Adams' Family Christmas Party

Sunday night December 20 was our party with Don's family.  Dena had a good idea this year to spread the work around.  We had a progressive dinner and started at her house for appetizers.  Then we moved to our house for soup and salad, then to grandma and grandpa's for the main course of Rigatoni, bread and a broccoli dish.  After dinner we went to Dave and Amy's for dessert.  The kids got to open their gifts at each house we went to so they were opening presents all night.  Connor and Caleb got Nerf dart guns that they promptly wanted to tear in to and start shooting and some new Lego sets.  Cayden got a delightful band in a box that he has been entertaining us with all day.  Cody got the always appreciated Itunes and Borders gift cards and some needed jammy pants.  Ashley was a good sport opening the king size heated blanket box then she was told it was not a blanket.  She enjoyed the robe much more!  Dave and Amy had the only real Christmas tree in the family so we all gathered around it to smell the nostalgia.  I was not quick enough with the camera but it was quite funny to see 6 of us with our faces buried in the tree.  Good times!

The Forgotten Carols

One of our big family traditions is to go to the Forgotten Carols in St. George every year.  We leave soon after the boys get out of school so that we can go to dinner.  We went to Brick Oven this time.  Cody was a bit disgruntled because he wanted Pizza Factory.  Brick Oven was very tasty and very fast so we had a some extra time to get Connor and Caleb some much needed shoes and Connor some much needed pants.  We had really close seats this year on the second row because I bought soon after they went on sale in October.  Last year we did not buy our tickets until much later and so we sat really far away.  When I went out to the lobby to get some water bottles I saw Michael McLean as he was coming out to go to backstage.  He even said hi to me!  Then I spent 5 minutes trying to get the water bottles out of the machine because they got wedged.  During the performance the kids were sooooo well behaved unlike the jerks behind us who were adults.  Don was not very pleased with the hooting and hollering going on behind us during the most inappropriate times.  Our boys on the other hand all sat still and were mesmerized with the performance even though Connor had alot of questions.  The show tries to do a few things different every year to mix it up and my kids have paid attention in the past apparently because they noticed some of the changes.  They know all the songs too.  It is such a great event to go to and it really helps us remember the true meaning of Christmas.  We even had a super quiet ride home.  There was no fighting or arguing and it was great!

Funny side note-when we were getting out of the car at Brick Oven there was a man in a truck next to us.  He watched all of us get out and then he said to me "You got any more in there?"  I said back to him "No that's all but  it's like a clown car in a circus!."  He thought it was pretty funny that there were so many of us.  He has not been in Utah very long I guess.
Funny side note #2-While we were waiting for the check the boys got a little restless so we told them they could go to the car.  They promptly climbed in to the front seats and started the car.  They sat there with Connor in the driver's seat and Caleb next to him.  They got a few strange looks and one man did a double take when he saw the 2 boys looking like they were ready to drive away. 
One more side note-Hey server girl-please don't call the lady with the 4 boys "Hon" every time you come to the table when you look like you just left the sorority.

Magical Forest

On Thursday December 17 Cayden got to go on a field trip with the first grade.  They went to the Magical Forest in Las Vegas.  They got to see Santa-Cayden wouldn't sit on his lap but he did sit in the other big chair with some friends.  They also go to ride the carousel, and the train.  Cayden declined to go down the big slide but he watched all his friends go.  After the Magical Forest the kids all went to the park for lunch and then back home on the bus.  Cayden did not want to ride the bus into Vegas so I drove my car.  After he had been there a while with his friends he decided that he wanted to ride the bus back to the school.  Don came and met me as the kids were leaving on the bus and we went to Cafe Rio.  Cayden is getting so much more independent and brave.  It is hard for me to let him do things because I am so protective of him but he is even being a bit defiant to exert his own independence so I guess I have to let him.  He is making such good progress and we are so glad. 

More Music

Connor and Caleb had their first band concert on Tuesday, December 8.  They are both in beginning band this year.  Connor plays the alto sax and Caleb plays the baritone.  Don could not be there that night because they changed the date of the concert after he had already planned on being there later in the week.  They both did a good job and were excited to perform.  Poor Caleb had been super sick Saturday night and Sunday morning and because he did not want miss the concert I took him to the Urgent Care on Sunday morning because I knew it was strep throat.  If we would have waited until Monday to go to the doctor he would have missed Tuesday at school and the concert too.  Thank goodness for antibiotics and no one else got strep even though Cody was sick with the valley virus most of the week.  This month has been super crazy!

