We have a "tradition" where each night at dinner we each share 3 things about our day. On school days the kids are supposed to share at least 2 of their 3 things about school - this helps us get the conversation going about their school day & keeps us involved in what is going on with them. On Sunday's the same rule applies but they have to share something they learned in primary or in class. I just couldn't resist "sharing" one of the things that Nate shared with us as part of his 3 things tonight.
His teacher had brought in salt dough & they were each supposed to make a sculpture of their most prized possession. They then talked about what their possession meant to them & how they would want it treated if someone else had borrowed it. I asked Nate what people had sculpted. The teacher who was teaching the lesson made a ring - his wife has recently lost her wedding ring so he talked about how that made them feel. Dan is a team teacher in Nate's class (& had read the lesson so his creation played into the message of the lesson), so he made a wolf eel to represent his scuba diving equipment. There were only 2 boys in class today, Nate's classmate made his Nintendo DS, and Nate said he made his heart. When I asked him why his heart was his most prized possession he replied "Because it pumps my blood, and if I didn't have it I wouldn't be alive." Now that's logic you can't really argue with - but where does he come up with these things - really?!
Not related to my post but it's been record breaking-ly cold here this week. I am grateful for a warm home - very grateful (I HATE being cold). I am also grateful that we park both our cars in the garage - they are still cold in the morning but not as cold as they could be & they don't have to be "warmed up" before getting going & no windows have to be scraped! Growing up in a place where it gets so cold you have to plug in your car at night to keep it warm so it will start in the morning - I really do appreciate the garage. Now if it would just snow in time for a White Christmas....
Sunday, December 13, 2009
It's that time of year!
Thanksgiving has passed and Christmas is just around the corner & in the midst of all the madness we find ourselves once again.
Thanksgiving this year was nice. It was pretty low key. We invited someone over to join us, as we do every year. It's always a treat to have someone in our home, to get to know them better, and just to have a good day, and we really did. It's also nice for me, selfishly, 'cause if I'm busy preparing/entertaining I have less time to focus on not being with my family. Having grown up in the same town with both sets of my grandparents and several of my aunts, uncles, and cousins - this time of year is hard for me to not have family around to share all the love, joy & excitement with. This year it's been particularly emotional for me, I keep blaming it on the hormones, since the tears are never far away lately. So keeping busy is the order of the day!
The day after Thanksgiving has become our day to go get our Christmas tree. We have a favorite Christmas tree farm we go to, we're starting to get lots of favorites - pumpkin patches, etc - guess that means we've been here long enough. We had great luck this year - our perfect tree was right where we stopped the first time, close to the car, easy to cut down & get loaded. The kids had a great time running through the trees playing peek-a-boo and tag. It was a fun day. We brought it home & put it up, for the first time ever it was the perfect height - no extra dings in the ceiling this year! Lights went on Saturday & when I was at my church meetings on Sunday (& while Kassie was napping) Dan, Nate & Abbie decorated the tree. Kassie loves the tree & at least once a day looks at it in awe and exclaims "WOW", sometimes just 5 minutes after she just saw it. There are no gifts under it as it's too much of a temptation for Kassie but there will be soon enough I'm sure. The rest of the decorations are not up & Abbie is getting anxious about getting our stockings hung, that too will happen soon.
In the midst of all of this I decided that I should make sure that I'm "certifiable" and agreed to make a wedding cake. As if I had 5 extra minutes - now I think I'm running a deficit, but it should be a pretty simple cake & if it goes as planned should be beautiful (fingers are crossed). Pictures/posting to come soon after completed.
This really is my favorite time of year even though it's insanely busy with work, church, kids and all the extras this time of year seems to always bring - it's also the time of year that we get to take time to consider all that has happened during the past year. It seems so easy to focus on all the good and forget all the bad. It's a time to focus on what really matters & take the time to re-focus ourselves toward those goals. For so many reasons I am grateful for the holiday season!
