A New Year

Last Saturday Kaia had a great time watching Aunt Brooke dip chocolates (and sneaking a lick whenever possible).  After chocolates we met up with the Stinchfield clan (Brooke's in-laws) and had a party at the Stake Center.  We played games, ate lots of hore'dourves, and tried our best to wear the kids out.  Here is Adam the drill sargent:

We spent the day in Portland on Tuesday.  We had a caravan of three cars which contained 10 children and 4 adults.  We got lost looking for an Asian grocery store where Ellery needed to buy supplies for his New Year's Korean dinner.  Here is a picture of Uncle Adam getting kids lined up for "follow the leader" through the store.  We were quite a site.   
A New Year's Eve tradition for the Bennetts is to rent a hotel room and pile the family into the pool.  Don't worry, we didn't all sleep in this room.  We swam and swam then ate then watched tv till midnight.  We even got to see fireworks from the window.  It was a lot of fun.

Today Ellery made us Korean food which included Kimchi, yummy beef and chicken (I'm too lazy to figure out the real name) and pot sticker type things (which also have a Korean name I can't remember).  While we were at the Asian grocery store, Adam let all the kids pick out a drink to try.  It was the most entertaining part of our Korean New Year's dinner.  Soursop and White Gourd was my favorite.  I wasn't brave enough to try Grass Jelly Drink, Basil Seed, Mangosteen or Coconut with chunks.  

By coincidence I spent New Year's Eve reading an inspiring financial book which was a catalist for some resolutions. The book is called The Richest Man In Babylon by George S. Clason. It is a collection of pamphlets on thrift and financial success using parables set in ancient Babylon. Here is an example:
The Five Laws of Gold
1. Gold cometh gladly and in increasing quantity to any man who will put by not less than one-tenth of his earnings to create an estate for his future and that of his family.
2. Gold laboreth diligently and contentedly for the wise owner who finds for it profitable employment, multiplying even as the flocks of the field.
3. Gold clingeth to the protection of the cautious owner who invests it under the advice of men wise in its handling.
4. Gold slippeth away from the man who invests it in businesses or purposes whith which he is not familiar or which are not approved by those skilled in its keep.
5. Gold flees the man who would force it to impossible earning or who followeth the alluring advice of tricksters and schemers or who trusts it to his own inexperience and romantic desires in investment.