~Alec's 5th Birthday Day!~

On his birthday, Alec woke up to a room full of balloons and excitement.  What fun!  Then our excitment turned to tears as we said goodbye to all of our guests at the same time.  The kids cried.  I cried.  Nick helped us get to work so we wouldn't sit around feeling sorry for ourselves all day long.  The house really did look kind of like a tornado had blown through, so most of the day was spent washing sheets and towels, moving laundry, vaccuming, rearranging, putting away presents, etc.  Eventually we said enough work, and decided it was time to go play!  We took the kids bowling for the first time and they had a pretty good time.

Thank goodness for light weight balls, bumpers, and a patient Mama!  These two had fun, but are still learning the concept of throwing the ball had enough that it actually makes it all the way down the lane. 

Though I take credit for most of Elyssa's points, you can see that I was not playing with bumpers up... and totally got beat by my littles while Nick was easily the winner.

Poor Cordy got so fruserated that she couldn't just run down the lanes after the balls or the pins.  We found some leftover treats in my bag that kept her happy enough, but mostly she missed all the attention of family and demanded that she be held by her Daddy.  

Then we were off to McDonalds for Alec's birthday dinner (at his request).  We try not to eat there too often, and it's a very rare occasion we do it for dinner so Alec and Elyssa were super excited...

and silly as can be!

Over all it was a low key day, but I think Alec still felt pretty special and had lots of fun.  

We sure love that little boy to pieces!  

Happy Birthday fabulous five year old Mr. Alec!

~Alec's 5th Birthday Celebration!~

The day after Christmas we still had lots of fun family around to play and Grandma and Grandpa were kind enough to take us all to the Pirate Ship indoor waterpark hotel here in town.  It was a perfect way to celebrate Alec's birthday a day early.  Since the boy is obsessed with pirates these days, you couldn't have asked for a better birthday activity. 

The water seemed warmer this time around, and all three of the kids really did have a blast.

I was so impressed that they all were willing to go down the slides by themselves and splash and play around.  It was kind of hard to keep track of Elyssa because she was all over the place and so fast.  Alec mostly wanted to play on the pirate ship and Cordy wanted to go on the slides over and over again.  Thankfully Grandma was there to oblige.  

Though we don't have any pictures, we did actually get the kids to go down the tall fast water slides.  Alec was nervous at first, but eventually was really excited.  While waiting for his turn at the top I heard him say "I'm going to go soooo fast!  Like super crazy fast.  Like I'm going to go so crazy fast that I'm going to like kill myself!"  Kind of funny to hear him trying to talk tough and big.  When did he get so big?!

After lots and lots of playing we headed into the hotel room for pizza, VIP, backwards birthday presents (and presents from aunties, uncles and grandparents) and cookies.  Alec didn't want a cake this year.  Instead he requested chocolate chip cookies with M&Ms.  I was happy to meet his requests and load up the cake stand with pretty cookies and a big candle to blow out.  He thought it was awesome and so did I.  

VIP was really fun with so many people to go around and share their favorite things about Alec.  It was especially fabulous to hear Elyssa honestly and unrehearsed, tell Alec about her love and friendship for him.  It was so sweet, and pretty much got me crying.  I was really fighting the tears back when it was my turn.  I love so much about my big boy.

After all that fun, we headed back home to put the kiddos to bed and help everyone pack up before they all headed out the next morning.  Everyone was very tired and very happy. :-)

~Christmas Day 2011~

Around 5 o'clock in the morning I hear squeals over the monitor as the door squeaks open.  It had been a late night for us and then Cordy had been up off an on until around 2 AM.  This meant that I got exactly three hours of continuous sleep all night.  That is simply not enough.  I ran downstairs into the girls room to find Alec and Elyssa bouncing with excitment.  "Santa came, Mom! He really came!" 

With a baby girl finally fast asleep upstairs, and a house full of guests, plus grandma and grandpa sleeping a few streets away, I knew 5 o'clock was simply too early. Luckily they had their gifts from each other to entertain themselves for a while.  Around 6 I texted Grandpa and told him to come ASAP.  Then I snuggled in Elyssa's bed and tried to just "rest my eyes"... but eventually I fell asleep on the job and the kiddos snuck out just before 7.  Luckily Nick heard them and came and woke me up and I quickly called Grandpa and told him to hurry over.  We weren't going to be able to keep these kiddos at bay any longer. They were already bouncing off the walls and in their stockings.   

