Small & Simple Things

Well, I'm almost 15 weeks and I can finally say that I'm starting to feel almost human again. I still take Zofran once a day, but overall things are getting better. It's the small & simple things, like...
-Actually cleaning off the table after a meal
-Being awake when McKinley comes home from school (she brought home a Mother's Day card & it asked what she thinks her mom does while she's at school. "Sleep" is what she said. Yup - pretty much)
-Making food that doesn't come from a box
-Fixing the girls' hair once in a while
-Actually reading the girls the entire book at bedtime instead of skipping lots of pages
-Dressing myself in something other than PJs and an ugly jacket
-Making sure the girls screen time is less than 2 hours
-Cuddling with my family instead of feeling nauseated every time they try to get near.

Still to come is getting up before the kids, exercising, personal study, and eating better. I still eat WAAAY too much salty, processed foods right now.

All-in-all, though, I am just thankful to be where I'm at right now. And looking forward to the next few months:
-End of school party for the kids! No more carpooling!!
-Memorial weekend camping with family
-Trip to San Diego with my sweetheart
-Mother/Sister Retreat!
-Baptism of a nephew, Blessing of a nephew
-Sweet Summatime! Playing in the water, overload of otter pops, camping, swimming lessons, trips to see friends and family, enjoying "Festival City USA", trips to the park, picnics, and more hands-on exploring of the beauty around here.
-Hopefully finding & moving into a new home. We got notice of public sale on the twin home that we are renting, so we are going from finding our "dream home" to finding something that we like and will work for us.

12 on the 12th in 2012

It's true! :) Today we celebrate 12 years of marriage on May 12, 2012. Kind of cool, doncha think? We're celebrating in St.George for the evening and then at the end of the month we're planning a more extended celebration :)
So - what do I think about 12 years of marriage? Well, we've had more trials than some, less than others. We've had more blessings than many. And I'm sure we'll have many of both in the years to come, but I hope that we get to experience them together. Because, you see, Jason grounds me. He strengthens me. And more than these things, he LOVES me! Even through all the grouchiness, the defensiveness, the stubbornness, the pride, and the selfishness, he LOVES me. And I love that. Because I love him, too.
We are at the point in our marriage where finding time to just BE TOGETHER in a quiet setting is difficult - and
we sure don't always agree on everything...
He thinks you dust first, then vacuum. I think it's the other way around.
He thinks you pack, then shower. I think it's opposite!
He won't eat peas, broccoli, or cantelope. I love 'em!
He likes dirt bikes & video games. I really don't care for them.
He isn't a big reader. I always need a new book in the queue.
He has a hard time paying for vacations when we could use the money for other things. I think vacations are one of the BEST uses of money!!

But somehow we get along just fine :) Because he makes the best pancakes and Spanish rice. He loves to cuddle with me and play with my hair. He listens to me and values my opinion. He loves the Lord, he loves me, and he loves our children. And to top it all off, he is a hunk of a guy. That gray hair on his temples only makes him more handsome!! :)

I made this graphic for him. You'll have to enlarge it to see the pictures a little better, but it's from our past 12 years - mostly anniversary pictures and a few pictures of when our children were born.

April Newsletter & Slideshow

Even though Heidi has not been up to doing much, we still managed to stay fairly busy this past month. Here is the slideshow & updates. Enjoy!

