Round Two (or Three)

After all the craziness of Christmas morning got over, the kids got to open their presents from Grandma and Grandpa. They all loved everything they got, but Caitlyn I have to say had the BEST reaction. I wish I could have got it on a digital video, but I was taking digital still pictures and Matt had our normal video camera. Anyways, so for Christmas Santa had brought her an IPOD, so Grandma and Grandpa bought her a purple Hannah Montana docking station with a microphone. As Caitlyn tears back one side of the paper and can see what it is this is exactly what she says, in a very dramatic voice, "OH, no, Oh no, You didn't.." then she continues to tear open the rest of the package. It was like she couldn't believe they got her that, even though it wasn't something she was even asking for. Except for the funny thing was is that I am not sure she even knew it was an IPOD docking station until we told her. I don't know, it doesn't sound funny on paper, but believe me it was hilarious!

We're Here Santa

This year, just because of the way plane tickets worked out and because the move to Indiana was harder on my kids than expected, we flew to Utah on Christmas Eve to spend the rest of the holidays with my family. The kids were very concerned that Santa wouldn't know where we were, but we had a special friend, our elf David, who told Santa where we would be on Christmas Eve. Grandma and Grandpa had everything set up for us when we got in and after a very excited reunion with cousins it was off to bed. In the morning, the kids were very relieved to wake up to find presents under the tree. And, after the rush of opening presents, one of the best parts of Christmas day is having a jammie day and being able to spend to whole day playing!

Round One

The kids got to open their presents from Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Jamie on Christmas Eve. It is funny how you can tell each child's different personality just by the presents they got. For example: Emma got a set of good books, Brandon got the biggest Nerf gun I have ever seen, Caitlyn got a make-up artist kit, and Parker got Uno Moo (which is very cute, and I highly recommend it for your little ones).






Two of my favorite favorite parts about Christmas are: 1) Getting my kids matching PJ's to wear for Christmas morning, which they get to open up on Christmas Eve, which is amazing they still get excited for because it is the same thing every year. 2) Going to the dollar store and letting the kids pick out presents for each other and mom and dad. This year, since we were in Iowa, they got to pick out stuff or Grandma and Grandpa Jeppsen and Aunt Jamie too. And let me just say you can find some pretty "special" items in the dollar store. :)

The Nativity

It is definitely a family tradition to act out the night of our Savior's birth. Grandma Jeppsen made us some awesome costumes and just in case you couldn't tell, here is a list of our cast (in no particular order):
Mary: Caitlyn got the special role this year
Joseph: Dad
Angel: Emma
Wise men: Brandon and Parker
Shephards: Grandma and mom
Narrator: Grandpa

Sledding Once

The weather cooperated and we actually got to go sledding a little bit over winter break. I don't know if you can see it, but there was a HUGE bump down the hill. The kids went off it at full speed and caught some pretty good air. They talked me into giving it a try and I was really afraid for my life! I don't know what has happened to me, but in my old age I have gotten to be such a fraidy cat. "In my younger days" (now that makes me sound REALLY old) I would have done it without giving it a second thought. I think it must have something to do with having kids, the mom instinct is a little more cautious.










Ok, so I didn't get quite as much air as the kids, but it was still scary.

Gingerbread Surprises

While we were decorating gingerbread houses at Grandma and Grandpa Jeppsen's house, Grandma arranged for a special visit from Santa. The older kids thought it was pretty neat being able to see Santa, but Parker not so much. Thanks Grandma!

The Inspiration

This year at the girl's and I traditional Nutcracker outing they became inspired future ballerinas. They loved the performance we saw because it was from a local ballet school (similar to Clytie Adams Ballet school in Utah), which meant that Clara was played by a young girl, instead of a prima ballerina pretending to be a young girl (like we usually see in the Joffery Ballet Company). I don't think they ever thought that a young girl could actually be in such an important ballet. So after it was done, they really wanted to sign up for lessons so they could be in the performance next year. So, hopefully next year instead of posting about watching the Nutcracker, I'll be posting about the girls performing it! :)

The Best Thanksgiving Ever!

