2 <3's, 1 LoVe

Tuesday, December 15th marked 14 wonderful years of marriage for my best friend and I!! It never ceases to amaze me how much our love has grown over time, and I know it will only grow stronger as time goes by. I am so lucky to have this amazing, wonderful, strong, kind-hearted, and loving man in my life...not only for my sake but for my kids also. He is the greatest Dad on earth, he is such a great teacher and playmate, everything that a Dad should be!! I love you so much Matt, thanks for all you do for our family.

We are so lucky to have a daughter of babysitting age in our home now, Matt and I have been able to actually go out together recently. Last week we went to his Christmas Party for work, just dinner and a gift exchange but it was really nice. And for our anniversary Matt got tickets to take me to Michael McLean's Forgotten Carols...it was so awesome!! Of course I did my fair share of crying, the spirit was so strong; it was amazing and beautiful, I just can't even express in words how much it touched me.

Quarterly Update!!

Okay, so it's been a little over three months since my last post; so we'll just consider this our quarterly update for ya'll. If I make it back sooner, GREAT, if not, we'll make sure we at least get back to you sometime in March.

We have been on such a roller coaster ride these last six months that I wasn't sure most of the time whether we were coming or going. But, for now I'm very happy to say we are coasting in an uphill direction!! You all know how we went from our nice big home with room to spare in Saratoga, to the very cramped quarters we shared at Matt's parents home (which we are sooo grateful for, we can't even begin to express our gratitude for all that they have done and continue to do for us!!). We were constatntly running here, there, and everywhere...not really sure where we really belonged!! But, I am so happy to announce that we've finally found our place and are so happy to be in it!!

Matt, after much searching and interviewing, finally got a job which not only provides for our family better, but is more suited for him. He is thouroughly enjoying his new line of work, and is growing so much. And not to mention how much happier our family is in this new endeavor!!

Sydney went from being part of the oldest, Rule the School, sixth graders at SS Elementary, to one of the youngest, newby, sixth graders at SS Middle School. She had a bit of a rough start since we all made our rounds with the swine flu just after moving, but she is really getting the hang of things now, and really enjoys the change. It amazes me how much she seems to be growing and maturing through this experience.

Stetson has done so well in school these past couple of years, since he had the "World's Greatest Teacher" instill such confidence in him. So, of course he is continuing to excel. And he has made some great new friends which makes all the difference when you move to a new town.

Sadie is also continuing to enjoy school, it has been a bit of an adjustment without her bestest friend in her class; but she loves to learn and is starting to read very well!!

McCrae is happy in our new home, he loves having all of his things out of storage so he can play with them; but he gets so bored when the other kids are all at school. He asks me all the time when we can sign him up for preschool, I'm thinking I better at least check into it because most days I just can't keep him entertained.

And, as if my excitement wasn't just jumping off the page as you are reading this, I must say how happy I am in our new place too!! I've been keeping myself so busy just trying to get the house set up, and decorating--doing all the things I LOVE!! I rarely leave the house, which is especially nice after all the time I spent in the van before moving down here. (I had to brag on facebook how I went a whole week with my low fuel light on.)

I hope to keep you all posted as far as our everyday happenings, but I still don't have a camera, so we'll see how it goes. I love reading about what you are all up to, so please keep blogging! Best wishes for a joyous Holiday Season!!

Back 2 School

Well, it's back to school time already and I didn't even get to tell you about any of our summer fun. Not having a camera to take and share pictures with you all just takes all of the fun out of blogging!! So, a quick recap of some of the things we did over our summer break...camping, hiking, swimming, get-aways to Nana's house, just chillin', and a really fun Family "Luau" at the KOA in Richfield. Really not a lot, it seems like our summer just flew by, we blinked our eyes and it was gone; so now it's back to the daily grind, back to the books, and back to crazy chickens running with our heads cut off!!
The kids are excited to be returning to the same school they attended the past two years, even though we're not living in the boundaries. I decided that it was worth it to me to drive them back out there until we know where we are going to end up for sure, I would hate to get them started at a new school and barely be settling in and finding new friends just in time to yank them out to go somewhere else. We hope all works out so they can stay where they are now, we would really love that!!

First day of school, they look so sharp in their new school clothes!! (What a cute pose, huh?! :)

Sydney is in 6th grade this year and so excited to "Rule the School"!! I can't believe she is getting so old, and big enough to share shoes with me (YEAH!!, more for me!)

Stetson is in 4th grade and has such a great attitude about school this year, thanks to last years teacher (we love him sooo much!!)

I hope this school year will be awesome for the kids, I know it can be if they just keep a positive attitude and do their best. They are such good kids and have always been excellent students, keep up the good work guys, I Love You!!!

