New Year's Eve

Personally I don't really get all the hoopla about New Year's Eve.  It's just a number.  But Brodie always gets the day off and the kids don't have school so I figure that's reason enough to celebrate.  Each year we make a huge, yummy meal and buy the noisemakers and hats and indoor confetti popping fireworks.  I know this year they were allowing real fireworks and aerials and stuff but it's winter and I really don't feel like spending a buttload of money on fireworks to then sit outside in the cold to watch them.  So we stuck with our regular routine.

This year we decided to make lobster rolls.  We bought a couple lobster tails from Costco and some sweet French rolls from the store.  Brodie steamed the tails and made a light mayonaise/butter/salt/pepper/green onion dressing for them.  I cooked up some tri-color cheese-stuffed tortellini then deep fried them and rolled them in cinnamon sugar (an idea I got from Our Best Bites that has become one of our favorite treats), steamed some broccoli, roasted some baby red potatoes with garlic/olive oil/salt/pepper/rosemary, and made some Jell-O with fresh blackberries.

After dinner I made some popcorn and we watched The Smurfs that we rented from Redbox.  The kids lined up their foam couches turned beds to watch while Brodie and I sat back on the couch.  Clara ocasionally watched the television but spent most of her time searching for more M&Ms to eat, spilling her popcorn, giving everybody their water cups, running in circles with a big grin on her face, and following Pace around.  Tessa was interested for the first half and then spent the second half climbing all over Brodie and I.  Spencer really enjoyed the movie.  I didn't think it was worth a full-length movie.

Then we broke out the noisy blowers and all the confetti popping fireworks.  After we let off all the fireworks the kids ran around grabbing handfuls of confetti and throwing them up in the air making their own fireworks while they blew their noisemakers.  Clara couldn't blow hard enough for the noisemaker to make its own noise so she ran around with it in her mouth while she imitated the noise.

And so ends 2011.  On to another fun year!

Build-a-Bear

Every time we pass the Build-a-Bear at Fashion Place Mall my kids ask when can they go there.  It really looks like so much fun!  But they've never been.  So when my Mother-in-Law asked what she could give us for Christmas this year, I asked if they could take the kids to Build-a-Bear and she agreed.  Costco sells 2 $25 gift cards for $40 so they gave them each a couple gift cards and an M&M sucker for Christmas.  And they gave Clara a really sweet book.  Then we met them at the mall on Friday for Friday fun day.  We were lucky enough to also visit with a couple of my nephews and a neice of mine who had spent the night with Grandma and Grandpa.  We were unlucky enough to choose to go to Build-a-Bear when we did.  It was soooo packed the line went out of the store.  So the bigger cousins held spots in line while my kids chose which bear they wanted.  The cheapest ones were $10 but Spencer chose a Clumsy Smurf that was $23 and Tessa chose a Cupcake Bear that was $20.  After they got them stuffed and fluffed and put a heart inside they chose an outfit for their friends.  Tessa chose a Rainbow fairy outfit and Spencer chose a Star Wars Jedi outfit.  They still had some money left so Spencer got his smurf a skateboard.  I found the exact same Twinkle Toe Sketchers that Tessa has (except these bear ones don't light up) and Tessa had to get those for her bear.  Because Clara doesn't think she is any smaller than her siblings I felt she needed to get a bear as well.  There was a 2011 Holiday Bear that the cashier told me was $14 by itself but only $5 with any purchase.  So I got it for her (although I was very upset when I got home and saw that I was charged the full $14) and the nice girl at the stuffing machine pretended to stuff and fluff it for her.  I let Clara choose a ballerina outfit and some ballet slippers for it so she could dress it like brother and sister.  But Clara was due for a nap and doesn't like a lot of noise or crowds so whe wasn't really into the experience.  The older kids were so excited to be there, I only wish it had been less crowded so it could have been a funner experience and so that Grandma and Pappa could have been more involved in the process.  However my kids sure love their new friends!  Thanks Grandma and Pappa!

 

A wonderful family and Planet Play

I love my family.  The one I was born into, married into, and have given birth to.  And I'm lucky enough to live close to all of them.  My side of the family gets together once a month for dinner at my folks' house.  We also get together for birthdays, baptisms, baby blessings, and funerals.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, my neice passed away a few days before Christmas.  Her funeral was on the 28th.

