Oh Tooth Fairy... Don't go far

Kaytlin is sooooooo excited. She finally has her first loose tooth. She came running out of her class today with her finger in her mouth wiggling it and asking if I was so proud of her. Yes, that is what she said. Am I sooo proud of her?!?! She said the same thing to her Daddy when he came through the door this evening. Isaac was even excited for her. My princess is growing up and I'm not sure I like it!!! But her happiness about it is contagious. Congratulations sweetie!
Pamala

Wow... what a day

This has been one crazy day. First, we got up and got ready for Kaytlin's first game of the season. For some reason nobody wanted to cooperate and getting ready seemed to take forever. While Kaytlin was putting on her shin guards and shoes she said to Josh "make sure you put them on tight so they don't come off this time." I was confused so Josh explained to me that at practice she was running and someone stepped on her foot and her shoe came off and then a few seconds later it happened to another child. After this explanation Kaytlin said "I think I was running so fast that my shoe couldn't keep up!" It was hillarious and all I could think was - that's blog worthy!!! By the way, she scored 1 goal at the game. Woo Hoo Baby!
After the game I messed up and thought that the birthday party that Isaac was going to was from 1-3 but Josh read the calendar and realized I was wrong and it was from 11-1. This was at 11:20. So Josh raced him to the party. While he was gone I also realized that I had forgotten that registration was this morning for gymnastics. When Josh got home he tried to register him but the class was already full and none of the other times work with our schedules. Yep, I get the mother-of-the-year award today. I need a vaca or at least some down time.
Then this evening was the general relief society broadcast which I got to go to. Then I came home and we all went out for ice-cream curtesy of Nana and Papa. By the way..... Happy Birthday Papa!!!! We love you and miss you. Five years ago we became an eternal family. I love my husband and the family he brought with him. I'm thankful to be a part of it.
My dad called me yesterday to tell that while on his hunting trip he had been thrown from a horse and go pretty bruised up. So his trip to BC had to be cancelled. Thank goodness he was just bruised up and not worse. Like I said, wow, what a day. I'm ready to close my eyes and let it end, hopefully peacefully and restfully.
Pamala

update on life in our home...

This is just an update on things going on around here (I have an extra 5 minutes). Kaytlin started her 3rd season of soccer last Tues. Her first game of the season will be on Saturday at 10AM. After that Isaac is going to his friends birthday party. I can't believe how many friends that boy has!!! He's doing great in preschool and loving it. Kaytlin is doing fine in school. Her reading abilities have soared! Just in that last few months her reading vocabulary has increased so much.
Josh is working like crazy but this new scheduled really seems to be working for both of us. He's been home by around 5 every night. So he gets to spend about 2 hours with the kids before they go to bed at 7. I'm still not sure when he'll work on school stuff.
Today I went canning for the first time. This whole week has been very spiritual for me. I've had some experiences that are very personal so I won't write about them but I will say that I have definately felt the spirit all around me this week. We got a card in the mail from Nana and Papa yesterday. It was an anniversary card for our 5th year having been sealed together. I can't believe they remembered! Since Saturday is the day and we are going to be incredibly busy, Josh is taking Friday off from work and we'll spend the whole day together. Of course I don't get the day off but thats okay.
In the card Nana wrote that our Heveanly Father has blessed us for the choices that we have made. So TRUE!!!! My family is blessed. We are happy, healthy, have the gospel, and we have so much love for each other. Even my children still love each other!!! And they don't even drive me that nuts. Of course I was nuts before I had them but the level of nutsness hasn't increased THAT much.. Heavenly Father truly loves us and we thank him so much!!!
Okay, so life around here is very hectic but I can't think of anything else to say. Time to go make dinner. Oh, and nana and papa also sent twenty dollars in the card for us all to go out for an icecream treat. The kids were stoked out of their minds. I think that's all they cared about... nevermind that it has ALREADY been five years.
Sadly it is also a reminder of another five year anniversary coming up. I'm still crying over it. I wonder when that will stop. It doesn't feel like that long ago, but it is. I wish more than anything she could be here with me to share all that our lifes have become. I still have the urge to pick up the phone and call her. Part of my mind still waits for her to call me. Part of me still wants to scream that it's not fair but then the other part says that it's okay.... she's happy right. I try not to think about it too much but sometimes it just hits me, like right now....
Okay, enough tears... time to go.
-Pamala

Kaytlin's talk in Primary...

Kaytlin gave a talk in primary a few weeks ago and here it is....

