name correctly - Nathan says it with a good Spanish accent, so I'm not exactly sure how to spell it).

Happy Birthday Nathan!

Happy Birthday Nathy Pants! Nathan spent his birthday morning at preschool. They sang to him and he brought Tootsie Pops to share with everyone. Sean got home a little early and we let him open his presents. He got a scooter (one with real tires) which he then spent the rest of the afternoon riding around. He chose Lasagna for his dinner, but when it came time to eat he wasn't really hungry at all. I think he maybe ate two bites. Then he had a pirate ship cake and Mint and Chip ice cream. Nathan is a great kid!! He is fun, happy, social, funny and an all around awesome little dude. Here is a little about Nathan at age 5: His favorite foods are lasagna, cheese, ice cream, popsicles (he is the only one in the family who will choose popsicles over ice cream for dessert), blueberries, watermelon. He loves the song "Follow the Prophet" (the Jonah verse) and recently "Baby Beluga." His favorite color is blue (he tells me often that he likes all the "boy" colors but not "girl colors"). He loves to play outside: wandering in the forest, climbing trees, riding the quad, jumping on the trampoline, kicking soccer balls, and riding his scooter. He also likes to play Legos and play with his family. His good buddies are Jonah, Samuel, Paul, Wyatt, Rez..... and pretty much anyone who is around to play with. He can make friends with anyone anywhere. We were at a High School football game and he was sitting in between complete strangers (we were in the row next to him) and he was totally comfortable. Before the Father-Son camp out he went with Sean and Ben to get pizza. While they were waiting for it to cook Nathan made friends with a middle aged man and they started chatting about all sorts of things. When they were getting ready to leave Nathan said to Sean, "this is my friend, Mike." He is a great sound-effect maker. He is not a fan of dogs (not even our own dog). He has a good memory and a great sense of direction. There have been several times when we are driving in the car somewhere and he will tell me where to turn (places that aren't even that common for us to go to) and on the way he'll point to that street and tell me who lives that way and so on (he definitely gets this from his Dad). He likes to help Dad work on things and he also enjoys helping me in the kitchen or with jobs. He is a great big brother and especially enjoys loving on his baby brothers, Ian. He loves to keep up with his big brother. He is ALL boy (we have had several "potty" incidences that prove this...). He brings a fun, energetic, happy spirit to our home and we love him bunches.

School Days at the State Fair

We took advantage of School Days at the State Fair again this year. We saw a Cirque Nirvana show, a Wolf show, pig races, Chinese Acrobats, Native American Fire Dancers, saw the model trains, went to the McDonald's Farm fun zone for kids, got a milkshake from the Dairy, saw a cow get milked, checked out the arts and crafts (including the Lego displays), played on John Deere tractors, went to the petting zoo (complete with all the normal animals as well as an ostrich, zebra and baby camel), ate a picnic lunch.....a full day of fun. And all of that for me and 6 kiddos for a whopping...$4. Yes, my friends, that is how it is done.

Cow Appreciation Day

Chick Fil A "Cow Appreciation Day" - We dressed up as cows and got a free meal. I was so surprised how great the service was: no line, workers walking around refilling people's drinks, someone got me all situated at a table. It was great

Big Summer Adventure

We love camping in this family. We don't do it nearly as much as we would like to. So when my sister said that she was getting together with some of the Sorensen clan to camp in Yellowstone for a few days my ears perked up. Sean wasn't going to be able to take off that much time especially since we were meeting his family in Duck Creek, Utah the very next week. But I started to contemplate the idea of heading up to Yellowstone with the kids and then meeting Sean in Utah afterwards. I got some crazy glances when I talked about my plan to some people (and I even wondered about my sanity to myself a couple of times), but the pros outweighed the cons to me and so I loaded all six kids (one being a two month old baby)and made the 18 hour journey up to Yellowstone by myself. I actually broke it up a little bit, which was nice. We had a great time with Grandpa and Grandma Sorensen, Jesse, Caleb, Corbin, Charity, Chad, Coren, Risa, Haakon, Garrett, Melanie, Genevieve, Aeris, Cian, Leia and even a super quick meet up with Kyra at Burger King on our way to the airport to pick up Sean. I knew it would be a bunch of work (physical and mental....HE HE HE), but Sean and I have always felt it important to make sacrifices to get together with family, especially since we don't live near any. I loved getting together with cousins at family reunions when I was a kid, and I want that for my children. I want them to know and love their cousins and get excited about spending time with them. Not to mention how much I love it when I have the chance to hang out with my family. And what better place to do all of this that at the awesome National Park of Yellowstone while we camped together. Camping is such a great outlet for kids for be free and explore. Staying up too late at campfires, tasty eggs and potato and sausage breakfasts, running free through the campsites and nearby nature, seeing wildlife close enough to touch, sleeping in the chill of the late summer with nothing between the fresh air but you and a thin tent layer, getting a free pass from bathing for a few days :), etc. So, here's a quick run down of our adventure: Thurs: Got up early and hit the road. Made it all the way to Price, Utah (8 full hours of driving) before making our first stop. We only had to pull over to the side of the highway for one quick minute for Nathan to go to the bathroom. Every one else made it the entire 8 hours - even the baby (drinking a couple of bottles along the way). Made it to Charity and Chad's house that evening. Fri: Hung out at Charity and Chad's. Headed up to Rexburg. Made it there by about 8 PM Sat: Went to the grocery store to stock up. Hung out at Garrett and Melanie's for the morning. Took Ben and Caelan and went and saw a town production of "Les Miserables" which Garrett and Caleb were performing in. It was so great! I love that musical and it was especially fun to see two of my brothers rocking the vocals (several solo parts each). And the kids loved it too (which made my heart happy). We spent the rest of the trip listening to the soundtrack. Headed up to Yellowstone late that afternoon and made it there around midnight, at which point we quickly set up camp. Sun - Wed: Saw all the sights of Yellowstone: West Thumb Geyser Basin, Old Faithful, Artist Paintpots, Mud Volcano, Fountain Paintpots, Norris Geyser Basin (where Austin completely lost ALL control for a good two hours - Yikes), Steamboat Geyser, Gibbon Falls, Mammoth Hot Springs, Virginia Cascade Scenic Loop, Upper and Lower Falls (where we hiked down 300 steps for a great view and then hiked back up), LeHardy's Rapids, and more. We saw thousands of bison which delayed us on several occasions, elk, deer, and lots of birds. We swam in the Boiling River (where a hot springs joins up with a river), we found a shop with $1 fudge bars which we purchased more than once, we went on lots of hikes, we went to church at the lodge at Old Faithful, we saw a quadruple rainbow (that's right friends) and we got some tasty ice cream cones in West Yellowstone. And we battled the rain through the entire trip. We ate dinner one night all huddled under a canopy while it rained around us. The kids were real troopers. It was wonderful!