Ok, I know you are all wondering what made this Thanksgiving the best one ever??? One word...CATERING! Yes, since we just moved into our new house and spent the whole last week getting settled, I was just not feeling in the mood to create the traditional homemade spread. So, there is this great restaurant near us that you could order your dinner from, and it was great! My kids thought I had lost my marbles because not only did I not "cook" Thanksgiving dinner, we had it the day before as well. I was leaving to go on my annual Thanksgiving shopping trip with my mom, sisters, aunts, cousins, and grandma Thanksgiving evening so there wasn't time that day. I have to admit it did take some of the festiveness away from the celebration---it really didn't feel like Thanksgiving dinner, but I think it mostly had to do with the fact that we had no family around, and let's face it, family is really what makes Thanksgiving so special.

While I was on my trip and Matt was "watching" the kids (which you can't really say watching when they are his own kids, right? I should say staying with the kids), they created their own little band and gave me a private concert. Dad's get to have all the fun...this is the perfect example of what they did all weekend, which means everything else was pretty much neglected (ie laundry, dishes, cleaning), which all are not that important in the grand scheme of things, but somebody has to do them right? Anyways, hope you enjoy!

Oh yeah, just a little note about my black Friday experience this year. It was a total let down. Toy's R Us was a complete disaster! They were handing out tickets for the door busters, but then when you went to redeem your ticket they had sold your item to someone else, who obviously did not have a ticket. And, they weren't letting anyone in and people were starting to get into fights and cops were called. Then once you finally did get in, the deals weren't even that great. What a waste of time! Hopefully next year will be better, or we will just have to get some pampering done instead of shopping!

The Birthday Boy

So basically I should just copy and paste everything I just posted about Cait's birthday to Brandon's. :) But, since I have always felt so guilty about having their birthdays only one day apart, I have tried so hard to make sure they each get their own special day and celebration. So, it is only fitting they should get their own special blog post, right? Brandon thinks it is so cool to have his birthday on Veteran's Day. We have tried to teach him what that day is all about, and I think he understands. He also wanted so bad to have a friend birthday party this year because we are moving and next year when he turns eight we will be in a new place. I felt so bad and almost gave in, but in the end we decided to stick to our 4, 8, 12, 16 rule (those are the ages the kids get a friend party). He was a good sport and was just happy to get to see his dad on the weekend. He has really missed him because they are such good buds right now. Besides, mom just doesn't wrestle as good as dad, right? Anyways, Happy Birthday Brandon! We love You!

The Birthday Girl

Yes, it is that time of year again. The time when Caitlyn and Brandon have the same conversation about who is older than who. I have to admit it's got to be confusing for a kid because technically Caitlyn's birthday is a day before Brandon's, but Brandon is older cuz he was born the year before, but that totally doesn't make sense to little kids. We end up just settling the matter by saying that they are the same age for one day (Caitlyn's birthday), and then Brandon turns a year older the next day (his birthday). This year we did something that I have never done before. We had two birthday celebrations, which for anyone who knows me, knows that it is so not like me. One celebration on their birthday is all I can handle. But this year we celebrated once on the weekend so dad could be there (he went to school in Indiana during the week and drove home to be with us every weekend) and once on her real birthday. Which, it turns out, Grandma and Grandpa Jensen were able to celebrate with us because they flew in to help us pack up and move. So, Happy Birthday Caitlyn! We love you!


PS...Caitlyn is the funnest person to give presents to because she gets so visibly, genuinely excited about each and every one. Just look at her reaction to her new journal (the picture in the middle).

Spooky Night (I really mean day)

I thought for sure with Halloween being on a weekend this year we would get to trick-or-treat at night, but oh no, I guess the city has a curfew ordinance that mandates trick-or-treating be done between 4-7 pm. So that is just what we did, except for at least this time we were a little more prepared. And in all fairness, I really do see the purpose of afternoon trick-or-treating, it is so much safer, I guess I just have fond memories of my own late night trick-or-treating adventures when I was growing up. So I promise, no more whining.

Just in case you couldn't tell, we have Spider-man here.

Here is the pirate princess. Emma is totally into the double identity thing, remember the vampire cheerleader last year?

Here is our very hip witch.

