Teacher Appreciation!

It was teacher appreciation this week. I went in on Thursday to volunteer in DD#1's class. No one had volunteered, so I decided to go and help out. I didn't have to pick up my class until after I was done with hers. Boy, it takes a special person to teach Kindergarten. They are so cute, but they all want to tell you a story if you bring up any subject. It was fun and we made a fun poster for her teacher.

On Friday when I went down to pick her up, her teacher said that she had convinced her that she was going to stay in Kindergarten. When I got her back to my classroom, I asked why she wanted to stay and her response was, "Because Mrs. Lambourne has done such a great job this year, and I love her!" I couldn't have said it better! Mrs. Lambourne has been fabulous. DD#1 has come leaps and bounds and I couldn't be more pleased. We will be very sad to not have her next year.

We gave the teachers this gift. I had seen it in a book and made them for Secretary's Day this year. After making it for them, I knew this is what I wanted to give the Teacher's for a gift. It was perfect. We got them a gift certificate to go to Cold Stone's along with it.

The story of getting this gift to her teacher is interesting. I had to work that Friday. So we left our home fairly early and drove the two younger ones to Herriman. I held onto the box containing this gift the entire 30 mins. there and the entire 30 mins. back to school. I made sure to hold onto it at turns and when I would slow down. I breathed a sigh of relief when we arrived at my school with it still intact. As we were walking into the school, I got into my purse to get out my school keys. Doing so, bumped the box and over it went. There were dumb dumb's all over the ground. Can you believe it? I took such great care and we were a few steps to the finish line and bam!

I was pretty calm. A couple cute kids came to help pick it up and I took the mangled mess into my classroom. Thank heavens my house is about 4 mins from my school. I left at recess and got another foam ball and put it back together. It was just so ironic that I took such great care for an hour and in the end it didn't make it. Oh well. It all was resolved and we got it delivered in one piece.

I didn't take pictures of DD#2's gifts. We were in such a hurry that I ran out of time. She has 3 teachers in preschool, so we did 3 for them. They all seemed to love them.

We really do appreciate their teacher's this year. I know how hard it is and I am grateful that they are willing to help my children grow and learn. It has been a great year!

Birthday Boy!

He is 2! This is classic cheese face. I love that my kids have unique faces they give when they are little. We love his little squished smile when you ask himt to show you his cheese!

My husband and I decided that we would have a party for our kids's birthdays every other year. We chose their odd birthdays, so that we could always have their big first birthday. Since it is the even birthday this year, we usually just have cake and ice cream. When I got pregnant with this cute little boy, I was very excited for the time of year he was expected. It was at the end of the school year and I knew I would always look forward to it. Well, I didn't realize how busy this time of year would be and we have a lot of other spring birthdays in our family.

We decided to have a very low key birthday with Grandma and Grandpa's. It was very fun. He is into trucks and tractors and abosolutely loved getting his big truck!

I didn't have time to make a cake, so we went and bought one. I let him decide which one he wanted and was sure he would pick a Cars themed cake. He didn't! He couldn't look at another picture of a cake after he saw the Thomas cake. I tried hard to get him to change his mind, but it didn't happen.

We had dinner and then cake and ice cream. He was in heaven. He didn't last long until he was outside with Grandma O. playing in the dirt with his new toys.

We love this little boy to bits. He is so loveable and cuddly. He is a "mama's boy" and a "daddy's boy!" He loves to be with both of us. He loves to play with his big sister's. They sure do love to have him dress up with him and paint his fingernails and toenails.

He is talking a lot. It reminds me of DD#1. He is talking in some complete sentences and loves the word "disgusting!"

We love this little boy. Happy Birthday little man!

His sisters got to be in on all the fun. Grandma O brought things for them. They loved it. She also took time to read his new "The Foot Book" with them. They sure do love her! I sure do love her too! Thanks mom!

Out of the mouth of Babes!

My kids say the darndest things....don't all kids? I have wanted to keep a small notebook with all their sayings, but it is still a thought. A few things have been said in the last few weeks and I thought for journalling purposes, I would jot them down here. So bear with me as I document some things my kiddos have said recently.

