Missionaries and Computers

I really should take the time to catch up with our lives...that'll be another day.  My brother Kevin is serving in the Montana, Billings mission.  Their mission is one of the "pilot" missions for incorporating blogs, Mormon.org, and Facebook into their missionary work.  He is a great missionary and loves the work.  Check out his blog...  http://elderkhouse.blogspot.com

I can't keep up

I had originally planned to make a quick post as to what has been going on in our lives lately, but 3 hours later and after the computer has shut down on me 3 times, here I am finally STARTING to type up a brief summary of the past month or so.  Some may remember the computer problems we have had in the past.  I have planned on getting a new computer for way over a year now, BUT I can't make a decision.  New things keep coming out or I hear people who prefer one computer over another so it changes my almost decisions.  And since our computer still works, most of the time, I haven't replaced it yet.  I have had the no-brainer thought that if I get a new computer the kids can play on this one all (mostly) they want.  The kids keep waiting for us to get a new computer because they are aware of this idea and aware that this computer isn't healthy enough for them to play on it.  Soon...hopefully soon.

As far as life goes...we've had a fun and busy past few weeks/month.  Who hasn't?!  Talmage and Grant both had the same week off for Spring Break (definite perk to being a teacher) so we went to Utah.  Talmage's parents have recently moved back to Layton so it was great getting to see them as well as 3 of his brothers and their wives.  An added bonus was Talmage's brother Kimball coming out for the weekend also.  Kimball lives about an hour and a half away from us and unfortunately we don't see him very often.  Glad we could meet  up 12 hours away from our homes though!  We left after school on Thursday and drove to Reno for the night.  It makes it so much nicer to break the trip up and only have 6 1/2 hours to drive the next day.  My sister Jenn lives in Orem but they were heading out to Oakdale for Spring Break.  We ended up passing each other in Utah close to the Nevada border so we met up at an exit to say hi and take a picture.  We were so GLAD to be almost to our destination and felt bad that they had so far to go.       

 

We had so much fun with everyone.  It was a weekend of birthdays too.  Talmage turned 30 on Saturday!!  I feel bad I didn't have a birthday party for him or even make him a cake...well I kinda made a cake about a week before but that doesn't really count.  Our little nieces, Taylie and Evelyn, both had their 1st birthdays while we were there.  Such cute little girls!  It was also great to be there during Conference and Easter.  The kids had fun coloring eggs.  Talmage and his brothers had fun playing a few games of basketball.  I had fun spending time with the girls.  How lucky to have more girls in this family now. 

Grant had looked so forward to having snow and he got it!  When we got there he had enough snow to build a snowman.  Talmage was good to go help him build 5 snowmen...actually 3 snowmen and 2 snowgirls.  He didn't seem to mind the cold.  Neither did Kenzie or Tyler.  But we were not prepared for so much playing in the snow.  They all had coats but no boots or gloves.  The weather was so nice on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday that we thought the snow would all melt and the snow family would too.  Monday night we got about 12 inches of snow.  Replenished the dwindling amount of snow they had to play with!  It didn't last too long though.  By Wednesday the kids were jumping on the trampoline with hardly any snow left on the ground because it warmed up so quickly.  Warmed up so much that Kenzie decided she didn't need her clothes on anymore.  I looked out the window to check on them and was surprised to see Kenzie wearing only her underwear.  It wasn't THAT warm!  Grant had only taken his shirt off.  Crazy kids! 

Sunday, Talmage and I went to Conference at the Conference Center with Tanner and Jessica.  Always a special experience to be there.  Despite the detours and difficulty getting there because of the MANY accidents on the freeways, we still had great seats and enjoyed incredible talks.  The rest of the family went down to Orem to Grandma and Grandpa Allen's for a delicious Easter dinner.  Grant LOVED Grandma's rolls, who doesn't?!  I was glad there were still some left when we got there!

