Peterson Playhouse

MY BABY!!

2011-12-29T15:30:00.010-07:00

(Warning, this post is very long because I don't want to forget the details. If you want to skip straight to the pictures, they are at the end.)

Well, it was a very bumpy ride getting this little angel here. We waited to find out who this little person would be, and Owen, Lizzie, Tori and I were all pretty sure that this baby would be Charlotte Kay Peterson...but Daddy thought it was a boy, and he was right! The only problem was that we had NO idea what to name a boy. After months of searching, we had a list of names. Daddy liked Ian, Miles, and Wyatt (in that order), and Mommy liked Jonah, Isaac, and Wyatt (in no particular order). So, here's how it went down...

My due date was December 24, Christmas Eve. I hoped all through the pregnancy that this baby would come safely, and well before the due date. Since my experience with babies never once included counting contractions, I wasn't really concerned about that part. As I told people a thousand times, "My body doesn't know how to contract without pitosin." My only hope was to have my water break. I also had a hospital date on December 19 to be induced. I went to my appointment on Friday, December 2, and was only at a 2. Bummer. At least that would leave time for my sister to take some maternity photos the following Saturday. That didn't happen, but before my sweet nephew Liam was born we took a few of the prego bellies together. (Keep in mind that I still had six weeks to go at this point!)

At 2:30 AM on December 6 I woke up to horrible pain in my lower abdomen that radiated down into my thighs. Well, those obviously weren't contractions, because nobody had ever said a single thing about having contractions in your legs. I ignored them and tried to go back to sleep. No such luck. I was up for hours with these annoying (and totally inconsistent) pains, until my kids started waking up. At that point I went about my day as normal. Got all three kids ready for school, taught two preschool classes, and when kids got home from school we started homework, piano practice, etc. Somewhere in the middle of the day I called my midwife and asked her what the pains were...apparently they were contractions! Unfortunately for me, they had almost stopped by then. There had only been a few during my afternoon class.

As I sat working on the preschoolers' gifts to their parents I started to realize that the contractions were really getting bad, and I started timing them. They were still 7-10 minutes apart, so nothing to get excited about.

I got up and started making dinner. The contractions went crazy almost the minute I stood up. I tried to prepare food, but quickly gave up and opted for a meal of leftovers. I couldn't even handle that, and my precious seven year old offered to take over. She started to reheat food for each of her siblings. Every 5 minutes or so Tor would come to hold my left hand and Liz would run in to hold my right as I tried to breath through the contractions.

Tom called and asked if he ought to come home from the work event he was at. I told him that there was nothing to get excited about and not to worry about it. After all, my body doesn't know how to contract...right?

Finally I laid down in bed in an attempt to see if these contractions were really going somewhere. They slowed down right away. I waited 20 minutes for a contraction, then 15, then 7. Still slower than before. Hmmm now what? Off to presidency meeting I went. After all, being in the primary there are a million things to get done in December. I counted contractions all through the meeting, but we were looking at 8 minutes apart, so nothing to worry about yet.

When I got home from my meeting at around 10:00 I was annoyed. I had been having contractions for hours but didn't really feel like it was doing anything, and I didn't know what I was supposed to do if it was.

Finally we went to bed, but the contractions got worse. Now is it time to call the hospital? I had no idea. At around midnight I called the midwife again. The conversation went something like this:

"Jane, I am so sorry to call you so late, but I am having some pretty intense contractions."

"How far apart are they?"

"About 2-4 minutes."

"Well, do you want to deliver this baby in your living room?"

"No."

"Well, then I suggest you get to the hospital."

I called my mom to come and sit with my other kids over night while I went to the hospital. When we finally got to the hospital and checked in it was around 1 AM on December 7. Before they asked my name or told me their names, the three nurses racing around my room asked if I wanted an epidural. YES PLEASE!! My midwife came in to check me.

"Please don't send me home, Jane!!!"

"Jenn, you aren't going home. You are at an 8 1/2 almost a 9!"

HOLY CRAP!

The anesthesiologist raced in, they got me an IV, and they put a blood pressure cuff around it to get my fluids in. (I did this without an epidural the last time, and it was rough. This time I was gonna do everything in my power to get the drugs!) The epidural test dose was in and that was all I was gonna get. Three contractions worth of pushing later I looked down to see my beautiful, miraculous baby boy! (OK, so there are some details left out there, including the explosion that soaked Daddy when my water finally broke, but this is still a public blog.)

I DESPERATELY wanted a picture where I looked pretty right after the baby was born, but apparently when you have a baby on short notice, in the middle of the night, that doesn't happen. I still look happy, right?

My little man was 6 lb 15 oz when he was born, but only 6 lb 4 oz at his check three days later. He couldn't figure out how to suck, so he lost tons of weight. He is doing so much better now, thankfully!

Now onto the two difficult tasks--breaking the news to the kids that the baby was not a sister, but a brother, and finding a name for this little prince.

For several hours we fretted over what his name should be. The only name we both liked was Wyatt, but we didn't feel like that was the right name. Finally we realized that since he was our miracle, the baby that we weren't sure would ever exist, he needed to be named Isaac. Just like the Isaac in the Bible that was a miracle and a gift to his parents, this little guy was a gift and a miracle. His middle name, Allen, was easier than I expected. He was born on Pearl Harbor day, and his great grandpa Allen, who had passed away only a matter of weeks before he was born, was a veteran of WW II. We couldn't think of a better way to remember him.

Breaking the news to the siblings was much easier than anticipated. They were so happy to meet their brother that they barely even noticed that it wasn't the sister they were expecting. I love the expressions on their faces in this picture. They were so happy to meet him!!

PreChristmas

2011-12-29T15:28:00.006-07:00

This year getting ready for Christmas was a little different, since we knew that we would have a special delivery sometime during this festive season. I tried to be ready by starting our baking and decorating early, but our surprise guest was supposed to arrive on December 24 (yup, Christmas Eve). Some of our preparations included baking cookies

and setting up the decorations. Fortunately for me, and unfortunately for the kids (and the neighbors/friends that would have received some goodies) our delivery came early and preparations came to a screeching halt.

(HOLY COW I WAS HUGE!!!)

Another part of our Christmas preparation was Tori's second Christmas recital! I get so nervous whenever she performs. Unfortunately, she was nervous this year too. I could tell before she started. While I was curling her hair she asked what would happen if she messed up. Sure enough, she psyched herself out and found herself in tears on the piano bench. I was so proud of her when she got back up later in the recital and played her songs perfectly!

Field Trip/Fall Happenings

2011-12-29T15:25:00.007-07:00

Even though the doctor wouldn't totally clear me for full activity, I got to go with Tori on her field trip. I was so happy to go and finally keep the promise I made to hear nearly a year ago! I had to trade with Daddy half way through the field trip so that he could do the walking through the SUPER COOL dinosaur exhibit, but I got to ride on the bus and go to the 3-D dinosaur movie with my girl and her second grade friends! So sad that I forgot to take more pictures, but here we are all loaded on the bus and ready to go!

Liz was picked to be the "Top Banana" for her kindergarten class. That means that she got to spend the week with "Bongo" the monkey and do lots of fun things with him.

At the end of the week she gets to bring in her poster and talk about herself. She also got to bring in a snack and a favorite book to read to the class. It was fun to see her on display since she is not generally the one that jumps into the spotlight!

I got to go to Time Out For Women for the first time this year! I was so happy to go and to be with such great friends! It was a truly fun and uplifting experience. I hope I get to go every time they come to Colorado! Thanks Jill, Anna, Angie and Vanessa for making if fabulous!

They said no outside food, but honestly, who is gonna try to take a REALLY pregnant lady's frosty?

Fall also means chaos if you happen to be serving with the children of our church's congregation. We work all year to present an uplifting and fabulous program for the congregation. This was the last practice we had with all the kids at church before the final presentation. I was so proud to be part of the program, and so amazed by the spirit that these sweet angels brought to that meeting! (There are about 70 kids crammed into that room...it was HOT!)

Ok, so this wasn't really in late fall, but it was essential that I share these clips. TOO HILARIOUS! Thanks Shane, Trav, and Allie for the motivation. Without Shane's example she never would have let Dad do this!

Finally Winter!

2011-12-29T15:23:00.005-07:00

Although I was thrilled to have a nice late fall and keep the snow away for a few extra weeks, my kids were desperate to use their snow gear! They finally got their wish. A snow day right after fall break! Lots of time playing in the snow,

warming up with "tea parties" (ours were actually cocoa parties),

and making rice krispie snowmen. Some of them looked more like snowmen than others, but they were all delicious!

Happy Halloween!

2011-12-29T15:13:00.012-07:00

Preparing for Halloween is always half stress, half fun. This night was the fun part. Just ignore the incredibly fat lady in the pictures!

The boys made a jack-o-lantern,

and the girls used a pattern, 'cause Mom is way less creative and artistic than Dad! (It was supposed to be a cat and a skeleton, if you couldn't tell.)

Halloween night was fun for the kids too! In addition to school Halloween parties, (ok, so Owen's wasn't actually ON Halloween, but ya know)

(Remember the parade, and getting to show off your costume?)

the kids got to go to the tri-ward trick or treat with our church!

Owen couldn't decide if he wanted to be Spider Man or Batman, so he was both. Total coincidence that he and his cousin coordinated at the trunk or treat!

After that we headed to the "Halloween House" on our street that is all decked out for the Holiday and draws quite a crowd. While we left the dads to wait in line there, we went up and down the street trick or treating. All in all they had a BLAST, and got TONS of candy! You gotta love it when you have to empty out trick or treat buckets so that the kids can continue trick or

treating...

Oh, and Tom and I went to a Halloween party too. The costumes were way better in my head than they turned out in reality, but Tom looked pretty good. For those of you that haven't seen the movie, we are "Juno" and "Paulie Bleaker."

Fabulous Fall Fun!

2011-12-29T15:13:00.006-07:00

In an effort to catch up, I am going to do brief posts with lots of pictures...deal with it!

We had a faulous "Indian Summer" this year. The kids were raking leaves in their shorts, and riding bikes well into December! It was glorious! Being really big pregnant can make a cranky mom, but thankfully the outside time greatly reduced my stress level.

Thanks to Daddy for being outside with them so much!

Swim Lessons

2011-11-04T14:20:00.005-06:00

Better late than never? I am attempting to catch up...again.

Well, we did swim lessons a little differently this summer. This year we went to "Nana's pool" and did lessons with some of the cousins. It was really fun to be able to watch the cousins together, and I must admit that it was nice for mommy to sit and watch while chatting with two of my sisters. Tori took lessons with Hunter and Lil. She has always been the most cautious of my three little monkeys, but I think having her cousins with her pushed her to try a little harder. Liz was in lessons with Sophie and Marlee. The three of them are close enough in age and ability that basically, they played in the water together and were very easily distracted. They had a blast though.
My boy has never really known how to be cautious, and the swimming pool really doesn't intimidate him. He had a blast in his swimming class with Makenna. They got a lot of alone time with their teacher....sorry for the teacher!

Since each lesson was 30 minutes and there were never two groups together in the pool at the same time, that meant that each child spent at least an hour outside of the pool waiting on the other siblings. Those were actually some of my favorite times. I loved watching them all walk around the pool and chat, but I have to admit...it terrified me. Tell me you can't see them as teenagers...

My Boy's First Day!

2011-11-04T14:17:00.003-06:00

My boy has been waiting less than patiently for his shot at the first day of school. This year it finally came! His first day was a little different than he (or I) expected. Luckily, he was still thrilled by it. He and Kenna were just happy to finally have their day! Although I must admit that this will not be the easiest class I have ever taught, it might just be the one where I learn the most. I adore this little guy. His energy is incredible.

First Day of School!