So began the excitement and chaos of Christmas morning.

There were lots of sleepy young adults in the house.  You can tell who is used to waking up before 8 and who is not. 

After stockings I quickly made my way into the kitchen and got breakfast going with some of the best helpers in the world.  Props to Robert for once again cooking the greasy hot spitting bacon.  On the menu: Blueberry muffins, scrambled eggs, bacon, and mango orange juice.  Yummm.

Then we started back in on more presents.  Can I just tell you that Cordy gives the best reactions to any and every present anyone opens.  She raises her eyebrows and gasps with delight!  She's already figured out the present bit and she likes it.   She is such a sweet, funny, socialized little one.  

Then there was more present opening....

and MORE present opening!

Now you have to understand that we open presents one at a time in our house.  This means that with 13 people, even if everyone only gets a handful of gifts, it takes a long time.

We had to take a break to get ready for church.  Nick spoke in our ward on Christmas day and I was very proud of him.  The kids all took naps on aunties and uncles during sacrament meeting, with christmas toys in their clutching hands.  Our family also sang for the small congregation in attendance. 

The we were back at the house to pack up Caitlin's suitcase, change back into jammies, play with our new toys and relax.... 

until lunch time!  I wanted to keep things simple for myself so we did appetizers for lunch.  Perfect.

Then we said goodbye to Caitlin who flew back home and some of us took little naps.  When everyone was back from the airport we resumed and concluded our gift opening.  Robert and Liz's guitar/banjo exchange was a perfect "save the best for last" situation.  They were both so excited to give each other their gifts and so excited to recieve them!   It was a joy to watch.

The rest of the day was spent skyping or calling extended family, watching Mike open his gives over skype, watching the amazing music videos Nick made for me, eating some delicious (but undocumented) hawaiian haystacks, and watching a movie.  

I'm pretty sure I went to sleep only minutes after my kids did that night.  I was exhausted!  

Very happy, but exhausted. :-)

~Christmas Eve Jammies~

After our Christmas program the kiddos got to give each other their presents.  They talk all year long about what they are going to get each other for Christmas and I was impressed with how generous and thoughtful they really wanted to be.  Too bad they have no money and I don't have endless funds for such things.  I still thought they chose well for each other and put a lot of thought into their final purchases.  

Then they got to open their Christmas jammies from Grandma Lael and Grandpa Stuart.  So exciting!  

Alec was thrilled with his Buzz Jammies and Elyssa looked cute at ever with her purple "moose have a hug" jammie shirt.  There were squeals of delight from many a grandma and auntie. :-)

Perhaps my favorite little detail to these super cute jammies were the moose and bear tracks across the backside of Cordy's jammies.  I didn't notice until she went to climb off the couch.  So funny.

Then it was time to leave Santa a brownie and head for bed.  Thank goodness they had been worn out from the days play so they could go right to sleep.  Santa had a lot of work to do!

~Christmas Eve Dinner and Program~

There was only one more sleep til' Christmas and the celebration was about to begin!  Time to get gussied up!  Elyssa loved the hot curlers and the beautiful ruby red slippers Erin and Ryan gave her for an early birthday present.  It matched her Christmas dress perfectly!

The table was set, the place cards placed, and my helpers were working hard, dutifully in the kitchen.  A big shout out to Robert who helped assemble and cook all that meat.  It was a greasy job and someone had to do it!

All the guests had arrived and we were ready to begin, but first a picture of all our awesome party guests.  Yay that the Welchs were able to join in with the family again this year!  Then their were toasts all around before we started in on our delicious meal.

Cordy was dressed up as well, though she has no hair for curlers. :-)  Erin was kind to get a picture of me with my handsome co-host. 

 On the menu for Christmas Eve: Roladin, caprese salad, green salad, egg noodles, roasted butternut squash, sparkling grape juice and peppermint hot fudge brownie sundaes.  All the food was amazing.

These two handsome guys make me smile.  Notice our elf, Buzz, in the background?  The kids were sad to say goodbye to him that night, but happy to know it was because Santa was coming.  :-)

Then it was time for our Christmas Eve program of scripture reading, carols, primary songs, and lots of picture holding by the little ones.  

