Time Spent with Cousins

As always, it has been a fun few weeks for us. We of course had our normal school, work, and church responsibilities. We also finished flag football and our schedule has become significantly lighter. We even had a parent teacher conference with Zach's teacher and are much more at ease with her and what is happening. We enjoyed our Ward Christmas party last Saturday, too. On top of that, I am frantically working to put together our Ward Christmas Enrichment which happens a week from today. AAAH! But, the most fun and exciting thing we did was spend Thanksgiving in Albuquerque with Rick and Sarah's family.

Several months ago Sarah and I talked about how much fun it would be to meet half way and spend a few days together. At first we thought about the fourth of July time, but with our move being so close we pushed things back to Thanksgiving. After some research we decided on meeting up in Albuquerque which is almost exactly half way. We found out some fun things to do, sites to see, and hotels to stay in. We had it all set up and then came the actual process of packing up and starting the drive.

The kids had the whole week of Thanksgiving off this year and Troy had Thursday and Friday off, so he only used two vacation days for Tuesday and Wednesday. We started off about 9 in the morning on Tuesday. We drove about 3 hours and then stopped to eat our packed lunch at a rest stop along the way. We made the kids run a few laps, seeing as how they would be cooped up for another 9 hours and took off again. We made it another 3 hours and then stopped in Lubbock to see some good friends, Joe and Melissa. We visited with them for almost 2 hours and then began the rest of our journey. We stopped for a quick dinner which we ate in the car and finally made it to Albuquerque around 10:30 that night. The kids were so good! Much better than I could have hoped for.

We brought in our sleeping children and crashed. The next day was Wednesday and we had planned an excursion to the Zoo and Aquarium. They are connected by a train ride and so we could park and take the whole day. The zoo was great! All the kids had great fun seeing the animals and acting like animals. The boys were, to be expected, much more active and would climb and act like monkeys or growl and claw at the sky in their bear-like way. There are only three girls out of the ten combined kids, but they had a lot of fun too. Ellyse, who is 10, and Jane, 4, were so great about helping Emma and making sure she was having fun. I think all the kids favorite exhibit was the playground inside the zoo grounds. We visited that one twice. We ate our packed lunch in between, and got back to the hotel that evening. We ordered Pizza Hut, and after quite the excursion, even managed to pick up half the order and eat.

The next day was Thanksgiving and most everything was closed. We went to the temple grounds and walked around enjoying the reverent atmosphere (I should say as reverent as it can be with 10 young children in tow). Then Rick had researched a playground near our hotel for the kids to play at. I must say that this was one of the best park/playgrounds I have ever been at, and I have seen my fair share. The kids had great fun and then we went back to the hotel for some fun/naps depending on the kid/adult. We then went out to find a restaurant for dinner, but everything was closed, even those that had been open for the afternoon. So we ended up going to Super Wal-Mart (which is open all but 6 hours on Christmas) and buying microwaveable food to eat at the hotel. Our Thanksgiving dinner consisted of hot dogs, corn dogs, and taquitos along with food, chips and dip and chocolate milk. It was heaven for the kids and not so bad for those of us of the adult variety.

Thursday night we went to bed with it snowing and Zach prayed that it would stick so he could play in it. By the time we left, there was only snow on the parked cars, but there was just enough for a snowball fight, something my Texans don't get to have too often. After the fight, we had decided to see the children's museum, iExplora, in the morning and then see some other sites later. But the museum was so amazing we never left (save for my boys leaving for an hour to see the Rattlesnake Museum). They had so many exhibits; water features, craft areas, play areas, areas to explore air, music, light, bubbles, a bike that rode 17 feet up in the air and many others. They even had a room we could eat our lunch in with some peace and quiet. If you are ever in Albuquerque, I would highly recommend going even if you have no children with you. The only drawback is that there are partitions separating everything and it can be hard to keep an eye on your child if you have lots of kids with you. Nevertheless, if we are ever in Albuquerque again, we will be going back. After the museum, we went out to Texas Roadhouse, which had something for even the most picky of eaters. We played some games and then crashed.

Saturday, we woke up and spent time together until about 10 when we all had to leave to drive back to our respective homes. We decided that we needed to do this every other year, because it was so much fun. The kids got along from the very beginning, without any warm up period really and us adults, of course, enjoyed talking, late night card playing and watching the kids enjoy themselves. Our kids were even great for the ride back. It was definitely the highlight of our year so far!