DD#1 (6 in July)

A few months back we were getting ready to go to family dinner. DH was in the girls's room getting shoes on DD#2. He was wearing a green hawaiin shirt that my grandma had given him for his birthday. DD#1 walked into the room and said, "Whoa Dad! You look like a pinata!"

Last weekend we went to New York (pictures will be posted when I get them all sent to me). In Sacrament, the bread was made out of potato bread. It was yellow. As it was being passed, DD#1 said, "The bread is yellow. That is disgusting! I hope it is not poisonous!"

DD#2 (4 next month)

At this same meeting in New York, she was sitting on my lap. I whispered in her ear, "I love you so very, very much!" She whispered back to me "If you love me so very, very much, do I still have to go to school?"

Last night the girls got to have a sleep over at their aunt's and uncle's house. They were so excited. We had a family blessing to go to, so they got ready there for church. DH's sister was doing DD#2's hair. While doing it DD#2 said, "This looks very hard for you , maybe you should call my mom"

DS#1 (2 in less than a week)

He loves to point out big trucks and tractors as we drive. We have been driving a lot recently to get them to babysitters (thanks a ton for all the help). He says, "Mom, look" (pronounced wook) everytime we pass a big truck (diesel) or a tractor. I decided to count yesterday how many times he said mommy. From 7200 S. to my mom's house in Lehi, he said mommy 32 times! Ahhh....it was so cute at first. I shouldn't complain, because I know I will miss the days when he doesn't want to talk to me.

I hope to record more fun and exciting things that my sweet kiddos say.

Wow!!

Has it really been that long since I last posted? Okay, I know I have neglected this blog. I got behind and it just continued to get behind. I have had two big posts (Christmas and Disneyland) that seemed overwhelming to post to say the least. We had a wonderful time at both of these occasions. I don't know if I will get to post about it, but I sure hope I do.

As of late we have celebrated Easter and DD#2 had her first soccer game.

She did a really great job! She was very aggressive and followed the ball and sprinted if it was kicked away from her. She had so much fun doing it. She tried dancing with her older sister and did not like it all that much. She decided to try soccer and loved it.

Merry Sickmas

I was completely planning on coming on here yesterday and wishing you all a Merry Christmas. But, the blasted stomach flu hit and I was miserable. Luckily, I didn't get too bad until after the opening of gifts, but after that I was bed ridden the rest of the day and night. It was not fun!
We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. We feel so blessed to have had a wonderful Christmas, with family who loves us. We are so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who sent His Son. We hope to carry the peace and spirit that we have felt this season the whole year through. We love you all.

Christmas Card!

I thought I would post this on here in case I didn't have your address and you didn't get one.


