12 Days of Christmas!

Years ago my mom started doing the 12 Days of Christmas for each of my siblings and I. It was something even as an adult I looked forward to and have enjoyed! I have also watched my mom and how much she has enjoyed doing it for us. I decided I wanted the joy of giving and so Jeron and I decided to start doing it for our kids.
When I was little my grandma always made a pair of pajamas for each of the grand kids. It was the one gift we got to open on Christmas Eve. When Jaxon was little I talked my mom into starting the same tradition for HER grand kids! I am so sneaky! The whole pajama thing was another tradition I wanted to start with our kids. I am lazy and didn't make them (maybe next year!) so we started out our 12 Days this year with PJ's for the kids!
I wrapped days 1-5 and put them under the tree. I had so much fun listening to my kids! They divided all the presents into days and then went to feeling each one to guess what it was. I had to laugh when Jaxon and Connor came in so proud of themselves that they had figured out day 4 was deodorant for them! The really funny part was they weren't bummed that it was deodorant!
So this year they are getting double days and feeling very spoiled! Grammy is doing really fun things like coloring books and crayons while mom and dad are sticking to the practical like underwear and socks, but they don't seem to care! It really is getting the true spirit of Christmas going early in our house this year. Last night Jaxon and Connor got their deodorant and Porter got chap stick and was feeling very bummed about not being big. Jaxon went and got an older almost gone deodorant and gave it to Porter so he didn't feel so left out!
Thanks, Mom, for starting this tradition and helping me to keep the Christmas spirit alive in my own home!

I love You!

Porter would live out in the snow if we let him. We even have to make him where a coat! He was out in the frigged temps one evening (he had to wait until evening because I wouldn't let him go out until homework and chores were done!) and when it was just about time to come in he brings me a heart made out of snow! Porter loves me so much that instead of our normal snowball (we have an on going snowball fight -with a broken window to prove it- that is going to last years!) he made me a snow heart! How lucky am I!

I love you too, Porter!

I NEED to Say Thank You!

I was just thinking that I needed to change my background to get ready for Christmas and then realized I was not taking my moment to pause and think about all the things that I have. I have, instead been thinking about all the things that I would like to have. Such as "I have a van, but I WANT a Suburban." Last night as we took the opportunity to talk with our kids about the many things that we have been blessed with I also had to humble myself and take a good hard look at ME! I have gotten so caught up in the fact that we have had a hard year financially I wasn't seeing the big picture. Such as:
I have a van!

I have a home!

I have THE most wonderful husband in the world! (Now, I know we all say this and it is because they are the most wonderful husband for US! Jeron is perfect for me and is always there ready to make me smile, even when I don't want to!)

I have Jaxon! Who, for the most part, does not complain about all the babysitting we make him do. Is a good example for his younger siblings and is growing up to be a wonderful young man!

I have Connor! I'm not sure how to put into words what Connor does for our family. I just know we would all be lost without him!

I have Porter! This boy is always keeping me on my toes! One minute he is so full of himself you could just scream and the next he so humble and ready to do anything for me I could just cry!

I have Emma! What to say, except she IS a princess and she knows it! I'm not sure how this roller coaster that is a girl is going to go I just know I wouldn't have it any other way!

I have Maycie! So many times over the last year I have been so grateful for this little miracle! I have felt robbed that things were so different with her, but I have to say I will never forget it!

I could go on and name each family member by name and tell you something about everyone of Jeron and my siblings but I don't have that kind of time (3 for me plus 3 spouses and 10 for Jeron plus 6 spouses) our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews. See, I could go on all night! I will just leave it at family, and all the things you have ALL taught me!

I do have to say my mom by name. After her stroke 2 years ago (is that right mom?) I realized how sacred this life is. I am grateful to still have her here to continue to teach me and my children.

I have the gospel! I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and wants me to return to Him.

I have many wonderful friends! And although I am not always the greatest friend back they still put up with me!

I have the Atonement! Something I had not thought about until just recently is that the Atonement covers so much more then just our sins and mistakes. Part of what Jesus took upon Himself was our everyday pain. So when we hurt, for whatever reason, He has felt that pain and has a true understanding of what we are going through.

