Last week of January

Well the last week of January proved to be the busiest of the month. We did group lessons, and a baptism preview, a 5th grade constitution program, a chocolate class, pack meeting and lots of primary stuff, basketball and soccer games, and ballet lessons and a trip to the Temple. Zach received his arrow of light this week at pack meeting. It was really neat but it sort of made me want to cry. He is getting so big. I am not loving the idea of the fact that my kid is no longer in cub scouts. It seems like he just barely got there and now he is off. He is such a good kid though I really can't complain, maybe moving into the tweens and teens will be ok with him. His program at school was really cute and he did a great job on his speaking parts. One of the little girls who was narrating though was kind of annoying. She did her part really good but then ended every sentence with a throat thing. It kept us giggling under our breath during the whole thing. Hehe. Bob and I started teaching the PIC (personal interest class) in Zach's spectrum class this Friday. We will be teaching for six Friday mornings for an hour. It was really fun. It is fun to teach kids who really want to learn, plus who isn't interested in chocolate? We talked about where chocolate comes from. It has all been quite fascinating to me to learn as well. Such as the cacao tree can only grow 20 degree's above and below the equator, only under a heavy canopy, the trees are very susceptible to diseases, each tree only produces 30 pods, or 1000 seeds a year which only makes about 2 oz of chocolate, and each farm is only about 12 acres and all the farming is done by hand. Really crazy. Anyway, then we had a chocolate tasting party. The kids really enjoyed it, except when the chocolate got darker and darker and then they were afraid to try the 90% cacao bar. Then again that is nearly unsweetened chocolate so who can blame them right? We went to the temple on Friday after teaching. We thought we would be back to watch my friends little girl, but the line to do initiatories was SO long we didn't' make it. I felt bad but there was nothing we could do. It was really neat to see the temple that busy as well. The ladies working there said it had been that way all week. I am so thankful for men and women who donate their time to volunteer at the temple, especially when (for some) it is a time in their life where they could sit home and worry about all their aliments. How amazing that they choose to do something so wonderful that makes it possible for all of us to attend the temple. It makes me feel kind of sorry that we can only get there once a month. Kristie watched Edyn for us so we could go. Edyn was also really good at preschool this week. 3 treats both days. Yeah. She is doing better since Christmas and we are really glad. She is so funny. For breakfast yesterday we had french toast, when she said the blessing on the food she said, "thanks for the fresh bread pancakes". Funny. Dallin's funny thing he said this week was also at dinner. We ask funny questions at the dinner table and one this week was, If you could have any job what would it be? Dallin says he wants to be a glass maker. (?) I don't know where he comes up with these things. This week has been an interesting week of news for a couple of my friends as well. The saddest part is my dear friend Becky who found out she has breast cancer. I am so saddened by this and our prayers are with her. Hopefully it will all be fine in the end but it is going to be a long journey for her. So I am feeling very blessed by my own health this week. Bob had a health fair at his work and I went down to it. They checked my cholesterol and it was down to 153 from 220 a year ago. So that is good for me, and means I won't have to go on medication for the rest of my life. (At least for now and hopefully it will stay that way). I have started feeling a little better as well. Not quite as tired as I have been the last 12 weeks and the morning sickness seems to be only occasional bouts throughout the day instead of 24/7. Just a few more weeks and I should feel myself again. The couple days of sunshine we have had this week have helped tremendously as well. I can't wait for warmer weather, getting kind of sick of freezing all the time. Can't believe the week is over. Next week should be much less, and the kids are home early each day, which I love.