This year has brought us so much to be grateful for, blessings too numerous to mention. But truth be told tonight I'm grateful that I've more or less caught up on the blog. I'm sure there are things that I've forgotten to mention but I can always add that later - so there 3+ months updated in just a few hours - WHEW!
Thanksgiving this year was nice. It was pretty low key. We invited someone over to join us, as we do every year. It's always a treat to have someone in our home, to get to know them better, and just to have a good day, and we really did. It's also nice for me, selfishly, 'cause if I'm busy preparing/entertaining I have less time to focus on not being with my family. Having grown up in the same town with both sets of my grandparents and several of my aunts, uncles, and cousins - this time of year is hard for me to not have family around to share all the love, joy & excitement with. This year it's been particularly emotional for me, I keep blaming it on the hormones, since the tears are never far away lately. So keeping busy is the order of the day!
The day after Thanksgiving has become our day to go get our Christmas tree. We have a favorite Christmas tree farm we go to, we're starting to get lots of favorites - pumpkin patches, etc - guess that means we've been here long enough. We had great luck this year - our perfect tree was right where we stopped the first time, close to the car, easy to cut down & get loaded. The kids had a great time running through the trees playing peek-a-boo and tag. It was a fun day. We brought it home & put it up, for the first time ever it was the perfect height - no extra dings in the ceiling this year! Lights went on Saturday & when I was at my church meetings on Sunday (& while Kassie was napping) Dan, Nate & Abbie decorated the tree. Kassie loves the tree & at least once a day looks at it in awe and exclaims "WOW", sometimes just 5 minutes after she just saw it. There are no gifts under it as it's too much of a temptation for Kassie but there will be soon enough I'm sure. The rest of the decorations are not up & Abbie is getting anxious about getting our stockings hung, that too will happen soon.
In the midst of all of this I decided that I should make sure that I'm "certifiable" and agreed to make a wedding cake. As if I had 5 extra minutes - now I think I'm running a deficit, but it should be a pretty simple cake & if it goes as planned should be beautiful (fingers are crossed). Pictures/posting to come soon after completed.
This really is my favorite time of year even though it's insanely busy with work, church, kids and all the extras this time of year seems to always bring - it's also the time of year that we get to take time to consider all that has happened during the past year. It seems so easy to focus on all the good and forget all the bad. It's a time to focus on what really matters & take the time to re-focus ourselves toward those goals. For so many reasons I am grateful for the holiday season!
This year has brought us so much to be grateful for, blessings too numerous to mention. But truth be told tonight I'm grateful that I've more or less caught up on the blog. I'm sure there are things that I've forgotten to mention but I can always add that later - so there 3+ months updated in just a few hours - WHEW!
Big Surprise
This year we got a HUGE surprise. If you know us you know that having children has been a challenge for us. Getting pregnant that is, it never "just happens" for us. We have to try & in 2 out of 3 try for more than 2 years. So when I had the urge to puke on Dan after he had just eaten peanut butter (a sure sign I'm pregnant) we couldn't have been more shocked. After it was verified & I shared the news with Dan - he was just as surprised & said something along the lines of "I feel like I just knocked up my high school girlfriend & I don't know what to do" I laughed - that just about said it all - we were THAT surprised. Four months later we are excited & Nate & Abbie are VERY excited. We had an ultrasound early this month & everything looks as is should. So far so good. We let Kassie make the announcement for us in most cases. She told our parents when they were here for Nate's baptism & she spread the word late last month at a ward party to church friends. This is how we let everyone know:
What a cute way to share such fun news!
We are very grateful for a healthy pregnancy so far & are hoping it stays that way!
What a cute way to share such fun news!
We are very grateful for a healthy pregnancy so far & are hoping it stays that way!
Getting Outta Here!
Kassie has decided that she wants to go visit grandma & has come up with a way to get there.