The children were able to attend a special viewing where they were able to get up close to Abby's body and the funeral director talked to the kids about how Abby's spirit has gone to heaven and this is just her body.  He told them they could touch and kiss her body and it wouldn't hurt them or Abby.  He talked about the resurrection.  He then asked if they had any questions.  I thought this was wonderful for all of Abby's little cousins and friends, my children included.  Then there was a viewing for everybody.  I spent this time in the nursery of the church with all the kids.  My other sister, my sister-in-law and I brought snacks for the kids and they played with toys and with each other.  I'm glad Abby's siblings had these couple of hours to receive support and love and have fun with their cousins and friends.

My father gave a very touching family prayer before the casket was closed on this little angel.  It was so hard for me to watch my sister and her husband standing by the casket as it was closed on their baby.  My youngest sister spoke at the funeral about Abby's life.  She reminded us of how special Abby was and how many lives Abby touched.  Abby's primary teacher talked about how much Abby touched her life and about how much Abby loved music.  Abby had her own ipod and would smile and tap her feet to the beat.  She really loved rap music because of the strong beat.  Then Abby's big sister spoke.  What a brave 7-year old.  She did such a great job of telling some of her favorite memories with Abby.  Both of those girls were so lucky to have each other.  But my heart broke as I watched this sweet girl trying to sing the special song.  Her face was red and I could tell she was really missing her little sister.

Although Abby couldn't walk, talk, or do a lot of other things so many children her age could do, she had her own way to connect and communicate.  I remember most the couple of times I visited them out in Boston when I stayed at their place and had a lot more interaction with their family.  Every morning when I would go into Abby's room to say hello to her she would smile and make happy noises for me.  Tessa also LOVED going in to say good morning to Abby and climb up on her bed to give her a hug and a kiss.  The last time I went to visit my sister was when she had her youngest child and I got to take care of Abby a lot of the time.  Tessa loved watching me put in the syringes of medicine and start the feeds.  She also got so excited every time Abby would "beep" either from the feed machine when it was done or from her oximeter when her oxygen would drop or Abby would kick off the sensor on her toe.  Tessa also loved to play "This Little Piggie" on Abby's toes, help adjust the head holder things on Abby's chair, read books to her, hold her hand, and find ways to make her laugh.  My favorite was when I was cooking one day and little Tessa was trying to get up on her chair and accidentally "zerbetted" the chair on her way up.  Abby laughed so hard!  So Tessa continued to zerbet the chair from then on.  I loved Abby's laugh!  It was so contagious!  Of course Abby's grown up since then and I've enjoyed seeing her more frequently, although less involved, over the last couple of years.  Anyway, I felt I had to post these pictures of Tessa from our visit to Boston a couple years ago.

It was wonderful to see how many people came to support my sister.  My 96 year old Grandma came down with one of my cousins I haven't seen for a few years.  A few of our Aunts and Uncles came, including a pair from Canada.  A bunch of our cousins came, some of whom we haven't seen in years.  Some really good friends of our family came from Lindon.  And there were so many people locally who knew my sister and/or her in-laws in town who came to support them.  I can't even imagine how hard this must be for my sister and her husband but I'm grateful they have so many people supporting them at this time.

The following day was our family Christmas party.  For the last couple of years we've had a big, fun family party for Christmas.  A couple years ago we met at Classic Fun Center.  My kids still remember how much fun they had with their cousins there.  Tessa was pretty little but she remembers the Sponge Bob room with the bubble machine.  Last year we all met at the movie theaters and watched Yogi Bear together.  The kids loved it.  Then we went over to McDonald's for hot fudge sundaes.  The kids loved playing in the play area together. 

This year we met at Planet Play.  The kids had a blast choosing their own food, and a lot of it.  My mom even brought her hand-dipped chocolates.  My favorite of which are her milk chocolate covered cranberries.  She even sent some home with me that I snarfed down the same night.  Then we exchanged presents.  Each year the kids draw a name and buy one cousin a gift.  This year Spencer drew Bailee's name and gave her a Ken doll in a tux and a casual Ken outfit for him.  Tessa had Jacob's name and got him a Lightning McQueen and Mater toy and the first Cars movie.  Clara had Kendyll's name and got her some Snuggle Legs, headbands, and a little hat.  In return Spencer was so excited to see that Kendyll had gotten him a couple of larger angry birds that make sounds.  Carson got Tessa a dress-up set that both she and Clara have been playing with ever since.  And I think Afton got Clara her very own Barbie doll and some pretty headbands that Clara loves.

