the real santa

You really learn a lot when you eavesdrop. The topic today was about the "real Santa" because obviously there are a lot of fakes out there. To set the scene, we are in the minivan on the way home from school and it's Gabe, his friend Cole, and Nyah.  They are discussing whether or not it was the "real Santa" that came to Nyah's preschool.  The boys think not because his beard was not curly.  Gabe insists that Santa's beard is not flat and straight, like the imposter in the picture with Nyah.  Cole is just all around skeptical because he says he has noticed in the past 5 years (his life span) that all the pictures of him on Santa's lap are different.... different beard, different hat, different hair.  He is convinced that Santa is much more elusive than we think.  Gabe on the other hand insists he saw the "real santa" last year and he has a curly beard.  Then Cole asks if he had mistletoe or holly on his hat... because if not, he was not the "real santa".   He then asks if Gabe knows about St. Nicholas from the Dutch and how he is for sure real because someone saw his flyin' freakin' horses!! (his words) This enlightening discussion goes on for awhile before it slowly digresses into giggles about underwear and toilet paper.  I just love kids!!!!

turkey time

Turkey, pie, football, family.  Thanksgiving. This is one of my favorite holidays because the preparation is all food and when you have a bunch of people involved (which most Thanksgiving feasts do) then it's really not that much work. At least it wasn't for me this year!  I got to make the mashed potatoes and some scrumptious pies.  I just love how simple this holiday is because it tends to make it easier to really focus on the thankful part of the day and the real reason we celebrate.  It's funny because one day I was telling Gabe the story of why we have Thanksgiving and I started crying!! It cracks me up now, imagining him watching me bawl as I try to express to him my feelings about our country and how it was founded.  I just have such admiration, even love, for our pilgrim ancestors and the founders of our wonderful nation.  The entire thing from Columbus to the Revolutionary War to the establishment of our government was so obviously guided by God.  I firmly believe that.  I know things weren't perfect. People aren't.  But God works with what he has. And the really cool thing is that nothing, and no one, can stand in the way of God's purposes. Anyway, little tangent... I just love the holidays and love our country and love my family.  Here are the stars of the show this year:

Amy, me, Mindy, Mom... the cooks.

Everyone checking out the ads for Black Friday shopping!

Ian (who has never sucked on a binki) found Gage's and decided he is a big fan!

Nyah loves looking at books. Or hunting magazines it appears!

Guess who lost a tooth after dinner?! Isn't he adorable with that big gap!!

Gabe's Mayflower. It is a work of art. Three levels inside, deck with railing, flag and too many details to mention. Amazing what that kid can do with paper, scissors, and tape!

pumpkins and candy

That pretty much sums up October, right?  We spent the fall at Mom and Dad's and had a great time sharing all the festivities with cousins.  Here we are carving pumpkins. Mindy, Amy, and I and the all the kiddies. (My parents were actually in Tennessee visiting Mel's fam!) Yes, that is Ian standing on the table.  After taking him down 2 dozen times I gave up.

I think she is trying on the face that she is carving. She said she wanted a scared jack o lantern this year!

 Trick or treating was really a blast - we had so much fun tromping around the neighborhood with Mindy and Matt's families.  I love being so close to my family!!!! This year we had a darling witch, a funny little Chewbacca, and a tough S.W.A.T. man. Oh, and Wonder Woman showed up too. Love Halloween!!