Jan. 23rd. Big News and a "Lan?" party

Ok, Brett so it wasn't really one of your infamous "Lan Parties". Instead it was a sewing party, but all those sewing machines in a row reminded us of all those computers in a row so many years ago. We had a great time yesterday. First we braved driving in the snow, Debbie from Logan, and all of us from Layton to American Fork. Though it turned out not to be too bad, so we were glad for strapping on some courage. All us sisters met at Mom's house for a yummy chicken salad sandwich, veggies, and fruit lunch, and sewing. We all made a Valentines Apron. It was a fun Girl party. Especially made fun because everyone was there. No boys. (well except Gavin and Mar'cus). And of course Grandpa who was sad that the Big boys weren't there to play with him. Grandpa tried to stay hidden for most of it. HAHA. We still got him! It was fun to hang out and talk and sew really cute aprons. I also had some big news to share. We shared it with our kids over breakfast and then at the party yesterday afternoon. We are going to have another Baby. Yes, that is baby number 5. We are very excited and expect the arrival at the beginning of August (the 5th or so). It was fun to let everyone know. The kids are excited and Dallin hasn't stopped talking about it. I made a little box, pink and blue, on my new cricket that I have been having so much fun on. I filled it with some pink and blue candies and a little note that said, "We are having a baby" for the sisters, and "You are going to be a big brother / sister" for our kids. It was a fun day. No I haven't been feeling well lately and am very tired, thus we haven't done much this month, so yesterday was even more fun just to do something. We went to the doctor a couple of weeks ago and were able to "see" our cute baby. It was so tiny but you could see it's arms and legs, and head and fingers. It was amazing. Isn't the miracle of life truly that, a Miracle. We are so blessed.

January 2010

This month has been cold, like standing in the deep freeze, and lots of inversion. To say the least I am ready for some sunshine and warmth. Wishing I had a trip planned to the tropical regions of the world. Since I don't I suppose I will have to endure. It took a considerable amount of time for me to get the Christmas decorations taken down this year. We were ready not to look at the anymore even. But eventually it all got put away. The kids have been back to school, and amazingly we had all been well. We will keep our fingers crossed. While we were in Missouri, we were sad to miss the opportunity to bid farewell to our good friends the Bain's who have moved onto big adventures in Beaver Creek, OH. We miss them. Edyn asks everyday nearly to play with Sierra, and I have to explain that she moved and won't be coming back (at least not for 3 years or so). I think she finally understands but it was a hard concept for her to figure out. Zach has been back at Basketball, and Soccer and even had a couple of days on the slopes Snowboarding. Once with Dad and once with Uncle Grinner and Jaxon. We were able to take the kids to Mark and Debbie's so we could all hold their Darling Paisley for the first time. Edyn was very interested in all this. She wanted to know how the baby came out, how she was eating etc. We told her that Paisley was in trouble and they had to cut Debbie's stomache to get her out. So she then asks, "Well, how do all other babies come out then?". I think Debbie was a little uncomfortable at all the questions. So what do you say to that to your Four year old. I told there was a special hole between your legs where the baby comes out. She was happy with that. But continued to make Debbie uncomfortable while she tried to peek at Paisley nursing. It was funny. The next day she dressed her baby just like Paisley was dressed in pink, and was taking extreme care of her (like a real baby), and now our doll's new name in Paisley. Oh yeah, for those of you who new about Edyn's baby. She has thought that she had one in her stomach now since we found out Debbie was pregnant. She repeatedly for the last several months has shown her stomach to people to see her baby, and argues with her good friend Eli about the fact that she actually has one in her stomach. She was convinced it would come out at Christmas time like Debbie's would. Well, Christmas Day she mentions to me something about her baby. I told her that It was now Christmas Day, and she said. "Why didn't my baby come out?". So I explained (again) that she didn't really have a baby in there. You need a mommy and a daddy for a baby and she was too little. She finally understood this time and the Baby Saga ended. Our good friend the Burgett's have season tickets to the Jazz, and they let us have the tickets for last Saturday's game. It was very fun. It was Jan. 16th. Which was the day Bob and I met 16 years ago. So we were able to enjoy a date, and go to dinner and the Jazz game. We had a great time. The amazing thing is that our other good friend's the Cox's were sitting behind us. The phone company he works for happens to own seats just a couple of row's behind where we were sitting and they just happened to be able to come that day. Wow. That is weird right. It was very fun to see them too.

