Summer time!

I thought when both my kids went to school this past year I would have all the time in the world. I spent a lot of it burning up the road between the two schools drop off and pick up times, 1/2 days, early release days, etc. It was so nice though! I got to go grocery shopping BY MYSELF, I started running in March (my plan is to make it to the Gate River Run next year), and I volunteered on the PTA and made some good friends. Here we are and it's summer again! I feel like when the summer hits it's way more intense for me than the school year. We go to the pool, the beach, the local water park and movies. This summer the kids started swim team and art classes too. What happened to just blissfully playing in the backyard?
Our ward recently split and we were reassigned to a new ward, The Atlantic Beach Ward. Guess what??? I am not in primary anymore. I have served in primary for about 15 years (across three states) so it was a total shock to me that I was put in as the Relief Society secretary (women's organization) and the visiting teaching coordinator. My summer has been BUSY trying to help get the Relief Society organized. I was super sad about leaving primary, I would still prefer to be there, but it has come more naturally to me than I thought it would to work with the women. It's an exciting time for us, starting a new ward in Jacksonville.
We planted our first garden this year which has been fun. We haven't had one since UT. A little harder here to grow but we got lots of tomatoes and hot peppers. The birds ate the strawberries, the cucumbers didn't grow, our watermelons are still growing.

Kai's Baptism

We were fortunate enough to be able to baptize Kai in Pendleton when we were there over Christmas. He turned 8 in November, but we decided to wait so my whole family could be there. All the kids participated in the program. Matt put together an awesome DVD of Kai's life that we showed while they were getting ready. We are proud of Kai for the decision he made to be baptized. He's a good boy who tries to do his best. I am so thankful we were able to share this day with so many loved ones. Thank you mom, Bill, Jenny, Jaime&Jim, Jan&Lance, Lauri, Aunt Les and all the cousins for making this a special, memorable day for Kai.

Red Neck sledding

Two days after Christmas we all went up sledding in Meacham (for those of you who know where that is at). It was the PERFECT sledding day, snow falling, lots of snow on the ground, fire going. My kids were in heaven. Jenny brought sleds from Utah and Jan brought her sleds up, but dang, you'll never guess what we found when we got up there... the bed liner of a truck. Only in Pendleton! The kids were more than happy to hop on in and go for a ride. It didn't go as fast as they had hoped it would though.

"TRADITION, TRADITION"

As I have read some of your blogs I have enjoyed seeing what other people's Christmas traditions are. I guess the biggest tradition for me is GOING HOME every year for Christmas. In 37 years I have only not been there on Christmas morning 2 times. Once I went to Oregon in December but had to come home early because Matt had a business trip the day after Christmas. The other time I had just gone for Round Up in September and couldn't turn around and go back for Christmas. Going to grandma's IS Christmas for my kids. Another tradition, we ALWAYS make gingerbread houses on Christmas Eve day (which Jenny had the ingenious idea to hot glue together this year), get Papa Murphys for dinner and have the children act out the nativity. Oh yah, the treats. We have LOADS of treats that get made on Christmas Eve day and they are fair game once Christmas Eve hits. We even let the kids get up and eat whatever they want on Christmas morning. I have noticed it's us grown up girls and the kids who eat the treats mostly. I don't see the husbands hovering over the treat plates. However, I did manage to catch Bill in the treats this year. Everybody congregates at my mom's about 6:30 a.m. and the present opening frenzy begins. After that, BREAKFAST, and no we don't cook. We go OUT to breakfast in our Christmas pj's. Our family totally fills a banquet room.
I am so thankful for a husband who is game to make this excruciating trip each year, parents who put up with our lengthy stay, siblings who loan us cars so we don't have to rent them, everyone for transporting us to and from the airports. It takes a major effort to pull this trip off each year.

