Happy New Year & A Trip to Utah

A few days after Christmas we decided to drive to Utah to spend some time with family.  As the day approached, I'll be honest that I was dreading it.  I did not want to make the long drive, I did not want to pull the kids away from their new presents and quite frankly, I did not feel like being ambitious and a trip to Utah sounded like a lot of work.

When I told everyone that I didn't want to make the drive, the kids cried and Romney laughed at me.  He basically told me that I certainly had "veto power" over our trip if I wanted.  He said that he would support me in whatever I chose, (what a nice guy!)  In the end, I decided to give in and we loaded the car. The next day we took off for Utah.  We left at 11:00 AM instead of 7:00 AM as we had originally planned.  (We are not very good at road trips).

I am glad that no one listened to me.  We had a great time.

The Williams

Lauren & Dwight playing and singing on the piano.

NEW YEAR'S EVE

We went to dinner with our parents on New Year's to an amazing restaurant called Asian Star.  Delicious!!  This is the third New Year's Eve we have gone to dinner with both sets and it is a tradition we hope to continue.  (Nan wasn't feeling well, so she  didn't come).  My brother and his girlfriend Sarah joined us, but left before we took the pic.

We welcomed the New Year's with some dear friends.  We all went to bed at 3:00 AM.  Ouch!

THE THOMPSONS
 & NEW YEAR'S DAY

It is a New Year's Day Southern Tradition in our family to eat Black Eyed Peas & Rice.  This tradition is supposed to bring good luck for the whole year.  My aunt Teresa made a huge pot and we had a Hop'n John party.

Playing Games with My Family

My family loves to play games.  Last year we experienced a torture-fest also known as Farkle, a game that involves disgusting drinks and food for the loser.  This year we all were too tired for something so aggressive, so we settled on the games "Signs" and "Moffia."  They were perfect games for our huge group.  It was so fun and we laughed until it hurt.

My mom making chocolate chip cookies with the cute girl cousins.

One afternoon we went to a Nickel Arcade with my brothers Christian, McCormack, and my brother-in-law Peter.  The kids loved it!!

***

We had a really great trip.  We loved seeing our family and getting time with people we adore.  The highlight by far, was that my brother Christian decided to get married to his girlfriend Sarah Olsen.  We met her for the first time and we gave the biggest thumbs up we could.  She is a great girl and we are thrilled that they found each other.  They are a perfect couple and there is no doubt that they will have a great marriage and a very happy life together.

Congratulations Christian and Sarah!!

They are getting married in March....so it looks like another Utah road trip is in our future!!!  (I don't think I will be complaining about this one!!)

Happy New Year!

Christmas 2011

Christmas has come and gone.  I love the decorations, the music, the excess of treats, the excitement in my kids' eyes, the magic, the traditions.  I love it all, but I as I have said before, I love when it ends.  I think I set a new record this year.  The tree and all the decorations were put away by 11:00 AM December 26th. (I know that my mom is mortified reading this. She is probably thinking, "Did I teach her nothing?")

We had a great Christmas.  We stayed home and for the first time ever, we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day alone with our little family.  It was weird being in such a quiet house, but we welcomed a chance to make some memories together.

I made our traditional Christmas Eve dinner complete with ham, homemade rolls, asparagus, salad and Gruyere potatoes.  I always laugh preparing a huge meal like that because it takes hours and hours and tons of money to create and it is eaten in less than 10 minutes and to top it off, the kids barely touched their food.  But that is not the point right?

During Christmas Eve dinner, supporting a long-held and favorite Thompson family tradition, the doorbell rang and two elves named Jingle & Jangle mysteriously delivered a bag full of new pajamas for the whole family.

This is one of my favorite traditions and I love that my kids get the same butterflies and squeals that delighted my siblings when we were kids.

The kids tracking Santa on google maps.

That night, the kids enjoyed opening their gifts to each other.  For a few weeks before Christmas, we encouraged the kids to do extra chores to earn money so that they could buy each other presents with their own money.

As a child, all of my siblings bought and exchanged gifts for each other.  That sibling gift exchange was my favorite part of opening gifts on Christmas morning.  It was so meaningful to select the perfect gift for each of them.  I truly believe that is part of the reason why we are all so close to each other.  We learned to give and it was incredibly rewarding.

My kids have no trouble feeling excited about the "getting" at Christmas, so I really want to help my kids to get a love for the "giving" as well.  It is a tradition I hope they grow to love.

Christmas Morning

That night the kids all had a sleepover in the same room.  They asked us how early they could wake up and we told them no earlier than 6:30 AM.  (A few years ago they woke up at 3:30 AM and we promptly told them NO WAY! and sent them back to bed).  This year at 6:30...on the dot...the kids woke up and each of them got to take a turn to run down the stairs to peek at the presents.  My parents always took a picture like this of us sitting on the stairs with our squinty, sleepy and excited eyes.  So fun!

It was a magical morning and we loved every second of it.

Thanks to Romney and his incredibly generous gift, he bought me a new computer to replace my 11 year old laptop that was hanging on by a thread.  He bought me a Mac desktop to replace what he referred to as my "Speak & Spell."  Thanks Romney!!! xoxo

I hope that it was a magical and meaningful Christmas for everyone.  Happy Holidays!

Christmas 2010

Christmas was perfect.  We had my parents and my sister Kara and brother Christian here for Christmas Eve day.

After my parents arrived, they surprised us with some T-shirts for everyone.  Starting as a child, my dad constantly talked to us about the importance of having specific family values.  At one point, he had a family flag made up with the ten stars that represent not only each member of our family, but also the ten values that we had selected.  This Christmas he had Thompson family T-shirts made up for everyone and a laminated card with each of the family values we had selected over the years.  It was a great present and a fun memory.

