A Post for Ryan

I have the cutest 4 year old.  That's right.  I said it.  I dare you to dispute me.  I'll find you and sit on you if you do.  

Ryan is... his very own person.  I know that's an odd sentence  but as I sat here trying to come up with a word to describe him... I couldn't.  Maybe one of you can find one for me.  Ryan is really one of the sweetest little individuals you will meet though- and he is so generous with his hugs.  These hugs will melt you- I promise.  Bad days magically start to turn around when this little guy lays one on you.  

Ryan is still in preschool with Miss Tammy- and he loves it!  Shaun and I have decided to hold him back a year from kindergarten- so he'll have one more year with his favorite teacher and we couldn't be more excited about it.  Miss Tammy has worked SO hard with our shy little bug- he is so much more outgoing than he was.  I know part of that is because he is getting older- but his separation anxiety has gone WAY down since she started working with him.  

Ryan's favorite subject in school is art.  And a more careful painter you will never meet.  I bought some water colors for him to use at home and I sat and watched him this afternoon.  He finished one "portrait" in the time it took his brother to paint five.  It was a very detailed painting of Nephi with a sword.  It made this mama proud.  I got a note from his preschool teacher about how "careful" he was when they were painting and coloring.  He brings home some kind of artwork most days and you can totally tell what they are!  Friday he brought one home that just screamed "Abe Lincoln". 

Ryan is also... Are you ready for this... READING!!  Yeah that's right.  My 4 year old is reading.  He has passed off 3 books in school and is just trucking along trying to get the other ones in the series passed off.  I am SUCH a proud mama when he reads to ME at night instead of me reading to him.  He's such a rockstar!

This picture of him is a little goofy I know- but I had a whole thing planned for some family Valentines that didn't end up working out because I could never nail Ty down long enough to do it.  Grrr.  But I did snap one of Ryan and Kate- I love his eyes in this picture though.  They are such a dark, chocolaty brown.  I'm so jealous.

We really do have a great little kid in Ryan.  He is sweet, tender-hearted and caring... not usually adjectives I would use for a 4 year old little boy- but there you have it.  He loves to tell jokes (just ask him about the chicken that crossed the road and you'll have hours worth of conversation and jokes) and play anything with a ball.  The kid is frothing at the mouth for spring so that he can play baseball again.

He has also been working really hard on getting our money out of his glasses.  I can't decide if buying the wire ones was a good thing or not.  He bends the crap out of them when he wrestles, but they do bend back into place.  But sometimes I wonder if we shouldn't have gone with plastic frames instead.  Hmmm....  We'll see.  Until then though- I have to giggle at all the stories he tells me as to why they are bent the way they are.  A couple weeks ago we were sitting in church and I looked over at him only to realize that HE WAS MISSING A LENS.  I grabbed them and asked them how long he had been missing a lens.  And he just shrugged.  Shaun and I walked the church and retraced our steps until Ryan jumped up and said "Oh yea!  I stepped on them last night!"  Seriously?  You've been walking around for a day with only one lens because you stepped on them last night and couldn't be bothered to pick the other one up?  

I just shake my head and wonder what tomorrow will bring.  Love you Ry!

A Post for Ty

Does anyone else see the irony in this "journal entry" of Ty's...



I'm glad his "splling test" went well.

All joking aside- this kid is doing amazingly well in school right now.  We just got his report card- and he had straight 5's (apparently they don't do A, B, C, D anymore)- which on a scale of 1 to 5... we're pretty excited about.  He loves his teacher (and so do I) and he has been working so hard to progress.  His favorite subject is Math (which he gets from his dad), but he's a great reader too.  His favorite books right now are a series called "The Magic Treehouse", and Shaun and I can barely keep up with him.  I gave up on buying one book at a time because I was headed back to the bookstore every couple of days.  I love it.  It makes me (those that know me know how much I love to read) beyond happy.

And for those of you keeping score... Ty 1,000 and Celiac Disease 0.  That's right.  He is rocking his diagnosis and is doing so amazing on his new diet.  I guess it's not really new any more is it?  We are coming up on the year mark in March.  Wow.  He is DILIGENT when it comes to making sure the food in front of him is food he can eat.  Shaun and I told him how important it is to ask questions- and he has not taken that task lightly.  He asks a lot of questions.  A lot people.  And I am so touched by the support of family and friends in this new endeavor- it means more to me than I think any of them realize.

