Ringing in 2012

 

So its no secret that I’ve been wanting an iPhone for the past few years.  After patiently waiting and justifying it to Chris, I finally took the plunge and joint the cult!  I was hoping Chris was going to surprise me with a new iPhone for Christmas but instead I got a nice pair of running shoes (which have really come in handy lately, more on that later)  So in the days following Christmas I pleaded my case that I needed to get my new phone before the New year so we could claim it on our 2011 taxes as a business expense.  (I’m an independent Contractor so I can write off things like that )  I got it on New Years Eve, just in the nick of time.   Now I hardly believe I lived without it for so long.  The only thing I hate about having an iPhone is that my kids (even Libby) think it is their new play thing and are constantly using it.  Big mistake downloading toddler games on there!  My kids also think Siri is pretty funny.  They have discovered how to make her mad.  One day she said to Carter, “Now, Now!” after he said, “Siri, you’re stupid”. 

On to our New Years Festivities…

We had an amazing New Years this year.  On New Years Eve Chris’ company (Red Bull) did a big event in San Diego called New Years No Limits where two guys jumped a motorcycle and a snowmobile over the Embarcadero.  We got to watch it live in San Diego from a chartered boat.  It was such a blast and so much fun to get away for a night.  Chris’ Mom watched the kids for us which was so sweet.

When we first got there it was very foggy, which was a big worry but miraculously it cleared up before the big jump. 

They had a nice little spread for us.

The boat was directly behind where ESPN was broadcasting from.  We couldn’t see much of what was going on but it was fun to see ourselves on camera when we got home and watched it. 

  Here is video I took of the jump which was pretty exciting and a huge success.

The jump took place at Midnight on the East Coast which was nice because we could still go out and celebrate on our own afterward.  We walked about a mile to Ruth’s Chris in Downtown San Diego and enjoyed a delicious Filet Mignon.  We headed back to our hotel just in time for midnight and rang in the New Year in our nice quiet room away from all the crowds.  We slept in until 10 the next morning which was huge for us, that never happens in our house. 

Since New Years Day fell on a Sunday this year our annual tradition of going to the Rose Parade was held on Monday January 2nd.  It worked out really well for us because of the Red Bull event.  It was kind of sad this year not having my parents there as they were still in Texas but we held up the tradition and headed into Pasadena with Chris and Amanda and joined Wes and Kristy and all the Jones family that live nearby.  Like I say every year, its more about socializing with my family than it is about looking at floats.  The kids enjoy the fun atmosphere and look forward to it every year.  It makes me happy that my kids know it as a tradition in their lives, just as I did growing up.  Chris used to grumble in the past but after 12+ years going with me, it’s a tradition for him too.  As we walked up to the parade route we were greeted by this sky message which the kids enjoyed.

The floats as usual were very lovely.  Its always fun to see random celebrities on them.  This one had Kenny G on it, serenading us.

Libby enjoyed being perched above Chris’ shoulders.

Chris and Amanda are the most photogenic couple.  They are simply adorable and we love them!

Hanging out watching the parade with Daddy.

Libby enjoyed chilling with Aunt Kristy.

The kids love sitting atop ladders and step stools. 

Afterward we always go to Aunt Sharon’s for a big bash.  It was such a beautiful day and unusually hot for a January day.  We all wished we’d brought our swim suits!  It was great to sit around and talk to Uncle Chris and hear his words of wisdom for us.

What a great New Years celebration!  I always look forward to it every year.  Before we know it we’ll be ringing in 2013!

Quick Trip to Palm Desert

The day after Christmas Chris had to take a trip to Palm Desert for work.  Since the kids didn’t have school we decided to join him.  The weather is simply gorgeous this time of year, you can’t beat it!   We were only there two days but we managed to do some fun things on our visit.  The first day we were there we went to the Living Desert which is a Desert themed Zoo.  We went there last year when we vacationed in Palm Desert for Thanksgiving and we really enjoyed it so we decided to try again.  Chris was obviously working so this time it was just me and the kids which proved to be a bit challenging at times but overall the kids really had a great time.  I lost Sawyer a couple of times but we managed.  Here are some highlights of our Zoo visit. 

They have a huge G-scale Model Train exhibit which the kids really enjoyed watching. 

 

The older kids enjoyed the Goat petting Zoo.  Libby preferred to stay in my arms.  Maddie was very happy to find out the name of this goat from one of the volunteers:  Madeline. 

Libby sizing herself up next to the big cats (and small ones too).  This zoo has a cheetah but this time we couldn’t see it, as it was hiding. 

