Oh the places we dined over Christmas break -

Well, my family has always enjoyed dining out and we tend to overdo it a bit when we are together. We have many reasons why we like to dine out...

1. We don't get the chance to dine out together all that much

2. We need to celebrate this or that (even if the event has past or has yet to come)

3. It is nice to have someone else cook

4. It is nice to have someone else cleanup

5. It is just plain fun

So, with that, here is a short list of the places that we dined over the past two weeks

1. Costa Vida

2. Rubios

3. On the Border

4. In and Out

5. Carrabbas

5. Nandos

6. Five Guys

7. Wildflower Bread Company

8. Costco (too funny that this is a place to dine :)

9. Pita Jungle

11. Benihanna's

10. Starbucks - way too many times to count

It was lots of fun to eat, chit chat and be merry together. We are blessed to be a family. Ok- for now I will be eating salad, because this list does not include all of the meals we ate at home or the 5 large zip locks full of Dad's famous Chex mix that we enjoyed. Coming soon will be a critique of the dining establishments listed above.

First up:

Costa Vida- Dana Park- We had a group of 18 and it was nice to be able to eat and have the kiddos play by the fountain afterward. Gotta love the free kids cheese quesadilla and the sweet pork tacos. A great place to meet before Christmas light viewing.

Rubios- what can I say...the best fish tacos ever !! Thanks to my cousin Heather I was brave enough to try them back in the day when we lived together in 1998.

On the Border- fun night with out with Nate- good margaritas and chips but the food gets a HUGE thumbs DOWN. Hey, we had a gift card...so it wasn't all bad.

In and Out- ANIMAL STYLE BABY- nothing beat In and Out (a true favorite). We had a nice lunch with the Stenhoffs after a visit to the zoo. And I have to mention the diet coke- one of the best (Aunt Bonnie knows what I am saying) :)

Carrabas- Wednesday is $10 off wine night. Buy a bottle of wine and get $10 off and a free appetizer. The light pink bottle of wine that we could afford (even with the $10 off was not too great), but the free calamari made up for it. A fun way to enjoy wine and an appetizer for a little less. The Rosa Maria Chicken with Mash potatoes is a family favorite-it is enough to split.

Nandos- We have had many family gatherings at Nandos and it is always a nice time (we need our own private room). If you happen to go with a party of 22 and 4 high chairs request Courtney as a waitress. She rocks. The queso is a favorite there.

Five Guys- It may be Obama's favorite place for a burger, but the Macklins, Daveys and Strubes agree that it is pretty pricey and In and Out still has our vote. :) PS- they don't have sandwich spread, only ketchup for the fries.

Wildflower Bread Company- yummy salads, soup and bread. Cream cheese potato soup and the Caesar salad are a good choice. Always a good place for lunch.

Costco- 1.50 hotdog and soda- no need to say anymore...oh and the cheese pizza :) MMMMMM

Pita Jungle- laid back delicious Mediterranean food. Regular and cilantro hummus are favs as well as the falafel salad. Always fun. Emma loves hummus and veggies and Caitlyn can eat bowl after bowl of hummus, rice and lentils. Take out is great too.

Benihanna's- dinner and a show- Bryan was so sweet and threw me a surprise 25th birthday party with the family. Love the tepanyaki and sushi. The babies had fun watching the chef. Emma has been playing chef at home since we ate there. We have always had fun there. This time the sushi was a bit late but they made it right and took it off the bill.

Starbucks- if you know us at all- you will know that we went there a bit too much over break- hey, nate doesn't get to go there in Honduras so we had to help him get his Starbucks fix. LOVE LOVE LOVE Starbucks !!

Ok- for now we are trying to eat at home until we can get our own show on the food network called Family, Food and Fun to help pick up some of the bills.

Christmas Gifts

xylophone from Honduras

A memory book of Grandpa Don's Navy Years done by Mom and Dad- what a wonderful gift. We will cherish it.

Nativity from Honduras from Nate.

New frames for Daddy's office to hold the girls' art work

The best gift- a hug from my baby girl

The Schleich farm from Nana and Papa

Mooo, oink oink-

Hugs to the best Uncle Nate

Before the fun began !!

Mom and Dad's Surprise Birthday Party

We decided to throw Mom and Dad an early surprise birthday party. Mom turned 60 in January and Dad had already turned 66 in December. So, we combined the celebration and made sure they were out of the house long enough to pull it together. Here is a picture of us on a walk after eating pizza and before we had cake. Fun times.

The family on a walk, yes in December. Jazmine is in the wagon.

