My Baby is 4

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Today is Abby's birthday. She is growing into a beautiful little girl. Here are 4 things that sum her up.
1. She is very determined
2. She is independent
3. She is a little bossy
4. She is full of love for her family!

We are so glad that she is part of our family. We love you Abby!

Happy Birthday Honey!

Yesterday was Nathan's birthday. He turned 33 years old and to celebrate, I thought I would share 33 things about him.

1. He is the oldest of 7 children. He has 5 brothers and 1 sister.
2. He has very tickilish feet.
3. Speaking of feet, he likes to curl under his toes when he is sitting.
4. He played tennis in high school and was quite good at it.
5. He was born in Provo, and has lived in Utah, Arizona, and Texas. He never had a strong Texan accent though.
6. He served a 2 year mission in Sydney Australia and would like to return for a visit.
7. He has a treasure map of a time capsule he buried on the beach in Sydney that he would like to go find.
8. He graduated from BYU in Electrical Engineering, but is now a Product Manager.
9. He recently broke his foot while playing soccer and had to wear a "boot".
10. He loves chocolate.
11. He loves his children and takes Thomas and Abby on weekend activities. Thomas loves Best Buy and Mac and Cheese at Chilis.
12. He looks really good in baby blue. It brings out the color in his eyes.
13. He has traveled to China, London, and France. He is traveling to Finland in January. Can we say BURRRRRRRRRR.
14. He likes to read and learn new things when he has time.
15. He is an enterprenur.
16. He has a soft side that I love.
17. He loves his children very much. Emily's smile can make him melt.
18. He built us a deck on our home in Layton. I didn't believe that he could actually do it, but he did and it turned out great. It was 8 feet off the ground!
19. He isn't a fan of crowds.
20. His idea of vacation is the beach just relaxing and taking it easy.
21. He gets bored very easily. He likes to be going like the Energizer bunny.
22. He is straightforward. He doesn't mince words very often. He can be direct which helps when I am trying to figure him out.
23. He loves me. Even when I am a turkey which is often, he still loves me.
24. He takes care of us, even when he has to put his own desires on hold.
25. He got bit by a spider when we lived in Alabama that made him very sick. It happened while he was sleeping. It gives me the creeps just thinking about it.
26. I knew that we had something special the first time I talked with him.
27. He is dependable. He follows through with his commitments.
28. He is forgiving.
29. One of his favorite shows at the moment is Chuck.
30. He has a security clearance from working at Boeing.
31. He does the dishes after dinner without me asking.
32. He does a better job cleaning the house than I do.
and finally...
33. He gets an extra day of celebrating just because his mine.

Happy Birthday sweetie! I hope you know how much I love you.

