New Adventures of Full-Time Life

Coloring - A Lost Art

2012-01-14T12:43:00.000-08:00

I have forgotten how fun and relaxing coloring is. The other day, I decided to color with my kids. Kodi was nice enough to let me have a picture from her coloring pad, and Kyson shared all of his coloring supplies and the three of us sat at the coffee table and colored for hours. It was funny how I enjoyed choosing which color I'd make the princesses' dresses or the carriage that was pulling them. It made me feel like a designer having complete control over what the product would look like. It was weird.

I continued to color for a short time, even without the kids, to feed this new exhilaration addiction. Fortunately, I was able to beat the habit after only 3 pictures. Kyson on the other hand takes such pride in his pictures that he has to hang them up for all to see. We've told him that he will have to take down his collection each week unless it's in his toy room or bedroom. He didn't like it, but he's getting better. So, we have new wallpaper put up each week. If only he could beat the habit as quickly as I did.

Decorating Eggs

2012-01-10T12:16:00.000-08:00

For Family Home Evening, we had decided to talk about prayer. I realize that prayer and eggs probably have nothing in common, but most people do know about prayer rocks. You put a rock by your bed or under your pillow so you'll hit it when you go to bed and it will remind you to say your prayers. Kris had a fabulous idea to go to the craft store and buy some wooden eggs, since nice, big rocks are hard to find and I didn't feel like pulling out paints with our little ones.

The evening was a success. We talked about why we pray and how we do it and then our culminating activity was to color our prayer eggs. Kodi kept hogging all the markers and taking the lids off all of them. Then she'd get really mad when you tried to take them away. She also got some markers on her hands and because they're washable, they come off on anything you touch. She kept touching her face. It was a lot of fun, and that night Kyson was so excited to say his prayers. We'll see how long it works.

Ringing in the New Year Right

2012-01-05T10:35:00.000-08:00

For quite a few years now, we've celebrated New Years with the Holts. A year later, the Bartletts joined the festivities and this year, two more joined the group: the Kous and Parents. When the Parents showed up I got a little nervous and thought I'd need to be on my best behavior because he is in the bishopric, but it turns out he's a really nice, down-to-earth kinda guy and I didn't have to pretend to be an outstanding citizen.

This year's puzzle was one that we received as a Christmas gift from Kris's half-brother, Ben. It was a map of the area. At first I thought the puzzle would be impossible, but once we got started it wasn't so bad. It was outdated though. Most of Herriman wasn't even on the map, but it was still fun to look at the area.

As usual, we had many munchies and I made myself sick eating chips and salsa, fondue, and meatballs. I didn't really partake of the chocolate fountain this year, but it's always a hit with the kids. The Holts also have a large basement where the kids were able to play together, so the adults could have a little peace and quiet. I absolutely love going there for New Years. Since I've been married, I don't think there has been a placed that we lived where we feel so comfortable. The friends in the area are unique and I'm so glad I get to spend another year with them.

Happy New Year -

I can't believe it's 2012!

Goodbye 2011

2011-12-31T09:51:00.000-08:00

When a year begins, you never anticipate what you'll go through. I think 2011 has been a great year, but I'm excited to have a fresh start. I feel like 2012 will be a good year. I've learned many things throughout this past year:

My children are the most frustrating, but most rewarding thing in my life
Death is bittersweet - wonderful for those who've moved on, but sad for those left behind
Refinancing your home doesn't mean you're bad with money - it means you want to have more of it
Mr Clean Magic Erasers are one of the best things ever invented
10 years of marriage doesn't seem long when you're in love
Nothing is more important than family
Teaching - there truly is no greater call
A clean house is impossible with two small children and 12-hour work days

I look forward to the experiences that 2012 will bring and I hope that I'll escape yet another year with my sanity.

Temple Square (A Little Late)

2011-12-30T09:27:00.000-08:00

I wanted to go see the lights up at Temple Square so badly, but December is a very difficult month. It's hard enough with Christmas, but when you add a death and 3 birthday parties, it's nearly impossible. Fortunately, Mother Nature was kind to us this winter and the highs have stayed in the 40s even this late in the year. It made for an enjoyable visit to see the lights. We didn't spend a lot of time there, but Kyson and Kodi just loved looking around and seeing so many colors all around them. On Main Street, they had a beautiful nativity set up with Joseph, Mary, and Jesus in the middle of the water floating. The entire display was right in front of the temple and simply gorgeous. Not only was it beautiful, and inspiring, but it gave us a chance to be together. I'm so grateful for the time that those workers must put in to make the Temple Grounds so wonderful at Christmas time.

We Love you Grandpa

2011-12-27T08:47:00.000-08:00

Joseph William Gunn

December 17, 1918 - December 17, 2011

A few years ago, my grand- father's health started fading when he tripped and broke his back. Since that time he has been in a few different care facilities and taken care of day and night. Even during the past few years when he hasn't been feeling well, he'd kept that sense of humor that no one understands, and adored his great-grandchildren. A short time ago, he started having problems with his gallbladder and needed it removed, but because of his age and weak health, the surgery would kill him. He was told he'd get a secondary infection and that infection would kill him, and was placed on Hospice. On Thursday, the 15, my sister called me to tell me that it wasn't looking good. I spent all my available time with him from that day until he passed away 2 days later. On Saturday, December 17, there was a birthday party planned for him. He passed away about a half hour before his birthday party.

His funeral was beautiful. I learned a lot of things about him, but the thing that stuck out t me most was his participation in World War II. I knew he was in WWII, and I knew he was in the Air Force in England. That was all I knew. I learned a lot more. After hearing his stories, I decided he followed the rule of 4. When my grandpa returned from his mission, he married my grandmother on Dec 3, 1941, 4 days before Pearl Harbor was attacked. He was married for 4 months when he left for England to be a bomber pilot in the War. He was away for 4 years fighting in the War, and didn't see my grandmother at all during that time. What a marvelous love they had for one another to endure such hardships. His Battalion had a little over 150 people in it, but only 30-something returned home alive. Apparently, once a pilot did 25 missions, he wouldn't do any more. The reason was many didn't survive that many. My grandfather did more than 25 missions and lived to tell his stories.

At the burial site, he had a bagpipe player and the full 21-gun salute for military honors. As the bagpipe player walked in front of the casket to lead it to its burial plot, the granddaughters were all together in the corner, silently sobbing at the loss of such a wonderful man. He then played "Amazing Grace," and walked away. We listened and cried as the music faded. My grandfather was a good person who truly loved and cared about everyone he knew. His legacy will not be forgotten, and I'm grateful and honored to be a part of it.

Joseph W. Gunn

1918 ~ 2011

Our beloved husband, brother, grandfather, and great-grandfather, Joseph William Gunn, at age 93, passed away on December 17, 2011 after a long and prosperous life.

He was born December 17, 1918 in South Salt Lake, the first of five children of Roy and Mary Ellen Gunn. He enjoyed reading, traveling, singing, and spending time with his family. He attended Granite High School and later the University of Utah, earning his Bachelor degree in education. He taught school in a range of grade levels, from 4th through 9th in Davis School District. He started a commercial garbage company in high school called Utah Waste Paper. He was a member of the Sons of Pioneers. He served for four years during World War II in the 305th Bombardment Group of the 8th Air Force.

Joseph married Carrol Marinda Bringhurst, December 3, 1941 in the Salt Lake Temple, after returning from his first mission. They were a couple for 70 years. He served four LDS church missions, and served in many positions within the church. He was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints his entire life.

Joseph is survived by his four children: Dennis (Gretchen) Gunn, Carrolyn (William) Tinsch, Lynda Lee (Kent) Andersen, and Jolene (Scott) Pruyt, Italian foreign exchange son Guido Ramazio, sister Helen Layton, and brother Raymond Gunn. He is survived also by eleven grandchildren and nineteen great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Carrol; parents; brother Hyrum Gunn and sister Barbara Cook; two still born children and grandson Jason Tinsch.

Joseph has experienced many things and visited many countries throughout the world making many friends. He had a unique sense of humor that was felt by many. He never spoke ill of anyone and maintained a positive attitude about everything. He enriched many lives as a teacher, a friend, an acquaintance, and as a confidant. He will be deeply missed.

Funeral services will be held Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at11:00 a.m. at the Ensign Peak Ward Chapel, 125 E. North Sandrun Road. Friends and family may call Monday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Wasatch Lawn Mortuary, 3401 South Highland Drive and Tuesday 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. at the church prior to services. Interment: Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park.

Christmas

2011-12-25T08:15:00.000-08:00

This is the first year that Kyson has complete- ly and totally, 100% under- stood the whole concept of Santa and presents and "you have to be good for Santa to come." It's been a lot of fun to talk about Santa so much - Kyson's been talking about him since October. Well this year, Santa didn't disappoint. Christmas morning we came downstairs to see what was under the tree, but I went first so I could video tape their reaction. The big present they got was a battery-operated Jeep. When they came down and started admiring what they had, Kyson had to pause for a moment and pose for the camera - he's such a ham!

After initial reactions, we opened all the presents, but Kodi didn't want to open her presents. She wouldn't get out of the Jeep. I ended up opening a lot of her presents for her while she sat in the car. It's funny how a two-year-old girl doesn't like dolls. She likes cars and wrestling. We got a lot of fun things from Santa, and some practical things as well. Then came cinnamon rolls.

We decided to start a tradition of eating cinnamon rolls in the morning so I don't have to make a big breakfast to hold us all over. Apparently everyone does that too because a couple of days before Christmas, I went to buy some, and all of the quick ones were gone. I had to make the long version of them starting the night before - but it was worth it - they were delicious!

After the presents and cinnamon rolls, we went to church. The kids were getting restless because the 1 hour meeting that it was supposed to be turned into an hour and 45 minutes. It was a great program, just way too long for a holiday when people had things to do and places to be. I figures - it's Christmas and the day of the Lord's birth. We can sacrifice an extra hour of church for Him.

Before the day was out, Kyson was very anxious to drive his new Jeep around and Kodi was the perfect date. She sat quietly in the passenger side, and never attempted to be a backseat driver, even though he was giving her whiplash and seemed drunk. His maiden voyage was a trip around the block. He ran into two fences, the garage, a car, and ran off the sidewalk many times. I understand he's only 4, but isn't some driving ability innate? Thankfully, he didn't total his Jeep on the first day and I hope he'll want to play with it for many days to come.

Another hit present was the Aqua Doodle. Jen, Bill and Josh came over later that evening to see what the kids got and this particular present they liked so much that Jen and Bill filled the entire thing with their drawings. It was so funny. I kept coming back every so often and taking a picture of their progress. I only included the last picture, but it was so cute to see them drawing on the floor like little kids. I guess Christmas brings out the child in all of us.

Kyson's Christmas (the Jeep was for both of them)

Kodi's Christmas

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T18:20:00.000-08:00

So much has happened just before Christmas this year. My grand- father passed away on Dec 17, my mom had a hip replacement on Dec. 20, and we're all just running around trying to get Christmas ready. Because my mom had surgery so close to Christmas, we thought we'd have to bring the party her - in her bedroom. Amazingly enough, by Christmas Eve she was walking, doing stairs, and even driving. I couldn't believe the progress she had made in only 4 days. We still took the party to her by going to my parents house for some Christmas Eve festivities. We ate some food, chatted a bunch, played around, and then we did presents.

Normally presents for my mom is a big deal, but my father is retiring this year and she said she had to "scale back." Her generosity was still amazing, and we didn't even notice a decrease in anything. It's always so fun to sit together int he family room, open presents, and laugh. It takes me back to my childhood where we had Christmas in the same room and we still opened presents and laughed together. The most precious gift that we received from my parents was a statue of an iguana. in March of 2009, our sweet iguana, Komodo, passed away of old age and I can honestly say, we think about her regularly. That statue looked just like Komodo and even Kyson recognized her right away. Kodi was the funniest because she never got to meet Komodo, but immediately she latched onto the statue and loved it. Maybe they met in passing or something.

I love Christmas time. While I'm not too keen on the work required to put up and take down decorations, I love what Christmas represents. Not only is it to celebrate the birth of our Savior, but to enjoy the wonderful gifts we have in this life - each other.

Preschool Christmas Program

2011-12-13T21:02:00.000-08:00

This is the first year that Kyson has been in a Christmas program. I was so excited about it, I took the day off of work to be there. It was adorable. Kris and I got there extra early to get a good seat and I brought my flip digital recorder as well as our regular camera, but when I tried to film, the batteries were dead on my flip camera. I was sad, but I recorded a couple of songs from the program.

The whole thing was adorable! The kids came out with little reindeer face things, and sang a whole bunch of songs. There were two parts that stuck out to me, because of Kyson's idiosyncrasies. The first was when they sang "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Everyone knows the little things that people yell out between the lines, but Kyson decided to do a little improv. There is on line in the song that says, "Then on foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say..." Many people yell out "Ho, ho ho" at this point, but Kyson decided to yell out "Trick-or-Treat!" Not everyone heard, but Kris and I recognized Kyson's voice immediately, and busted up laughing, along with the front row that was sitting in front of him. I love the innocence of little kids. They don't try to be funny- they just are.

