January Happenings

AVERY
-Avery was pretty sick one day. "MOOOOOOM! I have hot slobber in my mouth!"
MACY
-Macy wanted to know what parents do when their kids want to follow Satan. Pretty interesting discussion for me to have with a 4 year old.
-Macy was super excited one night when I told her she could blow her flute in the morning to wake up Carston and Avery, but only when I said it was time. She woke up bright and early, ran into my room, and asked if it was time yet. She got a little shy when the time came and wanted me to go with her, but that made her day :)

December Happenings

CARSTON
-Carston had a bad dream and came into our room at night. He said it might help him go back to sleep if he told me the Doodle Bob Johnson story he made up and told the girls that night. Ten minutes later, and like a hundred times of saying "Doodle Bob Johnson," John had had enough and sent him off to bed. Luckily, his theory worked and he was able to sleep.
-Grandpa George gave Carston a hat that he wore when he was in the army. He was super excited about it and wore it everyday and sometimes at night for weeks.
MACY
-"Mom, you have good rules. Like putting people on timeout when they make a bad choice because it helps them remember."
-Macy just figured out how to read "met." "Yeah, like you could say I just met someone handsome!'
-Macy is earning fuzzies for her good behavior, the things she does that make her happy. She is doing such an amazing job at responding to that incentive and changing her behavior so she will be happier.
AVERY
-Avery went to eat at The Smoking Apple with us. "I thought it was for evil guys, but now I know it's not because they have a no smoking sign."
-We went on the non-scary version of a little Halloween train. It was still too scary for Avery. She cried and wanted to get off, which wasn't an option. Macy said that if she got scared again, "she'll hug her because she isn't scared of anything!"
KATE
-Kate is such a loving girl. She is always saying I love you. When the babysitter came over, she crawled up in her arms and said, "I wuv you Kami."
-"Guess what? Gwanma babysit us!" Kate loves Grandma Robin and asks just about everyday if we can go to "gwanma's" house.

November Sayings

AVERY
-Avery was so excited to have her RadKids program. She invited grandma. She couldn't wait for it. We went and watched her sit up on the stage with her friend, holding hands. They came out and showed us some defense moves and practiced yelling, "No, no, you're not my dad!" It was pretty funny. Then, they brought out something the kids had never seen before. They had a guy completely covered in a padded suit with a helmet, you couldn't hardly see him. The kids were all supposed to take a turn putting on pads themselves, walking past him and getting grabbed, and then escaping from him using the things they learned. As soon as Avery saw him she started crying. We didn't know what to do because she was up on the stage. Pretty soon she was hiding behind the curtain. It was so sad because she had been so excited about it. Pretty soon her teacher brought her down to us. It took awhile for her to calm down and believe us that she didn't have to do it if she didn't want to. She finally decided to go back on the stage if she could sit by Ava. I was happy that she found the courage :)
-Avery has been drawing like crazy!
-Avery was playing with Carston, running around with a blanket on her head. She ran hard into the corner of a wall. Grandma wanted to know who won when we told her that Avery got into a fight with the wall. "The wall!" She said.
KATE
-Kate always says, "NO! I'm not a baby! I'm just Kate!" "I'm not a sweetie! I'm just Kate!"
-Whenever Carston calls Kate by her backwards name, Etak, she starts punching him and saying "he-yaw!" I guess she can't distinguish between "Etak" and "Attack"
CARSTON
-Carston has been drawing like a crazy man!
-Carston loves finding little craft projects online and making them.
-Carston has given everyone their backwards name. Whenever he calls Kate by hers, Etak, she starts punching him. That's what happens when it sounds like attack.
-John accidentally cut Carston's skin the first time he tried to cut his fingernails as a baby. Carston knows this story, and it has made him too scared to ever attempt to cut his own nails. I finally put my foot down and he cut his nails for the first time :)
MACY
-I picked up Macy from preschool and as she got in the car, she informed me that "she quitted preschool." What does that mean? "I quitted. I just sat on the couch and didn't do anything." What? You sat on the couch for two hours? Macy Roberts sat for 2 hours? I got her in the car and went to talk to her teacher who confirmed the preposterous idea. Apparently, Macy was mad because she didn't get to sit on the color of carpet that she wanted. So what did she do? She quitted. She sat on that couch and held her ground despite her teacher's antics to change her mind with fun activities and candy. Each of her classmates tried to get her to budge. No way. She had made up her mind to quit and she was not going back. When I talked to her about it, she didn't mention the carpet. She just said that she only wanted to go to preschool when it was her birthday and that was it. I informed her that was not an option. She could either go to all of preschool and do everything, or she could not go at all. The choice was hers. She said she would think about it. A few hours later she informed me that she had decided yes, she would go to preschool. Luckily, we haven't had any trouble since.
-"Mom, when Avery is afraid of stuff she always wants me to protect her. Cause I ain't afraid of nothin'!"
-Macy ran in and saw my mom's nativity. "Look guys! The Activity! Isn't it beautiful?"