I have many things. I could go on and on! I guess the short version could have been that my heart has been changed. I now have a renewed joy of this season that is upon us and can celebrate my Saviors birth with joy in my heart instead of whatever was there before!

9 Years Ago...

9 years ago today we welcomed our 3rd child and our 3rd boy to our family! Porter was a little bit of a surprise for us. Jeron was right in the middle of school we weren't in a house and knew that was still a ways off for us. I was just SURE we had to be in a house before we could have 3 kids! In the months leading up to finding out Porter would be coming to our home I had several experiences to prepare me. So even though it wasn't OUR plan I knew it was our Father in Heaven's plan and I was so happy and excited to be expecting another baby! I was, however, a little surprised to find out it was another boy! After we found out we asked Jaxon what we should name him and he told us Connor! When we told him we couldn't have 2 Connors and we named off the boy names we had talked about we stuck Porter on at the last second. It wasn't a name we had talked about this time but had been thrown around with Connor. Jaxon jumped on it. Jeron and I both knew that was this little guys name!
The day Porter was born was about like his brothers! Getting him here was not really any different then the other 2 boys had been. I think the biggest difference were the weeks after he was born learning how to take care of 3 kids instead of just 2! I'm sure that sounds kind of funny, but as I have looked back on the birth of all of my children my odd numbers have been when I have had more adjustments to make!
Porter was an amazingly good baby! In fact I remember taking him into the doctors office for a well visit and at the time I was nursing and feeding him formula. His weight was a little lower then it had been and she asked how much formula he was getting. I told her and she said he could probably have more so we upped how much he was getting and he sucked them dry! He was so go with the flow that he just took what ever we gave him and was happy with it!

Porter's 1st birthday!
Porter and his brothers! Built in best buds!

Porter has always been ready for the camera and more then willing to pose for a picture!

Porter loves to joke with all of us! He always has a smile at the ready and will do almost anything to make someones day better!

Porter loves to play in the snow! He also loves playing with Ty (our dog) and if you can put the 2 together all the better!

Porter loves being a big brother! I was worried about the big break between he and Emma but, as it turns out there was nothing to worry about! There was a bond there from day one!

To be a big brother once was great but Porter was lucky enough to get to do it twice! He loves Maycie so much! She will never have to worry about a protector because Porter will take down ANYONE who messes with his sister!

Last year was a very special year for Porter! He had been waiting for that baptism for a very long time! It was a wonderful day. It is still hard for me to believe we are a whole year past it.

I am so grateful for Porter and the spirit of love and joy he brings into our home! He is one of the 5 most wonderful surprises Heavenly Father has ever sent me!

Happy Birthday, Porter!

We love you!

