Our Life

Grace

2011-12-18T23:26:00.000-07:00

I've debated for 6 weeks about what to post or whether to post at all about my sweet Grace. Since I don't really blog any more I thought "why bother," but there are a few people who I know care about what's going on in my life who I haven't been great about keeping in contact with who I decided I would post this for. Some things you can't just put in a Christmas card or post on facebook. I'm a fairly private person and don't generally post sensitive feelings for the general public to read.

I was due with Grace on 11/11/11 but was measuring extremely large and at 39 weeks my doctor decided to induce me thinking the baby was gigantic. After starting me on pitocin she wasn't doing well so they stopped the pitocin and decided to just break my water and see what happened. When they broke my water there was an INSANE amount of amniotic fluid. Seriously my nurse couldn't even lift the towels after they were done. So that was the reason I was measuring so large. My labor continued on it's own and Grace was born at 2:00.

At my 31 week ultrasound to confirm her gender they noticed her femur was measuring extremely small, which is a marker for Down Syndrome. We decided not to have the amnio because I was so far along it felt kind of pointless, and we decided to just wait and see. So when she was born we were both nervous wrecks waiting to see if she was okay. I could tell as soon as I saw her that she didn't have downs, but I could also tell something was wrong. She looked different than any of our other kids had. There was a false sense of cheer among the nurses/doctor and nobody would look us in the eyes. The baby nurse spent what seemed like forever measuring and checking her but wouldn't say why. When they moved me to the recovery part of the hospital the nurses kept telling us that our pediatrician had been called and would be there as soon as she could. We kept wondering what was going on because I knew she didn't have Down Syndrome. Finally about 7:30 that night our pediatrician came and after a quick examination told us she suspected that Grace had Achondroplasia, or was a dwarf. The diagnosis was confirmed the next day by a geneticist and 3 radiologists, one at Primary Children's.

There aren't really words to describe what it feels like to find out there's something majorly wrong with one of your kids. Devastating, shattering, and heartbreaking don't really seem to convey the depth of what I felt. The first few weeks were rough as we went through the grieving process and tried to wrap our minds around what this meant for her and for our family. There are a multitude of potential health problems that we will have to watch for throughout her life, but for now she's healthy and we're beyond greatful for that. I am constantly telling myself things could be much worse, and as she gets older and I fall more and more in love with her I know everything will be okay. I won't go through everything that I've felt and learned already but I will say that I know that Heavenly Father is aware of us each individually and as we strive to become more like Christ we have experiences tailored for us to help us in that journey. I know that she was meant to come to our family. There have been countless times over the last 6 weeks, especially at night when all is quiet and it's just me and her, when I hold her and rock her and place her soft cheek next to mine and the spirit whispers to me about her extraordinary spirit and about her courage and strength and I know she is destined for greatness. I am humbled and blessed to be her mother.

Things are mostly fine now. I have moments of fear and sadness for what lies ahead for her but mostly things are just normal. I do want to say a huge thanks though. To my amazing husband who is much stronger than me, and who I clung to for dear life those first few days. He dragged me along until I could stand on my own again. To my sisters who let me just cry and cried with me. To my sister-in-law Misty who is so wise and knows just what to say and did when I needed it the most. To so many people in my ward who have been so kind and given me hugs and let me know they were praying and thinking about me, it means more than I can say. I've learned we all need grace in this life and like Misty told me "life doesn't have to be perfect to be good."

It's a....

2011-06-28T22:34:00.003-06:00

Baby.
The doctor says girl, but i'm not convinced.
Guess we'll know for sure in november.

ps- the picture is actually eliza because we're having scanner issues at the moment, but really if you've seen one ultrasound you've seen 'em all right?

Finished

2011-01-28T11:52:00.003-07:00

figured i'd post the final product for anyone who cares
they picked a different roof color without asking me, i'm still bothered 7 months later
i think someday i'll paint the shutters/garage/railing black- better with the gray roof imho
the end

Goings on

2010-05-19T19:22:00.006-06:00

My mom has been asking for pictures of how our house is coming, so this is for you mom:

The lot

Slab

Almost all framed

I think we got the slowest framers ever- but hopefully it'll go faster from now on.

