New Year's Sleep Over

For Keara's birthday in the summer she wanted to have a sleep over and invited Liv to spend the night with her.  It's was Liv's first and only sleep over and she has been begging for another ever since.  I decided New Year's Eve was the best night for a sleep over because I honestly didn't care how late they stayed up.  I got hats and roll out noise-makers for all the kids, and they loved it.

Liv was so stoked that hers had a peacock feather on it.

 It seems to have become a tradition that the Thorsteds come over to our place for games every New Years Eve.  We all groggily debate about whether we should actually go till midnight or call it a night at 10 or 11 every year.  But then, we somehow always make it to midnight.  This year the Rileys joined us as well.  We tons of a food and a lot of fun.  The girls had a night long tea party going on all with all the fun loose leaf herbal tea Nay gave me for Christmas.  We did an pre-recorded character count down with the kids at 10 pm.  They got so excited counting down and then blowing their noise makers and shouting HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!  Then, Derek and I put all our kids to bed and all the adults played Smart Ass.  Derek won as usual. Two minutes after midnight everyone shoveled out and finally headed to bed.  Our kids still woke up at 7am as usual.  Fabulous.

Christmasy Things

We bought our tree the traditional day after Thanksgiving.  Nathan and Benazir were still around and convinced us that if we put it in our kitchen with the vaulted ceilings we could get a 9 ft tree, so we did.  But, then we had to buy new ornaments to have enough to fill it.  Its pretty neat looking.

The lot Derek bought it from gives tree preserve (tree food) to help it stay green longer.  The day after we put it up and Carter had seen Derek water the tree with it he came into my room and said, "Mom, I feed the tree.  I feed the tree a lot.  It's all gone."  Sure enough he had dumped the whole bottle of tree preserve into the tree that morning.  Carter Starter strikes again.

No one cried this year on Santa's lap.

We coaxed Tyler Thorsted into taking our family photo just a couple weeks ago when I realized that we hadn't taken a single photo all together all year.

Free carriage rides at the Riverwoods-always fun.

We've had our first real snow over the last few days.  London loves more than anything to go outside and jump around in the snow when everyone is out there.

Carolyn gave all the kids these cute snowman shirts for Christmas this year.

Christmas Eve we bundled everyone up and went caroling around the neighborhood.  All the kids sang We Wish You A Merry Christmas and then we gave them a bundle of Mom's Rocky Road Fudge.  Then we went home and quickly cooked up a Christmas Eve Crab feast- the kids didn't love it, but Derek and I did.

Christmas jammies and all the kids ready to open then presents.  

We gave them all piggy bank safes and tithing banks.  They were pretty excited about them.  For Derek's Christmas present, I re-felted our pool table that was in the house when we bought it and has never been used.  It's kinda fun to play on.  Derek made me my own food blog.  I'm so excited and have been blogging daily in an effort to get all my recipes digital.

We read scriptures as usual before putting the kids to bed, but we were reading about the birth of Jesus that night, and I loved how all the kids climbed on Derek's knee to hear better.

Liv was so into Santa Clause this year.  She set out these cookies and milk for Santa and all these carrots for the 9 reindeer.  She could not go to bed she was so excited.  And then, she woke Derek and I up at 3 AM to let us know Santa had come and had eaten the cookies and left a note!!!  Then, she walked around all morning saying, "I can't believe he came!!!"

Santa brought Liv her hearts desire: An Anna sleigh with Christof and Sven and Olaf.  Camden and Carter kept changing their minds and towards the end Carter just kept saying he wanted to be on the naughty list and wanted a big naught list for Christmas (so the Santa be good threats obviously backfired) .  Camden ended up with a construction site duplo lego set and Carter got a big John Deer tractor with MegaBlocks in the back.

We woke up to 8 in of snow on Christmas morning and Derek had hurt his back shoveling snow a few days before, so I shoveled the driveway for the first time in our married life.  It was hard and exhausting especially with all that snow.  We had a quiet Christmas Day.  Steven and Diane came over to experience our first go a Mickey Mouse Waffles with the waffle iron they gave us for Christmas.  

Then, we loaded everyone up and went caroling to Susan and Carma.  It was actually a very nice Christmas.

The day after Christmas, Uncle Nathan and Benazir, and Dad and Lynn arrived.  Nay brought his 3D stuff he has been working on and let all the kids try it.  Liv particularly loved it.  The girls went for pedicure while the boys made a lamb chop dinner.  We had a bit of a star wars marathon over the weekend watching episode IV, V, and VI.  Introducing Lynn and Benazir for the first time.  

Nathan and Benz brought me a bunch of herbal loose leaf tea and this really neat tea kettle for loose leaf tea that you just set on top of your cup and it drains into it (or "pees out the butt" as Nathan terms it).

Sunday we went to the church while our company lounged and hit the grocery store.  That night we had a Sirloin roast and tons more.  Monday, we all went to see the New Peanuts movie which was very good and hilarious.  Carter fell asleep on Lynn after drinking a whole bottle of juice and peed his pants in his sleep.  HA!  