2011-08-25T14:36:00.004-06:00

I have already sent two of my three off on their "first day" of school adventures. The crazy thing is, I still have one more first day to go! I can't believe that all three of my kids will be in school this year. Even more unreal is that I have to do the first day thing three different times. :)

Tori was the first to go, and she was so ready! After Lily promised to show her where she needed to line up she was pretty much fearless. Second grade is already looking VERY promising. She is growing up so fast and amazes me every time I turn around. This week she has decided that she is old enough to pack her own lunches. YAY for me! She makes her own sandwich and everything. Then she will tell me when it is done so I can check it and leave her a note to find at lunch time. LOVE IT! She is gonna let me hang on to some little things!

The same day that T started Miss Liz had her kindie interview. She insisted on getting all dressed up. She knocked it out of the park...at least that's what I heard. I wasn't allowed in with her, but she was feeling pretty confident afterward.

Finally on Wednesday Liz got her first day! See is so excited to be in kindergarten! I am thrilled at how she got over her fear! She was so nervous, but after a blessing from Daddy she said she wasn't scared anymore, but she was just a "teeny bit nervous." I love that kid, and she LOVES school.

**UPDATE** Day two of kindergarten started out with tears. Not sobbing, just silent tears. I'm not sure why she was upset, but I got a call from the teacher at recess and she was fine. Her tender little heart! I am so proud of her for going in and making the most of it despite the nerves!

Now, if I can just get my little man ready for his class so he doesn't make his poor teacher/mother COMPLETELY crazy!

Second Honeymoon/Ten Year Anniversary/Babymoon

2011-08-25T13:57:00.004-06:00

I don't really know what to call this adventure, so you can figure it out on your own. When we got married we honeymooned in San Francisco. We always said that we would go back some day. We decided that our ten year anniversary would be perfect, so I started saving up. Well, wouldn't you know it, we will have a 6 week old when that milestone comes, so we quickly made some plans and off we went. The best part? Being alone together for several days straight for the first time in seven and a half years (since T was born). The worst part? I planned so well...or so I thought. I charged the camera battery for almost 24 hours before we left for the airport. Then it got to charge for several more days while we were gone. You would think that one of the bajillion camera shops in San Fran would have a battery that fit our camera, but you would be WRONG! All pictures were taken on my iPod. Better than nothing, but I was totally bummed. Anyway--here are the pictures I was able to get...

The first night there we didn't have a lot of time, so we just walked down to China Town. I was still having a little trouble letting go of kids, so we had some souvenirs made for them. I think that I had more fun watching this guy draw them than they will have seeing them, but oh well.

The next day we became reacquainted with the transportation in San Francisco. Everything is so totally different there than we are used to! LOVE IT! (Terrible trolley self portrait, but beggars can't be choosers, right?)

We took a couple of cruises of the bay. We got to see the bridges up close, and hear a little more about the history of the area. That was fun, and a great time to rest my aching legs (poor prego is definitely not used to walking quite that much)!

The aquarium there was so fun! There was a "people mover" that moved you through the tunnels of fish. Pretty clever way to use the limited real estate on Pier 39! I even got up the guts to touch the ray and the shark, but not til after my wonderful hubby did it first.

One of the best things about San Francisco is the food...well, if you like seafood, which I don't, but my wonderful hubby does! He got his fill of seafood and then some. I even tried crab just for him, and it wasn't as bad as I was anticipating. I had to get a picture of Daddy in a bib to show the kids. They thought it was pretty hilarious.

We had a wonderful time, and made some more wonderful memories. Most of all, we had the opportunity to enjoy some alone time again. It was an amazing trip just because we got to be together and only worry about each other. I love my husband more than I can say, and I am so lucky that a man as amazing as he is found something of value in me, and committed to spend eternity with me. I love him so much, and I loved our trip! Needless to say, we will NOT be waiting another 10 years! How's next summer for you babe?

Bobbing for Apples

2011-08-25T13:48:00.005-06:00

Where did they get the idea? Your guess is as good as mine. Why did they do it? Because they begged, and their parents are suckers... They loved it though!

Sometimes you just gotta let them do these things...hopefully it will be a fun memory for them!

Lizzie is FIVE!!

2011-07-11T13:45:00.007-06:00

My sweet little angel turned 5! I can hardly believe she is that old! She is my most tender little one, and she remains the most giving little person I know. I always thought that once she got a little older she would not be so generous. You know how kids figure out that when they give away one of their candies, that means there is one less for them to eat? Yeah, well, that realization set it, and my Bizzie girl still shares just as she always had! She amazes me every day with her tender spirit, her generosity, and her desire for good!

My girl decided (with a little help from her Mom who was a little sick of character parties) to have a splash party for her birthday this year. I think we ought to do this every year! Best party ever to plan and execute! First step was picking the cake she wanted...flip flops, to match the invitations.

Next step was planning the games! First we played a little water relay race where they had to fill their sponges with water from the baby pool then they had to race back and fill the bowl. It was HILARIOUS to see how little water actually made it into the bowls!

The next game was the over the head bowl fill...even less water made it into the bowls, but they were nice and wet!

No splash party is complete without a water balloon toss/fight. They were awesome to watch! They all started off in pairs and ended up in a free for all. So funny!

A little duck racing was next in line...

Followed by some cake and presents!

And the grand finale? A combination of pool/buckets of water/water hopscotch (yeah, I didn't know it existed either), and a good old slip and slide. I am pretty sure we wore them out. At the very least, Mom and Dad were tired!

Happy birthday my princess! You are my JOY!

Father's and Sons

2011-07-11T13:43:00.002-06:00

Owen finally got to go on a Father's and Sons campout, and he was PUMPED! Dirt, fire, outdoors, sticks...what more could a boy ask for, right? Mommy was super nervous about my boy coming home in one piece, but Daddy didnt' seem concerned. I didn't hear a lot in the way of details, and the pics don't tell much of a story, but this is what I got...

He likes marshmallows...

He likes fire...

He's a total nut!

Reader's Theather

2011-07-11T13:41:00.013-06:00

Tori's class didn't do a little program this year, and after seeing the ones that they have done in the past, I must admit, I was disappointed. They did do a reader's theater though. It was fun to see my little reader in action. I can't believe how much she has learned in the last year! My princess played Donkey in The Animal Band! They made their own "costumes" (aka headbands) and backdrops. It was a fun way to finish the year!

Owen's injury

2011-07-11T13:41:00.009-06:00

Well, since I had absolutely nothing to do the day before our BIG preschool program, Owen decided to fill my hours with an ER visit. He is always so thoughtful!

As I have said before, this boy has no regard for his own welfare. He runs full out and is an absolute juggernaut! While running around the main floor of our house he took a header into the corner of a wall. Those pesky walls are always getting in the way! We raced over to the urgent care where they took one look at him and sent him to the Children's Hospital ER. By that point he was more upset about the fact that we were holding a towel on his head and wouldn't just put on a "Ka-Chow Band-Aid" than the fact that he was bleeding profusely from his head.

(For those of you that don't speak 3 year old boy, Ka-Chow would be Lightening McQueen. Thankfully the urgent care bandaged his head to get us to the hospital.

When we finally got to the hospital (and realized that poor Lizzie didn't even have shoes on, and Mom had barely enough time to get clothes on after hopping out of the shower) and the boy was the least upset member of our pathetic little clan.

He was calm, other than being slightly annoyed. The most traumatic part was the irrigating of the wound.

The boy actually slept through the stitches. After seven stitches, life was grand! Add a green popsicle on there for good measure and all is well!

*******UPDATE*******

Less than two months later, my handsome prince decided to liven up my day yet again. As a special treat for my birthday, he decided that the back of his head needed some love and attention. After hanging off the arm of the recliner upside down and backward, then FALLING off the recliner, he split open the back of his head on the hearth. Gee...who could have possibly seen that one coming? (Forgive the iPod pictures...in my rush I didn't grab the regular camera.)

This is his "brave face." Notice the bandage on his forehead from ripping open the previous wound. I had to keep him occupied while we waiting for the doctors, so he took pictures of everything.

This time we just needed three staples. Note to self...next time, go with stitches! Less traumatic putting them in and definitely less traumatic getting them out (since they were the kinds that dissolve).

Then I got to spend my afternoon cleaning the carpets...

Preschool Graduation

2011-06-21T13:07:00.005-06:00

My little graduate looked so pretty and did such a great job! I was so proud! I just can't believe that next year she is going to be in kindergarten! YIKES!

This year's graduation was super emotional for me. I am guessing that there were several things that played into that. First of all, my own daughter was one of the kids I was saying goodbye to (at least for preschool). Second, it was the first class that I had for multiple years that graduated, and third....hormones....ya know.

I think that the program went pretty well. Of course there are all the little glitches and bugs, and the fact that the performers are 3-5 year olds, but I think all things considered it went well. The kids were adorable, and we learned lots of lessons for next year!

Man I am gonna miss these kids! We had a really great group of kids, and I will miss them all tons!

I am so glad that I get some of these guys back next year!

Spring Recital

2011-06-21T13:06:00.012-06:00

Tori had her spring piano recital on May 21. She is learning so quickly. She also gets frustrated very quickly. Hopefully she will continue to learn quicker than she gets frustrated, because we are so proud of her!! She was a little shaken because the performer right before her really struggled (for anybody who has every been in a recital, you know how that goes!). She got her nerves together and did great! She played "Teach Me to Walk in the Light" and "Puff the Magic Dragon." She was great! WAY TO GO T!

Carnival

2011-06-21T13:06:00.008-06:00

We have missed the carnival at our neighborhood elementary school for the last couple of years because it happened to be on the same night as our ward's trip to the temple. Thankfully this year they were on different weekends and we got to do both! The main attractions for our kids were the big inflatable slide...

And of course, the TRAIN!

Field Day

2011-06-21T13:05:00.006-06:00

Field day was fun this year! Owen and I got to go alone to see Tori because Liz was spending the day with Nana. We went shortly after they started and found Tori at the three legged races with her friend Simone.

We just followed her class around for a while with breaks to check on Lil and H (Ang, I still have pics for you). The activities that involved the whole class were the most fun! Tori was pretty pumped when the girls won the tug of war against the boys.

Tori was really excited to see her brother and show off for him a little bit (or maybe show him off a little bit. I'm not really sure which).

Then of course Hunter was super sweet with him too! That boy is so sweet to my little guy!

Just before we left for the afternoon Tori got to show off her hula hoop skills. I have to say, she was pretty impressive. She must take after her mommy!

Planting, Planting, and More Planting!

2011-06-21T13:04:00.007-06:00

Every year the kids get excited to plant Papa's garden. This year along with the plethora of tomatoes was a new crop of GRAPES! We are all pretty pumped. Since we were out of town when the rest of the cousins planted, Papa saved a few plants for my kiddos and we went over to have some special time with Papa in his garden.

Next up was our annual trip to the Denver LDS Temple to replant their flower beds. It is such a neat opportunity for these little ones to start to see how beautiful and how important the temple is!

Then we finally got around to planting our own garden. With the crazy weather this spring we ended up planting pretty much everything from starts instead of seeds. They are doing well, but it is definitely different for the kids. They always have fun though, and it is a great way to get them to try new veggies! This year's crop is pretty basic...nothing new or exciting: strawberries, basil, oregano, sage, purple basil, rosemary, pumpkins, cucumbers, spaghetti squash, bell peppers, bush beans, lettuce, sugar snap peas, and of course tomatoes.

Trip to Logan!

2011-06-21T12:43:00.010-06:00

We got to take a road trip to Logan, UT to be with "Unca Jon" for his graduation. Although the kids didn't really enjoy the ceremony that much (so sorry Uncle Jon and Aunt Kelsi), they thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Congrats Jon!

The kids especially LOVED their time with their cousins, Graham and Colin. What fun boys! We wish they lived closer--Graham and Owen would be inseparable!

It was a change of pace for us to have the boys outnumber the girls for a little while.

We got to stay at a great house with a gorgeous yard, hot tub, bball court, and plenty of room for a great sleepover every night! We took lots of walks to see the river, and to "fish" for moss.

We had a great time and always feel sad when we have to leave Grammy, Grampy, uncles, aunts and cousins.