Next Friday, my parents are coming for over a week and that will bring a lot of fun also. Life without family would not be so sweet! Hope you and your family can enjoy some sweet moments at this time of year.

Life...What a Joy!

It has been a fun-filled few weeks. We, of course, had Halloween, but we also had Zach and Josh's flag football playoffs, final football celebrations, a neighborhood block party, our ward's Primary Program, a Super Saturday activity, Zach's Space Derby, and Troy out of town for two weekends. Things never seem to be dull around here. We really wouldn't have it be any other way. Life should be action packed. The alternative is boredom and idle hands. You know what they say about that. However, with the end of flag football the schedule will be a little quieter.

Halloween was exactly as it should be...every kid's dream. Who wouldn't enjoy dressing up as something fun and then getting bucket loads of treats for doing it? And they got to celebrate not just once, but four or five different times. First our neighborhood got all together and celebrated in the cul-de-sacs. There was a pumpkin carving contest, cake walks, guessing games and a parade. I think the kids favorite parts was rolling down the hill that was a neighbor's front yard. Of course, we walked away with three plates of baked goods. Next, we had the annual trunk or treat fun at the ward. First we got to eat the goods from the chili cookoff, then there was a carnival of activities for the children to enjoy, and at the end the kids got to say trunk or treat to hundreds of cars and come back with an obscene amount of treats. Halloween day brought a kindergarten parade for Josh with a small performance at the end, and playgroup for Matt and Emma with a yummy lunch and treats provided. Then came seven o'clock and the time to walk the neighborhood. When I say that our kids came back with TONS of treats I'm not exagerating too much. We seriously had four or five gallon sized Ziplocs full of treats and candy. We are still eating from our stash and will likely continue for the next couple months.

Both Zach and Josh finished off their flag football seasons with playoffs. Zach's team had an early morning game and played the top ranked team in their division. Zach had a couple awesome plays as he broke up a pass that would likely have been a touchdown and pulled a couple flags. He really seems to enjoy the defensive side of the game more than the offensive side. All in all, I have never seen their team play better and at the end of time the score was tied 6-6, so overtime began. His team got to go first and made it about twenty yards before the defense stopped them. So then it was their opponent who got the opportunity to run the field and after about twenty-five yards our defense stopped them. We all thought, here comes another round. However, the rules stated that you get only one opportunity and the team that made it furthest on the field won the tiebreak. It was a heartbreaking loss, though I was pleasantly surprised that each of the boys, including Zach took it remarkably well.

Josh played later that afternoon. His little team was supposed to play half hour games, but his first game ended up being a full hour game. Did I mention that it was blazing hot and it is the begininning of November? Anyway, Josh did something he hasn't before, he ran for a touchdown. He got the ball and ran up the middle but several people missed his flags and he kept going. You could see the point where he realized he was out in front as he looked back to check on things. After looking back and seeing there was no one who was going to catch him his face broke out in a huge smile and he took it into the endzone. After coming back to his team he did a little dance and looked at me to make sure I was watching. Their team ended up winning and had to play another game right after. I can't remember if it was in the first or second game, but Josh was quarterback and threw a pass to Ethan (a team member) who then ran for a touchdown. He was pretty excited, but in the end his team ended up losing 19-15. It was a fun day for both of them.

The only sad note at flag football was that Troy couldn't be there to watch. He was helping teach down in San Marcos and missed the fun. Of course this was also the day of our ward Super Saturday. I had been asked to teach a holiday cardmaking class even though I couldn't be there so I made five samples and left instructions on how to assemble them. I left several things and then came back at the end to clean up the mess, and when I say mess I'm not lying. All of this with no husband to help out. And on Sunday, Emma was an absolute bear so I had to leave the chapel a number of times with all the boys left inside. Needless to say, things could have been smoother, but I just realized that I need to set up help ahead of time when he can't be around.

The Primary program was really nice. There are at least a hundred kids in our ward Primary, so I'm sure it was difficult to get everyone ready, but it appeared to go smooth. Zach did a great job telling what blessings the Lord gives us when we keep our baptismal covenants. We kept waiting for Josh to give his part, but then the program ended without an appearance from Josh. It seems that he was at the beginning and just forgot to get up when it was his turn. I'm not quite sure how that happened, but he wasn't bothered at all.

