A little Update

It's a quiet Sunday evening, all 4 kids quietly watching a movie downstairs, hubby in the kitchen, the casserole he put together baking and in the process of making cookies, and here I sit, all alone on the couch, enjoying the quiet. I just haven't felt a huge desire to do much with my blog for the past almost year - so here's just a little update and who knows? Maybe more will follow!

Rick has been busy with work (so thankful for his job!) and enjoying being a member of the American Festival Choir. The choir just recently performed a Requiem of some sort, that took him away for pretty much a week (between work and the choir we pretty much didn't see him). It's nice to have him back again, but I am glad that he has this fun thing he can do. He is always busy doing some kind of website design or other technical computer stuff that my non-technical brain does not understand, but that is enjoyable for him. Oh, and last nite I finally got him to start on a little demolition project in the basement! Fun times were had by all as we used crow bars and jack hammers to tear apart some brick work!

I have not been up to a whole lot. The last few weeks I have been busy with several vendor booths at local craft fairs and other events, selling Usborne Books (they are truly the best!) and doing some home parties. I've recently started attending Zumba classes and love my Zumba time! Such a fun workout that really does kick my bum!

We, Rick & I, celebrated out 10th anniversary last month in style. We went on a Norwegian Cruise to the Bahamas. Other than a couple little things that were out of our control, lost luggage & not being able to go to one of the ports of call, we had a great time! I highly recommend a cruise to anyone! So nice to be pampered and waited on for a little while. So glad we went and took that time for us that we really did need! And the kids had such a blast being spoiled at Nana & Papa's that I don't think they even noticed we were gone!

Gabriella is now 9 years old and in 4th grade. When did I become old enuf to have a 9 year old? She has started playing the violin in the school orchestra and is really enjoying that. She is still a little book worm (like her mom!) and is doing fantastic in school, and though she misses her best friend from American Fork, she has made some great friends here that she keeps busy with. She loves going to Activity Days (Achievement Days - I never know what to call it!) and wants to be a veterinarian and an artist when she grows up. She is such a great helper to me, I often have to remind myself that she is only 9!

William is 7 and in 2nd grade. He was excited to discover that one of the boys in his class lives right behind us. Hooray for new friends! He is a little bit of a book worm as well, though not as much as his sister, and doing fabulously in school. This summer he learned to ride a bike. We'd started working on it last summer, but he was just too nervous and worried about falling. He finally got over his fears and got it figured out. He loves trying to keep up with his sister and do whatever she is doing. He is a very active and loud boy a lot of the time - often getting reminded that we are right here and he can use a quiet voice, or to hold still while he is eating his dinner - what is it with little boys just not wanting to hold still?

Tabitha is 5 and started Kindergarten this year. She loves it! Always comes home with crazy stories to tell - I really don't know how Kindergarten teachers do it! They are amazing! The patience for 20 5 year olds. Wow! I worried that she was a little behind on some things, I knew I had not been as diligent with her as I had the others, on learning and practicing certain things, but she seems to be right where she should be. She is so excited to be learning to read. She loves "reading" to Jackson when it is just the 2 of them home in the mornings. She is taking dance, which is probably the highlight of her week! She is quite the little dancer and performer. She also learned how to ride a bike this summer - just took off almost as soon as we took the training wheels off. She really keeps us on our toes - she can be so stubborn, but then so sweet and loving with random hugs and kisses.

Jackson, our litte Bubba, is not so little anymore. If you call him a baby (which he still IS my baby!), you will be corrected and told "I a toddler!" Why does my little boy have to grow up so fast?! He is such a sweet, fun boy (most of the time!). Loves to give hugs and kisses. Loves to pretend that he is a dinosaur, or a puppy, or a fire engine, or jumping frog. Loves Yo Gabba Gabba, and is often heard shouting "Yo Gabba! Yo Gabba Gabba! Yo!" and Bob the Builder he has recently discovered. He has recently hit that common 2 year old "Me do it!" phase. It's always "No! Bubba do it - Bubba do!" He loves play-doh, playing cars, the movie Cars, Toy Story, rubber duckies, and fire engines. And for some silly reason, no idea why, he thinks he has to have a cracker in his hand to go to bed. Oh how I love this silly little blondie boy of mine!

We are excited to see ALL of my family for Thanksgiving this year (ok, me and the kids are excited) - all 9 of us and our 14 kiddos will be at my mom's, plus a few friends. Crazy times to come, I am sure!

Friday Morning

It's 9:49 am. And I really have nothing I have to do. Ok, sure, there are plenty of things I COULD do. Clean up the breakfast dishes. Throw in a load of laundry. Make my bed. Those kinds of things. But really I just. don't. want. to.