Easter

2011-06-21T12:23:00.003-06:00

Even though I had no camera and had to take pictures on my iPod, Easter was great. I am so sad that I don't have better pictures, but I guess I should be grateful that I have any pictures at all. Anyway--we had fun dying Easter eggs with our cousins, Marlee and Makenna. Although I am not really sure if they were more excited about the eggs, or the donuts Manda brought for afterward....

Easter morning was....EARLY. Having church at 9 AM means that if you want to do Easter breakfast/egg hunt/Easter Bunny gifts, you have to be up early early early.

Fortunately it didn't take long to break through the yawns and into the fun! They loved hunting for the eggs, and Owen loved opening each one to find the sugary treasure.

Let me just say--my kids looked GREAT for Easter! I wish that I had a good picture because they were absolutely adorable!!

We had a lot of fun. I love seeing Easter through their eyes, where everything is exciting and magical. Most of all I love remembering why we celebrate and being thankful to the Lord for the gifts that we have been given, most importantly His sacrifice. I am thankful that I have the chance to work with the little ones in our congregation and teach them about the Savior, and help them to understand why these holidays are so important. It helps me to keep my mind and my heart in the right place.

Registered for KINDERGARTEN!

2011-06-21T12:08:00.003-06:00

I am getting caught up! On February 25 my baby girl registered for kindergarten. She is thrilled...that makes one of us. She is such a peaceful, tender, sweet little thing that I will miss having her with me during the day. I must admit that as she was sounding out words in the car for me the other day I realized how very ready SHE is for kindergarten....now we just need to get Mommy ready. I love you Bizzie girl!

Confession time...

2011-05-23T14:02:00.006-06:00

I have been so terrible about blogging over the last several months. Partially because I have been ridiculously busy. Partially because I may or may not have totally lost our camera...yeah. Way to go me! Anyway--FOUND IT! Now it's time to catch up.

O has told us ever since his "Kachow" (aka Lightning McQueen) birthday party last year that he was going to want a Thomas cake this year. My kids have this thing with getting an idea in their minds and not letting go. Finally when it came time to really do the party we asked him if he was sure he wanted a Thomas cake. We gave him all of his options, and he chose...Thomas. We did our best, and he seemed pleased.

We had a joint family party for both kiddos and they both got SPOILED ROTTEN! Since T already had her big bash with friends she said it would be ok if we just did the Thomas cake for the family party instead of redoing her purse cake too. Thank heavens!

It's time...

2011-04-04T14:41:00.007-06:00

I had an experience in January...one that changed my life, and changed who I am. I briefly glossed over it in this post, and it was the catalyst for this decision. I talked to a friend about it. The only person I had known who had dealt with it (I have since found others) too, and she told me to write it down. Writing has always been cathartic for me, but this was different...I wasn't sure I could put it into words, but I did. Here it is...(its kinda long and wordy, but that's how I am).

When I was a little girl, my Dad held me when I was nervous or scared. He held on to the back of my bike and guided me while I was learning to ride my two-wheeler. He held my hand as I moved forward with new experiences, both good and bad. I never thought that I could feel my Heavenly Father’s love in that same way, but now I know better. Through one of life’s most difficult trials, he held my hand.

In January 2011 I attended the temple with my wonderful husband. We had been praying for months to add another little angel to our family. As we left the temple I asked him if had received any inspiration. He told me that he had, and that he felt at peace. I stayed quiet and pondered the very different feeling I had in my heart. I felt distinctly that I was either pregnant, or would be soon, but that something was different. I pondered what that might mean. Does that mean that my child will have a disability? Will I have twins? Weeks went by and I finally got a positive pregnancy test. I started feeling nauseous and tired. It was wonderful. I was so happy to feel so horrible.

I confided, against my better judgment, in one of my sisters. I shared our great news, and we shared tears of joy. My sweet husband and I decided not to tell anyone else for a few more months. We had waited so long that we wanted to be sure. My Heavenly Father knew that I would need someone else to help our family, so he prepared a way through my sister. A few days later I felt horrible pain in my abdomen for several hours. I ignored the pain, realizing that babies do crazy things to a mother’s body. Four days later I woke early in the morning to the same extreme pain. After several hours of being doubled over in pain on the couch I was able to go about my normal life, even taking the opportunity to accompany my family to a movie. After nearly feinting in the parking lot I started to wonder if something was wrong. I thought I would wait and see what the next few days would bring. The next thing I knew I was on the phone with my regular doctor. I don’t remember making the decision to call her. As a matter of fact, I am pretty sure that the choice was taken out of my hands. My Father in Heaven knew that it had to be done, and He guided me through it.

At the appointment about an hour later, they discovered an ectopic pregnancy. We were devastated and terrified. The pain had been caused by internal bleeding. I needed to have surgery within a few hours or my life would be in danger. My world was falling apart. Not only was I going to miss out on the opportunity to bring a baby into this world, but I was in mortal peril at the same time. I needed someone else to tend to my children and family needs while my husband and I grieved and prepared for surgery. Thankfully my Father in Heaven had prepared my sister with the information that she needed to step in. Within a few hours I was at the hospital, I was alive, and my baby, or what I thought was my baby, was gone.

I had never heard of anyone else who had been through this particular experience. Even with the strength and support of my husband, I felt alone. My loss was my own. My burden was heavy, and there was not anyone to help me carry it.

After the surgery there was a lot of recovering to do both physically and emotionally. My mother, sisters, husband, father, and friends took great care of both types of needs. Unfortunately there was still a hole. On Sunday I was left alone for the first time as my family attended their church meetings. I spent the nearly four hours alone sobbing uncontrollably. I was alone--so completely and utterly alone. All my life I had been told that Jesus had suffered all things. All I could think was as a man, I know he never suffered this. After hours of sobbing, days of deep sadness, and weeks of loneliness, I realized YES! He did! How could I possibly have ignored His sacrifice? The literal physical suffering may have been different, but His suffering was there just the same.

As I look back on the experience as a whole I realized that my Father in Heaven was holding my hand the entire time. Just as my earthly father would have wanted to prepare me for this hardship, but Heavenly Father gave me a warning. The plan could not be changed. He knew the pain I was going to experience and he warned me. He knew that I was stubborn, so He encouraged me to call the doctor. He knew I was scared, so he blessed my husband with strength to hold me up. He knew that I needed physically and emotional stability, so He sent my brother in law and husband as righteous priesthood holders to give me a blessing. He knew that I was suffering, so he sent me friends and family to support me. I was alone so He sent His Son to suffer all things first, so that I could find strength and companionship in the atonement and in the gospel.

Looking back, I can see all I have been given. I see that my Father in Heaven acted just like my wonderful father on this earth. He held my hand; he encouraged and supported me through every stage of this trial. He knows me so well. He knew what I would need, and He offered it freely before I knew I needed it. Now more than ever before I know that I am a child of God. He is the father of my spirit, and as such he wants to guide me, support me, and hold my hand. If I allow Him, he will hold my hand always.

OTP--yup, now he's three!

2011-04-04T14:34:00.002-06:00

My baby boy turned three! (Again, when I find the camera, I will share pictures.)

He is such a joy, and SO VERY different from my girls! He is so rough and tumble. He is a monkey, a wrestler, a boxer, a runner, and most of all he is my little man! This boy keeps me on my toes, and as a three year old he doesn't disappoint. He has his share of fits, fights, bumps, and bruises, but overall he is so happy! Three years ago there were so many colic issues I didn't know if I would ever describe him as happy, but he is, and he shares it with everyone! I often find the boy climbing on counters, jumping off furniture, rolling down stairs and hanging from porch swings (until he broke it). It gives me a heart attack almost every time. I am sure that someday I will get used to it....maybe? For now I am just grateful to have a little boy who brings so much life into each day! His excitement is contagious, and we are lucky to catch the bug.

At three Owen loves Thomas the Train, dinosaurs, and sharks. He loves to be physical and active. He isn't as interested in reading as his sisters, but there is time for that later. He is a pistol and a spit fire, but is almost always willing to give a kiss or a hug! I love that little boy with all my heart, and I am anxiously awaiting 4--mainly because hopefully we will be done with "being three..." if you know what I mean!

7 IS a LUCKY Number, Right?

2011-02-14T10:54:00.010-07:00

I am totally late and I feel horrible about it, but my BABY had a birthday...her seventh to be exact. The day itself was not super exciting, especially with Daddy out of town for work, but Mommy tried. She dressed up special in a new outfit, then O, Liz, and I paid her a surprise visit at school with a Happy Meal for lunch. She was pretty pumped. Then I headed back to school at the end of the day for the mandatory bright pink Rice Krispie treats (or for those of you that have noticed my affinity for the Cake Boss, "cereal treats").

She got home from school and we had to be normal at least for a little while. I made her do her homework, etc. (I know, I'm a bad mom. I've accepted it.) Then for her birthday dinner. I asked her what I could make for her special day. She wanted Macaroni and Cheese from Noodles and Co...so that's what she got. Then we got to pick Daddy up from the airport, so she got to stay up late on her special day. She was pretty pumped!

We had her friend party on Saturday. She was pretty happy with how it turned out. I have to admit, she was a little more demanding this year than in years past. Usually she is just happy with whatever we come up with. This year she had a few requests, but nothing huge, and she was very appreciative.

I can hardly believe that my little girl is seven years old! One more year and she will be baptized. I am so happy to have such a wonderful angel in my family. Tori loves to help, loves to learn, loves to try new things, and loves to prove me wrong. I love watching her and listening to her stories, and her thoughts! She has grown up and changed so much in the last year I can hardly believe it! I will have to post pictures if/when I find the camera, but for now, words will have to do. As a seven year old Tori reads incredibly well. She has been reading to the family out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. She flies right my words like enormously and doesn't even hesitate when she reads the scriptures and finds words that I can't even define for her.

Though math isn't her favorite subject, and she gets frustrated sometimes, she is in the highest math group and works really hard at it.

Tori has been taking piano lessons for about 6 months now, and has gone from crying every time she sat on the bench to "hey Mom, listen to this..." all the time. She rarely asks for help and often moves ahead of the songs and pages she is assigned.

My T monkey is a little bit moody and temperamental, but who would expect anything different from a daughter of mine? She can be a great helper, a good friend, a good example, and best of all a nice sibling (when she wants to!).

I am so thankful that Heavenly Father allowed me to raise this little angel, and I am grateful for every day I get to spend as her mother!

I LOVE YOU VICTORIA!

Long Lovely Locks

2011-02-07T10:15:00.006-07:00

I told you in the last post that I had to get family pictures taken because this was gonna be a big week, well, here's why...

I have had short hair for most of my adult life. Then I decided to grow it out just a little bit so that I could wear it in a pony tail at girls camp (that was almost two years ago now). After a friend passed away from a brain tumor the day after Thanksgiving 2009 I decided that I was going to grow it out long enough to donate to Locks of Love. Well, I did it...after going through my own personal trial I needed a pick me up. I needed something else to talk about. So, Mandi chopped 13ish inches off. Here you go!

The before...

The during...

The after...

Family Pictures

2011-01-30T16:18:00.005-07:00

In preparation for a big week (yup, you will find out about that later, but I'm not telling yet!) we took some family pictures yesterday. It about killed my little post op body, but I think that they turned out pretty good. It was totally last minute, but I really appreciated my family for indulging me on this one. Thanks to Aunt Manda for being our photographer!

2011

2011-01-30T16:05:00.004-07:00

Wow, it has already been a long year. First of all, I actually celebrated New Year's Eve this year with my honey, but without kids. That's the first time in a long time.

Then I tried to catch up on some blogging...Tom thought it was ridiculous, but I thought it was quite efficient. I had pictures on two different computers, so I had to have them both up anyway. I figured--hey, might as well not waste time. While photos uploaded on one computer I would type on the other.

Then I had to deal with these little beasties. They have taken to all sleeping in the same twin bed. HELLO! I don't understand it, but they actually sleep better this way.

Then there was this...surgery...lots of surgery for my family in the last couple of months. I think that our New Year's resolution should have been to avoid hospitals! I don't have the emotional strength right now to blog about the surgery, but maybe someday. I should have a journal that isn't public for things like this.