Christmas 2009
To our Dear Friends and Family,
I have a cute friend that always has a theme to her Christmas letters. I always enjoy how she shares about her year in a unique and creative way. I thought I would take a try at it and give our Christmas letter a theme. I guess it’s not really a theme, but an acrostic poem for our family.
C is for Me. Hmmm…how interesting that I get to be first. I am doing great. 2009 has been a fun year for me. It has had some downs, but the ups seem to come to mind when I think of the year. I am in my 9th year officially teaching (10th unofficially). I am in my 5th year of dong a job share. It is such a blessing in our lives. I have the opportunity to stay home with my sweet kids, but able to help make ends meet with the job. We were moved to the 4th grade this year and I enjoy it. I forgot how young the 4th graders are at the first of the year, but quickly remembering that we just need to be patient with them. I also remember that most of them still love their teachers. That has been fun. We have a really great class even with the very strange things that have happened the first few months of class. Work and being a mom keep me very busy.
H is for DD#1. DD#1 is 5 ½ and just started Kindergarten. She is attending all day kindergarten and loves it. She does have her days where she is tired and doesn’t want to go to school, but don’t we all? She is doing very well and learning a lot. She has recently begun to read sentences, which thrills us. She is a great big sister and loves her sister and brother. She loves to dance and sing.
R is for Responsibilities. DH has recently been called back into the Young Men’s as Assistant Scout Leader. He is really enjoying being with the boys. I am still in the Primary Presidencies and have enjoyed working with my Presidency. It is fun to be in with DD#1 and soon DD#2. DD#1 will be moving into the CTR 6 class. She loves Primary and especially loves singing time. DD#2 is advancing into the Primary as a Sunbeam. She just recently started enjoying Nursery and now it is time to move on. She is very excited to go to Primary. DS will be holding down the fort in Nursery. He began going last month and is doing pretty well. He sticks pretty close to DD#2, so we shall see when she moves on to Primary.
I is for Interesting News. I wish I had something spectacular to share with everyone, but I don’t.
S is for Superhero. DH is a superhero in the kids’ eyes (and mine). DH is so good with the kids. He often takes them when I send him out to do errands. He plays all the time with them and helps Hannah with her homework. He bathes them and gets them ready for bed most nights of the week. He often lets me to 0the gym or go shopping and give me a break. He is still working for Questar Gas and loves it. He is working on getting his Rep 3 soon, which will be a pay raise. We are so grateful for his job. He is a great dad and superhero to us all.
Tis for Terror aka DS. What a boy!! He is so different than his sisters. He has recently learned how to throw a pretty good tantrum. He also loves the word no and hitting. AHHHHH….this age is so hard. It’s a good thing he is so stinking cute. I think that Heavenly Father made them so cute so we could still love them even when they are being stinkers. When he is not grumpy, he is a very cuddly sweet little boy. He will often come up and lay his head in my lap and pat my leg. He is talking more and more each day. We love this little boy more than ever and will continue to be patient with him.
M is for Miss DD#2. That is what her Preschool teachers call her. The name really fits. She definitely knows what she wants and doesn’t back down for anything. She is 3 ½ and definitely confirming my theory of “whoever said terrible twos, didn’t have a three year old yet!” She is very sweet and kind, but sure can whine until you’re ready to pull your hair out. She is attending Preschool this year two days a week. She struggled really hard at first, but seems to be doing very well and isn’t crying anymore. She also loves to help and is very affectionate to her mom and dad. We love this beautiful girl.
A is for Anniversary. DH and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary this past August. Can you believe that? It has gone by so quickly. It has been a great 10 years and we look forward to many, many more decades together.
S is for Season’s Greetings and the Savior. We hope you are all healthy and happy. We hope you have a wonderful Holiday Season filled with love and happiness. We are especially grateful to a loving Heavenly Father that allowed his Son to come and pay the ultimate price for us. As we remember the Savior this Christmas Season, we are grateful for our many blessings.
We love you all and hope you are well.
Love,
Together We Can Family

First Day of Nursery!

My little man is old enough to go to Nursery. Crazy!! His first official week should have been last week, but he was sick and we didn't want anyone to get it.

We are so grateful for this little boy. He is my snuggly, cuddly little boy. He is definitely showing his 18 month old self these days. (He is throwing a tantrum right next to me as I type). :)

We took him for his 18 month well child visit on Friday. He is 33 inches long (60%). He weighs 25 lbs. 11 oz (50%) and his head circumference is in the 60%. So pretty average. We will take all of him! We you love you sweet boy!

And a picture of him and his sisters. They are always wanting to get in the pictures. :)

School Pictures

We finally got all the school pictures back from school. I think I may be taking DS to our retakes and get his picture done. The girls' photos on the wall stand out a little more. I get a half off discount being a teacher, so it really is a great deal.

DD#1 Kindergarten Year

She is going to all day Kindergarten this year and I was a bit hesistant when we decided on it. I was really worried at first and her wonderful teacher told her to give it a month. Here we are two months later and she loves it! She is learning so much. I get to hear all about her learnings on our way to pick up the other two every afternoon. She is doing wonderful. We have her first Parent Teacher Conferences in about a week and we will really see how she is doing.

DD#2 Preschool Year

She is going to Preschool two days a week. Next year she will go 4 days a week. I was very hesistant in putting her in as we wall know her personality. She was terrified of strangers from day one. When her teacher asked if I was going to put her in preschool last year, I told her no because she is so shy and would be a terror to leave. Nursery was the case in point. The teacher said that this would be the best place for her to get over it. So I signed her up and the first day she went in and said bye to me with much surprise. I couldn't believe it. The next time comes and you would have thought I was killing her. She was throwing the biggest fit ever. It was so different than DD#1. I didn't know what to think. Her teacher was really good and just told me to leave her, her fit and all, and it would be okay. She survived. The next time, same thing, huge fit. We finally came up with a chart. If she doesn't cry when she goes to preschool, she gets to put a sticker up. We are 2 months into it and she is doing well. It is hit and a miss. We still have our hard days, but the easy ones are more than the hard ones. She is really enjoying preschool and loves to play school with her sister.