Step 1 - Find appropriate packaging
Step 2 - Make sure it's the right size
Step 3 - Get cozy
Step 4 - Say Goodbye
Step 5 - Will someone please tape up this box & send me same day express?!
I am grateful for a little girl with 6 tons of spunk. You just can't be around her & not be happy - she keeps us on our toes every minute of every day!
Step 1 - Find appropriate packaging
Step 2 - Make sure it's the right size
Step 3 - Get cozy
Step 4 - Say Goodbye
Step 5 - Will someone please tape up this box & send me same day express?!
I am grateful for a little girl with 6 tons of spunk. You just can't be around her & not be happy - she keeps us on our toes every minute of every day!
Next Up - Halloween
Every year the elementary school that the kids go to throws this super fun Halloween Carnival. This year was no exception. They always have a professional photographer there to do pictures & they usually end up being the best pictures we get of the kids in their costumes.
Nate went as a fighter pilot this year. He saw the costume online & just had to have it. Funny thing is before then he had not seen any of the Star Wars movies. Everyone at the carnival kept complimenting him on what a great Luke Skywalker costume he had not to mention we got several remarks on how much he looked like Luke Skywalker - he really did especially from the first Star Wars movie (which is actually the 4th -whatever). He got pretty frustrated so we borrowed the movie from some friends, he watched it, he loved it & then said "Now I know why everyone kept saying I look like Luke Skywalker - I really do!" No confidence issues here. This picture isn't the best, but it's the best I've got!
Abbie wanted to be Tinkerbell & so she was. A super cute one at that. She was all decked out in glitter spray on Halloween Day & at Trunk or Treat. At Trunk or Treat she also had a star wand that glowed. Perfect for Abbie.
Kassie however stole the show. I just couldn't pass up this octopus costume! She was a hit everywhere we went! At Trunk or Treat Dan wore his scuba gear & carried around (when she'd let us, she would have much rather walked) his "catch". Kassie's favorite part was passing out candy to others - so Dan sat with her on his lap & when people would get to our car to "trunk or treat" he would say "put your bag/bucket up close & my trained octopus will give you a treat." She got the candy in the bucket more than 95% off the time - it was hysterical. Some of the older kids ran to get their friends to bring them over for the show, we had a great time - now if I had only brought the camera with us to Trunk or Treat.
Last but not least our pumpkin creations. We carve pumpkins every year & this year was no exception!
Kassie was fascinated by the whole experience - here is her pumpkin - thanks to help from dad.
Abbie wanted a cat - so with some help from mom (and a pattern from online) here's her creation.
Nate went for the pirate look & it took help from everyone but turned out pretty good - we think anyway.
There was one more pumpkin - a special little pumpkin, one that was grown with TLC from Nate the great himself - but do I have pictures of it - not really. Not carved anyway - but here are some of the work in progress.
Funny thing about this pumpkin is we really tried to make some pumpkin starts in peat pots - yea those didn't grow a bit (nothing I tried to grow did), but Nate took some of the left over seeds & planted them in a small patch of dirt next to our driveway. I didn't even realize he had done it - till it was growing - guess he's got the green thumb in the family, I surely don't. The finished product was perfect - but do I have pictures - not as many as I'd like - bad mom.
I am grateful for family traditions and the pure joy they brings to us.
Nate went as a fighter pilot this year. He saw the costume online & just had to have it. Funny thing is before then he had not seen any of the Star Wars movies. Everyone at the carnival kept complimenting him on what a great Luke Skywalker costume he had not to mention we got several remarks on how much he looked like Luke Skywalker - he really did especially from the first Star Wars movie (which is actually the 4th -whatever). He got pretty frustrated so we borrowed the movie from some friends, he watched it, he loved it & then said "Now I know why everyone kept saying I look like Luke Skywalker - I really do!" No confidence issues here. This picture isn't the best, but it's the best I've got!
Abbie wanted to be Tinkerbell & so she was. A super cute one at that. She was all decked out in glitter spray on Halloween Day & at Trunk or Treat. At Trunk or Treat she also had a star wand that glowed. Perfect for Abbie.