The second highlight of the program was when they did a number with bells. I was shocked that they would be so ambitious to have 4-year-olds do a bell song, but they did a really good job. Kyson had a pretty big part in one of the songs and he was getting so into it. About half way through the song, rather than quietly ringing his bell, he was so involved he was grunting with each ring of his bell. I was fortunate enough to get that one on video and it still makes me smile.

It is so obvious that the teachers at his school have worked so hard to make these programs to help these kids feel successful, not be shy, and of course to please the parents. I was thoroughly pleased and look forward to their program at the end of the school-year.

Kyson and his teacher, Miss Amber

Kyson with his good friend, Sadie

Night Lights

2011-12-12T20:39:00.000-08:00

Every year we try to see the lights downtown at Christmas. Some- times it works out, sometimes it doesn't. We planned a night of lights, but it wasn't exactly how I had planned it in my head. We went to Thanksgiving Point instead of the temple grounds and it was beautiful. We went with Kris's brother and parents. The line to get in to their Christmas light extravaganza was backed up at least a mile. Fortunately, it went very fast, unfortunately, we decided to pile into Rusty and Amy's 12-passenger van and Kodi cried non-stop for a good 45 minutes. It wasn't until I pulled out the camera and showed her pictures that she calmed down. Once we started driving through the lights, it was cool. They did a lot of work, that's for sure. It's impressive what can be done with lights.

After the lights, we decided to go to Arctic Circle and play in the playland and get some icecream. Before seeing the lights, the kids played in the Carl's Jr playland for a while. I think this is the kind of night kids love: playlands and fries, Christmas lights, and playland and icecream. All the kids were so cute together. I'm so grateful Kyson has some cousins his age to play with. He adores his older cousins, but it's nice to have some your own age as well. Kodi has cousins her age, but she is the only girl. It'll be interesting as she gets older.

Ward Christmas Party

2011-12-10T20:18:00.000-08:00

Our ward chose the perfect night to have a party - we had two other engage- ments that we should have attended as well. The reason I chose the ward party was for Santa. I know it seems trivial, but 4-year-olds dig Santa, and when there is an opportunity to see him, I don't want to pass it up. We sat with Kyson's favorite people, as usual, the Holts. At one point in the party, Kyson noticed some mistletoe hanging in the doorway and asked me what it was for. I told him you kiss someone under the mistletoe, so I took him under the mistletoe and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He then went and got Nikki Holt, who is twelve, and took her under the mistletoe. He also kissed her on the cheek.

There was food, singing, cookies, and story- telling. In the end, though, I think the biggest hit of the evening was when Santa dropped inf or a visit. Kyson was so anxious to see him that he butt in line and I had to go grab him. While we waited, I was a little concerned about Kodi. You know how little kids are afraid of Santa, well Kodi had been exceptionally clingy all evening. She wouldn't even sit next to me with my arm around her. She had to be held at all times. it was ridiculous. I figured if I could get a quick shot before she started crying, I'd be good. I couldn't have been more wrong. I put her on Santa's lap first hoping to get a shot, and she loved him. She just looked at him and chatted with him in her nonsensical jibberish. When her turn was over, I tried to get a picture with Kyson and Santa, but Kodi wouldn't leave. Even after both Kyson and Kodi had had a turn, she kept running back and ruining other kids' talks with Santa. I truly wouldn't have believed it unless I saw it.

Santa is such a magical being and I love the spirit of Santa. Santa gives gifts to all the good boys and girls. Heavenly Father gave everyone a gift - even those that weren't too good. I love the Christmas season and spirit of giving.

Adventures in Babysitting

2011-12-04T21:17:00.000-08:00

Occasionally Kris and I like to get away or we have something we need to do that requires a babysitter. This week we were going to the temple to do sealings and because I had arranged it, we needed to be there; therefore, we needed a sitter. Carol and Errol have babysat a lot for us and we feel guilty asking all the time. Jen had already done a full day-shift this week when we went to Miriam's funeral. My mom was going to be with us and our typical neighborhood babysitters were going to a Granddaughter sleepover. That left only one person to come to our rescue - my father.

My father is not the most experienced babysitter. In fact, I'm surprised we survived our childhood when my mother left us with him. I felt that with the maturity he had gained as a grandfather, that perhaps it was time to try him out - and I had no choice. I didn't want to overwhelm him so I gave him 3 rules that I felt were fool-proof: 1) Kids need to have pulse when I return, 2) Kids need to be breathing when I return, and 3) The house needs to be standing when I return.

Kris and I went to the temple and had a wonderful evening. As we drove home with my mom I asked, "So, do you think the kids are in bed?" Without hesitation, my mom replied, "Oh I'm sure they are." We pulled into the driveway and I noticed Kyson's light was on; I assumed the kids weren't in bed. My mother proceeded to walk through the front door, while Kris and I were a few steps behind her. She walked in, and walked out almost immediately and started laughing. I couldn't believe what I walked into.

My father looked like he was asleep on the floor and the kids were cuddled up with him watching television. If only it ended there - this would be a successful babysitting adventure. Unfortunately,

my father had lost control of the children and I walked into a disaster. There was paper everywhere. As I looked around a little more, I noticed that Kyson had not only gone through the stack of scratch paper in his toy room, but a pad of paper and another stack of Post-It notes. Apparently Kodi didn't want to feel left out so she went to the basket of diapers and started throwing diapers everywhere. As I started cleaning up, I found marker lids and knew that there were markers missing in the mess.

As I grabbed the camera to capture the moment, my mom and dad were laughing so hard that they couldn't stop. And of course, Kyson and Kodi were very happy - they got to take advantage of Grandpa. After my parents left, we started

cleaning up, but Kodi was so tired she curled up in her blanket and fell asleep. She just looked like a pile on the floor. Kyson helped us clean up the mess and we found all of the markers but one.

In the end, I can only laugh. It could have been so much worse. There could be Sharpies on the walls, food ground into the carpet, or a broken bone. A harmless tornado of papers throughout the main floor is no big deal and the kids got to have a fun evening with their grandpa.

Bumblebee

2011-12-02T20:58:00.000-08:00

As many people know, Kyson is obsessed with Transformers. He

talks about every trans- former, both Autobots and Decept- icons, and recognizes when he sees cars that are similar on the road. There is an old-fashioned semi that we see at Walmart occasionally that he believes is Optimus. He always has to go say hi to "Optimus" and have a small conversation with him.

Josh, my nephew, has a car that looks a lot like Bumblebee.

Although Bumblebee is a yellow camero with racing stripes, Josh has a yellow mustang and Kyson doesn't know the difference. He wanted to go sit in Bumblebee one day and Josh was such a sport. The two looked so happy in the car together.

Not only does Kyson love all the cars, but he loves the movie. He was Optimus Prime for Halloween, but he still likes to wear the costume. The other day he wanted to watch Transformers and I told him no problem, but then he asked to wear his costume while he watched it. I consented and when I saw him sitting on the couch, I busted up laughing and ran for the camera. Little kids are so cute and innocent!

Miriam Carol White Hall-Hansen

2011-11-30T20:34:00.000-08:00

Just before Thanksgiving, Kris's step-mother and one of my mothers-in-law passed away. We weren't very close to her, and I have to say looking back, I regret that. The first time we met, we didn't have the best experience. She is a very opinionated woman who doesn't worry about holding back her thoughts. That first night I met her was so Kris could announce to his father and her that we were engaged. It didn't go very well. She was forcefully giving me her opinions about the wedding and many other things and I felt extremely uncomfortable. Kris spoke up to

defend me because he didn't like it either, and then his father spoke up defending his wife. Before we knew it I was holding Kris back and Miriam was holding Bert back to keep the boys from getting into a fist fight. I never got over that night and I think that me holding a grudge about that interaction has prevented me from having a relationship with someone who had a lot to offer. Instead of embracing our differences, I used them to push her away.

We saw her occasionally after Kris's father passed away, but it wasn't enough, and she was never pushy about trying to see us. I think if she had, I would have resented her even more, but looking back, at least I probably would have seen her more. At her funeral I learned so many things about her. I didn't know she was from

Canada or that she was an avid crime-fighter in her com- munity. They joked about how she always knew every body's business and would always tell everyone how to do things.

I'm hoping that I can use this experience to be a better person. I let my pride get in the way of a relationship and now that she's gone, I know I blew it. I plan to use Miriam as a reminder of what not to do and that I don't want to live my life full of regrets.

Miriam Carole White Hall-Hansen

1933 ~ 2011

Miriam Carole White Hall-Hansen passed away suddenly but peacefully at her home in Salt Lake City on Nov. 19, 2011. She was the daughter of William Stanley White and Bertha Delores Roeder White and was born on July 22, 1933 in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada. Miriam was the second oldest of seven children. She married Kenneth C. Hall (deceased) in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. They immigrated to Salt Lake City, Utah in 1965. In 1994 she married Albert "Bert" J. Hansen (deceased) and they enjoyed ten happy years together.

Miriam was an extremely gifted woman. She sewed nonstop, custom making most of her own clothing as well as her family's. She was a bundle of talent, excelling in knitting, crocheting, tole painting, scherenschnitte (paper cutting), wedding cake decorating and many other creative endeavors.

Miriam first worked as a long distance/government telephone operator on one of the very first switchboards in northern Canada. While raising her family in Salt Lake, she worked briefly for Deseret Book, but Miriam was best known as the friendly face behind the counter at Sugarhouse Awning and Canvas Products. She was their office manager for over 20 years until her retirement.

As a professional genealogist, Miriam was always out "digging roots". Specializing in Germans from Russia research, she was considered "The Expert" by her peers. She served as a missionary (volunteer) at the Genealogical Library in Salt Lake City, now known as the Family History Center, where she has the distinction of being the longest serving missionary with 28 continuous years of service to her church. Miriam could be found two to three nights a week behind the European Desk in the basement.

She leaves behind to honor her life her four children; William Hall (Joann), Kendra Hall of Tillamook, OR, Ronnie Eldridge (Richard "Butch") of Nordland, WA, Doran Hall (Sally); five step children; Ben (Kristine), Lory (Kevin), Holly (Jose), Rusty (Amy), Kristian (Kelli), nineteen grandchildren and two great grandchildren; foster children; Joy Morse (Ken) and many more too numerous to mention, plus Calypso, her red parrot.

A tribute to Miriam celebrating her life of helping others as well as honoring her accomplishments will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011 at 11:00 AM at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park Chapel, 3401 Highland Drive, SLC, UT. At Miriam's request there will be no viewing. Friends are welcome to visit the family one hour prior to the service. In lieu of flowers the family has requested that donations may be made to the YWCA-Salt Lake City "Women in Jeopardy Program".

"Dennis and Gretchens"

2011-11-28T13:54:00.000-08:00

Kyson has been so excited about every holiday this year and when we told him we were going to put of the Christmas tree, he got super excited. But all day he kept talking about Dennis and Gretchen and we couldn't figure out why. I'd ask him if he wanted to go to breakfast with Dennis and Gretchen and he'd say that he wasn't talking about that. Eventually, we figured out that "Dennis and Gretchens" were decorations. Sometimes translating toddler language is really cryptic, but so fun once you figure it out.

Kris and I have been married for 10 years and never have we put the ornaments on the tree. We've always had two main reasons - Komodo or other puppies, and it's too much work to put it all back. Because Kyson was at an age where he'd appreciate it, we decided now would be a good year to start decorating with ornaments. Kyson was wonderful. He did a really good job of spacing out the ornaments and putting them throughout the tree.

Kodi kept coming back for more and more and she was soo fast. We finally figured out that she wasn't even hanging them but making a pile on one branch. It was cute. We spaced a few of them out when her back was turned.

The kids really enjoyed it, and it was really fun to put up "Dennis and Gretchens" for Christmas.

A Day for Thanks

2011-11-26T20:39:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is a holiday I look forward to every year. I love being with family so much, and even when it's my turn to host and I have to put in all the work, it's worth it to me to be with my family. This year was my turn and the entire event turned out very pleasant. My parents, Jen, Bill, and Josh came. We invited Carol and Errol, but they weren't able to make it - so we took some dinner to them later. Kyson was so excited to have everyone he liked so much under one roof together. He talked about it for weeks before the big day.

After dinner, we went bowling. Last year we decided to start a new tradition on Thanksgiving and go bowling. I really like it. We only played on game, but I think everyone enjoyed it. I used

to be a decent bowler, but not any more. I pretty much suck. It's pretty bad when a 4-year-old beats me. At least I didn't get beat by Kodi too (like Josh did- ha). Even Kyson and Kodi loved the bowling. We gave them bumpers and the rolling ramp, and Kodi would run up and push the ball and ran back to the waiting area, but she'd get so impatient until it was her turn. Kyson started off great. He got a spare in his first frame! He nearly broke 100. I was so proud.

