Scott and Kari Wendt family

Getting ready for surgery

2012-01-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

So this picture has really nothing to do with this post but I thought it was nice...lol. I am preparing to go to the hospital on Monday and it so different than my situation in August. This time, I have all this time to get ready. I have babysitters lined up for a week for my boys, menu planned out, and my overnight bag packed. Yesterday I went to the hospital for a prescreen and filled out a million paperwork (well not really a million but it seemed like it) and they poked me and took some blood and urine sample. I have a doctor appointment tomorrow to make sure I am healthy enough for the surgery and also Friday the hospital will call and tell what time my surgery is Monday. It is coming too fast. It used to be this far off date and now it is here. I am having a hysterectomy and even though I know I need to have this surgery, a part of me is sad. I know that I have five kids and I feel incredibly blessed and Scott and I have felt the closure that our family is complete but I still am working through it. Anyway, I am glad to get this done and over with Monday and then I can start the business of recovering and getting back to normal. I guess I feel a little resentful about this surgery...I just want to say "I can't do this I have too many things to do! I have a household to run! I don't have time for this. It cost money that we don't have and it is going to lay me up for a few weeks." Grrrr! But, I know that I need to take care of myself and in the long run, in taking care of myself, I can take care of my family better. Anyway, I will be relieved to get this done and hopefully my recovery won't be long. Wish me luck.

Fun with food.

2012-01-12T11:34:00.000-07:00

I've had so much fun with my new cookbooks. I also got a Our Best Bites cookbook that I absolutely love! I have not been cooking up a storm like I used to. One of the reasons is I will spend all this time cooking and kill myself over it and I'm exhausted and then I serve it and my kids will complain about it what we're eating and not eat it. Well, one of my New Year's Resolutions is to cook and bake because I enjoy it and not being discouraged by my family's response. Just looking at the pretty food pictures and reading the cookbooks have brought me joy. So, the first week of January, I made two new recipes that I hadn't made before and I absolutely loved them! I have never loved food more. It has been so fun to have fun with food. I have a picture of my Chocolate and Fruit Trifle here. I made it for the holidays and it was so fun to make it and have people enjoy eating it. There is nothing better for me than to have people enjoy food that I cook. Having said that, I have been trying to help my husband eat healthier. I have been counting calories for him and encouraging our whole family to exercise and eat healthier. I'm getting ready for a surgery in three weeks and I am trying to take care of myself and get myself in the best condition I can be before then. My new cookbooks have some great recipes that are less calories and taste so good. I'm going to try to make some and share some on my food blog. It is fun to be excited about something!

Holiday Letter 2011

2011-12-08T10:18:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2012! I love this time of year. As fun as this season has been already, I keep thinking about how great last year was. Scott was unemployed and the blessings and love poured in. I can't believe how many people thought of us and gave us gifts during the season last year. I was so touched by all the friends, family and even acquaintances thought of us and gave us gifts. This year, my thoughts have been about how I can help others and also to share the spirit of giving to others with my children. Christmas brings out the best in all of us and I love the traditions, the good feelings, the caroling, the giving. Well, enough reflections...on to the recap of a wonderful year.
Scott graduated from Provo College after a hard year of working all day and going to school at nights. The kids sometimes wouldn't see him as he would leave before they got up and would come home when they were in bed. It was exhausting but he did it! He has a degree in Computer Network Administration. He spoke at the graduation ceremony at the American Fork Tabernacle and we are so proud of him! Also, this summer he built a drinking fountain in our backyard which has been a lot of fun. He worked on his shed that he built two years finally doing the windows and putting on a door! Better late than never. He has been wonderful at spending time with the kids on the weekends and even though he didn't have a big quantity of time to give, he has given plenty of quality! At church, he teaches Elders quorum once a month.
I (Kari) have had some health issues this year but I'm grateful to be feeling "back to normal." In August, I was in the hospital with a horrible infection and got my appendix out. After five days in the hospital, I came home the night before the new year school year began. But thanks to lots of loving friends and family, I made it through! I will be having another surgery in a couple of months but I think it will be better this time around since I'm expecting it and I can prepare for it! I have scaled back my life considerably and have just been having fun with my two boys at home. They both are old enough for preschool but I've kept them home with me and we have had a ball learning and playing together. I am celebrating two years as Primary president. I love my calling and I think I am so lucky to work with such a great presidency and I have the best group of kids in the whole church. Also, I enjoy watching The Biggest Loser and Wizards of Waverly.
Kael earned his Eagle Scout award making his mother very happy!! He has been enjoying his BioTechnology class in school and has aspirations to work in a lab and be a scientist someday. He is graduating from Mountain View High this coming May 2012 and preparing to go on a church mission. He enjoyed our Thanksgiving trip up to Idaho and wishes he could spend more time with his cousins (especially Dallin and Clay!) He has been doing very well in school and has earned 27 college credits through concurrent enrollment and is working on more this year. His mom is so proud of how well he is doing in his Pre-Calculus Honors class this year which is a very difficult class. He is looking forward to the Band tour this spring to Disneyland.
Kalli started Junior high this year and made the honor roll. She has worked really hard and I'm so proud of her. She enjoys her science class and she likes singing in the choir. Her favorite things to do are to listen to her MP3 player and you will always find a book in her hand (like mother, like daughter!) She really enjoys being with her friends. At the beginning of 2011, she was busy starring in the ward roadshow and then starred in the school play as Peter Pan. Her fab short hair cut is finally growing out. Kalli is officially a teenager and a great help at home!
Aidan turned eight this summer and was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has enjoyed being in Cub Scouts and is working hard to earn his Wolf rank. Aidan is my sports boy. He loves to watch any sport with his dad on TV and this summer he got to participate in Karate class and basketball camp. He also enjoyed his swimming lessons. He loves playing soccer at recess and is very active!
Aaron graduated from preschool in May and barely missed the deadline in September for kindergarten. He loves learning and he is so excited that he can read. He also does a good job writing. He will be well prepared when he starts school next fall. He is my Veggie Tales fan. He has seen every movie and loves anything to do with Veggie Tales! Also, he and his brother Ammon have recently become fans of Dora and Diego since we just got Netflix and they have enjoyed watching the shows.
Ammon is the baby of the family although he is anything but a baby! This summer he did a great job becoming potty-trained making mom happy to have a diaper free house forever! He is looking forward to being a Sunbeam at church in January and is growing too fast! He loves following his big brothers around and doing what they are doing. He and Aaron often fight over mom's lap.
So there you have it. We have a great year! We enjoyed the Wendt Family Reunion in July and enjoyed being with the Kraig Wendts in Idaho Falls during Thanksgiving. Holidays and birthdays are so fun to celebrate with the Pyne's and we love spending time with all our family and friends. Merry Christmas!

Christmas decorations

2011-12-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

We put up our Christmas tree last week. I wanted to put some outside lights up but it has been so cold, I have been a wimp and not wanted to go outside to do it. By the time I talk myself into it, Christmas will be over! I love Christmas traditions! The family had so much fun listening to Christmas music and putting up the tree together. And Scott didn't have school that night so he was able to be there with us to help. That was a real treat. I am so grateful for the rich life that I enjoy.

Aaron is reading

2011-12-05T10:45:00.000-07:00

Aaron is five and just missed the deadline for kindergarten by five days. I have been teaching him how to read. We checked out a book from the library, the Macomber reading phonics series, and he has been so excited to be reading. These are the books that Kalli learned how to read when she was four years old. One day, Aaron was reading to me and every page we would clap and he would scream and giggle he was so excited! Learning to read is so exciting!

Scott's graduation

2011-12-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

tomorrow is Scott's last night of school! hallelujah!!! He had his graduation ceremony last Saturday morning but he has class tomorrow night (finals) which is kind of funny. But anyway, my mom and dad, aunt and grandma and all the kids and I went to his graduation ceremony at the AF tabernacle. Scott was one of the four speakers that spoke. I am so proud of him. For a year now he has been going to school. He started out when he was unemployed and went to school hoping to find a job. In January, he was hired at Novarad but he decided to finish what he started. So now he has a degree in Computer Network Administration. In January, when he started work, we knew it would be a long road with him working in the day and going to school at night. It has been hard for the kids not to see their dad all week...just on the weekends. He would go to work at 6 a.m. and come home at 10 p.m. But after tomorrow, we will have to adjust to him being home in the evenings again. Congrats, my honey.

Veggie Tale Show

2011-11-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

These are pics of Aaron and our Veggie Tales puppet show. Even though Aaron is not in kindergarten yet, he is learning so much this year. He is reading now and I'm so proud of him. We have been having fun on the StarFall site and learning how to read. I checked out a phonics book from the library that Kalli learned to read from years ago and Aaron is doing fabulous. He is also practicing his writing and I have no doubt that he will be ready for school next year. We printed out these Veggie Tales characters from their website and made little puppets and the boys had a ball putting on a puppet show. We are having a great time together this year.

Never a Dull Moment!

2011-11-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

I blogged almost three years ago about clean out my fridge and I'm ashamed to say that it's been three years now since we cleaned the fridge. It was overdue. But Saturday we were forced into it! ;-) We came back from Idaho Saturday afternoon at about 1:00 p.m. and had lunch. We had a little bit of milk left so Kael pours himself a huge bowl of cereal and pours the milk. He grimaces and says, "This milk tastes funny!" He ended up throwing it out. Later, Scott discovered that the fridge was off. We don't know who but it was either Ammon or Aaron who turned it off before we left on our trip. So the freezer was basically thawed and the fridge was not cold. Everything was ruined. This is a picture of Scott cleaning out the freezer. I could not stomach it. He had his rubber glove and he cleaned out the gooey mess on the bottom of the freezer. It was really bad. I threw away two full garbage bags of food. (Then I went grocery shopping to restock!) The silver lining is that now the fridge and freezer is sparkling clean and restocked with fresh food (including condiments). Never a dull moment around the Wendt household. Next time we go on a long trip, I will definitely check to make sure the fridge is on but I would have never thought to do that before!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. This year we spent in Idaho Falls with Scott's brother and his family. His brother had his married kids and college kids there for the holiday too so it was a full house! Two of Scott's sisters and their families also joined us for Thanksgiving dinner so we had about 32 people. We had a great weekend hanging out, playing games and enjoying family. On Thursday, I actually watched a little football which I don't usually do but it was just great being with the family. More later....

Sometimes it is really hard to choose the right

2011-11-10T09:05:00.001-07:00

Today I am trying really hard to be positive. Every dish in my house is dirty, I have been ignored by kids all morning and I just feel lazy. I hope I'm not the only one that has days like this. I want to choose the right very badly and just clean the house and be a perfect, patient mom but I can't tell you how tempting it is to just be selfish. Maybe, turn the TV on all day for the kids and curl up on the couch with a good book. Or let the kids eat all their Halloween candy in their room while I watch Netflix. Sigh. Well, I have had my fantasy. Now on to being positive: Since it is Thanksgiving month, I thought I would write down some of my blessings. I am so grateful for a good husband that works so hard. Without him, I wouldn't be able to stay-at-home with my boys which is so satisfying (no matter how much I complain.) I am so grateful for good friends that lift me and encourage me. Everyone has their trials and if we can just keep plugging away and do the best we can and be cheerful, we will be okay. Enough blogging; time to go play "school" with my boys and see if I can get those darn dishes clean. (I should have added to the list after giving the kids candy ,"blog while my boys jump off the couch over and over upstairs but since that was actually happening while I was blogging, it wasn't really a fantasy!)

Postscript to my last entry

2011-11-07T15:46:00.000-07:00

So I finally got into the doctor today and I do have a nasty infection. I will be taking two antibiotics but it is nice to get it taken care of. She also wants me to go in for another ultrasound to make sure things are okay. I'm glad that I didn't have a lot planned this week! It is Thanksgiving month, so I want to say how thankful I am for friends and family. it is nice to know how much love and support I have.

Here we go again....

2011-11-07T11:20:00.001-07:00

It's funny how life has its hills and valleys. Lately, I have just been reflecting on how important it is to have a good attitude during the bad times. It is so hard though. Friday night, Scott and I got to go on a date...it's been such a long time since we have been out together alone. We had dinner at Subway sandwiches and then went to 3D Harry Potter 7.2 at the "Dollar Movie" which was awesome. Being out with Scott was awesome and the movie was awesome too. After the movie, I felt achy and sore but I thought that was because I had been sitting so long. But, it got worse as the night went on and the next morning, it wasn't any better. I felt uncomfortable all weekend and I have all the symptoms that I had just before I went to the hospital two months ago: achy and sore, last night-a fever of 101.5F, being too hot, then too cold, loss of appetite and the pain in my gut...I'm thinking my infection is back. So, I call the doctor this morning to make an appointment and they transfer to me to the nurse. I get the voicemail and I left a detailed message. After waiting 90 minutes, I call back and say I really need to make an appointment. Well they won't see me today unless the nurse approves it. So, meanwhile I am just trying to be patient and wait for the nurse to call. It's hard for me to wait because once I decide to do something, I want to just do it and get it done. The doctor told me last month that it was my choice whether to do the hysterectomy or not but if my infection came back, I really needed to get it done. So, I know that's what has to happen and now I'm just impatient to get things scheduled and done so I can enjoy my holidays. Well, it's not going to work out exactly how I want it to and I need to just be patient. But it is hard. Anyway, I'm not so sore that I need to go to the emergency room or instacare..I'm just uncomfortable and I can wait and be patient. Scott and our hometeacher, Jeff gave me a blessing last night and this morning I woke up without a fever and without aches and pains. what a blessing. But I know that I need to take care of this still and I will...it is just taking more time than I want. I don't want to wait my turn :-). Anyway, my goal this time around is to be more cheerful and more patient with my kids. I can see why some people that deal with chronic sickness are grouchy because it is not fun to not feel well! Wish me luck!

Happy Halloween

2011-11-03T11:43:00.000-06:00


The Mullinator

Aaron

Kari


my little fire fighter!


Jedi Knight


Super "Y" LOL!


fire fighter and fisherman

We had a fun Halloween weekend this year. Our ward party was lunch and trunk-or-treat in the afternoon and I was so glad we went. I won a gift card to Target for my witch costume which surprised me (a lot) but it was a lot of fun. the kids collected way to much candy. Then Monday we got to go to Scott's work and they had a trick-or-treating thing there and the kids again got more candy....halloween night we went to Grandma and Grandpa Pyne's house and had fun celebrating there. The kids got yet more candy...sigh. But we enjoyed mom's homemade hamburger soup and chili and pizza. it was fun to visit and hang out together with my extended family. The kids had fun dressing up but by Monday, Ammon was done wearing his costume so he went around as himself. Halloween has been a difficult holiday for me to like...I am not creative and it is hard for me to think up costumes and I don't like all the candy. I actually gave out Halloween pencils this year. not that I was home a lot that night to give them out since I was partying at the Pyne's but oh, well! We had a fun holiday weekend though and now we have Thanksgiving to look forward to!

October 13th musings

2011-10-13T13:48:00.000-06:00

It has been a long time since I have blogged so I thought I would take a minute. My laptop (which is 11 years old anyway!) is dying a long, slow death and I have to go downstairs in our basement to use the computer there and it is a lot harder. I love the convenience of my laptop because I can monitor my kids better. Excuses, excuses. So I feel like I am pretty much recovered now from my surgery 2 months ago. I've got my old energy back and it has been great. I'm still struggling keeping my weight up though. I'm going to the doctor today to check my THS number to see if I need to up my thyroid medication. when they tested it 6 weeks ago I was almost at a 12 and you are supposed to be between 1-4. We shall see what it is today. I have faithfully taken my medication everyday :-)
It has been great to cut back my activities to the bare minimum. I have spent some really good quality time with my boys each day and I have just been enjoying them. It has been nice to be home when my older kids get home from school and be with them and help with homework and listen. Not that I didn't do this last year, but I think that I have done a ton more of being home now and that has been a good thing. I keep thinking about how time flies so fast and next year I will have all my kids in school. I am just trying to enjoy Ammon and Aaron at home as much as possible. We have had fun "Playing" school. Aaron is practicing his writing and he can even read some small words now. He loves it when he finds the word "the" because he recognizes it. He will be reading before he goes to kindergarten next year. Well, okay, he is reading already! Just a little. It is an exciting time. So I have a movie of his fifth birthday downloaded. He really enjoyed it.
Our primary program is this sunday and the kids will do a great job but I will be relieved when it is over. I am coming up on my 2nd anniversary as Primary president and I can't believe it has almost been two years. When I was first called, I just didn't know how I would ever do it. It seemed so overwhelming but I have learned so many good lessons in my calling and I hope that I am not done yet. I have learned to rely on the Lord more and to trust the revelation He gives me. I know that this is His church not mine and I am just an instrument in his hands. I have learned to have more patience and more love but as always, it is a work in progress :-) I'm not perfect, of course, and I make mistakes but I keep trying.