Zach also got to participate in his first Space Derby at Cub Scouts. Troy and I worked on the rocket quite a bit with some help from Zach, but in the end he didn't win anything. It was a little bit of a stinging loss for him, but a valuable lesson. We simply can't win everything, so learn to take the losses in stride.

So, all in all, the last few weeks have been a blur of candy, heartbreaking losses, and joyful moments. It has been a fun ride even with the losses. If everything was joyful we wouldn't really know true joy. Hope your lives are full of the same.

Time in Fast Forward

I know that time is supposed to be a constant, but I am almost convinced that it has sped up the last few months. It seems like there is always something happening and three weeks have passed in what feels like a couple days. We are just doing school, work, extracurricular activities, church activities, family time, unexpected trips to College Station and did I mention a trip to air traffic control. All in all, the kids are enjoying themselves, though Zach will sometimes mention about how much he has to do and how little play time he has. Whenever he says this, all I can think is "Just wait until those teenage years, handsome."

Speaking of Zach, he is doing really well. He has adjusted to life in third grade and has even settled in with his extremely strict teacher. He does miss his teacher from second grade (who was wonderful), but enjoys his new friends. As always his favorite subjects are math and science. He recently took his yellow belt advancement test in Judo and passed with flying colors. He now proudly puts on his gi with a bright yellow belt around his waist. He was extremely excited as were both Troy and I. Perhaps, the thing we find most exciting is that he has found something he really enjoys doing.

Josh is doing well in kindergarten, although he does mention at least twice a week that he is bored. We knew this would be an issue and decided that it would take some extra dedication on our part to get the school on the same page. So, I thought I would have to make an appointment to talk with his teacher, Mrs. Haley. Here, they usually don't start reading individually until December sometime, but his teacher noticed that he needed some accelerated academics without our prompting and tested him early to help him out. He tested at an ending first grade reading level, and so she started him in reading and some other advancements. It seems like since this has happened he has come home complaining less. Something else to mention is that the game of flag football and Josh just suddenly clicked last Saturday. Instead of watching and not knowing where to go or what to do, the concept of defense took hold. He pulled three flags during his game on Saturday and three more at his practice last night. Way to go Josh!

Matt is his typical easy-going self. He generally goes with the flow and definitely wants to do what his older brothers are doing. He is getting so big and one great thing is that just today he started buckling himself up in the car. Now I only have Emma to strap in and that is significantly quicker. Good thing, since we are always running to something and typically running late. Matt has also really started to make some friends his age here. He is excited for playgroup each Wednesday as he can play with his new friends and be active. At the last flag football game, he and Zach made this teepee of sticks. They were so proud of it.

Emma is 21 months old and into everything. None of our other children were quite like her. She is extremely inventive and can get into most anything if she really wants to. She finds objects around the house to be the most fun. Note the garbage can she is sitting in. This has become a favorite for her to push around and stash her "valuables" in. She is also quite a ham for the camera and anyone in our family who will pay attention to her antics.

Troy and I are the same. We do feel like things have ramped up in the busy department, but we are enjoying the time we can spend watching our children learn, grow and explore. Troy recently bought several things for the fish tank, the humongous fish tank might I add, and is thoroughly enjoying the hobby. This is one that I think will stick for his life. So if you ever make your way to our house don't be surprised to see an entire wall taken up with marine life. Hope your lives are full of success and fun hobbies!

Let the Show Begin

It has been crazy busy ever since the start of school. Sometimes it reminds me of when I did musicals and productions in high school and had to do dress changes in a single minute or less. Just a few of the things that we have enjoyed in the last three weeks go something like this: 1. Josh celebrated his 6th birthday the first Friday of school. 2. We enjoyed Labor Day and an Elder's Quorum social. 3. I began teaching piano lessons to a young man from church and Zach to boot. 4. We had parent nights and orientations for both Zach and Josh. 5. Zach had pack meeting and has begun going to scouts twice a month. 6. I volunteer at the school every Wednesday stuffing folders while Emma and Matt run around the cafeteria. 7. Josh and Zach each started flag football practices Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, respectively, with games on Saturday mornings. 8. I successfully pulled off my first quarterly enrichment since getting called as Enrichment Leader. 9. Troy and I both spoke in church on Sunday and the kids were actually pretty good during them. Along with visiting teaching, home teaching, playgroup, Sunday dinner invites, judo, substituting at church, Young Mens for Troy, our first round of colds and other things I can't think of at the moment we are all exhausted at the end of each day. In fact, Troy and I are usually asleep on the couch around ten each night. But it beats being bored stiff doing nothing.

