Our Annual Christmas Greeting

I don't know what happened this year, but for whatever reason, I had such a difficult time with our Christmas video. I worked everyday for at least 5 hours a day since my birthday trying to get this crazy thing done (in the past I've spent 5 to 10 hours on it and had it done). I don't know if I'm just getting dumber or if the new software that I was using just had more kinks (it appeared that it would be easier). Anyway, without further complaint, here is our year end video summary and Christmas greeing. I hope that you'll enjoy watching it, and more importantly, that you have a very Merry Christmas.

2009 Monday Family Christmas Greeting

Facebook Link (this resolution is a higher quality)

The Greatest Kid in the Nation!

I have to tell you, Thobe is so much fun right now. He is so sweet and smart and just amazing. I love all the progress that he's made at school. He struggles a little with fine motor stuff, but he has no idea that he does. He loves to draw and write and color. Thobe's doing a great job with reading, and he LOVES math!!! The most amazing thing about Thobe is his ability to make connections that most kids his age don't make. When we were out in Utah and went to buy a birthday present for his cousin, he saw a magazine that talked about The Biggest Loser. He said, "Oh look, Mom, the Biggest Loser" (can you tell what I do on Tuesday night?). He then said, "Hey, Mom. Have you ever heard of the Smallest Winner," and then he chuckled softly to himself. Also while we were at the store and were looking for cards, I asked if he'd like to give James a card that said "For the greatest kid in the nation." He said he'd like to get that for him. I put the card in the cart, and Thobe asked, "Uh, Mom? Am I the second greatest kid in the nation?" I assured him that he was actually the greatest kid in the nation, so the Thobe said, "Oh, so it's from the greatest kid in the nation, right, Mom?"

He was really silly when my mom and dad were here. He often spent time quizzing my grandpa on which letter different words started with and gave him simple addition problems. One time, he said softly, "Grandpa, what does is start with?" My dad didn't hear what he said or thought he said something else, so he answered that it started with an s. Thobe promptly corrected him and responded, "Uh no, Grandpa, it starts with I." Thobe has some pretty strong gender stereotypes. One night we went out to dinner and Michael and my dad rode in Michael's car. Last minute, Alden jumped in with them, they drove away. Thobe was the most out of control I've ever seen him. "I don't want ride with the women," he hollered. "I want to ride with the MEN!!!!" He also teased my mom a lot by telling her that he only loved her a little bit but that he loved my dad a lot. I think my mom saw really how much he loved her when they were getting ready to go into the airport, and Thobe said in a sad, quiet voice, "Grandma it's sad when family you love has to leave, huh?" It still breaks my heart when I think about him saying that.

Thobe's had so much fun in school preparing for Thanks- giving. He talks incessantly about the Thanksgiving feast that his class had. He also tells us a lot about the Pilgrims. The day before Thanksgiving, Alden said, "Thobe what do you want to be when you grow up. I want to be a lawyer." Thobe thought for a minute and then said, "I want to be a Pilgrim." I hope that Thobe has the same courage and righteous faith that the Pilgrims had. What a great kid!

Happy Birthday to Hyrum & All Sorts of Fun

Good Gravy Cakes!!!! I am so behind!!! We have had a very eventful last couple months. We celebrated my nephew Davin's 8th Birthday and Halloween in Utah where we got to see Davin baptized. The day after we got home, we celebrated Hyrum's third birthday (I can't believe he's three). The next day, my mom and dad came and stayed with us for a very fast and wonderful week. Then before I could even blink my eyes we celebrated Thanksgiving with Michael's mom, dad, grandpa and grandma, and Bob and Kathy Deck, and Seana Beavers. It's been crazy!!!

Our trip to Utah was great! We flew out Wednesday night and flew a red eye back Saturday night, but in that short time, we were able to do a ton of things! We got in to Enterprise at 4:00 a.m. our time, so we spent much of Thursday catching up on our sleep and just spending time with my mom and dad. Diane threw a birthday party for Davin and James on Friday that my boys got to go to. It was such a special treat for them to actually get to go to their cousins' birthday party. Diane put together a carnival for the boys that was really something else. Later that night we had a family birthday party for Davin, which again, was a very special treat because we usually don't get to go to those types of things. The greatest part of our trip was seeing Davin get baptized. It was really wonderful to be a part of that special time for him. He's such a great boy. We all love him so much. Alden thinks Davin is the greatest thing in the whole world!!! Michael and I were able to run to the temple with John and Lindsay after the luncheon and get home in time to get the boys ready for trick or treating. By the way, Alden is Buba Fett, Thobe is Jengo Fett, Hyrum is Spiderman, and Jacob is the pumpkin in the picture. Michael went out with them, while I stayed behind and got us packed, and then we left for the Las Vegas airport. Thobe ate his Halloween chocolate the two hour trip there and filthy when we arrived.  It was an eventful day with an very easy red eye flight home. The boys were terrific!

