To my Twenties

Our time has come to bid farewell, but don't think I won't remember all that we have had together. Our time together has covered some of the most memorable times in my life. You've been there when I was a bride, a soon to be mom, a new mom, and a mom again. You have seen me skinny and round, healthy and ill, happy and unhappy. You have seen me develop skills and study, study, study. You have witnessed some of the best times of my life, but now you must go. It does seem to soon, but it is time for me to move on to the next decade of my life. One that will surely be filled with new challenges and joys. Here's to my 30s.

Indoor soccer

H joined an indoor soccer team which plays nearly every week through February. He is enjoying himself and J is getting free entertainment as the coach. They have only had one game, but during that game they were trying to name themselves and one suggestion was the "blue balls" because their shirts are blue. J quickly shot that down, but has been laughing about it ever since. See what I mean - free entertainment???











To be honest I think I am getting free entertainment because I laughed more than I cheered. Does that make me a bad mom? H tries very hard when he plays but still has a lot to learn. I think spaz would be an accurate description of his skill level right now. This is a big improvement over his last soccer experience where he tried to walk off the field to hang out with me and have snack. Hopefully he will have fun and learn a few things at the same time.

Gym tots

January is a health kick month, so in an effort to get the whole family healthy C joined gym tots at the local YMCA. She has been enjoying herself and today she even jumped up and held on to the bar by herself.













She also did a bridge by herself today. It is fun to see how quickly she learns. Her favorite part is jumping and going through the tunnel - sorry the photos for that didn't turn out well. She gets a stamp on the top of her foot after each class...a real treat for her.

What a shock

J decided to surprise me for my birthday by flying my mom out to visit for the weekend. What a surprise. He is so good that I didn't have a clue at all. So, forget all that work I have lying on my desk. This weekend I am going to enjoy the company of my mom - and a little free babysitting and housekeeping.

more progress

I made some more progress towards my first research project today. I spent a bit of time playing with my little friend C - not my C mind you - and videotaping our interaction. I hope to use this when training the paraeducators as an example of a communication interaction during play. C is 20 months old and did awesome! I am very happy with how everything turned out.
I have a long way to go but meeting the little goals along the way is reassuring.

good news

After 6 long hours (in a row) sitting through classes, I came home exhausted to find a wonderful email in my inbox. It was from a local preschool telling me they would love to let me do my research at their site!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM SO THRILLED. I guess I better sort out what I am doing so I can get busy.

Resolutions

I hesitate writing these for the public eye, but I think I will be more likely to stick to them. Trouble is now you will know the REAL me.
My resolutions this year are mainly to rid myself from laziness. I know that may seem silly to some of you, but I am one who can easily spend my time sleeping, or blogging instead of working out. I just have too much to do to waste any time.
1-Exercise at least 5 times a week. This is a hard one for me. So this month I am starting out with a shorter time period and working my way up.
2- Daily scripture study. This always seems to be on my list - I do well for a while then loose my routine so I am writing down how I am doing to see if that helps keep tabs better.
3- Only one treat a day. This doesn't include drinks - that would be torture to count hot chocolate on a day where it doesn't go above 20 degrees. This has been hard, but I have been eating more fruit.
4- Wash face and brush teeth before bed - no more falling asleep on the sofa and being too lazy to do this.
5- Finish Comp 2.
6- Publish Comp 1.
7- Work on dissertation!
And on next year's list - GRADUATE!
I feel like I need to include something for church and parenting, so here are those goals.
8- Be more organized in my calling
9- Have more patience with my kids.
10- Spend more time playing with the kids - rather than cleaning/working around them.

Thoughts

This may get a little sappy, but I had some time to reflect this evening and I just had to write...I love my kids. They are the best. Sure sometimes they intentionally trip each other and split a lip open, or throw tantrums over oranges (or something equally silly), but they are still super. They make me laugh, cry, sing, dance, write, and fill my soul with joy. They make my day every day and I don't think I take the time often enough to appreciate all they do to enrich my life. On top of that, I have the best hubby. He may have imperfections (or more accurately quirks), but he is a fantastic dad and handles tough situations with our kids like a pro. I tend to fly off the handle at times, but he is even keeled and handles things with firmness and love. How lucky are we to have each other?!

Forgot a tidbit

about the drive. We wrote down different licence plates we saw. Our goal was 45 states - we came in shy at 44 - but we got both Hawaii and Alaska. How often can you brag about that? Also saw at least 4 Mexican states and 2 Canadian provinces. Sure helped keep us awake.

Flagstaff

While in AZ we couldn't help make a stop in good 'ol Flagstaff. We visited friends, family, and a yummy restaurant. Here are the highlights.











Our former neighbors. For those of you you who think there is no snow in AZ, check out this pile.


Hanging out with R!

The peaks.
Cousin time.

New Year's Eve

We all enjoyed New Year's at my parents house.

H made some super stylish hats for the occasion. The kids had a good time with Nana and Papa, and thanks to a stop in New Mexico we had a little fire fun as well - don't even pretend you are surprised. The kids stayed awake to celebrate PA New Year and almost long enough to celebrate AZ New Year too!

uncles

The kids got to see 4 of my 5 brothers on the trip. Unfortunately I forgot to take out the camera with Uncle N. Sorry about that! First they saw Uncle M with cousin G. We actually saw them before ever reaching AZ and then in AZ again! How fun. H loved to chase cousin G around and the feeling was mutual.


Next we saw Uncle N and Uncle D. Uncle D took C for a skateboard ride. She loved it and I am pretty sure she will expect one each time she seems him.






Lastly we saw Uncle B who may be leaving for a mission before we see him again. He was the entertainer near the end of our trip and lucky for me he was willing to play barbies and let H hang out in the basement. Miss you all already.

The drive

Many have inquired about the drive for our trip. I have to say it went more smoothly than I expected in large part because J drove during the night and we were able to play at my brother's house along the way. We took about 2 days each way and spent about 33 hours driving each direction. In total we spent more than 70 hours in the car since we drove around AZ as well. The kids did well...they are good at occupying themselves and we are thankful for the DVD player and leapster. I think the kids had a harder time on our shorter trips than the long parts. On our last leg of the trip the kids and I explored Edmond, OK (well a couple of miles of it) while John slept. This is where I learned that H likes to try on heels. Kind of creeped me out, when he kept trying them on and saying "Mom...do I look beeeeaaaaaautiful?" What a silly kid!

Christmas

I think this post will be best in pictures, but here is a super quote: After opening her fourth box of raisins from her stocking C said "I am so LUCKY!"

Cookies with cousins

While at Grandma and Grandpa's house we were roped into making sugar cookies. I am not a big fan of this cookie - or the mess so I usually skip this at our house, but when in Rome (and all that). It actually turned out great. H had fun, C did better at decorating than I expected, and I wasn't tempted to eat a single one (which is good since I was eating a lot of other food).
Cousin E





Cousin T