Oquirrh Mt. Temple Dedication

What a blessing it is to be surrounded by a multitude of our Heavenly Father's beautiful temples. And what a special priviledge it was to attend the dedication of this Holy House with my family. I am so grateful for the wonderful spirit we felt and was able to share with Sydney and Stetson, especially in singing 'The Spirit of God'. As we sang the words "...the veil o'er the earth is beginning to burst" I was so overcome by the spirit that I could not even utter the words of the song, it is a marvelous feeling and I cannot express how grateful I am for my Heavenly Father and all that he has given me. I am especially grateful for my eternal family and for the knowledge I have of my Heavenly Father's plan.

CrAzY, cRaZy life!!!

Okay, I know, I totally suck at this whole blogging thing, but it IS summer!! I have been such a slacker about posting anything, it's going to take me all summer long to get caught up, if I ever do that is!! I guess I'm only missing the month of June, that's not to bad, right?! So, let's back up to that point.
School ended on May 30th, what a sad and emotional day, for ME mostly. I loved my kids' teachers so much, I really hated to see it end; that and the fact that I would have to listen to them fight and argue all day long now. Anyway, we had a fantastic year and hope to return to Saratoga Shores in the fall.
The reason I say 'hope' is because we were finally given a deadline on moving out of the house we were living in. After two previous notices with no follow through we actually got the real deal issued to us at the end of April. The paper stated that we had five days to vacate the premises, but there was no way I was accepting that. So my dear sweet husband called the Attorney issuing the notice for the bank and got us til the end of May. Yeah, I got my wish...that the kids would at least get to complete the school year!! So amidst all the end of school festivities, we were trying to get packed and ready to move, what a headache!!! We were so sad to leave that awesome house, and the wonderful neighborhood that it is in. But there is no way they can make us stop attending the ward. :)
Then, the following weekend we went to Cherry Hill with my family. It was a much needed break after the move. We headed up Friday afternoon, grabbed lunch on the way, got camp all set up, then headed into Salt Lake for the Bees game. As we were sitting there enjoying the game, one of the players hit a foul ball right to the section next to ours and hit some poor lady SMACK in the mouth!! It was really sad, the EMT's had to come and take her out, she was bleeding like crazy. But after that Bee's personnel starting handing out everything you could imagine to all the people in that section, like ice-cream sandwiches, T-shirts, #1 Fan foam fingers, mini bats and balls, etc....those are the things I can remember because our kids kept sneaking over there and getting them as they were handing them out!! The game went into double overtime with the Bees finally winning, it was so exciting. After the game they put on a fantastic fireworks show, and of course the kids ran the bases and got a certificate for free kids meals at The Old Spaghetti Factory, ooohhh YUM!!! When we got back to camp we all just crashed, some better than others...Sydney had started complaining a little bit through the evening that she wasn't feeling well and ended up waking me up every couple of hours to go to the bathrooms and eventually let it all rip just outside the tent, yuck!! On Saturday we spent the day floating around the lazy river, swimming in the pool, and riding down Cardiac Canyon. Sydney even tried it and liked it this year, with no persuasion or force on my behalf. Then as we were sleeping so nice and sound, the storm rolled in and started raining pretty heavy at about 4am. It rained almost constant 'til we were all packed up and ready to leave at about noon on Sunday. We of course weren't ready to go home yet, so Matt decided we should go visit our good friends in Bear Lake, we were already halfway there after all!! But then his idea of going to Bear Lake evolved into taking the scenic route around, through Evanston and into Bear Lake from the back. It was a nice drive and a quick little visit with old friends, then as we headed for home we got to stop and say HI to some cousins in Logan. I love that we're still young enough to just take off on an unplanned adventure, and drag our kids along for the ride!!
Other than that we've just been trying to find some kind of order in our crazy chaotic lives. We are living with Matt's parents for the time being and trying to make sense of it all. I couldn't be more grateful for ALL that they do for us!!
I'll try and keep you all updated with our craziness, but it's not near as much fun to blog about all our fun festivities without having pictures to post. I put the camera in my pocket after taking a picture of the kids in front of the Welcome to Wyoming sign and the lens got sucked in all crooked, so now it won't work, and that's why I don't have any pics posted from our Cherry Hill adventure.

Sydney and Sadie's Dance Recital (05/16/09)

The girls had another enjoyable year of dance from our dear sweet neighbor. They had their dance recital centered around the theme of "Mamma Mia" and each group of girls danced to one of the songs from the movie, it was so cute and alot of fun!!