2011-09-14T09:25:00.000-06:00

We have three birthdays in our family in September, Kalli, Aaron and Scott. We celebrated Aaron and Kalli's on Labor Day at my grandma's. Kalli was really happy because she got to spend the weekend overnight with my mom and dad and they took her to Harry Potter Part 2. So I got her this little book on the making of the movie and she was pretty happy. The only thing that Kalli wanted for her birthday was an IPOD touch or an IPOD. She has spent many months trying to convince Scott and I that she really needs one. Well, she didn't get those but she got a less expensive MP3 player (not from Wal-mart so therefore not a piece of junk) She was really excited about that even though it wasn't an IPOD touch. She has really enjoyed listening to her music. and we got her and armband that she put the MP3 player in and not have to carry it around in her hand. So she was pretty happy. Aaron got just what he wanted: three Veggie Tale movies. He has been in heaven. So we had a pretty fun time celebrating birthdays. Aaron turned five but missed the deadline for school so he has to wait till next year to go to kindergarten. Kalli is a teenager now and so I have two! So weird.
We finally succombed and this past week signed up for Netflix (which we really have enjoyed) and so now Aaron can watch all the Veggie Tales he wants. Although, I have been being careful about how much time we spend in front of the T.V. It is really easy to get out of control and just watch Netflix all day. But, we have made an effort to be productive and in the mornings, after the older ones go to school, the little boys and I play school. We read books and practice writing and go on websites like Starfall.com that have some really fun educational games. It is great to be getting back to normal. I am up to 102 pounds now and my appetite is back. I am still trying to get my energy level back but other than that, I think I'm back to "normal". I have really scaled back my life though and I'm really trying to concentrate on my family and being there for my kids when they get home from school. Who knows, maybe in a few weeks I'll feel like doing more but right now I'm happy to just live as simple as possible. Life is Good.

Eagle Scout!

2011-09-08T20:45:00.000-06:00

Kael had his Eagle Board of Review tonight and passed! I am so excited. It has been such a long road and a lot of hard work and he did it! And as you can see in the picture, I am feeling better. Today is the first day in a month that I have done my hair and makeup. it feels good to feel good again. Anyway, Kael's Eagle Court of Honor will hopefully be soon and I will take lots of pictures. Only three more boys to go!

Waiting for Normal.

2011-09-04T09:22:00.000-06:00

It is hard to believe it is September! I love the smell of Fall in the air. I love the cooler days and I love that my kids are back into routine. The first week was a rough one for us. Trying to adjust me being home from the hospital and still being so sick and trying to get the routine of school down. My kids were troopers. They have been doing the dishes, the laundry and keeping the house, well semi-clean.... and staying up with their schoolwork. What an accomplishment. We have missed Scott more than ever this week. He has been going to school till 10 p.m. a lot the whole week so we don't get to see him until the weekends. The one thing that I really enjoyed the first week, was being home and being able to sit down individually with each child and ask them about school and how they felt about life, etc. It has been a good thing for me to scale way back and just get to the basics: Get me well and concentrate on the family. The first week I was home, I was just so sick, couldn't eat, always in the bathroom. I came home at 120 lbs of mostly retaining water and by the end of the week I was 97 lbs. I just felt so out of whack and not myself. I felt a little better Sunday Aug. 28th and felt my appetite coming back but Monday I went to see the doctor and they could see I wasn't do very well. I found out this second week I was home that I got thrush which is on your tongue. Food tasted way funny to me and that didn't help me trying to put weight back on. So a turning point was when I got more medication to get rid of my thrush, and a pill for my thyroid which I will be taking for another six weeks before the re-evaluate and see if it something I need to stay on for the rest of my life. My mom, grandma and aunt all take medication for thyroid so it runs in the family. I really hate weighing so less. I can't sit because I can feel my bony behind and it is just uncomfortable. I am encouraged that I have been able to eat more since I finished my antibiotics and I'm on this new medication. Food is no longer distasteful and I can enjoy it again! So my kids are jealous because I tell them to go do their jobs but my job is to eat. They want to trade me jobs! I think the biggest turning point for me was when my attitude changed from hopelessness to hope. It was such a shot in the arm to get some help this week from my mom. with my boys and just being there helping me through my sickness. I feel like I can conquer this and get back to normal but it will just take time. And that is what is hard. I feel like I'm healing up but I'm still just soooo tired. I go to one trip to the store and I am spent. I will be so glad when I can do my "normal" things and just be me and not be tired. Really I'm not complaining: so many people have it so much harder than I do. It is just hard for me to be patient and wait for me to be all the way better. And I know it will happen....it is just so slow and it is a process...not a quick fix. Meanwhile, I am just in awe of all the many people who have been so willing to serve me and help our family. I feel so much love. And I know soon that I will be back in the position where I will be serving others again too. That is what this life is for, right. Helping and serving one another and when someone is down to help them up. Meanwhile, I am resting, and eating and trying to have a good attitude and doing everything that I am supposed to be doing and that is helping me heal faster. But I am still waiting for normal.

Health Difficulties

2011-08-22T22:07:00.000-06:00

So here's the story. If you make it through you should get an award. I had a really busy weekend Aug 5-7 and after church sunday the 7th I just crashed. I had body aches and chills and just didn't feel well. The rest of the week, I had some abdominal tenderdness but it really wasn't sharp and I just thought I would push through it. The kids had swim lessons, get them read for school, live life right? No time to be sick when you are a mom. And the whole week I didn't feel like eating and I had dropped five pounds. My husband urged me to see the doctor but I silly over such a small thing. Finally Wednesday a.m. I was feeling crappy enough that I picked up the phone and went to see my Family practicitioner. I got my jr. high student registered for school, our van died so my sister gave me a ride to the doctor. She thought I had diverticulitis and sent me to the UVRMC outpatient center where they did a pic in radiology. I had to drink 6 cups of dye in a hour and I hadn't eaten since 11 a.m. that morning. AFter the pics were developed, the doctors could see right away it wasn't anything wrong with my bowels but I had some serious infection by female parts that looked serious. They couldn't quite see it clearly so they sent me to the Emergency Room immediately about 5:30 p.m. and admitted me. We mostly waited for the doctor who had two deliveries (babies have their own schedule!) and so about 11 p..m. he came to talk to me. He couldn't tell if the infection was touching my appendix but just to make sure, he had a general surgeon be there too. So finally at midnight, they wheeled me into the Operating Room to do a Laparscopic surgery...it ended up that I had some drainage one side and a lot of icky infection and it was spreading to my appendix. My appendix was swollen so rather than take any chances, they just took it out. So I was walking around for 10 days with yucky infection that could have killed me and I'm lucky to be alive. Moral of the story, don't be proud to check something out at the doctor's. It is actually funny that I feel much worse coming out of this than I did going on. My recoveries from my 5 c-sections were fast and I bounced back like that. This is a trial for me definitely because I want to do everything for everybody and I've got to take care of me first. I am so grateful for all of my family and friends and neighbors that have just stepped up to help me without asking. This week, the stumbling block will be making myself eat and drink since I really don't feel like it but I know if I keep doing the things I am supposed to, I will mend. It just seems soooo slowwww. And this is a perfect opportunity for my kids to step up and do things (chores) that I know they can do...they just know if they wait long enough mom will come help. well not this time. :-) I will try and be positive and I know that will help.

Gearing up for a new school year

2011-08-16T07:12:00.000-06:00

The last week or so, I have really been not feeling my best. I hate to complain because I know there are those out there that deal with chronic pain every day and I have had it easy compared to them. I just have not felt up to par which is really unusual for me because I tend to enjoy wonderful health. I have had to make a greater effort to be kinder to my family because I get really grumpy when I'm not feeling well. It is a fact of life for me that when I'm not feeling well, I still get to do my mom duties. I am grateful to be a mom but sometimes, it would be nice to just be sick and not have to do anything and not have to worry about anybody. Enough of that. I'm on the mend just in time for school to start!
Next week, school starts for three of my children. Aaron has an appointment to be tested for preschool but we won't know if he made it in until maybe the 29th. If he doesn't, then we will have a fun year with two little boys at home and if he does, Ammon and I will have some alone time which will be nice. We will just have to see what happens. This year, I have three different schools to keep track of. Aidan is in elementary, Kalli is at the jr. high and Kael is a senior in high school. Three different schedules....but we have had so much together time this summer, my kids are ready for some space. I'm excited for them to go back to school and do some life learning, academic learning and social learning. We have shopped for new school clothes, got the school supplies and are ready for a great school year! Hooray for school! (And really; where did the summer go...it went so fast!!!)

Cub Scouts

2011-08-02T11:08:00.000-06:00

Aidan is our newest cub scout! I have mixed feelings about that. I think scouting is a great program. It is so much work! Kael did his Eagle project last year at this time and he still doesn't have his Eagle. I am hoping that he gets his paperwork in this week so we can get it all wrapped up. He worked so hard, I would just feel horrible if he didn't get it. We went to an Eagle Court of Honor on Sunday for two boys in our ward that got their Eagle and honestly, it was so hard for me to sit through it. I was trying not to get emotional but it is hard not to get discouraged and feel bad that Kael doesn't have his Eagle yet. But, I need to just keep up the faith and know that we will get through this and he will receive it. So Aidan is so excited to be in scouts now and he has his first meeting this week. I told him that he better get his Eagle when he is 14. but I better get used to the scouting scene because Aaron will be a cub scout when Aidan is in boy scouts and Ammon is two years behind Aaron. We will be scouters for a very long time!

High school Reunion (20th!)

2011-08-02T10:57:00.000-06:00


Me, my friends Kim Koller Blair and Debbie Ellis Hong


Our senior class pres Mike Whimpey and his wife Annette


Me and my friend Brian Beamont and his wife Jennifer

me and my (2nd) cousin Adrienne Pyne

Me and my friends Marie and Melissa

So 20 years ago I graduated from Mountain View High School. So hard to believe it has been so long. What is really strange is having a son that is a senior at Mountain View! I really don't feel that old and I forget that the years are rolling on by until I attend thing like this! I really had a good time. We had it at the UVU Ballroom and it was so fun to recognize so many people from my past. So good to say hello and catch up with what was going on in other people's lives. Scott really doesn't care for this kind of thing but he loves me so he came with me. He was so awesome. He sat at the table and waiting for me as I buzzed around the room. The dinner was really good but I was more interested in visiting than I was in eating food. When I got home, I was so hungry! But, anyway, I'm really glad that I went and I'm so glad that we have such awesome school officers that do these reunions because they are a lot of work.

Happy 3rd to Ammon

2011-08-02T10:43:00.000-06:00

Ammon had an awesome birthday a few days ago. My baby is three years old. Wow! it goes too fast. When I started this blog, he was just a newborn and I was in survival mode. Since then, life has settled down a bit but at the same time gotten busier. As we move into a stage without newborn babies, there are things I miss (love having a sweet baby around) but other things I don't miss (being in survival mode!) Anyway, in these pictures, Ammon really enjoyed playing with the new little plane he got for his birthday. Also, he got a blue cupcake with Lightning McQueen on top and he enjoyed eating that and getting all messy. He was messy already so I let him eat it and then I put him in the bath. He had a good birthday. He is such a good kid and I'm so proud of him. I'm so happy that he is potty-trained and that he is so smart. Happy birthday, Ammon!

Hike to Battle Creek Falls

2011-07-30T08:35:00.000-06:00


Looking out towards American Fork to Mt. Timp temple


Ammon


Battle Creek Falls

Thursday morning, my two brothers, Erik and Karl and their families and me and my children meet at the trailhead of Battle Creek Falls and hiked to the Falls. It was a fun time together although the hike was rated easy, it was not so easy for me. It was steep at places and we were really close to the water which was running fast and furious. I am glad that we kept all the kids safe. Ammon wanted me to carry him but we encouraged him to walk. I could barely carry myself, I couldn't carry him! He was so tired when we got home! So we made it to the Falls and then we sat and enjoyed the noise of the crashing Falls and had a snack of fruit snacks, granola bars, goldfish and bottled water. It was good for the cousins to be together and make memories. We have so enjoyed having Erik and Stephanie and their kids here this month. It is hard to believe that the month is over and they are their way to Erik's new posting in Oklahoma. The kids want to go back to Battle Creek Falls for a FHE sometime. They want to share it with their dad since he had to work when we went so perhaps we will go back soon.

Pioneer Day celebrations and 5K

2011-07-25T16:30:00.000-06:00

Saturday I ran my last 5K run of the summer. We got my brother and sister-in-law all excited to run a 5K when we told them that we were running the Freedom Festival run on July 4th. They came into town from Kentucky on July 3rd and just weren't able to do it. So they had signed up for the Pioneer day 5K run (a couple of months ago) and asked if anyone wanted to do it with them and I was the only taker! And I am so glad I did. It was great to be able to spend more time with Erik and Stephanie since we don't get to see them that much. I did my best time 44 minutes (I did 58 minutes at the Running with Angels in May and 57 min at Freedom Festival) which was a big improvement. I couldn't have done it though without Steph encouraging me. If you really want to know my feelings about running, I really don't like it :-) Run fer fun, what kind of fun is that! My asthma flares up and I have a hard time sometimes but I will tell you why I do the 5K runs. I really enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done and I love the comaraderie of all the people running (or walking) beside me. I love the feeling of accomplishment after I do something that is hard for me to do. That is what I like. And I like staying in shape and doing something healthy! Maybe someday, when I get serious about running, I will try a 10K and then a half-marathon and maybe even someday a marathon. We shall see. For now, I will stick with my 5Ks. There seem to plenty of them around to pick from. This last one was great because it wasn't too big...in fact when I made the finish line, they announced my name and where I was from. That was kind of fun. It was a Pioneer Day 5K put on by Trapnell Orthodontics and we ran it over by Timpview High school in Provo.
Today, we are celebrating Pioneer day even though it was yesterday...July 24th. The day the Pioneers came into Utah in 1847. I had sharing time yesterday in Primary and I had fun talking to the kids about Pioneer day and some stories of people in the handcart companies that came later and we sang some pioneer songs. Heritage is important and it is important to pass it down to our children. We are celebrating later today with my extended family with a BBQ and in the evening we will do fireworks. July is one big party and I love it! School is right around the corner and I am counting down. I love being with my kids, but the summer is sure longggggg. This week we have done some school shopping and bought some clothes and school supplies and I have been getting exciting about all our upcoming activities. My 20-year high school reunion is this week which I CANNOT believe I have been graduated that long. I am looking forward to seeing people that I haven't seen for awhile. Sometimes it is hard to reach out and be outgoing, but I really am going to try at the reunion. August brings swim lessons, ward campout, Kael's scouting campout, Aidan's baptism and start of cub scouts, and in four more weeks Kalli will start jr. high. Hard to believe. Well, I must end this post and get ready for the evenings' festivities. I have caught a summer cold and it is making me really tired and wanting to just sleep. But I can't complain; I have really been healthy for a long time and shouldn't complain about a little old cold. The pioneer stories I have read recently have really encouraged me to have a better attitude of gratitude. I have heard some really good things about the movie 17 miracles and really want to go see it soon. My mom was telling me about it the other day and I really want to go see it now. Happy Pioneer Day!!!

Grandma with her 25 great-grandkids

2011-07-19T08:59:00.000-06:00

So we had quite the Saturday. After the wedding we traveled up to Herriman to my cousins house for a BBQ with my side of the family. My aunt has done a Ribs Party for 16 years now every summer and I really look forward to it. This year, since Erik and Stephanie's family are in town for a rare visit, we had all the great-grandkids there. My mom has 17 grandkids and my aunt has 8. So, my aunt Gayle wanted to have a picture with all 25 great-grandkids with grandma. Well, easier said than done. Especially since a majority of the kids are so young and don't like to sit still for any amount of time. Pictures are torture! But we tried. I included some of the before pictures of trying to get all the kids together and the top picture is my grandma with all of our great-grandchildren. Pretty neat picture. That's a lot of posterity!

Wedding

2011-07-19T08:49:00.000-06:00


The Gorgeous, newlyweds, Vaness and Matthew Smart


Cassie, Kalli, Adrianna, and Caitlin


Ammon almost asleep after a tiring day!

