Cleveland, NYE, Priesthood

On Sunday my parents watched our kids so Tyler and I could go on a little getaway. We left for Cleveland, Ohio after church and despite the thick fog and rain, we made it there with no incidents. The first night was just a real lazy night in. For once I let Tyler control the remote which meant we got to watch real exciting documentaries.

It was super noisy at night due to some high winds so I didn't sleep super well so we had a late morning and totally missed the continental breakfast. Instead we went to the West Side Market for breakfast. We both got crepes- his savory and mine sweet. Then, with a little direction from a security guard, we found the stairs and got to sit at the top level and see the whole market below us while we ate. I think the crepes were way better than a continental breakfast anyways. 

On our way out I had Tyler take a picture of me by one of the many murals outside the market. This market was very similar to the one in Detroit.

After we finished up at the Market we headed to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Despite the blustery winds we took some pictures outside because the building was real unique. 

Inside I think our favorite exhibit was probably the one about Early Influences of Rock and Roll. We also liked all the various videos on music throughout the museum- I particularly liked the one with lots of clips from American Band Stand. It was fun to see how awkward some musicians were when interviewed and it was fun to see them performing songs long ago. Things were so much classier until about the 70's. I had to get a picture with a cactus of course and Tyler had to get a picture with Michael Jackson's infamous sparkly glove and a saxophone.

When we finished up at the museum we were ready for a late lunch so we hit up Melt Bar and Grilled. I had found it highly recommended on the internet and boy did it live up to the hype- it was soooo good. They specialize in fancy grilled cheese sandwiches and mac and cheese. I got a pulled pork grilled cheese sandwich and Tyler got a "Cuban War Pig." Someday it would be fun to come back and try out their mac and cheese.

After we let the food settle a bit we got some ice cream at Sweet Moses- they were an old fashioned little shop. Tyler loved his ice cream, I was less impressed with mine. I got a scoop of peppermint ice cream which sounded good in theory but really it was just swirled with extremely peppermint syrupy stuff that I didn't love.

After the ice cream we hit up a local bookshop. It wasn't in the best part of town but we survived and it's always fun to browse a good bookshop. I ended up finding some fun, lesser known Roald Dahl books and Tyler got a Tolkein book that he was super excited about. And that was pretty much our exciting day.

The next day, Tuesday, we actually made it to continental breakfast and it was not impressive. The crepes were definitely better. After checking out of our hotel we went to the house and museum from "A Christmas Story." I honestly don't think I have ever seen the whole movie but it was a classic from Tyler's childhood so he was real excited to be there. His favorite was seeing the leg lamp and the rifle and he also was real excited by the giant amount of plugs for the tree lights. He called his dad while we were there and was making his dad all sorts of jealous.

After the Christmas Story house we headed back home. It was a good getaway.

That night was New Year's Eve so we had the May family over to party with all of us. The kids watched "Kung Fu Panda" while the women folk puzzled and the men folk discussed politics. Afterwards we watched a few Netflix countdowns, "chinked" glasses of sparkling cider and honked the horns that I bought them again. None of the grown ups appreciated me buying them again but the kids just love them so much. I'm sure it's been awhile since my parents have experienced a New Year's Eve quite that noisy.

Wednesday I took my parents to see "Jumanji" as a thank you for watching the kids. Afterwards we got lunch at Arby's. It was nice to have some kid free time with them. That evening the Bishop made a house call and Steven received the Aaronic Priesthood. It was real special to have my parents there. Afterwards the Bishop shared a tradition his family has where he hands down his tie to his son when he is ordained so whenever his son wears the tie he can remember the day he was given the Priesthood. Tyler jokes that he wishes he had had a heads up because that was one of his favorite ties but I think the fact that it is one of his favorite ties makes it even more special. I like this new tradition.

Thursday we hit up the library in the morning where Poppy couldn't resist buying another book, despite the weight limit on his luggage. That afternoon we went to the Great Lakes Crossing Mall where the kids played and Grams and Poppy spoiled them with pretzels, Cinnamon Rolls and milk shakes- all the good things. 

Then on Friday morning Grams and Poppy flew back to Arizona and left us. We had to get a picture before they left:

That afternoon the kids had some friends over and then for dinner we took the kids out to Chili's to celebrate our anniversary ;) Cleveland was basically our anniversary celebration so that's why we really didn't do anything Friday.

Saturday we had a planning meeting real early in the morning. Bishop's idea and the beginning wasn't very well executed but once we split off into groups we were able to get quite a bit of planning taken care of. It was definitely better than our last planning meeting but we still have things to work on- like considering our less actives when planning and including the younger girls.

After the meeting I helped Lucy work on one of her goals- to make a batch of cupcakes by herself. She did good with me and even cracked an egg no problem but we still got work to do. 

A Natue Walk, A Museum, A Movie

On Thursday Grams and I went and did some after Christmas shopping. I managed to snag two new nutcrackers (a gnome and a sailor holding a lighthouse), I also got some new Christmas books to add to my massive collections, and I got some ornaments for a new Christmas tradition I am wanting to start (Christmas ornaments that represent things from Christ's life). We finished up shopping around lunchtime so we headed to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. The food was slow coming but oh man, so worth the wait. So so good.

