Magic Kingdom...Here We Come!

This year my wonderful mother-in-law decided to give the kids tickets to Disneyland for Christmas. We hoped on board that train and made "Disneyland" our Christmas theme. So on January 8th we packed up the Suburban and headed off to the "Happiest Place on Earth" where we were going to meet up with Kurt's siblings and mom. My sister-in-law did all the leg work (THANK YOU!) and booked us a wonderful suite right across the street from Disneyland. It was the best trip and we made some wonderful memories. And yes, I did get a little camera happy.



He almost had it!


One of my all time favorite rides.


The boys liked this ride the best. I think that Kurt might have too!


We went on a river safari and it was all Kurt could do to not make fun of the guide. He was a little bit crazy.


Jasmin was the only princess that Drew got to see but she was worth the wait!


This is a rare sight to see! Nash was so mad at me and Kurt because we were trying to make him go on a ride that he was not about to get on. He finally walked away from us and sat down by the fountain. The look says it all!


Pluto was all over Jake and Broc. He even stole Broc away from us to show his pal Goofy Broc's shirt. It was a lot of fun for both the boys!



For part of the day we hopped over to California Adventures. The kids loved the "Bugs Life" rides. Here are two of our cute little "bugs"!


Every picture with these three stinkers turns into power ranger poses.


Daddy's little girl


Grandma Laine is the best...she bought each child their very own cotton candy. Those things are not cheap! I would've had to sell an arm and a leg to afford that!

Christmas in the Palmer home- 2008

I am finally posting some of our Christmas pictures. Enjoy!




This picture is our chritmas present to you! We hope that you get a good laugh...sorry if it makes you cry. That was never our intent!








Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas Eve with the Palmer's

Today was a fun family day!
We started everything off with a yummy breakfast and then did a little work to get our house looking great for Santa. (The boys did yard work while the girls cleaned inside.)
For lunch we B-B-Q hamburgers/hot dogs and had a little picnic outside. Then we played a few games of "Boston". It was a ton of fun!
Later in the evening we drank hot chocolate while Dad read us the story, The First Christmas (wonderful book about the baby Jesus). Then we talked about the true meaning of Christmas but also talked about how Santa works into everything.
Then PJ the Elf came and left gifts for the kids at the front door. Every year he leaves them a pair a pajamas but this year he left a note saying that he noticed that they already have a lot of PJ's and so he brought them other clothing items they were in need of.



We then opened one present each. The kids opened "Rock Band" which Grandpa Rick gave us. I had taken apart the huge box and wrapped three smaller boxes so that everyone could open the gift together. Well, when we went to open the gift...one was missing. We search forever! Finally, after about an hour of looking we found it hidden in one of Drew's purses. I was a true Christmas miracle! :)



We ended the night by frosting cookies for Santa and throwing reindeer food on the grass outside (you know to make them come to your house faster).
The kids are now asleep on the floor of my room and hopefully visions of sugar plums dance in their heads. Have a Merry Christmas!

And who through our wondering eyes did appear?

That's right...Santa! Good ol' Saint Nick himself showed up last night at our ward Christmas party. The kids were so excited to see him! Jake was absolutely certain that he was not going to be the real Santa Claus. In his words, "Mom, I have seen a lot of Santa's and they all look different and have different voices". Yes my child is observant! So I explained again to him that Santa can not be everywhere so he has helpers. But I told him that one way to know if it really was Santa was to see if his beard was real. So when we were close enough in line to actually see him, he looked at me with the biggest smile and said "Mom, his beard is real". It was a fun moment!



Nash had this idea that if you give Santa a quarter he will say "HO HO HO!" for you. I don't know how Nash came up with this but I think that Santa should cash in on the idea! So when he sat on Santa's lap we told him about the quater and he took it from Nash and very sweetly laughed "HO HO HO!". Then he gave the quarter back to Nash and told him that he should put it in his bank and save it for another day. Nash was thrilled to have a quater from Santa!





I thought that Drew would be terrified of Santa but she wasn't. She walked right up and sat on his lap. He asked her what she wanted for Christmas and without any hesitation she said, "A Dora House!". It was fun to see her so happy!

My baby boy is growing up!

So tonight a wonderful and magical thing occurred. Nash read his first book (with a small amount of help). It is always such a joy to see the "light" come on in a child's mind when they can look at a word and read what it says. He was so happy but was trying to be very modest about it. Like, "No big deal Mom...I always knew I could do this!". It was a very proud moment! I just love him so much and am honored to be his mother. Keep it up Nashy Noddle!



For those of you who were wondering, the book read something like this:
-Mat
-Mat sat.
-Sam
-Sam sat.
-Mat sat on Sam.
You get the picture!
They just kept sitting on each other. It was full of excitement!

My Baseball Boys

Okay...I am not above plugging my husbands baseball camps. He is an amazing coach and I am so proud of how hard he works and how much he loves the game!
If anyone is interested in signing there child up just type in the address below. Sorry I couldn't get it to link.

http://collegebaseballcamps.com/calendar.cfm?ID=189&src=CBC

It is fast, easy and a wonderful way for your child to learn the game of baseball.
Here are some of the upcoming camps:

November 2008
11/28 – 11/28 ~ Friday to Friday

Phoenix College Shopping Day Clinic #1

Location: Marich Field, Phoenix College | Ages: 6-12

Time: 8am - 2pm Cost: $ 80.00 (Is NOT Sold Out)

11/29 – 11/29 ~ Saturday to Saturday

Phoenix College Baseball Clinic #2

Location: Marich Field, Phoenix College | Ages: 6-12

Time: 8am - 2pm Cost: $ 80.00


December 2008
12/19 – 12/20 ~ Friday to Saturday

Phoenix College Christmas Prospect Showcase

Location: Marich Field, Phoenix College | Ages: Grades 9-12

Cost: $ 125.00

12/26 – 12/26 ~ Friday to Friday

Phoenix College Christmas Future Stars Camp #1

Location: Marich Field, Phoenix College | Ages: 6-12

Cost: $ 95.00

12/27 – 12/27 ~ Saturday to Saturday

Phoenix College Christmas Future Stars Camp #2

Location: Marich Field, Phoenix College | Ages: 6-12

Cost: $ 95.00

Our newest arrival and currently the most loved member of the family!

A sneak peek as to how it all happened.
The sun shone gently overhead while the crisp morning air lingered close to the moist earth. Kurt worked at the far end of the yard mowing the tall grass, his strong arms and cut build made the daunting task look like childs play. While he mowed, I worked on raking up the freshly cut grass on the baseball field. The sweet aroma that surrounded me awakened my senses like only it could and with the children playing in the front yard I was able to fully take in the calm serenity of the moment. That is when it happened...
The lawn mower broke and I realized how much over seeding bites! This was going to take us all day! That is when I threw down the rake and told Kurt to put the kids in the car...we were going to get a riding lawn mower!

And here he is...John Deere!