I feel a cold working its way into my system. Hubby's been all nasty & congested for over a week now. Bubba's had a runny nose for a few days. Guess as much as I tried to wash my hands a hundred times a day and stay away from the yucky germs, they still found me.

And so I sit here, catching up on a few blogs, the little 2 nicely playing and looking at books next to me. And I am grateful that today, right now, there is nothing that I just HAVE to do. No errands to run. No child to get ready for preschool or dance. No one expected over that I need to clean up for. No appointments to keep.

And so, for the first day this week, I am going to sit and enjoy being lazy, enjoy doing whatever I want, with no demands on my time.

I think I'll start reading to the Princess from the giant book of bugs & insects that she is looking at (yuck!) And maybe later I'll feel up to it and tackle that load of laundry. And maybe even pick up a few things. Maybe.

Christmas 2010

We had a good Christmas at home. We like staying home for Christmas - no worrying about travelling in bad weather, just nice and relaxed, making memories with the kids. And though we never go all out for Christmas like many people do, the kids thoroughly enjoyed it and were still spoiled! Rick's parents did come up and have Christmas dinner with us, which I took the easy route this year and we had Papa Murphy's Pizza, which we all thoroughly enjoyed - and I LOVED the easy clean up! (I'm not always that lazy! This was a first for me, it somehow felt wrong!! But I had just prepared a big turkey dinner for Thanksgiving!)

Here's Jackson, digging into his Santa Pancake -

our traditional Christmas Eve dinner.

He already ate the chocolate, M&M eyes!

Gabriella with all her gifts

My William Bug

the Princess Tabitha

Bubba with his favorite presents - Balls!

Just after we had finished opening all the presents, and were headed to the kitchen for breakfast, the doorbell rang. Opening it, we found a bag full of presents from Santa - one for each of the kids - guess they must have gotten lost in the sleigh so he dropped them off on his way back to the North Pole! Here's Gabriella with her bathtub Barbie.

Halloween 2010

Just for fun - here's pictures of the kids in their costumes!

My little witch

A VERY Scary Vampire

Dead Vampire Bride

(what happened to being a princess or fairy or SOMETHING sweet & cute?!)

The Little Green Froggy wasn't feeling too well that night

Quite the scary bunch!

My little Dancers

In December the girls had a mini dance recital at their studio to show off what they've been learning.

Gabriella started taking dance a few weeks before she turned 3, but then when she was 6 she took a year off. When she found out I was signing Tabitha up for a class last fall, she decided she was ready to dance again - Here is she after her performance!

Tabitha kinda got jipped a little bit. I wanted to get her started in dance when she turned 3 and she REALLY wanted to start dance class, but with our circumstances as they were (hubby out of a job) things like dance were not very feasible. So she was thrilled when I told her she could start taking dance when we moved. She has always been our little dancer, our fancy dresser. Here she is at home after her performance (I kinda forgot the camera on her recital nite!)

This outfit had been one of Gabriella's from dance a few years ago - it is one of Tabitha's FAVORITES to wear at home or at dance! (In fact, she's wearing it right now!)

My 2 little dancers

The Princess turned 5

Yep, that's right. My little miss Tabitha, my baby girl, is now 5 years old.

Why is it that 5 seems to be such a defining age? Maybe because the next step for most 5 year olds is going off to Kindergarten? And why is it that I had a harder time with her turning 5 than either of her older siblings? Perhaps, as I said, it is because she IS my "baby" girl. She loves to play that she is a baby, and talk like a baby. And then the next minute she is taking care of her babies, or her baby brother (who really is NOT a baby anymore!)

She had a great birthday - a birthday week, really. First a little party at Nana & Papa's house a couple days early. Then our little family party at home on the actual day. And then a few days later a party with a few friends.

Happy Birthday, Princess!

My little Troublemaker!

As Rick was uploading some pictures tonite, we came across these that I had totally forgotten about:

(Yes, his head is stuck! and it was stuck GOOD! Just after we moved into our new house!)

And then there were these, that I SO remember:

My little Troublemaker started off Young!

But oh how I do LOVE him to pieces!!

How could I resist this sweet little face?!

(you can't see it, but his t-shirt says "Why I'm in Trouble" - it fits him SO well!)

My Hubby's Projects

Since moving last August, Rick has been a busy man! He likes having fun projects to work on and I sure like coming up with them! (not that all of mine are that fun, but a woman has needs!)

First off - here is a picture of our new home!

Notice the little workshop in the back?

PERFECT spot for Rick - his own little man cave!

Here is the Princess Castle Bunk Bed that he made for the girls -

this is a project we had wanted to do for a LONG time!

And here is the finished project after I painted it!

Not to toot our own horns or anything, but we think

it turned out pretty good and are proud of ourselves!

A simple little project - shelves in the basement storage room -

HOW can people not have any shelves in their storage room?!