A fun special day was going to the Dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point.  The kids loved it.  Tyler had fallen asleep so Talmage stayed with him while Dantzelle and I took Grant and Kenzie through the museum.  It was a lot of fun but we ran out of time.  It was more crowded than we had expected...I guess a lot of kids were on Spring Break.  But something the kids loved.  Grant LOVES animals and dinosaurs.  It amazes me how much he knows about animals.  Of course Kenzie likes what Grant likes.  She looks up to him so much and they get along so well together.  Grant's favorite part was excavating dinosaur fossils.  I'm sure he would have stayed in there for at least an hour and we only gave him about 15 minutes.  We wanted to beat the storm (the one in which we got 12 inches) and traffic and get back for Evelyn's birthday party.

On Monday I also got to see my dear old (she did just turn 30) roommate from BYU.  It was SO great to see her!  I made a lot of WONDERFUL friends at BYU.  Love them all, but Bree was my first friend at BYU and one that will always have a special place in my heart.  (I know that sounds cheesy)  We met online (way before Facebook) after finding out we were both going to BYU.  She lived in Pennsylvania and I, of course, in Oakdale.  We ended up living in the same dorm, in the same ward even.  

We had a lot of fun over our 4 years at BYU.  Worked Scout Camp together one summer.  Worked Sports Camp together another summer.  We were both Recreation Management Majors together.  

We graduated and our lives were already changing.  I got married.  She got a "real" job.  I had 3 kids.  She went on a mission.  But, 8 years later we got to meet up again.  LOVED it.  I had the kids with me and she was at work so we didn't have that much time but I really, really enjoyed it. 

Our trip to Utah was fun.  The drive is long but the time there is fun and memorable.  Of course we look forward to our next trip in July for the family reunions!!

And finally, our trip to Disneyland at the end of April.  Fun, of course.  Talmage wasn't able to get those days off for work but my parents, sister, and brother in law were coming so I figured I could handle it.  We stayed at my parents time share at the Grand Californian Villas which was fabulous!  I will admit, I was disappointed to not get the luxury of a real bed.  I'll explain.  The room was plenty big enough.  It was a two bedroom villa with a master suite as one bedroom and the second room had two queen beds and a bathroom.  The living room area had a pull out sofa bed and a murphy bed.  My parents of course took the master suite.  The kids of course were excited about the pull out bed and the murphy bed.  With my sister and her husband coming I didn't expect to take the other private room away from them (they are newlyweds...).  That left me with the option of the murphy bed or sofa bed.  Regardless of the sleeping arrangements, we all had a great time...and sleeping arrangements turned out to be perfectly fine.  It was so nice having a kitchen.  We had breakfast every morning.  Packed lunches and snacks to take during the day.  My dad took Tyler back each day for naps.  We had a lasagna baked and ready for us when we came back for dinner the first night.  We had ice cream and milkshakes each night...and one day after lunch.  Delicious!

As far as rides go, the kids are NOT adventurous so they didn't like going on hardly any rides.  Pirates? Not a chance.  Peter Pan?  Grant finally went with Cortney and Jacen.  Gadgett's Go Go Coaster?  Grant went two times in a row because after going through the line Kenzie REFUSED to go.  Matterhorn? Splash Mountain?  Mr. Toad's? Alice in Wonderland? Nope. Nope. Nope. And Nope.  We tried to go to the Bug's Life 3D movie thing...had to walk out when Tyler and Kenzie were both crying.  BUT!  They did love Small World,  the Carousel, Casey Junior Train, Dumbo, Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story Mania, the other Carousel in CA Adventure, and Kenzie loved dancing around on the street by the castle.  Grant also had the great experience to participate in the Star Wars Jedi Training.  Kenzie had to be taken out by my mom far, far away from the area when Darth Vader and Darth Maul came out to fight the trainees.  She was TOTALLY and EXTREMELY frightened by them.  I felt so bad.  I really didn't think about her being scared by them.  I guess I should have warned her ahead of time what was going to happen.  She was crying and shaking and begging to go away from there.  She told my mom that they had to run as far away and as fast as they can to get away because they were going to kill them.  I guess she didn't realize that the rest of the crowd was okay with them and didn't fear for their lives.  Poor thing.  Grant loved it.  He did tell me that he was a little nervous when it was his turn to fight Darth Vader, but he did great. 