After going to church in Toledo, we went home and got ready for Hyrum's birthday. On Monday, November 2, 2009, our little Hyrum turned 3. It isn't quite as much as he says that he is (if you ask Hyrum how old he is he'll usually tell you 5). It's hard to believe that he's three years old already. He's certainly been our most mischievous boy, but he's also so much fun. Hyrum is so charismatic. He really knows how to wrap himself around anyone's heart. I love how loving and sweet and funny he is. He especially loves each one of his brothers and is a big help to me with Jacob. I really am so thankful to have Hyrum and am really grateful that he survived to be three years old. There have seriously been days that I have wondered if he would make it. The night of Hyrum's birthday, we met the Burke's at Hyrum's Chuck E. Cheese. Hyrum loves that place!!! We had a wonderful time where we had a birthday cake and opened presents. It was terrific!

The next day Michael's dad generously drove to Detroit to pick up my mom and dad. Then they stopped in Toledo and picked up Chris, and the four of them came down to celebrate Hyrum's birthday. We had a nice time. Then, my mom and dad stayed the next week with us, and I loved every minute of it. The only people that I think might have loved it more than I did was Hyrum and Jacob. My dad and Jacob were best pals. Jacob loved the constant attention and cuddling. My dad was constantly playing with little Jake and cuddling him in his arms. Hyrum was my mom's shadow. They were constantly laughing and playing together. Hyrum kept a constant tab on his Grandma. If he didn't see her, he'd say, "Grandma, where are you?" He also kept my dad busy too. He asked my dad to turn on a movie or something, and my dad didn't know how to do it. Hyrum said to him, "Yes, you can, Grandpa. Yes you can!!!" We were able to go to Alden and Thobe's school and have lunch with them and we just really had a great time. I always feel bad when I don't take my parents anywhere fun when they come to visit me, but I think they had a nice time anyway. My dad did a lot of projects around my house, like he always does, and my mom made some yummy things to eat, like she always does. We just had a great time! I was so sad when they had to go, but Hyrum was even sadder. He cried and cried and cried when they got out of the van to leave. It nearly broke my heart in two. When we started to drive away, Jacob said, "Uh oh." I think he anticipated not having Grandpa's constant attention.

Last Thursday we celebrated Thanks-giving. We had such a wonderful day! It really made me reflect on all that I'm thankful for. There are really so many things, but I want to highlight a few of them here. I'm so thankful for my wonderful and loving family and that I have four wonderful boys and an incredible husband. I love them all so much. I'm thankful for my warm home, for plenty of food, for so many modern conveniences in life. I'm thankful for good friends, for this beautiful Earth, and that I live in the United States of America. I'm especially thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ that made it possible for me to be forgiven of my sins that I can someday inherit eternal life. I'm grateful that he restored his Gospel to the Earth and that I have knowledge of this. I'm so thankful that through Christ I can be with my family forever. What a wonderful, peaceful truth! I really have so much for which I am grateful.

Monday Madness

I wonder if life will ever slow down? I love life the way it is, but I feel like we're constantly running. I feel like I try to get to everywhere I need to go on time, but that I'm constantly late. I just need to plan better. I think I'm still trying to balance a fourth baby--at least that's my current excuse. I hate that I'm chronically late--I don't remember what my excuse was before I had kids, but I'm sure I had one. It was probably just me trying to cram too much into my day. I wonder if I'll ever get that and be able to master everything. I've heard it gets worse as your kids get older. Yikes is all that I have to say about that!

In all seriousness though, we've really been blessed over the past few months. Michael recently started a chapter of the J. Reuban Clark Society here in Ohio. He's worked very hard on it and has done a phenomenal job with it. Conference weekend, he was invited to go out to a J. Reuban Clark Society conference, which he loved every minute of. He got to see old friends, including one of his old seminary students, spend time with his sister and her family, go to a BYU game, and attend a session of General Conference. It was really fun for him. I knew that being home with four kids by myself for five days wasn't go to be great, so I finally got Amy (my youngest sister) her graduation present and flew her out to spend time with me (I'm still wondering how much of a present it was if I was the one who benefited the most from it). Anyway, we had a great time together. People have often asked me if we are twins, which I find very flattering considering I'm 12 years older than she is. This time, when we were playing racquetball, the lady at the YMCA asked me if she was my sister or daughter--I didn't find the daughter comment to be quite so flattering. Oh well. She's a great person and example to me. I really love her so much!