The Best Christmas Ever

I think I would have to say this was one of the best Christmas' we have ever had. One of the biggest reasons was almost everyone in our family was there. It has been about 8 years since we were all together. My step-brother is serving in Iraq so he and his kids were not there. We had an uneventful flight to and from Oregon this year and help on both ends. Matt's dad took us to the airport and helped us unload at this end and Jaime was there on the other end to help us. When it was time to leave Kai SOBBED. He really loves his cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents and we don't get to see them often enough. When I asked him what the best part of the trip was he repeatedly answered, "FAMILY".
I took tons and tons of pictures but will pick some of my favorites to post over the next little while (it has taken me forever to do the red eye with all the kids involved in all the pictures).
We woke up to snow the first morning we were there so the kids enjoyed a fun trip sledding (we took another trip in the mountains after Christmas).

"I like my birthdays"

"I like my birthdays every one. Each brings a greater joy to me. But I can' wait until I'm 8 for then I'll be baptized you see..."
For those of you who don't know this song, it's a song the kids sing in primary about baptism. Kai turned 8 in November and will be able to be baptized this year. We are waiting until we go to Oregon so my family can all be a part of this very special occasion. We live so far away and have not lived close to my family since the kids were born, so it's rare they get to share in these moments with us. My sisters, Jaime and Jan, were able to be here with us when Kaden was blessed which was cool.
Kai started scouts in November which he has been looking forward to for a long time. We are proud of him and how well he is doing in school this year. He tries hard to do his best. Kai is very social, he makes friends easily. He is a smart boy and likes to spend his time building legos, playing his Dsi or reading his Diary of a Wimpy Kid books.
I actually let him have his first friend party at the house this year (I know, brave of me). He had a few close friends spend the night. I don't even have proof of this event because all my pictures from this fall (Halloween, fall festivals, Kai's b.day and the first field trip I chaperoned) were all erased.

My little turkeys

I have been buying holiday pajamas for the kids since before they were born and I have NEVER seen Thanksgiving pajamas before this year. I happened to walk into gymboree one morning and found the last two pair (maybe the only two pair) in the right sizes so I snatched them up for the boys. Matt informed me Kai is getting a little too old for the "cute" pajamas, but how could I resist when this could be a once in a lifetime thing? AND you were waiting for this.... yes, they were on SALE, only $10 a pair. I admit that's a little steep for what I'd normally pay for their pajamas but dang, they are gymboree and brand new (not from a thrift store or garage sale). I think they look cute!

Curious George

Kai's teacher asked me to decorate a pumpkin for their class for the school's literacy night last night. I am always willing to help with whatever the kids' teachers need so I quickly agreed to do it. Like I have a creative/artistic bone in my body! Just a quick bit of history, never was able to draw a straight line with a ruler in elementary school, and the art class I took in college, NOT my idea of a good time. Talk about torture. SO thankfully I have a creative/artistic husband (although he won't admit it) who happily took on the task. I think he did a pretty good job! He did "Curious George takes a job". Our kids love Curious George and we have had our collection of Curious George stories since before they were born.

Freedom

This school year marks a new chapter in my life. Both boys went to school this fall. Kaden went to Pre K and Kai's in second grade. Kaden goes for 3 hours every morning. We have to rush out of the house every morning and I spend a lot of time on the road transporting them to and from school (they go to different schools), but it's so worth it. I can finally go to the grocery store alone, have a thought to myself, come home to QUIET house, clean something and have it stay clean temporarily. A lot of times I don't even come home though until after I pick up Kaden. It's just so nice to go shopping without needing to take someone to the bathroom, leave because someone is bored, entertain someone in the cart... Don't get me wrong, I love my kids. Eight years ago I quit a wonderful job with the State of Utah and moved from a place loved dearly so I could stay home when Kai was born, but DANG it's nice to have some time for myself again. I got my first massage this fall. It has totally helped with my back pain (I wasn't so sure at first but I've had a relatively pain free month). Both kids are happy and doing well in school. I signed up to help with the PTA this year and offered to help in Kai's class. I don't want to schedule up too much of my free time though. :) The first day of school was fun, Matt took Kaden, I took Kai and then we met for breakfast. This might have to become a yearly tradition on the first day of school.