Halloween 2009

November!! Really?? Does anyone else wonder where September and October went? I sure do.

Halloween was very fun this year. The girls and even the little guy really got into it. I am looking forward to getting out of the princess stage, so that they can branch out and be a little more creative with their costumes. DS did not care so we used DD's costume from last year. It worked and surprisingly enough he kept the hood on the entire time. He did not like the face paint and had it smeared before we could even get out the door.

We went to the ward's trunk or treat and the kids got a lot of candy. In fact, I took DS's bucket and dumped it into our bowl and distributed it out again. Is that cheating? I did not want a lot of candy around this house.

The weather was beautiful and the kids had a great time. Now on to November and Thanksgiving.

Look for photos of the kids's school photos next. We have DD #2's but are waiting on DD #1's. I may even post my school photo is you are lucky! :)

Enjoy the pictures of Halloween 2009.

A Real Hero!!

DD#1 went to a super hero party yesterday for a young boy in our ward. She made a cape, played games with flashlights and overall had a fantastic time at her "super hero" party. She had a lot of fun and it was a cute theme.

My cousin, Heather Christensen, became a true hero yesterday! She gave her life trying to save others, namely her students of American Fork High School.

John Miller, who leads the American Fork band and is a music teacher at the high school, said Christensen died while attempting to save students on the bus by grabbing the steering wheel after the bus driver had an apparent medical episode, causing the bus to veer off the road.
Christensen dived for the wheel and tried to steer the bus back on course, but fell out a window as the vehicle rolled, Miller said.

"She loved her students, they were her life. I know she died trying to save them," a tearful Miller said late Saturday evening.

What a tribute to a great person. Heather and I were the same age. When we were younger, we would always play together during family get togethers. But as life seems to go, we grew apart as we grew older and life got busier. I am so grateful that we got to see her this summer at a family reuntion. She paid a wonderful tribute to my Grandpa that everyone was in awe about. It probably took her a long time, but it was so worth it. I can only think that there was a sweet reunion with people that we have lost in our family.

My heart aches for her family, for the days ahead of them. They will be hard! I pray that Spirit will comfort them in this hard time of life.

I am so grateful for the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation. We will see Heather again. I am grateful to a loving Heavenly Father, that provided a way back to Him. I am grateful to our Savior, who gave his life, so that we can return to our Father in Heaven.

We will miss Heather. DD#1 drew a picture of her last night and said, "I love you Heather". She had only met her once, but expressed her love for her. She and Heather share a birthday and have that common bond with each other.

Just a few more things that wonderful people have said about her....

The Wilsons went to wait with Peterson on her bus after the accident and were there when a teacher came on board to inform students that Christensen died.
"They broke out in sobs," Ellen Wilson said. "She was dearly loved. She will be sorely missed."

"I know this is a difficult situation for my students. I will be dealing with the sadness that will be at my school. I'm saddened. We all are," said Merrill, reached at her American Fork home Saturday evening.
She said she wants to wait to speak about Christensen until after the teacher's family has had more time to process her death. She praised her for what she called her "wonderful attributes."

Dan Adams, one of a group of parents that travels with the band, said, "We've never had any accidents that I am aware of in the 25 years that I've been here. It's just a tragic, tragic thing — not only for the students but the tragic loss of a wonderful teacher."

My regret is that I didn't keep this amazing person closer to me. She was a wonderful person and she loved those around her. My prayer to each of you reading.....keep your family close. Hold them close. They could be gone in an instant.

We love you Heather and you will definitely be missed. God be with you until we meet again.

First Day of Kindergarten!!

Wow!! I can't believe that we are actually here. DD#1 started Kindergarten today. She was so excited to go and woke up in the greatest mood. I made it without crying, even though I did feel a few tears coming on. DD#2 said on the way to take her to school, "I'm going to miss DD#1". I had to hold back the tears then.