Just like we are learning in primary, I can also pray to Heavenly Father and he will hear and answer my prayers.
Everyday I pray to Heavenly Father because I think that he wants to hear me. I can say prayers anytime that I want, especially at breakfast time, dinner time, and bed time and whenever I need help from Heavenly Father.
I can say my prayers at home, at church, at school, in the car or anywhere that I am when I need help from my Heavenly Father. Sometimes when I say prayers, I can't say them out loud, so I can also just think about them in my head. I know that I don't have to say them out loud for Heavenly Father to hear them.
When I say my prayers, I try to fold my arms and be reverent. The first thing that I say is "Dear Heavenly Father". Next, I thank him for things like the gospel, my family, and blessings that he gives me.
After that, I ask him for things that I need and for more blessings. I can ask him to watch over me and family and keep up safe. I can also ask him to bless the food when we eat. I always finish my prayers in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
I know that heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers and I say these things in name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

This came from my six year old daughter.

Too much fun...

Josh is too lazy to annotate each picture, so just enjoy the pics from last weekend's Lego Star Wars adventure.

A driving we will go... do da ... do da..

Tomorrow we will be leaving for legoland...... yea!!!!! Hopefully we will get some more nifty pics. I would really like one of all of us...... together that is :)

Star Wars...and...Legos

I guess if I'm going to have to participate in this new family venture, I might as well write about something fun......

The short version of the long story is..."we ended up with free season passes for the kids for Legoland and decided to make this our vacation destination for the next year." We made our first trek to Carlsbad back in August to activate our season passes and had a great three days. Now it's time to go back because they are having "Star Wars Days" on the 13th and 14th. Here's some clips from Trip #1. I'm sure we'll have some more interesting ones to share when we get back from Trip #2. Maybe I'll even get a picture of a "scruffy nerfherder".

Aren't hotel beds fun to jump on?

Isaac and Kaytlin, I am your father.....

I am lion.....hear me ROAR!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe just a little water............No Way, give me the whole bucket



OK, that's enough for now. More fun to come.

-Josh

exhausting, long and emotional days....

Well for starters... I'm tired. Physically and emotionally. The renters moved out of my dads rental property and left it a mess. Him and I have spent the last two days organizing and executing a plan of attack. And we are in full swing of attack mode. Luckily it's less labor work for us than originally thought but it is still alot. But, it's also going to hit my dads wallet harder than it should have. People should never live in such filth and allow their children to run uncontrolled. Okay, enough about that. Today When Kaytlin came out of her door at school she said I had to wait and talk to her Teacher. At first I thought she was in trouble but as it turns out her teacher feels the work thats being taught is too easy for her. She had been testing them in different areas to find out what level they are at. When leaving first grade you have to know how to spell certain words. Kaytlin was asked to spell these words on a test and she spelled them all correctly except for two and then she was upset for having missed them. The teacher then had to explain that it was okay and that she didn't need to know these words until the end of the year. Also the teacher feels her reading skills are to high for this class. She told me we should consider having her skip a grade but the teacher wants to do more testing on her before that idea is approached. Offering her more work and putting her in a excelerated reading program may also be options to. She wants to discuss it more in depth in a few weeks after she's tested her more. The teacher wanted to talk to me about this now because Kaytlin has been finishing her work a lot quicker than the other kids and just sits around being bored, and the teacher didn't want me to get too concerned if Kaytling started coming home saying how boring school was..........and this is coming from the child who was born to soon. We were told from the very begining (while still in NICU) that she would more than likly have learning disabilities and be very slow in her cognitive developement and physical developement. She's an amazing soccer player and a very intelligent child. Instead of being delayed she's proven to be an above-normal, sweet, loving, inspirational daughter of our heavenly father. I have teared up so many times today, including now. And Isaac is the most sweetest, loving and giving son ever. I have been blessed with an incredible family. Wow. Wow. Wow. So many times over the past six years I have wondered whether me being a stay at home mom has been worth it. I have doubted my abilities in being a good mom. I have thought that I'm not making a difference. That maybe daycare would have been better for them. I could be working and we'd be better off financially. I would have more of my sanity. Has the last six years being home with my children really been worth it??? YES!!! one-hundred percent worth it!!!! Today was proof that my babies have not been corrupted by having me as their mother. I'm sure I'll be blamed for something in therapy one day, but right now I am so thankful to my husband and heavenly father for giving me the chance to do this. I truly thought I would never be able to have children. Nevertheless two!! And they are wonderful. Thank you Josh for having the same beliefs I do. Thank you for making it so I can be here and not have to work. Thank you for supporting me and helping to raise our children. Thank you for being an amazing father to them. Thank you for being the husband you are. You are perfect to me...even your snoring. Okay, no more emotional leakage for now. It always leaves me drained and I'm already tired. Good night.

They're growing up...and up...and up

Today was Isaac's first day back to preschool. Wow. I still remember taking Kaytlin to her first day of preschool. On the way to her school this morning I was reminding Isaac that he needed to behave and this is what Kaytlin said - "Don't worry Isaac, you only have to do fun things at preschool. Not like at my school where you have to do REAL work." He was ready to go and that was it. This last weekend was nice. Josh had Mon off and worked around the house. On Sun I was released from being a primary teacher. Josh still is though. I am looking forward to going back to the adult classes. It's nice to have this time alone. I can't remember the last time I was. I think I'll go enjoy the quiet now...