25 Chistmas Questions

25 Christmas Questions
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Wrapping paper.
2. Real tree or artificial?
Both. I have an artificial one now, but I had real ones growing up. I remember the Christmas after my father died and my mom and I went to get a tree in Oregon. We drove 45 minutes and when we arrived it started to rain. We found a tree and went to cut it down with a dull saw. It took forever! Then we had to strap the thing to the top of our mini van. When we were finally done we were dripping wet and we prayed the whole way home that it wouldn’t slide off the roof when my mom turned the wheel. There were a lot of tears and laughter that Christmas.
3. When do you put up the tree?
The day after Thanksgiving.
4. When do you take the tree down?
Usually around January 2nd.
5. Do you like eggnog?
No. I can’t stand it.
6. Favorite gift received as a child?
My Cabbage Patch Kid Preemie. I wanted one so much, but of course they were hard to find. I was shocked to see one under the tree when I was younger. I still have it.
7. Do you have a nativity scene?
Yes. I found one at Costco a few years ago and I bought that one. I have added two more to my decorations. One is a clear set of glass, and the other one is of little children.
8. Hardest person to buy for?
Nathan. He has made it easier because he has a wish list that I can go off of. That helps.
9. Easiest person to buy for?
Emily, just give her some paper and something that makes noise and she’s good.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Mail, however I will post an email letter as well.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?.
A stuffed horse. It didn’t do anything and I was bored silly. It was at my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary and we had all drawn numbers. I was very upset.
12. Favorite Christmas Movies?
National Lampoons Christmas Vacation.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Around December 1st. We started doing our shopping online the last couple of years and it has been wonderful. The only down side is making sure we don’t procrastinate too late so they get here on time.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
I don’t think so.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Aunt Lorie’s meat rolls. She uses roast beef and ham and puts cream cheese in them and rolls them up and slices them. They are wonderful!
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree?
Clear. It is the only ones I will use.
17.Favorite Christmas song?
This is a tie. I love Christmas Shoes by Newsong. It makes me cry everytime I hear it. I also love “Mary Did You Know”, but only the version by Kenny Rogers and Naomi Judd.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Stay home. It seems that everytime we travel my kids get sick. Last time we traveled we went to Texas and ended up in the ER on Christmas Eve with Abby and a 103 degree temperature and croup. A time before that we went to Vegas and the police showed up at my mom’s house. Do you see a pattern here?
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
“ You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen. But do you recall, the most famous reindeer of all? Rudolph”… Abby just finished watching it on DVD so the song is in my head.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Angel
21. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
The commercialism of the season and the craziness and rudeness of some shoppers.
22. Favorite ornament theme or color?
I love homemade ornaments. Our tree has a country feel to it with the homemade ornaments and ribbon on it. I love to make new ornaments every year. I also make our stockings out of felt. Nathan’s is Santa, mine is a snowman, Thomas has a gingerbread man, Abby is an angel and Emily is a ballet dancer.
23. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
Honeybaked Ham. I had one as a gift one year and they are wonderful. Expensive, but wonderful. However, most years it is a ham with all the fixings, but we usually do a big meal on Christmas Eve and have finger foods on Christmas.
24. What do you want for Christmas this year?
I want everyone to be healthy. No sickness this time. In the way of gifts, I would like the David Archuletta CD, a new jacket would be nice and some lounge wear to be comfy in.
25. A favorite Christmas Tradition?
On Christmas Eve we have a nice dinner and then share a Christmas story. Then we pack the kids up in the car in their PJ’s and drive around to look at the lights and help them fall asleep. When we get home, we put them to bed and then we decorate the house. We have strings tied to the stockings that lead all over the room with a present at the end. We also blow up balloons and put them all over the floor. It is a crazy mess, but it is a lot of fun. Nathan’s aunt Lorie does this and we borrowed it from her.

How about you?

Gobble Gobble, Turkey Lurkey!

Since Thanksgiving is on Thursday, I thought it would be fun to share some Turkey Trivia on the famous bird we will be cutting and carving. Too bad only one turkey will be pardoned!

- Turkeys have heart attacks. When the Air Force was conducting test runs and breaking the sound barrier, fields of turkeys would drop dead.
- Turkeys can drown if they look up when it is raining.
- Turkeys’ heads change colors when they become excited.
- Turkey breeding has caused turkey breasts to grow so large that the turkeys fall over.
- Since 1947, the National Turkey Federation has presented a live turkey and two dressed turkeys to the President. The President does not eat the live turkey. He "pardons" it and allows it to live out its days on a historical farm.
- Turkeys will have 3,500 feathers at maturity. (Does someone actually count this?)
- Turkeys have great hearing, but no external ears. They can also see in color, and have excellent visual acuity and a wide field of vision (about 270 degrees), which makes sneaking up on them difficult. However, turkeys have a poor sense of smell (what's cooking?), but an excellent sense of taste.
- A turkey has 157 bones!
- Buterball has a hotline to answer all your turkey questions. For those who may need it, the number is, 1-800-323-4848.
- Sleepy after the big meal? Turkey contains an amino acid called "Tryptophan". Tryptophan sets off a chemical chain reaction that calms you down and makes you sleepy.
- When Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin sat down to enjoy their first meal on the moon, their foil food packets contained roasted turkey and all of the trimmings.

Have a happy Thanksgiving, and too all of you preparing the big meal I hope it goes well. I am making the Thanksgiving dinner this year, and I hope it all turns out well. I am a little nervous about getting everything cooked and staying warm until it is time to serve. That is why I had to have 2 ovens!

Gobble Gobble!

Gratitude ABC's

A: Attitude Adjustments
B: Belly blows
C: Cuddles. Knowing that all is right in the world when you are in the arms of one you love
D: Daughters. Abby and Emily bring me so much joy. I'm blessed to be their mother.
E: Eggs. I am craving them at the moment
F: Family.
G: Green grass. It is nice to see it instead of the snow. I'll enjoy it while I can.
H: Home
I: Innocence of youth
J: Jesus Christ
K: Kelly. That is me. I am grateful for being me. :)
L: Love.
M: Marriage. I am blessed to be married and sharing it with...
N: Nathan. My husband and best friend
O: Opportunities to repent and begin again, and again, and again...
P: Patience. I don't have much of it, but that is why I am thankful for "O"
Q: Quiet time
R: Rest and relaxation. I crave it all the time.
S: Son, Thomas. He is such a wonderful boy, and is growing up too fast.
T: Timing. Things happen for a reason, and it is all in Heavenly Father's hands.
U: United States of America
V: Vacations. I need to take one.
W: Wisdom to accept the things I can not change, even though I keep trying too.
X: Xylaphone. It was one of my children's first toys.
Y: Youthfulness, which I don't seem to have much of lately. I need to exercise...
Z: Zippers, and watching Abby learn how to do it herself.

