Guess I have a lot of catching up to do...

Abby "After" the haircut

Before the haircut

Enough bubbles for a modest but adorable picture of our 4 bathing beauties!

At Abby's Spring Festival, each class does a dance, it was really well done, and she loved learning a hula dance.

After the little easter egg hunt at the school. Thank goodness it was indoors, it was freezing! Fun to search all around the bleachers and everything to find the eggs

Mohawk Whitney

Scott's birthday

My 96 yr old Gran sent these mittens, hats and sweaters she knit to the girls, so they are modelling them

Close up of pretty Sara

Well, the last month has been busy! I always think i am doing better at updating this, and all of a sudden it's a month later! The biggest news is that we finally got Spring here! it took forever and there are still a few snow drifts lingering, but we have grass! It was a long winter here, with the snow 178% of normal. Good for filling the reservoirs. Last weekend we were able to get half of the girls' playground put together, but still have some work to do. They LOVE being able to go outside, even though Sara is still afraid to go down the slide! She'll figure it out. Isabel is also able to ride her bike with no training wheels, but as expected she just took off like a rocket and now needs to learn starting and stopping safely. It is fun but scary to have two of them who can travel far and fast now! We really appreciate our quiet street with very few neighbors at these times.

Scott spent a lot of work time on his work snowmobile. He now is back to the 4 wheeler, and has managed to get stuck in the mud a few times with his truck. There are always ups and downs with the public sentiment towards federal officers here, but overall people get along with him.

I have been just doing my regular stuff, happy to be able to send the kids outside. For some strange reason I have been wanting a dog for a while, and have been researching breeds and training quite a bit. Even if we never get a dog, i think I have learned a lot, and it's a fun little side project for me. Scott has vetoed any pets, but I think when the time is right we will get something. I also got the letter with an appointment for my citizenship interview on April 30. I have to study some American info, which has not been too hard, considering some we learned in high school, and then I got an "A" in American Heritage class in college. There are 100 questions to study, and a computer picks 10, of which you have to get 6 correct. I am hoping I get "Who is the President of the USA" or other tough ones :)

After that all I need to do is swear in, and i will be a US citizen. I do have some mixed feelings, but i will be happy to vote and also to never deal with Immigration again. Someday we'll have to do the paperwork for the kids to show their Canadian citizenship, which they get automatically from me.

Abby is loving school and dance, and we were both sick of brushing her long, tangly hair so i got to cut it yesterday. it will be really nice for summer, not to deal with it, and I think it turned out cute.

Isabel still asks to go to friend's houses every 5 minutes, and loves her preschool. She is learning a lot and I think will be reading by kindergarten if I work with her a little more. She is funny and crazy. She got some blue sunglasses from Wal-Mart and wears them all the time. She says she needs them to see. And then she dresses herself and asks "do you like my style?"

Sara is still her bi-polar self, whiney one minute and hilarious the next. I think she is read to be doing more big girl things like dance, so she'll be happy this fall if we put her in it. She also traded her toddler bed for Abby's bed, and got to choos a new blanket. Thank goodness she chose Polka dot, instead of Dora, or even princesses!! I think she likes it, but still won't stay in bed more than a second at night. someday, right??

Whitney is on the verge of figuring out llocomotion. She can now sortof scoot in her own way to get to what she wants, which is usually a speck of something on the carpet. Baby toys are no fun. She is still working on her first tooth. She also weaned herself and is now on a bottle and baby food. I would have nursed longer, but it is kinda nice to be done with all that, especially how distracted she was every time her sisters walked by, which of course was very,very often. it's like they had a radar for when I would sit down to feed the baby.

So things are good in monticello. We are making plans for yard projects, and are thankful we had a sump pump installed which has been working hard for over a month. This snowy year was a great test of the system, and I think we'll be ok from here on out.

peace out!

No planes, but trains and automobiles

Abby was so excited to feed Whitney

At the train museum in Durango, CO

So I keep forgetting to take a picture of our new Suburban. After much discussion and online car shopping, we decided to trade our fabulous Honda Accord for a Suburban of some kind. We bought the Honda when we were living in California and needed a dependable family car. When we moved back to Utah it became Scott's commuter car. Since he now has a work truck and we outgrew the car, it was just taking up space. So we found a nice used Suburban and Scott made a very long day trip up to Orem to get it. It works great mechanically, although it definitely saw its share of kids. Scott is seriously contemplating replacing the carpet. It is cherry red, 2005 half-ton 4x4 and we had a new DVD player installed in the ceiling as part of the deal. So now we can all fit for road trips, or during snowstorms, and when we need a little more cargo room for our now infrequent trips to Costco. It will still be a backup for the van (unless\until we have another baby, not in the near future), but we are pretty happy with it. The girls love it, and it is fun watching them try to say "suburban."

We took a little trip to get out of Monticello and ended up in Durango, Colorado. They have an old working railroad and a train museum. The prices to ride the rain are insane, so that may at some point be a once-in-a-lifetime idea, but for now we just went to check things out. It is a touristy kind of place in the mountains. lots of little shops, some skiing, a river and the train. I think it would be better in the summer, but at least now we know where it is and we got some good pamphlets. It is about 2 hours away.

Other big news is that Whitney finally took a bottle! She is now 9 months, so this is quite a nice development for me. Maybe not for Scott :) Scott was away for a week in Page, AZ, and I just tried giving her one before bed and she actually drank it like a pro. We have been trying for months, but she has never been interested at all. She didn't seem to like the taste of formula. At least now I can get away a little more, or feed her in places like church or in public without it being awkward or inconvenient.

Scott's was away at a course talking about ancient artifacts and the rules around them. This is a hot-button issue around here with some people viewing it as trash anyone should be able to pick up, and others viewing everything as sacred and that it is a crime to take or touch anything. The law sides with the latter idea, but it's hard to change people's ways when they have been doing something for generations. There are Native sites everywhere in our area, some are managed, like Mesa Verde National Park, and others are just on the sides of roads, and others you have to hike to. Below are some Anasazi pot shards, and a complete pot. It can be a felony to pick up one of these pieces and take it. No other news, just waiting for it to quit snowing and be spring already!

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!