FAMILY:  April started off for Heidi & the girls in Salt Lake – there to see our new cousin/nephew – Spencer Simon – and to enjoy spring break. We also enjoyed watching General Conference with the family – and on Sunday afternoon there was a family get-together to watch the last session of conference and eat a yummy dinner. Other fun activities that we enjoyed while in Salt Lake: A (very belated J St. Patricks Day party put on by Grandma Potts – complete with Irish stew and bobbing for green apples, a trip downtown to see the new City Creek Center – complete with playing and getting SOAKED in the splash area there, a trip to the park so the kids could play & the girls could show off their no-training-wheels bikes, visiting Spencer at home, 3 sleepovers with cousins – and Aunt Cindy taking the girls to see The Lorax, dancing with grandma,  a McDonald’s trip with the cousins, Tiffany having us over for yummy grilled cheese sandwiches at her house, and stopping in Provo for a visit and lunch with the Bensons. It was great to see so many people that we love! We were glad to get home to daddy, though. We missed him so much after not seeing him for 2 weeks! We got back just in time to dye some Easter eggs and get ready for the big day. The Easter bunny was good to us and the girls got flip flops, bubbles, coloring books, a big chocolate bunny, hair accessories, a ring pop, and an Easter Lily pin. We had to really rush to get to 9am church & were about 10 minutes late, but we made it. The egg hunt came after church. The eggs were in the front yard & the girls had fun looking all over for them. LOTS of candy & money!! That night we had some yummy slow-cooker stew & the Hamiltons came over for a visit on their way back to St. George. The 13^th was our big hair chop day! There is probably at least 3 feet less of hair at our home since all the girls got their hair chopped for springtime. The irony being that it snowed 2 inches that day. Oh well – we are all happy with our new ‘do’s! Also that day Jason & the girls headed to Parowan to watch Sedona play basketball. They said she did a great job! On the 21^st, we got to help clean the church as a family & the girls did a great job! Afterwards, we grabbed some pizza & had a picnic at the park. Later on that day we looked at some homes for sale. On the 23^rd, Jason took the girls to a family night at Canyon View High School. With free food & bounce houses, and getting ice cream, the girls had a great time! On the 24^th , we all came to East Elementary to watch McKinley in her end-of-year Kindergarten program. It was based on Dr. Suess & McKinley did a fantastic job! Afterwards, we went to Maggie Moos to celebrate her special day. On the 27^th, we took our trailer & headed to 3 Peaks Recreation Area for our first camping trip of the year! We had a great time enjoying our trailer, roasting marshmallows & hot dogs, singing songs,  playing on the swing set, climbing on the rocks, playing games, and watching the rock crawl competition that was going on. Daddy also had a great time riding his dirt bike all around the trails. It was a lot of fun & we are looking forward to many more camping trips this summer J That next day, on Sunday, we got to visit with Grandma & Grandpa Devenish for a few minutes on their way back to Richfield. It was great to see them. In home news, we dropped the price on our lots, so we’re hoping to get an offer soon – and we put an offer in on a short sale in Enoch, so we’ll just have to wait & see.  

JASON:  April was another busy month for Jason at work. Unfortunately, between a busy work schedule & Heidi being sick & needing more help at home, Jason hasn’t been able to work out much. We’re hoping May will slow down a bit. Jason has been helping out a lot at home & taking to girls to do activities so Heidi can rest & she TRULY appreciates the extra help. He did enjoy seeing his family this month  - at Sedona’s basketball game – and with the Hamiltons & Devenishs stopping by for visits. And he really had a great time getting his bike out on some trails at the end of the month.

 HEIDI: Heidi has mostly just been in survival mode this month. If she can feed the family, make sure everyone is dressed, and carpool when needed, she feels accomplished. She tried Zofran this month & was very thankful for it. It doesn’t take the nausea completely away, but it does help her throw up less. She ran out of Zofran and really learned to appreciate it after she threw up three times in one morning. She got a glimpse of what this pregnancy would be like without it. On the 9^th she went in for her appointment (she was 9 weeks at this point) and was able to get an ultrasound. She has been very worried about this pregnancy after her miscarriage, so seeing that precious baby on the screen with that beautiful heartbeat definitely brought her to tears. She is so thankful that everything seems to be doing well with this pregnancy. It certainly makes all the misery worth it!! The 13^th was the Young Women New Beginnings program & Heidi helped by putting together special plaques for the girls & doing a presentation on personal progress. It all turned out great & was a special night.  