Happy Halloween

I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween. It was nice to actually have decent weather this year. We went to Nathan's work party and had a good time. His company goes big on Halloween. One section was based on The Wizard of Oz, and another department actually brought in sod and had a football field built complete with a tailgate party.
Thomas went as Anakin Skywalker, Abby was Tinkerbell, and Emily hung out in the pumpkin patch with me at home.

Pumpkin Patch

Last Saturday, we decided to try our luck with the local pumpkin patch. Sadly, there wasn't much worth reporting. The weather here is still in the 70's and Saturday was no exception. We went to Hee Haw farms, and quickly realized that it wasn't worth the money we paid to get in. It was very hot, dry and there were swarms of hornets everywhere. On top of that, they wanted an extra $.25 a pound for a pumpkin.

We packed up the kids and headed to a local farmer here in Orem who sold pumpkins on his front lawn. It wasn't Tate Farms in Alambama, but it will have to do.

Enjoy!

This one's for you

This is for all my blog friends who have ties to Utah, or those who would like to come to Utah, and are missing the mountains. I wanted to share what I see out all my back windows every day. I wanted you to enjoy it as well.

Have a great day!

I AM

I am... a daughter of a king.
I think... I know what I am doing, when most of the time I don’t.
I want... more patience.
I have... everything that I truly need.
I miss... being young and carefree.
I fear... that I will fail as a mother.
I feel... that I should be doing more.
I hear... silence.
I smell... someone needing a diaper change.
I crave...more “me” time.
I cry.... when no one else is around.
I search... the floor before putting Emily down so she doesn’t ingest any small parts.
I wonder... when life will be easier.
I regret... not doing more with my life before marriage and children.
I wish... I had more patience and understanding of children’s emotions.
I love... when my children tell me they love me and that I’m the best mom.
I care... what everyone thinks about me.
I always... repeat things more than once.
I worry... that I am doing everything wrong, and screwing up my kids future.
I am not... together.
I remember... my earliest memory at age 4 or 5 catching my first fish.
I believe... in the gospel.
I know… Heavenly Father is real.
I sing... songs from Disney movies to my kids and hear them laugh.
I don't always... do what’s right.
I argue... way too much with my kids.
I write... in my journal every once in a while.
I lose... my mind on a regular basis.
I listen... to Emily laugh and talk to herself. I love her voice.
I can usually be found... on the computer.
I need... a vacation.
I forget... how truly blessed I really am.
I am happy...because my family loves me as I am.

ABC's of Me

A- Age: 34
B - Best Friend: Nathan
C - Cake or Pie: I’ll take either one at the moment
D - Drink of Choice: Strawberry Lemonade from Red Robin
E - Essential Items: My cuddle pillow
F - Favorite TV show at the moment: Chuck
G - Gummi Bears or Worms: Bears
H - Hometown: Lake Oswego, Oregon
I - Indulgence: Getting a bath without a child standing there asking for something.
J - January or July: January
K - Kids: 3
L - Life is incomplete without: Happiness
M - Marriage Date: 8 May 1998
N - Number of Siblings: 4 brothers
O - Oranges or Apples: Oranges
P - Phobias or Fears: Losing one of my children
Q - Quote: “Buck up little camper. It’s a tough world out there and only the tough survive.”
R - Reason to Smile: The colors are changing on the mountains
S - Season: Fall
T - Time you woke up today: 5 am
U- Unknown Fact About Me: I used to sleep with a mask on my face. I had to have pitch blackness to sleep
V - Veggies or Fruit: Fruit
W - Worst Habit: chewing on the side of my nails. I do it when I am nervous, frustrated, agitated, stressed, which seems to be most of the time.
X - X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Ultrasounds
Y - Your Favorite Food: Fettuccini Alfredo from Olive Garden
Z - Zodiac: Capricorn

All Lined Up in a Row

Abby is very particular about where things should go. She has this inate ability to put things in order and she gets upset if you correct her on it. She has been doing this for awhile, but the other day she lined up her stuffed animals on the couch from smallest to largest. She said her "friends" were watching TV with her.
Isn't she cute!