Christmas Day

2011-01-30T12:20:00.007-07:00

So there were too many stories and pictures to make just one Christmas post this year. This was the "Petermill" (too many "Peterson" families, so we throw maiden names in to differentiate) family loot. Santa left quite a haul this year.

We had a bit of a rough morning as Santa couldn't locate some of the gifts, and then Mom and Dad found out that the camera batteries were dead. Strangely enough, Mommy found a surprise in her stocking that helped out. After acting like a child and having a minor temper tantrum, Daddy forced Mommy to look in my stocking where I found my new iPod Touch. Great, thanks...(I was still too mad to be truly grateful--I wasn't going to have any pictures of my kids on Christmas morning) then finally Daddy said "I think that is the one with a camera in it. DUH! I got some pics and some video of the morning after all. The pictures got better and better as I figured out the details of the camera. Plus, Santa got me some pretty great stuff that I wasn't expecting!

I found out that Santa totally failed by not bringing "Pillow Pets," but here are some of the favorites anyway:

The kids each got a movie, which they loved!

The Peterson boys got a big Ferrari, and they loved it...so did the girls!

The girls (T and Liz) got a real porcelain tea set, which they thoroughly enjoyed...so did the little boys!

By far the Christmas morning favorite was the trains. Owen got several mini train sets, which Graham loved too, so they fought. Then Graham got some trains too, so naturally they fought over those. They couldn't just be happy with what they got, or share both. Rascals! This is a terrible picture, but it is just how the morning looked!

We tried the pre-church family photo again. It worked a lot better without the bead in the nose!

CHRISTMAS!!

2011-01-03T13:33:00.021-07:00

Christmas is wonderful, can I just say that? This year we celebrated with the Petersons, which includes several traditions. First of all--Grampy pancakes. Its a rule--whenever Grampy is around in the morning he HAS to make Grampy pancakes. He is amazing with pancake batter!

Then there is the traditional "see how many grandbabies you can fit in the tub." In this case, it was only four, but then there was the fabulous addition of a fully clothed Grammy joining them after a very persuasive Liz told Grammy that she got her clothes wet and soapy in the washer, so why not in the tub?

Then there was the preparation for the traditional meal. The Peterson family Christmas Eve tradition is to make a ridiculous amount of food, then gorge for several days. Ok, so not really, but the tradition is that each person requests 1-3 food/drink/dessert items and then ALL of them are prepared for Christmas Eve dinner. The kids loved being in on the fun!

After the feast we had a presentation of the nativity story. I was fortunate to be assigned the role of "audience member." Here's how the rest of the cast went: Narrator-Jon, Mary-Tori, Joseph-Grampy, Wise Men-Sam, Tom and Owen, shepherds-Grammy and Susie, Inn Keeper-Graham, and Angel-Lizzie. All costumes provided by Grandma and Grandpa Great. They were pretty awesome too!

Finally we got to put jammies on,

and then the last tradition--the "fountain." Usually its only on Mom's head, but this time we made an exception.

And to those more mature Petersons reading this--don't forget to drop by Fanny Funnel's!

Pre-Christmas

2011-01-03T13:33:00.015-07:00

Christmas is always crazy, and this year was no exception. Along with the normal family preparations, and the preparations for the travel, we had the preschool, first grade, and primary preparations. Here was my December...

I did another 10 for 10 card party. I love doing them, and I love having time to sit and chat, but I can't say that they are totally stress free. I seem to be completely unable to function without procrastinating. I always wait until the last moment to do anything. This was no exception. I received a large quantity of new supplies and wanted to try a bunch of them out. There was a lot of fun stuff, but I probably should have slowed the pace a bit. Here are a few of the cards we did this year:

Next up were the school Christmas parties. I had wonderful parents that did the parties for the preschool, so I just had to attend. After those were finished I was in charge of the "winter party" for T's first grade class. I was a little stressed when I found out that I was actually going to end up as the orchestrator for ALL of the first grade classes. The hardest part about planning parties for public schools is the fact that they are not holiday parties at all. This one had to be a winter party...no reindeer, no Santa, no elves, not even a wreath or some holly. So, what did we do? We ended up making marshmallow igloos and snowmen. The igloos were not edible, but the snowmen were, and the kids LOVED it. I ended up with more help than I anticipated from the other moms, which was a huge relief. The best part? T was THRILLED to have me in her class. There will come a day when my little angel will be embarrassed to have her mother at things like that, so I was really enjoying listening to her tell people that "it was

her mom's idea" or that "her mom was in charge." She had fun, so it was all worth it.

The Sunday before Christmas is always fun because the kids get to wear their new clothes! This year we had added excitement because the girls' dresses were being made just for them (no, NOT by me!!). They turned out gorgeous! The wonderful seamstress, Jacqui, also made a little bow tie for my little man. Let's be honest. They looked great!

That Sunday I had meetings before church, so I got the girls' hair etc. done so that Daddy could just put on clothes and come. When they met me at the church they looked great! YAY Daddy! After only a couple of quick pictures in the foyer, Owen started freaking out. He kept saying that there was something in his nose and it hurt. Well, duh! His finger is always up his nose, so maybe he should stop picking his nose and it would stop hurting. That's what his extremely sympathetic mother said. Then he screamed, "THERE'S A BEAD IN MY NOSE!" What?!? Sure enough, he had stuck a bead up his nose. The priceless picture below is so perfectly my kids. T making a weird face, Liz messing with her mouth, and O screaming about something up his nose.

Thank heavens for our wonderful friends/medics, the Perrys who were able to use the chapel as a clinic that afternoon and fish out the offending bead.

That night we went over to Nana and Papa's house for dinner. Then we got to have a mini Christmas celebration since we were going to be out of town.

Just a couple of days before we left we had a surprise visitor. Santa himself stopped by (he had been delivering gifts to people in the ward, and had some extra time). The kids were amazed! The real Santa is so tall, and so happy! After he left they spent a lot of time debating about whether this was the real Santa or just a helper....I am pretty sure he had them convinced!

The Drive...yup--it gets its own post!

2011-01-03T13:33:00.007-07:00

The drive to St. George to celebrate Christmas gets its very own post. Why? It was THAT eventful! We had been watching the weather for days. Everything was fine. The winter has been so mild in Colorado that there really wasn't any need for concern. Just to be extra safe, Tom took extra time off work so that our travel plans would be flexible. We figured that way we could leave early if a storm was coming...which it did. Luckily for us, the people that we were caravaning with were also flexible. We ended up leaving on Tuesday afternoon instead of early Wednesday morning to avoid the need to drive in the dark or in the snow. The plan was to leave between 3 and 4 in the afternoon and stay the night in Grand Junction (about a 4 hour drive). We left at around 3:50 and made it about an hour in safety and calm. Then Tori started to complain of a stomachache. We were in my Dad's car, so she was sitting in the middle. We figured it was just a little motion sickness and told her to close her eyes and try to rest. It wasn't....we were emptying every plastic bag in the car to try to...well...ya know. Then we hear on the radio that the tunnel is closed and there is a haz mat spill inside. "Explosive material" was in the tunnel and all traffic was diverted over Loveland Pass. Little did I know that Loveland Pass was treacherous, slow, and a single lane in each direction. As we were waiting in the painfully slow traffic approaching the pass, the car we were caravaning with got a flat tire...it took us just over an hour to fix it. Thank heaven's it was before we got to the pass! Tori had a minute to take care of her extra business outside the car too...yay! We made the 20 mile journey over the pass in about 2 hours. We are finally going a blistering 45 mph when we hit some lovely black ice (since it is now snowing, and about 10:00 PM). I threw the car into 4 wheel drive, and on we continued. Until the car just in front of the far we were caravaning with flipped...yup flipped. We got there in time to watch the two teenage boys climb out safely. Next was what I like to call "the mist of darkness" which was a fog so thick we couldn't see two lengths ahead of us, at 11:30 at night, on an icy road. SO FUN! We made it to the hotel parking lot shortly after midnight, and just in time for Liz to get sick. AAAAAAAAA! Lovely. We started out again early the next morning and came upon a boulder that had fallen in the road about 5-10 minutes before we got there. CAN THIS ACTUALLY BE HAPPENING? We made it the rest of the way with monsoon like rains as our only obstacle. The drive back was completely uneventful.

Piano Recital(s)

2010-12-04T16:06:00.004-07:00

Tori just started taking piano lessons a couple of months ago. She is so excited. She gets frustrated really easily, but she is working really hard. They had a Christmas recital, but Nana and Papa were going to be out of town, so they got a private performance.

(Her nervous bow was kind of adorable!)

Tori had told Miss Ellie at her lesson that week that she was nervous, and even though she had her piece memorized, she wanted to bring her book just in case. She also wanted Miss Ellie to sit on the bench with her while she played. We were in the car, getting ready to go, and she told me that she didn't need her book. I was a little nervous, but tried to trust her. We left the book home. I worried and worried. When we got to the recital she told Miss Ellie that she could sit alone on the bench...what? She was making me so nervous for her! Well, as you can tell from the video, I was the only one that was worried. She ROCKED it! I am SO proud of you T! You are so wonderful!

Tori with Miss Ellie

Thanksgiving

2010-12-04T16:03:00.004-07:00

Thanksgiving was a little different. Thanks to some not so fun health issues this year, I got to be a much bigger part of Thanksgiving prep! I was a little nervous since I have never prepared most of the Whitmill traditional Thanksgiving dishes. I have to say--I was pleasantly surprised. Mandi and I worked hard, and it didn't seem like that big of a deal (keep in mind the fact that he ONE thing we weren't in charge of was the BIRD!).

I think everything turned out all right, and somehow my family members kept themselves entertained while I was busy...

Grammy and Grampy

2010-11-11T19:01:00.006-07:00

We always have a ton of fun when Grammy and Grampy and Uncle Sam visit, and this trip was no exception. They took the kids and I to Dinosaur Ridge. I have to say--I was painfully unimpressed when we first arrived, but after our bus tour I was much happier that we had gone! The kids had a blast, and I think the adults enjoyed ourselves too.
LOVE this picture--apparently you can taste a difference between rock and fossil...I wouldn't know, but Grammy would!

After Dinosaur Ridge we decorated "Haunted Houses," made candy corn cupcakes,

and carved pumpkins.

Halloween

2010-11-11T19:00:00.013-07:00

This year was the first year we have not had a theme for our costumes. The kids picked them out right after Halloween last year, so...well, let's just say that some of them weren't my favorites. Luckily, the kids were still in love with what they had chosen. Tori was a witch, Lizzie was a vampire princess, and Owen was a dinosaur rider (well, according to him he was a dinosaur, but really he was the rider and just wore the dino..). We got to do boo at the zoo, and of course we had to feed the lorikeets while we were there.

We also got to do the tri-ward trunk or treat! (Nik, you got some pics for me?)

Then, because we missed the AWESOME neighborhood haunted house, Grampy and Daddy helped the kids to make their own haunted house. It was pretty impressive...complete with scary soundtrack (weird noises Liz made).

Oh, and did I mention that Tom and I went to Halloween party too? This was the first year we really got into it. We were quite the vampire couple. I loved that there were some people that didn't recognize me because of the short dark hair. Not great pictures, but I'll post them anyway, just for proof!

Super Saturday

2010-11-11T19:00:00.005-07:00

Ang and I got to learn how to make a couple of different kinds of flowers to teach at Super Saturday this year. We had a great time learning and making a million bows for ourselves and our girls. Hopefully the ladies that made them with us had fun too! Between the singed flowers and the felt flowers, close to 150 flowers were made...yup, we're pretty much experts now.
Lots of materials, lots of ladies, and lots of fun! I LOVE Super Saturday!