Family Reunion at Duck Creek

We did our annual Family Reunion at Duck Creek in August this year (since I was due with a new baby the weekend of Memorial Day). We stayed in the same cabin that we stayed in two years ago. We had a fun filled weekend of hiking (we hiked to some "falls" which were somewhat of a disappointment to the kiddos once we got there....more like a little trickle), crafting (Lani brought a project for all the ladies to do - a cute wood saying "Be-You-Tiful"), resting, spotting wild life, chatting, playing games, zip-lining (Sean got a part for the zipline in the yard and fixed it the first day. The kids spent hours on that thing...and even all the adults took a turn or two as well), cooking, scenic drives (we drove to a look out point one evening which was gorgeous - same look out point we went to when Caelan was just a couple of months old and we were together with the Crusaders), swinging, 4-wheeling, nightly family devotionals and just enjoying time together. We were challenged by Grandma and Grandpa to read the Book of Mormon by next year as a family.

"Can I hold him?"

Nathan is completely enamored with his baby brother. He has taken the most interest in the baby of any of the other kids (although there is definitely no lacking for love and attention from any of them). Nathan is the first one to ask to hold him. He loves to climb into my bed in the morning and hold him. He is actually pretty good with him, he is confident and just hauls him right up onto his shoulder. A couple of times he has even held him and walked across the room. I usually stop him right away, but he thinks he is so big when I let him take a few steps. It's very sweet.

Big Brother...again

Nathan is a big brother...again. Ian Soren was on June 1. We were out running errands for Caelan's birthday. I was having contractions a little here and there. We had just pulled into a Mexican restaurant where we were going to eat, but decided not to go in. Instead we ran the kids to the Pearce's house and Dad and I headed to the hospital. About 5 hours later he was here. The kids came to visit the next day. Nathan was in love. He thought Ian was so tiny and sweet. He also loved to get his hands on anything that there was to eat or drink in the hospital.

Caving

It was a beautiful day so we took the kids and went exploring outside. We went to some caves. It's just a short 1/2 mile hike to them. They aren't anything big, but it was still fun to go inside. Nathan was a trooper - hiked all the way, and actually ran much of it.

Cliff's Amusement Park

We got tickets to Cliff's Amusement Park for Christmas. They expired at the end of May, so we figured we better get there before school got out for the summer. We took the kids out of school one day and spent 5 and a half hours at the park (it had just opened so it wasn't yet opened for extended hours). I got there and noticed bunches of school buses and school groups lined up out front - I didn't think about all the end of the year field trips that would be happening. It actually wasn't too bad. Some of the bigger rides had long lines but most lines were quick. Plus we spent a bunch of time in the little kid area which was totally empty. The kids had a blast - going from ride to ride. Don't let his sad tears in the picture fool you - Nathan had a great time, he just didn't want to turn towards me for a picture. Stubborn little dude. He loved the log ride and running all over the place in the kiddie zone. There was no one there so we pretty much let them run where they wanted (it's small so we can see them all the time in that area). There wasn't one ride that any of the kids were too scared to go on (I mean this isn't anything close to a Magic Mountain

but it still has some pretty fun and fast carnival type rides). Austin could ride all of the little kiddie rides and loved those. Honestly the only one who didn't go on hardly anything was me...because I was due later that week. I went on the Carousel one time. Actually I didn't mind at all - it was kind of fun to let the kids take the lead and just follow them wherever they wanted to go. It was a fun end of the school year family trip.

Easter

We had a nice, calm Easter. We noticed a sign for an Egg Hunt at a preschool building right around the corner from where we lived, so we went to check that out. The kids enjoyed looking for eggs and especially opening the eggs to find the candy inside. We colored eggs on Saturday afternoon. Sunday was Fast Sunday, so our Easter Bunny didn't even show up until we were at church (he didn't want to tempt Caelan who was fasting that morning). He hid all the eggs around the house as well as the baskets and also a wrapped gift with a picture of Jesus. We ate chocolate and candy until we wanted to be sick, but at least we got rid of it pretty quickly. We had a nice dinner of ham, asparagus and cheesy potatoes.