Kassie however stole the show. I just couldn't pass up this octopus costume! She was a hit everywhere we went! At Trunk or Treat Dan wore his scuba gear & carried around (when she'd let us, she would have much rather walked) his "catch". Kassie's favorite part was passing out candy to others - so Dan sat with her on his lap & when people would get to our car to "trunk or treat" he would say "put your bag/bucket up close & my trained octopus will give you a treat." She got the candy in the bucket more than 95% off the time - it was hysterical. Some of the older kids ran to get their friends to bring them over for the show, we had a great time - now if I had only brought the camera with us to Trunk or Treat.
Kassie was fascinated by the whole experience - here is her pumpkin - thanks to help from dad.
All three together
I am grateful for family traditions and the pure joy they brings to us.
Baptism Day
Nate made the great choice to be baptized! We made sure the choice was all his. He went to his interview all on his own. He let me stand the clerks office to wait for him, but asked the bishop to close the door so mom couldn't here. Well that took all the fun out of it!
Nate happened to get baptized on my birthday. A terrific present for a mom, at least it was for this mom, I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate my birthday than to witness my son make such a important decision. Both of our parents were able to come & join us for a long weekend to share in Nate's special day.
We spent the morning & early afternoon watching soccer games, one for each "big" kid and then we took a short break & went to the church. After a full round of pictures we had Nate's baptism. Nate had spent some time working on the program he wanted for his special day. Grandma Radeke gave the talk on Baptism & Grandma Terry gave the talk on the Holy Ghost. The Grandpas were the witnesses and stood in with dad in the blessing circle along with close family friends who were there to support Nate on his special day. The room was packed - it was an amazing experience. One of the things that Nate chose for his program is that he wanted Abbie to sing a song, then he heard Brittney (our favorite babysitter) sing in Sacrament Meeting and he wanted her to sing, we told him that he could only have 1 special musical number so he called Brittney and asked her if she would sing with Abbie - they did. It was very special for all of us, the topper to it all was when the song was over Nate went up to Abbie and gave her a great big hug and told her she did a good job and thank you. He really does have a heart of gold.
(We couldn't record the actual performance, but here is a video of a rehearsal - sorry the video quality is the best & the piano sounded really loud - it wasn't & yes Abbie is on a stool she's nowhere near this tall compared to Brittney! And for some reason the blog isn't letting me upload video so I had to put it on YouTube - oh well)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV6l_aEnFGQ
We ended the night by going out to dinner, this was my birthday present - I didn't want to cook or do dishes! Both Grandmas & Grandpas as well as 2 families of friends joined us - it was the perfect ending to our perfect day.
I am grateful for Nate. For the smart boy he is, but most of all for his heart of gold. Nobody loves like he does. I am so very grateful that he is our son. I hope we can do right by him, and learn the wonderful lessons he has for us. We have a special thing in our primary where if an adult sees a primary child choosing the right in any situation they fill out a little card and that child is recognized for their good choice. Nate recently got one, our primary pianist works at Nate's school & she witnessed Nate being a good friend. Apparently there was a classmate who was sad because he felt as though he didn't have any friends, at which point, without hesistate, Nate let this boy know that he would be his friend. I happened to be the leader the day Nate got his card for the good choice, it was all I could do to not cry. I was so proud of the choice he made. These are the kinds of choices we want them to make, the ones that let us know they are listening to what we teach them. He is an amazing son & we love him!
Nate happened to get baptized on my birthday. A terrific present for a mom, at least it was for this mom, I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate my birthday than to witness my son make such a important decision. Both of our parents were able to come & join us for a long weekend to share in Nate's special day.