crazy life

It's been a little nutso at our house these past couple of months. First we spent 7 weeks with Mom and Dad while we shopped for home sweet home.  What a blessing that was to have a comfy, cozy place to stay with a bedroom for each child and lots of cousins in the neighborhood to play with.  Ian developed a borderline obsession for horses during that short time as well... I'll have to tell you more about that later.  A few weeks before Thanksgiving we moved into our new house in Sandy. Mom and Dad claimed they loved having us stay with them but I still imagine they took a huge sigh of relief when we packed our bags and left! It was pretty much torture going from my mom's clean, organized, and cozy house and head over to disaster-ville. Can I just say that I hate moving? I really hate moving. Hate it. I get so overwhelmed with boxes to ceiling in every room.  Especially when you can't find the soap or the towels or the toaster or the dishrags or the silverware.... whew am I glad that is OVER! Double yuck. I had 90% of the unpacking finished by Thanksgiving so I decided to take a break and decorate for Christmas. That was the best decision! It is so uplifting to have the sparkly tree up and the pretty garlands and shiny ornaments and festive wreaths. With Christmas tunes playing, it's actually fun finishing up my work of hanging up pictures, etc. Except things are going very, very slowly because there's a new villain in town, name of Ian.  If he isn't climbing on the table and chucking off glass (to shatter on the tile), he's pulling every single book we own off the bookshelves, splashing around in the toilet, escaping out the door to run down the street in his socks, rearranging the pantry (cans in the garbage and cake mixes in the drawers) or plucking ornaments off the tree and (again) shattering them on the tile. He genuinely loves to create mayhem.  Neither of my other children were like this.  I'm in over my head because I have no idea how to deal with him.  At 20 months, it's hard to discipline. I say "no!" and he smiles and throws whatever it is he has in his hand.  I put him in time out and he smiles and swings his legs. I even gently swatted him on the bum (don't tell) and he smiled and laughed like it was a new game. At least he is a happy little guy.  And he is about as cute a button. But sometimes I wish I had a pen to put him in so I could vacuum or maybe even shower.

Back to the new house. I love it! It feels really good to be (half-way) settled.  We need to get some work done on the house (just new flooring and painting) and I have some furniture to buy but it's coming along wonderfully.  For now the upstairs is plenty of room but we have room to grow in the basement which will come in handy since I don't ever plan on moving again! Our neighborhood and ward is Amazing!  Everyone is so friendly and nice. It's almost weird. In a really awesome way.  I was blown away with how open and kind and accepting my ward was. The ladies literally gathered around and introduced themselves and chatted with me on our first Sunday. It was incredible. I feel like we are where we are supposed to be. This house, this neighborhood, these people. It just feels right. The kids are adjusting well too. I enrolled Nyah in a little preschool and she is loving it. She is pretty darn adaptable though with her super-friendly personality!  Gabe is the one that I was worried about.  This is his third elementary school this year. He has been amazing though.  Even though it's been really hard for him, he's been so brave and not complained at all. His teacher now is honestly the kindest, happiest, sharpest woman... another huge blessing.  I know we are being watched over. She welcomed him with open arms and a big smile! She has helped him every step of the way to adjust to their classroom and school routine, even going so far as to personally call me and let me know she was getting him a school tshirt so he would fit in on "spirit days".  What an incredible teacher!! 

Things are good.  We are loving having family so close to us.  It's such a treat to have Caitlynn over for a movie or my siblings come for football or run over to grandma's for Sunday dinner.  My heart is so full this Christmas season.  I feel so blessed!

home

We said goodbye to the wonderful state of Washington and said hello again to our beloved Utah.

 

When we moved to Washington, we had a plan.  Five to ten years and we would move our family back to Utah to raise our children by family.  But the thing is, Washington became home for us these past 4+ years so we had mixed feelings when our opportunity to move back finally came.  It wasn't a hard choice, not really, but at the same time it was really difficult for Eric and I to uproot our family from our wonderful neighborhood and ward.  We developed so many incredible friendships while in Washington.  We met different people, experienced new cultures, explored the mountains and beaches, and so much more.  But most importantly, we had the chance to experience the Church outside of Utah.  We got to truly know what it felt like to have a ward family.  It was an unforgettable, irreplaceable 4 years of our lives.  I know Eric and I learned and grew so much while we were living away.  I will always cherish my friendships from Renton Washington.  What a beautiful, faithful, loyal, and kind group of women I was blessed to know.  I genuinely love each of these ladies!

