CHRISTMAS 2011!

This is everything we did Christmas related in 2011, all in one post since I got really blog lazy these last couple of months (not so much lazy as busy really).

 We started the season off with decorating the outside of the house, then the inside and then we kinda skipped the tree and decided we should write Santa our letters and get them mailed off so we could make sure he would receive it in plenty of time! We headed off to Macy's to mail them like we do every year.

Eli did get sad after he realized he forgot to tell Santa he wanted a sled for Christmas, so we took him back to write one more letter...he wrote it all by himself, I was so proud of him!

Then a couple of weeks later we decided it was finally time to decorate the tree. For this blog I picked the most crazy/silly pictures of my kids instead of the cute smiley ones :) To decorate a Christmas tree Rodgers style you  need Christmas music playing in the background, check, then you need treats to eat while you work, check (well we did store bought donuts but a treat none the less)

 
 
and then you just need some good old fashion tree decorating skills, check! We had a great time decorating the tree and eating treats and we all took a turn on daddy's shoulders hanging up ornaments! (the kids thought it was hilarious when Jared put me up on his shoulders!) I would like to say that Jared and I even remained quite calm and didn't get angry despite the fact that we lost 7 ornaments in a tragic accident when they are perished as they hit the tile and wood floor, ha ha! 
 

 
 
 
Next, it was time for us to go to Grandma and Grandpa Rodgers house and help them decorate their tree and then we took grandma and grandpa to the Temple to see the lights with us.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Christmas Eve finally came and we went over to the Rodgers house and ate our traditional Christmas Eve fondue and opened up presents!

First present of course was the kiddos Christmas jammies which they get from mom and dad (that's it from us, everything else comes from Santa).

 
 Then its time for the good ones from Grandma and Grandpa (despite the fact that grandma buys all the grandkids their gifts and signs it from both of them, grandpa still goes out and buys them each something as well, its double fun over there!)

 
 Here is Tyson loving on his new blankie from grandma. The twins outgrew their ones they got as babies and won't sleep with anything but them so Grandma made them new ones that were extra big and they haven't looked back since, they are in love with them.
 After presents, chocolate fondue and a little Home Alone movie time, we headed home to get the kiddos to bed and do all the Santa prep things that needed to be done, like setting out cookies and milk and sprinkling the Reindeer food out on the lawn :)
 
Christmas was a bit different this year. It was on a Sunday and we had 9am church and we didn't want to rush through present opening or be late to church so sadly, the kids had to get up and just stare at all their loot and wait until after church. We didn't even open up stockings, but that was just because we took to long to get ready. This was the loooongest sacrament ever. After every song the boys kept thinking it was over and whined to go home, poor buddies, I totally understand. Finally church was over and we headed home. The kids changed out of their church clothes into regular clothes and while I made our little traditional Christmas breakfast (pancakes in the shapes of snowmen, gingerbread man and a Christmas tree and then we wash it all down with orange julius) they opened up their stockings.

After we ate then it was really time to open up the gifts. All the kiddos got what they wanted this year, they were all very happy! Emma got everything on her list (minus the iPad and iPod but did get her Uggs and everything else she wanted)

Santa even gave me and Em matching TOMS

I guess the 2nd letter to Santa worked, Eli got not just 1 but 2 sleds!

All Tyler wanted was a "Green Lantern shoot gun!" Good thing dad knew what he was talking about because I thought he was just making up the name and I was going to buy a toy gun and spray paint it green, oh no, there is a real toy with that name so Mr. Santa went online and ordered little Tyler up exactly what he wanted and the kid was THRILLED!

Tyson only asked for a blue guy and a red guy so he got a couple of Captain America toys!

The twins are starting Apples to Zebras in January so Santa thought he should give them some back packs, we had no idea they would be such a huge hit! How can you go wrong with Bumble Bee and Spiderman back packs though!

Later that night Grandma Jensen and all the Jensens came over for a delicious dinner made by grandma and we ate dinner, played and opened gifts from grandma, she always out does herself every year! There were 14 happy grandkids running around playing with all their toys that night (Hudson couldn't make it, but we are excited to have him next year)!