Josh's birthday celebration was a lot of fun. We celebrated it Saturday instead of Friday and it was actually at our friends' house. I highly recommend this if you can work it since we had none of the cleanup involved with hosting it at our home. Now I know you're thinking, how on earth did Aimee have her son's birthday party at a friend's? Well, it just kind of happened. It was actually Troy's boss and his family. Pieter and Theresa have two kids of their own, Ben (age 8) and Sam (age almost 5). Our kids have gotten to be quite good friends with their kids and the adults actually enjoy each other's company. Well, they have a pool in their community and asked if we would like to go Saturday afternoon. After, the BYU game was on a channel we didn't have and Pieter invited the family to come watch. The game didn't end until about eight that evening so we just had ice cream cake there and opened presents. All of this was at the insistence of Pieter and Theresa that it was not a big deal. So that is how everything came about and it was great fun enjoyed by all.

Aside from the craziness, life is the same old thing; always new and exciting. Lately, the boys have wanted to wear only pants to bed each night and on the odd occasion we let them. Of course, Emma does not and she doesn't really seem to care. Sometimes she is off doing her own thing and other times she can't stand the idea of not doing what her older brothers are doing. She is certainly a paradox and boy is she determined. This girl has a mind of her own and the hissy fits to prove it. At this moment she is laid out on the kitchen floor screaming because I asked her if she wanted pretzels and evidently that is NOT what she wanted. She also has a cold which brings on the fits quicker. So I guess I better go and help her calm down. Hope your life productions run smooth, but don't break a leg!

Back to School

Last Monday, Josh and Zach waited at the fence just outside our house for the bus to come. It comes bright and early at 7:15 to take them to their school. You would think that I might have woken them up, but that was not the case. At about 6:15 Zach came in to tell us that if Troy and I didn't hurry and get out of bed both he and Josh would miss the bus. There was no getting them to go back to sleep either, so I reluctantly got out of bed and used the extra time to put some cinnamon rolls in the oven. They were happy to have something different than cereal or frozen waffles. Then Troy walked them out to the bus stop and waited with them until they got on the bus. The comical side to this is that Zach kept telling us he didn't want to go to school and that he wasn't excited, but he was definitely the one keeping things going that morning. They got home about 3:00 that afternoon and were happy and excited.

Speaking of school, Josh has a great kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Haley. She is younger, but very enthusiastic, organized and kind. I couldn't have asked for a better fit for Josh especially since he will need to be challenged academically this year. She was excited about helping Josh and he seems to be thriving. Zach's teacher is Mrs. Underwood and she has been teaching for 20+ years. To quote Zach, "Mrs. Underwood seemed real nice the first day, but now I know she's really strict." She does have A LOT of rules and expects each kid to follow them. She is what I would call a micro-manager, but Zach is doing alright after learning and challenging the rules last week. I think things will be good, but she might not have been the teacher I would have chosen. However, she might be just the thing for Zach since he does better when there are rules and they are fairly enforced. It should be a fun year!

Matt and Emma are a little lost at home without older siblings to tell them what to do and how to play. Last week I spent a fair amount of time on the floor, playing with the two of them. But, it didn't take long to get in a routine as I noticed Matt playing, this morning, with toys his brothers usually have. And of course, Emma needed to play with them also. So with a little prodding on my part, they shared and played great. I must also say, that I went big grocery shopping today with just the two of them, and it was amazing. They weren't perfect by any means, but it was SO much easier. On the other hand, I do miss Zach's help with the younger ones and Josh snuggling close. It just reminds me that there is positive and negative to everything, so focus on the positive.