October Sayings

MACY
-Macy is constantly saying "I love you" accompanied with super tight hugs.
KATE
-Kate got sick one night. She told us, "I don't have hiccups. I have throwups in my mouth."
-When we left Kate with Chelsey and Grandma for our trip, she started peeing her pants. When I got home, I would make her sit on the toilet and go. She was so mad the first time I made her do it. I told her good job for doing pee pees, to which she adamently replied, "No! It's not pee pees!"
-Kate is always telling us, "I'm big!"
-Kate tells us she'll go take care of it if the kids are fighting or Sadie is barking. "I'll go take care of it."
-I told Kate I was going to eat her because she was delicious. "No I'm not! I'm yucky!"
-Randy was asking Kate how old she was. Then he asked her if she was yellow or brown. She took a minute to look herself over and responded with, "No, I'm chocolate," as she held up her brown hair.
-The kids had an activity at the school. We went to do an activity in the computer room. The teacher was nice enough to get Kate set up on one. As soon as he had the right page up, she grabbed the mouse and told him to go away. She was a big girl and could handle it from there.
-We were at the park when Kate had to go potty. The doors were locked. I was desparate and we were the only ones there so I decided to have a first and let her go on the grass. I pulled down her pants and got ready for the stream of pee. It wasn't pee. It was poo. And right at that moment an old lady decided to come to the park. Super Gross.
CARSTON
-We left the kids for a week when we went to Hawaii for our 10th anniversary. When we got home Carston said, "I'm soooo happy I get to see you! I'm sooooo glad you're home!"
-Carston has been missing Grandma Gladys and Grandpa Dick lately. There have been a few hard nights with tears as he remembers them and wishes they were still here.
-There was a spook alley at the school. The girls were too scared to go so Carston headed in with some friends. He said he was so scared that he totally screamed. Halfway through they saw an exit sign and he said, "I suggest we go that way!" And out they came.
-Carston got glasses! He was really hesitant at first about getting them, but we went to a nice doctor and once his glasses came, he loved them. He couldn't believe the difference it made for his vision.
AVERY
-Avery loves dancing at her new studio. She comes out skipping and whistling. She works really hard in class and does a great job watching and copying her teacher.
-Avery decided she wanted to get her ears pierced. She was pretty set on it and so I thought I'd take advantage of her courageous attitude. Bad choice. She was great getting the first one pierced. And then she didn't want anyone to come near her second ear. We spent 15 minutes trying to convince her. I was just about to take my pirate daughter home when she got up the guts to do it. I was so happy that she summoned the courage. A few months later though, an earring got snagged and fell out. She really wanted me to put it back in......and she really didn't want me to touch her. I tried in her sleep. I tried in the shower. I tried as much as I could. I was not successful. So now, Avery is a pirate. One hole grew in, and yet she won't take the other earring out :) Bless her heart :)

September Notes

MACY
-Macy had her first dance class. She was ECSTATIC! She ran in there as fast as she could and muscled her way to the best spot right by the teacher. It is fascinating to watch her because she is so attentive. She pays attention and copies the teacher. She loves it!
-Macy was wondering when she would get to be a baby again. She was completely disappointed when I told her it only happens once. She was determined that things could be different for her. "Just pray to Jesus right now and ask him to make me a baby again! Do it right now Mom!"
-We were driving in the car and Macy started talking. "I know a boy who died. A real boy.......His name is Michael Jackson. The mean guys killed him."
-Macy was sitting on my lap for timeout. She yelled over and over at the top of her lungs, "My LEOTARD IS UP MY BUTT!"
AVERY
-We were driving in the car and Avery was talking about being resurrected. The conversation then turned to Pocohontas. "When Pocohontas is resurrected, then they won't need the costume anymore. They can have the real one at Disneyland."
KATE
-Kate chased everyone around the house swinging a belt around saying we were all monsters and she was going to get us. "Ha-ya....ha-ya, ha-ya!"
-When I play with Kate she always says, "I'll be the mom and you be the sweetie pie!"
CARSTON
-Carston transfered schools with the new school year so he wouldn't have to switch in the middle of the year when we moved. He hadn't made any good friends yet and it was hard for him. One day, he said he was walking at recess and he passed by some of the boys in his class. His back was to them, but he heard them talking about if they should ask him to play. He said when he heard that, he smiled because they couldn't see. He changed his direction so he would be close to them, and they asked him if he wanted to play wallball. He was SO happy! (and so was I!) It has been smooth sailing ever since.
-Carston was telling me how he asked Dad what the thing on his face was that was moving. I had no idea what he was talking about. When I asked for clarification, he said, "You know, his Adam's Eve!"

Christmas 2011

Christmas was crazy this year. We moved on December 22. But I'll write about that later. Here are the only pictures I have of Christmas....and it is really Christmas Eve. We had a great time with John's family this year (and stopped by my mom's house to quickly see family too). The kids are so lucky to have so many cousins from John's siblings. They are always so excited to play with them. Macy felt so privileged to play Mary this year in the nativity. Avery and Kate were angels. We tried to get it on video but had some technical difficulties. It was sad too because Kate was hysterical when she was doing her part. We might have a budding comedian on our hands. She was doing anything she could to get a laugh out of people. And Carston was a shepherd. We enjoyed good food, good talents, and good people. I feel very blessed to have married into such a loving and happy family. Christmas morning was different this year since none of my sisters came into town. Instead of breakfast at my parents', they came here and opened presents and ate. I was happy that Dustin joined us too after a little persistence :) After that, it was time for church, more time at Mary's, naps, and then dinner at my mom's. Even though the day was busy, I really enjoyed going to church. I am so grateful for the Savior. I am blessed everyday because of His life and sacrifice. I am so grateful that He has the power to save, the power to free me from the burdens of sin, and the power to love me into something better.