After bowling, we went to visit my Grandpa Gunn. Kyson was a great sport. He went up and

gave Grandpa Gunn a high five and talked to him for a second. Kodi has major "stranger danger" and wouldn't get hear him, even when I was holding her. It was a short visit, but I'm glad we made it by.

After all the events, we came back to our house for pie, and to look through the ads. After Thanksgiving comes the big "holiday" of Black Friday. It's also a favorite holiday because I love to rush through the stores looking for deals and watch the chaos. It's also great bonding with my mom. This year, Black Friday was crazier than ever because rather than opening at 4 or 5am like stores usually do, most of them opened at midnight. It caused for an all-nighter of shopping. It's a lot of work and it's exhausting, but it's so worth it. Both Thursday and Friday were fabulous, but the rest I got after those two big events was something to be thankful for.

Final score of the game. The order is: Kyson, Josh, Kris, Kodi, Kelli

Vacuuming is Fun!

2011-11-23T20:33:00.000-08:00

For a few days now, Kyson has been on a vacuuming kick. It all started one night when something spilled. I don't remember what it was or who did it, but I pulled out my little spot bot carpet shampooer to clean up this spot. While I was working on this, Kyson got out the big vacuum, plugged it in, and vacuumed the entire downstairs. I was thoroughly impressed. The next day he did it again, and this pattern has continued for a few days. Well yesterday, Kodi wanted to join the fun, so she grabbed one of those toy popping vacuum looking things and was vacuuming with Kyson. Kris thought it was so adorable he grabbed the camera. I'll enjoy help while I can get it voluntarily. I doubt he'll be so obliging when he's 15.

First Big Snowfall

2011-11-19T20:23:00.000-08:00

This weekend we had the first big snowfall of the year. I'm so grateful that it landed on a weekend. We only got a few inches, but it was enough that we had to shovel. Apparently the snow had melted by the end of the day in Riverton. Ours definitely will not melt in a day. Kyson was so excited for the snow. He ran into our room first thing in the morning and said, "It's Christmas, there's snow!" We had to break it to him that just because it snows doesn't mean it's Christmas. Kris went out and shoveled the driveway and sidewalk, and just as he finished, Kyson decided he wanted to go outside and shovel - but it was all done. I told Kris to go shovel the back with him. Kyson ran through the house looking for his boots, gloves, hat, and coat, and he ran outside shovel in hand ready to be helpful. It was adorable to see how excited he was about shoveling snow. He was out there for quite some time, then he decided to make snow angels. He was only in a sweatshirt coat and levis and was playing in the snow. About an hour later, he came in because he was so cold. I'm glad he had fun though. We'll have to make a snowman one of these days.

Big Girl Transition

2011-11-11T20:40:00.000-08:00

When we decided it was time to move Kyson from a crib to a bed, it was a nightmare. Strike one - we put him in a toddler bed and he fell out all through the night and cried through the night. The first night, we brought him in bed with us and you know how kids slowly turn horizontal and leave no room for the parents whose bed it really is. We went back to the crib. Strike two - something extremely similar but we tried it out longer. He wouldn't fall out, he'd get out and sleep in front of the door. We'd put him back in bed, and he'd cry and go back to the door. We tried this for about a week - no go - and back to the crib. On the third try, we decided to go straight to a big bed and put the mattress on the floor. That was successful and we decided to try the same approach with Kodi - skip the toddler bed.

Last night I made the switch, but I didn't make the mistake of taking down the crib l

ike I did with Kyson. I decided to move the crib and make room for a mattress on the floor. She was SO excited as I was putting everything together, but when it came time to go to bed, I put her in her bed and she ran to the door and cried. I left to go walking and Kris put in earplugs. An hour later, I got back and all was quiet. So I went into her room, picked her up off the floor and put her in bed. She slept through the entire night and didn't wake up until 8!

Nap time was going to be a challenge. She still takes two naps a day and when I put her down for her first nap, she didn't cry, she went into her bed without any conflict, but for a few hours I heard her playing around and running

around in her room. She emptied some of her drawers and did some other interesting things, but nothing a 2-year-old wouldn't do. Her second nap was the beginning of a miracle. She went into her bed, didn't fight me, and went to sleep. Even tonight when I put her down, she stayed in bed, didn't cry, and went to sleep. I've heard that girls are easier than boys (as children anyway) and so far, that statement has been true about everything. I hope potty training will follow the same pattern.

Santa and Jesus

2011-11-08T18:58:00.001-08:00

My sweet little boy is always saying things that make me laugh. Kids are so innocent and naive and it is so wonderful to be a part of it. Every night we say family prayers together and for a while now, Kyson has gone through every member of the family asking that they don't get sick. Last night, when it was his turn to pray, he asked that Santa and Jesus wouldn't get sick. The things that little kids think about is so darn cute.

Sick Again!!!

2011-11-03T21:50:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I don't know how much more I can take of this. Kyson got sick again just before Halloween, but was able to recover and enjoy the holiday. Wednesday morning, that ended. At about 4:30 in the morning, Kyson woke up complaining that his ear hurt. I told him that he needed to go back to bed, but we'd check on his ear again in the morning. By 6:00, Kyson was coughing his lungs out and throwing up from all the mucus. He threw up a good 8 times in an hour and even started to either cough up or throw up blood. It wasn't good. Kris took him to the doctor at 9:00 and he had an ear infection and bronchitis.

At 3:00 in the afternoon, I called to check in with Kyson. I happened to ask how many doses of the antibiotic Kris had been able to get into Kyson. Kris told me he never got an antibiotic. I called the pharmacy immediately thinking there was a mistake. The pharmacy said that they only got the prescription for the ear drops, but nothing else. So I called the doctor, but had to leave a message because he was with other patients. After 5, I got a call from his nurse, but I was teaching a class and just missed the call. Her message said, "We gave him an antibiotic this morning. Call the pharmacy and see if it's there. If there are any other questions, call us back." Well I tried to call them back IMMEDIATELY, but they had already turned off their phones and only gave the phone number of an on-call doctor. So I called him, but there was only a voicemail. The doctor's office had given another number to call if I couldn't reach the on-call doctor, but it was Jordan Valley Hospital and they said they would just send me to the ER. That isn't what I needed. Eventually the on-call doctor called me back and told me that I should check with the pharmacy again because my doctor may have sent over another script. I called the pharmacy, and they had nothing. So I called the on-call doctor back again. He finally called in a prescription and I picked it up on my way home. All of these phone calls were done during a class I was supposed to be teaching - great.

By the time I got the first dose of antibiotic in Kyson's little body, nearly 11 hours had passed since his doctor's appointment that morning. He then had a fever of 102 and was too weak to walk. His ear was still hurting so much and he was either sobbing or sleeping all evening. I felt so bad for the poor little guy. I put him in the bathtub to try and help him feel better and he literally laid in the tub for 20-25 minutes. He didn't want to get out. In the end, I carried him to bed, gave him some Tylenol to try and reduce the fever, and prayed he'd feel better soon.

This morning, he was doing so much better. In fact, the first thing he said was, "Mom, I'm hungry." If only we'd gotten the antibiotic earlier. He wouldn't have had to suffer all day long.

Halloween

2011-11-01T21:04:00.000-07:00

Halloween was wonderful this year! I've been praying for nice weather for weeks now because this is the first year that Kyson wants to dress up and is really excited about Halloween. He's been talking about trick-or-treating for a good month now and he picked out his costume practically the day that costumes showed up on the shelves in the stores. Kyson was Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobot Transformers, and Kodi was a bumblebee. When I picked Kodi's costume I didn't think about having Optimus and Bumblebee (who is also an Autobot). I thought it was pretty funny. The weather turned out beautifully. It was 60 degrees and for the last day of October, that is a treat. The only problem I worried about is Kyson got sick - again!

For about 6 weeks now, someone in the family has been sick nearly the entire time. Kyson has been hit the hardest. Halloween was on a Monday this year and on Wednesday Kyson started showing cold symptoms when he came home from school. By Thursday he had such a runny nose that his face from his nose to his chin was a big pink chapped mess. I hoped and prayed he'd feel better by Monday. Friday, he missed a party because he was sick. Saturday he missed two parties because he was sick. But thankfully, Monday, he was feeling much better and was able to go to school and enjoy his class party, and trick-or-treat that evening.

Halloween evening was fantastic. We started by visiting with Grandma and Grandpa Bodily. We went to their house for about 45 minutes to let them see the kids in their costumes. Kodi was getting into all the candy and prizes Carol was going to give the trick-or-treaters. Finally Carol had to move everything from her level. Kyson and Kodi loved the little surprises that they got.

Next was dinner at Jen's. We raced over to Jen's just to get stuck in the long line of traffic from construction. It was okay though because my parents were late too - also stuck in the traffic.

Jen's house was a lot of fun. Kodi was difficult as tried to eat, but Kyson has really come around and is such a good boy. Kodi has hit her terrible twos. Jen gave each of the kids a little goodie bag as well full of all sorts of surprises. The kids were totally spoiled between Grandma and Grandpa Bodily and Jen and Bill. Their little trick-or treating buckets were nearly full, but you know the kids didn't mind a bit.

Lastly was trick-or treating. Kris, Kyson and Kodi went with a bunch of friends while I sat at home handing out candy.

We probably had 300 trick-or-treaters the way I calculated by how much candy I went through. It's a good thing I was prepared. Kyson and Kodi only went out for about an hour and came home. Kyson then helped me hand out candy. He loved seeing all the kids and giving them candy. He'd even wish them a Happy Halloween as they left. It was really cute. Eventually at about 8, he decided he wanted to go back out and get more candy, so I took him this time and Kris handed

out the candy. I planned on just taking Kyson, but when we walked out the door, Kodi wanted to come too, so she did. It was so much fun and the kids really enjoyed the holiday. Now that Halloween is over, Kyson is talking non-stop about Santa. We keep telling him we have to get through Thanksgiving first.

Beautiful Weather for Hiking

2011-10-23T20:18:00.000-07:00

Because we don't anticipate many more days of nice weather, we thought we'd take advantage of it and head up to the mountains. My dad had

asked me if we wanted to go up to Silver Lake and do the boardwalk around the lake. I was leery at first because when my dad says something is easy and should take half an hour, that usually means it will be strenuous and take 3 hours. He came through on this one though and was true to his word.

The walk around Silver Lake was a nice easy stroll on a boardwalk, with a beautiful view. The hike started terribly when Kodi cried the entire drive up the mountain. I hoped that

this wasn't any indication of what was to come. Kris had to pull out the ear plugs that he conven-

iently keeps in the car. The crying didn't stop as we headed out on the trail. We put her in the backpack and the tears strolled. it really made it difficult to enjoy the peace and quiet of nature. Once we took her out the backpack and let her walk, the crying ceased and the rest of the "hike" was quite enjoyable. There were many opportunities for beautiful photographs and we saw a chipmunk, some ducks, and a lot of trees that had been eaten by beavers. Because this hike was so successful, we decided to do one more before heading back to the city.

Donut Falls is a very popular hike in Utah. I've done it, but it has been years. I remember it

being disap- pointingly short. This time, it didn't seem so short. Kodi was getting very tired and was a pretty good sport until half way through.

The entire hike back down I had to carry her and try to console her by singing songs from Tangled. Kyson was a little irritable by the end too, but I still feel the day was a success. We got to have some family time, enjoy the weather, appreciate God's beauty, and take some great photographs.

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, We Love Pumpkins

2011-10-22T18:43:00.000-07:00

This is the first year we've gotten pumpkins to celebrate Halloween. We figured that Kyson was old enough that he'd want to do something like

that. Picking pumpkins is quite the science:

Step 1: Go to a real pumpkin patch, not a grocery store

Step 2: Be sure to get your wheel barrows - kid size preferred

Step 3: Find some nice pumpkins

Step 4: Take advantage of the photo opportunities with tractors or other farm equipment at the pumpkin patch

Step 5: Go through the free corn maze that really has no paths except the one that will get you out.

Step 6: Try not to get angry at your children while they make the entire experience difficult when they won't cooperate.

We executed each of these steps perfectly, except the last. By the time we left the pumpkin patch, we were pretty irritated with the kids' behavior. It's frustrating when you try to do something fun for your children and they are difficult.

Once we got the pumpkins home, we started carving. Kodi was still crying from losing her wheel barrow at the pumpkin patch so we put onMoulin Rouge, gave her a sippy cup, and and blanket and she didn't move the rest of the night. Kyson was a good sport with us. He cleaned out

his pumpkin, but it took some convincing to stick his hand into that gooey mess. Eventually he did with with some gloves, like Daddy. Then we picked out the pattern. Kodi's was too small to use a pattern that we had, so I made one up. Kyson wanted "monster man" who was the Grim Reaper. I think Kris did a great job carving that one. After it was all over, we baked the pumkin seeds, cleaned everything up, and Kyson was quite the happy camper.

