Disneyland 2012

We finally took our family to Disneyland!  That was the big present for Christmas and January was a great time to go.  We left a day early so we could spend a little time with our BFF's the Whites.  The weather in Utah was beautiful and we had a great time with them even though one of our kids and one of their kids were sick.

 We met up with the rest of my family in Las Vegas.  It was interesting.  Geoff (my little brother) likes to dress up weird so here is his outfit while we ate at the buffet:

 Once we got to Cali- we went straight to the beach- which was frrrreeezing!

 But still fun- we walked out on the pier and ate lunch at Ruby's diner

 My sister-in-law, Adrian and her little girl Landri took a little break to pose for a picture.

 There was a great playground at Newport beach so the kids climbed and climbed.

 All of the grandkids with Nana and Papa

 Disneyland and California Adventure were so much fun!  The kids loved looking at everything and were great sports about going on most of the rides.  Simeon got a little traumatized on Tower of Terror (he's a little young) and Olivia was freaked out but not completely traumatized.

 Jayda pretty much stayed away from anything that resembled a roller coaster.

 The lego store was a huge hit for the boys.

I think Indiana Jones was the favorite ride for most of us.  It was awesome to have my parents and my brother and his new wife to help, as well as my other brother and his family to play with my kids.  It really is the happiest place on earth! 

Family Talent

We had our Olsen Christmas party combined with a little birthday celebration for Petter.  It was a great party with great food and awesome talent.  Most of the grandkids participated and it was so fun to see all of the talent in the family.  Jayda played Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer on the piano.  At one point people started singing along.

 Olivia played her recital pieces and did a great job.

 My nephew Hunter played a song he wrote on the piano with vocals.

 Petter and his sister enjoying the show- Simeon did a little song and dance (not pictured) and got some laughs.

 Hunter and Trevyn played a great song - they should start a band.

 And Drue did his dub step dancing (amazing!)

The party wouldn't be complete without a visit from Ule Nissen (sp?) our very own Norwegian Santa.

At first Simeon thought he looked pretty friendly....

 He welcomed him into the house.  When he got a closer look at that mask-

He ran for his life!!! It was hilarious! 

 Santa had goodies for everyone

Simeon warmed up to the bearer of gifts.  Merry Christmas!

Scandinavian Christmas Party

My father in law is from Norway and so he loves all things Scandinavian.  For the past few years he has gotten tickets to the Ikea Christmas dinner.  Last year he brought our kids and this year Petter and I went too.  We all dressed in our Norwegian sweaters and other clothes and ate Marzipan and Salmon.

 This year, Jayda still fits in her dress but Olivia graduated to a sweater.  (My next goal: to learn how to knit Norwegian)

 Sim is obsessed with this sailor suit from Norway and wears it all the time with his red cowboy boots.

 Grandpa surrounded by many friends from his "Fish Club"

All the grandkids looking pretty adorable.  

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree

We ventured out on a cold day and picked our Christmas tree.  

 We have a place we like to go with our Petter's folks to pick the tree and we found a great one this year- the kids picked it out.  We were so concerned with the height of the tree that we didn't notice how fat it was.

 When we got it home we had to move it from the usual spot to a new location because it was too big.

 We had a great time decorating the tree, listening to Christmas music and spending time together as a family.

Real trees are a bit of a hassle but the smell that fills my house is worth it.

Wedding party

My little brother and Sam got married and the wedding was so much fun!  We got to see so many loved ones and people we don't get to see as often as we would like.

 My kids looked adorable

 Simeon lasted pretty good through the whole thing

 The bride and groom were happy and it was just how they wanted it.

 An amazing band played before the ceremony- my little brothers good friends

Over all a great day- we wish them all the best!

Turkey Day

We spent Thanksgiving this year with Petter's family.  They always put on a good one.  Laurel and I cooked all day and by the time it was all ready, our appetites were gone (either from too much sampling, or too much time around food)  but they came back and we ate plenty.

 The 22 pound turkey got gobbled up

 the table looked beautiful

 I found this printable activity sheet for the kids and we had a coloring contest.

 The kids had their own table

The weather was so nice that the kids played outside almost all day- strange for November.