When we got back home we all drove out to Proud Lake to go on a nature hike while the weather was still good. The kids all had their cameras and were constantly documenting. We found some trees decorated with ornaments which a fun find. Ben enjoyed finding every large stick and then throwing it at the lake to try and break the ice. Tyler thought it was a good idea to walk on the icy lake and of course all the kids followed. This made me super nervous since it was a 50 degree day. I did not want to lose any of my children under the ice. Luckily they all survived! And even though Lucy cried because she wanted to walk on the ice longer, it was overall a really nice outing.

On Friday we went to the Natural History Museum at the University of Michigan. We had gone to it once before it moved to its new location. I have to say that I liked it at the old location better. It was a really cool historic building and way less modernized. This museum was all about teaching us to be eco friendly and had lots of exhibits on evolution. Meh. It was shiny and new though and had some fun ways to measure ourselves and some fun dinosaur skulls to do some photos with.

While  we were there, Lucy was washing her hands in the bathroom, and randomly said: "Never trust a cow!" Goof ball.

That afternoon I was the Grinch and took down Christmas. It always feels good to get all that stuff down. Poppy took yet another outing with the kids while I was doing this. He sure has been all about the walks while he's been here. 

Saturday we went and saw "Spies in Disguise." It was basically the only kid movie out and it was fun enough. On the drive back Penny was complaining that she was hot in the car. When I asked her how she got that hot she replied, "Because I was borned here."

Christmas Day

Christmas morning the kids did pretty good at not bugging us until 7am. I heard them rustling around 6am but at least they were pretty quiet about it. When they came down they all seemed happy enough about their Santa gifts. Penny got a camera, Lucy got a purple bike and unicorn helmet, Ben got a bike and helmet with a mohawk and Steven got an imitation Go Pro. Santa also left them a letter telling them they need to work a little harder next year in order to stay on the "nice" list.

The kids were satisfied to mess with their new gifts and eat candy out of their stocking until Grams and Poppy came out of their room a little bit later. Then we opened gifts in an organized fashion- which Tyler's dad thinks is just ridiculous but it makes my heart happy. All the kids open one gift at a time together and then throw the wrapping paper away before they open the next one. It helps it so present opening doesn't go super fast and it also keeps down the mess. Like I said, keeps my heart happy.

Traditional pictures of everyone with their presents....

Penny got: a camera from Santa. Painting kit, pretend smoothie kit, bead necklace kit, Llamphone book, and fake glasses from mom and dad. Lego set from Grams and Poppy Brady. A Frozen notebook and smelly pencil from Lucy. And scented markers in a sparkly pouch from Tyler.

Lucy got: a bike and unicorn helmet from Santa. A scrapbook kit, scratch notepad, Garfield book, Unicorn purse, and pop up lemonade stand from mom and dad. A Rudolph nose from Penny. A lego set from Grams and Poppy Brady. And a sparkly pouch and scented markers from Tyler.

Ben got: a bike and helmet from Santa. Colorful blocks, a catapult kit, Minecraft storage and minifigures, and a Minecraft Activity book. A Ninjago Lego set from Grams and Poppy Brady. 2 little figures from Penny. And a comic sketchbook from Tyler.

Steven got a: imitation Go Pro from Santa. Minecraft storage and minifigures, blocks, a camping lego set, Makey Makey, and Minecraft book from mom and dad. A Minecraft Pirate ship from Grams and Poppy Brady. Fake money from Penny. And a comic sketchbook from Tyler.

Grams and Poppy Hatch got a calendar, socks that say funny things, and a Michigan Grandpa Sweatshirt. Penny got Grams a cup and Poppy a winter hat that was a bit too small (but she was insistent that he needed something to keep his bald head warm).

Tyler got a triple decker HP Lego set, and an invisibility cloak (that didn't work until the next day). Steven got him a shirt that says "Call of Doodie, special plops" and the girls got him "Baby Shark" cereal.

I got a laptop, a Beauty and the Beast Puzzle, a moleskin notebook, fancy scissors and a Little Debbie snacks puzzle. The kids got me a llama doll. And Tara (my secret santa from the Hatch family) got me a Q&A book for the kids and a cake decorating kit.

After all the present opening, I made our traditional reindeer pancakes for the kids.

Then the kids spent the rest of the day enjoying their gifts- Penny painting, Lucy scrapbooking and riding her bike, Ben riding his bike. Steven may not have had a new bike but he did have fun using his imitation go pro to videotape his bike ride. He said many times that his Santa gift was so awesome. That was a nice change from his usual negative attitude.

For dinner we had our traditional "Jerusalem" meal of fish sticks, fresh fruit, pita bread and hummus and fig newtons. We talked about what some of the food reminded them of from Jesus' life and it was a nice discussion. And then we ended our day by watching the movie "Abominable." All in all it was a great Christmas Day, made even better by having my parents there.