A Fun Run

2011-10-22T16:06:00.000-07:00

We've had a very eventful weekend, so I will be having more than one entry on the same day. It's been so much fun though. Saturday morning we started by going to a Stake 5K Fun Run. They had a 1 mile walk, a 5K run, and a 10K bike. Because Kyson loves riding his big wheel for long distances, I thought he'd enjoy this race, so I asked if he could ride his big wheel for it. It was approved and I got excited. When I found out that they only expected runners to do the 5K and no walkers, I'll admit, I was disappointed. But I figured a 1 mile ride for him is better than nothing. He prefers to do long rides - 4-5 miles. He's even ridden his big wheel to my sister's house.

When we arrived at the race, he was so excited he was riding through the parking lot and dodging people. He kept going and going, right up until the official start. When we did line up for the start, he was so excited he could barely contain himself. After the race, we made it back to the parking lot where it all began and Kyson was so good cheering for every person that came in. He also

drove through the finish line at least 20 times to relive the moment. We started the race with Kris and Kodi. Kodi was pretty upset when she Kyson and I getting ready to go for a walk. She even sat on her little bike that she can barely reach the peddles and wanted to join us, so we grabbed the wagon so she could come too. Unfortunately, she got pretty cranky shortly into it, and because the route went into our neighborhood, Kris just walked her home.

After everyone had finished, they gave out awards and treats. Kyson got a candy bar for being so energetic and a great sport. George Holt stole his big wheel and ran through the finish line with it. Kyson went running after him, laughing the entire time. I wish there were more opportunities like this for him. I think it was so much fun for him and maybe if we can move him to a bike, he'll have many more opportunities to come.

Publish Post

Kyson's Cocoon

2011-10-20T16:02:00.000-07:00

Kyson loves to play with his toy cars, and I've shown before how he'll make long paths of all his toys. The other day, he decided to make a design with his toys instead. He said it was a cocoon, and I think he did a really good job.

Family Photos 2011

2011-10-17T13:23:00.000-07:00

I have a dream to have a beautiful family photo every year, but I'm too cheap to pay for a nice photographer. It's very expensive and with young kids that won't pose for a picture, I worry it would be a waste of money. Luckily, I live in a beautiful area, and I have a willing mother to come and take snapshots of us. Last year,

I didn't even try to get pictures even though I thought about it all the time. This year, I wasn't going to miss out again. I had planned to take some pictures on our last trip to Bear Lake. I thought the setting would be beautiful. But when we all got sick, it was no longer an option. I was also getting worried about the weather cooperating.We're in October and it starts to get cold and yucky. Fortunately, Mother Nature has been kind to us this year, and the weather is still beautiful late in October. So, I jumped at my opportunity and was not about to miss out again.

Our adventure started well. We found a nice location near the house and took a couple of

pictures. Kodi wouldn't cooperate, but we hoped

that we'd get a shot for seconds. Then we moved to our second location, probably 30 steps from the first place. Once again, we took some pictures - kids weren't looking and Kodi was fighting, and then I noticed Kris was wearing his sunglasses. What kind of family picture has the dad wearing his sunglasses. So we went back to

the first location, Kris was upset that I had him take them off, and Kodi was getting even more difficult. Then we moved to a third location. Kodi was done at this point and was trying to take off her shoes, and Kyson wanted to play with sticks. I just prayed we got ONE good shot out of the half hour of trying. Fortunately, we did.

Kodi's Birthday Party

2011-10-16T09:52:00.000-07:00

Even though Kodi's birthday was on October 1st, because of

sickness and hunting, we had to postpone her party a bit. I think we've decided that in the future we're going to do it a week early to avoid all of that stuff. Her party was great and we had a wonderful turnout. Nearly everyone came. The weather was fantastic too, which was really nice so the kids could play outside. The boys were taunting the Holt girls who were standing on

their tent trailer on the other side of the fence.

Everyone was so generous with their gifts for Kodi. Jen and Billgave her a Rapunzel Barbie and silly bands. Rusty and Amy gave her dress-up jewelry,

a brush and mirror, and a purse to put it all into. My parents gave her a whole bunch of clothes and shoes (which she desperately needed). I know that two-year-olds aren't partial to clothing for their birthday, but at this age, you want to please the parents just as much. We even got her a Rapunzel cake because she loves the movie Tangled so much. She watches it probably every day, and the best way to calm her down is to softly sing the healing incantation into her ear. It works like a charm. Everyone was so nice and pleasant and it was wonderful to visit.

I didn't know how all the gifts would turn out because she didn't seem interested in much of anything but the silly

bands, but by the next morning, she was wearing her jewelry every- where, and she became quite possessive of her Rapunzel Barbie. I have to admit that I was surprised by this because she doesn't like dolls. I also braided Rapunzel's hair because it kept getting tangled, and I used the beret that the doll came with to end it. This beret has a hair attachment so you can make Rapunzel's hair even

longer. Kodi did not like it when I braided her hair, but come to find out, it was because she wanted Rapunzel's beret for herself. So once I clipped in the hair attachment, Kodi was much happier. She also pranced around in her dress-up jewelry. She put all of it (necklaces included) on her arm like a bracelet and would hold her arm out so nothing would fall off. It's pretty funny to watch her. I think all of her presents were a hit and we're so grateful for all of our family.

The Leonardo and 5 Seconds of Fame

2011-10-15T20:15:00.000-07:00

I've worked at La Europa Academy for over 6 years now, and in

the past few years, we've tried to incorp- orate more field trips into the school year. We currently schedule one per quarter. For 1st quarter, we decided to go to the Leonardo Museum, a new museum in Salt Lake. I had never heard of it, and that's probably because it has only been open a week. This museum fuses art, science and technology, and has many

interactive exhibits. This is a teenage heaven.

Our students were there for 2 hours and when time was up, they didn't want to leave.

One exhibit was Google Earth on the floor. You controlled the

map with your feet and all of the students took turns showing everyone their house. It was fun to see where they live. Many live on the coast or in really nice areas. There was another place where you could walk into a box-like thing, and an

animation would copy your moves. Many of the

girls really liked that. I believe the favorite was the green screen. When you stood in front of the screen, a video camera would put you on the screen with a different background. You could also make yourself invisible by holding something green in front of yourself.

Not only did we get to see an amazing museum,

but many of us got to have our 5 seconds of fame. Big Budda from Fox 13 News was there. When I asked him if I could have a picture with him, he asked if a few people from our group would be willing to go on camera to make comments about the museum. Eric, the history teacher, Shery, the science teacher, and

I were all inter- viewed and on the news. Eric was on the 5:00 news and Shery and I were on the 9:00 news. It was funny to hear how many people saw me. The next morning at breakfast, Dennis and Gretchen said they saw me, people at church said they saw me, and I was even recognized at a local fast food place. It was a cool experience, but boy I look funny on camera.

The "Up" House

2011-10-14T20:46:00.000-07:00

In Herriman, Bangerter Homes built a replica of the house from

the movie Up. This is one of Kyson's favorite movies and when it opened in the parade of homes, they were offering discounted tickets for kids to go through it. We planned to go, but when Kyson started misbehaving and actually stole something from the store, the Up house was no longer on the agenda. I thought we had missed our

chance to see it, but I was wrong. The Up house is open every weeknight evening for a couple of hours and so we raced over on a Friday night to see the house and take pictures. They did a fantastic job with the house. They recreated everything down to the pictures on the walls and the furniture in the house. Some of it, of course, they had to create the visions in their head, but it's a beautiful house. There is even a hidden room upstairs. At the top of the stairs there is a book case, but if you pull on it, it opens up into a big storage room. Unfortunately, Kyson and Kodi were misbehaving which took a lot of the fun out of it, but I'm still

glad that I was able to see the Up house. I think it was adorable that they even have a section where they have ties Mr. Fredrickson would have warn, and the bottle to save movie for Paradise Falls. And of course, there was the Scout badges from Russell. The creativity that went into creating this house is phenomenal. I know this house cost the builder a lot more than it will appraise for because they were trying to copy all the details from the film. I think they did an amazing job.

Our Little 2-Year-Old

2011-10-04T20:19:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that Kodi is already two. It seems like yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital and trying to take some pictures of Kyson with his little sister. Now two years have passed and her personality has blossomed. She's still not

really talking except to tell us "no," but everything about her seems to be slightly behind because she's so small. I'm hoping that she'll just start talking one day, like you hear so many people say can happen.

She's a happy little girl, as long as she's not tired or sick. If she falls into one of the two categories - watch out. She's not pleasant. She even goes to the extreme of slapping herself, not lightly. She seems to have hit a spell of the "terrible twos," but then part of me wonders it if it's because she's fighting a cold. Either way, she's at that not-so-pleasant stage.

Now, to compare and update on her statistics:

Weight: 23.6 lbs (12%)

Length: 34.5" (70%)

Head Size: 18.5" (36%)

She's gone up a little bit in her percentile in weight, and a lot in her height. The doctor says she's very healthy and has a healthy diet. Her favorite foods are edamame, popcorn fish, and tuna fish. It's an odd diet for a two-year-old, but very good. It's looking like she's going to be a tall, thin little lady.

A Miserable Weekend

2011-10-03T20:41:00.000-07:00

This year, for the first time ever, my work calendars overlap and when I get a day off at one, I get it off at both. I had a marvelous 5-day weekend and really wanted to take advantage of it. I talked with my parents about maybe going to Zions, but in the end, we decided to keep it simple and go to Bear Lake. Kris, my mom, and my dad all requested Friday off so we could enjoy the trip and really make it worth our while to go out of town. I don't know if we were jinxed from the beginning or what, but I don't understand how so many things can go wrong.

The Monday before we were to leave, Kyson got the flu. He was throwing up like crazy and just a miserable little kid. This continued on Tuesday. Wednesday it was time to "empty the basement" and he went through outfit after outfit, not being able to get to the bathroom in time. Wednesday evening Kodi started throwing up. Thursday all appeared to be well so I cleaned and sanitized the entire house (sheets, carpets, blankets, towels, curtains, bathrooms, etc) and we left for Bear Lake on Thursday evening. Friday morning, I started feeling sick and by midmorning I was throwing up. Then Kris, not wanting to be left out, joined the fun. All day

Friday Kris and I were miserable.

Dennis and Gretchen were supposed to come up

Friday evening, but Dennis had some problems with his diverticulitis and got so severe he was strongly encouraged by his physician to go to the hospital. He refused, and decided to nurse himself at home, and they planned to come up Saturday morning. We thought that would be best anyway.

Saturday morning Dennis wasn't improving and they decided to stay home. Kris continued to be sick, while I had some new ailments - a migraine with vertigo. I couldn't even walk. Saturday

was Kodi's second birthday and I had planned to have a little birthday party with pie and cupcakes. I pretty much threw a couple of presents at her and then went back to the couch. Fortunately, she's only two and doesn't know any better. She didn't care about the clothes anyway. Saturday came and went and our fun-filled vacation was coming to an end. We were to clean-up and go home on Sunday.

Sunday, we cleaned, packed, and drove home. And what wonderful vacation is complete without running out of gas. After all that had happened, my parents ran out of gas coming home. Fortunately, they had some fuel for the four-wheelers on hand and were able to get home safely.

Although the entire weekend was a wash, I'm so grateful that my parents were there to help. Kris and I were literally helpless and would never have been able to take care of two toddlers. perhaps it worked out the way it should have, but boy that's a crappy vacation.

BBQ #2

2011-09-10T20:25:00.000-07:00

Seven years ago, we moved to Herriman, but before that, we lived in the Carrol Joe Apartments in Salt Lake City. Some friends from high school lived across the hall from us and neither one of us had any children at the time. David and Sara became very close friends and the time we lived across the hall from them were some of the best years Kris and I had in our married lives. It was so much fun. We got very close and would even leave our doors open on the top floor and move freely from one apartment to the other. We expected to keep in close touch when we moved, and I believe David and Sara
did too, but with distance and children, more and more time passed until seven years passed without seeing each other. A short time ago, I contacted Sara on Facebook and we set a date to see each other again. It was so needed.

David and Sara have two beautiful children now - Spencer and Rachel. We ate, let the children play, and caught up on times.

Even though a lot of time had passed, it was as if no time passed at all. I think that's how you know they're true friends - you can pick up where you left off and not miss a beat. I'm so grateful for their friendship and we can't let another seven years pass before we get together again.

