A Star is Born

This video made me laugh hard! It is a video Matt's sister took of Jaylyn at his mom's house. She is very talented. She is our very own one-man-band.

Who knew she could play the paino with her feet?

I also added a vidoe of her at her dance recital on Saturday. She took tap and ballet this fall and her dance teachers put on a very grande production. I was a little disappointed that they didn't get her jacket off of her before she went on stage, but it makes her stand out a little bit. So, if you didn't recognize her she is the one in the front with the blue jacket on. She is pretty cute.

So Much to Love

They make us all want to pull out every hair on our head at times, but then there are those moments that make it all worth while. Here are a few of mine that have happened recently.


Nathan said something so cute in primary today. They were talking about what specials things parents do. Sister Randall asked what special things their moms and dads did. Nathan raised his hand and said, "my mom has the prettiest hair."


Yep, Matt in a suit. He hasn't worn one since he grew out of the one he got married in. Well, a few weeks ago we had to buy a new one. President Niu (his dad is in the stake presidency) called us in for an interview. He then asked Matt to be the second councilor in the bishopric. CRAZY! As wives we know the good things and the bad. On one hand I can point out all of his faults and say he probably isn't the best man for the job. On the other hand, I can't imagine any one better. Well it has been two weeks and he is doing great! Better yet, I have survived Sacrament meeting.


Jaylyn had pictures for dance the other day. I haven't seen the dance yet, but she is a little elf in this number.
She did the funniest thing last Sunday. Matt and I were napping and her and Nathan had been playing outside. Anthony came in and said that they were putting sugar on him. So, I came out and sure enough there was sugar all over my table. There was still some left in the sugar jar. It was full of dirt. Jaylyn had brought in some weeds from the backyard and tried to plant them in the sugar jar. I had a hard time getting too angry at that.


Here is a picture of our yearly turkey we put up for our family home evening around Thanksgiving. Each feather tells of something we are thankful for. I am so very thankful for them!

October

This year for Halloween we went through a variety of costumes. We had a ward Halloween party on Friday night. I wore the costume that I wore to school that day. I went as a picnic (aren't I clever?).

Anthony went as a ninja (he called himself Viper Ninja).

Nathan was a ninja turtle.

Jaylyn was a kitty cat (or titty tat-as she says).

However, I had loaned our Buzz Lightyear costume to a friend, but it was too big for her son. So, she returned it to us at the ward party. On Halloween night, Nathan decided he wanted to try the Buzz Lightyear costume and it fit so well that he wore it that night.


We had borrowed Jaylyn's costume from our friends. They gave us an entire suitcase of costumes for us to pick from. She decided to play dress up with them all.

Since she loves to dress up, I bought her some costumes at the after Halloween sale. Here is an angel costume that I got her for only $3.50.

We spent a family night making cookies for our neighbors. The kids did a great job cutting them out.

Nathan had some issues putting the sprinkles on his cookie.

He cried.

All in all, October was a fun month. We had a good Halloween, but I am glad it is over. Now we are looking forward to the real holidays!

September

The month has come and gone. I can't believe how busy we have been, but it makes the time fly by. Matt is crazy and started his Masters degree now too. So, we both stay busy with work, kids, and school. However, we have still made time to do a few things together.

We went camping for our ward camp out. I didn't do very well at getting pictures. Here is Jaylyn playing in the dirt outside our tent. The boys were never around so I didn't get any pictures of them playing on the mountain...
.
...so I took pictures of them in the car when we were ready to head home.




We finally got us a decent tent. It isn't the Marriott but it will fit our needs for the next few years. We could fit our big and comfy air bed and that is all that mattered.




Arizona isn't all desert. We have some rather pretty mountain sceneries.


Here is a fun pictures of the kids all sleeping on our floor. I sometimes wonder why we have a three bedroom house when really we could be living in a loft. Maybe I'll turn one of the bedrooms into a craft room?


Our ward had a great activity. The primary started saving for trees to plant at the temple a few months ago. On Friday night they held a fireside to discuss the importance of the temple and why we keep them beautiful. The next day they all went to the temple to plant their trees and to plant flowers. Here they are all in line waiting for their turn to pour dirt on their tree.

Jaylyn even got to add her share of dirt to the tree.



Sadly enough, I missed the activity. On Friday night I helped out a friend by working in the food shack at the homecoming football game. She got really sick at school and needed my help. On Saturday morning I administered the SAT at our high school. I am glad Matt took pictures. I am also glad my children were able to participate.