Slacker

2010-11-11T18:52:00.003-07:00

Ok, so I just looked at my blog and realized that not only has it been nearly 2 months since I blogged, but I am on target to get about 1/3 to 1/2 as many posts this year as I did last year. What's with the change? Well, between starting my own preschool just over a year ago and coming up on the one year mark as primary president (being in charge of all the children in my congregation) it has been a crazy year. My crafting has come to a screeching halt, along with my blogging, but I am trying to find that happy medium. I love crafting, but right now my priorities have to be my family, my church calling, and my preschool. I have at least opened up blog posts so now I just have to fill them with writing and pictures. I promise they are coming. For those of you in the immediate area, I am even having another 10 for $10 for the first time in a year (if you are interested let me know). For the rest of you, stay tuned. I WILL post this weekend!

Race for the Cure 2010!

2010-10-11T18:17:00.004-06:00

This year TEAM AUDREY was a little more prepared for the race...a very little. It was really fun that people recognized us from the posters though! How weird to have your face on walls all over the city! Once again, an amazing experience! We are so blessed to have our survivor to give hope to others and to remind ourselves how much we have to be grateful for! ROCKIN' the PINK!

BYU vs AFA

2010-09-14T20:12:00.003-06:00

Ok, so the game itself was completely pathetic, and a total disappointment, but the tailgating was fun! We had a huge group, and even though we missed Mom and Dad, the four sisters, their families, and their miscellaneous in laws, had a great time. I definitely prefer the September game to the November game...short sleeved shirts and sunscreen=more fun than hats, gloves, mittens and parkas!

Lizzie's First Day of School

2010-09-13T23:32:00.005-06:00

Who is this child? She cracks me up. Every time there is a camera nearby she is the girl of a million faces (unfortunately for me none of them are her normal, adorable, smiling face). Here are just a few of our attempts from the first day of school.

The traditional--"here, stand in front of this door so we can see how much you've grown" picture.

She and her cousin striking a pose. Man, give us ten years and we are in BIG trouble!

Me and my baby girl.

Family Night Fun

2010-09-13T23:17:00.002-06:00

Last week we did Rice Krispie Treat sculptures for family night.

Yup, we had fun...

First day of FIRST GRADE!

2010-08-23T13:22:00.006-06:00

It is kind of killing me to have a child at school ALL DAY! It wasn't that bad until I started thinking over the weekend about the fact that she will be spending WAY more of her awake time with somebody else than she will with me. I am also having a hard time swallowing the fact that I have her for lunch on weekends and summers...from now on. That means that my influence better have been good up to this point, 'cause from here on out the world is going edge in and I am not going to have as much control. I hope that I did well enough. She is such a good girl by nature, and I was so blessed to have such an angel to practice on. She knows right from wrong, and I know that. I just hope that she will always be my strong little princess! I miss her already!

Tori was THRILLED to have Ms. Carla for her teacher this year. Her two older cousins both had Ms. Carla for first grade and she was holding her breath all summer waiting for her class assignment. She has been so excited to go that I thought that maybe I was the only feeling a little anxiety. Late last night, after a blessing, and heading to bed she snuck back down the stairs with tears in her eyes. I wasn't the only one nervous. I held her and kissed her, and told her how fun first grade would be. This morning she was all smiles...not a tear in sight. We took all the traditional first day of school pictures...

...at home

...at school

...with her cousins

...with her best friend/cousin (they look SO much older this year than they did last year!)

...with her teacher

...with a friend from her kindergarten class...she was hoping so much that Malak with be in her class!

Then I got home from dropping her off, and found out what I was going to have to expect from the ones that aren't in school...Owen...good luck, man!

Hilarious Liz!

2010-08-09T15:07:00.010-06:00

My daughter says the most hilarious things. Here is a small sampling:

(On the way to church)
"Mom, you look so beautiful."
"Thank you sweet pea!"
"Even if evewybody else thinks you look gwoss, I will still think you look beautiful." Now that's comforting....

Another great one...
"I love Nana, she is so nice."
"I love Nana too."
"And I love the other Nana at her house too. Grandma. I love Grandma too. But she has a weird voice, but that's ok. I can still love her if she talks weird."

"Mom, what language do they speak in Breckenridge?"

Liz and Tor have always had a special gift for knowing when I have eaten something delicious without sharing. One day I was tucking Lizzie in for a nap when she asked me "Mom, did you eat some chocolate, 'cause your breath smells like chocolate." She caught me. When she woke up from her nap, I had just eaten some of those yummy rice crackers. She crawled up on my lap and said, "Mom, did you frow up, 'cause it smells like you have bawf on ya lips." Talk about extremes.

Poking my belly on her way past, "Mommy, do you have a baby in there?"
"No, Liz."
"Then why are you so fat?"

Nana was babysitting Liz and she went to the bathroom and found a little skid mark in her underpants. Nana asked, "Lizzie did you have an accident?"
"No..."
"Are you sure, 'cause you have a little bit of poop in your underpants."
"It wasn't me. It must have been somebody else."
Yup, that's likely. Somebody else borrowed your underpants while you weren't looking, dropped a surprise, and then gave them back?!? Probably not.

Breckenridge

2010-08-09T15:07:00.009-06:00

We got to tag along with Daddy when he went to a work conference up in Breckenridge. We had a blast. Unfortunately for Daddy, he missed most of the fun. Since we didn't really take any big vacations, this was our family trip this summer.

Mom's poor packing meant all the kids got a souvenir sweatshirt!

They LOVED the gondolas...and they were free, so we rode them a lot!

We got to mini golf. I paid for T and Liz to play, but I figured O wouldn't pay attention anyway, so I didn't get him a club. WRONG! The boy was much more interested in the game than Liz. Looking back, I probably should have known that, but ya know.

They SHOCKED both Tom and I by sleeping soundly in the same bed, in the same room. That round of golf must have been more strenuous than I thought...or maybe it was the evening swim...

More gondolas, but same thrill!

This time when we got to the top of the gondolas we decided to pan for gems. The kids were thrilled to hear that they got to keep the "jewels" that they found. Owen found a "Percy Rock" because anything that is green must be somehow related to Percy (the train, of course, don't you know your Thomas??). The lady behind us in line kept chuckling when Owen would tell me about his "Percy Rock" because of the lack or R in Percy...ya, kinda sounds bad. I kept LOUDLY repeating "Yes, that is a cool PERCY rock" so that nobody would misunderstand what I was teaching my children. Finally the lady said "My son always used to say the same thing." It made me feel a little better.

There were lots of places to take great pictures. Unfortunately for me, I can identify those great locations, I just don't have the patient kids, or the camera ability to get those great shots. That's ok, at least I tried. Right?

Thanks for letting us join you, Dad, even if you didn't get to play very much.

So fun!

2010-08-09T15:00:00.002-06:00

Tom and I LOVE seeing shows together! For Mother's Day Tom got tickets to South Pacific...on my birthday! Perfect! It was so fun!

Fourth of July

2010-07-12T14:15:00.002-06:00

OOPS! I can't believe that I completely forgot to post about Independence Day! Well, here it is.

Since the 4th was a Sunday this year we celebrated a little on the 3rd with barbecue with some ADORABLE little girls! Couldn't you just squeeze them? Aunt Sue Sue made her traditional cake with them and they loved it!

Then on the 4th we did our normal Sunday thing...church, then over to Nana and Papa's for dinner. After a monsoonish afternoon we were hoping that the rain would be done before the fireworks. We decided to be brave and try it. We went early, parked our cars then sat there and played games, and watched movies until we were pretty convinced that there would be no fireworks this year thanks to Mother Nature. Then we stayed a few minutes longer, and were rewarded with a very wet fireworks display.

This is what it looked like pretty much the whole time. The kids loved it anyway--and that's what it was all about!

(It looks like snow but its just rain...I promise!)

My Sweet Little Angel

2010-07-11T21:45:00.007-06:00

My second precious angel turned four! Here is how it all went down...

The theme: Fancy Nancy

The cake: (HUGE shout out to Susie--SHE ROCKS! And Daddy too! Without their help it would not have been nearly as "fancy.")
The favors:The guests:

And that was all just for the first party. Friday night we had a celebration with family including Nana, Papa, Grandma, Aunties Ang, Nini, Manda, and Susie and ALL of the Whitmill cousins. On Saturday we did it all again, but much more "fancy" this time around. Same theme, same cake, same favors (and then some), and then there were the...

fancy faces (everyone got "made up" upon arrival:

crafts (a fancy purse, fancy pen, and fancy wand of course!):

and fancy guests: Tori, Sophie, Kylie, Kate, Caitlyn Marlee, Lizzie, and Brayden (not in picture).

On Sunday we celebrated her actual birthday! She had a donut and a Slurpee for dessert. She gets a Slurpee every year from her Uncle Ty since she was born on 7-11. He never forgets. Since it was Sunday he even remembered and dropped it off Saturday night. It kept surprisingly well in the freezer! I gotta admit...it is a really special thing to have somebody remember such a silly thing, but do it every year for my little one. Thanks Ty for caring that much about my angel!

Happy birthday my sweet Lizzie! I hope it was just what you wanted!

Some things that I want the world to know about my sweet angel:

She shares everything--on her terms. As long as you say please she will give you pretty much anything, even if that means she goes without. SHE IS SO SWEET!

She is VERY tender! She is like her Mommy--or at least how Nana describes Mommy--a child of extremes. She is either very happy or very sad, not much in between. When she is very happy the world knows it and can't help but be happy too. When she is not happy...well...WATCH OUT!

She is her own person. She doesn't care what anybody else likes, eats, or wears. She makes her decisions and sticks to them. I am hoping that this will continue and serve her well as she grows.

She is hilarious! She says the funniest things and constantly makes our family laugh. One thing is for certain...our life as a family is MUCH happier with my Lizard in it!

Fun Photo Shoot

2010-07-10T22:17:00.004-06:00

Ok, so we did this simply because we thought that they would look adorable. Turns out we were right. Just look at these beauties! All the girl cousins on the Whitmill side. I can't wait to do a shoot with all the boys.

The girls had fun too!

And they posed for us!

Is it me, or does she look really old in this picture? They are best friends! I can just see them doing this in ten years...sitting, chatting, ignoring their mothers...ya know...girl stuff!

Happy Birthday Aunt Sue-Sue!!

2010-06-29T12:53:00.006-06:00

We feel so lucky to have Sue Sue with us this summer. We wanted to celebrate in a special way, so about a week before her birthday we set her up on a date. Her date was CUTE too! Rumor has it he was pretty interested in her, and she was already in love with him! Best date ever. We doubled and took them out to dinner. (He even kissed her at the end of the night!!)

On her actual birthday we went to Boulder to wander Pearl Street. Somehow I got NO pictures of Grammy, Grampy, or Sam while they were there with us...We had fun though!!

WE LOVE YOU SUE SUE (or as Owen would say "MY Sue Sue")!!!

Swim Lessons

2010-06-12T10:35:00.004-06:00

Every summer the kids take swim lessons. Usually they take a while to really enjoy them and really get over the fear/discomfort in the water. This year was totally different. All three of my little munchkins practically leaped into the water! They have all had a blast! The only down side? Lessons are over tomorrow...what shall we do?Owen LOVES the water! He wasn't in official lessons this year (you have to be 3) but he thoroughly enjoyed his 60 minutes of water time! It is crazy to see how comfortable he is in the water! He is going to be so fun next year!

Lizzie is still a little nervous on her back but with her class being TINY this year, she had plenty of assistance. She liked her teacher and love going under the water.

Tori was very hopeful this year that she would have "a girl teacher." She ended up with "Mr.DeVon" and I was a little worried. He is a nice guy, but I thought she would be sad that he wasn't a girl. Luckily for us, her friend, Jordan, was in the class too, so she was all smiles! She not only gave up her fear of going under water, but she mastered bobs and even the back float!

Field Day!!

2010-06-07T14:25:00.013-06:00

Tori's last day of kindergarten as super fun. They had a field day and then ice cream sundaes. Lizzie and I got to go and enjoy too! She was way more coordinated and able than I expected. Let's face it...she's never been-uh-athletic. She did really well though, and I loved seeing her with her classmates in a setting that wasn't at desks. She is a lot more social that I thought! She had a great year and she really loved her teacher too! Thanks Miss TeoLyn for a great year and a fun day.

