Kid Updates

It has been a while since I have posted anything on the kiddos so I thought I had better update you all on them.

Colin:
My little man is just so awesome.  In December he took his karate test and advanced to a purple belt.  This is the 4th belt color in the discipline of Goshen.  He loves karate.  We just got his report card a week or so ago and I couldn't be prouder, he has all 5's except for one which was a 4.  He loves to play games, whether they are board games or electronic games.  He still hopes to be a robot maker one day, which I would really love to see happen.  If anybody asks I have the best boy in the world.

Audra:
My little dancing queen and angel.  If I need anything this little girl is on it.  She helps me with the baby and anything I ask.  She is an amazing little dancer and her whole class watches her to get them through the show.  She loves to dance.  She also is in karate now, she hope to kick the big brother's booty one day, and quite frankly she might.  She is incredibly smart, well liked and loves school.  She also rocked the report card with mostly 5's just two 4's.  I really love this girl and she is amazing!

Elyse:
The life of the party.  Elly is busy.  She never stops except when it's time to sleep.  She is learning so much all the time and it is so fun to watch..  She is now talking and starting to put 2 words together.  Some of the words she says are: baby, hat, hot, look, me, baba, blanket, snack, mama, dada, buba (brother), Neenee (Lynnie).  Emmer's wants to be included in everything and is very opinionated.  It is so fun to have her in the family.  She is the piece that makes this puzzle whole.

This Crazy Life

Today was Super Bowl Sunday.  It was the Seahawks vs the Patriots, and the Patriots won.  Quite frankly I could care less about the game.  What was really on my mind was time and how incredibly fast it goes and how it just continues even if something happens.  This past Friday, the world lost a beautiful woman.  She was thoughtful, fun and a great person.  My cousin, Lydia, died after loosing her battle with meningitis.  That night her daughter wrote, she feels cheated and that the day came too soon, it should be 30 years from now.  Quite frankly, I would feel cheated too. I know that God has a plan for all of us and that we can be with our families again. But some days are still hard...
After the game, Bri and I were talking.  How can today be February 1st?  It was just Christmas like 2 days ago right?  My birthday wasn't really almost a week ago was it?  I feel like time is rushing by and if we aren't careful it will be gone in the blink of an eye.  I feel grateful everyday that we have three amazing children, we are healthy and blessed.  I just hope that we can continue to stay healthy and that we can appreciate the time a little more.
This message is more to myself then to anybody else.  Slow down, remember to tell your loved ones how much you love them, don't take life for-granted and make each moment special, because you never know when it's your last. Time just be gentle please...

Boo at the Zoo!

One of my all time favorite pictures of my favorite little people!

Taken at Hogle Zoo. October 2014

Summer...Had Me a Blast

Today was much like the Beach Boys song chorus "We'll have fun, fun, fun!"  It started with a surprise visit from this guy!

Which was awesome!  The kids loved seeing their elf in the middle of summer.  Plus, he brought a treat that I just don't buy.
After the shock value of having Jack here, we worked on making some Lego creations.  It was a lot of fun to get down and play with the kids.  Since we had the Lego event today, we wanted to make sure to enter the contest too.  The event it self was not fabulous, but the kids had fun.  They made Lego masks, Lego heads, and played with friends.  The one thing they did not love was the HEAT!

SO on the way home, we cooled down for a second at Great Harvest with a free slice of bread.  They walked back home.  On the way home Grandma Debby met up with us.  She suggested playing in the water in the backyard to cool down and it was a hit with all the kids!

After, it was off to track and more heat, but for a few moments it was a cool time in the summer heat!

My Elly

It seems impossible that my Elyse is 9 months old.  But she is.  She has been sort of scoot-crawling for the past several weeks, but got it down last week.  This week she has pulled herself up.  She is proving to be a little mover and shaker.

Learning a Skill

Yesterday, we went up to see the property that Grandpa Garry and Neeners are renting for the year.  It needed a little TLC, so that we can camping on the property.  So, we went to help.  There were some fallen trees on the property that would make good firewood, so Grandpa thought he would teach Coli a new skill.

Yep!  He was teaching him how to use a saw.  I am all for this skill as long as it is supervised.  Audra was happy to watch for a few minutes.

But, those that know little missy, know that it was just a few minutes until this little spitfire jumped into the mix.  She was not going to miss out on learning this skill.

Movie in the Park

The kids have been wanting to go to a drive in movie.  However, my hubby feels like the Redwood Drive In, is not a safe place to take our family.  So we have not gone.  He said if we found a movie outside at a park or something that would be closer enough.  Well, one of our friends told us that Cottonwood Height Rec Center was playing Frozen in the Park.
Once she committed to going, I was game.  I got Elly tucked into bed and Bri stayed with her.  Carter was having a planned sleepover, so I grabbed the big kids and we went to the park to see Frozen.  It was so fun, they even had a Scales and Tales event before the movie started.  Plus, Cami was a rockstar mom and brought glow in the dark bracelet/necklace kits.  The kids had a blast.  Carter and Lynnie both fell asleep, but it really was a fun night with the bigs!