And in other news Abby wanted me to show off her sweet new do:

Updates

2010-03-05T21:27:00.002-07:00

we've had a few big events the past few months that i thought i'd pass along:

Luke got baptized. we had lot's of friends and family come to support him and it was really wonderful. we're so proud that he made such an important decision.

Abby learned how to ride a bike without training wheels. she's been dying to try for awhile now but we kept putting her off until it warmed up a little. she got the hang of it in no time.

little lizzie is FINALLY attempting the walking thing. she's not totally confident yet, but she's getting there. she'll be so much happier when she can play outside with the other kids. (sorry about the blurriness and rotated pic, only pic we got and too tired to fix it)

and last, we sold our house and are building a new one. old news for lots of you i know- but not all of you.

Happy Happy Birthday Lizzie Dear

2010-01-20T13:13:00.007-07:00

I can NOT believe how fast this year has gone. My sweet Eliza is a year old today. If all my kids were this sweet I'd have 10 by now. She is pure joy. Happy Birthday little one!

not done?

2009-10-25T20:48:00.000-06:00

so i'm working on posting again, it's coming. i just have to think of something interesting to say. stay tuned...

done?

2009-08-19T13:05:00.003-06:00

so maybe i'm done with blogging. i'm still deciding what i'm going to do, but i do know this - my life is way too dull to try to find a picture every single day. well unless i post a picture of kids fighting or girls playing dress-up every day, because that pretty much sums up my life right now. so who knows where i'll go from here, but it might be awhile. see ya!

kindergarten

2009-08-14T12:05:00.003-06:00

today was abby's first day of kindergarten. yesterday she went with me to meet her teacher and look around the classroom, but today she was all on her own. she's so excited and wasn't nervous at all, so different than luke at that age. her class is HUGE, which i'm annoyed about, so hopefully she doesn't get lost in the shuffle. i'll miss my abby while she's away.

second grade

2009-08-13T11:47:00.003-06:00

today is luke's first day of second grade. he's so excited and his teacher seems really nice. no tears this year, just a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach as time marches on.

prettiness

2009-08-11T14:50:00.001-06:00

jared gave me these flowers for our anniversary, awwww. i think they've bloomed really pretty so i thought i'd share.

Sunday Sermons....Honesty in the Small Things

2009-08-09T14:51:00.002-06:00

i love this talk from the september 2003 ensign. it was given by Elder Marcos A. Aidukaitis who was an area authority in brazil. it talks about being totally honest. i feel like as i've gotten older i've realized some of the truths he talks about and felt like i was honest, but there are things that i can work on.

i exaggerate, not to be dishonest or misleading, i just tend to exaggerate. it never occured to me that people might take everything i say literally until a certain member of my husband's family would say "you were up 50 times last night, holy cow!" and i'd think well no, not literally, i meant i was up a lot and i expressed that by saying i was up like 50 times last night. so i've realized that to be honest i must express myself more carefully and only say things that are totally true, period. here are a few of the things Elder Aidukaitis says that i loved:

Scriptural teachings on honesty are clear, but unfortunately the world seems to be much more flexible. The world even classifies people according to different levels of honesty. Sometimes we hear of people who are “very” honest, “mostly” honest, or even “a little” honest. Should we even use modifiers with the word honest? I don’t believe so. There are no degrees of honesty. Either we are honest or we aren’t.

After an individual is diagnosed with cancer, what foolishness it would be for him or her to say: “It doesn’t hurt yet, and it doesn’t interfere with anything. I’ll just live with it. I’ve never needed a doctor before. Surely the cancer will disappear by itself.” Similarly, it would be great foolishness to ignore a problem with dishonesty, even if it is seemingly small now. As we rationalize committing small acts of dishonesty, the problem worsens, and it becomes easier to commit progressively larger sins.