Dance Classes

Avery and Macy had their first dance recitals at the new studio. Last year, dance was a nightmare with Avery. She was going to a nice studio that turned out amazing dancers, but something about it rubbed her the wrong way. The last couple months were dreadful as I pushed her to finish the year, and she pushed me the other direction. When the final recital was over, we all shouted Hallelujah. I wasn't ready to let her give up on dance though. I knew that she loved it, Macy was chomping at the bit to start lessons, and I thought that a different studio might work out better. I did some research, signed them up at Studio K, and crossed my fingers that the summer would be long enough for Avery to decide she would give another studio a try. Luckily, she did. She was pretty skeptical about it and made sure I gave her the option to back out if she desired, but that wasn't even necessary because she LOVES it! She skips out of class every week saying how much she likes it and how fun it is. And Macy loves it too. It is a small studio that uses a space inside a karate studio (not super impressive from the outside looking in), but I love that their approach is so much better for my girls. They make dance fun and exciting and enjoyable. Macy was so cute on her first day. She just ran right in there as fast as she could and jockeyed for the spot right next to the teacher. They are both progressing and I love that they really pay attention and try to imitate the teacher and improve their skills. It was so much fun to go watch them in their classes this past December. I love my little Ballerinas!

Thanksgiving 2011

See those Turkeys? They were the extent of the holiday cooking this year. It was the first year in my life where I went to a restaurant for Thanksgiving. I guess the fact that neither of my sisters would be able to come kind of squashed both mine and my mom's enthusiasm for the holiday. We decided if there was ever going to be a year where we didn't cook, this would be the one. So we didn't. It felt kind of nice not to plan, shop, cook, and clean. We had a nice dinner with my parents, brothers, Mary and George. But I missed the rolls. And my mom's potatoes and gravy. And Stovetop stuffing. As nice as it was, it just didn't feel like Thanksgiving. So, I don't think it will become the new tradition. We spent all our extra time pouring over ads and planning for our big shopping night/day. We spent more time planning than actually shopping. I headed to Walmart at 10 that night with my mom. As soon as we saw the overflowing parking lot, I was afraid. But I couldn't give up that easily after all the time and effort. So we went in. And quickly went out with empty hands. I felt like I was on the verge of a panic attack seeing as how I literally couldn't move it was so crowded. We attempted another store but decided it wasn't worth it before we even got out of the car. So, that was the shortest Black Friday ever. I decided I'm more of an online shopper now when it comes to all the holiday sales. So did John. He spent more money than anyone when he bought a TV online :)

The Pages Came to Town

The Pages came to town in November for Seth's wedding. Who are the Pages you might ask? John met Todd Page in the mission. They were never actually companions but they must have hit it off anyway because they were later roommates. Todd was witness to all the loveliness that was our courtship. When we first started dating, he was the one who would hear John come home and say, "I'm never asking her out again!" But that is a story for another time. Todd and John made "The Fifth Sense" together. They "studied" at the library while John would pick up chicks for Todd. They shopped Costco on sample day. They had a beautiful life together. Until I came along and threw a wrench in everything :) Todd married Gina a few months after we married, and we went on many a double date. Game nights, movies, Del Taco runs. Those were some good times. Dang Todd though. He had to move away and go to school. We were always hopeful they'd come back when school was over, but his homestate of Vermont came calling. So, Micah became the go-to Page. We loved hanging out with Micah and Xinru in Draper. Birthday parties, swimming, movies in the theator. And then California came calling. Next Page up, Seth. John got Seth a job, they went to lunch....and he was the only Page that didn't move away! Summer, Heather, and Winter had all flown the Utah coop too.

Luckily, Seth decided to get married and everyone came to town. I wish I would have gotten a picture of the whole family. It was so fun seeing everyone. I told their mom that we enjoy every single person in their family. I think it is pretty cool to be friends with all of them. Thanks for getting married Seth, and thanks Pages for spending time with us and letting us stand in as adopted family members :)

Field Trips

One of the perks of homeschooling is all the fieldtrips we get to take. We went to the Children's Discovery Museum in Salt Lake with my mom for a ridiculously low price. Homeschooling started out as a way for my kids to work on a level appropriate for them, but now, that is close to the bottom of the list of why I love it (although if I had to send them to regular school all day I'm sure it would jump back up :). I LOVE all the time I get to spend with my kids. I absolutely love it. I know that homeschooling isn't for everyone, heck, I never thought in a million years it would have been for me, but I am SO happy that I was led to do it. I am so happy that God gave me the courage to jump off that frightening cliff. I am thankful everyday that we get to do what we do.