Student of the Month

Abby did get it! http://www.sjrnews.com/pages/full_story/full_story?content_instance_id=6380588

Busy February

Scott on our neighbor's snowmobile February 13

Amy hittin' the empty slopes February 13

Abby put this hat on Whitney

Taking Sara bowling for her birthday...crying and whining "but I want it to be my turn all the time"

Sara's 3rd birthday, Princess and the frog theme, with a few friends

Me at girls' night-80's dance party...yes, I look awful, got everything at a thrift store here in town, but I guess that's half the fun...The girl in the swimsuit is our next-door (and only) neighbor....good times

So a lot has gone on in the last few weeks. Sara turned 3 on the 6th. Kim and Jane (scott's parents) were able to come down for one night and we went up to Moab. We went to a weird little museum and bowling, then to Denny's. it was fun but there was a lot of whining from the peanut gallery. Guess three year olds don't appreciate these sorts of things. Or at least Sara doesn't. She also had a rough time a few days before when I invited 3 other little girls to her party. I'm sure next year will be better, and I'm not sure if Whitney will get a 3rd birthday party. Sara is a sweet and funny girl but definitely was the baby a little too long. What can ya do. She is talking like crazy and is into Dora the Explorer, princesses (especially Ariel) and snacks. She mostly runs around in panties because she is a mermaid, no matter how purple her toes are. She loves her long, never cut hair to be down in her face and generally takes out any clips or ponytails I attempt. She even will put her hair back in her face if I smooth it behind her ears while she's upset about something. She has very good control of her facial expressions, and can make you laugh with them. She cannot say her "r's" and Scott's new favorite game is to have her say Rascally Rabbit. Door= doy, store= stoy, etc. it's pretty cute.

Whitney continues to grow, but still has no desire to be mobile. All her peers are moving around, but she seems to be content sitting on the floor. I am totally fine with that. I have no idea how to block off stairs and bathrooms with 3 other girls running around. Besides the obvious crazy amount of choking hazards they leave all over the floor. But we'll figure it out when it happens. She is quite a happy baby, starting to love eating baby food (only the sweet stuff) and also little pieces of bread,etc. She still doesn't always sleep through the night, I think she was close but is now working on a tooth. Someday.... she is very ticklish and loves to giggle. She will give me big, slobbery kisses, but never Scott...guess he's too prickly.

Abby is growing and reading more every day. She is doing great in school. She says she is student of the month, but I haven't heard officially. I will add a link to the local paper if she gets into it. She was student of the month in kindergarten as well. She got her report card and I met with her teacher, she got all 150 sight words correct, as well as being above the end of the year goal for reading, and we are mid-year. We are proud of her, she's a big help.

Isabel is still loving preschool. She is also enjoying dance and does really well. They have another concert coming up on the 4th of may. We have been working on her writing skills now that she knows all the letters. I need to spend more time with her so she can be super ready for kindergarten. i can't belive at this age Abby was already starting school, since her birthday was late. Isabel also loves learning sign language at preschool, so next time you see her, ask her to sign for you, it's pretty cute.

Scott has had to ride snowmobiles for work a lot lately, but somehow he manages to get through. He is still busy, but likes the job. He planned a date for us for Valentine's where we actually got a babysitter for all 4 girls (first time since we've lived here) got some Subway and went up the mountain. There is an abandoned ski hill up there. The road up to it has not been plowed since the big storms, so no one goes in there much. We borrowed a snowmobile and took my skis and Scott drove to the top so i could ski down. There was only one mishap with a tough little willow bush vs the machine, but the bush won and tipped us. Supposedly I didn't lean enough to make the turn......

Anyways, it was so fun to be out in the beautiful snowy mountains, so quiet and clean up there. I didn't wipe out at all, although the snow was a little iffy, being old, deep snow with a crust on top. It was fun, we did a few runs up and down, then went for a ride. I took some pictures of the trees and an old cabin Scott found on his adventures, and I am hoping to edit them and make them into artwork for the house. We headed back in time to feed Whitney, so it was quick but awesome. Not your typical $100 dinner out, it was way better!! Scott has also been spending time looking for a Suburban for us to buy. We have found a few good used ones, but we are waiting for the perfect one to come along. We never use our Honda now that Scott doesn't commute and has a work truck, so it needs to go. Between selling that (or trading it in) plus our tax return we are hoping to get a good deal. Then we will have a nice 4x4 for me to drive when there are storms and we are stuck in the driveway, and also a big comfy vehicle for our impending road trip to Canada in June. And for camping. It will be nice.