I should also mention that just before school started, Zach finally decided it was okay if we took his training wheels off. We took one off on Thursday, the other on Friday and that was it. Now, the first thing he does when he gets home from school is ride his bike. And if Zach is riding his bike, so must the rest of the kids, so I usually end up standing in the street watching them ride and play for anywhere from a half an hour to an hour. Then I finally tell them to come inside and they very reluctantly come. Zach enjoys riding so much that he told everyone at school it was one thing they should know about him. It has been a fun process to watch.

So on that note, I will bid you adieu. Matt and Emma are sleeping and I just might catch a little nap myself before Zach and Josh get home. Hope your day gives you a moment to relax.

Summertime Fun!

Not long after breakfast this morning, Zach and Josh decided to go outside and ride their bikes. They didn't make it far (like the middle of our driveway) when they noticed some fireants preying on roly-polys. Now this is a major offense as Zach loves roly-polys. In fact, for several days he was keeping one as a pet until he realized that he should release his beloved insect outside where he would be happier. So after they realized that the fireants were killing roly-polys, they decided some drastic action was needed. Enlisting the help of Matt and Emma, they got every bucket and water gun we own and proceeded to hose down the fireants. They did this despite my protests that this would not get rid of the fireants because they, of course, knew more about killing insects as they had now become "The Exterminators." Zach then made a sign to place on our front door so that all the neighborhood would know that exterminators lived here. They even came up with a little jingle and final pose (as seen in the photo) for commercials. And at the end, Matt and Emma were soaked and everyone was content that they had rid our driveway of fireants. I guess I can be happy that today was already laundry day and what's a couple more pieces to do in the midst of five to six super-capacity sized loads.

We also made our way to SeaWorld on Saturday. Mike and Beth came down with Sarah late on Friday so we could wake up early and make the two hour drive the next morning. We got to almost everything we wanted and I'm pretty sure everyone was tired, slightly sunburnt (okay, I'm really the only who got sunburnt) and happy as we drove home late that night. We woke up the next day and lazed around until our 1:00 church where Troy and I both taught lessons. Then we ate, put the kids to sleep and played Settlers until 10:30 at night. Mike and Beth left right after and I hope they made their two hour trip home safe. It sure was a fun weekend!

The rest of the week held several adventures also. Tuesday we made it to the HUGE IKEA about fifteen minutes away. All the boys stayed in the play area while Emma and I made our way through the store. If you haven't ever been I recommend you make it at least once. I was amazed! Wednesday we went to Emma Long Park about 25 minutes south of us. They have a great gradual slope lake and the boys and Emma swam and dove off the pier for almost four hours. As we were leaving, Zach and Josh both asked when we could come back, so, evidently, they weren't exhausted, but I sure was! Friday brought Judo for Troy and Zach and Troy bounced his head off the mat too hard and ended up with a mild concussion. Then, Mike and Beth came later that night, and Saturday brought SeaWorld. So after a fun-filled week, you might ask what we are doing today...nothing except the laundry I mentioned before, long naps, FHE, and the probable purchase of a piano later tonight so I can start giving piano lessons in September. Hope you are enjoying the end of your summer minus the sunburns.

I Spy

Just a few weeks ago, I wrote that my bed has become a favorite spot for the boys to congregate in, well I spoke too soon. It seems that anywhere unusual is a great spot. I think they just get bored and want some variety. So the other day I caught them all playing on top of our new washer and dryer. When I told them they needed to get down, they explained to me that the floor had turned into lava and they had to stay on top or they would get burned. They had created some elaborate story. After they finally got off, I wondered to myself what crazy place I would find them next. Well...they all started playing in the master bath. They were animals and had a cave (the vanity area), cages (the stand alone shower) and a waterhole (the large bathtub). It was certainly comical, but not a great place for play; especially since Emma loves to eat toothpaste lately. Emma has also taken to playing with the computer. Our screensaver is a slideshow of our family pictures and she loves to watch them come up. I don't mind this, but then she gets bored after a while and begins to type away as if she knows what she is doing. So the obvious question becomes, where will I find them next and what will they be doing? It's almost like an I spy game.