"Faith is like a little seed..."

Matt has been begging me to post this for a couple months now. I don't know what my problem is, I think I ran out of steam for keeping the blog up. The summer came and went and I was exhausted from trying to keep the kids busy and entertained. Then school started and I got a sweet taste of freedom, something I haven't experienced in 8 years.
Anyway, in primary (church) the chorister taught the kids a song called "Faith" and one of the lines says, "faith is like a little seed, if planted it will grow". She brought a seed she had planted in a cup that had sprouted to show the kids. Kaden was intrigued by this, and "Faith" quickly became his favorite song (which he often sings at the top of his lungs). We went to a ward social this summer and someone brought watermelon that had ginormous seeds. Kaden carefully dug his out and placed them in a cup. His intent was to bring them home to plant. He had the faith they would grow. Matt looked up the growing season for watermelon on the internet and it certainly wasn't the middle of summer in Florida, but to appease Kaden he helped him plant them anyway. It wasn't long before we saw the watermelon sprouting!! We were shocked to tell you the truth. Now his watermelon plant is flowering and several feet long. I am thankful for the faith of my little 4 year old and I am thankful for a primary leader who shared her testimony with my kids.

Matt's latest project

I bought Matt this little TV for Christmas and fourth of July weekend he decided he needed a project. So he climbed up into our thousand degree attic to wire the TV (anyone who lives in FL KNOWS how hot the attics get in the middle of summer). Example, I went to put something away up there and the plastic lid of the container was HOT to the touch. You can't store candles up there, they melt. Anyway, he spent an entire evening running wires, cutting holes and voila! Now we have the luxury of watching TV while sitting on the crapper (I have yet to turn it on but I know Matt enjoys the morning news). :)

Swim Trunks and Silly Bandz

Seems these days this is all I see my kids in, swim trunks and silly bandz. We have managed to keep very busy with summer (beach, movies, swimming, bowling, library and more swimming). I haven't been the best at carrying a camera around with me however. Silly bandz are "all that" with the kids here this summer. It started just before the school year ended. Basically, jelly bracelets reinvented but in different shapes (animals, planets, letters, movie characters, etc). They are actually cool and girls AND boys wear them. They were banned from bringing them to school because the kids wouldn't stop playing with them, and I see the kids at church trading between classes and before and after primary. It has been fun for my kids, except when Kai secretly tries to add to his collection from Kaden's stash.

INTRUDER ALERT!!!

I was having a nice, peaceful Sunday morning UNTIL... I went to put a towel away in the hall closet and saw this little darlin' slither underneath the door! I jumped back screaming, woke Kaden up, jolted Matt out of a dead sleep. Snakes are one of my worst fears. I have always, always been afraid of them.
We have no idea how he got in. What's worse, Kai had seen him earlier (before I woke up) and said, "I thought it was a worm". I can't believe it didn't phase him! We think he had one thing on his mind, "Super Mario 2" and he didn't want to stop to bother with the snake.
I think Matt dislikes snakes as much as I do but he was more rational about the situation. He sat there and designed/constructed a snake noose so he could get him safely out of the house. I stood back and watched, broom in hand. I've been able to swat a lizard or two out of the house with my trusty broom and it leaves a good distance between me and the reptiles. If the vacuum hose would've worked I may have tried to suck the snake up.
Might I add our cat, Onyx, was no help, she's afraid of them too!

Kaden often walks around the house often times chanting "intruder awert, intruder awert", thus the title.

Never, Never, Never...