Then we went to play.  And play.  And play.  Seriously we were there for 4 hours.  My sister got some deals on Cyber Monday so my parents paid like $200 for all of us to eat and for I think about $300 of play plus 40 attractions.  Killer deal.  All the kids except Tessa, Clara, and Afton started out with laser tag with Grandpa and a couple of the Uncles.  We also spent a lot of time taking turns with the kids on the go-carts.  Tessa rode with Mom, Dad, Grandpa, and Grandma.  The older kids all took at least one ride, some more, on the bumper cars.  Some kids did mini-golf.  Tessa, Clara, and Afton spent a good chunk of time in the play land climbing, sliding, and riding the mini-carousel and cars.

 

And the kids played games for tickets so they could go pick out some fun toys to bring home.  Our kids had soooooo much fun and I loved watching them have so much fun with their cousins and Grandma and Grandpa.

Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It was so hard for me to actually have to wake my children up Christmas morning.  But we had church at 9 and I wanted to see them play with their toys before I had to shower and get myself and all three kids ready for church.  So I woke them up at 6:45 a.m.

I came downstairs first so I could video-record the kids reactions to what Santa brought.  Spencer was very excited to find that Santa brought him a Spy watch with night vision, some spy sun glasses that let him see behind him, some little angry bird toys and some cars from Cars 2 (I think he owns just about every car that appears in the first Cars movie).  The first thing Tessa saw and ran to were her pink flowers.  Yes, Santa remembered her request at Hogle Zoo Lights and managed to bring her some real, live pink roses.  She was very happy.  Eventually she also noticed Santa brought her a toddler Rapunzel doll and a matching Rapunzel dress up for herself.  Clara was not excited.  She had been woken up at 6:45 and didn't understand what all the squealing and running around was for.  It took her a few minutes before she also became excited for the candy in her stocking, an Elmo doll, and her very own My First Dollhouse with dolls and furniture the perfect size for her little hands.

We let the kids play with their toys from Santa while we got ready for church.  We just had Sacrament Meeting in our Ward so we were home again around 10.  Then we had Brodie's parents over for breakfast.  Brodie grew up with the tradition of always eating Finnan Haddie (smoked haddock--or as I refer to it "stinky fish").  For the first few years after we were married his family still got together Christmas morning for waffles and stinky fish dipped in melted butter.  The last few years  we've just had his parents over here.  They brought the fish and we added eggs, sausage, and pancakes to the feast.  Then we let the kids open their presents under the tree.  Of course they were very excited for their biggest gifts.  So big in fact that we didn't even bother wrapping them.  And our kind next door neighbor let Brodie use his garage while he was out of town so Brodie was able to build them during the day Saturday rather than after the kids had gone to bed.

Yes, Tessa got her very own vanity with a tri-fold mirror.  Isn't that what every 4 year old needs?  Maybe not, but she sure LOVES it!  Since Christmas Tessa has spent a couple hours each day painting her nails, putting on lip gloss, and doing her hair at her vanity.  Luckily Santa put some Disney princess nail polish and lip gloss in her stocking.  They look colored in the containers but when applied they are pretty much clear with a few glittery parts.  So I let Tessa do it all herself and don't care about any mess.  It washes off anyhow.  And Clara also LOVES this.  She will sit still for the longest time while letting Tessa "make her pretty" with nail polish, lip gloss, dress-up jewelry and brushing her hair.  It is so cute to watch these two.  And as I'm typing this up my little neice is also up there with Tessa getting pretty.

 

And Spencer got his very own desk for his room.  On Christmas he thought it was just to play with his toys but he now understands he can do his homework, draw, write, and read without being disturbed.  Spencer really likes to have his own space at times.  He still uses it to play toys and has quite a few of them stashed on and in his desk.  We even found a few formerly lost items as we were re-arranging Spencer's room.

   

And because the bigger kids got a big piece of furniture and re-arranged bedrooms to fit them in, we decided to move Clara out of her crib and into the toddler bed for Christmas as well.  She LOVES being big enough to climb in and out of her bed on her own.  The first couple naps and night times were so smooth, but now she plays for 20-30 minutes before falling asleep for her nap and cries at night if I don't stay with her.  But she loves playing on her bed and kneeling down beside it with her arms folded on her bed for night time prayers.  And we convinced Tessa to move her baby nursery into Clara's room so we could fit her vanity in her room.