Ty just finished up his Junior Jazz league- and he had so much fun (I did too- I love watching him play).  It probably helps that he's a head taller than anyone and that makes blocking shots a little easier- but hey- if you got it- flaunt it.  Anyway- things are pretty quiet around here for now.  He's trying to decide if he wants to play baseball or soccer in the spring and is working on earning the money he needs to pay for his half.  Ty works so hard and I am so proud of him.

Too Perfect

I don't know how to share this story without crying.  And it's not really even my story to tell- except it was a part of our lives... which makes it a part of our story- and that's what my blog is all about.  It's about us.  All of us.  

My brother and sister in law recently had quadruplets.  Four gorgeous, healthy babies.  Until one of them wasn't.  The littlest girl, Lexi, suffered from a brain bleed and passed away this last week.  And I have never before experienced grief so raw.  Not just my own- but in watching my brother and his wife...  We suffered because they suffered.  

I have encountered and suffered through some pretty intense experiences in my 31 years- and I have wanted to take pain away from my babies when I saw them hurt- but I have never wanted so badly to take away such emotional anguish.  

I sat and watched my brother and sister in law struggle with this and I have come away with so much awe.  I could never have handled the situation the way that they did.  They are such rocks and have such strength in each other and so much trust in the Lord and His plan.  I am in, well... awe.  

We attended the funeral for baby Lexi this weekend, and laid to rest a body of someone that was too perfect for this world.  I look forward to the time when we will meet again and I will get a chance to get to know my niece and to know her purpose on the other side of the veil.  Love you baby girl.

I'm a Big Girl Now

Remember that old Pull Ups commercial?  Where the little kid would sing about how big he/she was because she/he was using the potty?  We have reached that day.  It was kind of bittersweet.  Okay- Shaun thought it was awesome.  I'm kind of on the fence.



Kate is officially a "Big Girl" now.  No more diapers.  Is my wallet happy?  Yes.  Is my purse happy that it doesn't have to haul around diapers any more?  Yes.  Is it awesome we can go anywhere now without a diaper bag.  Yes.  Am I sad that we have moved onto the Next Stage of parenting?  I don't know.  Yes.  I mean No.  I mean... see?  I'm so confused.

I love babies.  Babies are sweet and snuggly and they never ever talk back.  Ever.  They might squeal at you for a second- but all you have to do is give them a binky and all of a sudden you are best friends again.  I love babies.

I love kids.  Kids are hilarious and rambunctious and crazy.  You can take kids to the park and to the zoo and you can have halfway intelligent conversations with them.  They have opinions and personalities.  I love kids.

But am I ready to be the mom with kids and no babies?  I don't know.  I guess I don't have much choice... that's what I am now... But I wasn't quite ready to be there yet.  I wasn't quite ready to be done with having babies.  It just came so soon.  So maybe I'll hang onto a diaper... I'll just slip it into my purse- it doesn't take up that much room after all.

Nate and Newt

My kids have some super cute cousins.  But unfortunately, we don't get to see all of them that often.  Bummer.  We do however, get to see Cameron a lot (Dave's little boy). I was babysitting him the other night and he and Kate (who are the best of friends) were being total goobers.  There is really no other word for it. Whenever they see each other Cam will yell out (at the top of his lungs) "NATE"! He can't say Kate- so she has become Nate.  And when Kate see's Cam- she yells out (at the top of her lungs) "NEWT"! (this is a long story involving my husband- he can't see a person and NOT come up with a goofy nickname for them- poor Cam got hung with Newt).  And they do this over and over again.

Let me set the stage and you can see how my night went:

"NATE!"
"NEWT!"

Histarical laughter ensues.

"NATE!"
"NEWT!"

Histarical laughter ensues.

And on and on it goes.  So I pulled out the camera to catch Nate and Newt at their finest...

See?  I told you they were goobers.

Chomp Chomp

Well folks... we survived another trip to the dentist.  Whew.  Going to the dentist  un-nerves me a little sometimes.  I feel like if my kids have plaque or build up or something the dentist is going to think I'm a terrible mother.  And really- isn't that what all moms' fear?  The fact that someone else thinks we are a terrible mother?  It's stupid really.  Why do I care what a man (who I see twice a year) thinks about me?  I don't know.  But I do.