I have been doing my usual mom stuff, getting a little cabin fever. I don't mind staying in, as much as I mind the girls being in with me all day. I am so excited for spring and setting up our playground we got last fall, but then didn't get our yard in soon enough to do it. The girls are going to love it. I have also been busy shopping online for bedroom stuff. I think I am almost done!! I have found some really cute stuff and gotten some good deals, I am trying to wait until it is all ready and do the make-over all at once. I guess I watch too many shows on HGTV :) But I think the feeling will be nice and peaceful and we will be able to enjoy looking around at all the pretty things I found. I am excited to have my own lamp and bedside table, which i have never had, so I can read in bed, as well as some big comfy pillows for that. I will take pics when it happens, I am thinking within the next two weeks.

So that is the basic update. Things are going well, somedays are better than others but we really have nothing to complain about. Hope all my friends and family can say the same :)

Snowy days

This is Whitney in her new exersaucer\walker. Once she gets bigger it can be changed into something she can hold onto and push. I usually don't buy super pink stuff, but it's all they had. She likes it and has actually been able to turn around in it the past few days. her feet barely touch. her favorite thing is the mirror, she loves looking at herself.

Abby is in a little basketball instructional league for 1st and 2nd graders. She likes it, although we missed the first practice and the last one got cancelled because of the blizzard. she will do it for 3 more saturdays

This is Isabel's friend party

After shovelling as much as we could, Scott decided we needed a snowblower. I couldn't really argue, there is nowhere else to shovel the snow and it takes forever. He was able to get a great deal on this one, and hopefullly we will be able to use it for years to come. We were hit with a huge set of storms that dumped on Monticello, the whole town shut down for a few days. I am definitely thankful for our nice, warm house, and for all the food we have stored so we do not need to worry when these things happen. Last month our Stake ( all the members of our church in town) fasted and prayed together for moisture, and I guess it worked! I am thinking about adding flood insurance before all of this melts.

Whitney is now doing very well sitting up on her own. She still tips over sideways sometimes, but mostly stays upright. She can grab at things and is putting them into her mouth. She still doesn't roll, she can do it from back to front, then she gets stuck, but really has no desire to do anything else. We are still ok with that, I like her in the same place. We are working on getting her sleep schedule more consistent so that she will sleep through the night. That means keeping her up more during the day, which makes her a little grumpy, but it will be worth it. I have been much more flexible with her because of everything else going on, I just let her nap whenever she wanted, but I would like to stay asleep all night myself, she is almost 8 months old.

The girls and I got to play out in the snow a few days ago, this is actually before the main storm hit! I buried them and dug a snow fort, and that is all under at least another foot of snow by now. The wind blows and drifts around our house, it's pretty crazy.

Scott got to make another day trip up north to exchange his silver badge and nametags for gold badge and nametags...a wonderful use of government funds we do not understand, but at least that's when he was able to get the snowblower and bring it home. He had to unload and use it before he could get his truck in the garage, it snowed the whole day he was gone. Otherwise no news, we have been snowed in, school cancelled for two days (which never happens here) and just not doing a whole lot.

Isabel Joy

About 14 months

One day old

Yogurt from Abby in her hair...and a nice shiner

3rd Birthday at Olive Garden in Rexburg, ID

1st birthday

Just a few extra pics of Isabel

Isabel Turns Five!

Happy birthday to Isabel, who celebrated for two days. Her birthday was on Sunday, so we just had our own little family time, and then a friend party on Monday. She is getting to know a lot of the kids here, from preschool and church. She is always asking to play with someone.