Preschool Graduation

2010-06-07T14:25:00.009-06:00

A great end to a great year! My sweet little friends did a GREAT job! I was SO proud of them. I wish that my camera was working so that I would have had better pictures, but thank heavens Susie was there so that I had some pictures!

My little graduate!

The preschool parents got together to get me an awesome gift. I have been wishing for one of these since I saw it the first time. Now, it is hanging in my living room. It is a great reminder to me of the first year of Smarty Pants Preschool and such a cool way to remember the sweet little ones and their wonderful families! Thank you to all my friends for the great gift and for a great year! (This is a terrible picture, but it is GORGEOUS!)

A Great Year!!!!

2010-06-07T14:23:00.004-06:00

I can't believe that another year of school has come and gone. This one was a little different though. This time I was a teacher at my own school and in my own home. It was fabulous! I LOVED it! I had the amazing opportunity to teaching my own daughter, two of my nieces, and many of my friends' children. How many people are able to start out in such a unique and wonderful way? I truly feel blessed!

Liz and I on the first day of school.

Lizzie and Sophie on the first day of school.

Our morning class at the beginning of the year.

Our afternoon class on the first day of school.

Lizzie and Sophie on the LAST day of school...yup--kinda cried.

The morning class at the end of the year.

The afternoon class on our last day of class.

Planting

2010-06-07T14:21:00.016-06:00

"The prophet said to plant a garden..." or three. We planted the garden at Nana and Papa's house, at our house and we helped to plant flowers at the temple. I LOVE SPRING! The kids are starting to really understand and enjoy the whole process.

Owen and Lizzie got to pick up pine cones to beautify temple grounds.

Tori got to plant flowers...she only had to cry a little bit..

And finally the pizza party!

Then we got to plant our own garden! I can't wait to start reaping the rewards!!

Aunt Susie!!!

2010-06-07T14:21:00.009-06:00

Ok, so pretty much everybody know, but for those of you that didn't...I HAVE THE BEST IN-LAWS EVER!!!!!!!! After years of trying, I finally got one of them to live with me (ok, so technically she came when I was prego with Liz, but that didn't count 'cause it was desperation, not for fun). Aunt Susie is spending the summer with us, and I could not be more thrilled! She is so great! She is easy to be with, fun, funny, sweet, helpful, and just all together FABULOUS! Yup, you can all be jealous now that you don't have a Susie and your house--suckers!

Cinco de Mayo...yeah--it was fun!

Susie loves my kids and my kids adore her! She plays with them and lets them do make overs--on HER! She cooks with them, plays with them reads with them, and even changes diapers. She is truly the best!

She made us falafel...ever had it? No? You should. It is awesome!

What a Monday

2010-05-18T21:09:00.008-06:00

Well, this was my Monday...

The before...

The during...

and the after...

Mother's Day!

2010-05-10T11:31:00.009-06:00

Well, the day before Mother's Day kind of put a damper on our weekend. I was packed up and ready to leave the house for my 1:00 MASSAGE. Yeah, that's what I said--MASSAGE. Then Lizzie and Owen went down to the basement to play and Liz slipped on the carpet... I know that Liz has a tendency to be slightly less than graceful, but slipping on the carpet and falling is not a regular on her list of talents. Tom went down to investigate I was a few steps behind. Just close enough to hear his foot slosh on the carpet as he stepped off the stairs. Yup--that is the sound of me cancelling my massage.

Good thing Sunday was better. Tom made my FAVORITE breakfast (ingredients include croissants, ice cream, raspberries, whipping cream...SO GOOD!). I got tickets to South Pacific, which happens to run on my birthday! YAY! My kids actually snuggled me, at least for a minute, and I didn't change a single diaper. It was a good day!

Cinco de Mayo

2010-05-10T11:31:00.006-06:00

I have never really been one to celebrate things like Cinco de Mayo, but since Aunt Sue Sue is here things are a little different. Susie is way more fun than I am, and she is a way better sport. She lets the girls do her makeup. It is always interesting, but after she told him about the "Mexicans" it got even better. Tori told Susie that she didn't know what "Mexicans" look like, but she is pretty sure this is it...

Thanks to Susie, after we were all made over, the Cinco de Mayo festivities continued with tacos, burritos, pina coladas (virgin style of course) and homemade churros. DELICIOUS! Thanks Sue Sue!

Easter

2010-04-05T12:59:00.011-06:00

Easter was fun for our family this year! We were able to celebrate with our friends at a fun (but very chilly and VERY windy) Easter egg hunt! Owen just went at it! I had to hold him back so that other kids would get a chance. Lizzie was the exact opposite--I had to really push her to actually look for eggs...she definitely marches to her own beat, and I LOVE it! Tori did great. She went with the oldest group and had to actually look for the eggs (not just glance around and pick them up) and she loved it!

Next we got to die eggs with some cousins. They had a blast! I think that everyone's favorite part was the donuts that Aunt Manda brought!

Then, of course, the Easter Bunny came. My favorite part was that this year Tori left a gift for the EB since he "always leaves them presents."

And then of course, the traditional hunt on Easter morning.

This year Easter fell on the first Sunday in April, which was General Conference Sunday, so we had our Easter program the following week. We got the kids all dressed up...OK, so the camera is totally broken, and the pictures are terrible, but the honest truth is...DANG! My kids are ADORABLE!!! Even if they are total goof balls!

Disney On Ice!

2010-03-12T20:21:00.004-07:00

My sister, Mandi, and I took these three princesses to opening night of Disney on Ice.

We had some dinner before we went, but these three could not stay still long enough to eat a meal. They were way too excited!

They were so enthralled the whole time! Every time a new character came out onto the ice their eyes lit up and their jaws dropped. I had so much fun watching them! I think I missed at least half of the show because I was too busy watching the girls' reactions! It was a blast, and even though it ends up being a little bit of an expensive outing, it was totally worth it!

Eight years

2010-02-22T15:39:00.002-07:00

Yeah--eight years. I don't really know what to say other than THANKS BABE! I have the BEST husband on the planet. I know that lots of people think that they do, but I am telling you that I win hands down! He spoils me rotten, he helps with everything, he is an amazing daddy, he works so hard, he honors his priesthood, he supports me in all my ventures, he is the love if my life. I could never have imagined a marriage this good. As a little girl I dreamed about a lot of things that my husband would be...my dreams were never this good. It has been an amazing eight years. I love him with all my heart, and I thank the Lord for Tom every day! A special shout out to his parents for raising this amazing man!

My Baby?!?

2010-02-19T09:47:00.004-07:00

Well, I guess I have to give in and admit that he is no longer my baby...Owen is TWO today. I can hardly stand it. I love this kid so much! He makes me so incredibly happy. He has so much energy! I am having a blast learning about all things boy! He is all about wrestling and physical interaction. The kids wants to take down anything and everything in his path. The problem is, he has no idea that he is smaller than almost all of those obstacles. He jumped up into the 10% for weight this year(24 lb 4 oz)--quite the accomplishment! Last year he was only in the 5%. He dropped down to the 8% for height though (31 1/2 inches). He was only in the 10% last year though, so it wasn't a huge drop. Owen is incredibly active and has taken more falls than the girls combined, yet they don't seem to bother him nearly as much.

He sleeps well (at night anyway) and eats...well...sometimes. The doctor told us not to take him off his whole milk, at least for now. I think that they are still hoping that he will gain some weight. Good luck with that...

At two this little man is in LOVE with "Ka-Chows." For those of you that don't speak this language, that would be Lightening McQueen and the other cars from the movie CARS. He loves Mater and McQueen the best. He will take several cars to bed with him rather than any blanket or stuffed animal.

This guy brings me so much joy! He keeps us all on our toes and he will keep us fit because he will not hold still. His sisters adore him, and as much as I try to get upset at him and scold him when necessary, his little mannerisms and faces melt me. He will grab the sides of my face and tell me "I done mama" and kiss me. Seriously--how are you supposed to discipline that?!? Don't worry--he has seen his fair share of time outs, but it isn't easy. Owen--you are my man, my angel, and I love you! I hope you are always so full of life that you can't help but infect those around you!

My baby is SIX?!?

2010-02-09T18:57:00.004-07:00

It is hard to believe that Tori is already six! This has been such a big year for her! She started "big girl" school this year, and even though it is only half day she is learning tons and growing like crazy in every way! I am so proud of this little princess. She is in a special reading group once a week with the "GT" teacher. She started at the beginning of the year because there were so few kids in kindergarten that were reading that the teacher wanted to have a way to encourage them to continue. She is learning a lot of social things too, which is really exciting and really scary at the same time. She asks questions constantly, she is an amazing writer, and her imagination is fabulous. I am a very proud mama! She never ceases to amaze me.
She reads the scriptures all by herself. She loves to say prayers and is really starting to learn how to be aware of the needs of others and she takes those needs to the Lord. She is also learning how to manipulate her siblings, which I don't love. She still wants desperately to please people though, so when we tell her that she is being a "bully" she gets all upset.
Tori is still running a little bit small for her age, but she is definitely catching up! She is in the 60% for height (46 inches) and the 25% for weight (41 lbs) which puts her in the 5% for bmi. A little shrimpy still, but getting there. She dropped a tiny bit in the weight rankings, but looking at her that isn't a shock. She shot up in height though! Thanks for the height genes Daddy, 'cause that definitely didn't come from me.
All in all she is a beautiful, healthy, smart, fun and energetic young lady, and she is a great big sister. Tori, we are so blessed to have you in our family, and we love you so much!

My "Top Banana"

2010-02-08T15:57:00.003-07:00

Tori got to be top banana the week before her birthday! It was perfect timing. She was SO excited! These are the posters that she brought in. She got to share them with the class.

She brought in a treat, and she read the class a book. I was so proud of her! She did a great job and her brother and sister loved being with the big kids. I was shocked at how well they behaved!

One for all....

2010-02-06T21:12:00.007-07:00

and all for TORI! Today was Tori's Barbie and the Three Musketeers birthday party! She was so excited, and it all came together pretty well. I don't know why we make these things so complicated every time, but we do. I am not used to working with a theme like this, so we had to be a little creative. We started by decorating masquerade masks for the masquerade ball (that is where Barbie and her friends save the prince of course).

Next the musketeers needed to be armed and trained.

Once they were trained, and past the test, they were outfitted with their capes.

A quick break for presents and cake, then...
the masquerade ball (basically, the annual dance party).

Happy birthday princess! I hope it was what you wanted!

Smarty Pants Preschool

2010-01-19T15:44:00.002-07:00

Just a quick update from the business side of my life. On Friday I opened up registration for the 2010-2011 school year. If you are interested in signing up a child for preschool, please email me or give me a call and we can talk details. Your child will hold an official slot once the registration papers and deposit have been received! Ok, enough business...I have so many posts to catch up on...

New Year, New Experiences

2010-01-18T20:24:00.003-07:00

2010 has already offered us many new opportunities, but among the first few were these:
Lizzie's new hair cut! She looks super cute, and she loves it because it takes Mommy less time to do it (Mommy loves it because there is a lot less screaming involved!).

The before shots

and the after shots. LOVE IT! Thanks, Aunt Manda!

Lucky for you, we didn't take pictures of Tori's new experience. She finally cracked her head open. We knew it would happen, we just assumed it would be either Owen or Lizzie. She cracked it pretty good, but we didn't think it needed stitches. She has a nice scar now though! Apparently the universe thought that somebody needed to go to the hospital though. The next day my niece ended up at the hospital after nearly cutting her finger off in the church door during primary. Nice, Soph!

Last, but certainly not least, my little man was showing off on the ladder in his sisters' room and fell off. I was so used to the sound of his tumbling that I didn't worry about it too much until the screaming started. By the time I made it up there he had bled on the carpet, the clothes, the stuffed animals, and himself. Awesome. These pictures were taken a day or two later, and you can't really see the damage, but you get the idea.

Happy 2010...hope this isn't a sign of things to come!