McKINLEY:

-Tiarra, Micheal & McKinley had fun on April Fools Day. Boy did they get everyone!! Sugar in the salt & salt in the sugar, putting something over the computer mouse sensor, putting a rubber band on the sprayer (Kezia got sprayed)… they were some pretty

-McKinley practiced for a week before we went to Salt Lake & sang Michael Row the Boat Ashore and Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, and When My Mother Calls me to everyone at Cindy’s house. She also stayed up till after 10 making a bag for Spencer with a cute card. She made a thing on the computer for grandma that said "I love roses red and white. I love to hug my gradmo vere vere tit" J

 -McKinley is still excited about being a big sister again, but she’s had a harder time this month with mom being sick a lot. She still helps out a lot, but she feels overwhelmed a lot, too and says she doesn’t like being “in charge.”

-McKinley still likes Kaden at school, but she’s not sure she wants to marry him anymore & she found out that he doesn’t go to church. She told Jared that she might love him a little bit. After she told mom this, McKinley said “If I married Jared, my last name would be Sowards.” Mom made an interesting face. McKinley said “Mom – I’ll get used to it!”

-One day, McKinley came home SOO excited! She finally won the Lin’s receipt goodie bag at school! It had yummy candy & treats & she felt pretty darn lucky that day.

-The whole family came to see McKinley’s end-of-year Kindergarten program & we are SO proud of her.  She sang out loud & clear and had a smile on her face the whole time. GREAT JOB sweetie! We also enjoyed seeing the picture slideshow at the end & saw many cute pictures of our sweet pea.

-McKinley got to see her friend Destiny at the park & got her number, so we had her come play at the end of April. They had a good time and McKinley was really sad when she had to go home.

-McKinely had a hard time sleeping when we went camping. When Kezi was crying at 2am, McKinley told mom she had been up the whole time & couldn’t go to sleep L

IRELAND:

-Ireland had mom in a worry when we were in Salt Lake. Multiple Times! She would go out into the front yard without an adult, she rode her bike in the park to a place where we couldn’t see her or find her, we lost her for a couple minutes at City Creek, and then she got into the hot tub without permission!! Mom was ready to lock her into a bedroom! But she is just thankful she didn’t get hurt or taken any of those times!
-Ireland REALLY loves babies. So – she was in heaven when she got to hold Maddy AND Spencer on our trip to SLC. She was especially cute with Spencer. She kept asking if she could sleep in his bassinet and she was running around trying to get him a bottle of milk. It was so cute. She kept wanting to hold them and kiss them, too.  She also loves the baby in mommy’s tummy & will pat her tummy & hug it & kiss it  J
-Daddy gave a FHE on marriage & he asked “how do we prepare to get married in the temple?” Ireland said “You get your marry stuff on!!”
-If you ask Ireland what she dreamt about, she will make up some elaborate story based on what she sees at the moment.
-Ireland has some bad habits we’ve been trying to break – especially chewing on her nails and her cuticles. She just bleeds and hurts & we have to put band-aids on.
-We’ve also been working with Ireland on putting her clothes & shoes away. 90% of the clutter in our home comes from a little 4-year-old who likes to throw things on the floor instead of putting them away.
-Ireland’s notes have been so cute lately. She writes “I {heart} you” a lot. Most of the time it’s reversed, but it’s still so sweet.
-Mom asked Ireland what she wanted in the newsletter & this is what she said: “Dear Grandma: You must have a good choice. And you really give lovely kisses. And you really hear nice. You have lovely kids. And you have lovely children. And you’re so good at giving kisses and you’re so good at giving hugs. And I love you.”

KEZIA:  Mom wishes she could capture so much more of Kezia’s little saying. She misses so much. She is just at such a fun age and says & does the funniest things.

-When we were in Salt Lake, Kezia went downstairs & came up a little bit later without a diaper. Mom put a new one on her, but later on when mom went downstairs, there was a surprise there. Apparently Kezia had taken her poopy diaper & decided to “decorate” all over with it – on the walls, carpet, door jams. Oh… what fun that was to clean up!!

-One day mom overheard Kezia yelling “Ireland ‘Nita – that’s MINE!” Apparently she has picked up on mom & dad’s use of her middle name when we mean serious business.