New Years in Missouri

So, on the 27th of December we loaded up the van, piled the sleeping kids (and mom) into the van and headed off to Missouri to visit Grandma and Grandpa Astle. We left at 4:30 am and arrived, up the long gravel drive to the house most of my kids haven't seen or at least can't remember, at 1130 pm. The kids did SO good for such a long trek. We were very blessed as well, we only saw a little snow in Nebraska City. The window on the inside of the car were iced over until we saw a little bit of sun, which wasn't until about 12pm that day. It felt like a cold wintry day for sure. The kids were happy with their Christmas Stocking treats, and new presents and Mom enjoyed some well deserved sleep while Dad listened to a book and drove. Mom did drive for a couple of hours mid-day while Dad took a nap. And she was very happy to turn the wheel back over to the Master. It was very fun to see G-ma and G-pa. The kids thought the property was amazing and we enjoyed 4 wheeling all over the property (the kids getting to drive themselves occasionally), seeing all the lakes, watching movies, playing with the dog, and a dip in the hot tub. We were there for a week and enjoyed New Year's Eve with them. Bob made won-tons ( a traditional favorite), and we let off a slew of fireworks from the deck in the FREEZING cold. It was fun and exhilarating, the we watched the Ball drop and went to bed. We we had to leave, Mom and Dad had to drive home (Grandpa had given Bob a car, yeah since our sweet little Honda I have been driving for 14 1/2 years has 260 thousand miles on it. You could say we need a new). But driving was something Mom was very much against. It took many more hours to make the trek home than it did going out and we stayed at a hotel in North Platte (severely missing the Marriott employee discount I might add), then got up the next day and headed out again. We were all so exhausted the next day no-one went to work or school. That was nice since the kids missed playing with the new things and relaxing over the holiday. A great way to start the New Year.

Christmas vacation, and New Years

Christmas was so fun this year. Yes, finally blogging about it. The kids were very cute and excited. It is always fun to have the energy of Children around for Christmas. For Christmas Eve. We did our traditional "breakfast" and a new Christmas movie. Although it was actually lunch time because we had to wait for Bob to come home from work. The new movie we got was the Muppet's Christmas Carol. I love that story, and the Muppet version was funny as well. Really good. Then we got dressed and Camille came up and we went OUT to dinner. I know sort of strange to go out for dinner on Christmas Eve but we didn't really have anything else to do and I didn't really feel like cooking. The kids have some free kids meals to Olive Garden from school and Bob had a gift certificate, so off to Olive Garden we went. It was so fun, I think we may have found a new tradition in the making. The kids begged to go to bed early (or at least it was their normal 8-9pm bedtime) We didn't argue. But maybe we should have because they got up at 2am and started begging to have Christmas. They woke us up every have hour until we finally consented to let it all begin around 5:30. The kids had a great time. Edyn was the funniest. With every little thing she got she jumped up and down and shouted about how she got this or that, including "My very own orange." Then after all the wrapping paper was tossed around the room like snowflakes on a windy day, Camille and I curled up on the couch and took a nap. The kids of course continued to play with all their new found treasures. After that we dressed and headed to Grandma and Grandpa Hone's for our traditional breakfast brunch of succulent blueberry waffles with fluffy whip cream, eggs, hash browns, sausage, bacon, orange juice and hot chocolate. The best feeling of "full" ever. Then opening of presents there, mayhem of jubilant children, a few movies in the movie room, and then another delicious Christmas Feast, of Christmas potatoes, ham, smoked turkey, hot homemade rolls, salads, and ribbon jello. Yum Yum. And to top it all off, all the delicious homemade Grandpa Chocolates you can eat. (especially if you can sneak into the secret lair to obtain what you can without anyone noticing. HeHeHE. Something even the smallest grandchild learns to do quickly. This has been going on since I was even the smallest child) Such a good holiday. We are so very blessed to have all that we do.