Another Year of Memories

I can distinctly remember being in elementary school and thinking that December had to be the longest month of the year. Now I think it has become the shortest. I looked at the calender this morning and realized that it is already 1/2 gone. It's fun to watch my children as they wish the time away so that Christmas can be here. Taylor has told me multiple times that "it's just taking too long!" I sit here wishing that it would slow down just a little so that we can enjoy the memories a bit longer.

This year has been full of fun family times and growth for our family. It amazes me to see that in the last 6 months all of our kids have grown 1 1/2 to 2 inches! They have also grown by leaps and bounds at school. I wish I could just pause them sometimes and enjoy where they are in life- however, they all seem to be in a big hurry to grow up.

I figured I had better do our year in review before the month is completely gone and I realize that it isn't even 2010 anymore...

Ryan: continues to work for University Parking Enforcement. He was promoted to General Manager this year and runs the day to day operation of the company. This can be stressful at times but Ryan seems to handle it all very well. He also taught the 9-10 year olds at church this year. This has been a huge challenge for him but he has kept at it and I think he has learned a bit more patience.

Stephanie: I continue to work for the state as an RN taking care of mentally disabled patients. I love the patients that I care for- they are some of the most chosen spirits. I am hoping to move into the hospital this year and get into a schedule that allows me to be home more.

Kelsi: our oldest is 11 this year. She is currently measuring in at 5'4" and will be passing me at any moment! The other day she told me that it was time to get out my "tall shoes!" Kelsi loves school and reading. She is very smart and often spends time tutoring others in her class or doing extra credit. She just finished being in the school play as one of the lead characters. She is a true "drama queen" and loves that spotlight. Kelsi is also only 4 months away from going into YW at church. She is very excited for this- I am having a hard time realizing that my baby is getting to the point of liking boys and caring about her hair and clothes. Thankfully we have unlimited texting because she could write a large book with just one month's worth of outgoing texts! It is nice to finally have one old enough to babysit for short times while I go out by myself.

Jessica: Turned 9 a few days ago. She is our little social butterfly. It amazes me how much compassion she has for others. I have watched as she befriends everyone and goes out of her way to include everyone- even if they aren't that popular. She is a fashion diva- if given her way, she would wear knee high boots with leggings and a skirt daily! We have had to regulate this a bit to keep her from ruining clothes on the playground. She is currently on her 3rd pair of boots for the school year and I lost count of how many leggings! I just adore how precocious Jessica can be! It cracks me up to see how much time she spends trying to get out of doing something. At least we know she is great at solving problems-- or at least finding a way around them!

Taylor: turned 4 this year. Where did the time go? We finally put him into a professional daycare. It costs a bit more but the rewards have been well worth it. He is able to spell his name now and can recognize basic sight words. He is in a pre-kindergarten class and will start kindergarten in the fall. He will only be 4 so he will go to kindergarten for 2 years but I feel like this will be great for him. Tay loves going to school and seeing all his friends. He has also really understood Christmas this year. He keeps telling me that he wants his birthday to be on Christmas so that he can share it with Jesus. I think this may just be a ploy to gain an extra birthday but at least he gets the true meaning of Christmas.

We were lucky enough to go to Disneyland as a family last spring. This was especially fun because we met some of our best friends there and spent the week playing. We have also spent time going on mini weekend trips to Park City and St. George. I love that the kids are old enough to just pack and go. They love the adventures and wish that we would go every weekend! We introduced the kids to baseball games and they love that pastime. Tay is really good at cheering for the home team and singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame.

It's been a great year for our family. We are enjoying this time in our life and know that these memories need to be cherished. I think within the blink of an eye, our kids will be grown. I look forward to the New Year and the memories that we will be able to make.

And the Stockings Were Hung...

I decided to redo the kid's Christmas tree this year. I found a tall, skinny tree at Shopko (on sale) that was pre-lit with LED lights. We decided to do an Elf/Santa's workshop theme. The kids helped out and I think that it turned out pretty cute. It's a bit overloaded but I think it just adds to the tree. The elf hat makes a great topper and I made it all sparkly. It reflects the LED lights really well. Add in the stockings over the fireplace with our Christmas story books and it makes for a cozy area. The kids are thrilled with the end result and can hardly wait for Santa to make an appearance.
I love this time of year!