When we learn to be honest in the little things, we acquire spiritual strength and increased confidence. It becomes easier to be honest in the “big” things. And if we are honest in our battles of life, we can become like the 2,000 Lamanite stripling warriors, who “did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them” (Alma 57:21).

so i am either honest, or i'm not. if i want the spirit with me always and if i want the Lord's blessings then i must only speak the truth and behave honorably. i'll never forget the time when i was younger and we were staying at a hotel in salt lake when we (the kids) discovered a soda machine that was broken and we could get all the soda we wanted for $.25. we thought we'd died and gone to soda heaven. when my dad discovered what we'd been doing he gave us a stern talking to and went to the front desk and paid for all of the soda's we'd "stolen" (and it was A LOT). i was so embarrassed but mostly it was an awesome lesson on honesty for all of us. my dad is honest. i know that when we are honest in every way it makes us spiritually stronger.

4 days of solitude

2009-08-08T12:40:00.004-06:00

the best thing about having everyone gone - no one around to mess up my pristine house.
seriously it's spotless, spotless i say! i feel like i've died and gone to nice, clean heaven. i'd show you a picture but our camera is broken. it might be awhile before i have pictures again. kind of critical for a picture blog wouldn't you say?

the worst thing about having everyone gone - no one around to mess up my pristine house.
it's lonely, lonely i say! i've really got nothing to do. it turns out my life is quite meaningless without kids to take care of. interesting, and a little scary for the future. good thing i have a while before they're really gone.

on another interesting note, funny how being alone with a 6 month old is essentially the same as being home alone. remember the days when one kid was hard? laughable.

too quiet

2009-08-05T11:00:00.003-06:00

jared just left to go to draper with the three oldest kids. they'll be gone for 4 days. the house is so quiet i'm not sure what to do with myself. maybe i'll go wake the baby up so i have someone to talk to?

happy anniversary

2009-08-04T11:57:00.002-06:00

9 years of true love- how'd i get so lucky?

fashionista?

2009-07-30T13:48:00.004-06:00

not really sure what to call this dress-up creation, but the girls have been fighting for 2 days about who's turn it is to wear it. i think there might be a career in fashion in their future, eh?
(oh by the way, on her feet? tap shoes)

food glorious food

2009-07-28T13:23:00.006-06:00

(photo courtesy of luke - how do you like my arm, yes i work out)

we finally tried solids today, i hate feeding my kids baby food so i tend to put it off as long as possible. but since she's started getting up 3 times a night again i figured maybe she's hungry. she totally hated the rice cereal, but really who wouldn't, yuck. after 2 bites she clamped her mouth shut so tight a crowbar couldn't have opened it back up. guess we'll try again tomorrow.

oh and by the way, 6 month well check yesterday. 17 lbs (75%) and 26 in (60%) - so still large and in charge, and grruuuuuuumpy, hate those immunizations.

giddy-up

2009-07-27T12:43:00.003-06:00

while we were up at my parents' we went to farm country at thanksgiving point, the kids were treated to a wild romp around the horse enlosure. whoa horsies. slow down!
look at this cute baby pony - the one animal luke wasn't scared of.

days of 47 floats

2009-07-24T14:46:00.002-06:00

today is the 24th of july - if you live in utah that means another day off work, awesome.
it also means the days of 47 parade, also awesome.
here are our two favorite floats from the parade:
the kids' vote - monsters vs aliens.
my vote BYU - gooooooo cougars, totally awesome.

our lovely time at the mall

2009-07-23T16:30:00.002-06:00

you can't really see but kate is screaming her head off too, abby and luke were both yelling at me but abby stopped to pose once she saw the camera out - stinker

My Dream 18

2009-07-21T10:40:00.002-06:00

6 months

2009-07-20T13:20:00.003-06:00

the wiggler is 6 months old today
our well-check is next week so we'll see how huge she is then
sure do love her

bear lake

2009-07-17T15:05:00.007-06:00

this last week we've been at bear lake, sorry for the hiatus.
jared's family had a reunion sort-of.
all 26 of us stayed together in a cabin.
fun!

jared waterskiing, kelli, abby and i on the water weenie

luke, eliza, jared, and kate playing

a good time was had by all

bilingual kids?