Saturday, my niece got married and we were so happy that we lived close enough to be part of the festivities. Scott's sister Ellen lives in Washington and it was her oldest daughter, Vanessa that got married. Kalli got to be a flower girl with her cousins and she got to be part of the wedding which was pretty fun. I asked her why she looked sad though and she said that she was sad that they weren't getting married in the temple. I told Kalli that sometimes it doesn't work out that way but she should be happy because they were working towards the temple and we could celebrate their marriage and that getting married was a happy, joyous occasion. It was a wonderful day with the Wendt family though. We don't always get to spend a lot of time with the Wendts so it was a great experience to be there. Vanessa and Matt were married in Murray Park and it was a beautiful, gorgeous day. We traveled up to Le Jardin in South Jordan for the reception which was a beautiful reception center surrounded with flowers. We thought it was funny though, that it was right next to the cemetery. Vanessa and Matthew made such a happy, beautiful couple and I wish them every happiness. Family is so important and we were so grateful to be able attend the wedding and be a part of their day. Scott's brothers and sisters live all over the United States so we don't always get to go to our nieces and nephews weddings like we would like to. I'm so glad that we were able to attend Matt and Vanessa's.

Happy 8th to Aidan

2011-07-19T08:27:00.000-06:00

Birthdays are so magical to kids. It's so fun for them to have them and they are so excited! I really had a hard time feeling the enthusiasm this year. It's not that I don't like birthdays; I do. But I just wasn't very excited to go to Chuck E. Cheese. The place that Aidan had picked for his party. I should love that place but for me it is a lot of sensory overload. Lots of noise, lots of chasing kids, lots of stress. But we made it through and Aidan had a great time with his friends and mission accomplished; he had a wonderful birthday. And that's what counts. He got a lot of great presents that he has really been enjoying and we are so excited that he turned 8! He will be baptized in a couple of weeks and I am so proud of Aidan! Happy Birthday, Aidan!
I think back before Aidan was born and it is like it was yesterday. When Kael and Kalli were young, I felt like I wanted more children and it just wasn't happening. I was willing to have a third child in our tiny 2-bedroom apartment but years passed and I wasn't pregnant. We bought the house that we live in now and I thought, "Finally, it will happen. We have a big enough house that we can fit a few more kids. I know I will get pregnant now!" It was so frustrating sometimes. People would tell me to be grateful that I had a boy and a girl and I was. But, I still wanted more children. I was so overwhelmed with joy and so excited when I found out I was pregnant again. I had been going to the doctor to see what was wrong with me and I was so elated when I found out that I was pregnant. Some of my friends told me how happy they were for me and that they thought it wouldn't happen for me and they thought Kael and Kalli would be my only children. I just had to be patient...which isn't one of my virtues ;-). So when Kalli was almost five and Kael was nine, Aidan was born and I was bursting with joy. Aidan, I am so glad you are in our family. I waited so long for you and the wait was worth it. I am so blessed to be your mother.

Birthday Fun!

2011-07-12T11:16:00.000-06:00


Sister-in-law Stephanie brings out the birthday cake

We have two July birthdays in our family. Aidan and Ammon's birthdays are two weeks apart and they are five years apart in age. I started this blog around the time when Ammon was born and I can't believe that it is three years later and I'm still writing! The birthday rule in our family is friend birthday parties are allowed for children ages 8-18 and then only every year (so their even birthday). This year, Aidan turns 8 so he gets his first friend party and he is so excited. If only I could get as excited! Kalli turns 13 this year but since she didn't get her friend party last year at 12, I said she could have one this year. So, two friend parties this year. Yikes! I just felt that I couldn't give each kid a party every year. That's five parties a year and I just wasn't up to it! This way, it is a little staggered although 4 of my kids were born in an even year and Aidan is the only one born in an odd year. But, it still works out because Kael has his last "friend" party next year when he turns 18 and Aaron and Ammon still aren't old enough...anyway, I know it sounds complicated but it works for our family. Also, we don't allow any sleepovers with friends (only family like cousins) at our house or the kids going to friend's houses. I know that when I was growing up, sleepovers were fun but I stayed up too late and never got any sleep and I always came home grumpy because of lack of sleep. Kalli feels like we are the meanest parents because of this policy but you know what; we live in a different world now than when I was growing up and this is something we feel strongly about. When she is a mom, she can make her own rules! ;-) Anyway, off my soapbox. Aidan is having his very special birthday of 8 years old and he is getting baptized next month. We are so excited and so proud of him! Ammon is turning 3 at the end of the month and I am so thrilled that he is potty-trained and not quite three yet!! So awesome. So the pictures above are the family party we had Sunday. We celebrated Elizabeth and Katie's birthdays also. Ice Cream and cake of course and lots of fun and family togetherness. Since Erik and Stephanie are visiting from Kentucky (well now Oklahoma!), this was one of the rare times that everyone was there! All the siblings, spouses and 17 grandchildren were there. Makes for a little chaos and noise! But a lot of fun and love.

Wendt Family Reunion

2011-07-11T08:55:00.000-06:00


Lodge we stayed at Reid Ranch

We had a great time at our Family Reunion last week. Matt and Chantelle and their boys stayed with us Monday and Tuesday which was wonderful. I wish they could be our neighbors. it is really great to catch up with family. Matt helped Scott with some projects with his shed and Chantelle and I chased little boys. It was great fun! Wednesday we spent the day at 7 peaks Waterpark with the whole family which was really fun. My kids loved being with their cousins and we all enjoyed swimming all day. Thursday morning we all headed out to Reid ranch which was out by Roosevelt, UT past Strawberry Reservoir. It was a lovely drive until we hit the lovely dirt road! We had a lot of fun together at the ranch. there was lots to do: Horseback riding, archery, swimming, a playground for the kids, Frisbee golf, boating, and much more. We ate all three meals cafeteria style and it was nice to not have to do dishes this week....the best part was the Wendt Olympiad and the family skits. So much fun to be together. the wendts always have such a good time together. Love to be with family but it will take me a few days to recover! :-) We have three more years till the next one and Scott's brother and Nathan and also Scott are in charge. it will be a lot of work but it is always worth it. It is fun to gather for coast to coast and see Scott's family. He has 11 brothers and sisters and they live all over: Vancouver, Canada, Delaware, Montana, Idaho, California, Utah, Colorado and Washington. I loved hanging out with my sister-in-laws and we just all had a great time. I am so looking forward to the next one in 2014!

5K run

2011-07-04T12:35:00.000-06:00

Happy fourth everyone! I started out the Independence day holiday great! My parents picked me up and Katie, Aaron, Mom and Dad and I drove down to Provo. We walked most of the route. I took some pictures of the restoring of the Provo Tabernacle that we walked past. We got to walk down some of the Freedom Festival parade route in Provo and that was fun to see all the parade goers. My brother, his wife and two kids, two sisters and their husbands and my mom and I all participated and that made it even better. My dad had quite a time finding a parking spot after he dropped us off and it was just craziness with so many people there this morning! But it was a lot of fun and I'm glad I could start out the celebrations of today with my extended family. This afternoon we are going to have so much fun with our family-BBQ and fireworks later on tonight. I love holidays!

Enjoying the Sunny Summer!

2011-06-28T19:39:00.000-06:00

Now that the weather has turned sunny we have been having fun in the water. A couple of days ago, Scott filled up the pool for the boys and they enjoyed swimming in it. They also enjoyed running across the lawn and jumping into it! I don't know where they get all their energy. Today we got the irrigation water in the afternoon and it was 97 degrees today, plenty hot to enjoy the cold water! I don't have pictures, but yesterday, Kael, Kalli, Aidan and I went to 7 peaks water park in Provo with our cousins. It was so much fun! It was nice that it was hot so we could cool off in the water. They have a new slide called Avalanche where 8 people at a time get on a mat on their stomach and slide down! It looked a little scary but it sure was fun! The most fun of it all was spending time with our cousins. We are planning a trip back to 7 Peaks next week during our Wendt Reunion and I'm looking forward to it.

happy birthday Kael

2011-06-28T15:14:00.000-06:00

We celebrated all the June birthdays of the Pyne's on Father's day and the top pictures are of that celebration. We celebrated Kael's birthday on thursday with just the boys and me since Scott was at school and Kalli was at Girls camp. We really didn't have much of a party but we had fun. I can't believe that Kael is getting so old. He has one more year of high school...wow. happy birthday Kael!

Adjusting to the routine of summer

2011-06-21T12:45:00.001-06:00

We are three weeks into the summer and I have had a love/hate relationship with it! I love it because it's nice to have time with the kids but have been counting down the days till school starts again because I sometimes feel like I need to be entertaining my kids all the time to keep them out of trouble! It has been getting better as we have added some activities to the schedule but it has been a hard adjustment to be out of school. This week, Aidan has been in seventh heaven participating in the a basketball camp at the fitness center. Give him a ball and he would be content to shoot baskets and dribble for hours! Aaron was so disappointed when they called and cancelled his T-ball camp I signed him up for this week. Not enough kids signed up...but he will be doing a sports skill camp next week. I sent Kalli off this morning to Girls camp for the week and I am so excited for her. She was a little anxious and when we got there with all the girls said, "Mom, I changed my mind. I want to stay home now" But, she didn't really mean it. And once she heard Sister Hatch would be there all week, she was happy. She is going to have a fantastic week and I'm so excited for her. I am so grateful to all the leaders that spend so much time making sure the girls have a good experience. Hopefully she will use the camera I sent with her and take some good pictures for me to share next week.
The weather is warming up and I hope that it will help our garden. Our poor garden doesn't look very good. I should have planted more cold weather vegetables but I didn't think it would stay as cold as it has. My tomatoes and peppers are growing thankfully, but some of them just look sad. I don't know if our watermelon and cantalope will make it. Yesterday I spent a couple of hours weeding and it felt good. We got the irrigation early this morning so it is too muddy to go in the garden today..I still need to weed my corn plants. :-) Poor Scott didn't sleep a whole last night taking care of the water and he has to work and go to school today. He won't be home until 10:30 tonight and I just hope he doesn't fall asleep at work! He made the Dean's List this past semester and got a small scholarship and I am just so proud of all the hard work he is putting into school. He has 2 weeks left of this semester and then he only has 2 more semesters and he is done in December. He really enjoys school though. If he could go to school for a job and get paid for it, he would. :-)

We had a fun get together with our Pyne extended family on Father's Day. We celebrated five June birthdays, including mine and Father's Day and had ice cream and cake and lots of fun visiting with each other. My siblings kids are all getting so big and they are all so cute. I turned 38 this year but I don't feel it. I feel like I am 18 with more experience than I had then! I love all the things that I have learned over the year and hope that I continue learning, growing and progressing.

I have been enjoying my books this month. I have a little more time to read than usual since I'm not running kids to school and school activities. Plus when the kids have done their camps and Kalli had swim lessons last week, I have had a chance to read while I wait for them. I started and finished President Monson's biography called "To the Rescue" which I highly recommend. I love books that make you want to be a better person. And it was so fun to read about what a prankster he was as a kid! I am reading five books right now and I can't make up my mind which one to concentrate on so I just pick up one that I'm in the mood for reading. I'm reading: "Mark of Royalty" by Jennifer Clark and Stephonie Williams; Dreams of Joy by Lisa See; Wild Swans by Jung Chang; Kissing a Frog by Sharlene Wells Hawkes and The Color Code by Taylor Hartman. I've read the Color Code before and that is another post in and of itself! Oh, how I love to read!

This week the weather is supposed to be warming up quite a bit. I think we will finally put up our air conditioning unit. Also, I know some park outings are on the agenda and some playdates with cousins that are always fun. I am running two more 5K's this summer and I need to get myself in shape for those! I do love summer, I just don't like to hear the words, "I'm bored!" and my husband is so much better at getting our kids to work than I am! He's got the special touch to work along side them but I can tell them to please get their jobs done and they stare at me like I'm an alien! Oh, well...we still have a lot of fun activities planned for the rest of the summer, so stay tuned for more blogs about our fun summer!

More drinking fountain pics

2011-06-16T18:25:00.000-06:00

Our new drinking fountain

2011-06-16T18:20:00.000-06:00

Scott built this cool drinking fountain in our backyard and we all love it. No more tromping into the house for a drink of water and tracking in mud! It will be fun to stay cool on hot days! The kids have been having too much fun with it but I'm sure the novelty of it will wear off soon. Scott put it in so that he could have a place to attach the hose so we can water all of our garden as the hose didn't reach as far as he wanted from the house. So it has been a lot of fun and I'm so grateful for a handy husband!

Love Summer

2011-06-10T09:24:00.000-06:00

My iris are usually dead and gone by June but because of the cooler weather we have had, they are in full bloom and so beautiful! I am so excited for summer! We have some struggles with our garden already because of the weather. I have had two watermelon plants die on me and my tomato plants are barely surviving. It just has been so cold and I didn't keep my plants warm enough. My flowers on my porch are thriving though..that makes me happy! I am enjoying the temps though! We haven't even had to put our air conditioning unit in yet!! It has been beautiful this week! I love it!

Scary moment

2011-06-10T09:17:00.000-06:00

So this happened on tuesday night, a couple of nights ago. The boys were all downstairs with their older brother and Ammon feel against the brick fireplace and bumped his head. Kael brought him upstairs and the blood was just flowing. You would think with five kids (and three rambunctious boys no less) I would deal with injuries all the time but luckily, I really haven't. I don't have experience with it. So, instead of staying of calm and just looking for the cut, I freaked out and was just bouncy everywhere. Called my mom, "What should I do? ahhhhh" Called the doctor and the after hours doctor was in. Wrapped Ammon's head in a towel and took right there. Well, the cut was so teeny, it took awhile for the nurse to find it. Didn't even need stitches! Scalp wounds bleed a lot, I've learned. they didn't even charge me for the doctor visit! So next time, I need to stay calm and assess the situation calmer. But it was nice that the nurses and doctor didn't make me feel bad for coming in. They said that it was good to be safe than sorry and they were very sympathetic.

Last Day of School 2011

2011-06-10T08:58:00.000-06:00

I'm a little slow but this is the last day of school last week. Kalli wanted me to take pics of her. Her last day of elementary school...a milestone for sure. A new chapter begun but first we get to enjoy a fun summer! We have a lot of fun plans for the summer but I'm already counting down the days when school starts again!

Sixth Grade Graduation

2011-06-02T21:58:00.000-06:00


Kalli and Kaylee

Kalli had her sixth grade graduation today. There were four student speakers...yes Kalli was one of those! She did a great speech. She was up till 11 p.m. last night working on it and she did a wonderful job. I am so proud of her. I was so glad that Kael was done with school so he stayed home with the little boys so that I could go. At the end, some of the parents got called up to get a thank you note for helping this year and I was one of those. I really enjoyed helping with the take home library this year...I didn't feel like I did anything extra special but it was nice to be thanked. They announced the Kiwanis award winners and I was so proud of my friend's kids, Elizabeth Patterson and Max Price that got the awards. The two that got it in Kalli's class, I didn't really know. I went to school with Elizabeth's dad, James and also, Max's mom, Brooke (who is also the PTA president this year). They are great people and I'm proud to know them. And I'm not surprised that their kids got this prestigious award. Anyway, Kalli was bouncing around on cloud 9 and she is so excited to be done with elementary school. I still am getting used to the idea of her going to jr. high but she will do great things!

Dance Festival 2011

2011-05-31T12:00:00.000-06:00

Emily, Kalli and Madalyn


Kalli and her teacher Mrs. Kenley

Kalli and Aidan at the Author's Fair

Mr. Pulham and his puppets


Aidan and his teacher Mrs. Frederickson

We had a great day today! The sun is shining brightly and it is so green from all the rain we have been getting! This morning, the school did their annual dance festival. Aidan did the dance "La Bamba" and Kalli did hers to Men in Black. Afterwards the kids shared their stories that they had written. It has been a good school year. It is so hard to believe that Kalli is done with her elementary school experience and she is going to Jr. High next year. Wow. She is growing right up. So it was fun to get pictures with their teachers this year and to see some of the things that they have learned.

Happy Anniversary!