We have also been busy trying to figure out how to raise four boys and with diapers and soccer practice and piano lessons and homework and PTS and college football and learning Primary program songs and seminary. Michael is such an incredible seminary teacher. I can't believe what a great job he does. He has really had a lot of compliments this year. He even had the Lima News Paper come and do a story on his class this week. I will post the link here when the story is published. I'm so very lucky to be married to the coolest guy in the world. I love him so much!

Flying Hyrum

About a month ago, Michael and I took the boys to the high school track to pursue our running program. Normally this worked out well for Michael and me and the boys. The track, like many tracks, circles the high school football field, so the boys played football while Michael and I ran around the track. Unfortunately, since it is a stadium, the track also had a set of very dangerous bleachers with no backs that were especially intriguing to our curious, adventure-seeking climber Hyrum. Anyway, to make a long scary story short, Michael and I watched Hyrum fall a good 10 to 15 feet onto a bed of sharp gravel underneath. At first, I thought Hyrum was dead. I was completely out of control. I started screaming and crying and couldn't believe that I hadn't kept a better eye on him. Michael got to him first, just after he started screaming after he caught his breath. We quickly discovered that Hyrum couldn't put any weight on his legs, so we took him to the emergency room. I want to testify that our family experienced a series of miracles that testified to me that God is real and that he loves my family. From having our pediatrician working in the emergency room that night to having a friend give us a bag full of snacks earlier that day that were still in our car that the boys could eat while we waited to allowing Hyrum walk away from a horrible fall with only a bruised ankle, there is no doubt in my mind that God's protective hand was watching over us that day. I'm so grateful for this.

This experience has really made me much more grateful for Hyrum. This precious boy of mine is more mischievous and more disobedient (for lack of a better phrase) than any other of my kids. He is a stinker. He loves to get into things and do things the way he wants to do them. Just the other day, he poured a box of cereal all over Thobe's bed, seasoned our entire house with Italian seasoning, and told me "no" more than 50 times in that day. Every time I made him do anything he'd throw a major fit. But you know, I'll take it. It's funny how having a situation like we experienced with Hyrum reminds you that those little things really don't matter at all. They aren't important. I can clean up cereal and Italian seasoning. I can pick up Hyrum up and make him do what I want him to do, and you know, I can hear his sweet little independence voice ring in my ears. I'm so grateful that he's okay. Not only do I appreciate him, even in his disobedience, I'm enamored with my little two year old. He is so, so funny and charming. He really knows how to ring himself around anyone's heart.

He really does say some crazy things. Whenever you ask Hyrum, "Why?" He'll say, "Because the cougars." It really makes no sense to me, but that's what he says. If I say, "Because the cougars" when he asks me a why question, he laughs and laughs and laughs. He's such a goof. He really likes the cougars though. Every night when we say family prayer, we ask the boys to think of something that they're grateful for. Hyrum always says that he's grateful for the cougars. He's so silly. His new thing is to tell me that he's hiding in the bushes, especially when he's hiding under a blanket. He also is constantly telling me things that he's afraid of. He'll often say, "Mom, I'm scared of the dinosaurs." Yesterday he was scared of the the grumpy old troll from Dora. And on Sunday, when we went to pick up Alden, he was scared of a Halloween cat decoration. It's really hard to tell if he's actually scared of if he is just being silly.

Hyrum is a huge keeper of his toys. The other night, Michael was downstairs getting ready for seminary. Hyrum had taken a nap that day, so we thought he was still running on full. Michael said that Hyrum started very methodically carrying toys from where they go to the chair near where Michael was sitting. After he had collected all his favorite toys (some of Thobe's baseballistas, a bunch of legos and cars, and a Star Wars clone), Hyrum deliberately laid down on the ground, made himself comfortable and went to sleep. He had to put his toys in a place where he could stand guard over them, and then he went to sleep.