 

Yeah, this was the Best Christmas ever! 

The 12 Days of Christmas

Growing up my mom had made a cloth Advent calendar with Santa Clause and every morning of December there was a piece of candy for each of us kids.  At some point in my life the cardboard Advent calendars with cheap chocolate inside came into our lives.  I've always done the cardboard chocolate Advent calendars with my kids.  A few years ago I got nostalgic and asked my mom about the fabric Santa calendar and she gave it to me.  She felt guilty giving me something so old and worn but I loved it, as did the kids.  I think she felt really guilty so for Christmas that year she bought me and my sister and Advent village that is really adorable!

Last year I set up my cute Advent village and put a candy for each kid in each little door each morning.  My sister of course outdid me and filled hers with little papers saying what fun thing they were doing each day of December.  What an amazing mother.  So this year I thought about being as amazing as my sister, but gave in to laziness and just filled them with a piece of candy for each kid, including Tessa's friend on the days she came over.  But then I was reading one of my favorite blogs (Our Best Bites--you can click on the link to the right) about making a snowglobe.  Seriously the cutest idea I've seen for a long time.  I absolutely had to do it.  And she mentioned all the fun things she puts in her Advent calendar (once again a supermom with activities every day).  I decided I could maybe handle doing the 12 Days of Christmas fun.  So each of the 12 Days I wrote on a paper and stuck it under the tree.  I couldn't believe how excited Spencer was each morning to see what we were doing. 

If you're paying attention I'm writing this much after the fact.  Actually I just saw the ball drop on TV and I'm listening to the fireworks outside.  So I may not remember everything we did or what we did on each day but I'll mention the ones I remember:

Well I used the Nutcracker ballet, Utah Jazz scrimmage game, and Temple Square lights as three of my days.  I also used making cards and presents for their teachers and friends one day.  One day they helped me make homemade candy (Almond Roca and caramels).  One day I had them unwrap some Christmas coloring books I had bought at Macey's for 88 cents a piece and some boxes of new crayons.  Another day I wrapped up a Hallmark recordable Night Before Christmas book I bought at Walmart.  That night I had the whole family take part in recording ourselves reading the story (mainly Spencer and Tessa).  This one was a huge hit!  The kids have loved listening to the recording over and over.  Each time you turn the page it plays the recording for that page.  And I've locked the recording (needs a screwdriver to get to the lock/unlock area) so we can keep the recording and listen to it year after year and remember how dang cute my little one's voices are!  Oh, so I went out looking for stuff for the snowglobes and came across some wooden Nutcracker ornaments that were on clearance for 59 cents a piece and bought 4 of those.  The next day I had the kids paint their ornaments.  Of course we used Crayola washable, non-toxic paints (see Clara eating the paint in this picture):

And then of course there was the Snowglobe day.  I loved these at least as much as the kids.  You can see my cute Advent village with this picture.

The night of December 22nd I was making some Almond Roca to give to my neighbors for Christmas and to have at my house to eat on Christmas.  Then my mother called me to tell me my sweet little neice had passed away.  Dear, sweet Abigail was 5 1/2 years old.  She had quite a few physical difficulties that had kept her from living a so-called "typical" life.  But she had a family who loved her and she was happy almost every time I saw her.  I loved seeing her smile spread across her face when I would talk to her, kiss her, or stroke her nose.  Tessa loved making her laugh and kissing her.  Everyone who had the chance to interact with Abby loved her.  This was a hard night for me.  And I didn't think to leave a 12 Days of Christmas note under the tree for Friday.  On Friday I was still feeling pretty sad that I didn't have my Abby here any more.  I was feeling even worse for her parents and siblings.  By the evening I felt less self-pity.  I know Abby is with our Father in Heaven and she is so happy right now.  She experienced life with such a caring, loving family and group of friends and supporters.  And now she is running, dancing, talking, and singing with the angels in heaven.  I'll miss her as I'm sure so many others will, but I've been blessed to have been with her over the last 5 1/2 years.  In any case by the time dinner was done Friday night I felt bad for not doing anything fun that day so I let the kids watch both Prep and Landings that I had recorded and eat candy downstairs.