2011-05-31T11:43:00.000-06:00

Scott and I were able to get away last weekend to the Anniversary Inn in Salt Lake City. It was so nice of my parents to help us out with our kids and of course Kael who took the lion share of the babysitting. We really enjoyed our stay and it was so nice to have breakfast in bed instead of being the one making it for everyone!! We also were able to attend the Salt Lake Temple which was the highlight of our trip. That is where we were married 18 years ago. We came home to Orem at about 4 p.m. Saturday and went to Texas Roadhouse by University Mall. It was so good. It was our first time there and they really had good food and had excellent customer service. Wow! We had a great experience eating there. Then we went to Kung Fu Panda 2 which was a fun movie except for when the kid in the row above us spilled pop on my head and down Scott's neck. Plus everyone brought their kids and some people were not considerate when their kid was crying...we got to hear it. I'm sorry kind of a pet peeve...if you are going to bring your kid to the movie, you can't enjoy the movie as much as you would like. If your kid is crying...please take them out. Anyway, other than that...it really was an entertaining movie and we had a good time. When we got out of the movie, it started pouring rain which was kind of the name of the game the whole weekend!

Running with Angels 2011

2011-05-21T11:43:00.001-06:00


so many pretty waterfalls there in the gardens


I made it with a time of 58:01

My mom, sister-in-law, Hannah and my two sisters, Emma and Katie, walked the Running with Angels 5K on Saturday, May 21, 2011. We had such a good time together. We didn't push to hard, just walked and enjoyed the gardens which were so beautiful. Some of the tulips were even in bloom still. Afterwards, we went to IHOP for breakfast which was great. i had such a big meal, that I didn't eat anything else till the end of the day at about 8 p.m.! But it was great to enjoy my family's company and we had a great time together. We are planning on doing the 4th of July 5K together along with brothers and brother-in-laws so that will be a lot of fun too!

Aaron's preschool program

2011-05-19T21:16:00.001-06:00


Aidan is such the drama king!

Aaron has been going to preschool all year and tonight they had a little graduation program. It was so cute. Aaron's part was to lead us in the pledge of allegiance. He did very well. He has no fear standing in front of people and speaking and/or singing. He did such a great job. I was so proud of him. My mom, grandma and aunt came to see him and I'm so glad of their support. I have a great family. I just wish that Aaron could go to kindergarten next year. His birthday is the beginning of September so he just barely misses the deadline. He is so ready to go. We are going to try and get him in Westmore's preschool program but we won't know if he gets in until the testing which is the first week of school.
I'm so excited for this summer! Last summer I didn't sign the kids up for any camps or anything and we just stayed home which was okay but this summer, I felt like I wanted to be a little busier. I signed the kids up for swim lessons and some sports camps and I want to take them to the Manti Pagaent. Kalli has girls camp (wahoo!) and we have a Wendt family reunion to look forward to with Scott's siblings as well as a Pyne Reunion with my aunts and uncles. Kael is getting his Eagle Scout award this summer (I'm thinking positive!) and my 20th High school reunion is in July. As well as Stadium of Fire and three 5K races to run! Four birthdays to celebrate (mine, Kael's, Aidan's and Ammon's) and Aidan is getting baptized! Wow! Lots to look forward too! Plus my garden to work on, weed and irrigation. I am so excited! Now if the weather would just warm up instead of all this rain! Although it has been great seeing all the green as a result of the moisture. And we haven't had to put our air conditioning unit in the window yet. That has been nice. It's hard to believe the kids have 2 weeks of school left! It went so fast! Here's to summer!

Little purple pansies

2011-05-17T11:44:00.000-06:00

I couldn't help myself Saturday and I bought some more flowers. I saw these "Little Purple Pansies touched with yellow gold" and I just had to get them. My pansies usually don't survive the summer heat...they are so tender. Petunias do much better for me. But I got petunias, pansies and a geranium and hopefully I can keep them alive. They have been surviving fine with this cool weather we have been having. Although my marigold's aren't doing so well. Scott and the kids got the corn planted so we now have our garden all the way planted. We have tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, cucumbers (slicing and pickling), corn, green beans, carrots, and pumpkins. And I have a raspberry plant that is doing well and I planted more strawberries. I hope that I can stick to my goal to harvest my garden well. It seems like every year I make the same goal and then I get tired and I can't keep up on the weeding and then I somehow get so much food and it goes to waste!! If I can't can it this year and keep up with it, which is what I'm determined to do this year, I need to make sure I give it to my neighbors!!!
This week I have felt a little lazy and blah. I don't know if it has to do with the weather but I haven't been very motivated to do a lot of housecleaning and gardening. I've actually been spending a lot of time with my boys which is good and I've been reading way too much. Last night we went to Kael's band concert at the high school which was awesome. They played theme's from the movies: Star Trek, Star Wars, How to train your dragon, Mission Impossible, Pirates of the Caribbean and Avatar. It was really fun to listen to but halfway through, my younger boys were done. Scott took them to grandma and grandpa's for a little while and then came back and got Kael, Kalli and me. It surprised me how scared Aaron was of the music...he kept saying how loud it is. He is not used to live performance. He is just used to CDs and DVDs. I need to take my younger boys out more and expose them to more plays and concerts. It just has been hard with their age...they have a hard time sitting through long performances.
Scott and I went to the play, "Annie" at the SCERA on Friday and really enjoyed it. A girl from our ward was in it so that made it extra fun to see her perform. I could really see Kalli in something like that in the future. I am looking forward to going to plays and concerts at SCERA this summer. It is hard to believe that the school year is winding down and school will be over soon. Aidan has a fun field trip to the Living Aquarium tomorrow and Kalli has a ton of sixth grade activities coming up: Etiquette dinner, Kickball game against the Faculty, sixth grade graduation....it will be a lot of fun. And take-home library is winding down. I am so excited to be helping with the library since I am planning on being in charge of it next year....it basically means that I will make be in charge of getting parents to switch out the books (which parents are so awesome and step up to do this...it will be great!) and basically if an emergency happens and they can't do their books than they can call me and I will do it. It will be a busy job but I have such a love for reading that I love encouraging others to read also. So I am looking forward to helping there and hopefully Aaron will be going to preschool at Westmore next year so I will just have Ammon with me and that will make it easier.

Planting the garden

2011-05-07T20:41:00.000-06:00


Watermelon and cantelope


Green Beans


my flowers


Our Backyard

Today was so wonderful! I was so happy with the weather. It was so nice and I got some sun on my arms for proof! We planted most of the garden and hopefully it will be okay. I don't think we have ever planted this early in May; usually we wait till June. It was so fun to pick out the seeds and the plants...I also weeded a place by my porch and planted some petunias and pansies. I am anxious to be a better gardner this summer and not let the weeds get out of control. I guess time shall tell....

Getting the Garden ready

2011-05-02T10:25:00.000-06:00

We had a fun Saturday! Scott and I took our youngest boys out shopping for garden plants and seeds. We went to Vineyard nursery then to Cook's nursery. At Vineyard, they gave us some free pansies..the poor things were covered with snow from our snowstorm in the morning. Also, they had about 10 packets of Veggie Tales vegetables and Aaron wanted to buy them all. In fact, he threw a huge fit when we only got one and then the whole drive to Cook's nursery, which is on 1600 North Orem, you could hear him weeping and wailing like a banshi. Scott's patience was wearing thin...but we finally calmed Aaron down. There were so many fun vegetable starts at Cook's; I wanted to buy them all but I don't exactly know what to do them until I plant them in the ground. I don't want to plant for at least two weeks. Last year, our last snow and freeze of the year was May 24th so I'm a little nervous. But I am so excited to start our garden for 2011. Scott and Kael tilled the garden and we have a few more things to get ready and I am so looking forward to a fun summer in the garden!!!

Cherish your children

2011-05-02T09:07:00.000-06:00


Ammon and his cousin Talmage


Ammon with his bear


Aaron with his new friend Alice

So these are pictures from last week when I babysat my nephew and two friends came to play, Zach and Alice. it was busy but fun. As I was looking over the pictures again, I wanted to blog about how fast kids grow. It has been a couple of years since we have had a baby living in our family. Ammon is approaching three years old this summer and I'm just amazed at how fast it has gone. I think back when all my kids were newborn babies and when I was so overwhelmed, especially when I had Ammon, and I felt like it would last forever. Today, Aaron is too busy playing this morning to eat...it is 9 a.m. and he still hasn't had breakfast, yet I remember when he was a baby and feeding him at 1 a.m., 4 a.m., 6 a.m., etc It is so different now. I am in a different stage of life where I am dealing with different issues than I was when I did when I had little babies. I remember people telling me, "Cherish this time together, they're not babies together" and I did...but now that I am moving on to a stage where I don't have little babies anymore, I actually miss it! yet I'm relieved too. Life is a little easier now that I feel like I'm not in survival mode and I can actually breathe and do other things. But, it isn't all peaches and cream....it has been really hard to deal with the teen issues and just because my little kids are not babies, they still need me and they are demanding in other ways. I love being a mom and I love my family so much. The highs are high and the lows are low. And I will try and cherish the time I'm in right now because it is just flying so fast. My favorite thing that Aaron said this past week is when Becky came to pick up her baby Alice: Aaron said that she should bring back Alice but not Zach and then Becky asked if she could stay and he said, "No, just Alice" He really enjoyed having such a little person around. He smiled at her and cooed at her and it was just really fun to watch. He really won't have the same experience that Kael and Kalli have had with babies around. Maybe in 7-10 years when he has nieces and nephews will have experience but it is still not the same as having a baby in the house. There is something so special about having a baby around. Cherish that time. I sound like all my kids have moved out but you get the idea ;-)

April Snowstorm

2011-04-30T21:28:00.000-06:00


My poor tulips!

This morning I had a stake meeting to go to for Primary and the van was covered! Luckily, all the snow melted off pretty fast today and we even tilled our garden but I am so ready for spring. Scott and I went shopping this afternoon to Vineyard and Cook's nursery and found some seeds and plants that we liked for our garden. I am getting so excited to get our garden planted! I am so looking forward to warmer weather!!!

Kalli's Medival Fair

2011-04-30T21:20:00.000-06:00

Kalli has been working the past few weeks on a unit at school about the middle ages. They had a "fair" at the school where the dressed up and they showed off their castles that they constructed. Above Kalli is pictured with her friend Emily and below Kalli is pictured with her castle. Her dad helped her with the four tall towers and I helped her a little but she constructed most of it by herself. I was really proud of her. it is hard to believe that in another month, she will no longer be going to elementary school but will be a 7th grader. Time flies so fast!

April Hailstorm

2011-04-28T11:04:00.000-06:00

This weather is being so crazy lately. I got a movie of a hailstorm we got at the beginning of the week..I even got some thunder. I wasn't expecting that! But it has been warm, then cold, then warm. Like today is supposed to be warm and then tomorrow will be freezing cold again. How strange. I am so looking forward to warmer weather though. I love summer and I love all the summer activities I get to do with my kids. I think it is ironic though that I wait all this time for my kids to grow old enough to do things with them and then they are too cool to hang out with mom and they want to be with their friends. So I guess I will just plan super cool activities with my 7, 4, and 2 year old boys who actually want to be with me. No, no, don't worry...I am not bitter. I can accept that this happens to teens and it is normal. Maybe in 10 years when my younger boys are teens and don't want to hang out with me anymore, my teens will be in their 20s and they will want to be with me again and they will realize that I actually do know something!!! That will be a great day. As you can tell, there are more storms brewing than just outside. :-) I love this saying: If you feel you must laugh or cry, choose laugh because crying gives you such a headache!!! Have a wonderful day, everyone! Live and love life!

Mother and Daughter

2011-04-24T15:27:00.000-06:00

This is my sweet daughter Kalli whom I love very much. Lately, we have had some struggles, but I hope that she always remembers how special she is to me.

Easter

2011-04-24T14:35:00.000-06:00


Aidan and Kalli


Aaron

Yesterday we spent the afternoon in Lehi with our cousins and had a fun Easter Egg hunt. The older kids hid the eggs for the younger kids and then helped them go around the house and find them which they enjoyed so much. The weather wasn't too cold (I wish it was warmer though) and it didn't sprinkle till later so that was good. The adults made up a scavenger hunt for the older kids and they got in two teams and had to figure out the clues where the egg was hidden. That was a lot of fun! I made up three clues...one was If you are hungry and it gets late, you find this by a plate. And then the egg was in the cupboard by the plates. Another clue was "Look hard if you're able and you'll find this one under the ?" which was the table. I put the eggs under a blanket under the table so it wouldn't be obvious and then the kids were like, "I didn't see anything!" Isn't that just like kids to not look hard and just look at the surface. It was so obvious to me but not to them. the last clue was " If you sit here, don't slouch, you'll find this one under the ?" and it was a couch. So the kids had a lot of fun running around finding eggs.
After we got home, I boiled up 30 eggs and we colored them and that is a fun tradition. Ammon threw an egg in the purple dye really hard and it splashed all over my face and shirt. Oh, well. In the morning we got up about 7 a.m. and had a fun little Easter egg hunt in our living room and the kids got an Easter Bunny and a few chocolates and one little toy each. Kael got a BYU shirt, Kalli some make-up, Aidan a little basketball hoop, Aaron some cheap pop up toys which they have been enjoying ( you push the button, the little ping pong ball goes in the air and then you catch it) and Ammon got some Toy Story 3 bubble bath. We did get them a little something which is a fun tradition but we didn't get overboard this year like I have in the past. I know that Easter is about Jesus and the resurrection and not the Easter Bunny and so do my kids. I want to bear my testimony that I know God lives and loves me and I'm so glad for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that he died for me and then was resurrected. I'm so grateful for the tender mercies He shows me every day and I love having the gospel in my life. Happy Easter everyone!


Ammon says "Cheese!"


Ammon


Kalli and Ammon


Kalli, Kael, Aidan and Aaron


so happy to get a chocolate bunny


Easter Egg hunt


Kalli, Aaron, Aidan, Ammon and Kael


Kael, Ammon and Aaron


Ammon


Aidan got a little basketball hoop

Book Review

2011-04-21T09:25:00.000-06:00

Matched is the book I am reading now and almost done. It is so hard to put down! I love books that make me think and this one is really good at that! It is set in the future where the government makes all the decisions; who to marry, where to go to school, etc. Everyone is "happy" in the Society. When they are 80 years old, they have a ceremony to die and "isn't that great because now everyone knows when they will die and they won't die alone and it will be wonderful..." Cassia is the main character that we follow as she finds out the world that she never knew differently can change. A great read!!!

I might have talked about this book before because I love it so much but I love anything by Jason Wright....Regarding Charles and Wednesday letters are good too.

Love, love, love this one, Mitch's conversation with an old professor and his lessons of life that he learns is priceless.

This is one of my favorite books. I read it as a teenager and I frequently reread it. About an LDS man that feels lost with his life and goes to the Holy Land where he finds it and more!

I love all of Clair Poulson's books. I have read every one. This one is about a man accused of murdering his "Miss America" wife and the road to proving his innocence. Love, love, love this one!
there are so many good books out there! Enjoy!

Spring Break

2011-04-12T19:08:00.000-06:00

I got a picture of my Tulips a couple of days ago, when it was actually warm. The weather has been so funny this month, yo-yo-ing from cold to warm to cold to warm...you get the idea. It snowed Saturday and Sunday, yesterday was quite nice and tonight another storm front is coming in. I think by this weekend it will be warmer and maybe we can get some yardwork done. Scott and I want to plan out our garden and we haven't had a chance yet. We usually plant our garden mid-May...we'll see how this year goes. I would like to get some peas in but the garden is so muddy, it is hard to rototill. I'm excited to work on our garden this year and one of Kalli's personal progress goals this summer is helping with the garden so I am excited to work alongside her.

Kael went up to Idaho Falls and Rexburg last weekend for his band tour with Mountain View High School. He had a good time. It was a short tour but I'm glad that Kael got the opportunity to go. I dropped him off early Thursday morning and happened to have my camera in my purse, so I snapped a pic of the bus. We missed him while he was gone but I am glad that he could go. I am worried a little bit about him making up the work at school that he missed...he has some hard classes that he has been struggling with but hopefully it is early enough in the term that he will be able to keep up.

We had a Ward DIY (do it yourself) fair on Saturday. I made 8 loaves of bread (4 wheat and 4 white) and bought the food for it and made 4 dozen cookies and a Chocolate Fruit Trifle. Scott had a booth there about how to can food and talk to people about canning. I was sad that more people didn't show up. It was a provident living fair and their were a lot of fun classes offered. I wish I could have gone to some of the classes...I was doing the nursery. I was all prepared to serve and had all these youth helpers and we babysat maybe three kids besides my own. Kalli's friend Haley did a kids craft class and she did most of the babysitting! I had the movie "Tangled" set up and the youth and I ended up just watching the movie. I was disappointed because I felt like I wasn't serving...it was kind of funny to me that some the youth were complaining that they had seen "Tangled" 50 times because of younger siblings that enjoyed it yet they watched it anyway! It is a fun movie. I have really enjoyed it, too. But, I think we there were a lot of factors why we didn't have as many people one of them being that this week is Spring Break.

