Oh Christmas Tree

So I sold my soul this year...We bought a fake tree. I miss the smell, but not the mess. Although suprisingly, artificial trees still shed quite a bit. But we like it, and it will pay for itself in 2 years. The kids loved playing in the huge box that came with it. And decorating the tree with Connor and the Twins was an adventure.

Visiting Santa

So we were driving into town the other day and Connor and I were talking about how many days there were until Christmas. Then, in a very concerned voice, he said "But Mom, how is Santa going to know what I want?" Santa didnt come to our ward Christmas party this year, and I'm not really the "Mall Santa" kind of person, so thankfully, the community library was having Santa come to story time. It was nice having Travis there, and since the community library out here is the same as the High School Library, Trav's Mom was able to run over between classes. Connor was so excited. He told Santa that he wanted G.I. Joe Cobra toys for Christmas, and that he has been "really good" this year.

Andrew wasnt sure about things, but he sat on Santa's lap, and repeated everything Trav told him to say.

 And Samantha wanted nothing to do with any of it. She stayed on her dad's lap and covered her face whenever Santa tried to talk to her. At least she didnt cry. Each of the kids even got a book from Santa.

Finally!

So I just finished a post about our trip to Vegas in January. But since I started it a month ago that is the date on it. AND since I have been hearing quite a bit lately about my need to update my blog...I just want everyone to know I listened. So enjoy!
P.S.- Does anyone know how to make adding pictures to a post easier? I doubt I'm the only one who thinks it is a pain to get them where you want them. Thanks!

Las Vegas

So out of the blue a few weeks ago, Travis asked me if I wanted to go to Island Park the upcoming weekend or to Las Vegas. Once I recovered from the shock, I said "Vegas, of course." So after talking to Darcy, Trav's oldest brother, we planned to leave on Wednesday afternoon. The kids were surprisingly good on the drive, although they don't like to sleep in the truck. We stayed with Darcy and Penny; that way the kids could spend as much time playing together as possible. Thursday afternoon we went to Leis Children's Museum. They had an entire floor for kids 2-5 years. So it was perfect for the kids. There was also an area for the babies to play as well. That night we went to a buffet, which was an adventure in itself with 4 adults trying to wrangle 5 kids, ages 3 and under. But the food was great and the twins ate pretty well. We left a large tip for our waitress, because of the HUGE mess that covered the floor.

Friday, we took the kids to the neighborhood park and then the Mandalay Bay Shark Reef Aquarium. It was very cool, and the kids had a blast. Connor still talks about the sting rays that went right over our heads, and the Komodo Dragon with its forked tongue. That night Trav and I put the babies down and went out to the strip. But since we don't drink, party, or enjoy gambling...there wasn't much to do. So we just walked around for a few hours being happy with the lifes we live.

Travis and Darcy spent a few hours golfing on Saturday morning, and Penny and I took the kids to this great park a few miles away from their house. But since it was a Saturday there were so many people there. I had anxiety attack every time I couldn't see Connor, and the babies just stayed in the stroller. I know I'm crazy... but he kept running off and didn't understand that it wasn't OK. I had an especially tough time when he climbed to the top of a big rock (like 12 feet high) and tried to hangout with a bunch of 11-12 year old boys. They had a toy gun, which he kept trying to take from them. We survived though and the kids had fun.

Sunday morning we packed up the truck and started home. It was a great trip, but the kids were starting to have a rough time, which usually means "time to go." We timed the trip perfectly, because the next week Vegas had snow and freezing temperatures. It was great to visit the family and get a break from the Idaho winter.