Maya got her own party since she had success with potty training. She was very excited. I don't really think she's ready yet and I haven't pushed her when she says she doesn't want to try. I'm just easy going with this one. I figure we'll get it all figured out eventually. No need to make it a chore---yet.

She was so proud. So were her brother and sister. It's fun, as they get older how much they enjoy each others successes. They were soooo impressed with her and it just made her even more pleased with herself.

Big News!

I am officially announcing my wonderful news . . .I'm pregnant. Today is the first day of my second trimester and so I am 14 weeks.

Don't laugh at my picture. I know I look pretty silly but this is the official weekly picture spot so It will be fun to see the belly grow---well for someone like my mom anyway. I really feel like it's poking out a lot already but after looking at the picture have to admit it's not much.

Yes this was planned. We are both very excited---it was actually Kurt's idea to take a weekly picture with the same background. We've never done it before so I was surprised he wanted to. I think he's trying to somehow show me he's excited too. Thanks hon.

Have I been sick? Wow yes---then only slightly. I was really sick for four weeks or so and nothing worked that worked with my other pregnancies I just couldn't seem to get a grip on it. When I went in for my first midwife appt. she suggested zofran and I've been much much better since. It is a miracle med for me! I am never 100% comfortable with taking meds so I'll be happy when I can stop taking it. But for now---hooray!

Sick kids

As soon as he saw the camera he smiled. Poor kid has only eaten goldfish and juice since Saturday. He had 103 temp today.

Maya thought it was a great party.


Here they all are watching Maya's choice of movie because
they just didn't care much.


Poor Natalie. I was tempted to make her go to school even though she claimed to be sick this morning but decided she really might be. I took her temp an hour ago and it was 103! What's weird is each of my kids have something different. Natalie has a fever but no other sympoms. Lincoln has croup (he went to the dr. today and got meds--that is the scariest sounding coughing and wheezing I've ever heard!) and Maya just has a really nasty runny nose. I got some good pictures of them all watching Maisy. Maya thought we were having the greatest pajama party ever. She got juice and goldfish, pillow and blanket and movies all day. She was in heaven.

Thanksgiving---yes that's what I said, Thanksgiving

I know, pathetic. Don't read on if you are disgusted by be-lated blogging. I FINALLY downloaded all my Thanksgiving and Christmas pics. I was going to combine but I just had so much fun with my family over Thanksgiving I had to post. Steve Allison and their new baby Cohen flew up from Utah to spend Thanksgiving with us. Sooo much fun and very sweet of them. I hadn't seen Cohen yet and he is so adorable. You'll see . . .


Walking around the market in downtown Seattle. Yes the guy in the back is with us. That's my brother Steve and the beautiful blonde is my sister in law Allison. Aren't they cute?! Well wait till you see what their genes created!

We were blessed with family and good friends for our thanksgiving feast.
Here are the kids all playing the Wii. If you look close Maya has her dukes up.
They are playing a boxing game.


Ta Da! Isn't he sooooo adorable? My nephew Cohen. This is all the
way back at Thanksgiving. It was so much fun to play with him. He's waving at me. Ok not really.

Yummy potatoes! I couldn't have pulled off this dinner without Allison's help. THANKS for coming and THANKS for being my co thanksgiving dinner maker.

These are the silkys. Autie Allison made the one in Maya's left hand
when she was born and then replaced it with a nice new one when she came up.
Cohen has his in his lap. Maya is just so happy. She LOVES this blanket so she is in heaven with not just one but two.

Snow and Cold

Ok, so I'm the worst blogger ever. It's been confirmed. I called my friend Natalie and those were the first words out of her mouth. I admit it. It's true.

So Christmas hit our city today. We have snow everywhere and when it gets this cold, ICE everywhere. The kids bundled up to play in the backyard and I couldn't get the screen open. It was frozen shut. I took my kettle of hot water out and melted the ice off the runner so we could open it. The kids thought that was really cool. The air was so cold and windy that the snow was un-ball-able so no snowmen or snowballs. And Maya didn't last long--it was freezing.

I am sick today. I always feel so bad making someone else do singing time. It's one of those that's really hard to substitute last minute unless you are comfortable with Primary songs and singing solos in front of teachers and kids. Luckily my friend Kati saved me yet again. I have such sweet friends.

Feeling sick makes me appreciate what the Savior did for us. My experience seems so hard for me and yet what He did for us we couldn't endure. He suffered it willingly because He loves us. This makes me want to endure my small scale suffering gracefully and keep things in perspective.

I am still getting Christmas cards out! I really should be fired.

October, November . . .

there really are too many things to post for the two months. I think it is why I haven't done it. I will just put in some pics and let them tell the story . . .





Here's K (the one in the red jersey I made him) playing b-ball at his surprise party. They played three on three- double elimination tournament. I set up a concession stand and served corndogs chips etc. It was a lot of fun!

I really should post more often but I have been really busy lately.

I just recently re-read one of my favorite books, "Mitten Strings to god" (given to me by Rebecca--thanks again!) I love what that book helps me do as a mother. It centers me and helps me reevaluate my routines and schedule. It reminds me how to maintain simplicity in a hectic world. I love how peaceful we can make our homes if we try. Some things I have implemented from the book that have been wonderful:

• candles at dinner time every night---the kids love it and if they haven't said the words, "gross, sick, or yucky, and they actually try to eat whatever I make they get to blow the candle out when we're done.
  
• (chapter on peace) Turning on our fire (I know, sad huh.) and listening to music in the dark (We listened to "When Christmas Comes To Town" from Polar express a couple times. They all three ended up on my lap. It really felt like heaven.
• Reading books with a flashlight by the fire

I just realized all three of these things involve the lights out.