Time Out For Women

A few months ago my sister found out that Time Out For Women was coming to Salt Lake City for the first time! For those of you who may have never heard of this don't feel bad. I hadn't until maybe a year or so ago! (I know most of you are thinking that I must live in a hole or something!) It is basically like a Relief Society Conference on steroids! I had a friend who lives in Montana who was able to go with some friends and raved about how wonderful it was. I have another friend who went to it in Idaho and the same thing from her! So when my sister called and asked if I would be interested in going I told her yes! I then went to my sweet, sweet husband and asked if it was something we might be able to squeeze it into the budget he took one look at my face and told me he would do what ever it took for me to be able to go! He could see in one look how much I needed it!
When we bought the tickets we knew Jaxon's football team was not going to be going to the playoffs and so we would be done with football and so no problem! And then his team decided to do Jag Bowl and then we had football again! First I felt guilty that I would be missing Jaxon's LAST football game. When I got over the guilt I then realized that in addition to me missing the game Jeron would be coaching and how is he supposed to watch a 4YO and a 1YO while coaching a football game? He can't and Emma defiantly cannot be trusted to just sit by the side and watch like a good girl! I wasn't sure what to do! I kept putting off the dealing with the problem instead just letting it eat away at me! And then out of the blue my sweet Aunt Connie called me, "We have an extra ticket to Disney Princess on Ice, would Emma like to come with us?" Are you kidding? Talk about Emma heaven! One girl down, one to go! I guess I could have called some girls in the ward that keep telling us they would love to watch the girls for us if we ever need them to. I'm not used to needing that anymore because we have Jaxon. I think I have forgotten how to ask a YW to babysit! I'm still not sure why I didn't call them. I think I kept hoping the weather wouldn't be as bad as they kept saying on the news! Papa K would be going to the game and she could just sit with him. Well, the weather was worse then they kept saying and so Papa K had to stay home to keep Maycie out of the weather!
The point of me telling you all of this was one of the things that I learned for the millionth time this weekend was the Adversary will do almost ANYTHING to keep us from doing something that will help us, uplift us and bring us closer to our Father in Heaven. I needed, oh how I needed the things that I heard this weekend! I took notes. I wrote and wrote and wished I had written more! When I got there on Friday evening I felt my oil vial was empty. I now feel that it is full to over flowing! But I also know that if I don't work continuously to keep it full it will be empty again in no time! If I do the little things everyday that will keep my vial full I will always be prepared, but it takes a very short time to use up what we have saved! It really doesn't have a very long shelf life.
As I thought about writing this post I thought I would write about the many things that I learned and insights I felt through the spirit. As I started writing I realized those were for me and it was not what was really important! I'm not even sure this post is really important to anyone but me! I think what I'm trying to get out is that it is important for us to take the time for us! I was reminded again and again that I can't be a good mom and teach my children the things they need to know if I'm not feeling the spirit on a regular basis. I had gotten so caught up in the every day "have to do's" of mortal life that I was neglecting my spirit!
I am so glad that I didn't let the little things get in the way! I am so grateful for a husband who wouldn't let them! If you are interested in learning more about this event you can go to: http://deseretbook.com/tofw
Registration opens November 23 for next year! If it is something you have thought about doing I encourage you to do it! It is not something you will regret!

Cute Hats and Flower Clips For Sale!

Okay, here we go! I have started making these cute little hats for my girls! I have been wanting to do it for quite some time and I am finding that I really enjoy doing it! I was on KSL the other day (I know one of my silly little things that I really don't have the time for!) and found some for sale ranging from $15 to $25 just for the hat! It started me thinking if I might be able to make a little extra money for the holidays by selling some myself! So, here we go!I only have white hats right now but I am looking for yarn to make them in more colors. I have them in sized ranging in XSmall (to fit a baby) to Large (to fit big girls).

I am also making the crocheted flower clips

They really do look so cute on!


Emma and Maycie wore them on Saturday to Jaxon's game and we got a ton of complements and I didn't worry about there heads staying warm!

In this picture Emma and Maycie are both waring the Medium hat. I am thinking about trying a Small on Maycie just because I think they are cuter when they are stretched kind of tight!

Anyway! Here is the price list!:

Caps: $10

Big flower clip: $4

Little flower clip: $3

Set (like in the first picture): $13 (a $17 value!)

If you are interested or know anyone who may be I can be contacted at:

yourcmlady@msn.com

Thanks!

Brook!

Fall Fun!

The other day my wonderful kids came in the house to tell me they had been raking leaves and the pile was sooo... high! Then of course they wanted pictures! What was really funny was that as an incentive to get me to come out to take the pictures Jaxon says to me, "Mom, if you come out and take pictures then you can blog about it!" Wow! What have I created?

So I went out to take some pictures and found Emma already posing in the middle of the pile of leaves!



They decided that the best picture would be if they were covered in leaves!

Jaxon is always reminding them that HE is top dog!



I think I have a few posers on my hands!

I just wish we had gotten all the leaves raked and bagged up before our green waste went away!

The 100th Post!

Okay, so is it a bad thing to do a post about a post? What is the blogger etiquette on that?! Well, I guess it doesn't matter, because I am doing it!


I realized about a week ago that I was getting close to 100 posts and told Jeron I was going to do this and he just laughed at me! I know I'm silly but that is what you all love about me, right!


I remember when I started hearing about blogs and totally not getting what they were and why you would have one or check someone elses on a daily basis! And then Jeron's sister started one and he would come home telling me all about what was going on with her family because he would check it at work. And then we got an invite from another of Jeron's sisters to her private one and that is how they announced another baby coming!