2009-07-10T17:22:00.004-06:00

(abby steamboat springs november 2005)

yesterday kate was crying in our room, this is the conversation that ensued with luke:

me: luke go see what's wrong with kate
luke: okay
10 seconds later he comes back out
me: so what's wrong?
luke: i don't know, i can't understand her, she's speaking in cry language
abby: i speak cry language! do you want me to go see?
me: sure

who knew abby was bilingual

swimming lessons

2009-07-07T11:41:00.003-06:00

the kids have been doing swimming lessons for the past 2 weeks, here's luke practicing his sweet swimming skills. the picture is through a window so sorry about the extra bad quality.

a warning

2009-07-06T09:06:00.002-06:00

last month on our way up to my parent's house we stopped to eat at the DQ in beaver. behind us in line was a girl, probably about 15, in a wheelchair who's speech was severely slurred and movements were jerky and uncontrolled. i figured she was somebody with a disability and didn't think anything else about it really. we sat down to eat and this girl and her mom sat behind us. part-way through our meal there was some commotion behind me but i didn't want to stare or be rude so i ignored it and told my kids to stop staring. a minute or so later the mom taps me on the shoulder and gives me a note the girl has written, it says this "i have only been like this for 5 days. i became paralyzed and my speech slurred shortly after receiving the gardasil vaccine for HPV. please don't let this happen to your girls." i turn around and this poor girl and her mom are bawling, her mom tells me that they are on their way to primary children's to try and figure out what's going on and if they can help her. prior to being given the vaccine she was completely normal and healthy. she said when she saw all my little girls she started to panic and felt like she just had to warn us. then they left. truthfully, the whole thing was sort of weird. but i thought when i get to my parents i'll do some research and look into it. well things got busy and i never got around to it but finally this morning i did. sure enough there are LOTS of cases like this. many eventually recover but some have gone on to develop an ALS-like disease and DIE. the government claims the vaccine is fine and merck says there's no proof that gardasil caused the symptoms, but seriously there's NO WAY i'll be vaccinating my girls (besides it's for an STD anyway so i wasn't seriously considering it in the first place). i figured i owed it to that poor girl who warned us to pass the warning along.

fun 4th

2009-07-05T15:32:00.003-06:00

hope your 4th was as fun as ours!

Luke 7-4-03

2009-07-03T13:10:00.001-06:00

kung fu squeakers

2009-07-02T12:15:00.003-06:00

jared made this a few years ago and as i have absolutely nothing worth taking a picture of today i thought i'd share this gem with all of you - enjoy

playing baby

2009-07-01T15:27:00.005-06:00

abby and kate have started playing baby with the baby - they all pretend that they are babies. it keeps them occupied for very long stretches of time, but the pretend crying gets a little old.

friends

2009-06-30T14:00:00.001-06:00

I have a few good friends, 5000 acquaintances, and just a few friends. But I'm not sure why.

When I was little I was painfully shy. I couldn't bring myself to open my mouth if it wasn't someone I was very familiar with. I remember giving a talk in primary when I was 11 (almost 12) and as soon as I looked out at the other kids I burst into tears and my mom had to finish for me. My mission helped a lot with my shyness so I'm really not terribly shy anymore, but my tendency is to keep to myself. So maybe that's why?

I'm a very private person, hence the hesitation to start a blog. In fact it's already killing me, I've almost deleted it about 20 times. So maybe that's why?

I'm not an expressive person at all. I'm known in my family as the "hand shaker" :), and I keep most of my emotions pretty close. So maybe that's why?

I've been told by many that I intimidate people, which I've never understood, but maybe that's why?