And of course Brandon couldn't resist the double blade weapon that came with this white ninja costume.

Finally!

So one of the best parts of our trip to Maine was that while we were there we truly had an answer to our prayers! Yes, we finally sold our house. Of course as they say it isn't official til the money is in the bank, we are pretty sure this will go through. It was a bitter-sweet reality, we are definitely ready to be with our dad, but not quite sure we are ready to leave everyone we have grown so close to. But either way, I definitely know that Heavenly Father was watching over our little family and knew that it was time to be together again. Hopefully we (I) have learned the lessons that we were meant to learn from this whole experience. I can definitely say that nothing is worth the stress on a family when you are apart and the the idea that families are forever has so much more meaning to us. Anyways, so off to Indiana we go!

Mainly Maine

My sister and her family moved to Maine so her hubby could complete his residency for his master's degree in health administration. So, for our fall break the kids and I wanted to go up to visit. We heard that the fall colors in Maine are amazing and we had a great opportunity to see them AND get to play with cousins too.

On Columbus Day we actually got to go sailing on a schooner. Let's just say it was a once in a lifetime experience. We called ahead and the sailors said that we could bring donuts and hot chocolate on board as a little snack during our sail, which we thought would be perfect because it was freezing cold. Well, little did we know that when you sail on a schooner you are hanging on for dear life because the boat is literally sailing on it's side the whole time. Needless to say, none of the adults got any donut time but the kids managed a few while they were scrunched down in the cracks. Luckily, no one ended up overboard and we all made it back to land safely.

Playing games with Grandma is one of our favorite activities.

We went on a "hike" which I always feel funny saying because the hike wasn't really like what I consider a hike to be because I grew up around mountains. But, it was a little hike up to the top of a pretty big hill, but it was definitely worth it at the top. It was gorgeous! The trees are so dense and the colors are so bright and vivid, breath taking! I know Maine isn't really on anybody's list of places they hope to visit, but it is definitely worth giving it a chance.

We got to see Carter play one of his soccer games. He did awesome!

No fall trip is complete without a trip to the pumpkin patch and a little pumpkin painting. We got an extra special treat and had delicious homemade apple cider donuts---and they were delish.

This is one of my favorite pictures. Isn't it just beautiful! I can't remember the name of this lighthouse, but it was so incredible to see one in real life. The concept of the lighthouse is so amazing and to think that before electricity the light house keepers kept them lit on stormy nights all by themselves is such an incredible thing. They are such a symbol of safety that you can't help but compare them to our gospel and the strength and safety it brings to our lives.

Grandpa and Grandma flew into Maine on Grandpa's birthday, so we decided to surprise him and pick him up at the airport in a black limo. The kids thought it was so fun and it definitely was a surprise for him. We drove right past him and he didn't even see us until Tara got out and brought him over to the limo. We had a yummy dinner at the Sea Dog restaurant, and some yummy dessert at home. We were so glad we got to celebrate his birthday with him.

We went to the the beach twice and both times we were just going to play in the sand, but the kids couldn't resist and ended up getting soaked. This was the first time my kids had seen the Atlantic Ocean and they just wanted to dive right in. But, it was FREEZING cold! Grandpa helped them build a sandcastle, but half way through it turned into a turtle. Also, both times we went a couple of hours before sunset, and ended up getting to see some amazing sunsets as well.

The Talent Fair

The kids wanted to participate in the primary talent fair. Brandon did a lego creation with a couple of friends from the neighborhood. They worked on the display every day after school until they had everything just right. Emma and Caitlyn did a cheer routine. They practiced everyday after school and did such a great job. (I don't know what I was thinking, and I thought I had a digital video clip of it, but I didn't.)

Back to School

I think this day comes faster every year. Caitlyn was sooo excited to get on that bus with everyone else in the neighborhood and loves Kindergarten, she only wishes it would be all day.

No, Parker isn't in school, but he really wants to be.

Finally! The bus!

Goin' for the sling backpack this year.

This actually wasn't the first day of school, but is was literally pouring rain on the first day, so we didn't get any pictures. Emma is sportin the shoulder bag this year, which I have been informed is not called a book bag, it is still a back pack.