I was also thinking that school starts here in 2 1/2 weeks. I'm certainly excited to get errands done without four running around, but in a way I'm a little sad that they won't all be around for most of the day. Then I remembered yesterday when we made an outing to SuperWalmart. We needed school supplies, household items and groceries. Even beforehand I knew it was going to be a longer trip. Halfway in Emma started freaking out because she wanted a slice of bread, and when I gave her one it ripped in half. For some reason, she was certain that her bread needed to be a full slice and she let me and everyone else know it for about ten minutes. So, I'm trying to calm her down when Zach and Josh get bored and start to push and wrestle each other. Of course one pushes the other into someone else's cart almost knocking some poor lady off her feet. And I'm standing there thinking, "Why do I ever bring my four children to the store?" The last half was certainly better as they all were assigned different items to find and bring to the cart, but still it will definitely be better at the store without four kids.

So as I'm finishing the kids are all off playing somewhere upstairs. Perhaps I should go find out what new adventure they have devised. Hope your day is fun filled and adventure packed.

Life's Distractions

It's Sunday night, and all is quiet on the Texas front. This last week has been busy and fun and the next seems like it will follow suit. All the boys started swim lessons this last week. Zach is in an older class and Josh and Matt are together in a different class. Everyone had great fun on Monday, but then on Tuesday Josh and Matt both jumped in from the side and their teachers let them go under the water for a second. They both came up crying. After a hug and discussion both got back in the water to finish their session. Josh has since done well and if he has a noodle, he truly believes he can go anywhere. This is a breakthrough as he has always been timid around the pool. Matt cried for about ten minutes on Wednesday and one minute on Thursday, but only because he doesn't like to not be able to touch the bottom. He is getting better and better, but those teachers are earning their money. Hopefully all the boys will improve their pool skills a little, that's really all I can hope for.

Emma, meanwhile is on the sidelines with me and not loving it. She would much rather be in the pool and has NO FEAR when it comes to anything, including water. I have begun to believe that she perceives herself as being five and able to do most anything and everything her brothers do. I caught them all on the couch watching some show and took the picture. Her attention span is much shorter than those of her brothers and so she quickly comes to find me and snuggle. Sometimes I wish her brothers attention to TV was shorter so they would not want to watch it 24/7.

A few of the other things we did this last week go something like this. 1.We had a failed attempt at going to the Texas Memorial Museum. We made it down to Austin with some friends and up to the gates before seeing the sign that they were under construction and closed. 2.I made it to a pool party with all four children and nobody drowned which is no small feat. 3.All the kids got to go to Inflatable Wonderland. This attraction is in our local mall and for a sizable fee, kids can go and play as long as they want on just about every air toy known to man. There are numerous slides and other attractions and for almost two hours everyone (and that includes Emma) went wild. They were exhausted and happy as we left. 4.Zach and Troy both went to Judo on Friday and enjoyed learning new moves while the rest of the natives got restless on the sidelines for almost three hours. 5.We made it to the ward Pioneer Day activity and got a yummy breakfast. It had rained during the night, but the kids still wanted to play on the playscapes at the park. Needless to say we went home with four dirty, wet children. 6.We went to church today where I substitued for the chorister, Troy got a calling to serve with the Young Men and Zach got an assignment to give a talk next Sunday. So everything said, we are settling in.

I do believe, this is the first blog I have done at night when the children are asleep. It has been much more relaxing, but it's almost like something is missing without a child to distract me. So with that said, I better go get something going to distract me, for that is my life and I wouldn't know what to do without life's distractions.

Quiet Time?

Well, the dishwasher is running, laundry day was yesterday and the kids are all playing so I thought I would sit down for a nice relaxing post. Of course, since I started writing, Emma has decided to come and help and the boys are yelling at each other so this may be short and to the point. I should also note that it is 9:45 in the morning and not a one of us is out of our pajamas as proven by the photos.




Zach, Josh and Matt have taken to playing on my bed lately. They sit up there pretending to be some fictional character(s) (some of their favorites at the moment are Ben 10 and Digimon) and literally will play for hours at a time. It used to be that I would say we were going somewhere and they would get excited, but lately they complain when they hear the words, "get on your sandals." Oh, well hopefully they will enjoy the library today, if we ever make it there.

Emma is just starting to talk. Her favorite word, "Mom" which she repeats over and over, louder and louder until I figure out what it is she wants. She also loves to play with her brothers, though she doesn't interact quite the way they want and she gets bored pretty quickly. It is fun to see them all doing things together.