Karate Chop

On Thursday night December 10, Connor and Caleb had their 3rd night of testing for their Tang Soo Do.  Testing is a big deal for their karate club and everyone is supposed to be there.  It is a long night but they each get to show their stuff and watch others to see how good they can become.  They each earned their orange belt which is the 4th color.  They have to practice and work hard in their class and it shows during their testing.  They are both feeling more confidant and they are kicking and punching much higher and harder.  Don took them down for the testing because it was another busy December night for all of us. 

The Big Date

The day of the big date arrived on Saturday December 5.  THe kids all started off at our house to make gingerbread houses and then they went to a few neighbor's houses to have then decide whose was the best.  Of course it was a tie and my kitchen was a DISASTER!!!  After the house making, they went to the softball fields and played ice block bowling and then they went to dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  They made them a yummy dinner of pasta, salad and bread.  After dinner the boys took their dates home so they could get dressed for the dance.  The dance was from 8-11pm at the high school.  After the dance they all went back to Josh Garlic's house for ice cream sundaes.  They all had a fun time and Cody's first formal date was a success. 

I Cheated

These are the trees that I bought at the Festival of Trees because I was too lazy and too tired and too stressed out to get out my tree.  We always decorate the inside and outside of the house and put up the Christmas tree for Family Home Evening.  It seriously took me most of the day to get the inside of the house decorated and because Connor and Cayden are the Christmas Nazis, we had to get everything out and everything up.  Don and Connor put up the outside lights while me and the other kids worked inside.  By the time we had everything done but the tree I just could not do anymore.  Don was leaving for the week and there was no way I could get the tree out of the box and put together on my own and let's face it-I just plain didn't want to.  Thank you Festival of Trees for letting me cheat a little to save a little of my sanity this year.  These trees will not be taken down but will be wrapped in a garbage bag and stored upstairs until next year.

Cayden's Debut

All of the first grade had a Christmas program on December 3 and 4.  Thursday, December 3 was the parents day and then they did it for the school on Friday the 4th. .  On Thursday when grandma and grandpa and me and Don went to see him he did not sing a single word.  Not one single note!  He did not do any of the actions and he did not even smile!  When he first got up to the stage he looked like he was going to cry.  I felt so bad and I wanted to go and rescue him but Don held me back and said that he would be fine.  He did stop giving me the pitiful look but he still did not participate.  He even was wearing his Santa hat when he got out of the car in the morning and he said that he was going to wear it for the program.  When he walked in with his class he was not wearing the hat.  Come to find out that he had stuffed it in his lunch box and told his teacher he could not find it.  Of course I had both cameras ready to go but I did not get to use them.  So the next morning I got  an idea.  This probably won't go down in the good parenting handbook but hey you do what you gotta do!  I bribed him!  I told him that if he would sing all the songs and do all the actions then I would buy him the Pooh Bear Christmas movie that he has been wanting.  He agreed and then he did it!!!!!  I was so thrilled!  This is the first time that he has been in a program and actually BEEN IN the program.  He even wore his Santa hat and smiled.  He knew all the songs and  actions so I don't know why he wouldn't do it the day before.  I filmed a few songs and took a few pictures and then when it was over I told him that I was going to town to get his new movie!  I did just that!

Singing Sensation

Cody has been really busy this last month with numerous singing engagements.  On December 3 he played the piano and sang with Megan Potter, one of his good friends.  They sang for about 20 minutes on stage for the Festival of Trees.  The Festival of Trees is the annual fundraiser for the Old Logandale School.  Christmas trees are decorated and donated by various people and groups to sell at a silent auction.  Throughout the night there was lots of local entertainment and Cody was part of it. 


Then on December 13, he and Megan sang at church.  They sang Mary, Did You Know with Sister Susan Evans as their accompanist.  They got lots of comments on how well they did.

Then on December 17 there was Cody's choir concert.  There was the usual Christmas songs and Cody and 3 other boys sang The Grinch song.  Cody played the piano and sang on that song.  On one of the songs they invited all the little kids up on stage to sit and listen as they sang Rudolph and Frosty to them.  With a little coaxing Cayden went up on the stage and sat but I had to sit at the bottom the stairs the whole time.  Cayden is getting a little braver every day.  Cody's cousin Taylor is in the Mixed Chorus and they sang some songs too.  It was a nice evening and Cody did a great job!

Cody actually had another singing event on December 9 when the Encore Choir went into Vegas to sing at Magic Forest but he had been really sick all week so he didn't go into that one.  He is one busy singer!

More Cayden

Over Thanksgiving weekend when we were staying at my brother's Cayden came in to our bedroom to have me help him button his jammie shirt and he had a Hershey Kiss wrapper in his belly button.  Guess he couldn't find the trash or it was too far away.


On December 1 we were singing Angels We Have Heard on High.  When we got to the chorus part where it says "In Excelcis Deo"  he asked who Chelsi was.  Good question.  Cody, translate Latin would ya!