-Kezia loves to say “HAVE A GREAT DAY!” when Jason leaves for work. And if she doesn’t get to say it to him, she gets really upset and we need to call him on the phone to say it.

-Kezia is the “that’s enough!” police at mealtimes. She will let you know when you’ve had enough cereal, milk, water, etc.

-Kezia continues to have random night wakings. A few interesting ones: One time she said there was a spider in her bed and it was taking her book, another time she wanted to say a prayer & afterwards she said “have a great sleep mom!”, another time she wanted us to scare the gorilla out of her room, and another night she was mad about not getting cookies or applesauce.

-We went to IHOP one Friday night for dinner & Kezia said “IHOP is for bunnies!”

-When Kezia has a sad face, mom likes to help her try some different ones. She will say “that’s a good sad face. Now show me your silly face!” and Kezi buys into it every time. She loves to do sad faces, silly faces, scared faces, and grouchy faces. Of course, she turns the table on mom as well & will push back in her bottom lip & tell her to make a different face.

-Kezia is pretty particular about her blankets at bedtime. She has a LOT of blankets and she remembers whenever any one of them is missing. And she won’t go to sleep without them. There is her blankets from Aunt Kim, her GG blanket, her ball blanket, her purple blanket, and her baby blanket.

Edgar

Kind of a strange title to announce that we are pregnant with our 4th child, don't you think? (and NO Edgar is not in the running for boy names!) Well, you'll understand more later...

YES! We are expecting #4 sometime about the middle of November. And we are feeling very blessed to have this opportunity - especially after we miscarried in February (more on that below). It's kind of been a long road with this fourth child, but we are truly thankful.

Now - on to Edgar. Do you remember this clip from the movie Men in Black?

Of course you do! It's one of my favorite parts. Mostly because I love that lady's accent. Seriously. Hilarious.

So... I've been feeling a lot like Edgar lately. I haven't told a lot of people that I'm expecting, and so I've been walking around wearing my "Heidi Suit" - trying to act like I normally do - even when I am constantly fighting this battle within myself. If you've been following my blog, you may remember how I felt when I was pregnant with Kezia. Well, I think each of my pregnancies get progressively worse. Thankfully, this time I am trying Zofran & it is helping. It does help me not get sick as much, but I still feel nauseated most of the day and I am looking forward to the day when I don't see food as the enemy. Heartburn, nausea, tossing & turning all night. My poor kids are definitely missing their "real mommy" as I am as grouchy, bossy, and "not myself" as Edgar ever was.

Things will get better. I am taking everything a day at a time, but again, if you are reading this & I have offended you in the past few months, please understand it was an "Edgar" moment and I was not myself. Truly, I have had "Edgar moments" farther back than that. I didn't really tell anyone about my miscarriage for a while either, and walked around with my "Heidi suit" and tried to pretend that everything was okay, but I was truly hurting inside. I'm thankful for family & friends who knew & showed their love & support & who continue to do so.

The girls are excited to have another sibling. We told McKinley first & her jaw just dropped open & she paced back & forth in our room with both her hands on her cheeks, saying "I'm just so excited, I'm just so excited..." And she came into our room 3 more times that night after we had put her to bed to ask questions and express her excitedness :) We told her she couldn't tell anyone just yet, which really disappointed her, so we suggested she write in her journal about how she felt. And here is the picture of what she drew. I love that girl.

From April 20, 2012

Translation: I am too excited because my mom has a baby in her tummy

Ch-Ch-Changes!!

So - it's been a few years since these girls have gotten a good haircut. We figured it was about time!

So....

From Hair cuts!!

Here's our "before" mops

A little cut here and a trim there, and VIOLA!! We're new women! Bring on the Springtime!! (no - I mean - seriously - bring on the springtime. We have 2 inches of snow on the ground right now :(

From Hair cuts!!

March Newsletter & Slideshow

I know... I know... this blog is ridiculously behind and super-stale right now. I promise I will post more in the next week or two. For now... here's some of what we were up to in March!