Hyrum still loves singing. It's really amazing to listen to all the songs he knows. I love to hear him sing. He also loves to make people laugh. He knows he's funny too. The other day when we had some friends over for dinner, Hyrum asked for some butter. After arguing for awhile, I finally put a small pat of butter on his plate. "Thanks, Mom," he said. "I like butter. Butter is good. You like butter, Mom? Mmmm, I like butter." He had all of us laughing really hard.

It's funny, but ever since Hyrum's accident, he seems more snugglely and loving than before. He'll often say, "Hug you, Mom?" For a few days after his accident, he couldn't walk. If I'd leave the room to go and get something, he'd pathetically cry, "Mom, wait for me!" When he did start crawling and eventually walking, he'd say and sweet and quiet yet very determined voice, "I'm coming, Mom. Wait for me!" It was very cute. I'm so glad that I can wait for him and that he can still come. I can't tell you how grateful I am for the blessings that God gives so freely to my family.

Alden's Funny Comments

It's so weird watching my 7 year old son grow up before my eyes. He's really becoming a regular independent person. In so many ways, it makes me so sad. My first baby boy is growing up. He doesn't need me for everything that he does. In a lot of ways, the whole idea of him and all my boys for that matter growing up makes me feel sad. However, I'm also loving this too. I love that he has independent thoughts and, as annoying as it sometimes is, he often questions my ideas or my way of doing things. The best part of watching this transformation is that I have a few glimpses as to what Alden might be as an adult. I know he has a long road ahead of him that is filled with potholes and detours that could lead him down a different path, but I have to say that I am very pleased with the person that my little boy is becoming. He tries to be honest and kind and obedient. Granted, the obedience thing will get a lot better if he can ever learn to listen well, but I keep reminding myself that listening is a skill that is developed over time and that you can't change someone's heart, and Alden has a very good heart. I love his sweet prayers and his undaunted faith. He is an amazing kid.

School is going so well for Alden. I can't believe the dramatic difference from last year to this year. He is like a different person. I LOVE his teacher this year. She recognizes Alden's strengths and is working patiently with him on his weaknesses. I feel so incredibly blessed to have Mrs. Hempleman as Alden's second grade teacher. She is amazing. You can tell that she loves teaching, that she loves her students, and that she wants to see them be successful. Teaching is literally her mission in life. I think she's incredible. She has really instilled in Alden the importance of doing his best. Alden started taking piano lessons this year (this is something I'm so excited about--I love sitting down with him while he practices and playing duets with him--it's one of my favorite times of day).  The other day he was practicing, and I said, "Alden you need to try to do your best on this--blah blah, blah blah blah blah." Alden replied in a very sweet manner, "Mom, I always try to do be my best. I'm just not very good at this, but even on things I'm not very good at, I always try to do my best."

He is incredible with his brothers. He and Thobe are the best of friends, and even though, Alden can be a bit bossy with him, he is also very good to him too. He's kind and patient with Hyrum, and he dotes over Jacob like crazy. As soon as Jacob sees Alden his face lights up, and he starts smiling and kicking and moving around. Alden is also very close to Michael. He loves his dad more than just about anything in the world (except maybe for Star Wars--Alden is always talking about some fact from the Star Wars saga and often drives me crazy with all his shooting noises--yesterday when the bus dropped the boys off, I opened the door to find Alden lying on the ground. Concerned I asked him what was wrong, and he told me that he was pretending that he'd just been shot by a battle droid). I know I've mentioned this before, but Michael has seminary in our basement on Friday. Alden and Thobe love joining Michael's class. One morning the boys didn't have school on Friday, so Michael gave a half hearted effort to wake the boys up. When they didn't respond, he went downstairs and had seminary. Shortly after everyone went home, Alden woke up. Michael told him that he tried to wake him up, but when he didn't wake up he decided to just let him sleep. Alden was very disappointed and said, "Dad next time, if I don't wake up, just kick me, okay?" Michael told him that he wouldn't kick him.

Alden also played soccer this fall. I couldn't believe how well he played. On his last game, he was incredible. It's fun to watch him improve athletically too. I don't think he'll ever be a star athlete, but I do think that he'll be able to hold his own.