Papa

2010-01-18T20:23:00.002-07:00

The new year started off a little different than expected. Papa went into the hospital to have minor surgery. Unfortunately the surgery was much more extensive than we anticipated and they found another tumor. It has been 2 1/2 years since they found the first tumor. We were all a little upset. The worst news for Dad though, was the fact that he would be in the hospital longer than expected. The first week went by. All of us girls went to visit him regularly, but because of H1N1 no kids were allowed in to visit. Papa was getting pretty lonely for his little ones, so we paid him a visit with ALL 11 kids. Of course we didn't bring them in, but they had a message for their Papa.

I went to visit him earlier that day and scoped out a place that we could stand all eleven of them so that Papa could see them. They each colored one piece of the sign and then stood there waiting for him. We could barely make him out when he came to the window, but we could see him well enough to see him wipe a tear from his eye. I love the picture below where you can see his reflection in the window looking down at the kids. He loves them so much, and we all love him!! We are so thankful that he came home and is doing so well! We love you!

Goodbye 2009....

2009-12-31T15:27:00.003-07:00

Wow, I am so late getting everything posted, but I will make a valiant effort to catch up! New Year's Eve Day started out a little iffy, but the night was GREAT!

Tori got a Barbie guitar with your gift certificates, so she played it pretty much all day. She asked for a pink guitar every time anyone asked her what she wanted for Christmas. Unfortunately Mom and Dad were already done with shopping by this point, so she was left to her own resources. One her dream was fulfilled she insisted on "Rock Star hair" to go with her performance.

Her groupies loved it!

After a rocking afternoon we went to a party--it was a little crazy, but SO fun! We got to play "grown up" games without too many interruptions, and the kids had a blast too! We had a slightly early count down for the little ones so that they could start to wind down. It was a fun night and a great memory! Thanks all for making it happen!

Christmas!!

2009-12-25T22:17:00.023-07:00

As is the Whitmill tradition, our first Christmas Eve activity was the annual devotional. This year we participated with several other families in our stake. It is the best way to start the holiday! We get to start the festivities by remembering our Savior, and the reason for all the celebrations! This year we decided to take some family pictures before we went to the devotional. Hey--with 11 grandbabies, you take what you can get. I actually think that they turned out pretty well!

Then....there were the ones of our little family...we were not so fortunate...

Just so we didn't feel too bad about our family pics...Liz did a little performance throughout the large group pictures. Here is a sampling of her work.

Next we went to Nana and Papa's house. We ate our traditional Christmas Eve dinner, and opened presents--starting with new pj's!

Then of course we had Christmas morning at our house. We had a GREAT Christmas with so many things to be thankful for!

Christmas Preparations

2009-12-25T22:17:00.017-07:00

With all the happenings at the end of November/beginning of December, we got a bit of a late start to our holiday preparations. Fortunately we still got to most of our traditions, like:

1-Decorating the tree

2-Baking cookies--we made some cookies with our family, and others with some cousins

3-Getting new clothes and dressing up! They looked so adorable in their new Sunday clothes!

Christmas Program!

2009-12-25T22:16:00.002-07:00

Lizzie and I had our first preschool program. We visited a retirement center and sang some Christmas songs for the residents. The residents really enjoyed it, and the kids were REALLY stinking cute! We'll have to do that again next year!

Catching up

2009-12-13T20:15:00.004-07:00

I am trying to catch up. A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks, and I have been stressed, to say the least. We were in SLC for Thanksgiving, which was great. We loved spending time with Tom's family.
While we were there a friend passed away from a brain tumor. It wasn't a shock, but it was still really hard on me. She left behind three very sweet little girls. She was 34 years old.
Upon arriving home late Monday night, we threw the kids in bed and I checked the voice mail. Never a good thing when the bishop wants to meet with you the day you get home. Well, less than 24 hours after arriving home, and about 36 hours before I was to play a good size role in a funeral, I was called to be the ward primary president. YIKES! Slightly overwhelming. (Oh, and PS, you need to call everyone and have primary fully staffed within the next week so that you can do the teacher orientation/training meeting one week after being set apart.)
Well, after rearranging preschool and receiving babysitting/preschool help from several wonderful people I attended the funeral for Jennifer. It was a little harder than I expected, but thanks to all the help we made it through.
Last Sunday I was sustained, and also came down with strep throat. ROCK ON! Well, today we had our first teacher training meeting. Short, and to the point, and most importantly OVER. Next week brings one Christmas Program/field trip, two preschool Christmas parties, one kindergarten "Winter Party" and a partridge in a pear tree.

My girl

2009-12-02T18:10:00.003-07:00

My girl is HILARIOUS! Liz cracks us up all the time! She says the funniest things. Here is a small sampling:

1-While waiting for our plane at the airport, I told Liz that if she looked close at the window she could see the pilot. She immediately crumbled to pieces. "I don't want to get on the airplane! I don't want to ride with the pirate."
"No baby, not pirate, pi-L-ot, with a L sound." The next several minutes were spent trying to coax her onto the plane. Finally we make it down the jetway and she sees the flight attendant and the pilot
"See Liz, there's the pilot."
"Oh, I want to go on the airplane."

2-On Thanksgiving she decided to tell everyone that there are some things that we are not allowed to say at our house. "We don't say stupid, and we don't say 'you're ruinining my life'". Thanks to Barbie for the quotable....

3-So we were explaining to Tori what it means to give someone your heart. Liz said "I game Mommy my heart, and my heart is fabulous!"

Thanksgiving

2009-12-02T18:08:00.006-07:00

Thanksgiving was great! We got to meet our newest niece, and spend some time with a nephew we almost never see. Here are a few of the highlights:

The kids really shocked us and did surprisingly well on both flights! Thank heavens for laptop computers to watch movies on!
Graham and Owen had a fabulous time together! We need to get these two together more often! They will be trouble when they get older, but for now they were just REALLY cute and fun!

The girls loved the hot tub. Mom is a chicken and because of O's breathing problems after the last hot tub exposure (which was probably completely irrelevant, but...) I wouldn't let him get in.

It was fun to see the lights at temple square again. It has been a long time. Although, it was thoroughly disappointing to hear that Grandpa Peterson had been replaced as the narrator of the Christmas story. What were they thinking?

The goodbyes are always the worst! The girls cried, and so did Grammy, but Liz could NOT pull it together for one last picture.

Thanks for all the fun!

Auntie Susie

2009-11-06T15:28:00.005-07:00

MY KIDS LOVE AUNT SUSIE! Perhaps it is because she spoils them rotten, but perhaps it is just because she loves them so much. She came to visit at the end of October and the kids could not have been more excited to have her!

I didn't take enough pictures, but she did tons of stuff with them, and Tori actually SOBBED all the way home from the airport. Good thing Thanksgiving is soon, or she never would have stopped crying. We love you Susie! PLEASE move here?!?

Snow

2009-11-06T14:36:00.004-07:00

I don't love snow. I don't even like snow. I tolerate snow ok if it is not on the street. My kids on the other hand LOVE snow. They couldn't wait to dive in when we got the big storm. I didn't have appropriate snow gear, so they couldn't stay out too long, but they looked pretty cute! (Don't worry, there will be plenty more snow, and they are now properly equipped.)

Yup, I made that hat! I'm pretty proud of myself!

Nope, didn't make that one, but its cute!

I can't put my arms down!

Halloween FUN!

2009-11-02T14:20:00.009-07:00

Halloween started out this year at a friend's Halloween party where we were a 1970's prom king and queen.

Since the weather was so terrible on Wednesday and Thursday, the ward Halloween party was cancelled on Friday morning. A friend hosted her own at her home (what a saint!) so we went to that one. Then Aunt Susie arrived and we carved pumpkins, and spent Halloween trick or treating at the mall, trunk or treating at the church, and even catching a "Haunted House" down the street...they did an incredible job decorating their house by the way. Wish I had pictures of that! Here is what they looked like that day.

The kids' costumes were a little more exciting than ours. They were the characters from the Wizard of Oz. The cousins offered quite an array...

All the cousins--the Cowardly Lion, Glinda, Dorothy, Pirate, Skeleton Rocker, Pirate, Mobster, and the Ninja and the Mobster attacking from behind.

WICKED!

2009-10-26T08:48:00.004-06:00

Saturday was a very busy day. I was at home for about 45 minutes total between 9AM and 11 PM. YIKES! After going to Super Saturday, and doing crafts for me and three friends, I raced home and got my beauty ready for our date (thanks for your help Manda, I would have been toast!!).

This was before we left home...the excitement was almost too much for her!

We left plenty early since Mommy doesn't know down town Denver very well anymore. We hit major traffic, but arrived nearly 30 minutes before the show started. Tori was SO excited! I did a little bit of explaining before and during the show.

I stink at self portraits.

Overall she LOVED it! She will say that her favorite part was "when Elphie grew big." For anyone who has seen the show, what she means is during the song Defying Gravity when Elphaba rises up over the stage. She was very concerned about the witch hunt, and when Elphaba and Glinda said their goodbyes. Apparently there are some things that are still a little too real for her to completely let go as pretend.

She thought that the mirrors in the bathroom were awesome. Perfect for a princess to check herself.

Smarty Party

2009-10-26T08:45:00.007-06:00

(I totally stole that title from Mandi...) We had our preschool parties on Thursday because all of next week will be fall break. Lizzie and her class here super hyper, and kind of out of control. The afternoon was significantly calmer...almost too calm. I let Tori go to the afternoon party since her auntie was in charge (and because they aren't allowed to have Halloween parties in school anymore). They had fun. Here are some pics.

Glinda, "Naughty but cute Pirate", Vampire, GI Joe, and Superman

My Princesses met the "Big Princesses"

2009-10-16T22:05:00.004-06:00

Aunt Manda found out that the princesses were going to be right here in Aurora! Of course we had to take advantage of the opportunity. My girls put on their favorite princess dresses and off we went. They were SO excited! The girls that were the princesses were really cute with them, and played it up well. Well, if you can't make it to Disneyland, I guess the costume shop will work.

Team Audrey

2009-10-04T19:54:00.011-06:00

Today was an incredible day! For YEARS Grandma would talk about the Race for the Cure, and say "someday I want to take you all down there, so you can see it for yourselves." We would all agree that someday it would happen. Today we FINALLY did it! It was a truly incredible experience. I can honestly say that I can't remember the last time that I saw my grandma that happy.It was really great to see her for the miracle that she is, as the inspiration that her life brings to so many others who are fighting their own battles. Grandma is a 34 year survivor! Not many women (or men) can say that. I was so amazed to see how many people went out of their way to tell her thank you, or to tell her how much courage she gave them. It is easy to forget what she has been through, but she beat some pretty tough odds, and was among the oldest survivors at the race! The closing ceremony was a little bit difficult to watch. As the doves were released in memory of those who had finished their battles and moved on, the tears were unstoppable. MY GRANDMA FOUGHT AND WON! I am so proud! I am so lucky and so blessed to follow such an incredible legacy, and today I was given a pretty grand reminder of that! Thanks Grandma! We love you so much, and we are SO proud of you!
Before the race we made hats! Each hat was a little different, but pretty much uniform so that people could tell that we were TEAM AUDREY!

Grandma definitely got her 15 minutes of fame today! Her first interview came before we even started the race. Many people stopped our group because they wanted pictures. We started a little early since we had a wheelchair. As our group crossed the start line the race announcer told the racers (probably in the range of 50,000-60,000 people) that Audrey, the 34 year survivor, was starting her race. When we were less than half a mile in the Denver Post reporter stopped us and interviewed grandma.

http://photos.denverpost.com/photogalleries/coloradoimages/#id=album-69890&num=1377588

http://photos.denverpost.com/photogalleries/coloradoimages/#num=1378035&id=album-69890

(We start at about 2 1/2 minutes in. Then we are all the way til the end!)

As we finished the race, 9 News put us on their live broadcast,and then more press took her picture and name at the closing ceremony. The race chairwoman wanted to speak to her!

After all that recognition, I think that the one that meant the most to her was when she was standing up to be recognized for her years of survival. We didn't think that she would make it out of the wheelchair to stand, but there she is...
After we got our Heroes of Hope capes, we decided that we were totally super heroes, as shown by my amazing ability to fly.