As we approached the end of the year last year I started thinking about doing a family letter and sending it out with a picture. What a good mom I am. That is all Emma and Maycie got for a birth announcement! Then I started thinking how fun it was to be keeping up on what was going on in the everyday lives of others. I love Journal writing and scrap booking and decided to give the blogging world a try! As it turns out I LOVE this whole blogging world! I totally get it now! I love the scrap booking fix it gives me (for free! What a bonus!) and how it puts my wordy Journal keeping talents to work! I love how starting a family blog help me find an outlet to find and help other people who are going through the whole helmet and torticollis thing! (If you haven't and would like to check out my helmet blog at: http://helmettherapy.blogspot.com/ Our therapist even told me today that she sent a patient there and it helped them to decide to do the helmet! I love that now if I get behind (okay, not if, but when!) I get behind on my kids Journals I can go back and look at blog entries and not forget anything.

So I guess this entry is a thank you to all of you out there who take the time to read my blog entries, even the silly ones! A thank you to all of you who have let me into your lives through your blogs. So here's to my 100th post and to 100 more!

Graduation Day!

Maycie had therapy today, her LAST therapy appointment actually! It was a wonderful appointment. Over the last month Maycie has progressed so much. At our last appointment she was just pulling herself up to things. Even then she was quite choosy about what she would pull herself up to. It was about the same time that we started trying to fatten her up and we wondered if her weight problem had something to do with the fact that she didn't want to stand much. She started putting on the weight and the standing came right along with it!

She has been so close to graduating for the last 3 months or so. But then she would start to tilt or she wasn't doing a motor skill she should be and so we would make another appointment. But today there was no tilt. And everything they had her do today she did almost perfectly! Every time she would pull herself up to something or bend down to get a toy her therapist would say, "look at her! Look at how wonderful she looks!"

We have come so far in the last 8 months. In some ways it is hard to believe it has been that long. In others it feels like an eternity! I remember our very first appointment and our therapist looking at Maycie and the shock in her voice when she said what a tilt we had going on! And then when I told her it was actually an improvement and that it had been worse, wow! I look back at the pictures and it is the same kind of thing.

Today I talked with our therapist about how glad I am that we did this. When I came home from Maycie's 4 month well visit and had to tell people we were going to have to do therapy I couldn't say it without bursting into tears. I remember how the thought of a helmet at that point made me sick to my stomach. And what in the world could they do with a baby for "physical therapy" for an hour?! And at our first therapy appointment I remember our therapist going over the steps and mentioning a helmet and thinking "please, please, please don't let her have to do a helmet!" I remember an overload of information! The x-ray's of her neck and head just to be sure. The first visit with the Plastic Surgeon. Getting the helmet process started. By this point praying the insurance would cover the helmet. Funny how I had come full circle from, please don't let her have to have one to please let her get it. The awful absess on the back of her head and then a scan to make sure we didn't need to do surgery. By the time we got the second helmet I was so grateful that was all we needed to do that it really seamed like no big deal! And helping me through it all was our physical therapist! Our pediatrician is amazing and so is our Plastic Surgeon. But when you start out seeing someone every week and end up with only once a month they are more like a friend.

Our therapist kept saying today that it was all me and my hard work that got Maycie where she is now. I have to say a great big NO to that! We had a wonderful team that made sure we covered every base and kept me doing what I needed to do. We had an amazing support system of friends and family that never quit praying for us. Who, when they would hold her would ask me if she was looking/tilting the right way! Who helped me realize and understand this was not my fault. And most of all there was Maycie! I have to say (again!) she really has been a trooper through all of this! She has worked hard and it shows! The last big piece of the puzzle was my Father in Heaven. His peace was with me continually and I know the reason she did so well with everything was because He was with her, helping her with this.

I know one thing that helped me work through this was talking about it. Not being afraid to say this is what we are going through and then finding a way to try and help other people who might be going through the same thing. Starting my helmet blog was one of the best things I did! I think it taught me a life lesson to not try and hide my problems away and pretend they aren't there but to face them head on and then mow them over! You never know who you are going to meet that can help you (or that you may be able to help) if you just let it out there!

