New Year's Eve

My parents came to visit for New Years.  The kids loved having Grandma and Grandpa here for 5 whole days.  On New Year's Eve afternoon, we took the kids sledding again.  Kate really needed a nap, and did not want to sled, so I took her and Grandma home, then I went back to watch the kids sled.  After a week of sledding every other day, they kids were a little burned out on sledding, and it was really really cold, so none of them lasted very long. 

After dropping Kate off at home, I came back to find that the kids had come up with the idea of tying sleds together.  Not the safest, but sure fun!

After sledding, we went back home and spent the rest of the evening eating (fondue) and playing games.  Savannah went with some friends to the Stake New Year's Eve dance.  It was more of an activity than a dance.  They held it at the YMCA and had one room for dancing, but then had games set up in the other rooms.  The only reason she was willing to go, was because she knew she could avoid dancing and just do the other activities.  It started at 9pm and we picked her up at 11:30 so she could come home and celebrate midnight with us (she didn't want to stay the whole time).  Not only did all of our kids stay awake till midnight, but I had to force them all to go to bed at 1:00am (even Kate)!

Sisters are the Best

Kate is so lucky to have Savannah and Sara.  They spoil her.  Savannah dressed Kate up to do ballet, and Sara dressed up to match her and danced with her.

And Savannah talked her dad into getting this inflatable Olaf, while they were shopping together (Christmas clearance 50% off).  It's nice to have a big sister always looking out for you.

Baby Update

 This baby is growing!  Here I am at 31 weeks. 

I had another ultrasound on the morning of New Year's Eve.  This little guy loves to have his back to the camera, so all we got was a picture of his ear.  I was measuring a whole week ahead of schedule (measuring 33 weeks when I was only 32) - he's going to be a big boy.  But he looks healthy and everything is going as expected.  He loves to move all the time and really doesn't like it when I slouch when I sit (cramps his space).  This pregnancy is so much harder than the others.  My body is so tired and worn out.  Some days I wonder how I'll get through just one more day.  I have a countdown calendar counting down the days till I don't have to be pregnant anymore.  I keep telling myself it will all be worth it in the end.

Aaron

Aaron lost another molar!  This poor kid has more spaces in his mouth than teeth!

More Sledding

The day after Christmas, we took the kids sledding again.  The snow had frozen and was more like ice, so the sledding runs were FAST!  It was so much fun!  (Side note: I did not do any sledding this year.  I was very responsible with keeping this baby safe and stuck to being the photographer.)

Eventually Kate got cold, so she and I went back to the van to warm up.  The other kids were happy to come back to a warmed up van when they finished about 10 minutes later.

Christmas

At the beginning of December, we asked all the kids what they wanted for Christmas.  Most of them couldn't think of anything.  Our kids have everything they need and most everything they want.  I always hate when Christmas comes around and I feel like I have to buy just to buy.  Our house is so full already, and it is so hard coming up with things that the kids really need.  As our kids struggled to think of anything they needed or wanted, we took the chance to talk to them about going small this Christmas.  We explained that since they didn't need anything, we wanted to go small with our buying and then use the extra money to help out a needy family in our ward.  The kids loved the idea and all agreed to it.

I was worried that Christmas morning would come, though, and they would be disappointed that there weren't very many presents.  Santa brought them each one gift, Scott and I bought them each one gift, and we had them draw names as siblings for one more gift.  So three gifts, that was it (and then some from grandparents), so much smaller than years past.  But, the kids were just as happy with their three gifts as they have been in years where there was more.

 

The kids upstairs woke up around 9 Christmas morning.  We made them all stay upstairs while we woke up Kate and took her upstairs to join them.  Kate was not ready to wake up and didn't want to have anything to do with Christmas morning.  I tried to get our traditional top of the stairs picture, but Kate wasn't having it.

Owen waited patiently with his eyes closed so he wouldn't be tempted to peak down the stairs.

I picked up Kate and talked to her and finally calmed her down enough for a picture with the kids.

Kate had decided the day before (with some coaxing from Savannah) that what she wanted more than anything from Santa was a bike.  We let her come down first, without the rush of the other kids, to see whether or not Santa had come through with her bike.

Seeing the new bike cheered Kate up and she decided Christmas morning could commence.  The other kids rushed down to see what Santa had brought them.  They each got new tablets!

After the kids explored the contents of their stockings (which contained deodorant, lotion, toothpaste, books, etc), we turned to the presents under the tree.  We let the kids open their sibling gifts first.

Savannah gave Kate the Elsa dress she had seen at Target and really wanted.  She wore it almost everyday for a week after Christmas.

Josh gave Owen a new Paw Patrol car.

Kate gave Nate lots of gum.

Nate gave Aaron a new light saber.

Aaron gave Sara a book she had been wanting and a coupon for a whole day of him not singing (she hates when he sings).

Owen gave Josh a Bronco shirt.

Sara gave Savannah a Starbucks gift card and some Butterfinger candy (which Kate later ate during present opening).

Next up was the presents from mom and dad.  Kate got a Frozen sleeping bag and pillow to use when she has sleepovers on Savannah's floor on the weekends.

Owen got another Paw Patrol car (somehow I missed getting a picture).

Nate got an ice cream maker (believe it or not, that actually was on his list of things he wanted for Christmas).

Aaron got his very first pocketknife.  Actually three pocketknives.  It was the best gift he could have received and made this his very favorite Christmas (a direct quote from him).

Sara got a clay making kit.

Josh got a self inflating mattress to take camping for scouts.

Savannah wanted more than anything to get an IPod Touch for Christmas.  But, they are very expensive ($200).  She begged for a month and promised she would pay for half of it if we would get it for her.  Scott and I decided that she deserved it.  She works so hard babysitting every weekend for others and works so hard around our house to help out and babysit her siblings.  I wrapped it in a big box, so she wouldn't think she was getting one.  It was so fun to see her face when she looked in the box and saw the tiny IPod sitting in the bottom.

Meanwhile, while Savannah was distracted with her IPod, Kate helped herself to Savannah's Butterfinger candies.

When Kate wasn't stealing other people's candy, she was riding circles on her bike through the living room and kitchen.

The next round of presents were the ones from Grandma and Grandpa Sorensen, but I was burned out taking pictures, so no pictures of those except this one of Kate playing in her new tent from Grandma.

Our afternoon was spent with me cleaning up the mess from Christmas morning, the kids eating candy and playing on their new tablets, and a short nap for me and Kate.  Then we went to Scott's parent's house for Christmas dinner and more presents.  The kids got their traditional Roaring Springs season passes and a cute swimming bag.

And we ended our night back at home, tired and happy (some more tired than others).  It was a good Christmas.