Labor Day

2011-09-06T20:04:00.000-07:00

As tradition, we went to Bear Lake this year for Labor Day weekend. Typically, I have a lot for family for the holiday, but it was only my Aunt and Uncle, Dennis and Gretchen, and my parents. It was actually really nice having a small crowd. No one really planned to go so we literally threw together meals at the last second and just had a nice relaxing weekend. More than anything,

I like to go up for Kyson. He loves to go there and play in the sand and water, ride his big wheel, and go four-wheeling. The weekend didn't disappoint for the four-year-old with such high expectations. He played in the water with my dad, played on the beach with Kodi, went on long walks on his big wheel

with Kris and I, and went four-wheeling with a big group.

This trip, Kyson decided to do something a little different with his big wheel - ride it into the lake. While I thought it was strange, he truly loved it. At one point though, he lost his balance in the water and wasn't getting it back. I had to pull a Baywatch move and run down the beach to rescue him. He'd swallowed a bit of water was all, but I think he thought it was worth it. He continued to ride the big wheel into the water.

The whole thing was great and I look forward to the next visit.

Robot

2011-09-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

Kyson, for some unknown reason, is in love with this song called "Robot." If you're into old school rap you might have

heard of KRS-One. Well, Kris likes this particular group and played the song for Kyson just for fun one day and it has stuck. Now he requests to see the video all the time so he can act out it while it's playing. Before this can happen, however, he has to grab his hat, wear it sideways, and grab his "glasses" like the rappers. Because he lost his sunglasses, he has borrowed Mr. Potato Head's.

To top it off, he likes to wrap his blanket around himself like a cape - that is not in the video so I don't know why he does it. He likes to stand with his arms outstretched like in the beginning of the video and pretend he's a robot.

And what rap video is complete without girls in very little clothing. There are four girls in swim

suit-like garb that act like robots. He thinks I'm the girl on the far left because her hair is in a ponytail. Kris said, "Well she's the best dancer of them all." So I guess this should be taken as a compliment that my son thinks I'd prance around in a bikini. Oh little boys - the things they like and believe. One day, he'll look back on this and laugh.

He also has mastered the Homey-G look. I told him to smile for a picture and he posed like this:

He looks so dangerous with his notebook that has puppies on it right in front of him. :)

BBQ #1

2011-08-27T20:24:00.000-07:00

In January, we made a goal to try and invite people over more often - we enjoy the company, we can't invite ourselves to others' houses, and it forces us to keep the house clean. Since getting the awning, we're doing a much better job with inviting people over. There are a few families we've been wanting to get over for a long time, but haven't been available much. Finally after about a year of trying, we were able to invite a coworker of Kris's and

his family over for a little barbecue. His name is Mike and his wife is Katie. I'd never met them before, and Kris only knew Mike, but the whole evening was a lot of fun. Ironically, we were able to help each other out as well. We had a receiver and surround sound system that we no longer needed and were looking for a good home. They had a couple bags of little girl clothes that they were trying to give to a good home. We were able to swap and it has worked out great. It's funny how things like that can happen. The kids all hit it

off very well too. In fact, as they were getting in their car to leave, Kyson went and got a car and gave it to the older daughter. I think that because we were giving their family something and they gave us something, he wanted to give something of his too. It was really sweet, especially when you know how much he loves his cars.I'm glad I finally got to meet Kris's friend and his family. They were a wonderful bunch and I hope we can do it again soon.

Grandma Love

2011-08-24T20:36:00.000-07:00

Kris's parents help us out a lot with the kids. In fact, as one of their Christmas gifts to us, they gave us babysitting once a month for the year so we could go on a date. I'll admit we fell off a bit during the summer, but we're trying to get back. Well, Kris and I have been dying to see Transformers: The Dark Side of the Moon and the last Harry Potter. We decided to take them on one of their babysitting offers and see Harry Potter. The movie was awesome and we can't wait for it to come out on DVD, but what was even better was the sight I came home to. Carol had taken Kyson up for a nap, and Errol said she'd been upstairs for some time. He thought maybe she wasn't feeling well or something, but when I went upstairs to check on her, she was asleep with Kyson on his bed. Our children are loved so deeply by their grandparents and I love watching it all.

Two Dollar Tuesdays!

2011-08-24T16:54:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving Point has a lot of fun things to do

and for years I've wanted to take Kyson to the dinosaur museum there, but I can't bring myself to spend $35 on a museum where the kids will say, "Wow!" and then run off to the next thing. Two dollar Tuesdays was perfect and so during my week off, we took advantage of the deal. Kodi got in free because she was so young, and the total cost for an afternoon at the dinosaur museum was $6. I can handle that. We got there shortly before it opened and there was already a line, but I'm still so glad we went early because it

wasn't crowded. I've heard that it's not even worth going on these days because it's so crowded - going early worked. Kyson loved looking at all the dinosaurs and both Kyson and Kodi were chattering up a storm about everything.

They were good sports and I think they really enjoyed it. we forgot a stroller for Kodi so she had to walk the whole thing, and surprisingly, I think she loved having the

freedom, and I loved not having to worry about fitting the stroller into hallways or crowds.

At the end of the museum, there is a place where kids can take off their shoes and go into a giant room-sized sandbox. They dig for fossils in this sandbox and of course Kyson and Kodi were all over this. It was a wonderful $6 activity and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Shakespeare Time

2011-08-20T16:36:00.000-07:00

Every year, I take a select group of students on a week long field trip to the Shake- speare Festival. This year's plays were: Richard III, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Romeo and Juliet. We also saw three non-Shakespeare plays which were: Noises off!, Music Man, and The Glass Menagerie. Every year is fun, but a lot of work to keep track of the students and hold them accountable to what they should be doing. This year, however, was wonderful! I had a lot of fun and didn't feel like a babysitter.

Every year there is an actor that the girls fall in love with. This year, it was Elijah Alexander who played Oberon and Duke Theseus in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Richard

in Richard III. After one of his performances, the girls wanted to get a picture with him so badly, but he snuck out. One of my students saw him making his way through the crowd and like a

mother wanting the best for her child, I ran after him and asked him if he'd come back for a picture. He was the most gracious and genteel person. He not only came back for a picture, but he sat and chatted with my students for a short time. When the girls were getting pictures with this fine actor, I had to join in and get one too.

This year, the Shakespeare Festival was celebrating its 50th anniversary and to do so, they had many additional exhibits. One of the pieces they had on display was the first edition folio of Shakespeare's plays. This book is on

display in a museum in DC and to get it hear it had its own 1st class ticket and a chaperon under lock and key. This thing is priceless. When Shakespeare died, he had never made a collection of his works, so his performing company put together all of the plays they had done with William Shakespeare to make this particular book. If his players had not done this for him, I doubt we'd have his plays now. This was one of the best trips I've been on and the girls had so much fun. I think this will be a fond memory of theirs for years to come.

The Lake

2011-08-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

I know it seems like we go to Bear Lake a lot, but the reason we do is because we need to get out of Dodge with the hectic lives we have. Getting out of town gives us permission to relax. This is only the second time we've been able to go to the lake with the Allreds, long-time friends of the family, and once again, it was very enjoyable. This time was especially great because my sister came up. They were only able to come from Friday to Sunday, but just the fact that they came made me so happy. She hasn't come up in years.

Before Jen arrived, we decided to take advantage of the summer weather and do some four-wheeling, since the attempt last trip didn't work out so well. Once again, Kyson, my dad, Wes, and I went up into the mountains. Kyson loved it, and it didn't rain this time. At one point, my father

dropped his map so Wes, Kyson and I killed time by taking pictures, and playing around. Kyson and then Kyson wanted to pose for a picture. Wes is such a good sport.even put his hat on inside out so Wes followed. Wes was such a good sport, and Kyson's BFF for the weekend.

Out at the Lake, Kyson caught two frogs. He wanted to hold them non-stop, so we decided to put them in the pool of the Island. For anyone

who doesn't know what "the Island" is, we have a huge inflatable relaxation station that has a seats for 8 people, a part to lay out and tan, a small slide, and a mini pool in the center. The pool became the frogs' home for a short time until we let them go. Kyson named the two little frogs Kyson and Kodi - oh how cute.

Then Jen came and we decided to go out on the

boat. They have an inflatable "taco" that we used to go tubing behind the boat. I went once with my dad who nearly killed me when he rolled over me and we fell in the water, and I went with Kyson another time. He loved it. Kodi is still too little for the taco. If it had been a stable tube like for Kyson's first time when he was a few months old, that would be different. I don't want her to be afraid of water for falling in.

I really enjoyed the entire time we were there, as usual, and I always look forward to going back. I'm so grateful for the getaway place, and when we can stay for free - it's even better.

Zoorasic Park

2011-08-06T20:25:00.000-07:00

I've always loved the zoo. I'm an animal-lover and I think that's why I love going so much. I could watch the animals all day, but know I don't have the time for it. This year, because Hogle Zoo had a special exhibit, we had to make a point to go. Zoorasic Park was there for the summer and it had many life-sized automated dinosaurs. One dinosaur spit on people as it walked by, and the T-Rex was life-sized and amazing. It would look right at you and then start roaring. Kyson
liked the dinosaurs more than the animals, but who cares. As long as he's having fun - I'm having fun.

As we walked in, my favorite radio station had a little booth set up and they were giving out prizes if you could spin the wheel and have it land on a certain number. I won. I chose a DVD and I got to

take my picture with Frankie from the morning show. He's a nice guy. I think that was one of the highlights of my trip.

The weather was beautiful and I couldn't have asked for a better afternoon.

High School Reunion (Reunion #3)

2011-08-01T16:33:00.000-07:00

I graduated from Bingham High School on June 6, 1996. I know many people hate high school and can't wait to get out, but I truly enjoyed my days in high school and look back at them fondly. I was an avid swimmer, had a lot of friends, and did pretty well with my studies as well. it was a good time for me, and I'm glad I had a chance to go back to those days and reminisce about being a BHS Miner. I knew a lot of people,but the turnout was small. We had approximately 800 people in our graduating class and only about 100 attended the 15-year reunion. This is the first reunion I've gone to and I'm glad there was a small turnout because it gave me the chance to talk to a lot of people. There were so many good friends that attended like Patrick Svedin, Heather Skousen, and Debbie Campbell. Those were

probably the closest ones to me. But there were some other great people that I didn't hang out with as much like Jake Ackerman, Kyle Stocking, Stacie Evans, Kristi Bennett, Sharla Bailey and Tiffany Northrup. The other great thing about it was they requested no children. I think that made a big difference because we could all talk

freely without having to watch our kids every second. Many people brought pictures of their family and just hung out late into the evening. I have to say, I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the 20th reunion.

Pioneer Day AKA Neighbor bonding

2011-07-24T15:46:00.000-07:00

I believe it was 3 years ago that Kyson got Strep throat over the 24th of July so we had to break our usual plans of going to Bear Lake. Kyson started feeling better and we decided to celebrate the 24th with our neighbors, the Holts. Since that year, it has become a tradition that I look forward to, but maybe not so much George.

This year, we have some new neighbors on the street, the Kou's and so we invited them as well.

Boy I love where I live. We had a simple BBQ in our back yard and the kids were able to play on the play- ground, and the adults were able to chat under our covered patio. The company was perfect. Of course, I didn't know Jerry Kou was such a tease and I fell for everything he said, looking like a gullible idiot. The Kou's have a catering business and small restaurant and oh my goodness, the meat they brought was sooo good. I

was singing their praises when they left us with the left overs. That was a good meal the next day.

After eating and talking, we all broke into our separate houses to get ready for bed. Well the adults didn't, just the kids (in case you didn't put that together). We met back up to have fireworks. Doing fireworks as a group is the best way to get a good show. When everyone pitches in, you get a big show for a lot less money.

We only bought 4 fireworks this year, but they were pretty good. The Holts did something similar to us and only bought 2 - but they were awesome. The Kous saved us by buying a kit with a whole bunch of small ones to make the show last a lot longer. It's so nice to have such amicable neighbors. Now whenever Kyson sees Jerry he says, "That's my friend Jerry." It's pretty cute.

Family Reunion (Reunion #2)

2011-07-23T15:28:00.000-07:00

Every year, Kris's family has a family reunion with everyone from his grand- father's side of the family. This reunion includes all of his grandfather's siblings and their posterity. This little family reunion ends up being hundreds of people. This year's reunion was in Vernal, which is a four-hour drive, but because over-nighters in a hotel is even harder than traveling 8 hours in a day, we decided to leave early that morning, and come back that evening. The reunion itself was very nice. Kris's family did a great job and did a lot of work to make it all come together. They had games for the little kids, the typical raffle for adults and children, and lots of food. Kyson had an episode that landed him in the car for a time, but was able to pull it together after that. Kodi is always a difficult one because she won't sleep anywhere but in her crib - not even the car.

I think the raffle was the highlight for everyone. They had so many great things to raffle off this year and Kris's mom gave us money

to put in for Rusty, Amy, and their kids; Carol and Errol; and us. Because we were repre- senting 3 families, we seemed top be winning quite often. Carol even won 2 bikes, that we had a heck of a time fitting into the trunk. It was a good day, and now there is only one reunion left for the month - High School Reunion.