We are in the midst of summer, but you would never know it by the amount of rain that has fallen. All the lakes around have all their flood gates open and we are in a constant state of flash flood warnings, but at least it is significantly cooler. I can't remember the last time a Texas summer was this rainy or cool and we've been here seven years. The rest of life is all the same. Troy is loving the job, I am trying to feel settled which always takes longer than you would think and I am constantly playing referee for the kids disagreements. At the moment I am about to break up the latest arguement between Zach and Josh. I better go! Hope your day has one quiet moment (I know I am hoping that mine will).

We've Moved!

Okay, I haven't posted in a very long time, but I have a decent excuse. With packing and trying to sell the house, then unpacking everything life has been hectic. If you couldn't tell, we have moved! Yep, that's right, the house you see is our current house and we are living in...Cedar Park, Texas. Last time I wrote we were going to head to Oregon, but things didn't work out. Just four days later, Troy was offered a job in Austin. He had been driving to Sports Performance International every Tuesday for the last year. He loves the doctor, the clinic, the physical therapy approach, and his boss, to name a few. Well, to make a long story short, they decided to offer him a job with good wages and benefits and Troy was thrilled to accept. For him, this couldn't be a better professional move.

After the job was accepted, I went out with my Mom, who was visiting, to find a house. We knew we only needed to decided between Round Rock or Cedar Park. But it didn't take long for us to decide on Cedar Park. The commute is only 20-25 minutes, it's out in the hill country of Austin which is full of rolling hills and trees, and the community has excellent schools, low crime and a great feel. Then the choice became rent or buy. We decided that renting was a perfect solution for us, so we could get some bills and debt paid off, so we found our current house. It's in a great neighborhood and the ward is excellent. There are kids for ours to play with and stairs (which was a requirement for our boys). It's also significantly bigger which allows for more desperately needed play areas. The only down sides are leaving all our friends in College Station and not being closer to family. But, we have lots more room and would be happy to have anyone come stay with us. Sea World is about an hour and a half away and there are lots of other things to see and do.

The kids are all making the adjustment well. They are all home and there are days when I am quite certain I am going crazy, but it is nice to have them around (especially when there is no fighting or whining...which isn't as often as I would like).

Zach is eight going on twenty. I think he really believes he is just another parent and loves to tell his brothers and sister what they need to be doing. He is also in constant motion and when prompted an excellent helper.

Josh is five almost six and quite the little reader. He is doing kindergarten again and will keep us and his teacher on our toes to keep him challenged. He continues to be our peacemaker (most of the time) and tries to help everyone, especially Emma, if they are upset.

Matt is three and does anything and everything his brothers do. He always has a smile and displays quite a sense of humor. He has learned the art of name calling from his older brothers and is often in trouble for doing so. Even then, he is charming and cute.

Emma is the baby and you can tell. She still doesn't talk, but who needs to when you have three older brothers to figure out what you want? She is into everything and loves to snuggle in a lap (preferably Mom's). She is becoming quite the little girl and her smile and dimples light up her face.

Troy and I are the same, older, maybe wiser, and definitely more tired. We feel like we are exactly where we need to be at this time and that sure brings some peace of mind. Our house in College Station has sold and we go next Friday to sign all the paperwork. That has also brought some peace to our minds. Now that I have high speed internet you should see more blogs. But, I can't promise anything with four young children home this summer. One thing is certain, the house is full of loud laughter. Hope your day is full of the same.

Turning Three

I know it has been an incredibly long time since I have blogged. I have no excuses. It seems like time keeps getting quicker and quicker. Not to mention that I have to get better internet service. But anyway, here goes.

February was a fun month for us. We decided to instill a new tradition in our family. Instead of celebrating only each persons birthday, we are going to celebrate a birthday week! Each night we do something special (i.e. movie night, favorite meal night, game night, dessert first night, etc.) but we also do them together. We started with Troy at the end of the month and celebrated all the things he really enjoys. The next week was followed directly by Matt. We certainly can't believe it but he is three now! He had a lot of fun and anywhere we went that week he told complete strangers that it was his birthday week.