The next day was Christmas Eve so that 12 Days of Christmas was easy.  First the kids started the day off eating the cutest candy house that a sweet neighbor of ours brought over for the kids.  I gave the kids and Brodie haircuts and we cleaned up the house while Brodie was perfecting tamales.  In the afternoon a couple families in our neighborhood came over for a celebration.  Our neighbors across the street, who are really non-blood family to us, have a girl from Mexico staying with them.  They thought she may be a little homesick so they wanted to have a pinata for her.  However, their kids are grown so they asked if we wanted to join them along with another family in our ward who this girl is actually related to.  We volunteered to host the get together.  Our kids and the young kids in this other family had a blast with the older neighbor kids.  Thankfully the older kids were good sports as these younger ones tied them up, knocked them over, tackled them, jumped on them, and rode on their backs.

While chaos was going on Brodie and some other adults were rolling tamales to start steaming.  Then we broke open the pinata and the kids scrambled to gather up candy into their bags.

Then we ate the best tamales I've ever had with some amazing mole sauce and different salsas my awesome husband made.  Ya, you're all jealous that my husband can cook.

After some people left the kids opened their Christmas Eve present where Tessa got some princess pajamas and slippers, Spencer got Perry from Phineas and Ferb, and Clara got ballerina pajamas with rattling puppy dog slippers.

We then read the story of Christ's birth in the New Testament and then read the lift-the-flap Nativity book that we have for the kids.  Then the kids headed up to sleep in Clara's room.  Clara was in her crib and the bigger kids slept in their sleeping bags on the floor in her room.  Every Christmas Eve the kids get a sleepover upstairs so they won't wake up when Santa comes.  I checked on them at 8:30 and was shocked out of my pants that they were all sound asleep.  Thanks to the neighbors for wearing them out!

Temple Square lights

My van needed the brakes changed.  I used to wait for the weekend and have Brodie take the cars in to the cheapest place.  But we can't fit all 3 kids in the truck which means one of us would have to wait somewhere for the van to get fixed.  And really, time is very valuable on Saturdays.  When we first bought the van we took it into Karl Malone Toyota to have some warranty stuff done before the warranty expired and I was very impressed.  So I scheduled an appointment at Karl Malone Toyota.  Just so happens I had 4 children that day (babsitting a 3 year old and Spencer was out of school plus Tessa and Clara).  We drove in and piled out of the van.  We started off with the free popcorn and they let us change the television to Peppa Pig.  After about half an hour of popcorn and TV we headed over the the Pirate Ship.  I took a picture with my phone and maybe I'll remember to get around to uploading it here, but it's really fun.  The kids took off their shoes and played pirates.  They could climb the mast, go inside the door under the deck, go on the deck and steer, and all sorts of fun stuff.  They played here for the next hour and a half.  At times Tessa would come out and sit on the couch watching the Little Einsteins DVD that was playing by the pirate ship.  And with all 4 kids we did have to make 4 potty trips (clear on the other side of the dealership).  But overall the kids had a blast for 2 hours while the brakes were being changed.  Pretty good way to entertain the kids!

Because we didn't get to see the Temple Square lights the night of the scrimmage we decided to go Tuesday night instead.  So after wearing themselves out at Karl Malone Toyota I fed the kids and we headed downtown.  This time we parked under the Conference Center (they were letting people park here for Free!).  So we were really close.  And since we weren't going to be attending a basketball game we also had the stroller!  We once again bundled everyone up and headed across the street.

Temple Square is so beautiful all lit up with so many lights!  The kids were in awe.  And the glowing temple among the lights makes the scene even more breath taking.

We walked around the West side and ooed and aahed at all the lights.  Then we headed over to the East side by the Reflection Pool.  Spencer remembered the floating lights from the previous year.  It was beautiful with the statues of Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus along with the reflection of the temple and all the floating lights.

Then we went through the grounds in front of the Church Office Building.  They had a few little nativities from around the world.  I think they were from Japan, Poland, Mexico, Alaska (?), and a Native American Indian one.  And there were tons of little lanterns with things in different languages like "Hope" and "Faith" and "Love" and pictures.  Spencer loved searching for any Chinese symbols he recognized.  I think he only found Love.  Then we headed back to Temple Square to go see the life-size nativity that takes up the entire grounds South of the North Visitor Building.  The story of Christ's birth is played over the loud speakers and a scene is spotlighted when it is being narrated (the shepherds, the Wise Men, and the Manger).  It is really crowded here but we lifed the kids up so they could see.  Spencer wanted to go inside the Visitors' Center and see the Christus statue but it was insanely packed so we told him we'd come back to Temple Square on a night it wasn't so crowded.  And I realized I don't think we've ever taken the kids to Temple Square except at Christmas time.  I'm adding that to my to-do list.