Mission Reunion (Reunion #1)

2011-07-17T15:14:00.000-07:00

From March 1999-September 2000, I had the privilege of serving a mission in the Italy, Padova mission. I have been to one "reunion" since I returned, and it was for my president's homecoming. That was an amazing experience. I still remember for a musical number, all of his missionaries went on stage and sang the mission hymn "The Armies of Heleman" in Italian (of course). It was an incredibly powerful experience, and one that I will remember and cherish for the rest of my life.

My president, LeGrand Curtis, has been called to be a member of the 1st Quorum of the Seventy and will be serving in Ghana, Africa for a new calling. He and his wife, Jane, or Sorella Curtis as I remember her, decided to have an anniversary reunion to celebrate being home for 10 years before they leave for Africa. I was privileged enough to be able to make it.

Many mission- aries pass through Italy in a three year period so naturally, I didn't know that many people. The ones I did know, however, were so worth seeing. I saw some old companions, others from the same city, and over all, great people who are great examples to me. Seeing different people brought back so many memories of my mission. I'd forgotten how much I'd forgotten. Now I need to take my journals and pictures and make those into a book - hopefully I'll finish it before I die.

Happy Fourth!

2011-07-09T06:18:00.000-07:00

As usual, we went out of town for the 4th of July. Last year we went to Vernal to mix it up a bit, but this year we went back to our usual stomping ground of Bear Lake. Not only did we stay the weekend, but we stayed the entire following week, so we were up there July 1-9. We would have stayed until the 10th, but I had to return for a mission reunion on the evening of the 9th. It was such a much needed vacation though, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Lake is finally back up and it's not a half mile hike to the water. I love going to the Lake, but I think this was the most fun I've had there in years.

The weekend started off with my family coming. I had more cousins with their families up there in probably 5-6 years. We actually had full house in the cabin - that doesn't happen very often. We even had enough kids to use both dorms - that never happens.

There were a lot of kids for Kyson to play with but the first day he chose to play with David, until David got in trouble for throwing rocks, so Kyson couldn't play with him for a little while. Then Josh arrived on Saturday morning. When Josh got there it was like heaven parted its clouds and sent down the perfect playmate for my little boy (and husband).

Kyson was exposed to baseball for the first time, by playing with my uncle and cousins, and we had a killer fireworks show on both the 3rd and 4th of July. I bought $50 worth of fireworks in Evanston and ours were the

lamest of them all. Luckily we had my dad light them off so he looked like the fool instead of us. People would expect it from him so no one thought twice :).

One of my favorite parts was walking with my husband. For about a month, I've been walking 4 miles a day, and I had a goal to continue doing that while on vacation. Kris helped me achieve that goal and it was so wonderful to have an hour away from the kids every day to talk. Sometimes we took Kodi, but she wasn't as disturbing as a talkative toddler.

At one point, my dad suggested we go four-wheeling and I was invited to go. I invited Kyson

to go with us and we set out on a fabulous adventure. When choosing a four-wheeling partner he chose our family friend, Wes - not his mom, not his grandpa. Unfortunately, it started raining. It was the only day it rained up there and we happened to be up in the mountains on the four-wheelers with a 4-year-old. I was worried that Wes would get annoyed if Kyson started crying or complaining, and I was worried Kyson would never want to go four-wheeling again. It was FREEZING! As luck would have it, I was worried for nothing. Kyson loved the rain and was a better sport about it than the adults. By the time we got back to the truck, we all were drenched from head to foot. It took me the entire day to get warm again.

I think there were three reasons why this particular trip to Bear Lake was so enjoyable for me: 1) I went at the beginning of the quarter so I wasn't stressed about schoolwork, and I didn't do any. 2) Because Josh was there, Kris came out and played with us at the water. 3) I got to walk with my husband every day and have an hour of alone time with him. I believe for these three reasons, I'd repeat that trip in a heartbeat - even the less than ideal moments.

David

2011-07-02T11:50:00.000-07:00

A short time ago, Kyson started talking about a friend named David that we've never met or even heard of. At first, we thought he was referring to David in the clever storybooks No, David, by David Shannon, but when we asked, he said that it wasn't David from the book, it was his friend David. One night we were at my parents' house and he asked if he could go see David. We told him to take my dad to see David and when they came back, my dad said, "There is no David."

Eventually we figured out that David is Kyson's imaginary friend. He wants to take David to Bear Lake with us and I told him that would be fine as long as it was okay with David's mom. Of course David got permission to go with us and he apparently will be riding up with my mother a day early to greet Kyson when he gets there.

I don't know much about imaginary children, but I've heard rumors that it's a sign of intelligence, and I read that children who make-up imaginary friends are able to take on another person's perspective more easily, and tend to be more empathetic. After reading this, an imaginary friend makes sense to me for Kyson. He is one of the most intuitive kids when it comes to emotions of others. Maybe David will be a good thing after all.

Things I Love

2011-07-01T18:49:00.000-07:00

Because I'm not able to get every picture that I have into my blog posts, I thought I'd do a post dedicated strictly to the pictures that I love but didn't share previously.

I love spending time with friends:

I love it when Kodi is happy:

I love how Kyson tries to be helpful:

I love my sweet (but annoying) dogs, Franni and Leroy:

I love that my kids love each other and want to be together:

Our Buggy Friend

2011-06-30T18:29:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows Kyson, knows he LOVES bugs. His favorite pastime is to go outside and look for bugs. I rarely see grasshoppers at our house, but one day Kyson found one and was able to not just catch it, but pet it and keep it on his finger. They became pretty good buddies for the day. At the end of the day, though, I convinced him to let the poor guy go. Bugs that crawl can stand to live in a bug house, grasshoppers like to hop and it would be miserable. I used the analogy of Kyson having to stay in his room all day versus go outside and play. Just like Kyson, the grasshopper wants to play outside, rather than be stuck in his room. Fortunately it worked and the grasshopper was freed after about 18 hours.

Summertime Friends

2011-06-29T18:21:00.000-07:00

I've talked a lot about Kyson's friends that love to come over, so I won't share too much more. Only that summer sun is so much more fun when you have people to play with. Every day Kyson wants to play with his friends and I'm so glad that they come over so often.

Backyard Camp-out

2011-06-24T20:55:00.000-07:00

Because Kris and I both had the week off, we decided to do a backyard camp-out with Kyson. It would be a lot of fun with Kodi, but I think she's still too young. We put her to bed in her crib and brought out the monitor. We set up the tents and

pumped up the air mat- tresses, set up the sleeping bags and brought down the pillows. We were so excited. As night came and the sky turned dark, we brought out the flashlights and made shadow puppets on the walls of the tents and read all about bugs and David. After we'd had our fun, surprisingly, when we told Kyson it was time to go to sleep, he rolled over and didn't talk again.

While Kyson had a very enjoyable experience, Kris and my experience

wasn't as great. For some reason I couldn't sleep at all. I kept sliding down the air mattress like I was the meat in a taco and finally at 1:00am, I asked Kris if it would be okay to go inside. He was nice and obliging, and it may have been lucky because Kodi woke up shortly after for some reason. Kris was the trooper. It was the night for neighborhood clean-up and the city dumpster is always put in front of our house because we're in the center of the street. All night long, Kris heard people dumpster diving, looking for scrap metal. He also didn't get any sleep.

The next morning, Kyson woke up nice and rested and wanted to do it again the next night. We weren't so open to the idea.

Swimming Adventures

2011-06-22T17:41:00.000-07:00

Since the new rec center was built out by us, we still had never made it out to enjoy all that it has to offer.

Because Kris and I had the week off, we decided to try out the much-raved pool. I have to admit, it was awesome. It has such a large area for children without quick drop-offs that scare parents. When we first got there, Kris and Kyson wanted to go on the big water slide so the two of them went off together while I sat at the bottom watching and waiting for them to come out. Suddenly, I saw only one person come out and it was Kyson. It pushed him into deep waters and I saw him struggling. The lifeguard wasn't paying attention and I told her that he couldn't swim. She jumped in and got him, and fortunately, he wasn't afraid of the water after that. I asked Kris why he let Kyson go down by himself when he knew he couldn't swim. Kris told me that they were planning to go together but the lifeguard at the top told him it was only one at a time, and Kyson dove in before they could stop him. My poor son doesn't understand cause and effect.Even with the slight drowning scare, it was a lot of fun.

They had little slides in the kid area that Kyson loved, and eventually Kodi got the guts to try. It took her a long time before she felt comfortable in the water. Ideally, we'd like to keep going so they can get comfortable, but it's too much money and we lack the time. I can't wait until life slows down a little. I really look forward to these times when I have work off where I can really take advantage of the time I have with my family.

A Visit to the Fish Pond

2011-06-21T20:07:00.000-07:00

Near my house there is a small fishing pond. I've taken Kyson up there only a couple of times, but because I had the week off, I thought it would be nice to spend some one-on-one time with my son (and it's free). We saw a family of ducks and a gaggle of geese. Kyson loved all the dragon flies too. He was excited about everything, but it would have been better if I'd remembered to bring bread to feed them. Oh well - next time.

Preschool Program

2011-06-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

Kyson just completed his first year of preschool

and I think he has really enjoyed it. He has been

attending 2 pre- schools: one normal preschool like everyone goes to, and another preschool done by Jordan School District to help him with his processing and speech delays. Well his traditional preschool, Small Wonders put on an end-of-the-year program where the kids sang and were presented one at a time. Kyson is obviously more immature than most of the kids there. It was an adorable program, but Kyson was about 2 steps behind all the other kids and sometimes he wouldn't even do the actions at all. The entire place was packed with parents and grandparents. Kris's parents came to see Kyson, but they were just a little bit late. Kyson noticed when they walked in though, and in the middle of a song he yelled, "Grandma!" We were on the last row and I heard it clearly. He'll learn with time.

When after the singing, they did a slide show of kids in the school and different projects they'd done throughout the year. It was great and we bought a copy of it so Kyson could watch it whenever he wanted to. After the slide show, they presented each kid one by one by saying their name, having the child walk across the stage. Then they'd be presented a lei by their teacher and

then they'd sit down. Kyson didn't follow this procedure, but ran across the stage after his name was read, refused the lei from his teacher and then sat down next to her instead of sitting down with the other kids. Maybe next year we'll have more luck.

I think it's so great that the Preschool takes the time to do all this for the parents. I've really enjoyed having him in this preschool and he's always talking about his teacher and classmates.

Herriman Days

2011-06-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

Every year, the city of Herriman does a weekend of celebrating and it's full of fun events. Every year they have a rodeo and fireworks, but we never go to that. This year they had a car show, and I found out after the fact that they also had a "touch a truck" event at the car show where the kids got to get in the big firetrucks. Kyson would have loved that, but I found out too late. The events we did go to were the cinema in the park and the parade.

The movie showing at the Cinema in the Park was How to Train your Dragon. As usual, we went with the Holts because Kyson loves them so much - hopefully the feelings are reciprocal, but we sure can be annoying. Anyway, Lise was so prepared by going to the dollar store and buying glow sticks. They were a hit, and boy they were helpful with Kodi. She kept wandering off, so Lise suggested that we watch her but don't get her so she'll think she's lost. Then she won't run off so

far. We had her draped in glow-in-the-dark necklaces and bracelets so it was really easy to watch her. She thought she got lost, Lise went and got her and after that she didn't wander very far. It was great. Kyson didn't care about watching the movie, only playing with his friends, and that's probably a good thing. We were so far back we could barely hear it. It was still fun though.

The next morning, at the last minute I decided to take the kids to the parade. I didn't know what the parade route was and even when I looked on line for it, I didn't exactly know where the roads were. I knew the ending point so I figured I'd go that way and wing it. We raced to get ready considering I decided to go less than a half hour before it was to begin and none of us were dressed. We ran into the car and started

backing up when I noticed the Holts were backing out at the exact same time. I decided to follow them, hoping they were going to the parade and as luck would have it, they were. They knew a great spot to go and once again, all were happy - except maybe the Holts because we crashed their party (again). it's a good thing they're such good sports. It was a great weekend and I have to say, I can't wait for Herriman Days next year.

Summer Fun Begins

2011-05-31T19:15:00.000-07:00

As usual, we went to Bear Lake for Memorial Day weekend and even though it was the last weekend in May, it snowed. We've had an unusual spring this year, but that didn't stop our fun. I

had been looking forward to this weekend more than most visits to Bear Lake because my cousin, Ryan, was bringing his boys.