The kids enjoyed posing on the animals sculptures found throughout the zoo.

This little boar was just Libby’s size.

This is really a picturesque zoo.  Just look at that view, its great to see the animals in their natural desert habitat.

There are some fun hands on things for kids to do here.  The boys are looking at an Ant display. 

One of my all time favorite pictures of Libby.

More hands on fun stuff to do.  They have a little playground area with areas to climb and slides and even sand and water.  Letting the kids run free was great until I lost Sawyer a couple times. 

Of course the Living Desert is full of beautiful vegetation and lots of these guys.

 

I didn’t take any more pictures of our trip but later that day we hit up the pool with Daddy.  The following day we hung around our hotel in the morning and then went to the Mall.  Later that day we picked up Chris and headed home.  It was short but sweet and much better than staying home and cleaning up Christmas aftermath. 

Christmas Morning 2011

 

This Christmas I was so proud of myself.  I managed to have EVERYTHING ready ahead of time and had very little to do on Christmas eve.  Everything was put together, wrapped, sorted and ready to go before we went to Ed and Tanya’s on Christmas eve.  I think I even got in bed by midnight which was the earliest I’ve ever gotten in bed on Christmas eve!

Here is what our living room looked like after Santa visited our home.

Maddie and Sawyer had been begging for bikes so they were thrilled to finally have their new bikes.  Sawyer was riding Maddie’s old pink and purple bike and Maddie was riding a razor scooter when the kids would go out to ride.  She was excited to have her very own basket attached as well!  Carter got Hogwarts Legos and Harry Potter Wii game as well.  Both the boys got new basketballs and soccer goals.  Libby was thrilled with a new baby doll, princess tent and shopping cart.

Maddie had been begging for the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid book and dove right in that morning. 

Sawyer trying out his new bike

.She couldn’t stop pushing her shopping cart around all day.

Maddie requested a beach cruiser from Santa and it was a little big for her but she was eager to try it out.

 

Since Christmas fell on a Sunday this year we were pretty busy.  I decided for the first time ever I would host Christmas dinner for Chris’ family at our home.  Our home is only 1200 sq feet so its not an easy task to entertain guests but we somehow managed.  After checking out their Santa gifts I hurried and made our favorite Aebelskivers for breakfast along with bacon and eggs.  Uncle David joined us for breakfast and the kids quickly got their clothes on for church before opening the rest of their gifts.  We were rushing around so much I forgot to get a picture at breakfast.   Here are the kids all ready to open their gifts under the tree.  We did gifts pretty simple this year.  This was the first year I actually stuck to a budget and it felt so amazing!  The kids didn’t seem to notice that I didn’t spend that much although I made sure I got some amazing bargains and utilized my Mystery Shops at Disneyland to get things for Libby which didn’t cost me a dime!

My Harry Potter boy with his Hogwarts t-shirt.  He also was excited to get a book light so he could stay up late to read Harry Potter.  (which only lasted a few nights the darn thing broke within a few days).

This year I made Chris a shadow box frame of his mementos from his marathon.  It was such an amazing accomplishment in his life I wanted him to remember it forever. 

After we got home from Church we quickly cleaned up the house and got dinner on so that it would be ready for the Nielsen clan.  It was nice having David at our house all morning.  He really helped clean up after the kids messy toys and got things ready for me.

We had Honey Baked Ham, Roasted Potatoes,  Green Beans, Fruit Salad and lots of yummy desserts.  We were all stuffed and happy! 

 

Each year we usually exchange gifts with Chris’ siblings and end up spending more than we can afford.  So last year after dinner we all were sitting around and someone suggested we do a White Elephant gift exchange the following year instead.  So that is exactly what we did and it was a riot!  We have a new tradition and the kids talk about it all the time.  Here is Kelli opening the gift we contributed.  It was a pocket fisherman from the 80’s.  Funny part of the story is that it was a gift from Chris’ dad when we were first married.  Chris has been hanging on to it for years for the perfect white elephant gift. 

We had such a fun time together and putting it on all myself really wasn’t that bad.  I tried to keep things simple and made sure to prepare as many things ahead of time as I could so that I could enjoy the day. 

Christmas Eve

Every other year we spend Christmas Eve with Chris’ Dad and Tanya.  Tanya made a lovely dinner for us and the kids all opened their PJ’s for Christmas Eve.  They put on a fashion show and then opened their gifts from Grandpa and Tanya. 

