full swing

So, I think I am about caught up with things at work, just in time to learn some additional duties. :) I love my new job and am grateful to have it!

The kids are doing really well with going to the neighbor's after school and have been playing well together on the weekends. I think they're glad to have the time to be in their own rooms with nothing that has to be done. Those rooms of theirs are totally trashed about now but there haven't been too many fights so I let it ride. At least my dishes and laundry stay caught up. :)

Eric and I are in full swing now with the school semester. We are already counting down to May...

My parents have just accepted an offer on their house (tonight) and will be moving next month to sunny Arizona where most of us kids were born! I'm excited for their new adventure. They're so cute in planning it. They will only be about 100 miles from Vegas so we'll just have to start hitting both grandparent houses in one trip from now on I guess.

We "just keep swimming, swimming, swimming" and praying, praying, praying. :)

If I had my way...

So I'm learning that I have a love for the simple things in life. I was handed a large order supply book at work this week to see what office supplies I will need and found it interesting that I have some pretty cheap preferences.

I like the cheapest pens in the book (Bic medium point ball point)
I like the cheapest post-it notes - with a little bright color thrown in
I like the cheapest tape dispenser (it's just like my one at home) - along with the cheapest 3-hole punch, cheapest scissors, cheapest paper clips, etc.

Is this because it's pretty well all I know or because others are fooled thinking that the higher the price - the better things must be? Is this a case of the "greener grass" for others or the reflection of my cheap, frugal life? Haha.

They'll probably think I'm some sort of odd duck when they get my list tomorrow - but they'll probably also be grateful that I won't hurt the bottom line too much. :)

growth charts

It is true that kids grow like weeds! I have the proof (well not for the rate of weed growth-just the kids). Thanks to my measuring board (thanks again for the idea Christine!!) we captured the crazy growth rates of my kids this past year- (they are fairly short for their ages too believe it or not. - well maybe not Maiah)

From 12/31/09 to o1/04/10 here are the totals:

Christian grew 3 1/2"
Maiah grew 3 1/2"
Kathryn grew 3"
Erica grew 2"
(Maiah passed her last year and has stayed ahead by a few inches)

The real crazy thing is that 1 1/4" of Christian's inches happened since his birthday Nov. 8th! I had bought him some new pants around then and they are already becoming "floods".

I love having the board to keep track - then we can just take it with us whenever we move (whenever that might be).

So here's a pic (taken by little boy) of me in my new glasses. I still can't decide if I really like them or not. I liked them the best out of what they had but they're way different to me than my last ones... What do you think?

And a pic. of the little boy himself - he's such a doll. And some other pics. he took too. He was quite proud of himself. :)

First Day

Wahoo!
School is back in session for the girls! :) They weren't too excited this time around. They had too much fun playing this past week I think. I am excited though. :)

Today is also the first day of a new job for me! I'm really excited! I got a part-time office assistant position up north at byui. I think it will be perfect and great!! I can hardly wait to go find out more about the rest of my life. haha. We're hoping it will be great and will be long-term so that in the future I can work full time and get education benefits for our kids there or in Provo.

I can hardly wait! I think it will be a position that offers a lot of change and responsibility so it will keep me busy and I like that! Plus - I don't think you could find a better atmosphere for working! :) It will be a welcome change!

I finish my last semester of my Associates degree (as an "Office Professional) in May and Eric will finish his Masters in May...

2010 should be a great year!!

Wish us luck!

Snow day!

So today will probably go down as one of the greatest snow days in history for the kids. They spent HOURS outside with dad making an igloo - which Eric later added stairs and a slide to. They also had a snow ball fight with our neighbor. They all got a few good shots in but when you've had snow ball fights for over 60 years you get some good experience on your side. It was fun to watch them. I just home he doesn't get pneumonia now. :) They were all soaking when they were done.

I also used our movie feature on our camera - I'd never tried it before but since our regular video camera has to stay plugged in I didn't take it out to catch the slide action. I couldn't upload them though. :( It was fun.

some catch up

So I just realized I wasn't posting during the great summer we had. So here are few bits of it - just backwards...

First of all -my mom is amazing!! In case you didn't know. She made the cute, cute skirts for 15 of their neices for the wedding, as well as the wedding dress. She also made the wedding dresses for me and my two sisters, plus tons of other things over the years for all of us. My girls LOVE to have skirts from grandma because she makes sure they always fit right.

We got to go to my little brother's wedding in Sept. (he's not so little anymore - but still the baby). It was great and the kids love their new cousins!

I also got to do a national youth leadership training and had a great time. I was gone for a week in August and had a blast with 13 teenagers and 2 other adults. My favorite was our overnight backpacking trip of 25 miles. It was fantastic. I love hiking. It was perfect weather and I had a great time! (THANKS to Eric and my mother for taking care of things so I could go!!)

I got to drive the awesome 15 passenger van with the 13 kids in and it - and me. Fun times. They sang and laughed.

We also had a family reunion with ALL 7 of us kids in attendance and ALL 27 grand-kids. It was fun but we were sad two of the uncles couldn't come. Darn jobs anyway... :)

Another big THANKS goes to Auntie Adri who came out for a week in June so I could be the ward Girls Camp Director. Fun times!! I miss being in YW but am enjoying my new teaching callings. Amazing what we learn through serving others. :)