The next morning we got up after our Christmas hangover and Dad and the boys headed over to Uncle Brandon's house to hang out with Grandpa Jensen and Jackie and Brandon, Bryant, Taryn and their kids. While they were out doing that, me and Emma met up with my mom, Caryn and Ashley for a little wedding dress shopping for Ashley. It was fun to see her try on all the dresses and can't wait to see which one she picks!

Later that night we took the kids to the mall so they could stuff and make their Build-A-Bears they got from Santa. The biggest surprise was how loving Tyler was towards his gingerbread, so cute! 

 It was a great Christmas season! I am already looking forward to next year :)

4th YEAR MISSIONARY PIGGY BANKS!

Here is the yearly missionary piggy bank picture!

6 months old

1 1/2 years old

2 1/2 years old

3 1/2 years old

CLUB 33 FOR MY 33RD BIRTHDAY BABY!

Club 33...what is that you ask? Oh, just something I happened to find out about 2 years ago and threw it on my bucket list even though I knew I would never get into it. I will never be a dignitary, a famous person or be able to afford the 6 figure membership fees that are required AND the 14 year waiting list you have to be on to even try and become a member :) But, putting all that aside, I put it on my list anyways, after all, isn't that what the bucket list is all about, listing things you would like to accomplish before you die even if they do seem some what impossible.

When all the girls came over to my house last March to have a mini birthday celebration for Randi, somehow for her birthday I was given a gift...the gift of being invited to girls weekend with them. That same week Sydney learned she was accepted into the Disney College program. So we all sat around talking about Disneyland and everything amazing that goes along with it and then I said, thinking they wouldn't even really know what I was talking about, "hey, maybe Sydney can get us into Club 33, ha ha!" Then Randi chimed in with how awesome that would be and then I remember looking over at Robyn and she had the biggest eyes and the world's hugest smile and something just told me, "by george, I think your in!" Robyn had already made us a reservation at Club 33, but not because of her daughter's new adventure but because Robyn had a hook-up through her work! I seriously could not believe it. How in the world was it possible I was going to go to the secretive and exclusive, Club 33!!

We had to go to a particular gate that morning outside of the park and check in. They gave us our Club 33 passes which were also Disneyland tickets for that day.We headed into the park and over to Club 33 to check in. Ok so I admit it, I was like a little school girl, I was giddy and I was thinking I was better than the "commoners" around me who were just taking a picture outside the club, but weren't good enough to get in, ha ha! First Robyn rang the bell and then we just waited outside until they came out to get us. They come to you on their time, not yours :)
Robyn and Sydney ringing the bellRichelleRandi and blipMe (note to self, listen to your mom and stand up straight and keep your shoulders back, if I been a good girl and listened, I wouldn't look slouchy and my pouch wouldn't pouch out as far, drats!)Randi and MeFinally the lady steps outside and calls a name of a party, those people go in, then I believe she called another name and they go inside and then our big moment came, "Hawkins, party of 5!" Woo hoo!!! This was it, I was about to step inside Club 33!

