First day of school

The kids have started school - hooray for mommy! Taylor is in 2nd grade and the boys are in 1st grade.

Happy 6th Birthday Boys!

The boys turned 6 on July 3rd. I can't believe they are already 6 and getting ready for 1st grade. The time has gone by so fast. For their birthday they wanted to have a swim party with a few friends from school. Their kindergarten teacher Miss Gora even came! They were so excited to see her. Tanner requested a Super Mario Bros cake so I did my best to make one. I found a picture on the internet and just copied it over onto the cake. Not too bad for someone without any artistic talent! Grandma Becky gave them each their own Nintendo DS. Thanks grandma!!

Broken again

As some of you know, Taylor broke her right arm Memorial Day weekend while we were camping up north of Payson. Just 2 days into her summer vacation. Her forearm was broken in 3 places but was called a "green break" because the bones did not break all the way through. She was put in a full arm cast for 3 weeks and then moved into a short arm cast for another 3 weeks. Her arm is now completely healed but she wears a removeable splint whenever she plays or does any activity that could result in injury to her arm. She handled it all very well and never even cried. When they hooked her up in the emergency room to straighten her arm, she refused any medication for the pain and only said "OW" a few times. She is such a brave and strong little girl!

Remembering Dad

Today marks the 3 year anniversary of my dad's passing. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. My memories of him are still so vivid. I can still see his smile and the love he had for us girls - especially Taylor. He not only taught me how to be a good person but also led by example. Not a day goes by that I don't think about or miss him. I love you daddy!

Where have I been?!

Well, I have been just a little bit busy the last 6 months. I had knee surgery in February and then went through almost 3 months of physical therapy. I also volunteered in the boys' kindergarten class at least once a week. Each time I would come home exhausted but also grateful at how well-behaved our boys are compared to the kids in their class. Taylor breezed through 1st grade and her only complaint was that it was too easy for her. Wow, must be nice to be that smart! I also read the book "I Was A Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids." This book is awesome and I think every mother should read it. It has helped me realize that can't and shouldn't try to do everything to be a super-mom. It's just not worth it. So this blog is one of the things that I have let slide in order to spend more time with my kiddos.

SNOW!!

This past weekend we took the kids to Flagstaff to play in the snow. Brad's sister Tina and niece Lucy, her husband Devon and new baby Levi live up there so we were able to visit them too. Lucy and Devon live on a few acres that back up to the forest and they had a lot of snow and hills to play on. The kids had so much at their house that we ended up playing there the entire time. Everywhere was sold out of sleds so we brought our snowboards for the kids to play on. At first they just sat on them and slid down the hills, but then they got brave and asked us to strap them in so they could ride standing up. They all did great and looked like naturals riding. They did a better job than me - but that's not hard! It looks like we will be getting them their own boards soon since ours are a little too big and heavy.
Taylor the dog lover split her time between playing with Lucy and Devon's dogs, holding Levi, and snowboarding. We built a snowman in the front yard but Tanner wanted to build his own so he took off across the yard and got to work. He did a great job and was so proud of his work.
After wearing ourselves out playing in the snow we would go inside to thaw out and Devon made us the best hot cocoa EVER! Tanner is normally very shy but Devon totally won him over. The best part about our trip is that nobody got hurt. This is major feat in our family. We can't wait to go back to visit and have more fun (and hot cocoa)!

Merry Christmas

Keeping with our family tradition, we spent Christmas at Grandma Becky's house. The kids split up and each slept with a different family member. Taylor was with Grandma Becky and myself, Tanner was with Stacey (Gorgeous), and Ty with Grandma J. Brad had to work until 4 am Christmas morning so at least he was home before the kids woke up. Taylor was the first one up at 5:20. This shocked us because we usually have to drag her out of bed at 7:30 every morning. I guess she was just too excited. Santa brought them almost everything on their lists and grandma Becky spoiled them by getting them a Wii. They are so fun to watch when they play the games - especially boxing. They really get into it. We all ate way too much but had a great time.