I've got the giggles

Look At Me

Emily is getting so big! I just had to pose her and get some cute pictures while she would let me. Enjoy!

An Apple A Day...

won't keep our doctors away! Our doctors have come to know us well. Nathan broke his foot playing soccer and was slowly recovering from that, while Emily came down with a condition called eythermia multiforme minor which was a nasty viral rash. Luckily it wasn't contagious, and didn't bother her and now she is doing much better. I have a cold, and Abby is getting over one. Hopefully no more doctor visits for awhile.

Remembering

I'm sure all of us remember exactly what we were doing 7 years ago when our freedoms came under attack. I was upstairs in our rental apartment getting ready for work. I was listening to 570 AM, and Bob Lansbury was interrupted to announce that a plane had crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center in NY. I yelled down to Nathan to turn on the TV and see what they were saying. At first it seemed like a freak accident, and Bob quickly came back on the air. Then it was interrupted again when the second plane hit the other tower. I quickly realized then, that this was no accident. I was terrified. We were pregnant with Thomas, and I started wondering what would his future be like? Who would do such a terrible thing? I cried on my way to work, especially as I heard about the pentagon, and the plane in Pennsylvania. I like most of you, kept my eyes glued to the tv for the next few weeks while information began to come out.
Now, 7 years later I still remember. My heart and appreciation goes out to all those who lost a loved one, and to those who are risking their lives to protect the freedom that I enjoy today. We must not ever forget the price that was paid and for the lives that were lost that September Day.

Dust Bunny

Look at what I found under my bed! I think this is the cutest dust bunny I've ever found.

This is what happened when I left my room for a couple of minutes. She is rolling everywhere and gets into the funniest nooks and crannies.

She is such a cutie!

First Day of School

Thomas is now a big first grader. So far he is loving school and has already made new friends. This morning as we were driving to school we were talking, and the conversation went something like this:
T: I just have a hard time being still.
M: How do you keep still at church?
T: I think about Jesus and He helps me.
M: Don't you think He will help you at school too?
T: I can ask Him right now.

Then we talked about how Heavenly Father and Jesus love him very much, because He is the father of his spirit, and He will help him keep his hands to himself.
The conversation continued at school as I was dropping him off:
M: Remember who you are!
T: I'm Jesus' son!

It was very cute! I am keeping it together with him being gone, and Abby and I are having a little school here at home. So far it is going well. I sure do miss my big boy though...

Swimming Lessons

I decided at the last minute to sign Abby and Thomas up for swimming lessons, and we just finished last week. Thomas was in the level 1 class and Abby went to the preschool class. As I was sitting there, I had a deja vu moment. My life had come full circle. I remembered my mom taking my brothers and I to swim lessons when we were kids in California. Thomas was a little nervous with going under water, but enjoyed it very much. Abby did her own thing, and mostly clung on for dear life to her teacher. Sadly, neither one passed, but that is okay. I'm glad they had a good time. We'll do it again next year.

Staycation

With gas prices out of control, we decided to stay close to home and have a staycation. Nathan has taken the week off and so far we have gone bowling, played in the swimming pool out back and go to the Zoo. It has been a lot of fun. Thomas is not used to having Nathan home, so he asked him if he had lost his job. We just laughed and explained that we were staying around home for our vacation this year. On Friday we are going to Heber to ride the train. We are all looking forward to that.

Enjoy the rest of your summer. School starts for us on Monday!

Solid Foods

Emily is now 6 months old, and has had her first taste of solid foods! She wasn't too thrilled, but seems to be getting the hang of it.

Thomas has started soccer and both he and Abby are taking swimming lessons. I'll post pictures soon.

On another note, my mom's surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, July 29th. It appears she has a more aggressive type of cancer than they originally thought. She will most likely need chemo and radiation. I'll keep you updated.

Update

Emily is fine. We received her test results last week and thank goodness she did not have a UTI. I guess it was a random fever, and she appears to be on the mend.

My mom had her MRI, and the cancer has not spread. She will have a lumpectomy in August, and will then undergo a month of radiation. I am so thankful that she is going to be okay.

Thank you for all your well wishes.

The toothfairy is coming!

Thomas has lost his first tooth! My baby is growing up, and there is no stopping him now. He even pulled it out himself. Thomas said to me, "Mom, make sure you leave the window open tonight so the toothfairy can come in!" Oh, the innocence of youth.