February 25

When Nick got home from school, I went to Jenni & BJ's to watch this rowdy bunch of kids. They needed a temple night and I was available so it worked out great! Although I don't EVER want 7 kids of my own, it was fun for the few hours I was with them.

On a side note, I watched in horror as my baby fell down our entire flight of stairs. Luckily, he didn't get hurt but I was as much, if not more, hysterical about the situation than he was. We sat at the bottom of my stairs and cried it out! When I realized there was absolutely no way I could stop what was happening, the medical/emergency side of me focused on whether he had any limbs or his neck went in the wrong direction. Luckily, he basically just rolled down; kind of the way you would down a hill on purpose. I felt confident I could pick him up once he landed. If I had seen anything go awry though, I would have just called 9-1-1. We may have paid for an ambulance ride for a broken arm if he wouldn't have been okay!

 

 

February 24

Our MOPS table decided to have a girl's night out. I joined up with everyone right at the end of their dinner at Red Robin. Then we went over to the theater and watched a new movie, "Labor Day". I'm glad I was with a bunch of girls. The movie was a little...well...how should I say...off? Not my fave but I love being with my bestie and other good friends.

 

 

 February 23

Church was a little rough for us today. Zack and I weren't feeling well and sacrament meeting was so hard for both of us, we ended up coming home and taking a big long nap! We had dinner at Grandma and Jim's and it was amazing. I just wish I felt better. Darn mommy cold!

 

February 22

Did I mention on Home Depot date night we picked a new faucet for our kitchen sink? Our old one was leaking and awful so Simon replaced it with this new pretty one. The little water spigot is for a reverse osmosis system. We own it, just need to spend a Saturday installing it. I love having a handyman around!

 

 

February 21

Date night! When Simon got home from work, we took the kids to Dave & Viv then went to dinner at La Fountain. We have so much to decide on and buy for the basement, we finished up date night with a trip to Home Depot to get closet doors, blinds, etc. Not romantic, but fun!

 

 

February 20

Yes, those are kid-selfies. They drive me a little nutty with their picture taking. My mom came over to help me sew a valence for my bathroom, which never happened because I forgot to wash the fabric beforehand. While she and I were visiting and hanging out, my sweet children got ahold of my phone and this is what I got. I left the other 30 pictures out...deleted them actually.

 

February 19

Oops, I meant to take pictures at parent teacher conference but it was a crazy night (Simon couldn't come because of Young Men's) so I forgot. But here is the kids' school, Foothills Elementary. Both Nick and Kendra are doing great in school and little sister is just thriving. It was fun to hear from their teachers about what a joy they are to have in their classes. I am sad they will go to the new school being built next year. We have had a great experiences with Foothills and the staff.

 

February 18

I can't believe I will have an 8-year-old in less than a month! This BIG kid couldn't wait for the Blue & Gold banquet. They did a super cute Olympic theme with foods from different countries and "Olympic events" for the kids to participate in. They introduced Nick with a group of boys that will be coming in over the next few months. He is very excited to start scouts and I am happy for him. Thank heaven for my 3 years as a Webelos leader...I'll actually know how to help him!

 

February 17

We had an impromptu party with Dave & Viv. Dave has been helping Simon get our basement laid out so while they were here, we had dinner and family night together. Per Nick's request, we played Disney's Scene It? for family night.

 

 

February 16

My girly-girl Kendra is always asking for me to paint her nails. Sometimes it is hard to find the time but Sunday night after dinner seemed like the perfect time! I love how dainty she is and always wants her nails to look pretty.

 

 

February 15

Simon and BJ took Kendra, Nick, Trevan, and Jake to the Monster Jam monster truck show. They had a blast and can't wait to go again next year!

 

 

 

February 14

This was a Happy Valentine's Day! It started out with me in both Kendra and Nick's classrooms helping with their Valentine's Day parties. So fun! This afternoon, Amie and I took the kids swimming at the J.L. Sorensen Rec Center (in Herriman). These kids love being together but don't see each other as often as they used to. Since the "big kids" have started school full-time and we moved away, it has been a treat to get them all together in the same place at the same time. Tonight, my dad came to do his traditional doorbell ditching/gift-giving. He went all out this year! I got a new jacket, leggings, and socks. I'm thankful for my daddy thinking of me each year and making Valentine's Day wonderful!