Here are more highlights of Christmas Eve. Romney and Christian took the kids to an amazing swimming pool at our local recreation center.  The day was also filled with Christmas music, shopping with my dad and sister, baking with my mom and Kara and lastly, eating a yummy meal. 

For as long as I can remember, elves named Jingle & Jangle show up on Christmas Eve with new jammies for everyone.  It is a really fun tradition and is always a highlight of the season for me.

Santa had white flannel nightgowns made for the girls.  They absolutely loved them.  Sophie said she felt like a Christmas angel.  Much to their delight, they found out the next morning that Santa had some made up for their dolls as well.  It was great.

Time for Bed!!

The kids were in bed by 11:00 and miracle of miracles...Romney and I were in bed by midnight.  (This has NEVER happened).

We told the kids that when they woke up on Christmas morning, they would have to yell to us to come and get them.  We have a "No Peeking" policy and we told them to stay in their rooms until we came.  They agreed.  Well to our surprise, they started yelling for us at 3:00 AM...yep 3:00!!  We somehow convinced them that Santa had not even come and they slept until 7:30.  It was a magical morning and we spent the day surrounded by wrapping paper and smiling kids.  It was perfect!

The excess can sometimes take away from the sacredness of Christmas Day, but being surrounded by my loved ones giving special gifts to each other certainly helps to keep things in perspective.  I feel blessed.

Scrooge

My mom loves old movies.  She loved to watch them with us, always certain that we would feel the magic for the classics.  Thanks to her, I have seen dozens of old movies. 

When Albert Finney stared in the 1970 movie Scrooge, it was instantly added to my mom's list of all time favorite Christmas movies.

I watched it yesterday with my kids and laughed as I found myself playing the role of my mom.  It is a great show and although it can be a little slow at times, it is endearing and well-worth it.

One of my favorite lines of the movie is the morning Scrooge wakes up and realizes that he has been given a second chance to change his ways.  He says:

I will start anew
I will make amends 
and I will make quite certain 
that the story ends on a note of hope 
on a strong amen 
and I'll thank the world and remember 
when I was able to begin again! 

Thank you Charles Dickens for a life-changing story and thank you mom for introducing me to old and wonderful things!

Christmas Greetings

Christmas cards are out.  That is always a relief.  Every year I promise myself that I am going to be on top of things and not allow myself to get stressed out by the demands of the holiday season and for what ever reason, so far this year, I have been able to do just that.  Not that I am claiming to be Martha, but, the shopping is done, my cupboards are stuffed with baking supplies and I have one item left to assemble and wrap.  What is wrong with me?? (Well, I am quickly reminded that I am not Martha when I see that I accidentally put that Sophie is 6 on our card.  I guess that a little dose of embarrassing humility never hurt anyone...)

It has been an amazing year and we have so much to be grateful for.  We have felt the Lord's hand protecting us in countless ways.  Here are a few of the things that top my list of things on my 2010 grateful tree:

1) After a year and half of stress and anxiety, a job.

2) I am so happy for Romney.  It seems like it has been years since he has been able to work for a company that appreciates his talents and recognizes him for his abilities and integrity.

3) I am grateful for a healthy body.  We have had several friends who have been challenged and ultimately defeated by debilitating diseases and sickness.  And after having been sick a few times this year, I am reminded of the gift of an able body and mind.

4) I am grateful for laughter.  I love hearing my kids laugh.  I also love staying up in bed and laughing to the point of tears with my love, Romney.

5) I am grateful for the power of prayer.  We have witnessed miracles that hopefully have changed our lives and perspective forever.

6) I have been blessed with amazing parents who are unceasingly supportive and still believe that I can do anything with my life.

7) I love my siblings.  I love that when we are together, we are instantly reminded of how much we love each other.  There is never a need to warm-up or catch up.

8) I love my in-laws.  Romney's parents did a phenomenal job raising a son with such a kind and loving heart and I get to be the recipient of it for the rest of my life. His siblings are amazing.  I love the laughter that is inevitable when we are all together.

9) I am grateful for my kids.  I have a lot to learn from their enthusiasm and love for life.

10) As Lauren so beautifully acknowledged at Thanksgiving on our Grateful Tree, I too, am grateful for second chances.

I hope this week is filled with the magic of the season.  Merry Christmas & Memory Making!

Buddy

As a child, Christmas was truly magic for me.  The lights, the list, the presents and Santa would turn my stomach to butterflies. One of my favorite memories involved two elves named Jingle & Jangle that Santa had assigned to watch over our family.  These elves would watch us throughout the month and my mom was always quick to remind us that the elves were watching.  Again, butterflies.  On Christmas Eve, these two elves would deliver a bag on the front porch filled with brand new Christmas pajamas.  There was nothing like hearing those bells on the front porch and the screams that would follow as we opened the packages.

A couple of years ago, an elf that my kids endearingly named "Buddy" showed up on December 1st.  He is a magical elf that sometimes moves throughout the house and hides as he peeks on the kids.  (We are pretty sure that he picked up the flu with the rest of us, because he seemed to stay in one place for the last few days.)  Below are some of the places we have seen him hiding.

Romney and I are doing our best to help the kids focus on the true meaning of Christmas.  My Relief Society put together a little advent book with one-two verses of different stories and miracles of the Savior's life for each day of the month. Every night we have tried to read the scriptures and talk about the life of the Savior. 

It has been a fun tradition and I hope to make it a permanent part of our holiday traditions.

But I will say that the magical side of Christmas is just as important to our family traditions. 

Sophie found Buddy hiding on the top of the lamp this morning.  I think the look in her eyes captures that she has butterflies too.  Perfect.