Thankful A to Z's

I was laying in bed last night thinking about the fact that this week is Thanksgiving and how fast time flies. I was also thinking of all the things I am thankful for. Taylor has been really focusing on letters in preschool so I decided to do a list of things I'm thankful for, Taylor style...

America and the fact that we live here
Brine that makes the turkey yummy
Christmas season is next
Date night with my hubby
Everything Disney- movies, parks, books, etc.
Family
Growing up- watching the kids as they progress
Home that keeps us warm
Ice cream, especially Cold Stone
Jessica
Kelsi
Laughter
Money to pay the bills and buy the food
Nursing as a job
Old friends that love me still and always will
Patients that love unconditionally
Quiet time
Ryan
Sleeping in every so often
Taylor
Ultimate chipolte chicken burrito at Costa Vida
Vacations
Work that pays the bills
X-rays that showed my kids have no cavities
Years that I have spent with my family, and years still to come
Zzzzzzz... when the kids are sleeping!!

A Sample of Our New Family Pictures

I'm not sure how I will ever choose which ones to put on the wall... maybe all of them.

First set of stitches/glue... It always comes in a set of 3!

Last week was a really bad week for our Tatorbug. Of course, that usually means that it is also a bad week for me. Having kids, I have become a firm believer in the myth that accidents or medical issues ALWAYS come in sets of 3.

Last Sunday morning Tay climbed into bed with us and I thought we had gained a heater! Off to the InstaCare we went... the doctor decided he had a sinus infection. My opinion of this changed that night when he started throwing up everywhere. Pretty sure that the poor kid had an early case of the flu!

Lots of antibiotics and meds later Tay started feeling better just in time for my dad to get his gallbladder out on Tuesday. Dad had been complaining of a kidney stone for a few weeks. After ruling out that it wasn't a kidney stone- I told my mom to go have his gallbladder checked. Sure enough it was bad and needed to come out. We have a real pretty picture of it that I'm sure my dad has shown off to anyone that wants to see.

At this point I am really beginning to wonder what incident #3 will be. Maybe it was all that positive thinking! On Thursday I was running around crazy at work when Kelsi called. I answered long enough to tell her I would call her right back. Within 10 minutes I have voicemail from daycare, text messages from Kelsi and a picture text from Ryan. LOL This was my first clue that maybe #3 had occurred. Tay had fallen on the corner of a table at daycare and needed to be looked at. Needless to say I left my poor co-workers in a HUGE mess and ran off to meet Ryan at the Instacare (again!).

The cut was right below Tay's eyebrow and needed something. We opted for glue... less traumatic and all that stuff. At least it would have been less traumatic if Tay had held still! He was very upset that the doctor was going to glue him together. Glue was for paper not little boys! Tay moved right when the doctor applied the glue. The cut was sealed shut but so was part of his eye. Well-- I was trying to help get the excess glue off his eyelashes when he jerked his head-- so he also lost a bunch of his eyelashes right at the corner of his eye. Thankfully he has a ton of them and it's hard to tell unless you look really close! The picture actually looks a lot better than it does now with all the bruises...

We were going to take family pics over the weekend. I guess it will have to wait at least a week. Hopefully I can apply makeup or something so that we can get them taken before the weather decides to turn. I am also hoping that we have had our 3 for a long while and that this week can go a bit more smooth.

Where were you when the world stopped turning?

I think that we all can remember exactly where we were and what we were doing the moment that disaster struck our nation 9 years ago today. I was very pregnant with our now 8 year old daughter and getting dressed for the day. My mom called and said "Turn on the TV! The twin towers was hit by a plane!" When I tuned in, it was the Pentagon I first saw. My mom and I were so confused until we realized that both had been hit. Our country, the strong nation that always kept us safe, was under attack. We all have our own version of that horrible day and the weeks and months following it will never allow us to forget those men and women that lost their lives.

A few years later, at our now 8 year old's kindergarten graduation, I realized that I had a different way to view this tragedy. The principal gave a short speech and told us that this graduating kindergarten class was the largest the school had ever seen. He went on to say that this class would be the first class to graduate high school and start college following the 9/11 attacks. Our nation, following these attacks, rallied and brought children into the world.