I had to have a place for all my food storage and our camping gear.

And his latest finished project - he built these small bookshelves

for each of the kids rooms to organize all their books & special things.

Next on the list, and already in progress, are 2 tall bookcases for the family room. We have a TON of books. Love Love LOVE books! And for years I have wanted some nice bookcases to put them all in (rather than piled up on my closet shelf where mine are or in the hall closet!) After looking at several not long ago, Rick decided it would be cheaper to build some and then we would have them just the way we wanted them, too! I am super excited (and a little impatient!) for them to be done!

I seriously don't know what I would do without a handyman husband!!

I'm Back

Don't have a heart attack, but after 5 month away, I think I am ready to start blogging again!

The highlights and some updates of the past few months:

Gabriella started 3rd grade. She love it - as always! And loves to read! I love that my kids take after me in those ways (yep, I was pretty much a nerd! loved school, loved to read!) I have often caught her with a book in bed, reading in the semi-dark! She has started taking dance again and has a lot of fun with that. She read the Book of Mormon, on her own, in 2010. She has discovered the world of Webkinz and loves taking care of Sally the Seal. Her new best friend is Makelle and they love making up silly words and talking in even sillier voices with each other. I just wish Makelle lived a little bit closer, that playing together happened more often. As it is, by the time kids are home from school and homework is done, I am fixing dinner (or should be!) and playing with friends just doesn't happen. And most important of all, Gabriella turned 8 and was baptized in October! She wants to be an artist when she grows up.

William is my sweet 1st grader. He loves school and reading almost as much as his big sister does. He especially likes non-fiction books - anything to do with bugs and science stuff or the body fascinates him. He loves doing crafty type art projects. He, too, has discovered computer time and tries really hard to keep his room clean so that he can have his time each day and play with his Moshi Monster. He almost accomplished learning how to ride a bike. I am positive that this summer he will get it in no time!

Tabitha loves to be my little baby girl and talk in a little baby girl voice and be carried around. Sometime I indulge her. Other times it just annoys me to no end. She will be 5 in only a couple of weeks. She loves going to preschool (we joined a co-op a high school friend of mine and some of her neighbors were doing) and every week we go to storytime at the library. And, after wanting to for over a year, she is now taking dance lessons as well. She never ceases to get us laughing with some crazy, off the wall thing she has to say. She really does live in a fantasy world all of her own, where things just happen of some made up person did some totally random thing, or she'll go off in a monologue of something a friend or sibling did and she is very detailed about it (and non of it ever really happened, but she believes it with all her little princess heart!).

Jackson is now officially a toddler. At 1 1/2 he is all boy. I have never had a child who could get into so much, so often, and who climbed on everything, the way this boy does. I love him. I love him with all of my heart. And I am often repeating this to myself thru out the day, as I discover yet another mess that he has left for me. He really does bring so much to our family. I love his laugh. I love his silly smiles and the way he smiles with his bottom lip pulled in, his front teeth hanging out the front, like a little beaver. I love how he likes to play kitties with me and will meow and come cuddle up underneath me. He likes to play cars and makes all sorts of fun car nosies. He loves dogs and his bear and his stuffed mouse. He is learning more words everyday and is such a good little helper with laundry, cleaning up his toys, throwing away his stinky diapers. He loves his big brother and sisters. He loves his daddy and often asks for him thru out the day. And I love how he blows kisses and loves to give kisses.

Rick is still enjoying his job. He just auditioned for, and got into, a choir - the American Festival Choir. The director/conductor is Craig Jessop (previously director of Mormon Tabernacle Choir). He is excited for this. And I am hoping it will get him singing around the house more! He has been busy with several little projects about the house. He has his own shed for all his fun projects now and recently built some shelves in them. He built a princess castle bunk bed for the girls, shelves in the storage room, small bookshelves to put in the kids closets, and is soon going to make a couple of nice bookcases to go in our family room.

And me. I find it hard to write about myself. Just yesterday, I received my first calling in our ward. I am the new secretary in the Relief Society. It will be a great way for me to get to know all the ladies in the ward. I have loved this ward. Though we've only been here a few months, I feel as at home here as I ever did after 5 years in our ward in AF. I know a lot of it has to do with me, and my outlook and attitude. That doesn't mean I have all sorts of wonderful friends. I don't. But I feel very comfortable here and the warm welcome we received when we were brand new made such an impact on me. I needed it. I've done some painting - a couple of bathrooms, the 3rd one is still in the process (I can't decide what color to do), I painted the laundry room. I really want to do something with the downstairs family room, but it's so big and I don't know what to do! What I need now is some motivation! I've also been trying to get my Usborne Books business going. I did a few booths at some events before Christmas and now just following up on leads from those.

Overall, things are good. We are happy and healthy and looking forward to what this new year brings!