School programs, The Nutcracker, and Jazz scrimmage

My little princess had her first school program this week.  She has been so excited every time I pick her up from preschool and she tells me about the songs they sang practicing for the program.  She was also excited to be able to perform on a real stage.  Brodie was subpoenaed for court for the day and didn't have to be there until a little later so he was even able to come.  Tessa was so dang cute!  She knew all of the songs and sang them so loudly that I could even tell her voice apart from the other kids.  They got to wear Santa hats for some songs, angel halos for some songs, and even had some moments with instruments and a glove that had bells.  I loved watching her.

Then Spencer had a program at his school.  Each grade came out and sang two songs.  I had to park forever away and walk all three kids in and we were way back in the cafeteria where we couldn't see anything.  But I was there and zoomed in the video camera so I could see him.  And he also loved the songs he learned and had been singing them for a week so I'm glad I got to go watch him perform.  Spencer also had a Holiday party at school and at his Up With Kids play practice.

Ever since I was a kid and had a friend in the Mountain West production of The Nutcracker I've loved it.  I went quite a few times when I was younger and took my kids for the first time last year.  They loved it, especially since the main character's name is Clara.  I bought both Tessa and Clara different versions of the books and Tessa has loved me reading it to her over the last year.  So we went for our Friday Fun night.  The kids loved the first half but were getting pretty tired through the second half.  Although Tessa was quite excited to see her former ballet teacher's daughter (who also helped teach Tessa's class) as the snow queen.  I really enjoyed the performance.  I think they do such a wonderful job of costumes, scenery, choreography, and absolutely everything!  I do think it's a couple dollars per person overpriced, but I'll keep going because I love it so much!

On Saturday we took the kids downtown to the free Utah Jazz scrimmage.  We were originally planning on parking at the Gateway and taking Trax a little bit to Temple Square to see the lights and then come back to Energy Solutions Center to watch a bit of the scrimmage and then go home.  We were waiting for the train FOREVER (at least it sure seemed that way) and plenty of trains were going the other way but none were coming our way so we played around for a while.

Then Tessa had to pee really bad.  Since we were right outside Energy Solutions we decided to go in early and wait for the scrimmage and then stay for a little bit and then see the lights after.  They had a few sections behind the basket blocked off and the rest of the seats looked pretty full so we headed to the upper bowl.  Quite a few others had the same idea but they had it closed off.  Apparently they weren't expecting such a crowd despite it being a free game and a lot of people being starved for some NBA action after the long lockout.  So just as we got there they opened up a section and we sat down.  We took off all our coats, hats, gloves, and everything else and settled in.  A while later an usher came and told the bunch of us up here they didn't want anyone up here and they were opening the blocked off area down below.  As we looked we saw people flooding in that area.  So by the time we packed up all our stuff and got the family down there we found 5 seats together on the second to the top row.  Then they still ended up having to seat the upper bowl.  And when it finally was time to start they started off by interviewing each player and having some Jr. Jazz kids ask them questions and they they had a good chunk of time warming up.  By the time the actual scrimmage started our kids were ready to go home.  We stayed for one quarter and then left.  Spencer did enjoy watching actual basketball players and seeing the large arena.  I enjoyed actually seeing basketball.  Of course this was before I realized the Jazz really suck as a team this year (I'm hopeful they'll get better really fast).  And it was so late that we just decided to go home and come back down a different night for the lights.  The older kids were very disappointed so we told them if they didn't whine or cry about it we'd stop at McDonald's for holiday pies (like the apple pies but they were room temperature, filled with a pudding, and had colorful sprinkles on them.  They tasted like a birthday cake).  Which we did.

Okay so I know this post is long but as I was posting the pictures from the scrimmage I realized I didn't mention the University of Utah basketball game we went to.  Our neighbors had tickets and couldn't make it so they brought them to us.  This was before the Jazz game so it was the first actual basketball game Spencer got to go to and he loved it.  Tessa loved watching the cheerleaders and was dancing herself anytime they came out.  And unlike the Jazz scrimmage it was empty.  This made it possible for the kids to run all over the place without bothering people.  They went down to the row in front of us, the row behind us, over us, and back again.  I think the University of Utah team was even worse than the Jazz.  But the kids didn't care, they had a blast!

