Jazz Game

So I am finally getting around to posting the pictures of Katelyn cheering at the Jazz game half-time show last weekend. She has done the pre-game show the last 2 years, but this was her first half-time show. She's moving up! The Jazz pummeled the Oklahoma City Thunder (formerly the Seattle Supersonics) 110-90. It made for a good game.

Katelyn and friends enjoying a $6 bowl of ice cream.
Katelyn trying to catch a t-shirt or whatever it was. (Notice ice cream spoon still in hand.)

A Snowy Saturday

This weekend we got hit pretty hard with snow. And lots of it! Saturday Josh and the kids made a giant snowman. Complete with cheese balls for eyes and hot dog for a nose. (We had to compromise, we didn't have a carrot.) Later Josh pulled the kids on the sled behind the car. Always a hit. It's nice to have finally gotten some snow. It's been pretty dry since Christmas. So we hope it stays for awhile.

Baby Check-Up

So today I went in for my 24-week check up. Josh is out of town so I thought I'd bring Mason and Riley with me. Now usually anytime I have a doctor's apt. I find a babysitter. Things run smoother that way. But I thought it would be fun for the kids to hear the baby's heart beat. When you know you are having your last, you treat things a little differently. I think I'm savoring it all. So...anyway, we get there and I go back and it was so funny to watch Riley's face as they checked my blood pressure. She suddenly gets very quiet and still with a very concerned look on her face. She's not sure if they are hurting me or not. Very cute. So then we get seated in our room and wait for the doctor. Which is the hardest part with kids, nothing fun to do. Unless your Mason. He kept pointing at all the female reproductive posters and contraceptive displays, asking what they all were. To which I just respond, "Nothing," or "I don't know." Finally the doctor came, and not a minute too soon. He says the baby is still laying sideways (didn't know your uterus could stretch that way) but assures me that he will flip. Then he got out the little dopler thingy to hear the baby's heart beat. Again, Riley is very quiet and concerned. She isn't quite sure what is going on. But at the end of the day, everything looks good and healthy. Which is all you can hope for.

Inauguration Day

Today Katelyn and Emma come home from school and were both excited to tell me that they watched the Inauguration in their classrooms. (Anything that takes away from regular school work is a thrill!) Katelyn proceeded to tell me that she felt a little awkward when they started to pray. She looked around and wasn't sure what to do. She said to me, "No one else was folding their arms, so I didn't. Is that okay?" To which Emma piped in and said, "You didn't! I did!" I was so proud of her! She even told me that one little boy in her class got down on his knees. Bless his little heart. I just thought that was touching that a young 6 year old boy felt impressed to kneel during the Inauguration prayer in his classroom. If these are our future leaders of America...I think we'll be in good hands.

Katelyn's Boise Cheer Competition

Katelyn had a cheerleading competition yesterday in Boise. Katelyn cheers with Idaho Falls Elite Allstars and loves it. She used to be in a dance class and a tumbling class and decided to try something that was a good combination of them both--cheerleading. And she hasn't looked back since. She competes with other cheerleaders in Idaho and Utah so we travel a bit, but she genuinely enjoys it which makes it worth it! She's a flyer this year so she gets thrown up in the air which is really fun for her and is doing back hand springs all over the mat. So yesterday we made the almost 5 hour trip to Boise to watch her perform in the Idaho Center. Her team got 2nd place! Not bad! They did really well, and we were very proud. Next stop...Jazz game half time show! Big Time! This is Katelyn up on top. Katelyn and her friend Journee. Riley thought it was very loud!
Here are a couple video clips.


Here you can see Katelyn doing her back hand springs.

Highlights of 2008!

2008 was a great year for our family! We had a lot going on and much to be proud of and accomplished. Here are a few highlights:

(Mainly part of 2007, but an honorable mention) Josh and I took on the challenge of building our new home ON OUR OWN! It was a great experience and would do it all over again. But we won’t. We often joke that our next move is assisted living.

We sold our house on Windmill! It was a long battle but worth the wait.

We put in a yard. A very long grueling task, but so happy with the results.

After many, many years of infections and procedures we took Katelyn off her antibiotics and put her on some herbal supplements. She’s had only 1 infection since which is great!

Emma has really blossomed into a great student and a fantastic reader. The difference between her reading from last year and the year before is like night and day.

Mason started his first year of t-ball and loved it. He cannot wait for it to start again.

Riley made the big move from her crib to a big girl bed. She loves it! I think sometimes that’s harder on mom then on the child.

I was called as Cubmaster in our ward. I have thoroughly enjoyed it!

Our family attended 2 temple open houses-Rexburg and Twin Falls.

We completed the Book of Mormon for the second time as a family.

And probably the most exiting highlight of 2008 is we found out that we will be adding another addition to our family-a little boy due this May. I know 2009 will be a great year for our family and no doubt will bring new challenges and opportunities for us to learn and grow.

Finished...Again.

Recently our family has finished reading the Book of Mormon for the second time. We used to read it as a family off and on, until President Hinckley's challenge to families everywhere to finish it within a year. Well, we took that challenge and finished it as a family from front to cover for the first time as a family. When we finished it the first time the kids looked at us like, now what do we do?? We'll read it again. So that's what we did. And we just finished for the second time a few weeks ago. I am so grateful for the opportunity to read with my family at the end of each night and the special spirit that is felt by doing so. Now granted the kids aren't always cooperative and quite, but I know they are learning something. They know those scripture stories very well. This time we've decided to help them really learn those scripture stories and have begun reading an Illustrated Book of Mormon Reader. They have pictures on every page and basically paraphrase each chapter at a child's level. They are great! I hope my kids will learn from these experiences that mom and dad make reading the scriptures a priority, even when we're tired and cranky. Which seems like a lot...but it's worth it.