While we were at their home Chris and I found the Desk in Chris’ old room where we professed our love for one another!  Oh to be 16 and in love!  We had fun showing our kids and we just had to take a picture.  (I’m pretty sure the desk is no longer theirs since they just moved and got rid of a lot of things.  I’m glad I got this picture.)

December Activities

 

Here it is May and I am posting about December!  I will eventually get my blog caught up!  I am cramming all of our fun December activities into one post. 

Bass Pro Shops- Winter Wonderland

We always try to do some fun Christmas activities to get the kids in the spirit of Christmas each year.  Chris has taken the kids to the Bass Pro Shops Winter Wonderland before but this was the first year I had been and I thought it was really fun.  They had a Merry-go-round with reindeer on it that was really cute.  All the activities are free too! 

They had archery, shooting ranges, slot cars and trains.  The kids had fun playing each of the games.  It was pretty busy when we arrived so we didn’t get to meet Santa but they still had a great time. Look at Maddie’s “Katniss” stance!

Look at that concentration!

With all the craziness, Libby was sadly confined to her stroller most of the time. She was happy looking at all the fun decorations and lights. 

 

Disneyland

During the month of December I love to make a trip to Disneyland to see all the beautiful Christmas décor.  This year it was just me and the little ones on a mystery shop while the big kids were at school.  Sawyer was thrilled to win a stuffed Goofy at one of the game booths we went to.  We had a great time as usual and of course hit our favorite ride: Toy Story’s Midway Mania. 

 

Christmas Ornaments

Following my family’s tradition, each year for Christmas my children receive an ornament to decorate the tree.  When they are grown they get to take their ornaments with them to put on their own family’s tree.  This year I gave each of the kids their first initial. 

 

Living Nativity

This is the second year that our Stake has put on a Living Nativity.  My Dad is heavily involved with it and has brought a piece of his childhood in Canada here to our stake.  When my Dad was living in Calgary with his parents who were serving as mission presidents, they put on a huge living Nativity every year.  When we lived in Duarte for many years my Dad would put it on in the small grass area behind our chapel.  Since he had moved away the event has died down and they no longer do it.  The last two years he has really helped it become a big production here at our Stake Center.  Many people are involved and they got an excellent turn out this year.  He hopes it’s success continues! 

My kids enjoy seeing the live animals and being outside in the night air imagining what it would have felt to be there on that first Christmas night.  Libby was very excited to go up and see the Baby Jesus after the program. 

Christmas with an almost 2-year-old

Christmas is always an adventure with a toddler around.  For most of the month the bottom half of my tree had lots of missing ornaments.  We lost a few ornaments to casualties with Libby and I quickly discovered that I wouldn’t be putting any gifts under the tree until Christmas morning.  Instead of wrapping everything on Christmas eve, I wrapped them all early and put them above the entertainment center.  I was so proud of myself, I had all my shopping done and gifts wrapped an entire week before Christmas!

 

Ward Christmas Party

The ward Christmas party is always lots of fun!  The bishopric cooks a delicious meal and it always amazes me how wonderful it is!  There are NO women in the kitchen, even for clean up.  The food tastes wonderful and they love doing it!   This year they made breakfast for dinner, which I thought sounded kind of strange but it was really delicious!  They went all out and had the works.   One of the highlights of the party is when Santa comes.  My Dad has been doing it for our ward for the last few years and he does such an awesome job. I think he should get his own Santa suit. 

Here is Libby waiting for Santa to arrive.  Once he arrived she wanted nothing to do with him, she was scared to DEATH!  We made sure she didn’t find out it was Grampy.  After that night she wouldn’t even go near the fake Santa we have in our house. 

The other kids enjoyed sitting on Grampy’s Santa’s Lap. 

Jones Family Christmas Party

This year my parents were going to Texas for Christmas, and Chris and Amanda were going to Seattle.  We wanted to all get together to celebrate and exchange gifts so we planned a party.  We had a great time and my mom  gave us pictures that she had drawn of the youngest child in each family.  It turned out so lovely!  I didn’t take a lot of pictures but we had a great time.

Sawyer was excited to get this wii game!

Christmas isn’t complete without singing Jingle Bells, Coleman accompanied us with the bells!

The morning of our scheduled party 3 of my 4 kids all had stomach flu!  My family ended up postponing the party a few days thinking we’d be in the clear.  Well apparently we weren’t and Wes, Kristy, and both of their kids ALL got it and were sick all Christmas Eve and DAY!  I felt awful!  They didn’t go to San Diego to be with her family because they were so miserable.  So they spent Christmas sick and all alone.  So Sad!