What can I say about Isabel? Well, I was thinking back over her birth this morning. Some of you may not know this story: Isabel had two due dates, one calendar date and one ultrasound. The dates were january 4th and 16th. This is quite a big amount of time when you are super pregnant. After we ended up passing the 16th, we decided to induce labor. That way we could take Abby to Grandma's and not worry about middle of the night drives in 45 min to the hospital. As we got the Pitocin started, I asked the doctor if he had any predictions on what time she might be born. It was January 17th, so he guess 1:17 pm. Well, we walked for a while, got the epidural, and when it was time to push, it was just after one. The doctor came racing back from the clinic, just in time for Isabel to arrive, and amazingly, he was able to mostly deliver her at 1:16, and held her foot in until the clock turned to 1:17 pm. It was funny and memorable, and that was how little Isabel arrived. She has always been a happy little thing, full of energy, and constantly talking. She is tough, but also can get her feelings hurt. Her attitude has always been, and I quote " but I want to do what I want to do!" She is funny and ticklish, gets along well with most people. She loves everyone she meets, including delivery men, painters (who she drew a picture for) and home teachers. A few months after we moved our home teacher came. Isabel was climbing all over him. By the end of the visit she kissed him on the cheek. After he left, she told me she wished I had married him, instead of Daddy, because she loved him. But don't be fooled, she loves her dad and follows him everywhere when he is home, working in the garage or wherever he is. She is smart and creative, loves to smile and laugh. She has always been our little climbing monkey, and fittingly had a monkey party this year. Everyone was so kind and she got some cute little presents. We got her a CD player and now she loves to rock out to her music, and I am hoping she will be respoinsible enough to take care of the player and the CDs. Isabel is also a great dancer, not shy at all and loves to wear dresses constantly. In Joy School last year she won the Fashion Diva award for her many beautiful outfits. She will find a way to wear a dress somehow, even if there are pants under it and a warm shirt over it.

She has been the most intersted in little Whitney, wishing she could hold and carry her all the time. She loves to talk to her and laugh with her. She even tells Whitney "You can pull my hair if you want to"

A few days ago I let the girls watch a bit of the news about Haiti and explained what had happened. We decided to give some money to the Red Cross, but Isabel also went and got some of her favorite stuffed animals, which she loves, and brought them to me to send to the children in Haiti who had no moms or dads.

So I just wish all our family and friends were closer to get to spend more time with our sweet little pixie with attitude, we love her and are so glad to have her in our family!

Merry Christmas!!

The New kitchen...only took Scott until 11 pm to put it together, I don't think he realized how elaborate it is, but hopefully this will provide a lot of fun for a lot of years.

Ok-the thumbnail was too small so I picked the worst shot of us, but still, here is our pic with the girls in their Christmas dresses.

Opening the presents from Grandma and Grandpa on the 26th

The beautiful snow on top of our Christmas lights. This shot is up above our porch.

Christmas for our family went very well this year. All my shopping was pretty much done a month ahead, so just a little wrapping and a few other things and we were good to go. We kept things pretty low-key this year, with the kitchen being the main present. I also packed up one huge box of toys to make room for any of the new ones, and to help keep the basement under control.

Here is Abby (six-and-a-half):

"I like Christmas because it is when we celebrate when Jesus was born. And it is about giving to others. And spending lots of time with our family and give presents. This year I got a new little hamster that came with a bottle, I can't resist playing with it. and the night on Christmas eve before the day that was Chrsitmas we made placemats with my sisters and Mom and Dad. Yesterday my grandma and grandpa came over to my house. they stayed a little bit, but they had to leave this Sunday (which was today). This Christmas Day I found reindeer footprints by wher I left an apple outside. there was no core, but you know what was weird, I found tracks. Christmas is one of my most favorite time of the year."

So that pretty much sums it up. The girls played well Christmas day and the best part for me was getting to have an actual, semi-uninterrupted rest in my bed. It was nice. We cooked a turkey (thanks to Scott for doing the icky parts...touching it, taking out the neck, etc. I can make myself do it, but still love the help) Had dinner, watched a few Christmas movies on the DVR, it was really relaxing, which is not a word we use a lot around here. This week we will be headed up North to visit and do a little shopping. We have 2 birthdays in our family, and two cousins in the next two months, so I hope to get some gret bargains for all these girls! Also hoping to find some more items for my main present of bedroom decorating. Scott's parents brought down the headboard I found at Thanksgiving, so now I just have to spruce it up a little. We got a great deal on it, so that makes it all the better. i did find a fabulous little website with little butterflies, flowers, etc and the whole website was 40% off and free shipping. So cute and so cheap!! I love it! So Isabel and Sara's room will be complete soon, I am excited. Now if only I could get them to quit emptying their dresser on a daily basis, it would be perfect. I will post pics when I get it done.