I came out looking awesome this time though.  No cavities!  And my kids were so proud.

When Dad is Away

Shaun went with my dad and my brother to a Utah basketball game the other night... which left me and the kids to our own devices for the evening.  I have to admit- I'm super lazy sometimes.  When it's just me and the kids- I sometimes have a really hard time mustering up the energy to cook any kind of meal.  I remember when Shaun was helping his dad out a couple summers ago- he would be gone for 3-4 days at a time and poor Ty and Ryan... they had oatmeal for dinner more times than I am proud of.  But sometimes it's just so easy to make something along those lines because there isn't a fight and it's just such a cinch.

Soo... we had pancakes.  But not just any pancakes... we had "Fancy" pancakes.  What's a fancy pancake you ask?  I'll tell you.  It is something so stupidly simple... even I am in awe I didn't come up with the idea sooner.

It's pancakes.  With fruit.  And chocolate chips.  And whatever other crap the kids want to put in them.  I let them decide.  And it was a huge hit.  They love me.  I'm super mom.  At least until bath-time.

BlueBird Day

My dad used to say that a lot.  Okay- really he still says it... but I mostly remember it from my childhood.  See- during the winter, Salt Lake gets inundated with a lot of smoggy days and the inversion gets so bad you can't see the mountains or the sky for weeks at a time.  It's kind of gross.  But every once in a while- my dad would take us out of school and drive us up the mountain to the ski resort where the sun would be shining and the weather would be absolutely gorgeous- he called them blue bird days.  And we would ski all day long.  I loved it.

And apparently my dad is set on spoiling the next generation with blue bird ski days.  We have had a really crappy inversion going on lately and he stole my boys and took them up skiing last Saturday.  My sister went with and came home with some GORGEOUS pictures of the outside world.



The boys had so much fun!

Sleeping Bag Beauty

One of the perks of Shaun's current job is his ability to get great outdoor gear super cheap.  This has not helped our bank account.  I still love it though.  It's my favorite when I see him getting out of his car with a bag or a box in his hand with his latest "find."  The kids are as bad as I am at wanting to see what it is and who it is for.  

The last time- it was Kate's lucky day.  Shaun had found the cutest little pink sleeping bag for her.  She insisted in sleeping in it for a week straight.  

It was kind of nice for me though... no bed to make in the morning and no sheets to wash that week!  

I Hate Snow

I am a summer person.  Or even a spring or fall kind of gal.  Really- any season that does not involve snow- that's my kind of season.  I don't mind snow in the mountains- but I hate shoveling it.  I hate cleaning off my car.  I hate kicking wet snow off of my feet (and out of my shoes).  I don't care for driving in it- not because of the snow- but because of all the idiots that are on the road with me.

But Mother Nature apparently likes the snow.  She sent more our direction the last few weeks.  One storm- we had 24" in the front yard.  And the next one dumped 5".  I shouldn't complain- back East they had a storm yesterday that dumped 36".  But whatever.  Snow is snow and I don't like it.

My kids do though...

Jazzin' it up

Shaun got a pretty cool Christmas present from my parents this year... 4th row Jazz tickets!  I knew what he was getting before he did- so I cozened him into saying he would let me go with him before he knew what he had.  Bwahahaha (or some other evil sounding laugh)!  He kind of shook his head when he opened them and asked me who else he would have taken- which for a lesser person- would have made the swindling of my ticket somewhat forfeit.  Luckily for me- I'm not a lesser person.  I was still excited.  Any excuse for a date is a good excuse.

The evening of our BIG date came just a couple weeks ago... But naturally I forgot to charge my phone before we left- so I only have one picture of the game- and it didn't even have us in it.  I took the picture to post on facebook so my parents could see what great seats we had- with the intention of later taking a picture of Shaun and I actually at the game... but no dice.



I did however get a really great shot of the man's head in front of us...  Not so cool.

Pictures aside- we had a fun night.  We went to dinner downtown at PF Changs (they have a wonderful gluten free menu) and (again thanks to my dad) we had great parking- which was even better because it was FRIGID outside and walking around in it was the pits.

Thanks for taking me with you Shaun (even if you couldn't think of anyone else to take)!