 

 

February 13

I thought finding out about baby girl was the "best news ever" but I don't know, this news comes pretty darn close! At the beginning of Kindergarten, Kendra's PALS test scores (the test to find out where the kids are based on national statistics) were a little low. Benchmark for beginning K is 28 and she scored a 27. We struggled with whether to go ahead and put her in Kindergarten or hold her back. However, she proved that we made the right decision today at her mid-year PALS test. Benchmark at this point in the year is 71. Kendra scored a 93!!! Benchmark for beginning 1st grade is 91 so she's already a tiny bit ahead for 1st grade...which is still 5 months away! I could not be more pleased with the progress she has made and all that she has learned. I knew she was a bright girl. She just needed the push that Kindergarten has provided to get ahead. GREAT NEWS!!

 

February 12

Kara and I attended the 4th Annual Scentsy Spring Sprint in Provo. It was really fun and motivating. I learned a lot about how to improve our business and increase our recruits & sales. Plus, it was a good excuse to hang out with Kara all day. :)

 

February 11

I met Dan Odom, Mariah (Ecker) Cando, and Jackie Shoda at Chili's in Jordan Landing for dinner. It was so much fun to catch up with them and get an update on Dan's progress. He was diagnosed with brain cancer almost a year ago and he is doing great. This group of people got me through some pretty rough days including those when Nick was so sick. I truly enjoyed our visit and hope to do it again soon!



 BEST

 

 

NEWS

 

EVER!!! 

 

February 10

We found out this morning that baby #4 is a GIRL! We could not be happier!! We feel so fortunate that Kendra will get a little sister in June. 2 of each...we couldn't ask for more!

 

 

February 9

Jenni and BJ threw a monkey-themed birthday party for Halle and Brielle. Halle turned 3 on February 1 and Brielle turns 1 on February 13. I always get the special privilege of making the kids' first birthday cakes. There was also a special cupcake for Halle. Brielle LOVED her cake! She completely demolished it!!

 

February 8

Half way there! This is me with baby #4 at 20 weeks pregnant.

 

 

February 7

Tonight was the Opening Ceremonies for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. It was a very neat performance and we all enjoyed watching it!

 

February 6

This is Zack's favorite thing to do right now: lay on my bed, sippy cup of milk in-hand, and watch "The Crood's" on Netflix. He did the cutest thing today. We were talking about the baby in mommy's tummy and he reached up with his little hand, put it on my belly, and said, "I can reach yours baby". That comment made me laugh and cry a little at the same time!

 

February 5

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL? This is how Mom, Jenni, Nick, and I chose to "watch" the super bowl...with scrapbook supplies.

 

February 4

Don't let the date at the top throw you off. These are the stats from the end of last week's bowling. Check it out, Gutter Girls are the #1 team on the league at this point! Followed closely by my family's team, Grin & Spare It. Amie, Vicki, Tracy, and I are going to bring it for the rest of the season and hopefully win some prizes!

 

February 3

Every Tuesday, I have the unique pleasure of taking my sweet little princess to dance. (It's unique to me because I only have one girly...so far.) She loves to dance, loves her class, and really loves her teacher, Ms. Angela at C&C Ballet.

 

 

February 2

Nick's 2nd grade school class put on a program. It was all about bugs. They sang such adorable songs and I was very impressed that every kid knew their part and the words to all the songs. I enjoy spending time at the kids' school. They both love school so much and even Zack is talking about preschool already.

 

February 1

Day 1. Simon won free tickets to a dinosaur exhibit at the South Towne Expo Center so he decided to take Nick on a special father-son outing. They walked around the exhibit and said it was a ton of fun and then they went to Sam's Club for lunch. I am glad they had so much fun together and got this one-on-one time together.

The Start of Something New...

Amie and Vicki have been doing this "picture a day" project since the beginning of the year. I, as usual, was hesitant to jump onboard but then, as I looked at all of Amie's pics, I decided to start now. It looked like a fun thing to do and a new journal experience and I just couldn't not do it! So (hopefully) for the rest of the year, I will take at least one picture each day to show something we did that day. I am excited to review the year and see what we've done. Here's hoping I stick with it!