So Spring Break is this whole week and I have been a little worried about all the free time on my kids hands. I feel like I should be entertaining them or something and that is just not the way it should be. So far it hasn't been too bad. We went swimming yesterday with our friends' the Wakamatsus and that was a lot of fun. Today we got some work done, Kael took the boys to the park and we got some shopping done today. I have so many projects I want to get done (a lot of spring cleaning!) but I am trying to spend some good quality time with the kids. I helped Kalli with a school project and that was fun to spend some time with her. I know that in the long run, it will be important to spend the time with my kids but I so want to get all my little projects done!!! Anyway, also, a good thing that we have been doing is we are still getting up at 5:30 a.m. for family prayer and scripture reading. It has been hard but the kids are able to go back to bed after we finish. I know it will pay off and I don't want to lose our rhythm. This is our third week of 5:30 a.m. scripture reading. Well, Happy Spring Break. Next post I will try and write about some more books that I have had the opportunity to read. I have been reading up a storm again. I can't help myself. :-)

Simple Joys

2011-04-07T06:54:00.000-06:00

We went to Walmart the other day and saw a friend, Connie DeCock that used to be in our ward and she put some quarters in for Aaron. He was so happy and excited! It is funny how the simple things in life bring us joy!

DoTerra Shampoo

2011-04-07T06:51:00.001-06:00

I have a before picture that I previously had posted but everytime I look at it, I just cringe so I took it off my blog. I do have the after picture though. This is after I have been using DoTerra Shampoo and it has been great. I have been trying different shampoos for over a year now trying to help a scalp problem I have been having and the DoTerra shampoo has been helping! I am so excited! The other benefit is that I can style my hair better. I noticed that the first time I used it that I could actually get my hair to do what I wanted! Anyway, I thought I would post pics...not a big deal to most people but a big deal to me! I have also been enjoying my DoTerra essential oils. I'm usually not into that kind of stuff, but I have been using the oils for a year now and they work so who can argue with that!

Listening to Conference

2011-04-07T06:42:00.000-06:00

I so enjoyed Conference last weekend. I'm glad I took notes and I am so looking forward to the Ensign with all the conference talks so I can read and ponder them. I felt like a lot of the talks were just for me. The speakers are so inspired. I really was moved by Elder Scott's talk when he talked about his wife and his child that had died. I remember thinking as I listened to Elder Scott that I would never again complain about being up in the night with throwing up kids. Conference helps me to feel gratitude for all my blessings. It helps me to make new goals and a new resolve to do better. A week before Conference, Scott and I decided that we needed to have family scriptures study and family prayer at 5:30 a.m. before he goes to work. We just haven't been as consistent as we have wanted to be because Scott is at work all day and at school at night and it has been hard for me alone to get the kids together to do it. So this was our solution. We have been doing this for a little over a week now and I must say that it has been so hard to get up so early. But, I know it will pay off. And I feel like I'm taking control and that this is war against Satan who is trying so very hard right now to tear up our family. I know that Satan is trying to destroy a lot of families in general but lately, I have been able to feel it in our family and we are fighting back! We have been more vigilant in our FHE's and I have been trying to be more consistent in my personal prayer and scripture study. It does get a little discouraging though when we have experiences like we did yesterday. Kael had a Court of Honor and although I knew it would be hard to bring all my boys, I wanted to support Kael as a family. He didn't get any awards because he is so close to getting his Eagle...he is getting the rest of his recommendation letters and he is almost done with all the paperwork. Anyway, it was hard to wrestle my little boys, especially 2-year-old Ammon who during the closing prayer was trying to lift my eyelids up and was saying, "Wake up, mom!" But we made it through. We enjoyed refreshments afterward and Aidan was no where to be found when I was ready to go. He was in the gym playing ball but I didn't know that so I was chasing the two little boys home trying to keep them out of the street and I had asked Kalli to tell Aidan to come home. Well, instead she dragged him home and the whole neighborhood probably hear the screaming. Kael said that some of his YM friends told him, "Hey, kael did you know that your little sister is beating up your brother." How embarrassing. I know Kalli was doing the best she could but I told her next time to just come home and get me and I would get him. Just what I need everyone in public to know that we are working on treating each better in our family (and not doing a very good job yet). All we can do is just keep trying to better everyday. I am so grateful for the encouragement and new resolve I feel every time I hear our Church leaders at conference.

More Peter Pan

2011-04-02T15:58:00.000-06:00

This is a small movie of the beginning of Kalli's Peter Pan play. It begins with the "Stars" who narrate and then you see Kalli as Peter Pan. She did a great job. This was great for her to be a mentor to the other kids in the play. She started her drama career with her first role being a tree. She has come a long way! That was third grade, then fourth grade she played a supporting role in Auntie Claws but not the main role and then last year, she played the orphan Molly in the play Annie and this year, sixth grade , she had a good part in the roadshow at the beginning of the year and then Peter Pan at school. I can hardly wait to see what she will be staring in next year in Junior High!!!

Peter Pan

2011-04-02T07:48:00.000-06:00

Since the beginning of January, Kalli has been busy working at least twice a week on her play, Peter Pan. She was so excited after auditions when she found out she would be playing the title role. The last two weeks have been a blur as she has been busy with rehearsals almost every night and working so hard with the rest of the cast to perfect their play. All that hard work paid off the last two nights. They actually put it on three times; Thursday night, Friday during the day to Westmore students and then last night. I wanted so badly to have a good seat and see Kalli in action that I started standing in line at 5:15 p.m. It was schedule to start until 6:30. We got front row seats (thanks again Mrs. Cooper for making that happen) and I was thrilled (and my extended family) to be able to be so close to see Kalli. I had seen little bits and pieces of the play when I had come to practices but I had never seen it put together and I had never seen it all the way through. We were all in for a big treat. My husband commented that he thought he was better than their last year's production, "Annie" All my little nieces and nephews and my little boys were mesmerized. The play held their attention the entire time. My six-year-old niece, Kirsten said it the best; she said, "We have Peter Pan at home but this one is a lot better! It is so funny!" The kids thoroughly enjoyed Captain Hook and the crocodile. It was just so entertaining to watch and so much fun. I was so proud of all the kids and the adults that put so much work into this production. Mrs. Harrison did a fantastic job with their costumes. It looked so great. I cannot praise it enough but now it is done. Wow. What will Kalli do with all that free time now? Time to work on her middle ages project for school! I will have to post that later...it is a big project in the works but now we will have time to work on it! Kudos for a Job well done! Kalli was a great Peter Pan. I will try and post a video of opening seconds of Peter Pan. Her short haircut really did make her look like Peter Pan. A mom came up to me afterwards and told me that she was trying to convince her little boy that Kalli was a girl and not a boy. I told the little boy, "I have four boys and Kalli is my only girl" and he said, "Oh." It was kind of cute. Great Job Westmore and great job Kalli for a job so well done.

Some Peter Pan pics

2011-04-02T07:36:00.000-06:00

This is at the end when everyone was clapping and cheering for the adults that put so much work into the production.

I had to get a picture of Mr. Beckstrand and Kalli together as Captain Hook and Peter Pan.

This is a picture of Nick, Kalli and Liam as the Crocodile, Peter Pan and Smee.

They had way too much fun doing this picture :-)!

This is Kalli and one of her best friends, Kaylee who played Annie in last year's production. this year she played Wendy. They were both excited to be able to be in so many scenes together and had a good time.

This is a picture of Liam, Nick, Kalli, Kaylee, Mr. Beckstrand and Briley was Tinkerbell.

Kalli as Peter Pan!

Mr. Beckstrand was my favorite as Captain Hook. The kids laughed so hard when the crocodile would come after him.

What is your kid's currency?

2011-03-28T17:45:00.003-06:00

Thank you Candace for inspiring this post. I was so intrigued with Candace's blog about what is your kids currency, that I had to look into it further. On Candace's blog (there is a link on mine MC family circus) she had a quiz to give to your kids to find out what motivates them and I gave it to four of my kids. I didn't give it to my 2-year-old but I'd be interested in what his motivation is! Anyway, I predicted some of my kids answers but a couple of them really surprised me. Kael's motivation was Independence (no surprise there), Kalli's was Food (big surprise there--I thought it would be Peer approval), Aidan's was competition (not surprised) and Aaron's was Adult and Peer Approval. I know that these tests are supposed to be guidelines and they are not absolute but it was very helpful to me find out what they valued (their kid currency.) Interesting stuff. So the following information is mostly for education but I thought it was applicable to our kids in the home too but I found it on the web...this is according to Gene Bedley from his website--I have the web address listed at the end. (thanks again Candace!):

"There is a high correlation between motivation and discipline. In searching for the motivators that move kids to action you might want to consider the following Kid Currency. (Things that kids value.) Contrary to what many believe, kid currency is not just stuff but a number of different things that are really valuable to children. Here's a few we've discovered. If you discover others drop us a line and we'll include your ideas in our National On Line Newsletter, Values in Action!
1-Adult Approval- Many kids love to perform for adults especially the adults they like. It s critical to establish relationships prior to asking kids for various responsibilities. Just because a child is not motivated by you does not mean that adults like a grandfather, uncle, or school custodian could be the currency they re looking for.
2- Peer Time- Some kids are motivated by having the opportunity to hang out with a buddy. If they can play with a friend they ll do anything to earn the time.
3-Independence- Some children are motivated by having the opportunity to play with a special tub of Lego blocks, sand box, Coaster Tycoon, or the wiggle Microphone. They like doing things on their own. You might want to have a number of items in a rental tray that kids can rent from you based on accomplishing their behavior goals.
4-Competition- Many children love competition. I remember the contest we had in running across Orange County. We simply placed the children s picture on a piece of yarn that was glued to a map of Orange County. Kids that are motivated by competition can t wait to see how they re doing in relationship to other class members as their pictures are moved across the yarn on the map.
5-Mystery Bag- Kids like puppets that have hands. If you place a highly prized puppet into a paper bag you ll only have to do it once and the bag will forever be magical and prized as one of the top kid currency.
6-Monkey Animal Transitions -I discovered one of the most powerful kid currency was when I introduced kids to a monkey that taught them how to set goals and behave. I have since learned how really powerful and life changing a stuffed animal can be in transforming negative classroom behavior to positive constructive behavior. Kids will do anything for the monkey where they won t do it for you.
7-Food- If you were a kid what would attract your attention besides food? There s no doubt about it kids are motivated by fish crackers, M&Ms, pretzels, etc. Because food has allergy implications and dependency issues we need to be selective about use of food in the classroom.
If you re not sure what currency your children value, you might want to attend Gene Bedley s National Seminar- Discipline and the Difficult Child, where you ll be introduced to* A Child s Motivators and Reinforcers (a child s preference scale that will guarantee the currency )" So this is the website if you are interested in finding out more. I found it very fascinating. I know for Aidan, he will get all his chores and all his homework done if there is Wii time at the end of it. It is valuable for me to know what motivates my kids because then I can help them be more productive and get their homework and chores done with less yelling and frustration. What do you think?
http://www.ethicsusa.com/article.cfm?ID=3464

Do Children make us happy?

2011-03-26T12:50:00.000-06:00

Interesting question, "Do Children make us happy?" I listened to the Matt Townsend show today and his topic was on this question. There was an article in the New York Times titled, "Does having Children make you Unhappy?" In this article it talks about a study that The Journal of the British Psychological Association made and researchers concluded that children bring unhappiness. Hmmmmm....It was kind of funny that as I was listening to Matt Townsend's show on how hard it is to raise children and it costs over $200,000.00 per kid not including college costs and discussing this question, I was doing the dishes and Ammon was pulling up the stool trying to play in the dishwater and making it really difficult to get the job done. I started laughing to myself because it made me think....yes it would be a lot easier not to have Ammon around messing up my dishes but how empty would my life be without him!!! Very empty. On the radio show, most of the people that called in agreed that it was hard to raise children and sometimes it didn't bring happiness but overall, the satisfaction and joy that their children brought, outweighed the unhappiness. I totally agree. Since I have have my children, the highs have been so high and the lows have been low. If I had to do it over again, I would do it the same. I love my children so much and although sometimes I am unhappy with their decisions and we do have trials, the joy they have brought me has been so wonderful and I wouldn't trade that for anything. Isn't it interesting that people think we shouldn't have kids or as many kids.....I am so grateful for my five children and some days I wish I could have had more. Yes there are days I wish I didn't have so many....:-) but on the whole I am grateful for all of them.
Today, I am spending some one on one time with Kalli as we spend the day together and I'm so excited to be able to take some time with her and give her some extra needed attention. I think that I need to do more of that and take some individual time with each of my kids and show them how important they are to me. What do you think?

Some of my favorites

2011-03-21T10:36:00.000-06:00

Today I thought I would blog about some books that I recently read and I enjoyed and also some of my all time favorite books. There are so many to chose from so I will probably just have to do this often. My books are my friends and I love them. :-)

Cross my Heart is a book I read this year by Julie Wright. I really have enjoyed reading her books. My Not-So-Fairy Tale Life is another book that tops my favorite list. But, anyway, back to this book. There were some parts in this book that really made me laugh and I love that when I am reading! Basically, it is a young adult book about Jillian who gets caught up in a love-triangle that is truly hilarious! Very fun book that I recommend to everyone!

This is a book that I read for Book club last year. It took me a little bit to get into it and I admit that when I started it, I was lost and confused because it just starts right in and you are in the middle of the story and nothing is explained to you. But, I persevered and by 30 pages in, I was hooked and I couldn't put it down! It is witty, thought-provoking and a lot of fun. It is set in the World War II time period and written as a series of letters. I guarantee you that you will enjoy this one! After I read the whole thing, I had to go back and read the first pages again and then I could fully enjoy it!

Okay I first read this book years ago (can't remember exactly when) but I so enjoy it, that I can't help pick it up and reread it. It is an old friend that I just enjoy. This is a book about Jillanne Caldwell who is a reporter that gets caught up in finding one of her primary kids that has gone missing that also happens to be a Senator's son. A fun mystery, I love to read it also for the fun beauty tips she has spread throughout the book.

This is a book I checked out from the library that I just finished yesterday. He actually has written at least two other Shandra Covington books that I haven't read yet. I do that sometimes, that is read a book in a series out of order but this is stand alone story that you don't have to read the others to know what is going on in this one. But, there are references made to other incidents in the other books that would be helpful to know. So I am going to read the other books and then probably reread this one! A fun thriller mystery that had you going to the exciting end! I really enjoyed it!

Princess of the Midnight Ball:
I reviewed the second book in this series a few blogs ago, Princess of Glass. This is the first book, Princess of the Midnight Ball and it is based on the story of the 12 Dancing Princesses. I loved the characters and I loved the story.

Murder by Design:
This is the second in a series...I read the first one a few weeks ago called Murder by the Book. About a librarian in the small town of Midway. It also is a Young Adult mystery. I enjoyed the characters and the story.

So there you have it. Hope you enjoy my recommendations. Happy Reading!

Prayers are answered

2011-03-20T14:10:00.000-06:00

I am constantly amazed, and I know I shouldn't be, at the evidence of my prayers being answered. Six months ago, I was able to attend the General Relief Society Meeting in the Conference Center and I resolved right then to bring Kalli to the Young Women General Meeting which is this Saturday. I didn't know how I would get a ticket (because our ward is Utah, we usually don't get tickets to General Conference or the YW or RS meetings) but I was going to go. I was planning on going up there and getting in the Standby line and try to get us in but I was going to try. I have been praying for the last six months to make it possible for us to be able to attend that meeting. Today, Kalli came home from church with two tickets to the YW General meeting this Saturday. She said that the YW president said they weren't expecting it but had gotten 20 tickets and who wanted one. Isn't that awesome? So, now we don't have to worry. We can just go and we have tickets! I'm so happy!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T21:06:00.000-06:00

"Though deepening Trials Throng your Way..."

