Smarty Pants Mckay!

I had to put a picture of Mckay in here somewhere!! What a GREAT boy he is!! He is very smart and very kind. He did basketball but it was "Mickey Mouse" basketball. They just taught them how to play and then they got to play two games. He loved it and can't wait to play "REAL" basketball next year!! Mckay is very competitive and loves to try new things. I did not take any pictures of him playing (mostly because I was a slacker and Jake went go to all his practices with him) Next year I will get some!!

Jake's Fabulous Winter Campout!

Jake took his Priests on a GREAT winter camp out!! I say that because afterward they decided not to do that again!! Jake HATES being cold-it was 8 degrees when they woke up. His partner and him agreed not to do a repeat unless they are required to!! Pretty funny! They had a good time- as much fun as you can have in VERY cold weather-here are a few pictures: Can you believe the snow height? They actually slept in those "Snow Caves."

Birthday Time!

Happy Birthday to Jake!! It's Birthday time at our house it all starts with Jake then Me then Madelynn and then Marcus. So here is a quick Birhtday post for Jake! Hope you have a good Birthday we all love you-you are one of the BEST parts of our family!! Love You!

The Miracle

It's been a busy 6 weeks at our house!! Just a few days after Christmas Jake's mom became very sick. They ended up calling an ambulance and rushing her to American Fork Hospital. She spent nearly 7 days in a Comatose state. They discovered she had Bacterial Meningitis, which can be live threatening. It is an infection that runs up the spine and into the brain. It was very scary! The ICU at any hospital is a very terrifying place. Sandy (Jake's mom) was very sick and a few times we thought we might lose her. Jake spent many hours at the hospital with her and his family. About day 12 she finally started to come around and eventually went in to kidney failure which caused her to be put on dialysis. She started improving and was able to be moved to a Rehabilitation Center in the Provo hospital. She had to learn to read, write, walk and even speak again. She is finally home and doing great she also just stopped Dialysis but will have to see a kidney specialist on a regular basis. We feel so blessed to have her!! Sandy has a 11 year old daughter (Jake's sister) named Anna- I get tears in my eyes thinking about what it would have been like for Anna to lose her mother. They are a neat family. It has been a rough month for our family.It is hard to see someone that you love be that sick. We are so glad she is feeling and doing better and can't imagine life without her! Life is truly so precious!

Our Sweet Marcus!

I just love my Marcus! He has such a soft heart and is such a good boy. It has been a hard COLD winter for him. He has a very hard time with all this cold weather and it literally brings him to tears on a daily basis. I have made several trips to the school because he gets so cold and needs dry clothes. Marcus needs some extra padding!(fat) He is so skinny that he has a VERY hard time staying warm! He asked Santa to please leave him some pictures of his Reindeer for Christmas that was all he wanted. So Sweet! On Christmas night he said one of the most sweetest prayers I have ever heard a child say, he has a sweet spirit. On Christmas night we could hear him playing in his room after we put him to bed this is what he said "OOHH Dad I am just so so Happy! I love my new castle and I am trying really hard not to play with it-but it is really really hard!" SO Cute-I just love this boy and all he brings to our family! Here are a few of the pictures Santa left him:

We Wish You A Merry Christmas!

Christmas this year was amazing! My kids were all so excited! This is such a fun time of year! We went to Temple Square, Seen The Lights, Had lots of parties, and got to see Santa twice! Madelynn was scared to death the first time we seen Santa-then by Christmas Eve when we got to see him again she ran right into his arms! Now she keeps asking me when we can see Santa again. I am so thankful for this time of year when we can remember the Savior and all he has done for us. Marcus said it best last night during family prayer "thank you for Christmas and thank you for everything you have done for us". I hope you all had a "Good One" also! Some of our favorite presents this year were: Lave Lamps (the boys cannot stop talking about them), Lego's, Nintendo DS, IPODS, WII Games, Mermaid doll, Toy Puppy, and the nice Camp Chef and Grill we will use over and over again. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Back to Work........................

In September I went back to work. It has been nearly 8 years since I have worked this was a tough decision. With winter coming and Construction slowing down I decided we could use the extra income and I got a job in September. I am working at the Beehive home that is about 3 miles away from our house. This job has truly enriched my life!! It has been VERY hard to leave the kids (especially my baby-Madelynn) and go to work. I only work part time so its not to bad. I take care of 7 elderly women who are all like my grandma!! They are great ladies and have had amazing lives-they truly inspire me to be a better woman! They can all walk and do most tasks-but most of them have all-timers disease. I have really enjoyed getting to know them and when I don't work for a day or two I wonder how they are doing! Just recently we had one of them pass away in a matter of days she went from walking to being bed bound and then one quite night with her daughter by her side she passed away. I sat with her daughter for a few hours and listened to her tell me about her amazing mother. What a humbling experience that was and one I will never forget. Life is so precious! All though it has been difficult I have learned alot about myself and about life in general. Jake has really pitched in and is doing alot of babysitting. We are all still adjusting to our new schedules but all in all we are surviving.

A Very Thankful Heart!

Its that time of year-were you start thinking about all the things you are grateful for! I feel so blessed and lucky and wanted to share a few things I am so very thankful for this season. So here they are:

**I am thankful for a Wonderful husband who works so VERY hard to support our family!!

**I thankful for our good health-and no major illnesses.

**I am Very thankful for the 4 GREAT children Heavenly Father has trusted me with!

**I am thankful for my Heavenly Father who I know is watching over me and loves me!

**I am thankful for my Sweet little girl who reminds me daily to be a "better" mother, because I realize that I am her constant example.