Life

2009-09-20T14:19:00.005-06:00

Well, lots of goings on. Lots of busy busy days. Between preschool, my family, and my calling there have been lots of stressful days and big events. Now life is going to slow down. That should be a good thing, right? One would think so, but I have spent a lot of time in tears. I was released on Thursday (an publicly today) from the BEST calling in the world. I call this my "have your cake and eat it too" calling. As the second counselor in the stake Young Women I got to have so many incredible experiences, see the inner workings of things, be with the yw, and still attend my ward, sit in RS, etc. I wasn't shouldering the main burdens (those are for the president), but I had enough to keep me busy, motivated, and excited. Most of all, I got to gain a really incredible testimony for Heavenly Father's love for each of us, and his desire to support and care for the youth. I am so sad that I will no longer be the one that gets the opportunity to share those messages with the young people in the Arapahoe Stake, but I am at peace knowing that the women that replaced us today will work hard to share the Lord's light with his youth. I am so thankful for the last 27 months and all that I have learned. I am thankful for the wonderful leaders that I have had the chance to work with, and the incredible youth I have had the chance to get to know. I hope that they will all know how much they were loved by us, and how much love and support they will always have!

Now the scary part...what comes next? Cub Scouts? Nursery? Yikes, have I jinxed myself just by mentioning them? Only time will tell.

I almost forgot to add what a sweet princess I have. As I sat silently crying in my row, Lizzie looked up at me and said:
L: "Mommy, why are you crying?"
M: "Remember how Mommy works with the young women?"
L: "Yeah."
M: "Well, they said that they don't need Mommy to do that anymore. Now it is somebody else's turn. Heavenly Father wanted me to be finished with that job."
L: "Well, that's ok Mommy. Next time it will be your turn again, and Heavenly Father will say that you can do that job again (cocking her head slightly) someday."

Yup...someday! I sure hope she's right! She is such a good comforter. She sat and held me for several minutes after that! SUCH A SWEETIE!

Statistics

2009-09-08T12:00:00.009-06:00

Last week we took Owen and Lizzie to the doctor. Owen was retested for RTA. We were hoping that they would tell us that there was no need for medication anymore. Unfortunately he has actually gotten worse. So sad! More medicine it is. He is 22.7 (10%) pounds...yup...that's it. Not even 22 1/2, but so close! He is 30 3/4 inches tall (25%), and his head is averaging out a little to 47 1/2 (50%). That's my big head baby!

Lizzie is up to the 50% mark in weight at 30.2 lbs. Way to go Liz! Her height is 37 3/4 (60%). Where did this average sized child come from anyway? I know you are all bored by this info, but hey--I am a terrible record keeper, so this is for me.

Mommy's First Day of Preschool

2009-09-08T12:00:00.008-06:00

Mommy's first day of preschool looked something like this...

(Trying to hide as many faces from public view as possible...)

We had a great time! It is so different to be a teacher in this setting! I've taught in public elementary school, in a private preschool, and now in my OWN preschool. This is by FAR my favorite! This year is going to be FABULOUS! I can't believe that we are already starting to register for next year?!?

Lizzie's First Day of Preschool

2009-09-08T12:00:00.006-06:00

Pretty pumped to be wearing her new back pack and purple polka dots! She is all about purple right now!

She has a really great teacher!

Lizzie had a great first day of school. She was pretty excited to start at Smarty Pants Preschool...well, actually, I think she just likes to say "Smawty Pants Pweschool!" The best part is the drive time! HA!

Standing next to the same door as her sister did...let's see how they measure up next year...

First day of school 'do. It's all about the big purple flower!

Boy

2009-08-31T22:48:00.002-06:00

Boy: (noun) a noise with dirt on it

Talent show

2009-08-30T16:23:00.004-06:00

On Friday night, our ward had a Primary Talent Show. I must admit then when I arrived and saw 30 acts I was a little concerned. I was super impressed though! They were super organized. Everything was thought through and well executed! Way to go guys! Tori performed with her cousin, Lily. It was adorable! They sang and danced to the first half of the song "Popular" from the show WICKED! I may be slightly biased, but THEY WERE SO DANG CUTE!!

Kindergarten...already?

2009-08-24T09:19:00.005-06:00

Yup. She's official! I can't stand it, but I also can't change it. My baby is in real school. She was so excited. She has been there for about an hour and a half now...I hope she is as happy as she was when I left her. This is how she looked when she left...

Here Manda--I get in trouble for not taking hair pics, so here you go!

At the school with her cousins.

She was excited to have her buddy Shane in her class.

I am pretty sure that this face means "Mom, are you seriously crying?"

Coming out after school with Ms. TeoLyn

Tori and Ms. TeoLyn

This was her kindergarten interview day...just 'cause she's so cute, I had to post some of these too.

The common thread? The child can't go outside without sunglasses...

Susie's Visit

2009-08-23T16:18:00.002-06:00

This post is really late in coming, but I just got the pics this week, and I had to put them up. The kids (and I) LOVE spending time with Aunt Susie. She spoils them rotten, but most importantly, she loves them, and they love her!

Night Owl

2009-08-23T15:39:00.002-06:00

Liz is a night owl. There are no two ways about it. The child is also an incredible procrastinator. Going to bed has become quite a task for her. The routine has always been enough before, but now...

Wednesday night--before she made it around the corner to see Tom and I sitting on the couch I said "Liz--what do you need."
"I need to tell you something."
"What?"
"Mom--no drinks on the new carpet."
"Thanks...now go to bed. Mommy will take my cup to the table. Good night."
"Good night." (all smiles, and up to bed)

Thursday night--"Liz--if you get out of bed, Mommy will take away your sleeping mask."
"Ok Mommy."
an hour or so later
"Liz--why are you out of bed?"
"I missed you."
"Ok, give me your sleeping mask."
"Ok, here." She brought it down with her, knowing the consequences. Snot! She starts to walk away.
"Eliza--if you come downstairs again, Mommy will take away your lion."
"Ok Mommy, but guess what...I won't even be sad if you take my sleeping mask and my lion."
ARGGGGHHHHH!

Friday night--we were out in a date, and she terrorized her poor auntie. Thanks for putting up with her Nini.

The saga continues...wish me luck tonight.

Swimming Lessons

2009-08-15T19:53:00.005-06:00

Well, we are wrapping up another summer, and that means we have one more level of swim lessons completed! The girls were both in swim lessons this year without a parent. YAY! O was in parent and tot this year. The girls loved their teachers. This was the first year we have been in classes that were this full. Tori has always been a little bit hesitant when in comes to water (and almost everything else). This year was totally different. Liz wasn't afraid of anything, and Tori was bent on topping everything that her sister did. Tori was so proud to be going under water by herself. Then Liz started going under for several seconds at a time. Let the contest begin! Every time Liz learned to do something, Tori did it better. Liz didn't really care, she was just happy to be doing it. The whole thing was fun to watch, especially as the weeks went on. The highlight for both girls was definitely the last day of lessons when they got to go down the water slide!

Owen--well...he was definitely a fish in another life. He learned very quickly to blow bubbles, kick, and even pull with his arms. Going under the water was a treat for him, but nothing compared to being able to go in the water without being held. The baby pool was his "happy place!"

Next year Tori will be a starfish, Liz will be a guppy, and O will be... with me again.

My Girl

2009-08-06T17:03:00.004-06:00

Her fortune (for-chin...lol) said "You are always entertaining and delightful." She really is too!

Typical bruise covered Liz...this was today's injury. You can't really see how bad the bruise is, but..

Millions of Peaches....

2009-08-06T16:35:00.004-06:00

PEACHES FOR ME! Ok, so not millions, but it felt that way. There were six workers, 2 days of work, and 225 lbs of peaches. We made: canned peaches, frozen peaches, peach jam, peach syrup, and peach fruit leather. YUM! It was a lot of work, and it was really HOT! SO worth it!

Still in his 20's

2009-07-26T21:56:00.003-06:00

Happy birthday to the love of my life...even though I am a little bitter that he is still in his 20's and I'm not anymore. He got kinda jipped since his bday landed on a Sunday this year, so I hope that our celebration yesterday, and a little today will do. Today was super unexciting, since he had meetings starting early and I had meetings tonight, but he got some presents and the kids sang to him several times. The girls were disappointed that he wouldn't let them pick out his clothes today, but after their choice for my bday outfit I think that he was a little nervous. (Did I forget to mention that in my bday post? Yeah--they wanted me to wear my wedding dress to the museum. I tried it on, and YES it still fit!! YAY FOR ME! They were excited that I "looked like a princess", but still not museum attire.)

Yesterday we had a big breakfast, went to the farmer's market, etc. Then Tom and I went out to dinner, went bowling, wandered around... He was excited because for his special day he wanted to make me watch my bowling ball all the way down the alley. For anyone who has been bowling with me, you know that this was pure torture. For the man of my dreams, I did it. Dang, I must really like him! Anyway--happy birthday baby! I love you so much! Laugh it up now baby...when you hit thirty...

Crappy cell phone pics, but proof we were there, right?

Thirty?!?

2009-07-21T22:44:00.002-06:00

I wasn't going to do a bday post for myself, but my friends guilted me into it.
So, here you go...thirty? You can't be serious! In my head I am still 22...yes, 22. I'm not sure why, but for some reason, that is the age that sticks. It is definitely NOT that strange number with a 3 in the front! I am struggling just a little bit. I really loved my twenties. I did a lot of great stuff in my twenties...I got married, graduated from college, started my career, had three beautiful children, moved several times, and more recently, learned to run and ran some big races, and learned a lot about myself. I will miss my twenties, and that young feeling that you get when you tell people that you are still in your twenties, but oh well. I am sure my thirties will be great! I got to celebrate my big bday with Susie and my three little ones at the museum. We had a lot of fun. Then my hubby brought me roses and took me out to a fabulous dinner at a great Indian restaurant. Then we went shopping...he even suffered through Archiver's with very few complaints. My real hero! I get to celebrate again in August when we go to Cirque Du Soleil! YAY! That will be so fun! So there you go. Quit bugging me about posting my bday....

Girls Camp

2009-07-19T15:50:00.009-06:00

I SURVIVED! Eleven years of girls camps...wow! It was a great week. I think that overall things went well. Other than the sneaky appearance of "Camp Jenn" and the lack of sleep, we had a really great time. A big shout out to Cami for putting up with me all day and all night for 3 1/2 days! That is a truly impressive feat!

PRECAMP--JC Sleepover on Friday night...so fun! We were thrilled to finally see what we had been working for...the JC spirit of camp/fun! These girls really pulled it out, even if I was super tired when I finally went home.

Day 1--Departure time 5:40 AM...SO TIRED! We got the JC's up there, got set up, and prepared for the rest of the girls.

Day 2--By far the hardest day for me! I ended up in charge of planning and executing the hikes at the last minutes which was super stressful. I am so thankful for the people that helped out in my last minute panic! I think that overall they went well. I know that the poor little second years struggled, but they had some really great experiences. I think that many people on that hike came back with stronger testimonies, friendships, and with a greater understanding of how much they can really do if they are pushed. Certification was next, which was also my baby...is anybody surprised that this was the day that "Camp Jenn" made a brief, but potent appearance? It was a little choppy, but they were able to certify all the things that I had planned. The skits that night were really great! So many creative girls and leaders...plus, the stake skit was hilarious, at least to us!

Day 3--GAMES! The games were well planned, well executed, and super fun! I ended up with some hilarious stories, and only one opportunity to clean up puke! Then more certification...a little better on the second day! We got to end this day on a great spiritual high! The men came up to cook the girls' dinner. Then we had a short awards ceremony and devotional and split into wards for testimonies.

Day 4--HOME! We had another great devotional, yearbook signing party, etc. I got home around 2:00 PM and I am still trying desperately to catch up on sleep!

It was a long week on all counts. I am so thankful that Grammy and Grampy could come and take care of my family while I was gone. Here is a litte look at their week...

The traditional Grammy shake picture.