2011-03-14T09:39:00.000-06:00

I had such a busy week last week and a hard one. I just had a lot of trials bombard me and I'm glad to be done with last week and start with a new one this week. Just some thoughts that I've had the past week:

I am so glad for the gospel in my life. I would be in the depths of despair if I didn't have the knowledge that Jesus Christ is my Savior and that the atonement is real. If you take His yoke upon you, he will help you carry any burden you have.
Small things mean a lot. I had a crazy day Thursday when life was just crashing around me and a ward member brought us dinner. It probably didn't seem a big deal to her, but to me, it was so helpful. We can really help bear one another's burdens and it doesn't have to be a big thing. I find I can have the best intentions to do something "big" but it doesn't happen because it is too involved or takes too much time. If I would break it down to something small, I'm more likely to do it.
Everyone gets discouraged and down every once in awhile and you need to just try and be as positive as possible. If you have the choice to laugh or cry, choose laugh!!!
Good friends are so important. I'm so glad for the friends that my kids have that strengthen them and make them better people. It is important to have good friends and be that good friend.
Daylight Savings Time stinks. I really needed that extra hour of sleep.
Okay one good thing about daylight savings is it's Monday morning, no school and all my kids slept in later than normal so I got some time to myself. (See I'm trying to be positive!)

Just some deep thoughts for a Monday morning. Everything is fine.....I just had a long, hard week last week but I'm good today. I just wanted to share some thoughts.....P.S. We have been borrowing some Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes from my mom and dad and watching some of them with our kids. I have been surprised at how much they have enjoyed them. I really didn't think about the fact that I have seen every episode but they weren't even alive when they were made so they haven't seen them yet! It has been a fun activity to do together.

New Hair-Dos

2011-03-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

Kalli and I both got a haircut on Wednesday night. Emma's friend, Cara is so talented...I was so impressed with how well she cut our hair. Anyway, Kalli is Peter Pan ready and I am glad to have a new do! So much fun!

Book Review

2011-03-09T08:56:00.001-07:00

I have been reading the sequel to These is my Words which is Sarah's Quilt and I am almost finished. I have been enjoying this book so much. I love reading about Sarah. She is such a spunky character and these books have made me laugh and cry. I looked up Nancy E Turner's website and according to that, These is my words is the first book, Sarah's Quilt is the second and The Star Garden is the third book. Nancy Turner has written another book called The water and the blood but it has nothing to do with Sarah's story. Sarah's Quilt goes on with her story starting in 1906. Her two boys, Gilbert and Charlie, who were at school learning where she wanted them to be, come home to tell Sarah that they have quit school and she is not very happy. There is a part where Sarah's brother Harland and his family are caught in the great San Fransisco Earthquake and how Sarah helps them. And we also met the son of Ernest whom he didn't know existed. These are few parts of the book I will share. I hope you enjoy!

Update on everyone

2011-03-07T18:27:00.000-07:00

Aidan and Aaron: So my boys put holes in their socks faster than I can say, "Bob's your uncle" so I bought new socks and embroidered a yellow A for Aaron and a red A for Aidan which they are so excited about. I guess I should learn to darn socks and just fix their holy ones but I am too lazy at this point.

Kalli: I have been working all week on Kalli's Peter Pan costume and they are supposed to be in costume tomorrow so I have to finish tonight. I am not very creative and not a big seamstress so this has been a challenge for me. But, i am trying and it is almost over! Kalli and I both have an appointment scheduled this Wednesday to get a haircut and I know Kalli will look way cute. I am really amazed at how fast time is going and their Peter Pan performance will be here soon. I will be posting lots of pics of her performance.

Kael: The end of term is in three weeks and I have been so proud of how hard he is working in school. He has five As at this point and working on the other three very hard. He has been working hard to finish his paperwork for his Eagle. I will be celebrating so loudly when he finally gets it.

Ammon: I am so amazed how well he speaks. He has been talking up a storm lately. It must be that he just hears all of us talk and wants to fit right in! He speaks a lot of sentences and I don't remember my kids speaking so well this young.

Scott: Scott has been feeling poorly the past two weeks and our insurance finally kicked in last week so he was able to go see the doctor. He had some bloodwork done and hopefully we will find out soon what ails him.

Me (Kari): I have been reading up a storm of course..My latest book I am reading is a sequel to These is my words called Sarah's quilt. I will put up a book review in a couple of days. I'm halfway through. I am excited about my community council meetings this week at Mountain View and Westmore. It is nice to be able to be involved and know what is going on at my kids schools.

Book Review

2011-03-03T13:45:00.000-07:00

Today I will share some books that I have enjoyed this week. Reading is my passion and hobby that I couldn't live without so I think from time to time on my blog, I will share some books that I have enjoyed.
These is my Words by Nancy Turner is a book I read yesterday for Book club that is coming up soon. I wasn't sure if I would like it, but I was pleasantly surprised! It is written in diary form and covers a 20-year period in the life of Sarah Agnes Prine. It is actually fiction but the author based this story on her own great-grandmother. I love books that make me feel emotion and this one made my laugh and cry! This book is 384 pages. I would classify it as adult as there were some intense scenes in the book that I wouldn't want my teens reading. But saying that I thoroughly recommend it and know that you would enjoy it very much!

"Just Another Ordinary Day" by Rod Clement is a short children book that I got from the library but would love to add to my collection. It has wonderful illustrations that are so fun and my kids really enjoyed it! I think the pictures are what make this such a fun story.

If your child loves Thomas the Tank Engine or even if they don't this is a fun story that my two younger boys love for me to read over and over again. I checked it out from the library but we've checked it out many times before. I need to just go out and buy it! It is a great beginner book for an early reader, too.

This is a book that I found out about when I was looking up the Whitney award nominees from years past. I thought it looked cute and it was! This is one that I recommended to my 12-year-old girl who also read it and really enjoyed it. "My Fair Godmother" by Janette Rallison. It is a lighthearted story about two teenage sisters with a little fairy tale thrown in. The other good thing about this book, is it got my hooked to the rest of Janette Rallison's books. She has written a lot of books about the high school scene that I have really enjoyed and I think younger girls through teen girls will enjoy her books.

"Princess of Glass" by Jessica Day George. This is the book that I am reading today so I can't completely tell you what it is about but I'm really enjoying it. I would say that young teen girls would also enjoy this book. It is a sequel to the book "Princess of the Midnight Ball" which was another great book. The first one was a story about the 12 dancing princesses. Goodreads summarizes it so much better than I do but I am really liking this one!
Well there you have it! Hope you enjoy these books and I might do this again if I get any response. Thanks for letting me share my love of books with you.

March 1st Musings

2011-03-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

Kalli worked hard on her science fair project this year and she is going to district tomorrow. I'm so proud of her for her work, especially since Valentine's Day she stayed up late working on it and I didn't help her at all. She put it together herself. I helped her doing the cooking experiments but that was it.

So yesterday was a hard day for my little boys. It seemed like all day long they were getting into trouble. They were probably just crying out for attention but the more they would get in trouble, the more I wanted to ignore them! It was a vicious cycle. Aaron started off the day by getting into the fridge and pulling out Ammon's antibiotic medicine and squirting it out onto my kitchen floor. I went ballistic. I am not proud of it but I yelled at him and sent him to his room. I think my intitial yell that I let out ("iiiiiieeeeeee!!!!!) really scared him. I caught him later with scissors cutting up his color book. Ammon I caught in my closet, stepping on a box to reach my doTerra essentials oils that I had on a top shelf out of reach (well, I thought out of reach) but luckily, I noticed him being too quiet and I caught him before he could do anything. (Yeah, last summer, Ammon poured out an entire bottle of Orange oil onto my bedspread. My bed smelled orange for a long time) Anyway, I have just come to the conclusion that I will just have to follow my boys around everywhere and stick to them like glue. I was getting so tired yesterday afternoon that I kicked them outside (I did this after Aidan got home from school so all three of them had a blast together) to the backyard and they actually had a great time playing. Most of the snow is melted off and it wasn't too cold so it was good for them to get some fresh air and run off some energy.

This year at Mountain View, they decided to do a new thing and give the ACT test to all the juniors and the PLAN test (which is a pre-ACT test) to the sophomores during school. Usually what happens is the student has to register and pay $40 to go take the test somewhere on a Saturday. So I am really happy that Kael gets to take it for free today. I hope he does well. The seniors don't even have to come to school today. I think this is a great program and I hope they do it every year.

I am getting ready to go to the fitness center soon. It has been hard to be consistent with the sickness that has been running through our family but I think everyone is better now (knock on wood) I have only been going once a week to the track and I need to go more. I am planning on running at least 5K races this summer with my sisters. I remember last year I was not very prepared and I felt like I was going to die when I ran 2 5k races. I want to run the Orem 5K, the Running with Angels 5K and the Fourth of July Freedom Festival 5K this summer. Usually when we walk the track for an hour it turns out to be 3 miles which is almost 5K so if I just keep it up and walk more during the week, then I will feel more prepared. I also need to be eating better. I don't struggle with my weight but I have gained a couple of pounds this week. I just haven't been eating the best (chips, Hostess cupcakes, cookies, chocolate, crackers...just a lot of junk food lately). I don't think I need to eat salad all the time and I know a little junk food won't hurt, but I have been eating wayyyy tooo much junk food lately. So, my goal this week is to eat healthier and exercise just a little more than I have been. Baby steps....baby steps. If I try to do too much, too soon, than I get overwhelmed and then I don't do it at all. Well, Happy March and I can't believe how fast time is flying!!!

SMILE!

2011-02-24T12:59:00.001-07:00

It's interesting to me that when I get feeling a little bit stressed, I get canker sores in my mouth. I wonder if anyone has a done study to find out why and how emotional and mental stress manifests physically. Last night, I could feel one forming in my mouth and I just wanted to shout, "Nooooo!" The last one I had was so painful and it was right at the corner of my mouth. It made it so I couldn't smile and I missed smiling. It made me appreciate smiling a lot more though. I hated going around with this solemn look on my face but it just hurt too much to put a smile on. Now I try and smile more. It lifts me when I see people smiling so hopefully when you see me smiling, smile back! I have a lot to smile about too. I have a warm house to live in, (very warm yesterday when someone, I still haven't found which kid, was playing with the thermostat and cranked it up to 77F! I was dying!) good food to eat, a loving family and good friends. Today, I took Ammon to the doctor because he has been coughing a lot the past few days and it doesn't seem to be getting better. He has an ear infection and a little bronchitis but I'm glad it is not anything worse. It is hard to sleep a night when I hear him hacking and I am wondering how much sleep I'm going to get that night. Last night, our home teacher came over and helped Scott give him a blessing. I am so grateful for the priesthood in our home and loving neighbors that are willing to come anytime to help us. Ammon slept all night and I was so grateful. Well, it has been a busy day so far and getting busier. I'm off to school for Kalli's orientation for Jr. high, then pick up Aaron from preschool. Kael is playing in the pep band tonight and they are busing them up to the Basketball game. Hopefully he will be home before the Blue and gold Banquet which is tonight and we are invited since Aidan is turning 8 this summer. I am helping with the set up and I was worried about who was going to watch my little boys this afternoon while I helped. Turned out didn't need to worry after all. My husband is not feeling well so came home early from work. Kalli has Peter Pan practice and Kael will be busy playing his trombone but my husband will be here to be with my boys so I can go help. With five kids, there is always plenty of activity going on and never a dull moment!!!

Random Thoughts

2011-02-17T17:24:00.000-07:00

I just had some random thoughts I thought I would throw out to the cosmos in cyberspace today. I am feeling a little tired this afternoon probably because A) I stayed up way too late last night and B) I walked 21 laps around the Fitness center track this morning (about 3 miles) and I haven't been for a week. I love how feel after I exercise but if I don't do it consistently, I always seem to feel so tired and sore. When I put it my routine more, I feel energized and I feel so good. Also, this week, I have been eating so unhealthily. I have been eating more chocolate than usual (probably because of Valentines Day, I have more around the house than usual) and I haven't been eating the best foods. It is funny that I know in my head that if I eat right, I'll feel better and then I eat lousy and my body feels horrible. Why do I do that? Plus, I have been staying up later than usual watching movies with husband. It is nice to spend some time with him but I am just so tired in the morning from staying up so late. So I will try and do better to eat right, sleep better and exercise more! Good goals. Hopefully I can keep them.
Today I had a second of fame on KSL radio. I was so proud...:-) I am a big fan of the Browser, a radio show that is on 1-3 p.m. M-F on 102.7 FM. I love their show! Amy Iverson and Jay MacFarlane host the show and I am friends on Facebook with Amy. She asked a general question about anyone's thought on Watson on Jeopardy. There were three shows where Watson (a computer) went against Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. The winner got 1 million dollars. Scott and I watched the second day and I wasn't very impressed. It wasn't very fun watching Ken get beat by a computer. I am a big Ken Jennings fan. So Watson ended up with $77,000, Ken with $24,000 and Brad with $21,000 at the final show. Anyway, I had replied to Amy's question on facebook and she said on air today, "Kari says,....."and then she quoted some of what I said (which is not important so I won't write what I said...) I am so pathetic...I was like, "She was quoting me on the radio!!!" Anyway, kind of fun....
Well busy night tonight. I'm making dinner for a girl in our ward that had twins (so fun!) and then I have roundtable for scouts tonight. I love being busy and I love all the many opportunities I have had lately. Scott doesn't have school this week which is nice because Kael doesn't have to babysit and he can get his stuff done. Also, this afternoon, I put Ammon in underwear and so far he has stayed dry. I really need to commit and potty train him but it is so hard to take him out of diapers. I would love to be done with diapers but he doesn't know what he is doing yet and I'm just cleaning up messes. I know I shouldn't be taking him out of underwear and putting him back to diapers and going back and forth because it is confusing. It actually was his idea this afternoon...he asked me if he could wear underwear. He is so excited about being a big boy.

Laundry

2011-02-14T12:17:00.000-07:00

My new system has really been helping me with my laundry. It has been so nice to not have my laundry taking over my living room upstairs. It comes straight out of the dryer and into the drawers. I think because it is a novelty, the kids have been taking care of their clothes. But I am not complaining. Maybe I'll get it lucky and they will all get in the habit of taking care of their clothes! I still need to get something to hang up the dresses and skirts but I'm getting there...

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Valentines Day! I was watching the Biggest Loser the other day and they have a new trainer named Brett. Here are some good tips that he gave on the show that I thought I would pass along for today.

Exercise in the morning and that will help you burn calories for the rest of the day.
If you have a chocolate craving, choose Dark Chocolate and don't forget to share!
When you go to your special Valentine's dinner, make sure you watch your portions and maybe even share with your significant other.

My elementary school age kids both have Valentine parties in their classroom today. They are prepared with their Valentines and goodies. This is Kalli's first day back in three days because she was so sick last week. Luckily, she is much better. The antibiotics helped a lot. My husband offered to take me out last Saturday but I knew that a lot of people would be out and I didn't want to be in the crowd so I turned him down. Maybe next weekend. Tonight he has another final and he is done with his first term of school! He has studied hard and done very well. I am so proud of him. The next term starts next week and goes till May. He will be done with school Nov 2011. He has been working so hard. It is fine with me that I won't be going out to dinner with my honey tonight because we will have other Valentine's Days together. I will try and make it special for my kids.

The Domino Effect

2011-02-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

Today, in our ward, we got a new Elder's Quorum presidency. The funny thing is the domino effect we have feeling in our ward; in January, our bishop was called to be 2nd counselor in the Stake Presidency. Then a couple of weeks ago, we got a new bishop and he called the Elder's Quorum President to be the 2nd counselor in the bishopric. So, today, the reorganize the Elder's Quorum president and the Young Men's president was called to be the first counselor!!! Funny! The new Elder's Quorum president is John Romney who is so awesome! He has so much energy and a great testimony and he will be wonderful. He used to be in the Stake Young Men. The first counselor is Phil Jackson, who is the Young Men's president. I used to babysit him when we were younger. His dad was our bishop and he was in our ward. He is friend's with my brother Kevin. He'll be aweome! The Young Men are so sad to lose him. I think that it will probably be good though because they just had a baby and being Young Men's president is a very demanding calling. He will be great in Elder's Quorum. The second counselor is one of my primary teachers, Jayson Watabe. He will be so great but his primary class will miss him so much. I know that we are members of the true church; The Church of Jesus Christ of LatterDay Saints and I know that these callings are inspired. These men will do such a great job. I love being in the Lakeridge 3rd Ward. It is just a great ward with such caring people.