We also started looking for a new job so that we can move this summer. Troy posted his resume on Monster and that next day we had 20+ recruiters calling the house. It seems there aren't enough PTs to go around. So after much searching, and several phone interviews, we have reached a decision; we are heading to...OREGON! This of course is provided that all the final negotiations go smoothly, but we're pretty sure that we will be moving to Grants Pass the first week of June. It is an exciting moment for us, because, if everything is as we think it will be, we will likely be there for a very long time. The location puts us about 7 hours from my parents in Washington and about 12 hours from most of Troy's family in Utah. Plus the location affords numerous outdoor adventures and a low crime, family feel way of life. But moving also brings all the things we aren't looking forward to (i.e. fixing up the house to put it on the market, finding housing in a place we aren't familiar with, boxing, packing, etc.) We are thinking that we will fly out to find a home to rent the weekend of April 19-22. Mike and Beth have graciously offered to watch the kids for an extended weekend while we make a go of finding housing. We also will get to meet Jesse, the owner, for the first face to face meeting. Life is certainly exciting. Well, I best be off. There are a million and one things to do this week!

Cold Weather in Texas?

I know you must think that I'm joking, but I am not. We got a long (by Texas standards) bout of icy weather which prompted school and business closings or delays. Last Monday the icy weather started and by that evening it was COLD! The roads weren't very safe since our transportation crews are not equipped to handle icy weather so Troy didn't have to travel to Austin on Tuesday. Zach and Josh also got to stay home since school was cancelled. Wednesday wasn't much better and since no one wanted to come for physical therapy Troy got the day off of work. Zach and Josh went in to school two hours late. By Thursday things were starting to get back to normal, but there was still quite a bit of ice so, yet again, the boys went to school two hours late. I'm sure others in this part of the States were unhappy with the weather, but I couldn't have been more excited. Basically, we got to spend a lot of unexpected family time together.
The new trampoline was competely iced over and all three boys really enjoyed going out and breaking it up. It was so comical to watch them sliding and trying to jump. At one point, Zach fell flat on his back and just decided to start making ice angels. The weather was quite chilly and Josh didn't last long, but Zach and Matt would have stayed out all night. Emma watched from the french door continually voicing her desire to be out there also. It certainly was a departure from the everyday.
Everything else is going well. Not much in the way of news to report. We still don't know where we are headed this summer. Zach and Josh are still doing well in school. Emma still isn't walking. However, Matt, dare I say, is almost all the way potty trained. I only started on Friday, but Sunday and all day today he hasn't had one accident. I am talking no accidents at nap time or through the night either. What a celebration!

Emma's One!

On Tuesday Emma turned one year old. Both Troy and I remarked that we are amazed she can be that old. How time flies. We did our typical spaghetti dinner and she got to feed it all to herself. Afterward we sang her "Happy Birthday," helped her blow out her one candle and then let her attack a cupcake. She really enjoyed the whole experience, but I think her favorite was the frosting.
For her birthday she got a cabbage patch baby and some adorable clothes from Grandma. In fact we dressed her in a little jumper that was sent for the occasion. I thought she might try to stand on her own for the special day, but no. I think she is one of those children who doesn't do anything until they can master it in no time flat. At least I have a few less things she can get into at the moment.
They boys were all really sweet, telling me many times throughout the day that I needed to pander to Emma's every whim since it was her special day. She is going to be one cared for little girl.
Zach and Josh both went back to school on Wednesday. It is amazing how much less mess two children make versus four. At first both of them were not excited to be going because they wanted to be able to play all the time, but they came home yesterday happy and smiling. Each of them enjoys school and the opportunities it provides.
Matt is trying to relearn how to play without his brothers around. It won't take him long to learn that he will be able to play with any toy at anytime. In fact he just came in here with a lightsaber that is normally taken by Josh. He is such a happy-go-lucky kid that enjoying the positive side comes naturally.
Well I must go get some errands done. Many of which have been sitting on the back burner until Zach and Josh went to school.

A Trampoline!

A large part of what Santa brought for Christmas was a trampoline. When the kids woke up it was still in the box, but Troy quickly put it together for them (if you call a couple hours, quick). After that there was no stopping them. They are constantly asking to go jump on it at all hours of the day. Often it is the first thing they ask in the morning and I have to tell them no because it is still cold that early. I can't complain though. At least they don't want to sit inside and watch TV all day.
The rest of Christmas was also nice. Everybody got some things they really wanted and we then spent the rest of the day relaxing and enjoying time together. It was wonderful!