This dance that Syd's class did with the mops was actually to the song "We built this City on Rock and Roll" by REO Speedwagon. I was so excited when she told me they were dancing to that song because that used to be one of mine and Racquel's favorite songs when we were younger. We had it cranked pretty good one day when my dad was trying to sleep from being on graveyard shift the night before, he had gotten his fill of it and come downstairs and asked us, "Have you got that city built yet?" I'll never forget that and always cherish the song for such a great memory!

I loved these cute little bell bottoms, their dance teacher actually makes all of the girls' costumes.

Sadie, looking so cute before it al started.

She was supposed to have the tie around her neck, I love how she put it around her head!

What a great pose!!

Sydney with her great teacher, Cindy.

Sadie with her darling teacher, Matika.

Stetson's Class Swim Party (05/16/09)

Still trying to play catch up!! Stetson's class had an end of the year class party at his classmate/friend Brans' house. They were so nice to host a party at their house for the whole class to come and swim in the pool, play in the yard and have hot dogs for lunch. Stetson took Matt along to help chaperone and they both got fried to a crisp (I'm so terrible about remembering sunscreen), they still had a blast though!!!

Stetson, making a big splash!
Mr G. got pushed in the pool, fully clothed.
Stetson throwing Mr G.'s soggy hat around the pool.

(We still need to replace that.)

Playing some B-ball with the boys!!

Stetson got burned so bad that day, that he couldn't put a shirt on for three days...he missed church on Sunday, and school on Monday and Tuesday; I hope we all learned a lesson from that one!!

Matt runs his first 5K

Heritage sponsored a 5K race for it's employees and family members, Matt signed up to run in it quite awhile ago. Well the day of the race finally arrived and wouldn't you know it...Matt had to get sick about a week prior to that. He had come down with a nasty flu/cough kind of yuckiness. If I were the one in his shoes I would have just said "Bag It", but not him...he was very determined to run and give it all he had!! We all headed down there together to be his support team and cheerleaders but of course was a little later than we should've been, we got there about 3 minutes after the race started so Matt just hopped out of the van and took off, trailing the rest of the crowd by a few minutes.

Here he is, on the home stretch.

Sydney and Stetson joined him for the last little bit.

Introducing the kids to a few of the boys he works with.

And getting a high five from one of his co-workers.

Even after his late start, Matt was able to beat his treadmill time by a good 5-10 minutes and take first place in his division, winning an ipod shuffle. Hooray for you Honey, and for Me, since the shuffle will basically be mine. I'm so proud of you for your hard work and determination, way to go!!!

Bobcat, Wolf, now Bear...OH MY!!!!

Stetson has advanced to the rank of Bear in Cub Scouts with the passing of his ninth birthday, above is a photo of him putting his Wolf pin on me. I have been so lucky to be able to take part in the weekly Den Meetings with him, about a year ago I was asked to just fill in/assist while our bishop's wife was unable to do it while her daughter was having serious medical problems and I've been helping out ever since. I am so proud of his determination and hard work to complete not only his Wolf , but to also earn 1 gold arrow point and 5 silver arrow points. That adds up to 60 Electives above and beyond the required Achievements, he also earned 8 or 9 belt loops in addition to it all. Great Job Stetson, we are so proud of your accomplishments!!!!

Wax Museum

The latest project Sydney had to do for school was the Wax Museum. I think it is an awesome way to get the kids excited about learning more about important people from History. Sydney chose to do her research on Pocahontas; she had to read a Biography, write a report, write a poem, and then dress up as Pocahontas and portray her as a live statue at their school Wax Museum. It was alot of fun to go see all the famous people from our American History...there were people like Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, Sacajawea, George Washington, Betsy Ross, Helen Keller, Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart and even Elvis Presley. All the kids did such a great job, I had to go through about five times because it was so fun and interesting to see them all.

Good Job Syd, I think you were the most beautiful model in the whole show!!!

Still trying to get caught up!!

Stetson's Birthday was May 3rd, he turned nine years old...already!! I can't believe how time flies, it almost seems like yesterday that I gave birth to that 9 lb. 13 oz. bouncing baby boy. He was the cutest little guy I had ever seen, and still is. He is so sweet and tender-hearted, I know he'll grow up to be a wonderful man one day, just like his Dad!!

We made him go down to Nana's to spend his B-day with family, which he wasn't to thrilled about...already acting like friends are more important!! So, the following weekend we had a few of his friends come over for Pizza & Cupcakes, then Matt took them to Classic FUN Center for some rollerblading and games; they had a great time!!

Seth, Stetson, Blake, Cole

Opening presents!!

He got a Steeler's football, a new Bakugan, a kite, a yo-yo, some Flarp!, and five bucks!!

Stetson, mid-air in a back flip.

Climbing the ropes on the BIG bouncer.

Good friends, Great FUN!!!