Kyson never has any playmates up at the Lake, but this time, he'd have two. We arrived on Friday morning and Kris and I got started imediately with work. We figured that if we could get the work done on Friday, we could enjoy the rest of the weekend. I started unloading the car, while Kris started mowing the lawn. I thought it was really sweet that Kyson helped me carry things in, without even being asked. Kodi wanted to ride the lawn mower with her dad - what a surprise.My mom and uncle arrived shortly after us and between the 4 of us (6 including kids), we were able to get almost all the work done. That evening everyone else arrived and the fun began. Ryan's

boys were so cute and the older one, Aiden, slept in the dorm. That was absolutely fantastic

because then Kyson wanted to sleep in there too. It was nice not having him on the floor in our room for once. Immed- iately necessary work done. While pulling weeds, my mom even stumbled onto a bird's nest with an egg in it.

Kyson and the other boys seemed to hit it off. Then Jed arrived with his beautiful daughter. She was also close to the same age as everyone else. Every child there was about a year apart:

nearly 6, just turned 5, just turned 4, and just turned 3.

Saturday was a beautiful day. All the kids rode 4-

wheelers, and Kyson drove a 4-wheeler by himself for the first time. He had a hard time keeping his finger on the gas, and turning to avoid hitting things was tricky too. Jed was such a good sport to chase him around the yard and make sure he was okay.

Sunday morning we woke up to a couple of inches of snow.

I've been going toAfter some inde- pendent 4-wheeling, the kids rode along with Ryan and Jed onto the beach, and later Kyson played by himself on the beach throwing dirt with a big shovel. It was cute to watch him from a distance.

Bear Lake since I was a little girl and I can't remember being up there a single time when it

snowed. Amazingly enough, the snow melted

rather quickly and it turned out to be a beautiful day. The kids even went out onto the beach and played on the swingset, made

sand castles, and then they discovered the magic of water coming from the water spicket on the house. Kyson was drenched from carrying buckets of water over to the dirt. Kodi stayed out of the water and played on the back ramp with her riding toy.

I think everyone enjoyed the weekend and Monday morning when we were packing up to come home, Kyson was sad and something seemed wrong with Kodi. Until probably about 3 in the afternoon, Kodi acted as if she

was drugged. She wouldn't smile, respond to people, or make any sound. This is so out of character for Kodi and after a few hours we started to get worried. Kris wondered if may she got into some of the D-Con, and we considered taking her into the InstaCare, but fortunately, she started acting normal again. We still don't know what happened, but we're grateful she's back.

I loved the entire weekend and I can't wait to go back.

Unusual Visitor

2011-05-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

Living out in the boonies gives us the opportunity to see a lot of wildlife. We've had many birds, many dear, and even a mountain cat of some sort. The other day, however, there was a gray squirrel in our yard. Kris grabbed the camera and took a picture of it and said he was even able to walk right up to it. Unfortunately, I wasn't there for the event, but I guess it was pretty cool for everyone.

A Birthday BBQ

2011-05-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

Since getting our new awning and new BBQ grill, we decided that there wasn't a better way to enjoy them than with a BBQ. We also needed to have a birthday party for Kyson so we combined it all and had a great evening. Everyone was able to make it except Grandma and Grandpa Bodily. Even my grandpa Gunn was able to come out thanks to my aunt and uncle. The food was good, the company was great, the only downside was the awful wind. It would have been a picture perfect birthday party if we could have eliminated the wind.

My nephew Josh was the entertainment for all the little guys. With 4 kids between the ages of 3 and 6, Josh was such a good sport to play with
them and let them beat up on him. I do believed they loved it, and I truly appreciated it. I think every little kid needs a teenage cousin.

The presents were a hit. Everyone obviously knows what Kyson loves - bugs and cars. We were the only ones who didn't get him something in those categories. We got him a big wheel in hopes that he's stop using that riding toy that he's too big for. At first
he didn't seem to care for it, but by the end of the
evening he was pedaling around in it - Success! As for the other amazing gifts, he got cars, a car mat, some gigantic plastic bugs, about a thousand real lady bugs,
and a butterfly garden (where you get real cater- pillars, they build their cocoon and then they become butterflies). He told all of his guests "Thank You" many times and I was so grateful for his exemplary behavior. It was beautiful evening and it was so nice to have everyone there.

Life is Better with Friends

2011-05-13T11:18:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned many times that Kyson adores the little girls next door - the Holts. Since the weather has warmed up, they've spent a lot of time over here, which I think is great. A while back I had asked some of my friends who
had grown children, "How do you keep your children from getting into trouble?" They said, "Be the cool house." Basically, if you can be the house that everyone goes to, then you know a lot more about what is going on with your children. While Kyson is still very young and thankfully wouldn't be getting into the kind of trouble I worry about for the future, we're working to establish our reputation as the "cool house." We'll see how long that lasts. I can say it is fun having so many kids over. The other day we had 5 other kids at the house playing besides Kyson and Kodi.

They were playing ball, playing on the jungle gym, and then they decided to get crazy and fill up a little pool with water and put it at the bottom of the slide. Kodi didn't

care for that one, and one other little girl left when Kyson got

her wet, but everyone else loved it.

It's good prep- aration for Bear Lake.

After a long afternoon of fun in the sun, we went to the Holts house for smores. That was a lot of fun. Kyson didn't care so much about roasting marshmallows as much as playing with the fire,

so we gave him a roaster stick with nothing on it to

roast. Lise is an amazing marsh- mallow roaster and cook them to a perfect golden brown - mmm, mmm, good.

I'm so grateful for friends: my friends and my children's friends. I hate to think about how dull life would be without them.

The New Awning

2011-05-12T12:03:00.000-07:00

For years I've dreamed of having a nice patio cover for our backyard, but never felt that I'd be able to afford it. When we moved in, we poured a large RV pad, and patio, which I'm so grateful for, but because our backyard is South-facing, it's hard to be able to enjoy it. We've been working very hard for the past year to finish all of the backyard, and now with an awning, I want to spend a lot of time out there. Now we just need some patio furniture - maybe next year.

An Afternoon at the Park

2011-05-05T12:10:00.000-07:00

We decided to go visit with my parents the other day so Kris could sit on my parents' massage chair, so I thought it would be nice to take the dogs and kids on a walk to the park. My dad came along and was a good sport about pushing Kodi in the stroller. Kyson and I each took a dog. Whenever we take the dogs on a walk, we always take them to the elementary school by their house because they have a nice big grass area for the dogs to run, and great play- grounds for the kids. I think they all really enjoyed it. While at the play- ground, Kyson latched onto some strangers playing football, and they were such good sports to play with Kyson when in all honesty, he was probably ruining their game. My dad even joined the fun by climbing this rope-thing on the play- ground.

Finishing Touches

2011-05-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

Before

Kris and I have been working very hard to finish the backyard. Last year it was a goal of mine to finish, and we would have, but when the Herriman fire came, it prevented me from doing the final touches. Also, there were no good trees left to plant in the fall so we decided to finish things up in the spring. Kris and I spent one day planting trees, finishing up the wall, and Kris put in the drip system for the plants.

After

While Kris and I spent the time working, the kids spent the time playing and I'm so happy about the warm spring weather, because Kyson and Kodi really seem to like being outside. We didn't finish the bark and paper, because we decided to set the money aside in hopes of buying a new awning for the patio, but I do believe we'll finish all that up next year.

I Think Kyson Likes Bugs

2011-04-30T18:51:00.001-07:00

The Easter Bunny brought Kyson many fabulous toys this year,

but the thing that he seems to like the most is his bug house and magnified glass. He loves to go into the yard and look for bugs, but then he'd keep them in an open tupperware container. I fear to think about how many bugs are loose in my house. Well the bug house has been such a blessing. We filled it up with dirt, a rock, some weeds, and a stick. I think it looks like a nice place to

live. If this was real estate, I think it would be a pretty nice condo. Since Easter, he's been out looking for many bugs and found 5 or so potato bugs that he put into the bug condo - then Grandpa Tinsch helped. Over the course of two bug safari adventures lasting probably 5 minutes each, Kyson found another 5+ potato bugs, a worm, a centipede he's named Bugsy, and a spider he's named Spot.

He's been taking the bug condo to bed and keeping it on his head- board; he's constantly looking for Bugsy and Spot and even wanted to them to breakfast this morning. Kris convinced him to bring pictures of the bugs rather than the real thing. I'm so glad he likes his bugs. I only hope they stay alive for a while. He'll be heart-broken when they go to that big condo in the sky.

Happy Birthday Kyson

2011-04-27T18:31:00.000-07:00

Four years ago, I went through an incredibly painful recovery after childbirth to bring my beautiful baby boy into the world. While he's no perfect child, I love him dearly and can't imagine my life without this precious boy. Sure, he is difficult to understand, doesn't always make sense, and can be socially awkward, he has stolen the hearts of many and hopefully he'll outgrow my previous list. Planning his birthday party this year has proven to be challenging because it seems like everyone is always busy. We managed to find a date that worked for a few, so we're hoping all can come - but it's over two weeks after his birthday. Because of this delay, we decided to take him to McDonald's for dinner and have a "tiny party" with his BFFs, the girls next door. He always wants to play with them and even though they may get annoyed by him, they're such good sports to hang out with him and make him feel special. We had ice cream and sang "Happy Birthday," but that really was about it. The girls were so nice to come over for him. After then left, we opened cards from his great grandma's (big grandmas as Kyson would call them), and then raced off to bed. It was a small way to celebrate a 4-year-old's birthday, but the big party will come soon enough. Hopefully it will be worth the wait for him.

Easter Sunday

2011-04-24T20:28:00.000-07:00

Just like when Christmas comes, we milk the opportunity to bribe our children with good behavior by telling them the Easter Bunny doesn't come to boys who aren't nice. For a couple of weeks Kyson has been asking about "the bunny." He even woke us up last Thursday morning asking if the Bunny had come. The Easter Bunny did come to our house this morning, and he

didn't disappoint. It was simple, but it doesn't take much to make little kids happy.

Bright and early, 6:30am to be precise, Kyson woke up asking about the Bunny and because Kodi's basket was hidden under the coffee table, in plain sight, I had to get up with him. So Kris and I rolled out of bed and dragged our tired selves downstairs. Immediately Kyson started

scouring the downstairs for his basket and found it behind his chair in the family room. Of course he was most excited about his cars, but he played with a lot of things. Kodi woke up around 8 and had no trouble finding her basket either. She liked her Ritz crackers and books the most. I bought Kris a grill for the special occasion, but because it's too big to hide, I hid the propane tank with his basket. He didn't even notice the tank. When I told him to go back and look again, he got excited.

After the fun of looking through Easter baskets and enjoying a propane tank, we relaxed to an episode of Glee from Season 1 on Netflix. Nothing says Easter Sunday like Glee.

Then came Church.

The evening was the highlight. Kris's parents came over for dinner and an Easter Egg hunt and it was so much fun. Kyson was so excited about looking for Easter eggs that he hogged most of them.

Even when we'd try to p0int them out to Kodi, she'd get distracted by something and move on. Kyson probably got 3 times the amount she did, but it doesn't really matter - she doesn't really eat candy yet anyway. It was wonderful to have the company of Grandma and Grandpa Bodily. The whole day was wonderful and it's so nice to be able to share it with family.

Day Trip

2011-04-23T06:21:00.000-07:00

Even though Kris and I have many things to take care of around the house, we decided that part of our Spring Break time would be spent going to Vernal. Yesterday we left first thing in the morning and drove the three hour journey to Vernal. On the way there

Kyson and Kodi were great kids with a lot of enthu- siasm. We put on a couple of movies for them hoping Kyson would be entertained and Kodi would sleep. Kyson was entertained, but there was no hope for Kodi, and Kodi without her naps is Trouble. We kept telling Kyson that we were going to visit great-grandma, but he kept calling her "big" grandma. I guess he got the concept of "great" but with the wrong context. It was cute.

When we arrived, the kids were so excited. I don't know if they were excited to get out

wonderful and we were served Grandma'sof the car or to see "big grandma." We arrived just in time for lunch. We had a delicious meal with Grandma, Sharon, and Perry. The children wouldn't eat anything. It was probably because Kris, Kyson and Kodi ate an entire

canister of Pizza Pringles on the way there. The food was fantastic and we even got Grandma's famous mashed potatoes - boy they're good.

The rest of the afternoon was spent visiting. Kris was visiting with his grandma when he noticed a cricket on his leg. He called Kyson over, who is obsessed with bugs, and asked him to pick him up by the legs and take him outside. Kyson and I went outside with the little prisoner in hand, and then his bug hunting began. He was so excited about the cricket that he wanted to look for more bugs, potato bugs in particular. For

probably an hour Kyson and Kodi ran all over the yard, frolicking in the beautiful weather. Kyson was intently looking for bugs, but was only able to find an ant or two. Kodi was running around and laughing at everything. Eventually I was able toconvince them to come back inside so I could visit too.