A December full of fun

I got most of my shopping done early.  Good thing.  A friend of mine asked if I could help watch her 3 year old daughter as her job requires a lot of extra hours during December.  Tessa was so excited to be able to play with this girl pretty much every day and she is a really happy, well-behaved little girl.  I also was called as first counselor in the Primary Presidency and we had to get together a few times to work on planning for the upcoming year and stuff. 

Between an extra child during the day and Spencer having a playdate after school I had to try to think of a low-key, cheap or free activity that could be done later in the evening for Friday fun day.  As it turned out my neice was having a dance performance Friday night.  So for Friday fun day we went to Bailee's cute little dance performance.  Tessa loved watching the dancing and Spencer liked seeing Bailee dance.  But it was late by the end and they were exhausted.

Saturday was our Ward's Christmas Breakfast.  We had some waffles and fruit and the kids loved coloring on the paper that covered the cutely decorated tables.  Then the primary kids sang a few songs and Santa arrived!  An awesome couple in our ward was taking pictures and here it is:

After the party we had a little time to kill before Spencer's Jr. Jazz game.  Since the previous week we explained some rules of basketball and spent a little time practicing dribbling and passing.  So he was a little better this week.  And even more importantly he had a lot of fun!  He was smiling and running around the whole time and talking about how much he loves basketball.

Then we headed over to my brother's house for my nephew's birthday party.  Spencer loves playing with Logan and was so excited to go to his house and play.  And Tessa adores Alexis and was so excited to be with the big girl cousins.

A busy weekend and Zoo Lights for Family Home Evening

Saturday was Spencer's first Jr. Jazz game.  In his league they have half an hour of practice time before a 45 minute game.  They play a total of 8 games.  So Friday night I went to Walmart to buy Spencer a basketball.  I figured he's watched a few Jazz games wtih me in the past (since as of this time they were still in the lockout) and played basketball twice in the Little Gym.  So we showed up Saturday morning with his ball.  Turns out Spencer was the only kid on the team who didn't know how to shoot a basket or that he was supposed to dribble while he walked.  Bad parent moment for me.  So this was an interesting hour and fifteen minutes.  Then we had Spencer's friend over for a playdate for a few hours.  Then we packed up the kids and headed out to Tooele for an annual Christmas party some friends of ours host.  We eat, the adults catch up (since this is really the only time we ever see each other) and laugh while the kids run wild and play.  What awesome friends we have to allow the kids to run wild through their house for a few hours.  We got home and got the kids to bed around 10.  On Sunday I had to be up bright and early to bathe all 3 kids, get them dressed, and fix their hair not to mention getting myself ready and be at church at 9 in the morning.  Thanks to Brodie for getting them fed!

We went to Zoo Lights a couple years ago and loved it.  It's just hard to pay the price when the Temple Square lights are free.  But I got a Groupon deal that saved us some money and decided to go for our Family Home Evening activity.  It was definitely worth the Groupon price.  Most of the animals are asleep or it's too dark to see them anyway.  But the stinky animal building was still awake!  Sorry, that's the small animal and reptile building if you haven't been before.  And not only is this Clara's favorite part of the zoo since they are closer to her size and she can get right up close and personal with them, but it was inside and warm.  It was worth the smell since this was the coldest night we'd had so far (our car said it was 18 degrees outside when we parked).  Of course we brought hats and gloves for the kids.  I put warm tights under Clara's pants and socks and shoes and we still wrapped her in a blanket in the stroller.

These aren't just your strands of lights wrapped around the trees.  These are the shapes and some are the ones that look like something is moving.  There will be a row of monkeys and they turn on and off in sequence so it looks like the monkey is swinging on the vine.  And Santa on his sleigh flying over the walkway.  Stuff like that.  There's a cute gingerbread house and a lot of fun animals.  Here are some fun pictures:

And Santa was here!  He was so great!  Another warm building, a little bit of a wait but the kids got to write a letter to put in the mailbox and then Santa visited with each of the kids.  Tessa asked for a live pink flower.  He asked what kind and she said, "A rose."  I think that's the only flower she knows since it's her middle name and we give them to her each year on her birthday.  But that's all she asked for.  Clara at first started running towards Santa with the kids but as soon as he lifted her up she started to scream.  So I sat in for a picture.

 

This was the best time the kids had with Santa.  Even two of his reindeer were there and the kids were so excited to see them.  At the end we got some hot chocolate before heading home.  We had a fun night and I'd like to come back in a couple years or if we get another great deal!