Never, never, never have a major injury the few days of the fiscal year. For those who don't remember, our 3 year old at the time, broke his leg on the trampoline the second day after we arrived in Oregon for Christmas break. The actual date was December 23, 2009. I have a $1000 deductible per person/per year (that's after we already pay a HUGE amount for insurance each month). Let me remind you we paid the $1000 for Kai's broken arm in 2009. Anyway, I am thinking I'm good, bills started rolling in from Oregon after we got home in January and I pay my $1000. Of course he had to have follow up in Jacksonville in January so I was thinking it'd all be covered, minus 20%, because I'd already paid my $1000, right? Last month I got ANOTHER $1100 bill from the clinic in Jacksonville. After calling the insurance they explained I hadn't met my 2010 DEDUCTIBLE for Kaden. Sick and wrong. Made me mad. I waited until I got my second notice to mail the bill in. In fact it's sitting in the mail box with a stamp on it. If anyone would like to pay it for me I will quickly go out and remove my check.
Let's pray for no broken bones in 2010.

Ginnie Springs

Matt got his scuba diving certification this past winter and needs to complete a certain number of dives to keep his certification current so he signed up for the "galaxy dive" at Ginnie Springs. They dove at night so it was pitch black in the cave. We decided to make a family outing of the weekend. It was a nice getaway but the crowd at the springs was pretty rough. There was a lot of drinking, foul language, immodesty and overall crude behavior. I am thinking we won't take the kids back there again.

"Play Day"

I don't know if it's because it gets so hot here or what but the kids have their "play day" at school like 6 or 8 weeks before school gets out. When I was a kid we had "field day" the last day or so of school. I have gone both years and taken Kaden with me. He always has a ball and remembered it from last year. He loves to compete and enjoy the festivities of the day. He will be SO ready for kindergarten when he gets there.

Things that have changed since my childhood field days. We used to get ribbons for the races (1st, 2nd, 3rd). Now everyone's a winner. We did physical challenges like tug o war, sprints, etc. They had cup stacking, hopping on a bouncy ball, water balloon tosses (the running you see in the picture was the most physical event of the day).

The perfect alternative...

Matt's co-worker offered him a bounce house for the kids (her kids were no longer using it). He called to ask if I wanted him to take it. Um YAH, isn't this every kids dream AND it's a perfect alternative to a trampoline which my kids are forever banned from. This is the best "hand me down". Free always makes things so much cooler to me! :)

To catch a Leprechaun

Since leprechauns cause so much mischief at Kai's school (hiding pencils, making messes, stealing homework) his class was asked to design a leprechaun trap. He and Matt stayed up the other night to construct it. The hope is the little bugger will stick his arm/hand in and will not be able to get it back out once he reaches for the fake gold. Kai is really hoping he is able to catch one today! :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Sad, sad day

Today we had to put our fearless kitty, Casey, to sleep. We got him 13 years ago from a neighbor in Providence, UT. From there he moved with us to Colorado Springs, CO and lastly flew from CO to FL with us. He knew no boundaries, the neighborhood was his playground. He liked taking walks with the family around the block. He was our pheasant hunting, dog wrestling, rat catching bully! He had a chunk missing out of his ear, would often show up with missing tufts of fur and scars on his nose. He was seriously the cat with 9 lives, we nursed him back to health on numerous occasions. Casey could also be the biggest baby, curling up next to us with his big motor running, "nursing" on the blanket he rested on. He always let his little sister, Onyx, eat first.
We will surely miss our most loyal friend, Case. Til we meet again!

Mohawk

Kai has been wearing his hair "spikey" to school for the past little while. What's funny to me about that is other little boys started showing up with their hair spiked. Last night after his bath he decided to style it in a mohawk. He has the thickest hair so it just stayed that way. He BEGGED me to put mousse in it and let him wear it that way to school this morning. It is against every fiber of my being to let him go out of the house like that but he was so serious about keeping it that way. I fixed it and couldn't stop laughing at him. He asked me why I was laughing and I said he looked funny. In all seriousness he turned around to me and said, "in a good way or a bad way?". I told him I didn't know how to answer that question.
I feel proud of myself for actually giving in, relinquishing some control. I mean what does it hurt, right?