Thank You again for all of your prayers, love, support, I could go on all day! I have felt it lifting me continually! We could not have done this without you all!

Halloween 2009

I didn't realize until after my camera battery died that I didn't get any pictures of my kids all by themselves! Bad mom, I know!
Jaxon was a football player! Soooo... easy! Thanks bud!
Connor was Sonic the Hedgehog! He has been growing his hair out for 2 months to be able to spike it for his costume! I couldn't find royal blue sweats and so I had to die gray ones! It didn't turn out as wonderful as his imagination but I don't think I could ever do as good as his imagination!
Porter was a Skeleton! The pattern I found was for someone smaller I think but we made it work!
Emma was a Bumble Bee! I think she was the cutest bumble bee ever! She had a yellow leotard and so I thought all I needed was a black and yellow tutu! But it just wasn't the same without wings and antenna! All I could find were white wings, but I think we made those work too!
Maycie was a Flower! Other then Jaxon's hers was the easiest! Thanks Wal-mart! I bought it before we started working on fattening her up though and began to get worried she was going to out grow it before Halloween! It fit perfect! Another couple of weeks I'm not so sure!

End of Regular Season

Today was our last regular season game. And I have to say we went out with a bang! We didn't win. We played Alta and we knew from the beginning they were going to be hard. But being the last game the boys were ready to have a good time and let that be enough!
Jaxon had an AMAZING game! While he was playing nose guard he broke through the line (that was HUGE by the way!) and made the QB throw the ball away! More then once I saw him zero in on a kid and run faster then I realized he could! He ended up with 3 tackles today! The last kick off of the game the ball came right to Jaxon he picked it up and ran it! I started screaming! He got to run the ball! He moved it about 8 yards and broke off about 3 tackles! It was wonderful!
As we were leaving we saw a boy from our neighborhood and I asked him how he had done. With a huge smile on his face he said good! Then I asked if they had won and he said no. But you could tell he didn't care about that, all he cared about was he felt good about how he had played. After Jaxon's team was done talking and we were on our way to the car I asked him how he felt he had done. And the reply was the same. He felt good about how he had played and that is all that matters to me.
Regular season is over. I am so grateful that we didn't have to deal with a major injury. We are going to Jag Bowl (a fundraiser we do for any teams who don't go to play offs) so we will have games the next 2 weeks. If they can relax and play like they did today I think they will do pretty well!
Thanks Jags for a wonderful season! Jaxon, keep up the great work and have fun!

13 Years Ago...

13 years ago I became a mom. It took me days to refer to myself that way! I know that sounds weird that I referred to myself as Brook to my own child, but I had been the older cousin and babysitter for so long it was weird to call myself mom. It didn't take long!
I remember feeling like I had been in labor for about 6 weeks! I started having contractions at about 35 weeks and we were just sure he was going to come early. I went in one week begging my doctor to start me. It was my first baby and they had to give me until my due date to see what I would do on my own. Over the next week I heard every horror story under the sun about inducement. I went in 2 days before my due date and he was willing to take me ON my due date! And being the idiot that I am, I had to say no! Jaxon's due date was 2 days before our 1st wedding anniversary and when I found that out in the begging I thought, "As long as the baby doesn't come on our anniversary. I want us to have our own day!" Then I said no to the doctor and was over due (just by 2 days, I know I'm a big baby!) and totally miserable! Lucky for me my doctor didn't want me going too far over so 5 days over due I went to the hospital to have a baby! They got me going about 10am and about 5pm I was holding my baby boy!

He was perfect! He was 8lbs 6oz and 20in long! This was back when it was only a 24 hour stay and so Jaxon got to come home on Halloween! I remember getting home and having kids come Trick-or-Treating to the door! I felt so bad we didn't have any candy!



2nd snowmobiling trip. He was more afraid this year then he had been as a baby!


Jaxon's 3rd birthday!

This year Halloween was on Sunday and so we did Trick-or-Treating on his birthday. We had the cousins dress up and took them to a few houses at his party! It was then that he started telling us what he wanted to be for his birthday instead of Halloween!
Jaxon and Megan!