Tickle Me Thobe

Thobe is such a pleasure to be around. He is so quiet, yet so smart. I can't believe all the things that he knows. He is like an absorbent sponge that when you think is just sitting but is actually just absorbing everything around him. I can't believe all he's learning and how smart he is. When he started school, his teacher told me that he was worried that Thobe would have to repeat kindergarten. This upset me; not because I don't want him to repeat (if it's what he needs, then I'm fine with that), but because I was worried that his teacher wouldn't be able to recognize Thobe's potential and felt that his teacher hadn't had time to get to know Thobe. While I'm still a little concerned, I've been so pleased with how well Thobe has done in school, and I think his teacher is starting to recognize what a special boy he has in his class. His fine motor skills aren't quite where they  need to be, but he's made huge strides in his writing since the beginning of school. He's also more confident at home and even a better listener. He loves school!!! Every day when he comes home and I ask him how is day was, he says that it was great! I love how much he loves it. A couple weeks ago he was sick, so he got his class picture and went through his class over and over and over naming every person in his class. It was very, very cute. He also loves writing and coloring. Often writing is the first thing that he wants to do when he gets up and the last thing he wants to do when he goes to bed. Although he's not super proficient at it yet, he loves it so much, and I'm certain that the more he does it, the better he'll become.

Thobe loves playing games. He often walks around the house boxing or running or pretending he's playing some type of sport. He'll often ask me if I want to play a game with him. Almost always, the game is something that he's made up that usually involves numbers. He'll say, "Mom, what's 11 plus 2?" or some other number combination. I'll turn the question back to him, and he usually knows the answers. He really loves math. I'm always so surprised to hear him do math facts. It's pretty amazing. He also loves playing Uno and board games. My favorite is when he wins. He shakes his fists in the year and hips and hollers with all his might. I have to get Thobe winning on video. When I do, I'll post it. We had some new people in the ward on Sunday and invited them over (Michael called them guinea pig friends). They were very amused and surprised by Thobe's excitement for winning. As always, Thobe continues to be a gigantic sports fan. Warren bought tickets for Michael and the boys to go see Toledo play Ohio State. The anticipation of it was almost more than Thobe could take. He couldn't bear to think of his two favorite teams playing each other and would usually cry whenever we'd talk about it. He ended up going to the game dressed as a Toledo fan with a Buckeye shirt underneath. Shortly after the game started and Ohio State had scored their second touchdown, Thobe quickly took off his Rocket attire and cheered for his Buckeyes, so apparently he's not the loyal fan that his Grandpa Monday is.

Thobe also has such a tender heart. He is always telling me that he's sorry if he's done anything remotely wrong. He loves his cousin James, mostly because they are so close to the same age. I told him the other morning that I needed to have him call James to wish him a Happy Birthday because James just turned six. Thobe was standing in front of the mirror, and when I told him that James was now six, he got a very troubled look on his face. Soon, the trouble turned to horror. When I asked him what was wrong, Thobe, in a faint and very distressed little voice, replied, "Mom, will James still be my friend?" As soon as I reassured him that they would still be friends even though James is not five anymore, Thobe got very happy. He's such a sweet little boy. I love him so much!

Jacob is Four Months Old!!!

I can't believe that my Jacob is 4 months old. He turned four months on Sunday. I also can't believe what a bad blogger I've been too. Oh well. Jacob is an incredible baby. He is so happy and pleasant. He loves to just sit in his swing for hours and hours and hours. He also loves the mobile that hangs in his crib. He loves warm baths, cuddling, and his pacifier too. He absolutely LOVES his daddy and his brothers. It's so much fun to watch his face light up when he sees them. It's really hard to imagine what our lives were like before he was born. He's just so sweet.

One of my favorite things about Jacob is how happy and excited he gets when he sees one of us or when he's about to eat. He starts kicking his legs and waving his arms in the air. Just this week he started giggling. Yesterday when I walked in the room he just started smiling and laughing and flailing his body every which way. It was very, very cute!

He also is very verbal. He jabbers more than most of our kids did when the were his age. He seriously sounds like he can say, "Mom" and "Hola." I know that sounds ridiculous, but it really sounds like can do that. He loves for us to make sounds that he can copy, and he loves us to stick our tongues out at him so that he can copy that too. As many of you know, when I'm concentrating, I stick my tongue out. Often when I'm concentrating and holding Jacob, I'll look down, and he'll have his tongue out too, trying to get my attention. It's very, very cute!