When it came down to the last few days before moving... boy, did I have a hard time leaving my girls. :)  Thankfully we have the internet to stay in touch... and I'm hoping to have some visitors in the coming years too!

 

So here we are in Utah!  Beautiful, sunny, friendly and familiar Utah.  It feels good to be home. To be surrounded by sisters and brothers, parents, cousins, and old friends.  Eric and I worked hard to find a house that was a good fit for our growing family - a place to raise our children in.  We think we found it in Sandy, UT! We are under contract right now and looking forward to closing soon and moving in.  Woohoooo!!

Dad's birthday. All the grandkids (in Utah) piled on his lap!

The Enchanted Forest

I can't help it. That's the first thing that comes to mind when I think of the mountains in the Northwest.  I mean, check out these pictures... knowing that pictures hardly do nature justice, I'm sure you can imagine how awe-inspiring it is here.

The kids were gutsy and wore their swim suits and swam in some deep water holes in the creek. The water was freezing! 

 

 This was just a simple, fairly busy hike that we took the kids on up by Snowqualmie Pass.  But it was exquisite!  I believe a lot of it had to do with the time of day we went. The lighting was beautiful with the setting sun's rays slanting through the branches. Wow. I can't describe how lovely it was.  Eric ended up turning around early with the 2 little ones but Gabe and I finished up the hike all the way to the falls. He was such a cute little hiking buddy, just chattering away the whole time! It was really fun to have that one-on-one time with him.  I know he felt very grown up that he could keep hiking all the way to the top! Usually he hikes with his dad so I think he thought this was extra special to be with me this time.  It felt special to me, too. :)

First day of school

Gabe is our big 1st grader now! I can barely believe it.  He looks so big and mature climbing onto the bus each morning with his backpack full of folders and lunch box.  And home feels really quiet without him.  We are definitely missing him.  (Luckily Nyah and Ian are turning out to be little pals that play great together - it's fun to see.)  It's more than a little strange for Gabe to be gone for most of the day.  I had no idea how weird it would feel.  I'm sure I'll get used to it eventually but right now it doesn't feel right that my little boy is away from me more than he is with me nowadays! :(  It's made me realize how important each interaction with him is.  I can't afford to be impatient or annoyed-acting with him because who knows what he experiences at school all day.  Who knows if kids or adults are being kind and positive and uplifting... or otherwise.  But if I'm going to be the kind of mother I always wanted to be, I've got to make sure I use this precious time I have with my little ones wisely.  I always dreamed of building a home of safety and order, laughter and comfort - where the Spirit is felt and everyone feels loved and important.  So I guess what I'm trying to say is, having Gabe start full day school has in a round-about way reminded me of all those goals and helped me to take a closer look at how I'm treating my family.  I'm committed to turning over a new leaf - to guarding my tongue and being conscious of every word I say. Unfortunately I have a lot of work ahead of me but I'm excited to be a better a mom, a better person.  So hurray for 1st grade and revelations! :)

Broad Jump Track Star!

Gabe and his biggest fan!

This spring Gabe was a track and field man. With his fast shoes on he loved to run the short sprints, long jump and the softball throw.  And he always tried his hardest.  It was really fun to watch him compete at the meets and win lots of ribbons. He was more interested in getting a different color of ribbon each time than getting first in anything! :) Which was pretty nice for his first time being introduced to organized sports.  On our very last track meet - the biggest with 4 cities competing - the Broad Jump was introduced for the first time and Gabe wanted to try.  Ironically at the beginning of the meet he told he really wanted a blue ribbon since it was one color he had never gotten.  My heart sank a little because even though he didn't know blue meant first place, I did... and I also knew that a lot the kids competing were older and bigger.  Well I almost cried when it was announced that Gabe had won first place in the Broad Jump!! I literally had a lump in my throat!  It was so wonderful - although I wonder if it meant more to me than to him - I couldn't tell if he even understood he won first, or maybe he didn't care that much!  That boy is a puzzle to me half the time, even at the age of 6!  Anyway, I was thrilled for him and proud of him for trying so hard and doing his best.

