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!

It's Beginning to Feel A Lot Like Christmas!

I love the week before Christmas. 

My mom came to town last week to spend some time with Marisa and her family.  We got together for a family Christmas Party.  We drove down to Colorado Springs and shared a wonderful night together.  My mom said that she wanted to be there when the kids opened their gifts from my parents, so we had a little Pre-Christmas party.  It was such a fun and magical night. We were showered with amazing gifts and as usual were completely spoiled by my parents.

{It should be said that my parents are the most giving people I have ever met.  They have the most charitable hearts and their willingness to give...and give...is an example that I hope I can some day emulate}. 

Thank you Mom for a delightful night and for reminding me how much we adore you!!  Here are some highlights of our Pre-Christmas party.

*** 

Last night we did a cousin sleepover.  Marisa and I met half way and spent our usual 1.5 minutes together in a parking lot.  So much for living close!!!!

The kids had a lot of fun and we made one of my favorite Christmas treats, Christmas Corn Flake Wreaths.  My mom used to make these with us when I was a kid and the taste brings back so many memories. 

The recipe is pretty much Rice Krispy Treats with Corn Flakes, but here is the recipe:

Christmas Wreath Treats

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter

1 package miniature marshmallows

1 teaspoon green food coloring

6 cups Corn Flakes cereal

Red Hot candies or Red Candies

Directions:

1.  Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat.  Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted.  Remove from heat and add food coloring.

2.  Add Corn Flakes.  Stir until well coated.

3.  Spoon approximately 1/4 cup onto waxed paper.   (Spray hands with cooking spray if needed). As the cereal cools, quickly shape into wreaths.  Press the Red Hots into place. 

Super easy and delicious!!

A Little Trip to California

Last month, Romney and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary with a trip to California.  Romney had to attend an event in Dana Point at the Ritz Carlton, so we decided to leave a few days early and make a trip out of it.

Nan and Dwight came to stay with our kids while we were gone.  (I hate leaving my kids, especially when it involves a flight out of state, but Romney and I were in much need of some time together without the usual distractions, so we did our best to enjoy every last second.)  The kids had a blast and the trip was wonderful.

Before Romney's conference, we spent a few days in La Jolla.  The weather was too chilly to really enjoy, but we wandered the charming streets, ate plenty of delicious food and even saw a movie.  We spent some quality time with Romney's brother John and his wife Jodie and their 4 darling kids.  We also took some time to visit my dad's sister Kristy and her daughter Kim.

We spent one evening in San Diego.  It was really fun walking around the Gas Lantern District.  One of our favorite things we saw was the Padres Baseball Stadium, PETCO Park.  It was truly breathtaking.  It sits right in the middle of the city and an open park area in outfield allows people to walk right up and look into the baseball field.  We both loved it.

That night we ate a yummy seafood dinner at The Fish Market.  The restaurant sits right on the water and we had a nice view of the Navy Warship USS Vinson.  To commemorate Veteran's Day, Michigan State University and North Carolina basketball teams played a game on the flight deck.  (This was also the ship that took Osama bin Laden's body to sea for burial).  President Obama was watching the game so secret service was everywhere. It was cool.



View of the ship from our table.



***

The last few days of our trip were spent at the Ritz Carlton in Dana Point.  It was a spectacular resort that sits on top of a cliff overlooking the ocean.  It was really fun.  We walked on the beach at sunset and sunrise and mostly just enjoyed the amazing view.

Romney stayed busy with his meetings and I decided to stay busy in my own way.  I grabbed a great book, an ice bucket full of ice and a liter of Diet Coke.  I sat outside read for hours...yep, for hours...while enjoying this view.  Although it was way too chilly for my bones, I loved every second of it.

 It was a really fun trip and a perfect way to celebrate 15 years!! 

We came home to this happy site!