She is going to my school and has a great teacher. She is in the all day kindergarten class and I am a little anxious about it. I am excited to see how her first day went and how she handles all day. She did ask when school would be over and I said not until the afternoon. Hopefully she will handle it. She hasn't taken a nap for over a year and just this last week, she has started taking them again. Go figure. I konw they will have a rest time these first few months. Hopefully she will be able to handle it.

So here we go. I know that it will only go so fast from here on out. She did say on the way that she will be in High School soon. Thankfully, not so soon. But I am sure when it comes that time, I won't believe it.

Good luck sweet girl with your first day of school!

10 Fantastic Years!!

This is our engagement picture. We lost our wedding scrapbook in the fire. It was all pre digital so we will have to replace it with what my inlaws still may have. :(

I am in awe at how fast the past 10 years have gone by. It is absolutely crazy to think that I have been with my best friend for 10 years. I guess the saying, "Time flies when you're having fun:" is true. Happy anniversary Sweetheart! I have loved every minute of it and hope to spend many more years with you!

Here is a fun breakdown that I have seen on others blog which help you realize just how much joy and happiness. along with heartache and sorrows, we have been through. So grateful that it was with my best friend!

10 years

120 months

22 weeks

3,650 days

87, 658 hours

5,259,488 minutes

315, 569, 260 seconds

6 homes

4 cities

9 Jobs

7 cars

4 Wards

10 Callings (shocking to me because I have been in the Primary almost the entire time)

1 House Fire

48 (LONG) months of trying to get pregnant

4 pregnancies (1 miscarriage, not pregnant now :))

3 Beautiful Children

3 Pets
4 Surgeries

3 Funerals (my dad, my grandpa and DH's grandpa, Miss them all)

7 Siblings Weddings

1 Disneyland/California trip

Many trips to the cabin

Many, many, many sleepless night with children

Many Laughs

Many tears

Millions of Hugs and Kisses

Many Unforgettable Memories

Happy Anniversary Sweetheart!

Pictures

We got family pictures with DH's side of the family. I thought it would be a great time to get my kids year pictures. Since we had already had DS's done a few weeks back, we went ahead and did the two girls and the kids together. My sister in law did a wonderful job again. Thanks Sarah!

DD #1 is growing up to be a beautiful little girl. She is very intelligent and so kind. She is always saying thank you and gives plenty of hugs and kisses. She has become such a big help around the house and to her brother. He has learned the words, "don't and stop" because she is constantly toting him around. We are so grateful to have her in our home.

DD#2 has really started to come out of her shell and show her true personality. She is our little chatterbox that we love to hear. She can talk your ear off and you are good to catch most of what she is talking about. She is in the prime of the wonderful 3's. She can throw a tantrum with the best of them. She loves her siblings and is a joy to have in our home.

A picture to show just how fun the 3's are. :)

Our Children... What special spirits from our Heavenly Father. Not a day goes by without me realizing what a gift these sweet children are. As my summer is coming to an end, I feel sad. It has been such a fun summer with these sweet kids. I have really enjoyed spending so much time with them. I count my blessings everyday for having such wonderful children!

DD's 5th Birthday Party!

We had DD's 5th birthday party a few weekends ago. It turned out very well. About 8 months ago, DD asked for a camera party. I had just bought a digital camera for her right after Christmas for a killer deal. It was perfect. I could give her her camera and have it be the theme. I searched all over for a camera cake and the only ones I could find were ones that were 3D with fondant. So we took a clip art picture and made it from that. We decided to make it silver, however I should had made a pink camera cake for her. Oh well. It was a lot of fun.

We had friends and family come and enjoy her birthday party with us. We had sloppy joes, chips, fruit and drinks. Thanks all who came and supported her.We had a camera scavenger hunt. Each person got their own disposable camera and a scavenger hunt list. The kids had a lot of fun running around the park getting pictures of their clue. The last clue was to get a photo with them and the birthday girl. She loved it.We then had a dress up corner and the kids got to use their cameras to take pictures of themselves dressed up. The boys enjoyed the tie.

She then opened presents and was thrilled with all the new things that she received. It is crazy to think that she is 5. We waited 5 long years to get her and the past five have definitely flown by. We love you Lou, Lou! Happy Birthday!

Update Coming Soon!

I promise, they are! :)