My Stay-At-Home Pals

Hyrum has done really well with the boys being at school. He is such a stinker and so cute!!! I told Michael the other day that I don't know if any of our boys can make me laugh as much as Hyrum does (they all make me laugh and bring an equal amount of joy to my life--but Hyrum is hilarious). That being said, I don't know if any of our boys can frustrate me as much as he does too. He really knows how to push my buttons. He loves getting in to things and is very, very strong willed. He knows exactly what he wants, and if he doesn't get it, well, you'd better watch out. Today he had to sit in time out during Sacrament meeting on two different occasions.  He is still learning not to hit me and Thobe and the meaning of the word "No, Hyrum." He is also very polite. After he hits someone, he'll often go up to them and kiss them where he hit them and say, "I'm sorry, (insert the person's name)." He is very good at saying, "Thank you" and "Your Welcome." We have a lot of people comment on how polite he is. I guess it's his way of masking his mischievousness. The other thing that always, well almost always, gets him out of trouble is when he says, "Mom, I lub you," in his most matter of fact voice. That is almost always followed by a very sweet, slobbery kiss.

He always wants to know how thing work and is constantly studying things. He asks, "Why?" constantly and is always trying to take things apart. We always have pieces of flashlights, pens, and our laundry hamper scattered throughout our house. Hyrum recognizes most numbers up to 10, although all colors are blue and all letters are E. He absolutely adores Jacob. He always wants to know where Jacob is if he's not with me. When Michael holds Jacob, Hyrum tells Michael, "No, it's Mommy's." When I hold Jacob though, Hyrum tells me that Jacob is his Jacob and then he says, "I kiss it? I kiss the baby Jacob?" He is very, very protective of his baby brother and is constantly making sure that he his bottle (his pacifier).

My two favorite things about Hyrum are his sense of humor and his love for music. Hyrum says the funniest things. One night when Eric and Michelle were in town, we left the three older boys with Michelle and Eric's kids. Hyrum and Elijah are best pals (they look a lot alike too). Anyway, Elijah and Charity were asking Hyrum what his name is, and Hyrum told them that his name is Hamburger, Grandpa Hamburger to be exact. I have no idea where he got that from, but now, whenever you ask Hyrum what his name is, he'll tell you it's Hamburger. He even tells complete strangers that his name is Grandpa Hamburger. He loves to put his clothes on in silly ways and make up silly names for things. He talks really, really well and knows how to manipulate his words to make things even more funny. He loves it when I tickle his back or rub lotion on his arms and legs. Whenever I do any one of those things, he says, "Oooo, I like it." He'll often tickle my arm and say, "Ahhh, you like it, the tickles, Mom? You like the tickles?" He makes me laugh.

As I mentioned he also loves to sing. I'll often hear him working on something singing, "I Am a Child of God," "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," "C is for Cookie" or any number of songs. I sing songs with the kids in the nursery, and Hyrum gets so happy to sing when I come in. He is constantly telling us which songs we should sing next. I love that he'll just walk around the house singing his little heart out.

Jacob, my other little stay-at-home buddy, is such a terrific baby. Michael and I were talking today how he has never been inconsolable. It seems like every time he sees me, his eyes light up and he gets a huge smile on his face. Often when we're staring at him, he'll stick his tongue out at me because he wants to play our tongue game where I stick out my tongue and then he sticks his out. He loves to coo at me and Michael. He loves to copy the sounds we make. He even will try to copy the sounds of "Hola." He smiles so much and often lets out one little giggle. He's just so amazing. I do think that he's also our biggest baby that we've had. When I took him to his two month appointment he weighed a whopping 13 pounds 8 oz and was 24 inches long. That put him in the 95th percentile for his weight and the 85th percentile for his length. He sleeps well, he eats well, and he poops well. He's snuggly and cute and so much fun. I'm a rested, happy Momma. I feel so bless to have a baby as good as Jacob is. I actually just feel so blessed to have all four of my boys. They're really amazing.

I just wanted to also include a picture of Jacob each month to chart his growth. It's pretty amazing to see how much he's grown.

 

Wee Little Jacob at 1 Week

 

Bigger Jacob at 1 Month

 

Momma's Big Two Month Old

The Start of School

 

Summer went by too quickly for me. It's amazing how having a baby and a couple road trips can really zap a summer. All in all, I felt like this was a really great break and am sad to see it end. I really love having the boys home with me, and although I probably get after them more than I should, I love those boys to pieces and hate to have them away from home. Nonetheless, I also feel that they need socialization and an education, so for our family, I feel like the local public school meets those needs right now for them, at least for the most part. So on August 31, 2009, I got Alden & Thobe up to get ready for school. Alden was actually getting on the bus, and Thobe practiced for Wednesday (he had to wait a couple days--Kindergarten started a couple days later). 