We spent the morning & early afternoon watching soccer games, one for each "big" kid and then we took a short break & went to the church. After a full round of pictures we had Nate's baptism. Nate had spent some time working on the program he wanted for his special day. Grandma Radeke gave the talk on Baptism & Grandma Terry gave the talk on the Holy Ghost. The Grandpas were the witnesses and stood in with dad in the blessing circle along with close family friends who were there to support Nate on his special day. The room was packed - it was an amazing experience. One of the things that Nate chose for his program is that he wanted Abbie to sing a song, then he heard Brittney (our favorite babysitter) sing in Sacrament Meeting and he wanted her to sing, we told him that he could only have 1 special musical number so he called Brittney and asked her if she would sing with Abbie - they did. It was very special for all of us, the topper to it all was when the song was over Nate went up to Abbie and gave her a great big hug and told her she did a good job and thank you. He really does have a heart of gold.
(We couldn't record the actual performance, but here is a video of a rehearsal - sorry the video quality is the best & the piano sounded really loud - it wasn't & yes Abbie is on a stool she's nowhere near this tall compared to Brittney! And for some reason the blog isn't letting me upload video so I had to put it on YouTube - oh well)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV6l_aEnFGQ
We ended the night by going out to dinner, this was my birthday present - I didn't want to cook or do dishes! Both Grandmas & Grandpas as well as 2 families of friends joined us - it was the perfect ending to our perfect day.
I am grateful for Nate. For the smart boy he is, but most of all for his heart of gold. Nobody loves like he does. I am so very grateful that he is our son. I hope we can do right by him, and learn the wonderful lessons he has for us. We have a special thing in our primary where if an adult sees a primary child choosing the right in any situation they fill out a little card and that child is recognized for their good choice. Nate recently got one, our primary pianist works at Nate's school & she witnessed Nate being a good friend. Apparently there was a classmate who was sad because he felt as though he didn't have any friends, at which point, without hesistate, Nate let this boy know that he would be his friend. I happened to be the leader the day Nate got his card for the good choice, it was all I could do to not cry. I was so proud of the choice he made. These are the kinds of choices we want them to make, the ones that let us know they are listening to what we teach them. He is an amazing son & we love him!
Birthdays!
Side note - I have a friend here that sometime ago told me about a tradition they have in their family. On her children's birthday she goes to school and has lunch with them. Any lunch of their choice. It's something that I started doing when Nate was in Kindergarten. It's a tradition I love doing! On to the birthdays...
Abbie's birthday is the first of these two on the calendar. She had a great time opening all her gifts, and we had a small birthday cake at home, not to mention birthday lunch & treats at school. It's great to be 6!
Nate's birthday was next in line and it was pretty much a repeat of Abbie's special day. Presents at home, a small family cake, and birthday lunch & treats at school. This birthday was an extra special one for Nate has he turned the great big 8. He chose to get baptized and got to start cub scouts (he looks sharp in his uniform)! So many good things for our sweet hearted boy!
With the exception of last year (long story) Nate & Abbie have always had a joint "friends" birthday party. It's just easier on me & they don't mind doing it. We rent the High School pool & have a party for a couple of hours. It's always so much fun & then it's done - WHEW!
PS It looks like I never posted Kassie's official 1st Birthday picture. So for the record, here it is:
For this post I am grateful that my children love having their birthday parties together - it really is nice. They have so much fun together & are each other's best pals. It's what all parents hope for & we feel very blessed that for us it's a reality (for now anyway)!
Soccer 2009
So I slipped into that old habit not being able to find time to update our blog on a regular basis. I find myself being envious of those who blog regularly. It's something that I really like to do, but with my job, kids, my church calling and everything else that life throws my way it seems like this pit stop gets passed by on the freeway of life, but today is update day so strap on your boots here we go....
One of the things that sucked up a lot of time since I last posted was soccer season. Both Nate & Abbie played again this year. With practice 2 nights a week & 2 games every Saturday it kept free time at a premium.