FAMILY: We started off the month putting our Enoch lots up for sale & then looking for homes. So far – nothing we’ve been interested in enough to make an offer. On the 3^rd, we headed down to St. George for a temple trip with the Barons. It was a wonderful sealing session & we went out to eat & for a visit at Café Rio afterwards. Thanks Hamiltons for watching the girls!! We have spent more time outside now that the weather is (mostly) getting warmer. Lots of walks on the pathway and to parks. The 6^th was Heidi’s 33rd birthday & daddy & the girls made it nice & special. For more on her birthday, see her section. On the 14^th, we went to IFA to see the new chicks and ducklings. The girls loved petting them! Afterwards, we headed to Dairy Queen for some ice cream J We headed to St. George for the weekend on the 16^th. It was Camri’s birthday & we had fun celebrating with the family. We slept over & then the next day there was an air show for the blue angels. We were able to see quite a bit from Jeff’s backyard. It was pretty neat! It was also St. Patrick’s Day, so the girls wore their green and we went to the park. After the show, they had a yummy BBQ and Grandma & Grandpa Devenish came over. On the 18^th, after church, the Engmans stopped by for dinner & a visit on their way to St. George. It was great to see them! On the 24^th, we spent a lot of time at the South Elementary playground & BOTH GIRLS learned to ride their bikes without training wheels! We are so proud of them! That next day, Sunday, after church – Jason had to drive to Vernal for a week-long appropriations meeting. We sure missed him while he was gone!! L Heidi helped with the ward party which the Young Women were in charge of on the 29^th. It turned out really fun. We had an ice cream/dance party & the girls had a lot of fun. Jason came home on Friday evening, the 30^th and we got to spend some time with him that night & then in the morning (he made pancakes!) before Heidi & the girls headed to SLC to spend Spring Break up there with her family & meet our new nephew, Spencer Alburt Simon, who was born on the 31^st. Congrats Simons!!

JASON: Jason continues to be very busy at work and his week in Vernal for the appropriations meeting only increased his workload. He did learn a lot, though, and even ran into his cousin, Daniel, at Café Rio while he was there. Jason continues to save us money by learning new things! He replaced the brake pads on the truck all by himself – way to go babe! He enjoyed spending some time with his brother when we slept over in St. George – and seeing the Blue Angels. He sure missed his girls when they went to SLC at the end of the month.

HEIDI: Heidi’s 33^rd birthday was really great for the most part. Jason & the girls put together a candy bar poster that read: “Totheone (instead of Toblerone) and only MOM! Be Twix us we want you to know that you are no whatchamacalit! We hope you Take5 for yourself and have a somewhat mello (instead of caramello) Birthday. We love you.” It was really sweet. That night our neighbor Jen watched the girls & Jason & Heidi went to Bruon’s Italian Restaurant and then to the movie This Means War. It was really fun & cute. At the end of the month, Heidi helped the YW put together the Spring Ice Cream social. It was our ward party & it was a lot of fun.

McKINLEY:

-After church & lunch on a Sunday in March, we all wanted to take naps – except McKinley. It was fast Sunday, so that meant no electronics. So… she got really creative while everyone was sleeping. She got lunch bags & labeled them for every member of our family & then filled them with various things – otter pops, carrots, frozen peas, necklaces, books, etc. It was very sweet – thank you McKinley!

-On mom’s birthday, Grandma Devenish drove all the way here to go with McKinley to her grandparents day. It was so neat!

-Mom & McKinley met with Mrs. Jones this month for Parent-Teacher conferences. Mrs. Jones talked about how much she LOVED having McKinley in her class & how well she was doing with everything. Also- her test scores were 2-4 times higher than the goals. We are SO proud of how well our McKinley is doing in school!

-Mom mentioned that on the 9^th, McKinley was going to be 6 and a half. WELL! After that she expected breakfast in bed for her half birthday. Mom obliged – this year J

-McKinley says that Jared in her class thinks she’s really pretty and wants to marry her every day. She really likes Jared – but just as a friend – she still has a crush on Kaden.