First blue ribbon - woohoo!

little moments

This summer has held a lot of outings to the park and the beach for our little family! We have also done a lot of sprinklers, some hikes, and other family adventures.  I swear it's the little moments that add up to being the best memories.  Here are a collection of random pictures representing our summer so far...beginning with a pic of Gabe's water popsicles that he was so excited about!  I had to agree with him that it was a genius idea (won't get any complaints from mom... cheap, easy, and no mess)!! ;)

at Lowe's project class for kids!

Surprise birthday luncheon for me... I have the best group of friends!

Utah time

My sisters Melanie and Erin were both making the very long trek to Utah for the 4th of July (coming from Tennessee and Michigan) and since I hadn't seen their families for 18 months I decided to be very brave and drive myself and the kids to Utah too!  It was a looooong 16 hours but we finally made it all in one piece - which is all that really matters.  My good friend Whitney and I caravanned and it turned out surprisingly not as dreadful as I anticipated.  It helped that I had checked out more than 30 videos from the library and my dear friend Aubrey loaded us down with snacks and prizes for the kids! All in all it was a success.  If I just forget about the time I almost ran out of gas (who knew there was a million miles between stations in the middle of Idaho?) and the 30 minutes that all the kids were literally screaming bloody murder.  It took me that long to figure out my stress was contagious and it had been too long of a day and the van was entirely too hot (couldn't use the ac when we were driving on fumes!) for me to succumb to my own anxieties.  Once I calmed down (thanks for the pep talk, Mom), everyone else calmed down too.  We found a gas station and were on our merry way. Whew! :)  Lesson learned the hard way: it's entirely true that if Mom isn't happy, no one is happy!!


Doing yoga during the long drive!

We spent the week at Matt and Amy's - a real treat for us all! Gabe and Nyah were utterly thrilled to be with Wesley and Logan all the time and there were so many exciting things to do and explore.  Matt has done so much work in their yard and so the kids had a fort and swing set, slides and trampoline... not to mention all the toys... and best of all the "desert" and their wilderness fort. Matt's house borders on a golf course and BLM land so the kids have a blast looking for golf balls and running around the 4wheeler trails out there.  Gabe and Wesley spent days refurbishing what looked like to me a hut that a homeless person put together out in the BLM land... not the safest place to play but they were so thrilled about it, I couldn't interfere!  I got it all on video but didn't get any pics. I'm sure you can use your imagination of how cool it was! ;)
I had a wonderful time with all of my siblings... it's so rare that we all get together.  It was so fun seeing all our kids playing together too. Mel's boys were absolutely addicted to riding the 4wheelers and spent part of every day out there racing around. They kindly would give the little kids rides too and Gabe just loved it!  We also went to the pool and the splashpad, did sprinklers, had birthday parties for Ben and Coleman, did our own firework show, went to Jump On It (an ultimate trampoline place), had tons of game nights, barbecues, Café Rio and In-N-Out Burgers, and feeding endless treats to the horses (I'm sure Dad was thrilled).  The only thing we didn't do was go horseback riding - at least I didn't, I'm sure others did.  Anyway, it was a great time and I'm so happy I went! 


Coleman with Ian and Gage

Coleman and Gabe

Bridger and Ian

Mom, Mindy, Gage



Coleman holding Gage and Ian in a pit of sponge squares at Jump On It!



TJ!! :)

So funny watching Ian, Gage and Charlotte all manhandle each other, haha!

Charlotte and Nyah

Ben's birthday party!

Fireworks at Matt's!



Eliza and Gabe... and all the boys climbing all over that car!



Game night! Amy, Erin, Jed, Dad, Matt, Connor, Mel

Mel, Mom, Me

reverse charades - hilarious!! Mel, Mindy, me, Amy



Connor, Jed, Matt, Mom