Junior Jazz

Ty worked hard this fall in order to save up enough money so he could play Junior Jazz again this winter.  Shaun and I made a deal with him- he can play anything he wants, but he has to earn half of the money.  For a 7 year old that does not have steady job or an allowance- this can be a tall order.  But he is so good about it.  He vacuumed lots of stairs (50 cents per flight of stairs), washed down plenty of baseboards (75 cents) and helped me shovel snow more times than we could count ($1).  I don't believe in paying kids to do things that they should be doing anyway (ie:  making their beds, putting their clothes away, taking the garbage out, etc), but I don't mind paying a little extra when they put forth a little extra effort.  Anyway- he had to earn about $20... which was a lot of work for the little guy.  But in the end- his little piggy bank was chuck full and he had enough to pay for basketball and get a Slurpee on the ride home too.  We're talking about a happy little boy.  

Basketball started about three weeks ago- but since I'm a terrible mother- I kept forgetting my camera.  I finally remembered on Saturday and got to snap a few "action" pics.  

Check out that form...  His dad and grandpa have been working pretty hard with him these days.  I think it may be time to invest in a hoop for the front yard...  Maybe this summer...

I wish Ty's head hadn't been ducked here (he's wearing the red sweat band and has the ball)- he TOWERS over the other kids on the court...

Cousin Cam came to watch with Grandma and Grandpa...

Check out those mad dribbling skills...

Ryan loves to come to the games because he gets to play around with the basketballs that have been left unattended during the game.  And he loves running out on the court during timeouts and halftime to shoot at the big basket.

All three boys goofing off after the game...

What the #$(^&!

I hate snow.  I am the kind of person that was MADE for the beach.  Soft, white sand...  Blue water... Waves crashing on the beach... Ahhh....

But... Beaches I have not.  What I do have... is a lot of snow.  A lot.  We had a massive snowstorm on Thursday/Friday/Saturday that I am still trying to dig out from.  My neighbor took a measurement from the middle of his front yard... Are you ready?  From one snowstorm... we have 24" of new snow in our front yard.  That's two freakin' feet!!  Are you kidding me!?  Guh.  I know it's January and it's that time of year and we live in Utah... it just makes me wish we didn't!!

The kids like it though... They spent as much time as they could outside.  I gave Ryan a snow day on Friday because I wasn't sure I'd be able to get back to his preschool in time to pick him back up- so he spent the morning tromping around in the backyard making a trail for Kate.  Kate couldn't handle the snow on her own and was very grateful for the help from her big brother.  

This picture is one of Ryan- he sat down in the snow to take a bite... and it covered his body!!

Sledding

I looked up the definition of sledding.  It said the following about a sled: 

1 : a vehicle usually on runners for transportation especially on snow or ice; especially : a small steerable one used especially by children for coasting down snow-covered hills

Now... think of that definition.  Coasting down snow-covered hills.  This is the sledding that I remember doing growing up.  Trudging up HUGE icy hills (I also remember falling down a lot on those hills) for a two second ride.  And while the ride was always fun...  The bottom of the hill always symbolized the fact that I had to climb the stupid hill again.  

Declo-ites sled differently.  

We went up to visit Grandma and Grandpa for New Years and our cousins wanted to go sledding.  'Woop-dee-freakin'-do' I thought to myself.  Until we went out side.  Papa had hooked up two big sleds to the back of his 4-wheelers!  This is the life- let me tell you that!  The kids were soo excited!  And I'll tell you now- I took a ton of pictures- so bear with me!

Ty and Deja...

Papa...

Grandma Jacki...

Ty liked to pretend he was some kind of daredevil.  Needless to say- he fell off a lot.

Dani and Krew...

Krew...  

Dani...

Shaun...

Uncle Chase...

This was my favorite... We piled ALL the little ones onto one sled (except for Krew) and sent them off!!

Blurry, but still cute!

Dani did make Krew get on a sled though.  He was freezing when we pulled him off!

Reminds me of the Dixie Chicks (remember them?) song "Wide Open Spaces).  So pretty with the snow!

Papa again...

I think they were starting to get tired... what do you think?

Dani... trying to get dumped...

Chase and Dani...

Then we put the girls on one... Apparently Kate couldn't see a thing though since her  hat was down so low!

And my boys...

They got dumped... Ryan was less than impressed.

Krew didn't last the whole afternoon...

We had so much fun and I will never again think of sledding in such a boring way!  

And lastly... a couple pictures of my babies...  I am finding more and more that I am loving the "big kid" stage!!