-For Primary opening exercises, McKinley sang “Whenever I see..” Mom came to see her sing & it brought tears to her eyes. She did such a great job & sang so pretty.

-We went to South Elementary & daddy helped McKinley learn to ride her bike without training wheels! It didn’t even take very long. WAY TO GO McKINLEY!

-Mom & McKinley read “Charlotte’s Web” this month & McKinley really liked it. One night it was too late for books, but McKinley was begging for Charlotte’s Web. She said “Pleeease mom? Just one VERSE of Wilbur?”

-We got Charlotte’s Web from Netflix & watched it one night while daddy was out of town. It was a lot of fun.

IRELAND:

-One day Ireland ran outside & then a second later she ran back in & proclaimed “MOM! Spring is here! The sun is out and I heard a BIRD SING!”
-We worry a bit about how much Ireland cares about what other people think. One Sunday she said “My dress is too poufy!! Everyone is going to laugh at me!!”
-One day while playing dress-up, Ireland informed mom “I wanna be a Jaguar cheerleader when I grow up!!” Mom was so proud :)
-It’s so cute when Ireland plays pretend & she says “And I’m gonna need YOUR HELP!” – just like Dora says it.
-Mom asked Ireland who she was going to marry when she grew up. She said “Ummm – a Jason – not Daddy, but another Jason.”
-One Sunday after church, Ireland’s Sunbeam teacher told mom that she was the most reverent in the class that day. WAY TO GO IRELAND!!
-On our Sunday interviews, we asked Ireland if she was ready to start sleeping in her Dora bed again (she’s been sleeping with McKinley for a while now). She said “NO! McKinley is my best friend and I love her! And she’s my big sister, too!”
-Ireland had KINDERGARTEN registration this month! Mom & Dad could hardly believe it was time. She did so great & passed all her tests 100% - the colors, shapes, letters, numbers, and the eye test. We’re just still working on getting her name right every time, but GREAT JOB Ireland!
-When we were at the St. George Hamiltons, we were playing in the front yard & Daken was swinging golf clubs. Unfortunately, Ireland got too close & Daken accidentally whacked her in the jaw with the metal club. She cried for a while, but was OK. It did leave a big bruise for a while, though L
-One day Ireland was playing with the play doctor things. She had the little mirror thing & was looking in mom’s ear & said “I think your ear has cavities.”
-Ireland has learned to take advantage of mom not feeling well & she will say “Mom – go take a rest!” which inevitably means – “go somewhere else so I can get into things I’m not supposed to!”
-We went to South Elementary & daddy helped McKinley learn to ride her bike without training wheels. We asked if Ireland wanted to try & at first she said no, but then after about a ½ hour, she wanted hers off, too. Daddy helped her a couple times, but she just took off! Such a fast learner. GREAT JOB IRELAND!

KEZIA:

-One Friday mom asked “what should we do for Friday Fun Day?” Kezia said “Go trick-or-treating!!”

-If mom finds a spill or something broken, Kezia will automatically pipe in “I did it!”
-Kezia has had a REALLY hard time going to nursery lately for some reason L She just screams & doesn’t want to go in. We’re hoping it’s a fast phase!

-When mom & dad were at the movies for mom’s birthday, Kezia & her sisters were getting watching at our neighbor's house. They have a cat & we’re not sure just what happened, but the cat scratched Kezia’s eyeball. We took her to dr. & he gave us some eye drops, but it didn’t clear up, so we went to the eye specialist & he gave us stronger antibiotics and steroids. He said if it was 5mm over, it would have damaged her eye permanently. The eye drops were no fun to put it – Kezia hated them, but her eye does look a lot better. The sad part is that they had an appointment to get the cat de-clawed for 3 days after it happened.

-Kezia calls string cheese, stick cheese.

-When mom walks into a room where Kezia is making a big mess/getting into trouble, she will say “I’ll clean up mom! I’ll clean up!”

-Kezi really only watches 2 shows – Diego and Dora. It’s kind of sad she won’t watch anything else. But she is really cute when she’s playing pretend with her binoculars & saying “there’s an animal in trouble!!”