On Sunday afternoon after the return from the Urgent Care with Caleb this happened.  
Not 5 minutes after I said "nobody share drinks and make sure you wash your hands alot" did Cayden stick the thermometer in his mouth that had just barely come out of Caleb's mouth. Bad news-Caleb has strep-Good news-Cayden has no fever!

It is now Wednesday and Cayden woke up with the croup a 4:30am.  No, I don't think it's strep yet but he got something somewhere.  Super!

Conversations with Cayden

Me:  Cayden, will you please go change your shirt.
Cayden:  Uh Uh I don't want to.
Me:  Cayden, you need to change your shirt because you have been coughing and sneezing all over it.
Cayden:  I don't want to.
Me:  Why don't you want to?
Cayden:  Because I like wiping my nose on it.

Love that kid!

Happy Turkey Day Part 3

Saturday morning dawned cold and clear and around 9 we headed up to my mom's for a new event-Breakfast with Santa. When we were little we would go to ZCMI where they had a restaurant called the Tiffin Room. They held a Breakfast With Santa where we obviously ate breakfast and then we had to sing really really loud to get Santa to come in. He came in with his big red bag full of candy canes and then he sat in his big red chair on the stage. Everyone got to line up and see him. They also had all the people with December birthdays come up on stage so that all the restaurant could sing Happy Birthday to them. Lucky me! I got to do that every year. So because the Tiffin Room and ZCMI for that matter are not longer around we had to improvise. Breakfast was at my mom's house and all the cuzzies came. We had pancakes, really really fattening eggs and bacon. After breakfast Santa came through the front door. The kids were all excited to see him except Cayden who kept Jim as his bodyguard the whole time. He would not come with in 10 feet of Santa. So all the kids sat in his lap and told him what they wanted for Christmas. Even Mawmaw had a turn. She told him that she wanted an Escalade-umm well I don't think we can all pitch in for that! We took a few pictures but there was a lot of backlighting. We tried to coax Cayden over to Santa but he would not do it. So our family picture with Santa is sans Cayden. After Santa left we all freshened up and went to church lot for big family pictures. It was quite chilly especially sitting on the really cold rocks but it worked. Mawmaw has wanted a big family picture for a long time so we acquiesced to her request. It was quite difficult getting 6 babies under 1 to be still but my children were worse than the babies! Caleb and his "psychological can't look up when taking pictures " and "I have to wear sunglasses or I can't open my eyes" issues and Cayden being a copycat Caleb was making me so mad! The other kids were pretty good although Aunt Pam had bribe Abby so she would stop crying. Aunt Pam told Abby that she would buy her anything she wanted. I would have asked for a pony but Abby asked for a toy. Good call Aunt Pam! My cousin David is on a mission and my cousin Amy is expecting so the picture is missing 2 people but we are sure we can Photoshop them in! After the Family Photo Fun we went back in to the house and geared up for the BYU/Utah rivalry. We ordered pizza and made a Sonic run and settled in for the game. It was a very intense game and we were pretty sure that BYU was going to blow it but they pulled it out. I actually had to leave the room because I couldn't stand all that pressure! After the game we headed back to Chris' and then Don and Calley made a late night Cafe Rio run. Chris had to work again on Sunday so he had to go to bed early. We slept in a little on Sunday and then packed up and headed home. There was not alot of traffic on the road and the roads and weather were clear so that makes it so much easier. I think I slept most of the way home because after Thanksgiving Break I needed a break! I'm so glad that we got to see everyone and do all that funstuff. I am grateful for all our blessings and we have so many that there are too many to number. Sometimes at night when I can't sleep I lay in my bed and count my blessings instead of sheep.


Cayden and his bodyguard Uncle Jim

SANTA!!!!

What Calley and Cody did most of the weekend.

Waiting patiently for Santa.

Mawmaw wants an Escalade please.

Merry Christmas from the Adams Family with Cayden on the side.