Alden started second grade this year. I'm so excited about his teacher, Mrs. Hempleman. She has been teaching for a long time and has all sorts of innovative ideas that she tries. I'm really, really impressed with her, and Alden thinks she's great! I like that she does a lot of projects as well as expects her students to improve daily. Alden is also thrilled that his best friend Jack is in his class and sits right in front of him. I think this will be a great motivator for Alden. I'm really excited about this. It's hard to believe that my little Alden is a second grader now. It's so weird when your child is doing the things that you remember doing yourself. I'm so proud of Alden and really appreciate the good boy that he tries to be. He's a great big brother and a really, really good kid. I'm so excited for him this year.

Incredibly, my little Thobe starts Kindergarten this year. It's so hard to believe that he's old enough to go. Thobe is incredibly smart. He knows things that amaze me that I have no idea how he knows them. He's a good reader when he wants to be and loves doing math. We have had some potty training issues with Thobe, and frustratingly, a few days before school started, he started having accidents again. I figured it was probably anxiety issues, but I didn't know. I called his teacher who indicated that they would just work with us and figure something out. I was very worried about it, so worried that I didn't even think that my little Thobe was starting kindergarten. It was funny, the night before I put him on the bus, Michael and I were reading Scriptures, and it hit me, "Thobe starts school tomorrow." My heart suddenly broke in two. I thought about all the things that I wished I had done better with him. I wished that I wouldn't have to send him because I knew that although a new and exciting chapter was beginning in his life, that another chapter was closing--the chapter that had me as the center of his universe. I mourned the fact that I had spent so much time worrying about his bathroom issues that I didn't savor those last moments of him just being a little boy. Fortunately, that next morning we were in such a rush---we were running behind anyway and then the bus came early, that I didn't have time to cry before he left. I watched him get on that big yellow bus with his brother, who was very excited to show his little brother the ropes, and then went in the house. I was feeling a sad but knew that things would be okay. Then Michael said, "Wow. I can't believe Thobe's in Kindergarten. I remember holding that little guy in my arms when he was brand new..." I lost it at that point. I think part of the reason it's hard is because he didn't get Mrs. Curl, Alden's Kindergarten teacher. I don't know how things will be with Mr. Hillery, Thobe's kindergarten teacher, but I hope that it will be fine. Mr. Hillery has expressed some frustration to me about Thobe, which concerns me somewhat, but I am going to work really hard to make Thobe's kindergarten experience as good as Alden's was. I hope it will be!!!

Anyway, school is back in session. I pray that God will bless my boys with what they need as they continue their quest to manhood.

 

 

Our Summer in a Nutshell

We have had an incredible summer!!! I am so sad that it is almost over and even sadder that I have not written down all the exciting things that have happened since the birth of Jacob. I am still trying to figure out the balance of having four kids. It seems like I'm later than usual to everything that I go to, and it seems like I lose it more often than I care to admit; however, I'm starting to get it--obviously, I'm able to blog for a minute or two right now--right?

Anyway, our summer has been great. After Jacob was born, my mom stayed with us for three wonderful, yet very short, weeks. She was amazing. I had no idea how much she did, until she left. Not only did she keep my house spick and span, made gormet meals for us, and stayed on top of my laundry mountain, but she also played with the kids, prevented melt downs (the kids' meltdowns and my own), and most importantly, kept Hyrum out of trouble. When she left, I was quickly reminded that I am not half the mom that she is. I have the most amazing mom in the whole world, and even though she lives far away from me, I don't know what in the world I would ever do without her. I love her so much and am convinced that those three weeks are the reason that I'm feeling as well as I am today. Whenever I start feeling overwhelmed, all I need to do is call her or think of the advise she gave me just before she left. She told me that now that she is older (she is only 54 so I'd hardly call her older) she has realized that most things that get us frustrated or overwhelmed really don't matter that much. I know that, but for some reason, when she said it, it stuck with me. Whenever I find the brand new foundation that I just bought smeared all over my walls and mirror or realize that I only got 1 of the 1000 things that I wanted to get done in a day done, I have really been trying to step back and think, "It doesn't really matter. The most important thing that I can do is be the kind of mom that my mom is to me." I hope that someday I can.

After my mom left, life got really crazy. It seems like we were always going somewhere. The week after she left, the boys had Safety City, a fun week of learning about how to protect themselves. Little did I know the night before Safety City, Thobe asked Michael if bad guys were real. To him, bad guys were make believe until the day before Safety City. Imagine how traumatizing it must have been for the poor boy when he went to a day camp where the focus of the camp was to teach them how to fight off bad guys--needless to say, Alden had a great week learning how to fight bad guys and Thobe stayed home with me and the two younger boys. He did learn how to buckle his seat belt that week, which made our summer travels a lot easier.