-Kezia’s prayers have been extra long lately. And she will get to the end and say “Ame….and help grandma feel better, and help grandpa feel better…” and on & on. One time she said “and please bless Ireland to get sick…” We’re not sure about that one!

-Kezia likes to talk about when she was a little baby. She says “And I used to be borned!”

-One day Kezia said to mom “I need my yellow water!” good thing mom knew she meant her yellow CUP.

-Kezia was playing with the gray playphone in the kitchen & she said “someone is texting me mom!”

February Newsletter & Slideshow

February was a difficult month, but a wonderful month as well. We have our trials, but they are nothing compared to our bounteous blessings. Here's what we were up to (in words & pics) last month. Enjoy!

FAMILY: Our adventures this month started in SLC, where Jason was there for a meeting & Heidi was there to see her family & new niece. We got to go to have a sleepover at daddy's hotel & the next night Aunt Cindy watched the older girls and Grandma & Grandpa watched Kezia so daddy & mommy could have a nice night - we went to Martines - a downtown favorite. We drove back on Sunday the 5th. The rest of the month we had fun going to the Children's Symphonic Jubilee, enjoying Valentines Day, swimming at the Aquatic Center, playing in the snow a lot, going to Discovery Park, going out to eat for breakfast & then going sledding with our friends, going for lots of walks/riding bikes along the pathway, and last Saturday night the girls make their own cars out of cardboard boxes (complete with wheels) & we played in them and sat in them while we watched Cars 2 (and ate popcorn). It was a lot of fun. We've also been playing with the dogs a lot this month. We've let them come inside more & they've even slept with the girls a few nights.

From

JASON: Jason has had a lot more on his plate this month since his boss went to SLC for a 4-month detail. He’s been attending a lot of meetings & trying to help a lot of people. Looks like he will definitely be getting some overtime in for the next few months. In addition, he’s been working with real estate agents in trying to get our Legacy Estates lots up for sale. And we’ve started looking again for lots/land. He also got put in charge of making sure the EQ has lessons on Sundays. He has enjoyed his time with his girls, though, and has been one of them with him when he has errands to run. He also took McKinley to Applebees because she earned a free kids meal because of her reading. He enjoyed that date & enjoyed our sledding trip. Also - BIG NEWS!! Jason finally cut his hair at the end of the month!! :)

From

HEIDI: It’s been quite a let-down for Heidi to go back to square 1 with buying/building a home. She was so busy lining up all the sub contractors, it’s like her balloon has been burst L But she knows it’s for the best & will all work out. She has been trying to get out more with the girls on the pathway & spending more 1-on-1 time with each of them this month. There was a change in the YW presidency (new president, new 2^nd counselor), but they kept her in & she is thankful she gets to still be there with the girls J Heidi has also been trying a lot of things off Pinterest this month – LOTS of yummy recipes to add to our favorites!

From

McKINLEY:

-McKinley & mom read “The Secret Garden” this month. We also watched the movie. At first she didn’t want to read the book, but after the first time, she really enjoyed it & wanted more & more. Now she is so excited about having a garden of her own some day.

-McKinley’s Family Home Evening this month was really good. She takes her FHEs very seriously. We watched a movie about the Iron Rod & then McKinley talked about the Iron rod & how it was important to hold on & never let go or we could fall off a cliff. Then she saw one of her golden dollars & she held it up & said “And this is like Heavenly Father because it’s like a dollar and it’s really shiny like Heavenly Father but we are really like pennies. And He is like the dollar. And He’s really shiny”

-Daddy took McKinley to Applebees this month to redeem her coupon for a free kids meal because she was in the sight word club at school. He loved going on this date with her & said they had a great time. We’re so proud of you McKinley!

-One day McKinley asked “Mom – why is there poo in shampoo? That’s just gross.”

-McKinley asked what mom was making for dinner one night. Mom said “Crispy Chiken Wraps.” Apparently, McKinley didn’t hear clearly because she said “Crispy Chicken Rats? Why Rats? Are there rats in them?”

