It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

We are enjoying this time of the year so much and I hope that you and your family are happy and healthy and enjoying the season as well. I love the lights, trees, music, food, and most of all reflecting on the miracle of the birth of our Savior.

I'll do a quick catch-up on our activities through pictures. Happy Holidays!!

Mary's Thanksgiving Feast at her Preschool.

We spent Thanksgiving in TN with my family and were able to go to a Christmas tree farm and help pick out their tree. It was so fun riding the buggy up the mountain and seeing hundreds of beautiful trees all over the rolling hills. The kids got to sit on the horses and see some snow!

Our next adventure was riding the New Hope Valley Railway! They decorate their trains during the holidays and Santa was aboard! It was a very fun family outing.

This was an attempt this past Sunday to get a quick picture before church--big mistake as you can see from little Sarah's face!

I'm Glad I'm Not A Turkey

Mary loves this song (and this outfit!) and I love to hear her sing it!

20 Ways Parenthood Is Just Like College

While organizing some files this past week I came across this article I saved from the August 2005 Parent Magazine (taken from 14 Hours 'Til Bedtime by Jen Singer). It makes me smile every time I read it.

20 Ways Parenthood Is Just Like College
1-You feel like you're constantly being tested.
2-Someone's always smarter than you (or at least they think they are).
3-Your roommates are slobs, and they steal your food.
4-There's nothing in your bank account.
5-All-nighters.
6-You get kicked out of the library for leaving behind crumbs and creating a ruckus.
7-Keg parties and parties at Chuck E. Cheese produce the same kind of hangover.
8-You never seem to be able to get the place to yourself.
9-Naps.
10-You hate your roommates' music and they hate yours.
11-You can neither identify nor locate the source of that funky smell coming from your roommate's closet.
12-Five in the morning is really, really early---or really, really late---depending on whether or not you've been to bed yet.
13-People talk to you while you're in the shower.
14-You're too exhausted to retain what you're reading.
15-Oh, now you can identify that smell. You forgot to take that half-eaten sandwich out of the backpack yesterday.
16-You're wearing your college sweatshirt again--it's the cleanest thing you could find.
17-Someone always leaves a party crying.
18-Hey! How about pizza? Again!
19-You think you're the only one who feels clueless.
20-It goes so fast.

Wonderful Weekend

Halloween was very exciting with two cute chickens, a handsome knight and two happy parents that can sneak their kids' candy without them missing it! It was so great trick-or-treating as a family. This time last year Sarah was still in the hospital weighing about 3 and a half pounds and would not have made much of a chicken! But this year at 17 pounds she is plump and juicy and too cute!







The day after Halloween while the kids were still on their sugar high I flew to Chicago to see one of my best friends, eat at wonderful restaurants and see the play Wicked! I've wanted to see it forever and Steve was so great to keep the kids for three days all by his lonesome-- thank you Steve!

Sunset Beach

Last week we met some of our best friends, Nate and Julee Phillips, and their three children at Sunset Beach, NC for a few days of relaxation and fun! Nate and I met in English class my sophomore year at BYU and through him I met Steve. So we owe Nate a lot! Julee is an amazing person and mom and we have become great friends. It was so wonderful to watch our kids play together non-stop without ANY arguments the entire trip. It was a wonderful little vacation and we can't wait to do it again. The North Carolina coast is beautiful this time of year.

David's Soccer Clips

Here are a few clips from David's soccer game last Saturday--he had four goals this week!

We've really enjoyed watching his games each week as a family. Sadly, this week will be the last for the season, but he'll start basketball in a few weeks before playing soccer again in the spring. We really need to work on his after-goal celebrations.

Happy October!

This time of year is so wonderful with chilly mornings, hot chocolate, fun crafts to make and being together. We are so grateful for our life!

Mary's Hat

Mary has had this pink hat since she was about 18 months old. She wears it every single day. As you can see the rim is slowly becoming smaller. I'm always picking up pink string and straw around the house. Soon enough it will look like a pink bowl on her head and then not long after that I'm sure it will be down to looking like a hot pink yamika.

Reflection

One year ago today on October 8, 2007 Steve and I arrived early in the morning at Duke hospital for the resection of my right clavicle and acromion, or in other words to have the tumor that was trying to kill my body taken out. While in the surgical waiting room pacing back and forth waiting to hear my name called over the intercom to report to the surgical preparation area I recognized two people sitting there, Mr. and Mrs. Greene. Mrs. Greene was my assistant high school soccer coach. Their son, DJ Greene, was one year older than me and dated one of my best friends in high school. He was also best friends with one of my best friends. DJ and I were mostly just acquaintances, but with our mutual friends we interacted quite a bit in high school. DJ had Cystic Fibrosis.