 Well, that finally takes care of April.  Too bad we're almost half way through May.  How did that happen!? 

A few milestones...take II

It has been quite an eventful past week.  My sister Cortney got married last Friday.  She was absolutely beautiful and the day was perfect.  Cortney and Jacen were so calm, collected, patient, and CUTE.  It was so fun to be part of their day.  The reception was decorated so nicely with a rustic theme and was so fitting for them.  Simple. Elegant. Country.

The kids were DEFINITELY TIRED after a long day to the temple and late at the reception to clean up

Yesterday my van hit the 100,000 mile milestone.  WOW!  That's a lot of miles.

Last night Grant lost his first tooth.  It has been loose for MONTHS but it finally started making it known it was ready to come out while we were eating dinner.  He took a few bites and complained (and cried) about biting his tooth.  I took Kenzie to ballet and thought for sure his tooth would be out when I got home.  Talmage had wiggled it a lot but Grant didn't want it messed with anymore.  I got home - Talmage had to leave for scout Roundtable - so I asked Grant how his tooth was.  It was just barely hanging in there and all it took was one little push in the other direction and out it came.  He was a good sport and very brave.  Mackenzie on the other hand...not so brave.  Anytime she saw one of us moving his tooth she would panic.  Then last night we were talking about having his tooth under his pillow for the Tooth Fairy... Kenzie was very paranoid about a Tooth Fairy coming in her room.  (Grant has been sleeping in Kenzie's room every night for the past few weeks. Kenzie loves having a friend in there with her and Grant enjoys being there with her.)  But she was almost in tears when going to bed and told me she doesn't like the Tooth Fairy.  After Grant and I both painted a happy mental picture of what the Tooth Fairy probably looks like...(Pink wings, pink skirt, pink nail polish, etc.) she did okay.  Grant asked me to wake him up or at least tell him what the Tooth Fairy really looks like if I saw it.  The Tooth Fairy did leave him a few quarters and a toothbrush.  He was thrilled.  Kenzie got a toothbrush from the Tooth Fairy as a peace offering.  I think she's okay with the Tooth Fairy...at least for now. 

 
The kids one day were sitting on the porch.

Some friends from high school got together with our kids one morning while Jessica was in town .  Angela, Me, Katie, and Jessica...and our KIDS!  As to be expected, the kids were so thrilled to get their pictures taken!  Always fun to get together though.

The Baby

Every family with a fair number of kids can always point out the reasons why "the baby" of the family is spoiled. For example...They get to go on bigger and better vacations than the others. They get giant homemade cookies in their lunches everyday. They get to go out to dinner more often. They get new fancy toys...electronics. They get a blog entry dedicated to them. The list can go on...but I would like to point one of my personal contributions on how I helped spoil the baby. I was not a standout in athletics. I maybe could have been (not really) but instead I, as well as the other siblings held back a bit to give more stardom to the baby. If we would have all been good at everything then it would have been so great to watch Tim..."big deal, here's another one" instead of "WOW Tim, you're just really good at everything." SO really, Tim should be thanking all of his siblings for not being the standouts. Kevin came close and Cortney gave it a good showing, but Tim got it all.

Here is a short highlight reel of just a FEW of his amazing strides on the football field this season.

Tim House Highlight Reel
Tim is #10 in the white or red running with the ball



Really...I wanted to just brag on my big baby brother. He is such a good, funny kid with so much going for him. He is talented in football. Talented in shot put and discus. And not really a surprise, but he was also good in wrestling this year. He didn't want to wrestle because he doesn't like it and hadn't done it since 8th grade. He just did it this year because the coaches wanted him to and because my parents thought it would be good for him. AND Tim is a smart kid. Makes me "proud" to be his sister.

And really, I don't think it's all that easy being the baby. You grow up in a big family with siblings all around but then they grow up, leave the house, get married, and you're left with just mom and dad. NOT a bad position to be in...just a little lonely. And poor Tim...in less than a year Kevin went on his mission, Brittany got married, and now Cortney gets married next Friday. Good thing Tyler is here to make him laugh.