Anyways, we wish all of you a happy New Year, I did not do Christmas cards, but hopefully you have been able to keep up on our doings through the blog.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Our house with Christmas lights on...I forced Scott but it turned out really nice

Whitney in Daddy's hat

Isabel in her dance outfit

Abby (left) at the recital

Isabel doing her dance "Love and Marriage" (second from the left)

The girls by the tree Scott chopped down for us.

Stripes I painted in Isabel and Sara's room...

Whitney LOVES oatmeal!

Abby's first lost tooth

December has been quite busy for us. I was able to get most of my Christmas shopping done while we were in Orem for Thanksgiving, so that was nice. We are keeping it pretty simple this year, and I already had some stuff put away, so I think we are set. We are looking forward to just hanging at home, and hopefully Scott gets a little time off. His schedule was supposed to slow down with the winter, but so far that has not been the case.

Abby lost her first tooth, we didn't notice it until she showed me that she already had her adult tooth half-way out behind it. She was so excited and told everyone we met. Now she claims to have five other loose teeth....

She and Isabel had their dance recital this week and both did really well, not too shy, and knew their dances well. Abby is also signed up for a little basketball class for first and second graders starting in January. it should be funny to watch, but I'm glad they have that here, so she can start getting some skills.

Isabel is doing well, excited for Christmas. It is so nice this year that the baby is not crawling into anything, and the older ones can actually leave things alone a little bit. Still, I am going to leave most of the presents away from the tree until a few days before Christmas.

Sara is finally potty trained!!! it was a long, messy process, but I am so glad it's pretty much over. As with my other girls, she is able to stay dry at night already, which is great. She does have a few accidents, and also loves playing with things in the bathroom now that she has access, but at least I am not scrubbing carpet every day anymore. She pretty much runs around in nothing but panties all day, purple feet and all. She is funny and smart, but also can be moody. She will be 3 in February.

Whitney has finally learned to roll!! yes, she's 6 months old and is a little slow. I think it is a combination of her being swaddled alot of the time (she still sleeps all wrapped up) and the fact that I am afraid to lay her on the floor with her sisters running all over the place. She is pretty close to sitting up, and has discovered her feet and hands. She can grab things now. She is still a pretty happy baby, but still gets up quite a bit at night. I don't know how I luck out with these babies who don't sleep, but oh well. She is a sweetheart and smiles and giggles a lot. She is very ticklish.

I have been busy painting our room and the girls' room. It was a lot of work, and I did a lot without Scott, which was crazy....the girls took full advantage of me not supervising them. Scott did help when he was around, I have to mention. Our bedroom is a dark blue color, I am getting to decorate it for my Christmas present. So I have a headboard I got on clearance sitting in Orem, waiting for the Watson delivery truck and I have some pictures I want to get up on the walls and I'm shopping around for other accessories. it should be pretty, and I'm excited. Then little by little we'll get to the rest of the house.

Scott has been busting lots of people without permits to cut Christmas trees and firewood. It is a $10-$20 permit or a $250 fine....people are not doing the math. But no one has been enforcing the rules around here for so long, I guess they don't think they'll get caught. He has also had a lot of meetings and other things around the state, so he has been gone a lot. Tonight is his work Christmas party, so that should be fun, and I will get to meet a few more people he works with. He is still loving the job, and will soon have a snowmobile he can ride around on for "work"

Anyways, we are all doing well, no major illnesses or anything here. We had a huge snowstorm which almsot blocked us in our house, but we love it, it is fun for me to see "real" snow after the northern Utah winters where it always melts away. Weird that I would enjoy seeing huge piles of snow in every parking lot, but it does reming me of home, Merry Christmas to all of you!!