Abbie was with the exact same team/coach as last year & they were AWESOME. Their coach is terrific, she really loves the girls & they love her right back. Abbie loved soccer & made great progress from last year. She scored the very first goal of the season & then went on to score 2 more goals that game & scored at least 1 goal every game this year - a tremendous improvement over last year! She loves scoring goals, but honestly I think she likes the attention/praise she gets when she scores a goal most of all. She's such a diva sometimes, but watching her play is so much fun!
Nate's team really struggled this year. They were down a "man" before the season even started & they had mixed a couple of teams together to create a new team with a new coach. The coach was great & so very patient. He worked with the boys & taught them lots of basic skills, they really started to click as a team towards the end of the season. I really hope we can keep the same group together next year, Nate's not yet had the same coach (or teammates for that matter) 2 seasons in a row. It's obvious to us what a big difference consistency with a team can make. This was the first year that the team played a goalie - it was something Nate was anxious to try & turns out he's a pretty dang good goalie. It was great for all of us when it was his turn to play goalie so that he could have some success. But in the end he had a great time & loved playing & wants to play again so in my book that's a successful season.
One really cool thing that happened this year, is that for the first time we got to have family at a game. Both sets of grandparents we in town for Nate's baptism (more on that later) and we drug them along in the cold to see a game for each of the kids, it was an extra special day for us. For all the time we've played, all the kids on their teams have had grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc come to cheer them on. It was great for Nate & Abbie to have that, even if just for one game. An extra cool thing is on that day Nate got to play goalie & it was the one game his team one all season - extra special in so many ways.
Just a random side note: Kassie did pretty well at all the games. You can guess how many "How cute" comments we got once it got cold & she got bundled up. The proof is in the pictures!
We also had a very good family friend join us for a couple of games early in the season (before the cold, wind & rain started) to cheer on our kids. We are truly so very blessed to have such an amazing support system here when our family is so very far away. For this we are grateful beyond words.
One of the things that sucked up a lot of time since I last posted was soccer season. Both Nate & Abbie played again this year. With practice 2 nights a week & 2 games every Saturday it kept free time at a premium.
Abbie was with the exact same team/coach as last year & they were AWESOME. Their coach is terrific, she really loves the girls & they love her right back. Abbie loved soccer & made great progress from last year. She scored the very first goal of the season & then went on to score 2 more goals that game & scored at least 1 goal every game this year - a tremendous improvement over last year! She loves scoring goals, but honestly I think she likes the attention/praise she gets when she scores a goal most of all. She's such a diva sometimes, but watching her play is so much fun!
Nate's team really struggled this year. They were down a "man" before the season even started & they had mixed a couple of teams together to create a new team with a new coach. The coach was great & so very patient. He worked with the boys & taught them lots of basic skills, they really started to click as a team towards the end of the season. I really hope we can keep the same group together next year, Nate's not yet had the same coach (or teammates for that matter) 2 seasons in a row. It's obvious to us what a big difference consistency with a team can make. This was the first year that the team played a goalie - it was something Nate was anxious to try & turns out he's a pretty dang good goalie. It was great for all of us when it was his turn to play goalie so that he could have some success. But in the end he had a great time & loved playing & wants to play again so in my book that's a successful season.
One really cool thing that happened this year, is that for the first time we got to have family at a game. Both sets of grandparents we in town for Nate's baptism (more on that later) and we drug them along in the cold to see a game for each of the kids, it was an extra special day for us. For all the time we've played, all the kids on their teams have had grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc come to cheer them on. It was great for Nate & Abbie to have that, even if just for one game. An extra cool thing is on that day Nate got to play goalie & it was the one game his team one all season - extra special in so many ways.
Just a random side note: Kassie did pretty well at all the games. You can guess how many "How cute" comments we got once it got cold & she got bundled up. The proof is in the pictures!
We also had a very good family friend join us for a couple of games early in the season (before the cold, wind & rain started) to cheer on our kids. We are truly so very blessed to have such an amazing support system here when our family is so very far away. For this we are grateful beyond words.
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