In case you missed it!

We are grateful for Jay's mom giving the kids piano lessons. She is a great teacher and although Zach won't ever admit it he really loves music. As long as he doesn't have to practice!!!

JT is growing up!!

It is true!!! On March 29th he turned 11!! That means he is old enough to go into boy scouts and on campouts and everything. I think he may be more ready for all these new experiences than his mother is. These pictures are from the Pack Meeting when he got his Arrow of Light and his birthday party. For his birthday we just a few friends over for a party. He has been most excited about the video game he got called Lego Star Wars. He is becoming just like Zach in his interest in gaming.:(

I should also mention that his foot has finally healed and he is walking well again. Sadly, he had a hard time getting used to wearing the boot and then when it was time to take it off that was hard too. We are just hoping he won't have too many fears to ski next year!

Lexie is "Sweet and Sour"

Lexie's personality continues to blossom. She will be three in July and sometimes reminds us about the joys of parenting someone who is "two old". She can be sooo cute and then so naughty in a matter of minutes. My favorite thing about her is the spontaneous songs that she sings all day. It is kind of like living in an opera. She also has a pretend friend "Lemon" that is blamed for her misdeeds - kinda like her alter ego! I also need to photocopy some of her drawings and writings. She still loves to "DWAW" all day and on everything. The other day I heard her singing in her room, "We don't draw on our bodies, . . . just on paper . . .or Mom will get REALLY mad!" (Sorry the sound isn't great in this video as the kids are playing Wii in the background.)

JT's jump!

On Thursday JT and I had a scary experience! We went skiing at Sundance while Zachary had his first ski lesson. (BTW -- I was amazed with how well JT can ski! He has been skiing with his Dad and is so fast I can not keep up with him. He also loves to do jumps and things well beyond my abilities.) Anyway, on about our fifth run, we were about to get off the chairlift when JT was momentarily distracted. He forgot to get off the lift with me and was stuck headed further up the mountain alone. Neither of us knew what to do and JT realized he was too small to pull down the safety bar. So he decided to jump off! He fell about 10-12 feet with his skis on and landed like a limp rag. The operator ran over and asked if he was okay. Many people who saw it said that an adult would have broken a leg for sure falling from that height on packed snow. He was extremely freaked out and bruised his heel bone. Although he was unable to ski anymore, he quite enjoyed the snowmobile ride off the mountain with the ski patrol! We did have his foot X-rayed and it is not broken. There is a possibility of a stress fracture but we will just have to see how quickly it heals. He can walk as long as he doesn't put any weight on his heel.

One interesting thing -- This was the first time I have ever seen JT embarrassed. One of the first things he said when he calmed down enough to speak was, "Promise me we won't tell Dad what happened." I tried to assure him Jay wouldn't be mad, but he really didn't want to tell him. Also, when other skiers came by worried about whether he was okay, he would cover his face and tell me not to tell them what happened. I think it was because he knows better than to jump off the lift under normal circumstances, but he was so panicked he didn't know what else to do. I sure wasn't much help to him. I just stood there in shock not able to move or anything. I find it interesting that he has progressed to the point of worrying about what others think of him. When we were checking in at the Radiology Lab he was telling the receptionist what happened and he finished with, "But my Mom understands why I did it."

I hope he heals fast so he can get some more skiing in before the end of the season!

Michaela turned six!!!

I can't believe that my little girl is growing up so fast. I kept teasing her about turning 4 instead. Sometimes I wish I could freeze my children in time because I know I will miss these stages of their lives.

We began her birthday with breakfast and some presents in the morning before I had to leave for a Girls Camp meeting. Then I hurried home so we could go to Backyard Adventures for a party with her class. It just happened to be her Kindergarten teacher's daughter, Tayah Brown, who is in her class was born the the same day. We decided to combine parties and just invite the whole class to celebrate the birthdays together. It was a great way to simplify and save some money. About 20 kids came so it was quite a group and really fun.

In the afternoon Michaela went to have a sleepover with her Aunt Emily. We have been so glad to have her close by for a little while. Michaela also had special dates with her grandparents. She went to Build a Bear with the Gardner's and bought a special Teddy Bear. She also went to lunch with the Palmer's and got to go clothes shopping with Denise. A quick thank you to everyone who helped her feel loved on this special day! We love you little Michaela!!!!

My gorgeous girls!

Katelyn straightened Lexie's hair and took these pictures the other day. I think it is so fun to see them start having a more sisterly relationship!

Merry Christmas!

Well - Christmas is well and past and I never did get my Christmas Cards sent. I don't know how other people do it all, but I always drop one ball or another. This year my blog may have to be my update to everyone. I blog to make myself feel better because I don't have time to scrapbook. Maybe blogging is the cure for many ills? Anyway, if you didn't get a card from me - please consider this blog as a allbeit belated Christmas wish from our family to yours.

We had a really nice holiday filled with food, family and fun. Here are just a few pictures to spotlight some of the joy.