Caiden’s new tv watching position reminds me of a monkey in a cage! LOVE this kid he is so much fun!

Pete and I just got back from an amazing getaway!! We left the kids at home with my awesome sisters who took GREAT care of them (THANK YOU!!!). It was the first time we have left the kids overnight since they were born (almost 5 years YIKES!), and we were gone almost a week. It was really hard on everyone especially Caiden, but it was a much needed escape!

We took a 6 day cruise out of San Diego. We had some days at sea and then the ship was in Cabo San Lucas for 2 days. This was our 3rd visit to Cabo and we LOVE it there. Its so beautiful, the weather was a perfect 80 degrees and sunny. We spent the first day walking around dodging the locals haggling us to take a glass bottom water taxi, checking out all the little shops, the flea market, and spent some time on the beach. The water was pretty cold, but Pete did brave it for about 30 minutes or so while he “fished” for shells for Kayli, and I sat and enjoyed the sun. Then we got back on the ship for dinner and fun.

The second day we went parasailing, and then took a water taxi out to Lover’s Beach. We only had about 2 hours until we had to be back on the ship so we didnt spend much time on that beautiful beach, but next time we are heading straight there. On our first 2 trips to Cabo we didnt even go out to this beach and I totally regret it now. It was beautiful!

Lover’s Beach is a secluded beach that is only accessible by boat. Here is a view of it from the ship at sunset (right in between those rocks).

There is beach on both the Pacific Ocean side (they call this Divorce Beach) and then on the Sea of Cortez as well. It is beautiful. Here are some pictures we took in Manual mode (oops). I had no idea that my camera got switched to manual mode so these pictures took some editing, and unfortunately arent great, but they work.

The days at sea were so relaxing, we hung out on the deck, sat in the hot tub, went to the shows and comedy club, and ate plenty of soft serve (well I did). We had an awesome trip!

We went to see the Zoo lights while Grandma and Grandpa Madsen were here. It was our first time out to see the lights and we didn’t really know what to expect. Kayli heard the word Zoo and was thrilled, she loves the zoo. But she was definitely disappointed when she realized that the animals were all “put away” and sleeping somewhere and that all we were there to see were lights. It was actually really cool, but Kayli was not impressed she wanted to see the animals. They make animals out of the lights so we would say “Look Kayli its a monkey” her response “Its not real Mom” She was bitter and for 2 hours she kept repeating that phrase. We joked for days that the trip to the zoo lights ruined Kayli’s life. Everytime anyone asked her about them she’d tell them “There were no animals, and the ones with lights weren’t real”.

A trip to the Zoo isnt complete without a ride on the carousel!

Caiden LOVES to sleep in Kayli’s bed with her. Some nights its a complete disaster, Kayli ends up crashing fast and then Caiden does everything in his power to try and wake her up. On a good night this is what I find shortly after tucking them in. Precious!

I just LOVE Christmas time! SO much so that this post is coming a month later. Hey I had better things to do then blog alright? At least Im pretty sure I did!! =)

We put a different spin on things this Christmas. Along with my siblings and parents, we “adopted” a family and provided Christmas for them. Everything from a fun nightly event of leaving presents for the 12 days of Christmas to Christmas dinner and stockings and gifts for Christmas morning. I remember doing this for other families as a kid and its an experience that I want my own kids to have every year. In the past we have picked an “angel” off the tree at the mall, or donated unwrapped gifts to an eagle scout project or toy drive, but nothing can compete with the experience we had this year.

My parents know a single divorced Mom who lives in their neighborhood who has 7 kids ranging from age 11-2, including one who is autistic. Even before the holiday season began my Mom told us that she knew who we were going to provide Christmas for this year, and we all went along with it. None of us had ever met her, nor did we know anything more about her then her single status and her kids, but we were excited to give!