Taming the Laundry Beast

2011-02-08T11:37:00.000-07:00

This is my newest project inspired by Candace Wright and her blog about her Laundry Beast. We have finished most of our basement but the laundry room is the last room that isn't done. When we are ready to finish it, I will have nice counters and cabinents and it will be beautiful but right now it is unfinished with walls that you can see the electrical wires and the floor is cement. But I have a nice front loading washer and a beautiful dryer that works very well so that is what counts, right!!! Anyway, the old system worked like this: the dirty laundry goes down the laundry chute, I collect it and sort it, wash it and dry it. Then the clean clothes went into the laundry baskets and brought upstairs where I would fold all the clothes in the living room. Everyone's piles would sit around my living room, where I would stare at it for about three minutes before I got this strange tick in my face and my body would start to shake as I felt like I couldn't stand the mess any more and then I would take care of everybody's clothes and put them in their drawers! Then I would look around the now clean living room and sigh a sigh of relief until the next basket came up! And all the kids are smiling saying, "Yay! Mom put my laundry away for me!" Okay, maybe that's not what they said, but subconsciously they were thinking it! Under my new system: I have these nice new drawers similar to the ones that Candace has (thank you for the idea!!!) that sit right across from my dryer. The clothes now come out of the dryer and folded and put into the new plastic drawers and each person in the family is responsible for their own clothes!! Awesome!!!! It is no longer in my living room and tucked away downstairs out of my line of sight and now when I hear, "Mom, I'm out of clothes! What can I wear? I say, "Did you check the new plastic drawers!!!" It is so awesome! Freedom!!! But, it is a work in progress. I am working on putting names on each drawer which I will take a picture when I am done. Also, I need a place to hang up the nice shirts and dresses and skirts and I need a place to put my towels and sheets which I have just been stacking on the top of the drawers. But, one step at a time! I am taming the laundry beast thought and so proud!!!

Don't forget the Chocolate!!!

2011-02-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate

For my February posts, I have been getting in the mood for Valentine's Day. I did a post a couple of days on Roses; this post is about chocolate! I learned a lot from this link above in wikipedia...here's what I learned last summer from Ethel M. Chocolate Factory close to Las Vegas, Nevada:

Chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a natural substance that is reputed to stimulate the same reaction in the body as falling in love. Hence, heartbreak and loneliness are great excuses for indulging in chocolate!
Men cannot live by chocolate alone, but woman can!
There is more to life than chocolate, but not right now!
There is a theory that chocolate slows the aging process....it may not be true, but why take a chance?
Put EAT CHOCOLATE at the top of your list of things to do today. that way, at least you'll get one thing done.
Chocolate is cheaper than therapy, and you don't need an appointment.

Exercise is a dirty word. Every time I hear it I wash my mouth out with Chocolate!

You can't go wrong with chocolate! I love chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake, hot chocolate, and just plain chocolates! Kalli's favorite is a plain Hershey's Bar or a Symphony Bar. I love the Lindt chocolate truffles....they are so rich and delicious! So, when thinking of your special Valentine, don't forget the Chocolate!!!!

Groundhog Day!

2011-02-02T12:36:00.000-07:00

Man in Hallway: Think it'll be an early spring?
Phil: Winter, slumbering in the open air, wears on its smiling face a dream... of spring. Ciao.
Man in Hallway: Ciao.

"This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather."

"Well, it's Groundhog Day... again... and that must mean that we're up here at Gobbler's Knob waiting for the forecast from the world's most famous groundhog weatherman, Punxsutawney Phil, who's just about to tell us how much more winter we can expect."

My all time favorite quote is this one:

D.J. #1: Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cooooold out there today.
D.J. #2: It's coooold out there every day. What is this, Miami Beach?
D.J. #1: Not hardly. And you know, you can expect hazardous travel later today with that, you know, that, uh, that blizzard thing.
D.J. #2: [mockingly] That blizzard - thing. That blizzard - thing. Oh, well, here's the report! The National Weather Service is calling for a "big blizzard thing!"
D.J. #1: Yessss, they are. But you know, there's another reason why today is especially exciting.
D.J. #2: Especially cold!
D.J. #1: Especially cold, okay, but the big question on everybody's lips...
D.J. #2: - On their chapped lips...
D.J. #1: - On their chapped lips, right: Do ya think Phil is gonna come out and see his shadow?
D.J. #2: Punxsutawney Phil!
D.J. #1: That's right, woodchuck-chuckers - it's...
D.J. #1, D.J. #2: [in unison] GROUNDHOG DAY!

Happy groundhog day everyone!

Say it with a Rose

2011-02-01T12:28:00.001-07:00

January just flew by and I can't believe it is February already! Valentine's Day is right around the corner! I really enjoy Valentine's Day even though I don't get flowers or chocolates....When I was a kid, my mom would make it special by giving us little cards and chocolates before we went to school and I always enjoyed that. It is just a special day to let those close to you how much you love them. I thought it would be fun to write about the meaning of rose colors this post.

Red Roses are the traditional symbol for Love and Romance. A bouquet of red roses say, "I Love You!"

Pink Roses are an expression of admiration a gentler meaning than the red roses. Deep pink says, "Thank You"

Yellow roses are a symbol for joy and friendship.

White roses stand for innocence and purity are often an expression of remembrance.

Orange Roses express passion, excitement and enthusiam and desire. They can express a fervant romance or "I desire you"

Peach stands for Appreciation or desire

Lavender roses are a symbol of enchantment traditionally express feelings of love at first sight.

So there you have it.....most of this info I got from a website called proflowers.com and ask.com. Stay tune for some more Valentine posts to celebrate February!

Roadshow

2011-01-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

The roadshow last night was so amazing. Wow. The youth in our ward and the 6th ward had been working so hard for the past three months and it showed. My favorite parts were the Goths getting a Tango lesson from the Elderly couple and Josh Taylor as the Veteran with the nerds. And of course, Kalli was amazing...she has grown so much the past three months. I was so proud of how well she sang. I really want to make sure she gets some voice training and lots of opportunities to develop her talent.
So, this is what the roadshow was about: A young teenager, Jordan, is attending a new school and is a little nervous. She goes to her class and sings about how this is her moment and she is going to do her best at her new school. Then she gets pushed off her chair and called a loser. The teacher, Mrs. Tanner, tells the class of their project of going to a senior center and interview some of the seniors there and report on it. There are three seniors that are showcased in the roadshow: The elderly couple who used to ballroom dance and teach the Goths the tango (Jordan doesn't do very well and her partner towers over her!), Ruthanne the southern New Orleans singer who visits with the athletes and then a war veteran who talks about the entertainment in the war to the Nerds. Jordan meanwhile is trying to figure out where she fits in as she goes from group to group. The groups are the nerds, goths, and athletes (jocks and cheerleaders). At first they don't like her but as the roadshow goes along, they accept her. At the end, Jordan sings about how we can all fit in together and she sings, "We Believe" which was the theme of the roadshow this year. This song that I downloaded was Kalli singing the last song. She did a beautiful job. I couldn't get the video to download but it is on my facebook. here are some pics getting ready for roadshow instead.
I recorded this one at the third church that they performed so she was getting tired. She felt like her best performance was the second place they performed and luckily that was where her extended family watched her. So that is nice they could see her best performance. It was fun to drive the kids from church to church but I was sad that I couldn't sit and watch all the others. I did pieces of the Stonewood wards and there were some fun ones but I really think they did the best roadshow. It was a great script and the kids performed it so excellently. I hope they do a roadshow again next year. I know it was a lot of work but hopefully, it was worth it. =)

Roadshow rehearsal

2011-01-26T20:56:00.000-07:00

The youth had their dress rehearsal tonight and since I was wrestling boys, I couldn't take as many movies as I wanted but here is a little sneak peak of Kalli. I am so excited for her to perform in the roadshow! She is going to do great! I wish I had her courage on stage. She goes into character and forgets to be nervous. That is not me at all. Anyway, enjoy!I uploaded it the first time and there was no sound so I tried it again. I hope it works so you can hear her sing!

New Principal next year

2011-01-26T13:10:00.000-07:00

Change is hard but I have often found that it is good. It is always a growing experience but I go into it kicking and screaming. This post is not about a growing experience for me but someone else. We just got a new bishopric and stake presidency and now I find out that next year we will get a new principal at the elementary school. Barry Beckstrand has been principal at Westmore since Kalli was in preschool (well actually he was the TSA when she was in preschool and then the next year, Kathy Porter left to go work at the district and Mr. Beckstrand became principal) So he was been there for a long time. Kalli is going to junior high next year anyway but I still have three boys going through the elementary school.
Mr. Beckstrand told us the news at our Community Council meeting today and that is yet another reason why I like to be on the council. I know what is going on at the school. Mr. Beckstrand told us that the district has assigned him to be the new principal of a new elementary school opening in Saratoga Springs next Fall. This will be an exciting opportunity for him and a lot of work. I am excited for him but we will miss him so much. I think it is so great that he is being so positive and he is a good example to me to accept change gracefully.
So we should find out who the next principal of Westmore will be in March or April. I will keep you posted when I find out. My first instinct when I heard Mr. Beckstrand's news was to quit community council next year but now that I have had time to think things over, I want to get to know the new principal and stay informed with what is happening at Westmore. I also volunteered to chair the Take Home Library next year and help Mrs. Nielsen. I am very excited to do this but it means I am spread even thinner. I have a lot on my plate now but I feel like I am able to juggle the balls, so to speak, right now so I think as long as I don't take on any more new projects, I will be okay.

Exciting Sunday!

2011-01-23T12:40:00.000-07:00

So this morning in church, I knew we were getting our new bishopric because the new stake presidency was there and I noticed that our 2nd Counselor, Br. Grover had family there...hmmmmm. Keith and Lacey Wilson sat behind us in church and Keith mentioned that he thought Br. Grover would be the new bishop and he was right. Kael was supposed to give a talk today and he was relieved when they told him he was off the hook today. (He found out about it last night so he really didn't have that much time to prepare.) So the new bishopric is Bishop Thomas Grover, 1st counselor, Jeff Wilde and 2nd Counselor Brad Frandsen (who is the Elder's quorum president). I think that these men are really good men and will do a great job. I know it must feel overwhelming to serve in these callings, but all three of these men are such caring, capable people and I know that they are in the calling that they are supposed to be in. It is always amazing to me how the Lord knows each of us and knows what callings we need to grow and progress and to also help others. I'm not only speaking of them but of me as I feel that I have grown a lot this year in my calling in the Primary.
I am encouraged by our progress with our little sunbeams as they did so much better today! It is hard to sit quietly and it is such a change from nursery and I'm so proud of how these little ones are getting it. We just need to keep at it and try our best each and every week. I love all the children in the primary so much and I am so glad that I can serve them.

Klondike and roadshow rehearsals

2011-01-21T17:05:00.000-07:00

So just some random thoughts tonight. Kael went on the Klondike tonight which is a scout winter campout. He had his coat packed in his backpack and as I watched him walk to the church to meet the other boys in his short-sleeve T-shirt, I just shook my head. I saw what he packed, which in my opinion wasn't enough warm clothes and wondered how he does it. I guess I am just spoiled. I have a hard time camping in the warm months. I don't like sleeping on the hard ground with a rock sticking in my back and I like to be warm. I have a hard enough time getting warm at home with my rice bag and several blankets, I can't imagine being comfortable camping in the winter. Can you tell I've never been a scout? Well, I hope he stays safe and has fun.
Last night, we went to the church and watched the youth in their dress rehearsal for the roadshow. I am so excited for performance night next week! I think they are going to be awesome! It was so much fun. Scott had class last night so I brought the three younger boys who did better than I thought they would. I thought I would be chasing them around the entire night but they were interested in what was going on. Plus Tamara Hansen was there too and helped me so much by holding Aaron while I held Ammon. I am so impressed with the work the youth and the youth leaders have put into the roadshow and I think they are going to do so wonderful!
Well, it is dinner time and we are having BBQ pulled pork sandwiches and rice-a-roni. Recipe, of course, to follow on my food blog.

Aidan's new room

2011-01-17T09:44:00.000-07:00

So the past week or two, Ammon keeps joining us in bed and I cannot sleep with kids in my bed so I end up on the couch. Scott and I are both getting sick of this especially since a couple of those nights, we both took turns taking him back to bed and tucking him in and a couple of hours, he would just come back!!! Well, my theory is he is just uncomfortable in his little toddler bed and is just growing out of it. So, what to do?

We moved Aidan downstairs to our "playroom" ( the family room in the basement) and now Aaron and Ammon will sleep in the bunkbed upstairs. It is nice to not have all three of my boys crammed into one room. Maybe with Ammon in a bigger bed, he will stay there and we will get more sleep at night!

Stake Conference

2011-01-10T08:59:00.001-07:00

This weekend has been a wonderful one for me. It was a good reminder of things that I need to work on better and it was also to feel the spirit so strongly all weekend. I was able to attend all three session of stake conference. The first one was Saturday afternoon which was the leadership session (it was 2 hours). Then I stayed to practice for the stake choir which I was so happy to be a part of. Then the adult session started at 7 p.m. It was so fun to sing in the choir with some of my siblings. I got to sit by my sister and then her husband and my brother were also in the choir. The talks were awesome! Brad Frandsen is in our ward and he spoke. The theme for the night was rescuing people. One of the things Brad said really stuck with me and that is, the more promptings that you heed, the more opportunities and promptings you will get. I hope I can follow his good example and obey the promptings that we get no matter what. I need to remember to fear God more than man. It is hard sometimes. Sunday morning, my husband was sick and stayed home with the little boys and so the other half of the family went an hour early to sit in soft seats! I was glad that we went so early because there were a lot of people already there saving seats. Kalli got to be a part of the Stake Young Women choir and they sang, "Be Strong" which was a wonderful number. Our Stake Presidency has been in for nine years so they were released. Kalli didn't realize that that was happening and it took her off guard. She got to sit up in the choir seats the whole time since she was a part of the YW choir but that just made it so I had to watch her cry and I couldn't comfort her. My heart ached for her as I watched her sob. She has had a special relationship with President Wolfert, Pinegar and Gerke. When she was 8 years old, President Wolfert asked her to speak in Stake Conference and she did a wonderful job. She got to sit by President Gerke and he let her operate the microphone going up and down. So, anyway, I was teary myself...I will miss them too. Then the next blow was they called our bishop to be the 2nd Counselor in the new Stake Presidency. It wasn't till Bishop Prete was bearing his testimony that Kalli realized that that meant he wouldn't be our bishop any more and a fresh set of tears started flowing. I know that Andrew Horton is the man the Lord wants to be our Stake President and Bishop Gilbert and Bishop Prete were inspired as his counselors. But it doesn't make change any easier knowing that. :-) I will so miss working with Bishop in ward council meetings. I told Kalli that he will stay our neighbor so she can be happy about that! So, anyway, an exciting Sunday and I was so very grateful for the gospel. I have a lot to work on and it is hard sometimes. I need to reach out more to people and that is so hard for me. Our new stake presidency will do a great job and I am so grateful for them!

Happy New Year 2011!

2011-01-01T11:05:00.000-07:00

We had a fabulous New Year's Eve 2010 party last night! We went to my mom's and had lots of good food and fun! Mom makes her delicious homemade pizza that I just love. We had chex mix, cookies, vegetables and dip, chips, all sorts of goodies! this picture is of Aidan and Ammon. All my kids made it to midnight. They were in their pajamas so when we got home at 12:30 p.m., they went straight to bed!
This is a picture of all the poppers and balloons. At 10 minutes to midnight, we always turn the TV to Dick Clark's Rocking Eve. It's a tradition!
Aaron had a good time blowing the horn. My poor dad was not feeling well and sick in bed and I don't know how he could stand all the noise!
Happy New Year Kalli!

This was Aaron and Katie's first New Year's as a married couple! So fun!
We played Catch Phrase and White lies which was very fun. Ainsley was just having a good time eating cheeseballs. Emma's in-laws Lyle and Vona Hunsaker and their son Enoch spent New Year's Eve with us. That was very fun! It was just the daughters that came this year.

Happy New Year! Welcome 2011! Today is a very fun date isn't it: It is 1/1/11! Love it!

Best Christmas Present Ever!