As our program drew to a close, we continued our merry making with songs and a few special performances.  The kids each got up and did a little number of their choosing, Robert and Liz sang a lovely duet, and Nick even pulled out his saxophone for the first time in over 6 months.  He played really well and I was impressed with how easily he was able to pick it right back up. 

I love Christmas Eve with my family.  I love the excitment of the season, the spirit that can be felt, the peace and joy of knowing that the Savior is real.  He lives.  He loves us.  He came to earth and lived a perfect life and was the perfect example.   He died for us so that we can live with Him again.  Our family can be together forever.  

What a wonderful, beautiful thing.  

~Zombie Burger~

On Christmas Eve everyone (except my mom, Cordy, and I who were preparing for the evening festivities) headed downtown to Zombie Burger, a local burger joint, to try the fair and enjoy the atmosphere.  As you can Alec was pretty nervous.

Elyssa refused to even look at the Santa Zombie.  I can't say I blame her.

Erin and Ryan got right into the fun, playing up the Zombies scene.

As far as I have heard, everyone thought the restaurant was really unique...

but my foodies all brought back less that stellar reviews.  Overprices, nothing special, but still a fun experience.  

I've got to admit that I didn't really fell left out. The pictures were enough for me. :-)

~Christmas Eve Breakfast~

When you have a house full of party guests it's hard to tell when the party starts and when the party stops!  I love it!  With that knowledge in mind I wanted to keep the party going strong all through the day so we started off Christmas Eve with some of Nick's famous crepes and a full spread of toppings. (Ignore the giant bag of Sour Patch kids and mike and Ikes my Cousin Caitlin bought and then left at my house until I had eaten almost every single piece by myself.  Yikes!)

It took a triple batch of batter to make this awesome stack.  

They were delicious and everyone made sure to have seconds and thirds.

Happy people all around.

The night before Christmas Eve my dad asked what the plans were for the following day.  I listed off the three amazing meals we would be eating and that help that would be needed in great detail.  He responded "Yes, but what are we going to do?"  Everyone laughed.  I swear, my life revolves around food, especially during the holidays. 

What a yummy way to start out a Christmas Eve day. 

~Family Singing~

I come from a very musical family.  In fact, I may very well be the least musically talented of all my siblings.  Luckily they don't seem to mind too much and let me join in on all the fun.  At Christmas time there is always lost of music and caroling and fun.  This year was no different.  

Grandma Shannon with sweet Cordy baby.  The two of us talked and decided to volunteer our family to sing on Christmas morning in my ward (since I'm the ward music leader and am charged with setting up all the musical numbers).  We decided that we would do one of our staple family Christmas songs, Peace Peace/Silent Night.

Robert and Ryan both brought their backpacker guitars to accompany us and we broke into three different parts.  We even got Elyssa, Liz and Caitlin to join in on our singing, despite their initial reluctance.  We are a crazy crew and it can be a bit overwhelming at first to join in on a Starks Family sing.

Despite the breaking into parts, multiple practices, and the guitars coming with us to church Christmas morning, my dad somehow didn't get the message that we were actually performing IN CHURCH until they announced us. Surprise!!  Good thing he was paying attention when we were practicing.  :-)

Our song went off without a hitch.  Perfect.

I love my musical family.

~Ice Skating~

I love ice skating.  I have loved it since I can remember.  That doesn't mean that I'm all that good at it, but I really enjoy it.  When I glide across the ice I feel like I'm flying through the air and just like my children, I have always wanted to fly.  On the eve of Christmas Eve we bundled up and headed out to the outdoor ice rink in downtown Des Moines with the two biggest kids. What fun!

We have found that it takes two people most of the time to help the kids, but it worked out that we had a really good adult to kid ratio of 8 to 2.  Everyone got to have a good skate by themselves or with a buddy. :-)

I worked really hard with Alec while we were there.  He has a lot of anxiety about falling down, but I was able to work with him and keep him going for a long time.  Though he was resistant at first, I think he ultimately had a really good time.  I'm so glad that I know how to help him when he gets worked up.  I'm so glad that he trusts me to help him.  

Waiting for the zamboni to smooth out the ice was a little chilly, but we had lot of people to snuggle up close before we did a few last laps around the ice rink.  

I am so glad we got to go ice skating!  I loved every minute of it.  I'm also really thankful for Ryan, and his i-phone camera.  He took all of these awesome pictures. Thanks Ryan!  You're the best!  

What a fun winter afternoon.