Funnies

Some funny things have happened this past month. I wanted to share them. Here they are:

Nathan's Funny

The other day I stayed home with Nathan. He had been running a fever and really wanted me to stay home with him. He had been feeling better but was just laying on the couch. This is what he said to me: "Mom, I really need my blanket. If you don't go get it, your really not a very good mom."

How's that for MANIPULATION!

Spider Experience

Matt and I were watching television when we heard Anthony say, "Dad, there is a really big spider in the hall." When I went to check it out, I found the biggest spider that I have ever seen! Matt grabbed the bug spray, but I wanted my camera since I knew that you would all be amazed at the size of it. So, we were all standing around, staring at it, trying to figure out how to get past it and get my camera without scaring it.

All of a sudden, here came Jaylyn running down the hall. We all started yelling "no, Jaylyn, stop" but she just laughed, thinking that we were all funny. You guessed it...bare feet and all...she stepped on the spider. Even worse than her having bare feet was the fact that as she stepped on it, baby spiders scattered. Matt acted quickly with the bug spray, while I was jumping up and down yelling in the kitchen, and Jaylyn was still laughing, oblivious to what had just happened.

Matt got all of the babies and we made sure the mama spider was dead. I cleaned the carpets this weekend and as soon as we pay the bug man for the last time he came, we are getting him here again. What we did learn is that Arizona has a spider called a wolf spider, and thank goodness they are harmless. However, they carry their babies on their backs. That's Arizona for you.

Pizza Party

Matt went to Utah a couple of weekends ago. The kids and I made homemade pizzas. They had a good time rolling out their dough and making their own individual pizzas. We missed Matt but made the best of it.

Primary Talent Show

Our primary had their annual talent show. Anthony's first choice for a talent was to have his cousin, Isaac come and do a light saber fight with him. However, after watching it on the computer, he decided to sing a song off of Pokemon. He sat there, day after day, practicing and memorizing the words. I was so impressed that he would do it by himself, that I decided Pokemon would be okay.

Nathan did his famous Hakka. We were going to try to learn some new stuff for it and have him add it. Well, we didn't get around to it so he did what he knows. Many of you who have seen it, know what it is. For those of you who haven't, it is a Polynesian war dance. He picked it up on his own after seeing it done at a few parties that the family has had. We think it is great and plan on helping him learn more one of these days.

Goodbye Summer, Hello School Year

Yes, summer is at an end for us. I started school last Monday. I know, it seems crazy that we start so soon. The only good thing about it is I can look forward to fall break, two weeks at Christmas, spring break and then getting out the third week of May. Anyway, we had some summer fun before getting back into the swing of things and then we started right up. Here are some pictures to show what's been going on.

The kids spent many days out in our backyard pool. I am amazed how much fun they can have in such a small space. Around here, anything to keep cool.

Here is one of our friendly neighborhood bugs. One day while we were doing some work in the garage, Nathan was playing on the front porch. He came screaming about a giant mosquito in the bushes. This is what we found. The first time I ever saw one, it was dead in my garage (right after moving in) and I freaked out. I have seen many since and it isn't that big of a deal anymore. I wanted to get a picture of a lizard too but none of them will stay still for me. While I was in Washington, Nicki wanted to know what Arizona was like so this is just a little view.

Say hello to and goodbye to our pigs. We spent a week feeding them while the Peterson's went on vacation. For those of you who don't know, we went in on some pigs with our friends. They are currently at the slaughter house. We are expecting a nice, big ham for Christmas.

The Peterson's also have chickens (well they have recently discovered that those that haven't been attacked by their crazed cats are roosters. Not a hen in the lot). We fed them as well while they were away. It was Nathan's favorite part.

On August 5th, the boys started school. Our Nathan started kindergarten. He goes all day. His first day of school he came home and slept for two hours. When we asked him what he did at school he said "played with legos and puzzles." When Matt when to pick him up on the second day he was no where to be seen. When Matt drove around to the front, there he was waiting for the bus. They had a bus practice for the kindergartners and then he was bound and determined to ride. He threw the biggest fit when he saw his dad. They will be riding this week. It gives me time to get Jaylyn and get home. Hopefully he likes it as much as he thinks he will.

Anthony started second grade. He loves it. I hope he continues to love it.

I am teaching senior English. My first week was great. When I gave them a pre-test and they actually worked quietly, I thought I was in heaven. I am looking forward to a good year.

I made a slide show to highlight some of the many photos from our three week vacation. It was so much fun and I wanted to show as many pictures as I could without taking up so much space.

For our vacation we went to visit Nicki and her family in Washington, we spent a few days in Idaho with my mom and dad, and we finished out the vacation in Utah-first at our family reunion on Mount Timpanogos, and then with Anna and Boyd at Boyd's family cabin in Mount Pleasant. On our way home we spent the 4th of July at Rychael's house and we traveled through Grand Canyon National Park and made many stops there on our drive home.