We've lived in St. George for almost 7 years, and I still don't have a single friend really. (That doesn't include family) I like lots of people and like I said I have more "acquaintances" than I can count. But someone I can call when I need help, no, someone I can vent to when it's been a hard day, no, someone to laugh with, no, someone I can trust, definitely not. So all of you out there who make friends at the drop of a hat- kelly, shannon, sara, emily, and countless others. What's the secret? and what am I doing wrong?

not your business

2009-06-29T13:17:00.003-06:00

kate's been potty trained since march, super easy, no big deal. then suddenly this past week she started having accidents like crazy. 3 on friday right in a row. so i had to start reminding her and asking her if she needs to go potty like i do when we first start the training. i can tell it frustrates her and yesterday when i asked her for the 50th time if she needed to go she turned to me and said "it's not your business." oh, okay.

sunday sermons...The Cost of Riches

2009-06-28T09:17:00.003-06:00

we aren't rich, in fact most of the time i call us "poor" but in the grand scheme of things i know that's not true. we are richly blessed and there are way more people with less than there are with more. money is, however, a struggle for us. my brilliant husband who could have been anything he wanted to be chose to be a teacher. he's amazing at it, and is truly happy doing it. something i'm immensely greatful for and is extremely rare i believe. but since we've chosen for me to stay home with our children that leaves our income a little short. i'd like a home that we all fit in a little better, some clothes that were in style in the past decade, and birthday, christmas or anniversary presents for myself. but when my pity party starts up and i fail to count all of the blessings i DO have, i try to go back and read this talk i found a few years ago that puts things back into perspective for me. it's by Elder Lynn G. Robbins of the seventy, the subtitle is "when we selfishly seek after wealth, we put our families and our spiritual health at risk."

Here are some of my favorite quotes:

It seems that while the average home has increased in size, the average family has decreased in size; and while homes have more time-saving devices, the average family spends less time together. Affluence is up, but happiness is down.... Why isn't more money buying greater happiness?

If Satan can tempt us to overpurchase, we risk not only becoming a time slave to unnecessary debt but also being "time-consumed" with too may things of this world. The result is less time for the Lord and for our family.

One antonym for greed, and perhaps the antidote to it, is contentment. The Apostle Paul stated, "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."

We would be wise to avoid the Nephites' mistakes by being wary of "outward show," learning what is sufficient for our true happiness, and discovering how to be content.

we have more than enough, we have our family and time together to learn the gospel and practice living it. what do you think?

shoes? who needs shoes?

2009-06-26T13:32:00.002-06:00

all this month my kids have been going to our local elementary school in the afternoons for "summer sizzle". it's basically crafts and reading time and things of that nature. so yesterday i ran the kids over there, signed them in, and noticed abby wasn't with me. i asked luke to run to the van and get her. he comes running back to tell me she doesn't have any shoes. so as i'm running her back home to get shoes i ask her "so any reason why you wouldn't put on shoes before getting in the van?" and she says to me "i didn't think i would need them." hmmm alright.

grandma's soccer camp

2009-06-25T11:46:00.001-06:00

happiness is......key lime truffles

2009-06-24T08:01:00.001-06:00

happiness is not - internet problems which i had all day yesterday, darn qwest

kate and noah's ark

2009-06-22T13:12:00.001-06:00

5 months

2009-06-21T19:01:00.003-06:00

triathalon

2009-06-20T11:14:00.003-06:00

jared competed in the riverton triathalon today - gooooo bubba! i have a bunch of blurry pictures of him actually biking/running/swimming but i figured i'd spare you and just show him in all his clearness afterwards.

bumper boats

2009-06-18T14:03:00.002-06:00

me and the kids partyin it up on bumper boats while the dad works

sleepover

2009-06-17T10:41:00.005-06:00

we are up salt lake because jared is writing questions for the state office of education for the test given to 7th grade science students. we are staying at my parents but jared is downtown at a hotel because each day the workshops start early so he sleeps there. last night he took the 3 oldest kids with him to have a sleepover at the hotel with him. heaven - movie night/break for me, party for them. yeah daddy!

grandpa

2009-06-16T14:49:00.003-06:00

morning tv

2009-06-15T09:05:00.003-06:00

every morning when i get up this is the scene that greets me.

i am NOT a morning person and have a terrible time waking up every day.

my kids have learned this well and instead of begging me for breakfast and things they might need, they plop down to stare intently at the world of mickey mouse clubhouse or handy manny until mommy emerges from her sleepy stupor.

yes i have won mother of the year awards, how did you know?