On July 26, Michael's Grandma, Virginia Wooster (we call her GG), turned 90 years old. We had her birthday celebration on July 25. Michael's grandma is very special to us. You would never guess that she's 90 with all her energy. We really loved being able to spend time with her and Michael's grandpa and family. Michael's sister, Michelle, and her family came out for the celebration. It was really wonderful to spend time with them. The boys feel like they're in heaven when they get to spend time with their cousins. We spent most of the following week with them and even took a trip down to Kentucky for Michael's cousin's son's wedding.

The following Thursday, August 6, right after I taught my class, we loaded in our van and headed out to Utah. We had a wonderful trip! I can't believe what good travelers my boys are. Michael and I feel really blessed. My dad often called to see where we were and kept telling me that he couldn't imagine being in the car that long. In all honesty, I think we all kind of enjoy it. The boys can eat whatever they want and watch movies all day (although we had a rule that before they could watch movies that Alden had to do a math worksheet and Thobe had to review sight words). Michael and I enjoy just talking in the car, and this time, he was able to use his Blackberry so that we could listen to Pandora (an on-line radio station) and play on Facebook. My favorite thing about road trips is that it reminds me of when Michael and I were dating and took several cross country trips. We still have to pay each other a toll when we cross into a new state.

We had a wonderful time out in Utah. I was able to meet my two newest twin nieces. It was so fun to be able to hold them and play with them. They are beautiful babies!!! I love them so much! It was also fun seeing all nieces and nephews and my sisters, brother, their spouses. We did a lot of fun things while we were in Enterprise. Michael and I celebrated our 10th Wedding Anniversary on the 10th of August. We went to Wingers, one of Michael's favorite restaurants with Doug, Diane, Emily, and Laura, and then to the Shakespearean Festival with Doug and Diane and saw "As You Like It." I love seeing plays in the outdoor Shakespearean theater that they have there in Cedar City, and it was a lot of fun walking around the campus where I spent my freshman year of college. Later in the week, Michael and I went to the temple in St. George where we were married too. I love going back there and remembering where Michael and I gave ourselves to each other for eternity. I loved that. We also got our family pictures taken and had a picnic at Pine Valley, a beautiful mountain community where we went camping a time or two when I was little. When we got to the little town, there was a deer running through town and my mom said, "Oh there's Bambi." Thobe thought for a minute and then said to my mom, "How did Bambi get out if his movie?" 

On August 16, Michael gave Jacob a name and a blessing at my parents' house. Michael's sister and brother-in-law came down from Pleasant Grove with their 7 kids, my Uncle Kendall and Aunt Marlene drove down from Northern Utah too. We also had my uncles and aunts and cousins who live in or near Enterprise, my friend Catherine, and of course all my siblings were there with their families. Overall, we had over 70 people attend. It was really a wonderful feeling to be with all these people who love us that we don't get to see nearly as often as we would like.

That day, Michael went back up to Northern Utah with Michelle's family to attend Education Week at BYU and the boys and I stayed in Enterprise. Michael loved Education Week, and the boys and I loved being able to spend a little more time at Grandma's. On Monday we went and visited my grandparents' graves, stopped and took pictures of the house I lived in until I was three, and then went and rode horses at my Uncle Ronald's house. The boys loved that!!! Thobe told my Uncle Ronald, "This is so fun it TICKLES!" The next day, we headed over to Hurricane and spent the evening and the next day with Diane and her family. The main thing Alden wanted to do when we went to Utah was to see Davin's room, so he was really happy when we went there. From there we went up to Northern Utah, spent a couple days at Michelle's and then headed back home. We feel like God watched over and protected us and feel so blessed with the family that he's given us. What a great trip we had!

Between all our travels we stayed busy with learning time each day, chores, and lots of playing. Alden and Thobe got to go to basketball camp at University of Toledo with Toledo Rockets basketball players. They even got to see an old jeep like their Great Grandpa Wooster (Geful) had. The boys also finished up baseball and t-ball, and Alden started soccer. I also taught my class at Rhodes State College. I really like that I can teach it on-line because I can still have some outside enrichment and stay home with the kids. I really love being a mom and am so grateful for the wonderful kids that I have.