On our trip to Washington we were able to hang out with the cousins and play. Nicki got me into the aweful habit of starting a movie at ten o'clock or so and then sleeping in the next morning. A habit I still have. She showed me the views from her town which include the Columbia River.

At the family reunion we hiked up Mt. Timpanogos to the caves. We really had no idea what we were in for when we took Jaylyn with us. She started to struggle about half way up. We took turns carrying her as much as we could, but she had to walk most of the way. Nathan even had a hard time. Anthony on the other hand cruised. We made it up and went through the caves which were pretty amazing. On the way down, Jaylyn sat down on the path and gave up. She refused to go any further. Nathan then joined her, sobbing that his feet didn't work anymore. We had to carry them the remainder of the way. Thank goodness we only had 1/4 of the way left.

After the reunion we went to Matt's sister's house (Anna) and they took us to Boyd's family cabin. It was really nice with a loft that had rows of beds. It was in a nice area with great scenery. It was the kind of camping I like to do with a microwave and running water. They brought their four wheeler and plenty of games. It was very fun.

On the way home we stayed at Rychaels on the fourth and watched the fireworks from the comfort of his backyard. The next day we drove home via the Grand Canyon. The boys really enjoyed the views. It was nice for us as well since it broke up the monotony of our regular drive home.

I hesitated taking such a long trip this year, but I don't know when I will be able to make another trip like it again. I have been trying to get to Nicki's for a couple of years now and was so glad we were able to do it this year. We had a good time, and the kids had a chance to get to know her kids better.

It was a fun vacation. The kids traveled well and enjoyed seeing all of their cousins. We love you all and enjoyed being with you. See you again next year, if not sooner!

Nathan's Birthday

We had Nathan's birthday party while we were in Washington (we traveled back to Idaho on his actual birthday). He had a great time opening presents.

Nathan requested a Diego birthday cake. I don't have any clue why he wanted Diego since we never watch it or have anything Diego around the house. Nicki, Mom, and I looked all around for some kind of Diego toys to put on a cake so that we could call it a Diego cake. We finally found some at Toys R Us. We laughed when we found the Diego candies at Walmart right down the street. Oh well, the toys made it cuter.

Happy birthday Nathan. Here is a little information about you. You are such a joy. You have the most endearing smile and contagious laugh. You wear your emotions on your sleeve. You are happy most of the time, but when you are not, everyone knows it. I think you are going to be our little entertainer since you love to sing and you aren't afraid to show everyone your haka (it's a polynesian war dance). We love you!

School Ends

The day I thought would never come has come at last, and gone. I am so releaved. I wanted to shout with joy as the bell rang for my fourth hour class to be released. I know that I was blessed though with the endurance that I needed to survive this short but trying time in my life. I also think that I will be better prepared for the up coming year although I will not be teaching freshmen.

In my 2nd hour class today we were watching youtube (since grades were due yesterday and no-one was willing to work today). We were watching some very funny videos and it made me think of one that my sister-in-law took of Anthony at his cousins school carnival. He is sumo wrestling with his best cousin Isaac and it cracks me up. I hope to give you all a laugh too.

Anyway, my goals for the next few months include decluttering my house, reading, and spending some quality time with my kids. I am also looking forward to a long vacation to Idaho. I hope that everyone has a great summer.

Another Month Come and Gone

I'ts been a month since I last blogged. So much has happened. So, here is an update full of pictures and fun. Enjoy!

Jaylyn's birthday was April 19, the last day I blogged. However, I didn't blog her birthday, thinking that I would do it the next Sunday. How time gets away. Here she is on her birthday, ready for church in her new dress that Auntie Emily gave her. We gave her a bike and we went for a little ride in the afternoon before cake and more presents. She's a pretty little 3 year old.




Anthony and Nathan played baseball this spring. Anthony did coach-pitch and Nathan played t-ball. It was a busy, but fun, six weeks.


Jaylyn went to her first birthday party, alone. It was a princess party. She looked so pretty all dressed up. She wore my crown from my junior prom.


Anthony's school did a play. It was called Three of a Kind. He was one of the three wise men. He had a few speaking parts. It was very cute.



Jaylyn loves to get into my make-up. I had it up high enough but she has grown so tall she was able to reach it. I've moved it higher.

Nathan had a little pre-school graduation. I didn't make it but Matt went and took pictures. I can't believe in a few months he will be going to kindergarten.

That is our month in a nutshell. I only have one week left and am exstatic! Hopefully I will be better at blogging over the summer!