I got them inside, but Kris's aunt Sharon is a regular play- ground. Kyson had so much fun with her that he had a hard time using an "indoor voice." They went into the back yard and walked around looking at different things in the yard. She's so good with kids. Kodi even went to her, but she wouldn't go to Grandma. Fortunately, Grandma was very patient and not offended by Kodi's antisocial behavior.

After a three hour visit, Kyson was ready to leave and Kodi desperately needed a nap, but we made sure to give a proper

goodbye to everyone, including Miss Kitty. We piled back in the car for our three hour drive to return home. Surpris- ingly, on the way home both kids slept, but not for long. Kyson slept for about an hour and Kodi only a half hour. Kodi typically sleeps about 5 hours a day in naps, and she slept half an hour. I was shocked that she had mutated by the end of the day. She wasn't terrible, just whiny. All in all, it was a great visit and I'm grateful we were able to dedicate the day to a day trip.

Bug Safari

2011-04-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

For a long time now, Kyson has had an obsession with bugs. Lately, though, he likes to go in the back yard and hunt for bugs. He used to carry the bugs in his pockets or carry a handful of bugs around the house, but I didn't like either of those two options so I give him a small tupperware container. I don't like the idea of using tupperware for bugs, but it's better than the alternative. I can't wait until he starts playing on his jungle gym again and doing some other things besides collecting bugs.

To Tumble or Not to Tumble? That is the Question.

2011-04-07T20:50:00.000-07:00

Kris and I decided to sign Kyson and Kodi up for a gymnastics class that was being held at the new Rec Center. It is taught by Bailey's Gymnastics and I know they're a good reputable company who knows what they're doing. The class was for ages 1-4 and we thought it would be great to put Kyson and Kodi in the same class. This would be fun for the two of them, and be easier on Kris rather than dealing with Kodi who wants to go play with her brother.

Monday was the long-awaited day and we excitedly took both kids to the class. Kodi immediately started running around on the mats and was loving it. Kyson reluctantly took off his shoes, but

joined the group sitting on the mat in the center; Kodi continued to run around. The teachers led the kids in some stretching exercises that Kyson had trouble following while Kodi ran around. Then the real fun began - They divided the kids into two groups and did handstands, back rolls, forward rolls, and all sorts of fun things. I bet you can't guess what Kodi did - she ran around. At about the last 15 minutes of the class Kyson started following his little sister's bad example. Kris and I probably looked like the biggest idiots chasing our two children around the mats.

Long story short, we've decided to withdraw Kodi from the class and use Hot Wheel cars as bribery for Kyson. We'll see how things go next week.

18 Months

2011-04-04T19:40:00.000-07:00

Kodi has just turned 18 months and it's been so much fun to have her. I took her for her 18-month check-up and she's doing so well. She's a happy little girl and she loves to play and tease. She can say 4 things: Mama, Daddy, love you, and thank you. None of the words are very clear and I think only a parent or grandparent would understand, but it's still exciting. She's still a lightweight and she finally broke the 20 lb mark to go forward facing. Here are her stats from her check-up.

Weight: 20.25 lbs (3%)

Length: 31.5" (46%)

Head Size: 18" (27%)

She's a very helpful little girl. She puts her toys away if she sees someone else doing it, and she even was cleaning up all the toys at the doctor's office - without being told. She loves her big brother and I'm hoping they stay the good friends that they are now. Kodi is also quite the diva. She shimmies when she's happy or likes something, and she bats her eyes when she's trying to be facetious - she's pretty darn cute.

24 - Hansen Style

2011-04-02T08:41:00.000-07:00

The past 24 hours has been as full and intense as an episode of 24. It's amazing how much can happen in just a few hours.

9:00pm Thursday night

I had the privilege of going to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple to do cleaning. While that doesn't sound like much of a privilege to go clean for a few hours, sacrifice sleep, and not get paid, I can honestly say it was wonderful. Earlier that evening I had been having some cramp-like pains, and had debated about going. I took some Tylenol hoping the pain would subside and it did a little, but once your in a beautiful surrounding with spectacular friends, it's hard to notice pain. I worked mainly with 2 people,

Beth and Randy, and it was a lot of fun. At one point Randy and I had Ghostbuster vacuums that strapped to our backs. I need to get me one of those. It's so easy to vacuum stairs with those things. I had a map of the areas I was supposed to vacuum and I had a really hard time following it. It's hard to read maps when you don't know what you're doing. I couldn't tell if rugs were in a lobby or in a room. I had no idea that even the rugs outside as you enter the temple are vacuumed daily. We were there until about 12:15am chatting, joking, and cleaning. It was a wonderful experience that I think anyone should take advantage of when the opportunity arises.

6:30am Friday morning

I had hoped the kids would sleep in since I had a long night, but of course, that would never happen. Early in the morning I started my day running errands getting things together and planning my day. I had decided to take Friday off to work on the yard. I desperately want to finish

it, but the weather and time have been preventing me from getting it done. I worked on the yard while Kris worked on the lawn mower. Kodi was helping Kris by handing him tools and being there for moral support and Kyson...well, Kyson was being 3. We worked all morning cleaning things up, finishing our retaining walls for the flowerbeds, and then ran a few more errands. That evening I went with my father to buy trees and bushes and I'm very excited to get this taken care of.

7:00pm Friday evening

Kris was digging holes like crazy and working so fast I could barely keep up with him. He's such a Herculean hunk. The pain that I had been feeling the night before was increasing and then around 8:00 I noticed obvious blood in my urine and decided to go to the

InstaCare. While at the InstaCare the pain was getting stronger and shot up into my kidney. They said I had a UTI and a kidney stone - no wonder I was in pain. I picked up an antibiotic and painkillers on the way home and by the time I left the pharmacy I was in such excruciating pain I could barely drive home. The remainder of the evening and all through the night was a nightmare. 2 Lortabs wasn't dulling the pain and I nearly had to go back to the emergency room at about 12:30. This is my 9th kidney stone. Three of those stones have been surgically removed and I've had my kidney drained from a blockage. This stone has probably been the 3rd most painful stone I've had. It was terrible. I'm now functioning, but feel so weak. I can't wait for it all to be over with.

Enforcing the Rules

2011-03-26T21:54:00.000-07:00

My little boy is getting to that age where he says the funniest things. Tonight while driving home from my parents' house, Kris reached over and rested his hand on my leg. Kyson immediately piped up and said, "Daddy, hands to self! Don't touch Mommy!" Both of us busted up laughing. I love it when our kids use the rules against us. I've gotten in trouble for throwing when I tossed garbage into the garbage can, for "saying no to Daddy" when he asked me a question and the answer was legitimately no, for yelling when I was trying to relay a message to Daddy upstairs, and the list goes on. I love it how children know the rules, love to have others enforce them, but don't follow them themselves.

Moulin Rouge - My New Secret Weapon

2011-03-07T21:04:00.000-08:00

I love the movie Moulin Rouge with Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. The first time you watch it, it's a little overwhelming and chaotic, but once you get the storyline, the movie is mesmerizing. A week or so ago, I put the film on so I could do some work with a great soundtrack on in the background. Unfortunately, I ended up being glued to the movie and didn't get anything done. Then the next day I wanted to hear the songs again, so I put it on and fast forwarded to the songs. I learned something very important that day - Moulin Rouge can settle down my children. They were just as enticed as I was to the movie and they sat and stared. Still, a week later, they still watch the movie without noticing anything else going on around them. Kyson is so funny too because when a song finishes he'll say, "Again." Or when I fast forward through parts, he gets upset because he wants to watch the whole thing.

Tonight, Kyson was having an ADHD moment and was crazy hyper. He was making piles with blankets, diving off the couches and tossing papers about. Kodi was following her brother's example by trying to climb on the coffee table, playing with the remotes and telephones and both were driving me crazy. I decided to put on Moulin Rouge and suddenly, they were sitting together on the chair watching it contently. I think I've found my new secret weapon - the music to Moulin Rouge.

Kyson's Creations

2011-03-05T15:29:00.000-08:00

For a long time Kyson has been into building and creating things. He has a few sets of Mag- formers that his Grandma and Grandpa Bodily gave him, which he plays with on a regular basis. He builds these elaborate buildings, castles, and has even made bridges and extra large candy canes without any help. I don't know what is normal for a three-year-old as far as ability to build, but I''m quite impressed with his constructions. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of his great ones.

Along with creating castles and buildings, he also likes to build towers. Anytime he sees a small collection of things that he can stack, he does. It makes me nervous sometimes, but we haven't had any accidents yet. He likes to stack things he finds in my bathroom like perfume and moisturizer, etc, and at the table he likes to get all the condiments and make a huge condiment tower.

One night I came home from work and Kyson came and grabbed me to tell me he'd made me a present. I wasn't sure what it could be, but I was excited. He led me to a section of the floor in the family room where he'd made this huge design on the floor with his Magformers. It was rather large, and I think it might have been difficult to do, only because they're magnets and latch onto each other easily if they get too close. I noticed that he seemed to evenly split all the pieces so he could make his design on the floor. To some it may look like a mess, but I thought it was wonderful.

While grouping cars isn't exactly a creation or even a talent, Kyson has started lining up his cars into small lines. He loves to do it and we find his toys, most always cars, in little piles and lines all over the floor. It's strange, but I think it's normal for a little boy who loves cars.

Most recently, he's been into trains. He's a huge fan of Dinosaur Train on PBS and he knows the songs and dinosaurs. This television show has not only peaked his interest in dinosaurs, but trains as well. His newest pastime is to build trains around the house with whatever he can find. He typically uses pillows blankets, cars and extra large Legos to make his trains, but one night he

built a train so big and so elaborate, I had to get a picture. I was laughing when I saw that he'd grabbed everything he could find including the shoes by the back door and even his work bench and kitchen out of his playroom. One thing I can say about Kyson is . . . he always keeps me guessing.

Shimmy, Shimmy, Shimmy

2011-02-19T11:51:00.000-08:00

Kodi is an interesting little girl and she cracks me up so much. One of the things she does that is so funny is she'll shimmy on command. All you have to say is "shimmy, shimmy, shimmy" while shimmying yourself, and she'll start doing it. She started doing it on her own quite a few months ago, but we thought it was so cute that we started trying to get her to do it. She does it automatically when she gets her favorite food - tuna casserole.

Takes 2 and 3

2011-02-17T11:35:00.000-08:00

None of the pictures were fabulous that I took the other day, so I tried again yesterday and today. There are a few more semi-cute pictures, but nothing that talks to me. I'm still trying to decide which one to send to the grandparents. It would be much easier to get a good picture if she's stay put and look at the camera. I guess I shouldn't expect too much from a 16 month old.

Home-Made Photo Shoot

2011-02-13T14:56:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to get Kyson and Kodi in to get their pictures done, but finances have been tight lately, and I never pencil it to make time. I decided that before church I'd hurry and snap a few shots and hope that I could get a good one I could use. I was hoping that I could get some cute pictures of the two of them together, but that didn't happen. I got one cute picture of Kyson, but he has a cut lip. I got a couple of cute pictures of Kodi, but boys he was being EXTREMELY difficult. I'm surprised I got any.

Our Little VIP

2011-02-09T14:28:00.000-08:00

At one of Kyson's preschools this week, he was the Very Important Person (VIP). This entire week, Kyson was recognized and was supposed to wear a special crown - he refused. Kris was to come in and talk to the class for about 10 minutes. Kris called me the morning he was going to talk to them, and he told me he was nervous. I thought it was cute that he was scared to talk to a group of 3-year-olds. After it was all over, he called me and it sounded like Kris was a hit. He said that the kids kept scooting closer and closer, and they loved looking at all the pictures. I figured the kids would love hearing from Kris, simply because it was the dad that came, and not the mom like probably all the other kids.

It's nice that the preschool gives every child a week to be recognized. And parents love to talk about their children.

BFFs

2011-02-06T18:52:00.000-08:00

I know that Kyson and Kodi are very young still, but it warms my heart to know they're such good friends. They really enjoy playing together. They play magformers together, legos together, chase each other around the house regularly, and copy everything the other does. I have a hard time sometimes with the copying when it's yelling or doing raspberries at dinner, but I know that this friendship is probably short-lived. Once they get a little older, I think they'll be yelling at each other and mad at each other. For now, though, they're BFFs and I love it.

The Demon Choir

2011-01-28T11:43:00.000-08:00

Most people only see the submissive, well-behaved, and quiet Kodi. And most only see the obnoxious, loud and resistant Kyson. When you put the two together at dinner, Kodi is the one egging things on and causing us to go deaf. It seems like it's a nightly ritual where both Kyson and Kodi do this loud scream song that is indescribable. One night after about 15 minutes of their song, Kris went and got ear plugs and I got the camera. Kris and I can't even hear each other speak, and we're sitting right next to each other. The other night, Kris and I were laughing so hard about our children's wonderful "singing" voices, and Kris made the comment that they sounded like a demon choir. I thought it was quite fitting.