Sunday Sermons....Your Refined Heavenly Home

2009-06-14T11:02:00.003-06:00

for some reason it's hard for me to come up with pictures on the weekend, so i'm going to change things up a bit. on sundays i'm going to post my favorite sermons, or talks that inspire and uplift.

i read this byu speech by douglas l callister years ago and was overwhelmed by the spirit and the truthfulness of what he was teaching. i thought about it a lot but as so often happens over time the spirit of the message and my resolve to do better faded. then a version of the talk showed up in the ensign this month. i was again reminded about how much i believe the things he teaches. the speech is about how refinement and beauty are associated with heaven and if we wish to prepare to live there we should work on those things here on earth. among my favorite quotes are these:

The nearer we get to God, the more easily our spirits are touched by refined and beautiful things. If we could part thte veil and observe our heavenly home, we would be impressed with the cultivated minds and hearts of those who so happily live there. I imagine that our heavenly parents are exquisitely refined.

Refinement in speech is reflected not only in our choice of words but also in the things we talk about....There are those who speak of stirring ideas, compelling books, and inspiring doctrine. These are the few who make their mark in this world. The subjects discussed in heaven are not trifling or mundane. They are sublime beyond our most extended imagination. We will feel at home there if we are rehearsed on this earth in conversing about the refined and noble, clothing our expressions in well-measured words.

When some music has passed the tests of time and been cherished by the noble and refined, our failure to appreciate it is not an indictment of grand music. The omission is within.

You are children of an exalted being. You are foreordained to preside as kings and queens. You will live in a home and environment of refinement and beauty, as reflected in the language, art, music, and order of heaven.

i've never been eloquent in speech or writing, nor do i expect to suddenly become so, but maybe i can choose my words a little more carefully and watch the topics that i choose to converse about. i have an appreciation for classical music, but maybe i can broaden it even more and instill that same love in my children. mostly i hope that i can remember my divine heritage and potential and live so that i will be comfortable in the presence of the refinement that is surely connected to heaven. read it and tell me what YOU think.

playgroup

2009-06-12T15:12:00.000-06:00

breakfast

2009-06-11T13:09:00.002-06:00

my hero

2009-06-10T12:52:00.003-06:00

so since summer started my kids have started playing this game where abby chases luke and kate and then kate hides in the bathroom while luke distracts abby... turns out it's sort of hard to explain, anyway they've been playing this game they love.

so this morning i hear them gearing up to play and then i hear luke say "before we can play we have to get dressed, brush our teeth, make our beds and clean our rooms."

WHAT?

so they all do it without an ounce of fussing and then commence the game play.

Lukey- you're my hero

miss eliza

2009-06-09T11:48:00.002-06:00

sleepy-head

2009-06-08T10:07:00.002-06:00

this little munchkin slept until 10:00 today (she went to bed at 8 last night) - heaven

rockstar

2009-06-07T16:12:00.003-06:00

this girl's got some serious hair - i see a mosh pit in her future

i've got

2009-06-06T21:24:00.001-06:00

nothing

seriously, nothing i could even remotely think of taking a picture of

sorry people, maybe i'll be enlightened by tomorrow

happiness is...

2009-06-04T13:42:00.001-06:00

freshly planted flower beds

(idea stolen from emily)

Pirate Camp

2009-06-03T14:31:00.001-06:00

batter-up

2009-06-02T11:16:00.002-06:00

oh what do you do in the summertime?