Where to start?

I didn't want to become one of those bloggers that starts and stops so irregularly, but alas it has come to that. So...to the highlights of January.

Brittany and Tom's wedding on January 8th.

The good?? The day was beautiful. Some rain, some shine, some clouds. The bride and groom are happy and in love.
The bad?? My mom, Cort, and I had cameras around our necks the whole day and evening so I didn't even think to bring my OWN camera. what was i thinking?? So I had to hope I took some pictures of my own little family. Luckily other people took a few. And luckily Cortney gets married in a few weeks so I can remember a) My camera and b) To take pictures of my cute little family.

The FAMILY with everyone except Kevin who is on his mission.

Mason and Grant giving thumbs up

Kennedy and Mackenzie...not sure what Kenzie is doing??

Talmage and Tyler...Tyler reminded me of the squeaker penguin toy on Toy Story with his little vest and bow tie on.

Kenzie and I enjoying our dinner. Too bad my mouth was full but at least I got to sit for a few moments and take a few bites.

Kenzie and Talmage busting a move on the dance floor.

The rest of January flew by. Tyler continues to be a comedian and still considers anything of substance hat-worthy. It seems that every meal is not complete until he puts his bowl, plate, shredded cheese, apples, quesadillas, pasta, cup, bib, or ANYTHING else on his head and says "Nice hat."

Mackenzie is such a little bossy mommy to Tyler...and anyone else she so chooses. It has been really really hard trying to decide whether to start Kenzie in kindergarten this year or wait a year. There are definite pros and cons to both sides. Her birthday is in November 8th so less than a month before the California cut off date of December 1st. My birthday is the 15th of November and I started early and actually quite enjoyed that I was one of the youngest in my grade. My parents now say they wish they would have held me back for selfish reasons. When I was 17 and going off to college it wasn't such a fun idea for them. They have suggested we hold Kenzie back and let her play and be little longer. I agreed with it, but I also didn't want her to be bored this year not going to school or even next year when she does start school. Talmage thought we might as well just start her. SO I asked one of the kindergarten teachers and explained my hesitations both ways. She feels very strongly that it's good to hold young ones back. She said they notice such a difference in kids whose birthdays are even in August. She also pointed out that with talk of class size reduction being done away with she could end up in a larger class in the next couple years and struggle. I felt that I just needed someone to confirm substantial reasons beyond my selfishness of holding her back or starting her early. SO, the decision is to hold her back one more year.

Grant has yet to lose his first tooth...still. He has had a loose tooth for a few months now but hasn't worked it enough to come out. The other night at dinner he was wiggling his loose tooth and said he needed some pretzels. A kid in his class had a loose tooth and ate some pretzels and his tooth came out. We didn't have pretzels nor was Grant finished with his dinner so he needed to think of another idea. He asked Talmage what he ate to lose a tooth. Talmage, seeing that Grant hadn't eaten his broccoli, said he thought he ate broccoli. Not liking that idea, Grant turned to me and asked what I ate. I told him I probably ate vegetables too. So, he took a bite to give it a try. I didn't pay much attention to Grant's plate until he was clearing the table and I noticed broccoli still on his plate. We asked why he didn't finish his broccoli and he said he didn't want to lose his teeth after all. OF COURSE!!

We are so blessed with such sweet happy little kids, most of the time. They have so much fun together, most of the time. The weather has been incredibly nice lately so the kids have been able to play outside more. Grant is a HUGE fan of Star Wars which in turn makes Kenzie and Tyler huge fans as well. The other day they were in the backyard playing. Grant had a light saber. Kenzie had a gun. Tyler had a plastic baseball bat. They were wandering around the yard creating and using their imaginations...more like acting out a scene from Star Wars. Tyler was starting to get away so Grant called out, "Follow that Ewok!" I then understood what part Tyler got to play. I think he has been Yoda on occasion too. Maybe it's his height. What fun little imaginations.