We intended for it all to be anonymous, but it became apparent that she NEEDED to thank us in person. We had bought her a Christmas tree earlier in the month and my Dad had taken it over and set it up for her and just told her it had been “donated”. He actually had all of our trees in his truck so it really looked like he was just out delivering trees like he told her. When we dropped off the food for Christmas dinner it was raining so we had to call her and tell her to go out and get it because we didnt want anything getting ruined. My brother in law made the call and she kept asking who are you, his response was “Merry Christmas” and then he was about to hang up when he heard her say “OK wait dont tell me who you are, but Thank you so much for everything” and she was totally crying. That was just a few days before Christmas and then when we dropped off the gifts and stockings on Christmas Eve she heard us (Pete was there, but I wasnt) and came out to thank us all. My parents hid in their car since they are the only ones that she actually knows. She was crying and saying thank you over and over again and wanted to know the names of everyone that was there. Later that week she sent my dad a message (she put the puzzle pieces together) thanking him and telling him she had wished that we could have all been there on Christmas morning to see her kid’s faces. She told him she was so excited for them after we left on Christmas Eve that she woke them all up to come out and see all the gifts we had brought and then made them go back to bed. She wanted them to be excited for Christmas morning instead of sad because I honestly dont think she could have afforded to buy them anything for Christmas.

Caiden is too young to remember or understand it, but Kayli actually got a pretty good understanding of what we were doing. She was excited to help me shop for the 2 kids we picked and then she helped me wrap all of the gifts and stuff the stockings. She even made pictures for the 2 boys we were giving to. I hope she remembers how much fun she had giving to those “kids whose Mom couldnt afford to buy them any presents”. It was an amazing experience for all of us and I hope that we will always be in a position to give to another family like we did this year.

Christmas was nice and relaxing, just the way I LOVE it! The kids even slept in until 8 and it was 10:30 before all of the gifts were unwrapped. They played with their stocking stuff for a while and then went into Caiden’s room and discovered the GeoTrax and spent an hour playing there before they remembered that there were presents waiting for them under the tree. The presents got unwrapped ninja style this year so Im glad the rest of the morning was stretched out. All of my family came over for our traditional Caramelized French toast breakfast, and then we had Christmas Eve leftovers for dinner at my sister’s house! It was a GREAT day!!

New Jammies

See Ninja style!

Best for last, Kayli’s Ipod touch and Caiden’s quad

Matching Jammies

We had our big Christmas dinner at my parent’s home on Christmas Eve. After dinner the kids opened their gifts from Grandpa and Goddess and from their cousin gift exchange. Then we all opened up our Christmas pajamas that my talented sisters made!

Telling Ali “Thank You” for his Mater truck and Mickey blanket since one of her boys had drawn his name

Kayli’s HUGE art kit from her cousin (she LOVES this)

Opening gifts from Grandpa and Goddess

New Jammies!!

Goddess thought that Silly String would be fun so all of the kids got some silly string and the adults found some extra cans and headed out front. Caiden got scared by all of the excitement so he and I hung out inside where it was safe! Kayli didnt like it all over her so she hid on the porch, the adults and Ian had fun though!

We got to see the kid’s youngest cousin, Nephi for a little bit too. He is 2 months old here, such a cutie!

All dressed up and headed to Church!

Be Silly I said and this is what I got

Kayli’s preschool had a pajama party and put on a little Christmas program for all of the parents on their last day of school before the break. It was so cute, I just LOVE everything about her preschool, the teachers are awesome and Kayli LOVES it!

Her whole class

Rudolph Songs

This was hilarious they were singing a song about how Santa is coming and this line of the song says “No peeking, or Ill tell” and all of the kids got VERY serious, it was too funny.

A few more because I can! =)

Caiden is Mr. Friendly, he was walking around talking to all of the parents, too cute.

YAY for preschool!

This is the first year that we have gone to see the Mesa Temple lights, pathetic right? Im going to make it a point to take the kids every year, its so beautiful. We listened to the live music and walked around and took a few pictures. It was crazy busy though and I would have liked to have been there longer, but crowds and free-spirited Caiden doesnt always work! I realized after we left that we didnt even take a family picture, oops! Afterwards we headed to Mimi’s for some hot chocolate! It was a fun night!

Kayli and Eli (cousins)

Caiden and Goddess