2009-06-01T13:58:00.001-06:00

red light, green light

2009-05-31T15:03:00.001-06:00

Cousins

2009-05-30T14:45:00.004-06:00

the surgin' virgin
the kids had a blast
i tried to, but i'm pretty sure there really are people who live in a van down by the river

Buddies

2009-05-29T12:18:00.002-06:00

the other day we went over to my friend lindsey's for a bang trim and to play, they live on an acre and the backyard is a kid's dream - splash pad, trampoline, see-saw, toys.... kate had a blast.

on the left is abby's "boyfriend" hunter - a whole 'nother post - then kate, and lindsey's kids chelsea and afton

Abby's 5 Year Pictures

2009-05-28T10:09:00.001-06:00

Dress-up

2009-05-27T14:08:00.002-06:00

actually i could take this picture every day, or 3 times a day

mmmmmm boy

2009-05-25T15:59:00.003-06:00

cheesecake factory - and only one person asked to be moved once she saw all our kids, not too shabby.

No Place Like Home

2009-05-24T20:09:00.002-06:00

Diggin up Bones

2009-05-23T16:17:00.002-06:00

To Grandmother's House We Go

2009-05-22T18:30:00.004-06:00

4 Months

2009-05-21T11:07:00.003-06:00

miss lizzie is 4 months old - some vital statistics:

15 lb - 80 percentile! craziness, i've never had a child ever be above 15%
24.5 in - 72 percentile, she's going to tower over her siblings if this keeps up
loves to "talk" and squeal, it's so high pitched I'm sure if we had crystal it would shatter
loves her hands, she sucks on them like crazy and is starting to grab toys
LOVES me, anywhere i go she follows me with her eyes and if she can hear my voice she searches for me
starting to get stranger anxiety and has a definite preference for me or jared
sleeps like a baby (heh heh) - last night from 7 pm to 8:30 am, night before 7:30 to 8, you get the picture
laughs at the most random things, the only thing that will consistently get a laugh is patty-cake
we adore her and are so happy she's a part of our family

Preschool Graduation

2009-05-20T13:06:00.001-06:00

kindergarten - here we come

Abby Can Read!

2009-05-19T11:25:00.004-06:00

When I signed Abby up for kindergarten a few months ago one of the questions on the form was how many upper and lowercase letters do they know? I realized I had no clue. With Luke I was working with him on colors, numbers, letters, etc. from the time he was super little. But sadly as more children come into the family that kind of thing seems to fall by the wayside. So I was feeling super guilty and started working with her a little. For her birthday I ordered Leap Frog's Letter Factory and Word Factory. They finally came last week and the kids love them. This morning I heard her trying to sound out some words on a piece of paper, so I took her over to the fridge and put some words up and asked her to tell me what they said, and she could totally read them! Crazy.

Quiet Time

2009-05-18T14:07:00.003-06:00

My favorite time of day.....

Ah, peace and quiet

Sunday Nap

2009-05-17T15:27:00.002-06:00

West Rim Trail

2009-05-16T16:52:00.006-06:00

Jared went backpacking in Zions this weekend with my dad, brothers, brother-in-law, and nephew. A good time was had by all. At least no one fell off any cliffs or was eaten by bears.

Piano Man

2009-05-15T07:29:00.001-06:00

Luke started piano lessons yesterday

I'm teaching him myself, something I swore I'd never do

In one 1/2 hour lesson all the reasons I didn't want to teach him have come to fruition

Dang

On the up side, here's proof I do use the piano so certain people can stop trying to steal it now hopefully

Soccer

2009-05-14T08:17:00.003-06:00

This is Abby's first year playing soccer. She never actually touches the ball but she has fun running around and acting like she might.

Sleepy

2009-05-13T10:26:00.001-06:00

I try to get my babies to sleep without help from the day they are born. In fact I've never rocked Eliza to sleep yet. So, they develop their own techniques for falling asleep. Eliza's method is soooo sweet to me, she puts her left arm up over her eye and rests it on her head. She does it every time. It sure beats Abby's hair twirling that she used to do, ugh.

Abby's Birthday

2009-05-12T10:19:00.001-06:00

so this isn't actually from today, but whatever

Our Picture Blog

2009-05-12T09:43:00.000-06:00

My friend Jacque started a blog just to display their family's life in pictures, one every day. The more I thought about it the more the idea appealed to me. I feel way too busy and creatively challenged for a real blog but this I think I can do, and it'll be a great way for me to remember our life as it flies by. Enjoy!