-McKinley still loves to play with her friends at school – and loves her “heart club.” She says Addison is her best friend in Cedar City. They like to play a lot.

-McKinley made a cute holder at school & got LOTS of Valentines from her Kindergarten pals. This year she gave out suckers & Barbie Valentines. She also gave a “special” Valentine to a boy she really likes – Kaden. She says he’s cute & she likes his voice.

-She continues to excel at school and her teacher is now letting her choose her own books every week so they are difficult enough.

-We found out McKinley’s good friend, Parker, is moving next month L

-McKinley was cute with her Barbie this month. She took a tissue holder & made her a “bed” and a piece of material for her blanket & a toothpaste cap for her “cup” and she kept wanting mom to give her food for her Barbie.

-McKinley learned how to braid this month. Way to go McKinley!!

From

IRELAND:

-We were discussing birthdays one day & Ireland said “And MOM! When it’s your birthday you get to crack eggs!” (she’s KIND of excited about getting to crack eggs on her 5^th birthday)

-Ireland wasn’t feeling good one day. She said she swallowed a nail (which, after some questioning, it was a nail on her finger), but she said her tummy hurt really bad & she kept saying she needed protein. Later on we realized she meant Ibprofin J

-One day we were riding on the path & Ireland was riding her bike. She turned a corner & took a pretty bad spill. She wouldn’t get on it for a little while, but after some urging from mom, she got right back on & did really well (though maybe a bit slow J

-Ireland still loves preschool & has learned a lot about birds & animals this month. She loves to play with Shaylee, Adele, and Cabree. For Valentines, Ireland gave out big smarties & princess Valentines. They had a fun preschool party for Valentines & she got LOTS of candy!

-Ireland learned how to zip this month – way to go Ireland!

-Mom asked Ireland what she wanted to put in the newsletter. Here’s what she said “I love you. You and me. We’re a happy family. We love you. I’m in preschool. Like somebody is in charge. And like Hannah babysitted us.”

From

KEZIA:

-One morning for scripture study, reading about Jesus being baptized. Mom asked McKinley: "And the Holy Ghost came down like a...?" McKinley said "Dove!" Kezia said "like a DUCK?" Just brought a humorous picture to mind :)

-Kezia was a pretty sick little girl this month. She had a horrible cough and bed fevers (103 degrees) She went to the doctor’s twice & ended up having an ear infection & her lungs & cough were really bad so she had to do breathing treatments with a nebulizer for about a week. We’re sad she was sick while she was in SLC, but SO glad she finally feeling better.

-If you ask Kezia a question, she will almost always start with “I don’t know…” and then follow up with an answer.

-We were going to say a family prayer & dad said he’d help Kezi say it. So dad said “Dear…” Kezi looked up and said “Daken has a deer dad! Daken has a deer!” Another cute prayer was when Kezia prayed out of the blue “and thank thee for frosty the snowman”

-Kezia LOVES the Kindle. We actually have to hide it from her because knows exactly how to use it & we will find her somewhere watching Netflix movies for hours. She also thinks the laptop works like the Kindle. Mom will be looking at something on her laptop & Kezia will try & “swipe” it to go where she wants it to go.

-Kezia uses the rocking chair in her room to rock to the wall & turn on & off the lights in her room.

-If Kezia has any tiny scrape, she will look at it & say “I have an owie! Ireland pushed me!” Or if she sees an owie on mom, she will say “Ohh… I’m sorry! Did dad push you?”

-Kezia won’t kiss on the lips now. She says “Not on the lips. I got sick lips”

-Kezia has really mastered her tricycle this month. WAY TO GO Kezia!!

-Kezia LOVES to play in the kitchen sink water. Any time her hands are messy at all, she will say “gotta wash my hands mom!” and mom will turn on the water just a little bit & she will sit & play for a while.

-One day mom was on her chair, working on her computer. Kezia kept pulling on her hands & saying “I’m saving you!!” Mom says “from what?” Kezia says “from the chair!”