**I am thankful for my GREAT sister-whom I love and adore! She always sees the best in the worst situation and always has my back!

** I am thankful for my parents who support and give me good advice-even if I don't want to hear it!! Love you!

**I am thankful for (this is a hard one) My BIG Ford Truck!! Although I would rather drive something else it gets me were I need to go safely!!! LOL

**I am thankful for my beautiful home that I can be happy and warm in.

**I am thankful for Utah's beautiful Mountain's and that we get to enjoy them!

**I am thankful that Jake's family made it to Utah-Safely! And are doing Great!

**I am VERY thankful that Jake has managed to stay some what busy in such a "Bad Economy".

**I am thankful for a nice cold PEPSI when it has been a long day!!!

I could go on and on actually-I am just feeling very blessed this year and wanted to share my thoughts! We are truly so Blessed- if we just take a minute tho think about it! Happy Thanksgiving!

Mckay Gets Baptised!

Mckay got baptised the end of September-what a special day for him. I think that is the most nervous I have ever seen him! He did such a GREAT job! It was such a good experience for Mckay- I asked Mckay if he felt "clean" afterward and he said -"yeah-and I feel so good inside". I am so proud of him and so thankful that Jake is a worthy priesthood holder and can baptise our children. We had lots of family and friends come-including Mckays primary teachers which he thought was great. After the baptism we had a lunch to celebrate! I am so glad we are members of this gospel and get the opportunity to be baptised! Mckay looks like a little Missionary!

OOHH How I Love These Kids!!

We recently took these pictures of the kids! I am so so glad they are my family!!

My Cute Tinker Bell

Madelynn is so cute!! My sister gave us this "tinker bell" costume and Madelynn is always putting it on. She looks so cute in it and loves to dance around in it! This is new territory for everyone at our house we are not use to little girls that LOVE to do girlly things!! Thanks Tawnie for the cute dress up-I think we all like it!!

Birthday Boy Matthew Turns 11!

I can't believe I have a 11-teen year old!! Were have all the years gone?? It is September at our house which is Birthday time for the boys! Matthew's birthday is on the 9th and Mckay's is on the 10th. I have always told Matthew for his 3rd Birthday he got the best present he will ever get-his little brother Mckay! Especially since I had Mckay 3 weeks early- I was due on September 29th-Mckay had other plans! Matthew is a fun kid to have around, except when he gets a little 'Moody" that's why I say he is 11-teen! He is also smart but would rather be social! I was concerned this year because his best friend started going to the Charter School. I was afraid he would be lonely and it would be a long year. I had nothing to worry about because Matthew has made a bunch of new friends-he ended up being in a class with his other friend Zach and has brought home 2 other friends from school. The kids sure seem to like him!! (and so do the girls!) He still gets to see his friend from the charter school almost daily, they live just around the corner. Matthew likes to play video games, play baseball or basketball, play board games,camping, hiking, he enjoys Scouts and just hang-out with his friends! Something that I love about Matthew is he is very kind to others. He can be such a nice young man! Matthew's favorite foods are Pizza, Corn Dogs, Apples and anything "fast food" (a kid after my own heart!) Happy Birthday Matthew-We are so proud of the person you are becoming!!

Birthday Boy Mckay!!

It was McKay's Birthday on Sept. 10th he turned 8 years old. He is such a GREAT kid, I feel so blessed to have such amazing children! Mckay can be shy sometimes he is the opposite of most children; he doesn't like to be the center of attention, but once he feels comfortable-watch out! Mckay loves to learn and is very smart! He is in the 2nd grade and reads on a 5th grade level, he loves to read and learn new things. Mckay will try the same thing over and over until he masters it-he is very competitive and loves a challenge! Mckay loves most sports some of his favorites are Soccer, Baseball, Swimming and he says he is the fastest runner in the 2nd grade!! (I am sure he is)Something special that I love about Mckay is his genuine love for his brothers, he looks up to Matthew and him and Marcus are Best Friends. He is always looking out for his brothers! Some of his favorite things to do are bike riding, reading, fishing, camping, drawing, he loves to play outside and trying to figure out his new Rip-Stick. McKay's favorite foods are Pizza, Chicken Enchilada's, Grilled Cheese, Chicken Nuggets, Any type of fruit and "Puke Donald's"(as we call it at our house!) Happy Birthday Mckay-We Sure Love You!!!

Outdoor Fun In August

Here are a few fun pictures of the kids! This was taken up Payson Canyon. We like to go up the canyon and hike or bike ride. The boys love the outdoors! The other pictures are at my parents property in side these T-P huts. My brother Craig and his Scouts build two TP's and the kids love them-I think they are pretty neat! They can actually sleep in them and build a fire in the middle of them. The kids have spent countless hours playing inside these cool huts-Thanks Craig for the fun times!!

Back To School And My New BBF

Well its that time of year again-Back to school! I have heard it been called "the most wonderful time of the year!" I can't decide if I agree!! Just on Monday all three boys brought home the dreaded HOMEWORK-need I say more? That is so much work for me!! The boys are all really excited for school and so far enjoying it. Madelynn on the other hand is going to make me CRAZY! She is so bored-if she wakes up before the boys leave she says "NO NO Boys-No School!" She misses them and can't wait for them to be home!! She is my new BBF (best buddy forever) and I for the most part enjoy spending so much time with her. Matthew is in the 5th grade this year Mckay in the 2nd and Marcus in 1st. They all seem to have GREAT teachers and seem to be adjusting well. Here are a few pictures of what we have been up to lately!