2010-12-28T13:02:00.000-07:00

Today Scott got a belated Christmas present....a job offer. He accepted it of course and he starts on Monday at Novarad. The company is a couple of buildings away from Provo College where he takes night classes so that is handy. We won't see him as much as we would like but he only has one year of school so that's not so bad. It has been a long five months but we have seen so many blessings and felt of people's love and support. Now maybe we can get on top of some bills and maybe help others in need! I am just so happy that the waiting is over. We are so blessed that it wasn't longer than five months. Hopefully, he will be here until he is retired! We can hope!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T08:43:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Mary Ann came to our Christmas Eve dinner and program this year and my mom and dad also came which was wonderful. We had a wonderful roast beef dinner. The next picture is my Christmas Card wall. I have enjoyed all the cards that I received this year. Next year, I will mail out a card..I'm taking this year off :-)

My camera is starting to have issues. Sorry about the blurriness of Kalli. this is Christmas morning opening presents.
Too many presents!
Kalli was excited about all of her presents..I think she is holding up her Christmas stocking in this picture.
My favorite gift (well actually is was Scott's) was Star Trek Scene it game in the background here. Aaron looks very dapper in his new sweater.
Kael played a trombone song for us Christmas Eve.
I made rice bags for all the kids to keep them warm. Aaron hadn't had his for even one hour before he destroyed it. He was pounding it with his lightsaber and it exploded all over the bedroom. I really lost my temper, sad to say. All that hard work down the drain in a matter of minutes. So everyone has a rice bag now except Aaron.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T22:32:00.000-07:00

We had such a wonderful Christmas today! I will blog about it next week when I have a little more time. I had to take more movies than pictures because my camera is having issues. We opened presents here at our house about 8 a.m.--that was after about 30 minutes of trying to get Kael out of bed. He was awake but just didn't want to leave his warm bed. "Teenagers...they think they know everything...etc" Anyway, we finally were able to get everyone into the livingroom and by the time all the presents were opened, we could barely stand anywhere in the room! We just had so many presents and wrapping paper everywhere! The kids were so excited about their gifts and we had such a good time opening gifts and thinking about the many people who kindly gave us gifts. Then we got dressed and headed over to Grandma and Grandpa Pyne's house for a yummy breakfast. We had mountain man hash, bacon, sausage, muffins, and cold cereal. Oh, it was to die for! We opened gifts and visited...both my sisters and their families were there that was fun too. Then we headed over to my grandma's house to open more presents. And I got to visit a little with cousins and extended family although not as long as I wanted to. The kids were anxious to get home and play with their new toys before we headed to Lehi. One of the favorite gifts was STAR TREK scene it. Scott and I played a bit and that was a lot of fun. We put Ammon down for a nap and played a Disney version of Apples to Apples with the kids and that was a lot of fun. Later that afternoon, we headed to Lehi in the fog to Scott's sister house for Christmas dinner. It was so yummy! Ham, potatoes, jello and spinach salad. Scott's mom is staying with Rachel this week so it was fun to visit with her also. Then my nephew Zach and his mom Lisa stopped by and we had fun visiting together. After a very long day, we headed home in the even thicker fog and put the kids to bed way after bedtime! Now it is time to think ahead to tomorrow and a very busy Sabbath day! Christmas was wonderful today and the only hard thing is we have to wait one whole year till next Christmas! Next year it is on Sunday which means we will enjoy Christmas all weekend long. Usually when Christmas is on Sunday, we have Christmas Adam (day before Christmas Eve) dinner and program, we open our gifts Christmas Eve morning and enjoy our gifts. Then Christmas day we go to church and enjoy the day visiting family. So that is something to look forward to next year!

Christmas party at the Pyne's

2010-12-23T22:29:00.000-07:00

We had a fun party tonight at the Pyne's. We had a buffet and everyone brought a salad and a dessert. I decided to try a new recipe from my Quick Cooking magazine. The recipe is on my cooking blog....anyway, I was so happy at how yummy it turned out and so pretty! After a yummy dinner, my dad and LeGrand played their violins and Emma accompanied them. They played one of my favorites "Gesu Bambino" it was beautiful! Then my mom got out some chimes and held up a board with each of the numbers on it and we played Christmas songs. That was a lot of fun! Emma sang a song and Kevin played my favorite "I saw three Ships sailing" (Jon Schmidt) and for my part on the program, I played Silent Night on the piano and everyone sang. I admit I felt a little intimidated by my other siblings talents...I really don't play the piano that well. But I am trying to practice and I'm trying to remember that they put in the work earlier! Anyway, then we opened presents from each other. We sorely missed Erik and Stephanie and family who are in Kentucky. They were so kind to send us all gifts! Thanks for the hand sanitizer! Anyway, it was just enjoyable to be with the family and enjoy each other's company. The downside of the evening was that Scott wasn't able to be there because he had class. But I did load up some plates of food for him and bring them home. Anyway, it was very fun. Tomorrow, I am doing Christmas Eve dinner at my house so I will busy baking all day long and cleaning house. I'm not quite done wrapping presents and I have some homemade gifts that I need to work on. So it will be a very busy day tomorrow! I love this Christmas season! Merry Christmas all!

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

2010-12-21T10:53:00.000-07:00

I will not ever get tired of saying, "Thank you, Santa!!" over and over...and this season he is popping up everywhere. I am so touched by how many people have reached out to his and wanted to make sure that we have a good Christmas. Last month, as I looked toward December, I resolved that even though we had nothing to give our kids for Christmas, that we would have a good attitude and that we just make sure we emphasized the reason for the season which is Jesus Christ. I felt peace as I looked ahead to a Christmas where I pictured us looking at our tree on Christmas Day with little or no gifts underneath. I know that Christmas is not about presents and getting stuff but still, I knew my kids would be disappointed. As December progressed and Christmas approached closer and closer, I realized that a very different scenario was unfolding. If you look at the picture above, you can see the evidence of the love of many people who want to make sure that our family has a Merry Christmas. I am so overwhelmed by the love I feel for the many anonymous donors that have left money and packages on our doorstep for us this Christmas season. It is so rewarding to see the smiles on my children's faces. Especially Kalli who a few weeks ago was moping around a little trying to be brave saying, "We are getting nothing for Christmas this year since Daddy doesn't have a job." I am resolved to remember this feeling of joy and to remember how good it feels to have people love you and give to you with no expectation of anything in return. We won't always be in this position and I am hoping to be on the giving side soon instead of the receiving. Don't get me wrong, the receiving side can be pretty fun, but I want to give to others also and lift them the way that we have been lifted this year. I learned in primary this year, "When we serve others, you serve God" and I have learned for myself how important service is this year. Merry Christmas everyone and thank you for your love. Our family is having and going to have the best Christmas we have ever had!

School parties

2010-12-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Aidan with his class when they sang their Christmas songs for the parents. The other pictures are of Aidan in his classroom during their class party the last day before Christmas break. I am so grateful for the mothers that come and help in the classroom. This year I wasn't able to help with Aidan's party because I was in lunchroom helping at Kalli's party. I figure since she is in 6th grade and won't be doing this next year, that is where I should be. Maybe next year I can help more in Aidan's classroom. Aaron will be in preschool and Ammon will be a little older so it hopefully will be easier. We did a fun game in Kalli's party. The kids passed around dice and whoever got doubles got to go to the middle and they had dress in a coat, hat, scarf and mittens and try and unwrap a present. So it kept switching around who would unwrap it because when you roll doubles, it is your turn and whoever unwraps the present gets to keep it! It was a lot of fun. Then they had tons of goodies afterward. I think that has been a theme this month is too much food! I am getting a little overwhelmed by the all the goodies everywhere! Anyway, I am glad that the kids had a good time at their school parties and no more school until January!

Marshmallow World!

2010-12-21T10:23:00.000-07:00

Wow! Look at all the snow! It's going to be a white Christmas after all! Last night, we went up to Lehi to go Christmas caroling with Scott's sister Rachel and her family and some of their ward members. It was not too cold but it was a little bit but it was still fun to go out and sing Christmas songs. When we came home at about 9:30 p.m. it was a little bit icy on the roads and the snow was starting to come down. I get really anxious and nervous being on the snowy roads, but Scott is a pro driving on them. I guess he is used to Montana roads. Anyway, we made it home safe and sound. This morning, I looked out and wow! I didn't expect to see so much snow. Scott and Aidan got the shovels and got to work removing snow. Then they went to my grandma's with my brother, Kevin to shovel snow. I love the snow when I can stay inside and hibernate and not go anywhere. I think today is a good baking day! You may just see my cooking blog updated later today!

MoTab and David Archuletta Concert

2010-12-18T11:46:00.000-07:00

Wow! We were able to go to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert last night by the generosity of my sister-in-law, Juanita. She gave us four free tickets and Scott, Kael, Kalli and I went up to Salt Lake last night. We left at 4 p.m. and decided to take the Trax up. I am so glad we didn't have to worry about parking up in Salt Lake. It was cold but we were able to get up there by 6 p.m. and in our seats by 6:20 p.m. Then we could sit back, admire the wonderful set that they put together, watch the camera cranes move around and watch the people fill in 21,000 seats. The choir filed in at about 7:15 p.m. As a side note, at about 7:25 p.m., President Monson entered with his wife and the whole conference stood and just was quiet. it is a reverent feeling when the prophet comes into a room and makes 21,000 people stop all conversation and stand up to respect him! Kalli really thought that was neat. He sat down and a few minutes later, the concert started promptly at 7:30 p.m. I wish I could find the words to describe how wonderful it was to be in the conference center. The dancers and orchestra and of course the Choir was just fantastic!!! I had heard of David Archuletta but I wasn't really into American Idol and hadn't really followed his career but WOW! I can see why they invited him. What a charasmatic, cute, talented singer!!! It was fun where we sat because one of the cameras on the crane would occasionally pass over our heads, sometimes so close if we reached out, we could touch it. It was such a wonderful concert and so great to be there in person. I am sure that next year, we will want to get the DVD so we can be reminded of the wonderful memories we made last night. We enjoyed walking through Temple Square to get back to Trax. The lights were amazing. Then we were squished together for a few minutes on Trax like sardines but that didn't last too long. They had to shut down north temple by the conference center after the concert to let the thousands of people cross the street. That was kind of fun to see and be a part of. The drive home after we got to Sandy Civic Center was not fun. At the point of the mountain, we were going 5 mph because the roads were so icy and we didn't miss the storm. The concert was over at 9 p.m. and we didn't get home until 11:30 p.m. But it was totally worth it. I am so grateful for parents for watching my boys so we could go. We wouldn't have been able to go without them doing that and they babysat a long time!! From 4-midnight. I am so grateful to them! We had a marvelous time!

Provo Tabernacle

2010-12-17T12:08:00.001-07:00

At 2:43 a.m. this morning, fire crews were called to the scene of the Provo Tabernacle. They have been fighting the fire since then and probably will be all day. What a tragedy. They say in the news that they won't know the cause for another couple of days. I am so hoping it was an accident and not arson. The fire has gutted the tabernacle so far and they don't know if it can be restored. I am so sad. I have so many good memories of the Provo Tabernacle. Conferences and concerts. One particle memory I have is when I was a senior in high school, Mountain View got to perform John Rutter's Requiem and I got to play an oboe solo there. I remember how nervous I was but how it turned out okay after all. The acoustics of the tabernacle made for a beautiful oboe sound. I also remember going to concerts with my best friend, Jana Stutz. I remember a free concert we went to at Christmas time that Kurt Bestor did that was so fun! Oh, the memories. To see a news story, go to Deseret News or ksl.com.

Christmas Letter 2010

2010-12-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

This year, for the first time in 17 years, I am not sending out a Christmas card. I know it is silly, but I am proving to myself that I can have a merry christmas without sending out Christmas cards. It costs money (stamps, photos, cards, etc) and I'm trying to simplify this year. I sent out 75 cards last year so I am going into withdrawal. I thought maybe I could ease my withdrawal a little by putting a Christmas letter online. I so appreciate all the cards and love we have received already. Thank you! And Merry Christmas! so here it is:

Merry Christmas!
The years are zooming faster and faster! We can't believe it is the end of 2010 already. It has been a roller coaster year for us with lots of ups and downs. But, we have grown a lot and seen a lot of blessings in our lives and we are grateful.
Ammon turned two years old this past summer and we are amazed at how much he has learned this year. He is our baby but he is no longer a baby but a little boy. He is usually easygoing but when he gets ornery--watch out! He lets you know about it! Ammon is getting more and more independent and you usually hear from him, "I do it!" He loves to play cars, wrestle with his brothers and sing songs. He loves to come with mom and Aaron to the Fitness center twice a week
Aaron turned four in September and started preschool this year. He has learned so much from Mrs. Patterson already! He is my blond boy out of all my dark-headed children! Aaron loves Veggie Tales, he enjoys his Sunbeam class at church and he loves the color yellow.
Aidan is seven and in second grade this year at school. He enjoyed being in the Lego club that they offered after
school. He enjoys playing soccer during recess with his friends. He likes any kind of sport and he is a big Star Wars fan! For his birthday this past summer, he got a clone helmet and a electronic lightsaber and for Halloween, he was Obi-Wan Kenobi! It has been fun to watch Aidan learning and growing this year. He is looking forward to being eight next summer and being baptized and being a scout!
Kalli has had a very full year this year! She turned 12 in the Fall and started Young Women which she really enjoys. She has been working on her Personal Progress and one of her projects she is working on is learning how to make rice and bean bags to keep you warm. That has been a fun thing for mom and daughter to do together. Kalli auditioned for the roadshow that the youth are performing in January and got one of the main roles. She has loved learning how to dance and of course she loves singing. She sang with the Ward Choir Sunday when we performed our Christmas Program. She also auditioned for Peter Pan that the school is putting on in April and will be busy in January with roadshow and Peter Pan rehearsals! She is still taking piano lessons and is looking forward to being in band when she starts jr. high next year.
Kael got his drivers license! Can't believe he is 16 already. The time is going too fast! He has had a busy year also. He has been working hard at school with 16 credits of concurrent enrollment. He completed his Eagle Project this summer--in fact, he did it the day before we left for Disneyland! His project was painting the hopscotch lines and basketball hoops at Westmore Elementary where Aidan and Kalli attend school. He only has the paperwork left to complete and he will have his Eagle soon! He enjoys playing his trombone in band and is in the Wind Symphony this year. Kael is a great big brother and does a lot of babysitting for his mom. He also has done a great job being Den Chief for the Wolf Den. The boys have really enjoyed getting to know him.
Kari has had a busy year, also. Besides keeping busy with the kids at home, the kids in Primary have kept her busy too. She has enjoyed her calling as Primary President the last year. She is also on the Community Council at Mountain View High and the President of the Community Council at Westmore. That has been a great experience! Her favorite thing that she did this year was by far going to Disneyland to August. She had so much fun there with the family, she hopes to go back soon!
Scott started Provo College at the end of November and has been working hard to get updated in his computer certifications. He was laid off from his job at Open Solutions a week before our Disneyland trip. We are grateful we got to go to Disneyland still! He is a great dad and spends lots of time helping kids with homework, playing football or chess with his boys, and doing projects for Kari! The little boys have missed him at bedtime three nights a week when he goes to school and have had to adjust to Mom putting them to bed.
So, there is a little of what we have done this year. It has been a good year and we are so very grateful for the gospel in our lives and our great friends and family that we have. The Christmas season has filled us with joy with the evidence of so many caring people who want to make sure we have a good Christmas. We are so grateful for our Savior, Jesus Christ and all that He has done for us and grateful that we can celebrate his birth! We hope that everyone has a happy holiday, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2011!!!

Love from THE WENDTS

O christmas tree....

2010-12-13T07:44:00.000-07:00

We finally got our Christmas tree up on Friday night! I have been begging Scott since the beginning of November to switch our Entertainment center and piano but it was such an overwhelming job, I don't blame Scott for putting it off so long! Scott and Kael moved them both with a lot of hard work and now it feels very cozy. It was a job though because we had to hook up all the surround sound and cables again after it was moved. Anyway, we got our tree up and the kids enjoyed it. It is a fun tradition to put the Christmas tree up. We usually do it the day after Thanksgiving but we have been so busy, it has been hard to find a night when we are all together! I also want to say that I have been so touched by the many gifts that people have left on our doorstep for us so we can have a Happy Holiday! I love it! It makes me encouraged to go out and do what I can for other people (which isn't much right now but, hey I'm trying!) Merry Christmas everyone!

Kalli's new haircut

2010-12-09T07:31:00.000-07:00

So in the second picture down, you can't tell very well but Kalli's hair was really long in the back. I wanted to give her a haircut but I've never cut girl's hair before, I've just buzzed my boys which isn't very hard. I went online and learned how to cut hair and then I tried it. I was very surprised that it turned out so well. Just goes to show that you shouldn't be afraid to try new things!