Jaxon and his 1st "best friend" Josh!
Even though Josh and his family have moved away (at times as far as Canada) he and Jaxon have stayed good friends!

They even have baby sisters the same age!

Jaxon and Emma!
Jaxon was ment to be the oldest child! He is the best big brother anyone could ask for. He is helpful and a good example. He has always had a special bond with Emma. It might have something to do with praying for a sister for almost 7 years!

Jaxon and Maycie!
This was less then a week after Maycie came home from the hospital. It was the night of Jaxon's first Priesthood Session of Conference. I think Jaxon prayed so hard for a sister he got 2!



It is hard for me to believe that I have a 13 year old! It seems like just yesterday they put him in my arms and I could hardly think of myself as a mom! He has grown up so much and is so responsible. I can count on him for so much. MOST of the time he does what I ask him to without complaint.

He is doing so well in school his doctor nearly fell out of her chair when we were in last week. I don't have to remind him to do homework or when to get ready for football practice. He always does his best to be a good example to those around him and to do what his Heavenly Father would have him do. Now if we could just get him to be that way with his chores! I guess he can't be perfect!
We are so grateful for you Jaxon and our family would not be the same without you!
Keep up the good work!
Love ya!

Carving Pumpkins!

We have had pumpkins for almost a month now and every Monday night the kids would bug us about carving them. Every week we would explain that if we carved them too early they would shrivel and be ruined by Halloween. So we planed to do it last night! As with everything else in life things didn't go exactly as planned and we ended up doing it at 8, only the same time the girls should have been going to bed!

Jaxon decided a headless horsemen picture would be cool for his phone so...

Mom got out her camera too and the next thing you know we had pictures of all the kids (except Maycie, sorry!) with no head and bellies hanging out!


Connor

Porter

Emma

The kids and their pumpkins! Mom and Dad (mostly mom!) dropped the ball and didn't do a pumpkin for Maycie. I didn't even think about it until we were getting ready to take this picture. So I guess I will find some time this week and do a pumpkin for Maycie!

Side note: Connor was the only one to do his pumpkin without any help! Emma told mom what to do and mom did it! Porter did most of his dad just helped some with the mouth. Jaxon did some but was kind of like what ever! When I realized Connor was going to get his done all by himself I said something and then Connor spent the rest of the night saying, "I rock!" Yes, Connor, you ROCK!

14 Years Ago...

14 years ago today the weather was very different! I'm not sure when it changed. I know it was sometime in the next week or so. All I know is that October 27, 1995 the weather was beautiful. The perfect day for a wedding!

Jeron and I drove to Manti separately. I went with my family and worked on a cross stitch for Jeron as a wedding present. I was doing it as a surprise and only worked on it when we were not together. (When does that happen for an engaged couple!!) It was not finished and I was getting very frustrated with it. Just so you know I did finish it on our 1st wedding anniversary! As my mom and I walked into the temple I saw my uncle who was doing our wedding video had arrived early to make sure he got both Jeron and I going into the temple on video! I remember them changing my name on my Temple Recommend. I remember that there was no one else in the brides room and I had like 3 cute temple workers gooing over me. I remember that I got to carry my mom's hankie from when she got married (my great grandmother crocheted it for her) and my temple apron was a family heirloom from Jeron's family. I remember getting to sit in the Celestial room together. It was so peaceful. We got married in the lower of the two tower rooms and I remember them taking Jeron and I into the room first. We got to watch everyone walk into the room. I remember the Sealer talking to us for quite sometime and then Jeron's aunt and Grandma got there just before the actual ceremony. They had had car trouble on the way down and the sealer was waiting for them. He gave us so much good advice and I tried to pay attention but I don't remember any of what he said! I do remember Jeron looking at me over the altar and the love that I saw there. I knew we were doing what Heavenly Father wanted us to and we really were going to get to be together forever!




My mom made my dress! It was everything I ever wanted and more! These picture just don't do it justice! Don't we look like babies!

We had so much support! So many people came even though we went all the way to Manti. The whole time we were engaged, and even now sometimes, people would ask if one of us was from down there. No, would come the reply, that is just where we want to get married. Actually that is how I knew I was supposed to marry Jeron. For the longest time I have been in love with that temple and knew I wanted to be married there. When I was a teenager my mom would ask, "What if that isn't where your husband wants to be married?" I would reply, "Then he won't be my husband then will he!" And then one night we were talking about temples and the moment Manti came up I knew, I knew we would get married.