Hope of America

A couple of weeks ago Sydney was priviledged to be involved with the Hope of America Celebration at BYU's Marriott Center. She was one of some 6,000 other fifth grade students in the area to take part in this aewsome event. Together they made up a live form of the American Flag and sang a number of patriotic songs. This was the big kick off/opening ceremony for Provo's Freedom Festival they do every year. In addition to the kids singing their many songs, they also had dancers from many different cultures, and videos honoring our slodiers. It was so awesome, it made me so proud to be an American...I got a little teary and choked up all throughout the program.

Here is Sydney before the whole thing started, I had to get a good close up shot.

And this is the Flag that all those students together made...So COOL!!!

Syd is centered in this picture,

One of the shining stars in the field of blue.

If you study this picture a little bit you can see there is a bit of a ripple

going through the middle of the flag. During one of the songs they started a wave

that continued around the stadium four or five times.

The last song they sang is titled "We are the Light of the World"

All lights were turned off and the flag was illuminated by flashlights

held by each student. It was AmAzInG, just thinking about it

is making me get choked up again!!!

Goodtown Gala

As the school year is coming to a close, we have lots of things keeping us busy. Stetson, has been so lucky to be in Mr. Goodman's class this year and a citizen of "Goodtown". They recently had their Goodtown Gala where the students shared some of their work and progress with us, sang some fun songs and received their certificates of acievement.

Stetson shared his Pumpkin Poem with everyone.

Mr. Goodman presenting the Determination Award to Stetson.

And here is Stetson with the Greatest Teacher on Earth!! Not only in our eyes either, he received the KOSY Teacher of the Year Award for 2009. He's also much more than a 3rd grade teacher, he also volunteers and mentors kids in crisis, teaches religious classes at the Utah State Prison, and writes and sings his own music. Just check him out for yourselves at http://www.timothygoodman.com/ or http://www.theiwillproject.com/.

We LOVE Mr. G., he has made such an amazing impact on Stetson,

and has a very special place in our hearts!!

Spring Break

The kids had the week following Easter off school for Spring Break, so we took off Sunday afternoon and headed down to Mom's for the week. We had big plans of cleaning out the basement, seeing old friends, and playing with cousins. Well, we worked in the basement for a couple of hours one day, we did a little scrapbooking, we went shopping for my birthday, we watched a few movies, but mostly we just hung out and enjoyed our time with Nana. The days just seem to fly by us whenever we get to spend any amount of time down there! We had to come back home on Thursday, because we ALL were missing Dad terribly!! Then Friday morning Grammy & Papa called and invited us to go to the Living Planet Aquarium with them, what a treat!! We met up with them, Danelle, Shay & Colt, Trish, Kylee & McKinley(as well as their Grandpa Dan) It was alot of fun, the kids loved hanging out with their cousins and seeing all the fun and exciting things at the Aquarium!!

Shay, Colt, Stetson, McKinley, Sydney

Sadie & McCrae.

Checking their reflections in the wavy mirrors.

McCrae loved all the bright, colorful fish; here he's "Finding Nemo".

I caught Sadie for a split second as she was climbing though one of the cool tunnels.

Stetson letting the little sucker fish eat all the dead skin and germs off his hands.

Notice the mowhak? I caved and let him have his hair the way he wanted it for that whole week!!

Sydney petting the stingrays.

There is so much to see and learn there, it really is an awesome place. I think my favorite thing to see is the jellyfish, the way they are constantly changing color is so amazing!

PINK

& BLUE.

This beautiful red & white starfish was another thing that really amazed me.

But, you must admit, the octopus is just plain UGLY!!

Easter

Easter Weekend came and went just like any other normal weekend, it seems. We usually put in our request to the Easter Bunny to make his visit on Saturday rather than Sunday, with church and all it's just too much of a hassle on Sunday morning. But we were a little late in making that request, so I at least petitioned him to visit our house while we were at church so we wouldn't have to fight the kids to get ready for church rather than hunt for easter baskets! He was very kind to honor my request!!! It's really quite sad to think that we didn't do anything big to celebrate, especially since my Birthday fell on Easter this year, but the cold wintery weather didn't help matters at all. I did spend many hours in quiet solitude, sewing the girls easter dresses, while everyone else in the house was getting precious sleep!!

Pictures were even taken a few weeks later, because I'm such a slacker.


I love this pose, sooo precious!!!

**The best part about their Easter dresses is that the only things I had to buy for them is the pretty sheer pink fabric that drapes around the neckline of Sydneys dress and the zipper. The pink taffeta for Sydney's dress was from my mom's stash of things bought for my called off wedding. Sadie's dress was a project I bought and started for Sydney, which I was lucky enough to still put to use after all these years!!

And, of course I had to stick in some pics of my handsome boys!!