Happy Turkey Day Part 2

Friday morning we DID NOT join the crowds of people vying for the latest and greatest deal at Walmart, Target or Best Buy. We did not camp out at Best Buy on Wednesday afternoon for the sale that started on Friday. We did consider going to Toys R Us for about 2 seconds when they opened at midnight but I tried really hard to get my shopping done before we went up to Provo so that I would not go bonkers up there. Last year my sister and I stayed up until midnight to get some great online deals but there weren't any sales on line this year. The stores all wanted people to come in I guess but I showed them! I stayed in my warm bed! We kept Lexie again Friday morning until 11ish when Cody and I headed to the mall to get his haircut. I shopped a little while he was at the salon. He wanted Chic Fil A and we got their delicious Peppermint Chocolate Chip Shake. It was outstanding! After the mall I met a friend from high school that I had not seen for a while. It was a 4 hour lunch but lots of fun catching up. Don and the boys stayed at Chris' house and watched football and played basketball. The evening events included freezing our booties off at Thanksgiving Point riding in a wagon pulled by horses to see their light display. This is the second year we have done this and it may continue to be a tradition. We took blankets and squished all together so it wasn't too bad. Funny sidenote-my grandma always takes lots of pictures and because we were all on the wagon she could not get a picture of everyone so after the ride another family got on the wagon and she took a picture of them. Also there was an incident with a purse falling out of the wagon and getting run over by the wagon and the coach behind us. Luckily the purse was recovered and thank goodness it was not my super cute pink patchwork Coach purse or someone would have had to go over the side to retrieve it. After the ride we had really really really hot cocoa and pumpkin bars and chatted with the cousins. We took all the kiddies home and then Cody, Calley, Caleb, Anne, Suzanna, Laurel and me went to the 8:40 showing of New Moon. Right about the part where Belle is wallowing in self pity and the picture is spinning spinning spinning enough to make me puke I decided to listen to the spirit and take Caleb out of there. It was just too much for an 11 year old with the whole "I can't live without you" and "I'll just have to kill myself". I called Don and he came to get us and we went to Iceberg to get Caleb some fries and a shake to sooth his wounded pride. He was quite mad at me for taking him out but I explained to him why. Not that it made much difference to him but it did to me. I also insulted Anne before the show and had to make it up to her by sharing my popcorn and Junior Mints with her. It was a funny insult that was not supposed to be an insult but it just came out wrong. She laughed until she cried and I laughed and played suck up the rest of the night. Don't worry she got me back later that night so we are even! Oh and one more thing - in the movie the first we see Jacob-Cody, Calley, and Laurel all yelled "Sharkboy". (this is in reference to Sharkboy and Lava Girl which Jacob was in a few years ago)

Happy Turkey Day Part 1

We spent Thanksgiving in Utah again this year. On Wednesday Connor and Caleb had a half day and were out of school by 12:00. Cody was out by 12 and we picked Cayden up early so we could hit the road. The drive was uneventful other than seeing lots of deer in the fields on the way. We stayed at my brother's house this time instead of at my mom's house. It was a little crowded this year and my brother had lots of room. We got into Orem around 7 and headed straight to my mom's to say hi to everyone. Suzanna and her family are living there while they look for a house to buy and Laurel and her family came from Albuquerque. We headed to the Hotel de Gessel and settled in. Instead of the traditional mints in our pillows we were greeted with a lovely box of 12 yes count them 12 chocolate covered chocolate donuts. Much better than a mint! We got to help with Miss Lexie Lou the mornings that Chris and Anne had to work so that was fun. The boys have such a good time playing with her and she was such an angel this time! She has the most adorable huge smile that goes from ear to ear. We play "dancing phalanges" and she laughs and laughs. I borrowed this little game from the TV show Bones if you were wondering. Thursday morning about 5:30 Chris and Anne left work and we turned on the baby monitor so we could hear Lexie when she woke up. She got up around 7:30 and we fed her and played with her and got her ready for her other grandma to come and get her. Anne only had to work until 2 and then they spent the day with her family because they have to trade off with holidays. I got ready and headed over to my mom's with a shopping stop at Harmon's to get the items for our dinner assignment. As I was pulling into Harmon's there was a wreck in the parking lot. What a bummer! When I came out the cars were gone so it wasn't too bad but still a bummer. After a trip back to mom's then back to Chris' to get the family our food festivities began. We of course had way too much food as usual and especially because we had a cheese ball and stuffed celery and chips and dip. The cooking takes all day, the eating takes 15 minutes and then the clean up takes HOURS! I don't think I have ever washed so many dishes in my life and we took turns at the sink! Chris and Anne and Lexi were the only ones missing from our side and Katie and Joe and their kids, and Amy, Mark and Michelle were absent from my aunt's side. We ate pie a little later and watched football of course. Around 5:30 Laurel, Cody and I went to Old Navy. Yes, they were open on Thanksgiving. Lucky for us but not so lucky for the workers or my Old Navy charge account. Good thing they raised my limit last month! We got back around 7 and started our traditional showing of Christmas Vacation. No matter how many times we see this show we still laugh and laugh amidst the quoting of course. We Facebooked my brother all evening quoting to him back and forth. It was quite entertaining. We hung out for a while then headed back to Chris'. The weather was nice enough that the kids could play outside most of the day. They played in the leaves and played catch and stayed out of our way while we were cooking and cleaning up. It was a lovely but fattening day!