As soon as you step inside you look straight ahead and you see this wall, the one behind us where we took a picturethen if you turn to the right is the little table where the lady works at and behind her is the coat check and the french lift they use to take you upstairs (unless your name is Carol or Richelle, then they make you take the stairs, whatever! it's Club 33, I got over it quickly ;)We went upstairs and were seated in the room that has a max capacity of 66 people (get it?!). We sat down and I just remember looking around and taking it all in. Still trying to believe that I was inside the impossible dream.Check out the napkins, every time you got up they re-folded them for you (I felt kinda bad that they kept doing it, but of course not bad enough to stop them!)After they poured our waters from a nice chilled bottle of Evian, they handed us our menus!Why yes, Josef, I will take some more Evian please :) After we placed our orders for filet mignon, asparagus and mashed potatoes we headed over for our appetizers. They serve them buffet style. They had tons of nasty things that once dwelled in the ocean which I of course steered clear from, but they also had green salads with a mango dressing, crackers and cheese, soups, breads and many oils to pick from for dipping and delicious fruit...and I am talking the pineapple must have arrived straight from Hawaii that morning, it was DELICIOUS! I ended up having a whole plate of just yummy pineapple. (yes, it is probably awkward to take as many random pictures as we did, but I needed to take it all in. It's over now and all I have is the memory in my head and these pictures so I am quite proud of all my pictures!)Ok so the next adventure while our food settled and we waited for our main course was to check out the bathrooms. Robyn said they were super cute. She was right, they did not disappoint. Disney really does not leave out any little detail. They had fresh flowers,curved ceilings,a little nose powdering area,gold everything, chandeliers everywhere in the bathroom,ok and the cutest toilets ever!! (can a toilet be cute?! I think so...)So after we were done with our tour of the bathroom and eating a little bit more appetizers, our meal came. It was delish too!After our meal it was time for desserts! The desserts were served the same way the appetizers were, buffet style. It was set up in the same area as the appetizers just on the opposite side of the area. They had a nice man who would just stand there and answer any questions you might have had about the desserts and make sure there was plenty set out for you. (check out the picture in the background, it was an original art drawn by a Disney artist for the ride Pirates of the Caribbean. The club is filled with artwork for Pirates and Mary Poppins!)They had such a random sampling of desserts, I loved it. They had eclairs, a sugar cookie, mini apple pies, a Mickey macaroon, German chocolate cupcake with filling in the middle, fudge cupcake thing, fruit pizza, chocolate cake and the most amazing S'more treat! I wish I would have had more room in my belly to eat more, or brought some tupperware containers to fill up for later, ha ha!Not really my dessert plate, but we pretended...Ok so a lot of the desserts had the 33 logo on it, we had to get the sugar cookie just for the logo...I have to admit, out loud, the cookie was nasty! But it had the pretty logo on it and glitter so what the heck, I will still give it 2 thumbs up :)After desserts we asked our favorite person there, Josef, if there were any secrets or anything exciting he could point out to us. He was so kind and took us on a little tour...This custom-designed harpsichord decorated with a hand-painted scene of the New Orleans harbor from the 19th century was in the gallery area with other original sketches and other works of art.Even though this Club was Walt's dream, he died 6 months before it actually opened. They did paint a portrait of him sitting at a table having his morning coffee and reading the paper over looking Disneyland.Here is the telephone booth that was used in the movie, "The Happiest Millionaire" and just so you know, it actually worked!The club has 2 different rooms you can eat in, the other room we did not eat in was set up to me a more casual dining room that seats 33 people. Walt wanted a vulture set up in the corner that you could talk to with the microphones that he had set up in the chandeliers above each table.and the two legged table from Mary Poppins (Walt Disney paid for the entire New Orleans area in Disneyland with cash he made from the movie Mary Poppins!)Do see what looks like a ship's mast in the picture...and a flag? This was done to give the feel of having a ship in port in New Orleans.
On the opposite side of the balcony of Club 33 is the apartment Walt had built for him and his family to stay in. As the girls got older and they weren't staying there as much they started turning the many the different rooms into other things....here is their apartment (it is the pink one across the way
through the trees)

one room was turned into the fruit room - where they prepare all the fruit
the salad room

the meat room




the "Trophy" room - the one where Walt put all of his dead friend's animal heads :)




and the entrance to Club 33....see I bet most of you didn't even know that was there!

looking straight out from the balcony

Syd, Randi and me

Randi and me

While the rest of us toured around like giddy little school girls, Robyn played it cool and stayed inside so she isn't in the picture with us :(

Josef was so nice to us. He could tell we just loved taking everything little thing in and enjoying it to the fullest (for me, I know this was the case because I knew I would never go back, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, I needed and wanted to take it all in and love every second!) He gave us each a Club 33 pen and a button for me to add to my button collection. Club 33 also has a small case of souvenirs you can purchase that obviously can't be purchased anywhere else. I had to get the Club 33 key chain, so if you see it on my keys, remember that I am better than you! JUST KIDDING!

That pretty much sums up the 3 hours we spent there. It was amazing and sad as we walked out knowing I would never step foot in there again. I have to sincerely give the world's biggest shout out right now to Robyn for getting us in there. I don't think she will ever truly know how much it meant to me. I can't not express it into words how happy I was to be there. THANK YOU Robyn from the bottom of my heart for crossing off the impossible off of my bucket list!