Happy Birthday to you and you !! Love you both very much.

The three amigos snacking.

Mom and Nate relaxing.

ON A ROLL

Christmas Morning

Santa came to visit

Christmas Eve 2009

An ATTEMPT at a family picture before we went to Christmas Eve Mass.

My Grandma Velma (Dad's Mom) began making shrimp soup and oyster stew on Christmas Eve when my Dad and Aunt Marcine were kids. We enjoyed Christmas Eve dinner at her house in Casper my entire childhood. I remember sitting in Christmas Eve Mass thinking about going to her house to eat, open presents and then have cookies and her famous Christmas punch. We would have soup, appetizers and of course cheese stars. After dinner, someone would play Santa and we would then do a gift exchange with Grandma Velma, Grandpa Harold and Aunt Marcine and Uncle Bob. My Grandma (who taught first grade for years) is a wonderful cook and baker. She would make so many different kinds of cookies and candy. So after presents we would eat cookies and have punch with cherry ice cubes.

We have continued her tradition of shrimp soup, I have yet to make oyster stew, but maybe when the girls are a bit older. We do appetizers, cheese stars, cookies (not quite as many) and punch with cherry ice cubes. I loved these traditions as a little girl growing up, I know that Emma and Caitlyn will love them too. This year, Emma made the cheese stars and the cherry ice cubes.

Nana and Emma began a tradition three years ago of baking Jesus a birthday cake on Christmas Eve. We came home from mass and sang him Happy Birthday and had cake.

Cards from friends and family. The cookies are below. We told Nate that we were holding a spot for his card...he he.

Emma made trees for the table.

Christmas Dinner

Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Paul had everyone over for Christmas dinner. We had ham and stuffed pork roast along with lots of yummy sides. It was a great afternoon. This is the result of yummy food, lots and fun and presents...the girlies worn out after rearranging the living room watching Elmo on the big screen. AHHH- the life of a child.

Aunt Bonnie and Great Aunt Joanne

Andrea, Melanie and Bonnie

Opening gifts.

A visit from Santa's helper. Brian surprised the girls and told them that he had seen Santa the night before when he was at work at the group home. Santa left some extra gifts for them and he was delivering them. Brian also taught the girls that one of the most important lessons in life is being kind to others especially people with disabilities. It was very sweet.

Christmas festivities

One of our family traditions is to eat dinner and head to Christmas card lane to look at lights. This street in Mesa is decked with lights from roof to driveway. It is always fun. This year we went with Nana, Papa, Uncle Nate, the Strubes, Burkes, Stenhoffs and Normans. The kiddos loved it.

This Santa was hilarious- he did the whole mechanical Santa routine and was very good. I took a video that did not turn out, but as soon as you were convinced that it was a mechanical Santa he would shout out and wave his arms. What a character. This was new this year and he must have spent hours practicing.

Painting ornaments-

This was Caitlyn's first year painting and ohhhh she had fun.

C bear concentrated and did her best work. So fun to watch her do so many new things.

Emma's Christmas Program

Emma and Ms. Laticia (her teacher)

Emma Wolff, Jordyn, Reagan and Emma

Jordyn, Reagan and Emma have been in the same class since last year

Ms. Laticia and Ms. Jill's classes getting ready to preform

Emma was talking about the program for weeks. She has such a pretty singing voice, we have been hearing her practice the songs at home. Such a sweet Christmas memory. Both classes did a beautiful job.

In the peace garden outside Emma's classroom

Great Aunt Bonnie and Great Uncle Paul came to watch Miss Emma sing.

Thank you AB and UP, you are so sweet.

"Our next song will be Oh Hanukah, Oh Hanukah."

Christmas songs

Christmas Celebration with the Stenhoff family- December 18, 2009

Mathea and Adalia making cookies

Christmas cookies

Ethan and Bryan

Our little ol Italian cook with her sweater, necklace and the half apron around the middle- she wanted to "help" too

Ethan, Anna and Emma

Back in the olden days (2004) when we lived in Logan, UT, the Stenhoffs had Bryan and I over for chili and Christmas fun. We were pregnant with Emma at the time. We ate chili and helped them decorate their tree before we exchanged gifts. This year, they invited us over again to celebrate Christmas a few days early. We enjoyed Tara's yummy chili, made cookies, had hot chocolate and exchanged gifts. Not only are we in a different state but we have four additional girls between us. Emma, Caitlyn, Mathea and Adalia have been born in the last 5 years. It was a lot of fun, thank you to the Stenhoffs.