These children are in 3rd grade now. They are smart, strong, and know their value. It amazes me just how incredible these children are. They are the hope and strength of our nation! Tragedy occurs in every life. We must remember that there is always hope that comes after the pain and sorrow... but we also need to never forget those that have gone before and gave their lives so that this nation can be strong!

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1.02.28

School begins

It amazes me how quickly time is going by. I can remember being a kid and thinking that Christmas morning would never arrive. As an adult I wonder in August how I am ever going to find the time to get Christmas shopping done!! And so time continues to go by.

School started yesterday and with it the realization that this is Kelsi's last year of elementary school!! She is getting so big- literally! Her feet are now a size 9- I wear a size 7!! And she's almost as tall as me. I have a feeling in the next few months, she will be taller than me. Jessica is going into the 3rd grade. I actualy could not remember which grade she was going into last week-- course this is a sign of me getting older! Our cute Tatorbug is starting preschool. Because of when his birthday is, he won't be in kindergarten for 2 more years. But Ryan and I felt that he needed more structure. We moved him to a professional daycare that has preschool all day. It is a very set schedule, not just playing with toys. I have already noticed a difference in him and I think he feels like he isn't a baby anymore.

Life just continues to go by. I have really started to realize that they aren't going to be little forever! It makes me want to cuddle them and somehow figure out how to make the most out of each moment. I guess the most we can do is cherish each moment and create wonderful memories to hold on to.... hmmm a trip to Disneyland may just be in order!! LOL!!

Give it to my sister!!!

I think that because he is our last baby, I tend to listen to the things Taylor says more. I guess this is how the baby of the family ends up getting babied!! Oh well, he is pretty cute.
Last week I had to take Taylor to the doctor for an immunization that he needed to start preschool. I didn't tell him exactly why we were going- just that he needed to see the doctor before preschool. When it was finally our turn, I left the girls in the waiting room and took Taylor back. Well, he's a pretty smart little guy and he realized right off that the nurse was getting a shot ready. He started frantically crying telling me that he wasn't getting a shot. He was so loud that the nurse had to move us to a room and shut the door. At this point he looks at the nurse and says, "Don't give me the shot, my sisters are out there! Give it to my sister!" It was all we could do to not laugh out loud because Taylor was very serious about his solution to his problem. I'm sure in his mind this would be a great idea. After the nurse was finished, Taylor stopped crying enough to look at her and say, "You're mean!!" I can totally appreciate this statement being a nurse myself. Course we need to do what is best for our kids even when they want us to "give it to their sister".

Summer Fun

With school starting, summer is officially over. I have been too busy having lots of fun with the kids to blog. I know I should blog more so today I'm doing the summer wrap up. We did a lot with the kids this summer. So on to the pics--We went to lots of Owls baseball games- Taylor always hopes for the fly balls!!

Took the kids to the cabin with all their Greenwood cousins

Went to Tuachan to see Tarzan and drove through Zions on the way home

Taylor ready to ride on Papa's motorcycle

Summer isn't summer without a good Demolition Derby!

Taylor and Jessica beautifying our driveway

Girls riding the tube at Deercreek- Jessica's hair was straight out in every picture

U Know You're a Redneck....

I've decided that we are pretty much Rednecks. Especially since one of our favorite activities is taking the kids to the demolition derby. We don't go to every event- so maybe there's still hope! But I do enjoy watching the kids scream and yell for their favorite car. We have been to two this summer and each was great. Taylor calls it "watching cars crash!" I had to laugh yesterday at church when he got his cars out of his "quiet bag" and created his own demolition derby on the church pew. Needless to say, we had to put a stop to that quickly- he was a bit too loud with the sound effects!! As I type this, he has about 50 toy cars on the ground that are all crashed and waiting for Daddy's tow truck to come get them. Oh the joys of summer!

Fun at the Cabin

Last weekend we took the kids up with the Greenwood side of the family to a cabin in Timberlakes just above Heber. We had a great time. The kids got to play with their cousins, ride the zipline, go tubing at Deercreek, go 4 wheeling, and all in all just have fun. There were tons of deer around that we were able to get fairly close to. The cabin was great and very relaxing. So onto the pics...