That night Nick and Jenny Hales watched the kids so all the adults could go to dinner at the tree room.  The food and ambiance was fabulous as always. 

 We pulled what they termed "The Kylie" and ordered one of every dessert.  We had a great time.  Then, we watched them all pack up and leave this morning.  

Impromtu Las Vegas Trip

BYU and Utah were scheduled to play each other in the Vegas bowl the weekend before Christmas.  We had a free Hyatt hotel we had to use within a few months.  Our original plan was the stay in the Hyatt in Salt Lake, do temple square with the kids, go back and swim, sleep the night and head home.  But, when BYU made it to the Vegas Bowl plans changed.  So, we loaded everyone into the car and drove to Vegas.  The kids did pretty well in the car.  6 hours is a good length for them.  We stayed at the Luxor which is part of the Hyatt hotel chain because they had a pool.

I like to say that Derek and I went on two separate vacations.  He went on a vacation to Vegas to watch a bowl game, and I went on a "vacation" to the strip with my 3 little kids.  Those big casinos are not my favorite place to stay with the kids.  It's always such a long walk to your room through a smokey casino with intriguing lights and noises.  The kids of course keep jumping up on the slot machines, and we keep getting in trouble for not containing them.  We had a room with 2 queen beds.  Camden slept with me, Liv slept with Derek, and Carter took the floor.   Both mornings we had breakfast at the casino cafe.  They had a signature dish Derek loved called Country Benedict.  It's basically biscuits and gravy, with a fried egg.

Saturday, Derek was gone from 10 AM- 7PM at the bowl game, so the kids and I took on Vegas.  They all sported their BYU game to try to send some good luck to the cougar (however, not quite enough).

 We met my Oregon law girls at the Bellagio to check out their conservatory.

The boys loved these penguins that would pop out of the igloo the most.

It was a little hectic there with all of us and our brood of kids so, we soon vacated and found solace at a McDonald's playplace.  We sat there at least 2 hours just talking while the kids played.  We had to order lunch and then later ice cream.  Then, I took the kids back to the hotel and we all went swimming in the outdoor pool in 50 degree weather.  The pool was heated, so it was doable, but still cold.  All the college kids sipping their drinks in the hot tub kept looking at us like we were crazy.  Maybe I was.  But, I had floaties for the boys and the pool was only 3 1/2 feet at it's deepest, so Liv's head was never underwater.

That night we went to Benazir and Nathan's for dinner which was so fantastic.  I was so grateful to not have to manage my kids at yet another restaurant and the meal was delicious.  Then, we slept one more night at our casino.  In the morning we checked out the Las Vegas Museum of Natural History because we could get in for free with our Thanksgiving Point Pass.  It was a little dated, but the kids enjoyed it nonetheless.  Then, it was back into the car and we were heading home.  Here's a picture of Carter snoozing I took on the drive home.

Other news

We bought a new computer desk at IKEA one night for FHE.  We took all the kids and grabbed dinner there.  They gave us these cute masks to entertain the kids while we shopped.

Liv made this awesome monster trap.  It was quite the ordeal to use the stairs that day.

The boys kept fighting over this milkshake at Chik Filet one day, so I added a second straw.

One day after being at my office, I was loading all 3 kids into the car which is always crazy.  I got 2 out of 3 in and could not find Carter.  I started calling for him and I heard a distant "Over here."  He had climbed up the steps of this utility vehicle parked in the middle of the road in front of my office.

 Every since he was a baby we have called him "Carter Starter," and I find it a very fitting nickname.  He is definitely the most self-starter of all our kids.  The other kids generally ask me for permission to do most everything, not Carter.  He never asks to go to the bathroom, he just goes (that I appreciate).  He doesn't ask for a piece of candy just helps himself whenever.  Doesn't ask me to make him chocolate milk, he tries to make it himself, doesn't ask if he can climb the utility truck in the middle of the road...etc.

A friend clandestinely obtained this photo during sacrament of the boys first time singing at the front of the chapel.

Liv and her friend Chelsea stole my phone and took this selfie for me to find later.

Carter helping me roll out the pancake dough for Mu Shu Pork.  Kinda fun.

Oh and this just in...I took the boys to the well child check and the Pediatrician walks in the room and immediately asks if Carter has a lazy eye.  I said no, not that I had noticed.  He did a few tests and said yep he noticed his eye drifting a few times, so I better take him to the ophthalmologist.  I have been staring at this kids eyes ever since and still can't see anything.  But, the ophthalmologist (after a full dilated eye exam) confirmed that he has a 4th cranial nerve palsy and that his right eye will dart up sometimes when he is looking towards his nose.  So, I am supposed to just watch him for now and see how often I notice it, and if he tilts his head to focus his vision on the TV or whatever.  Still don't notice anything.  The only fix is surgery if needed, but he told me that it was very mild and hopefully won't need that.  It was so cute watching them test his visual acuity.  He hoped in the over-sized chair, feet not touching the floor, and they would show decreasing sizes of letters on a screen across the room.  He held a card and would point to the letter that matched the one of the screen.  Then, the aid would reassure him that he got it right which he loved.  He felt like it was a fun game.