Steve and I chatted with his parents for a few minutes, getting and giving the quick updates of why we were both at Duke that day and then hugged and gave best wishes as my name was called. DJ was having a lung transplant. He was having something put into his body so he could live while I was having something taken out of my body so I could live.

Since last year I have thought about DJ often and have been kept up-to-date on him through our mutual good friend. Last week that friend emailed to tell me that DJ passed away almost two weeks ago on Friday, Sept. 26, 2008 at Duke hospital.

As my prayers and thoughts have been turned toward his family in their time of grief I am reminded just how short our time is here on this earth. A day does not go by that I do not thank my Heavenly Father for my life being prolonged so I can spend a little more time with my family here. I know that the Plan of Salvation is real and it brings me great comfort to know we will be with our families beyond this life on earth. DJ will see and be with his family again. I know I will be with my family forever. In the meantime, I am so extremely grateful for each day I get to be with my family in this life.

Birthday Time!

David and Sarah both celebrated birthdays this week. David was the first birthday of the year in his preschool class and it was so fun and special to take cupcakes and goodie bags to school for all his classmates. He was very cute! David is my sweet boy, he is sensative and when Steve is at work or away he always makes sure the girls and I are happy and feeling well. I can't believe he is 5!! After school we took him out for a birthday lunch and ended the day with an ice cream cake and presents.

I can't help but do some then and now pictures for sweet Sarah. It is really hard to believe that she is one. So much has happened over the past year. She is a special baby, has been a great source of motivation for me during the times I felt the worst, and a very special member of our family. Happy 1st birthday sweet Sarah!

Then

Now

Then

Now

Elmo at the beginning of Sarah's Party

Elmo at the end!

Catchin' Up

The kids started preschool and are really enjoying it. David attends M-F mornings and Mary attends on T and TH mornings. I love that they love it and I also LOVE the carpool lane, besides being very convenient it gives me a few minutes of stillness. I try to get there about 10 minutes early each day, pull in line, roll the windows down, and turn the van off. I usually read or write in my journal. It is one of my favorite parts about preschool!

David is in the Star Class

Mary playing at the rice table in her classroom

We went to Bristol over Labor Day weekend for my little brother Christopher's Eagle Scout Court of Honor. Congratulations Christopher! While we were in Bristol we went to the Carter Family Fold (as in June Carter and Johnny Cash), which is quite the southern experience to say the least! I love listening to the Bluegrass, a different band plays each Saturday night and watching all the people clogg while the band plays is so entertaining. I even got Steve out on the floor to dance during a 2-step, he did a fabulous job. If you're ever in Northeast Tennessee on a Saturday night you've got to visit the Carter Family Fold!

My friend Dacia sent me these pajamas right after Sarah was born. I think they are too much fun! It was hard to imagine that she would ever be big enough to wear them, but here she is!

My Mary

Mary is absolutely wonderful. She makes my life so exciting and happy. Last night about 2am she woke up crying, crying, crying. She never does this, she is a very sound sleeper. I went in and she said she had a bad dream, that lots of toys were in her bed and they wouldn't let her sleep. She was really upset. I picked her up and we rocked on the couch for a few minutes. Then we talked about how she could sing herself a little song or think of happy things like candy or swinging if she had another bad dream or couldn't get back to sleep. She started feeling better so I put her back in bed and I climbed back into bed at about 2:10am. At about 2:12 I hear her begin to belt out very loudly her favorite song "Jingle Bells". It made me so happy. It was so loud I almost went and told her to quiet down, but decided against it. It was too beautiful. She sang the entire song to herself (and the rest of the neighborhood!) and then there was silence. She ended up coming in to our room about 10 mintues later and sleeping on the floor the rest of the night, but I was so proud of her for trying! Everything she does is filled with joy and I am so thankful for her.

US Open

Luv it!

Six Years

Happy Anniversary to us! This past weekend (August 30th to be exact) we celebrated our sixth. When we thought of all that has happened during the past six years the following were at the top of the list: three beautiful children, one PhD, three moves, one diagnosis of cancer, a million laughs and smiles, and too many blessings to count. In the past six years we have learned so much together and had so much fun. We are so grateful for each other and for our eternal family. Happy Anniversary to us!

Museum of Life and Science

The Museum of Life and Science is one of my favorite places to take the kids. Our realtor gave us a one-year membership when we moved to NC and we've renewed it each year since. I wasn't able to take the kids at all last year so I'm excited to catch up on museum trips this coming year. We went last week and had a wonderful time!

There are all sorts of different activities: hands on fun, playgrounds, farm animals, a butterfly house, bugs and insects galore, a train ride, boats to drive, a few zoo animals to see, a caboose to explore-- too much fun.

One of my favorite newer attractions is the Sound Movement room. There are sensors in the ceiling above each square that play a specific instrument and as the kids run, dance, and move around the room they create a symphony. It is really neat!