Now, 14 years latter I am more in love with this man then the day I knelt across the altar from him. We have been through so many things together and I could not have done it without him. He is such a strength to me. He upholds his priesthood and honors it and is teaching our sons to do the same. He is teaching our daughters to follow Christ and does that by example. There are so many things I would like to say, I just don't know how to put them into words.

Ours is a crazy life. I'm not sure one thing has turned out the way we "planned" it would. We had kids sooner then we planned and college and a house latter then we planned! The boys came fast and the girls took their time. To say our life is a roller coaster just doesn't do it justice, it is more like the "Wild Mouse" at Lagoon! Besides the ups & downs there are the sharp turns that come completely out of the blue! But it is a ride I wouldn't trade for the world and wouldn't have anyone else sitting by my side for the whole thing!

I love you Jeron, Happy Anniversary!

Wheeler Farm (and the BIGGEST pig I have ever seen!)

This last Friday the girls and I went to Wheeler Farm with a friend. It was a nice day and perfect for an outing! We went to feed the ducks first and the geese were, to say the least VERY hungry. They wouldn't leave us alone! We decided to go on the wagon ride and see some of the other animals and try back with the birds. It did not get any better when we came back. The girls didn't really get to feed them because they couldn't break the bread apart fast enough. Even when the bread was gone they kept coming after us! I was going to try to get a video clip of them but was too busy running away while pushing a stroller so I got these pictures instead!

You can see it in there eyes that they want the food that we have and they will go to any length to get it! I have to say the girls all handled it really well! And I don't remember the last time I was so freaked out AND laughing at the same time!

There was a mommy pig with her piglets! We got to see them get the piglets out for some outside fun! Emma really loved the piglets. Maycie loved everything! She couldn't quite pointing!

This is, without a doubt the BIGGEST pig I have ever seen. The picture does not do it justice! It kept moving around or I would have had Emma and her friend Kylie stand in the picture too to have something to compare with. The girls really enjoyed the pigs, all of them!

Emma and had fun driving the tractor! She thinks she is so big! Do you think she knows that the steering wheel is as big as she is?!

Two More Losses and Out of Playoff's

Jaxon's game two weeks ago was against Riverton. The game started out great and they seemed to have a real momentum going. My mom called and I told her that if they wanted to come this would be a great game to come to! They were doing so awesome! Jaxon recovered the ball on a fumble on the kick off and got us the ball! He was on fire!
After the half we started to loose the momentum some how and Riverton took over. I think it is my fault! I was bragging them up a little too much I guess! Jaxon did a really great job the whole game (I am not just saying that because I'm his mom!) and ended up getting another fumble recovery! And did his best to help keep the team fired up. In the end Riverton won. It was another hard loss for these boys. Winning the first three games didn't prepare them for what they would face with some of these harder teams who have been playing together since they were 8.

I decided the only way to make sure I get pictures with my boys actually IN them is to take pictures while they are warming up! Jaxon is the one hitting on the left, Jeron is standing on the sled (hey Jer, what do you call that thing?)

Getting fired up!

Now we just need to find a way to keep that fire!

Last Thursday Jaxon came home from school telling me he was sooo... tired and went down to his room and slept for the next 2 hours! When I informed him he would be missing school the next day I was met with despair and argument (shouldn't it be the other way around? Despair and argument when I tell him he HAS to go to school) "Mom, it is almost the end of the Quarter I can't miss now!" Wow, what a good kid!

By Saturday the fever was basically gone but we banned him to the basement and told him NO football. :( Connor had run a fever on Friday as well so they both had to miss Porter's last game. After Porter's game Jeron, Porter and I went up to Bountiful for Jeron to coach and Porter and I to cheer the team on in Jaxon's absence. It's really too bad Jaxon was sick because they really could have used him on the line. We got there late because of Porter's game and we were already down by ALOT! The line was falling apart and so was everything else. But then they found the fun! We still didn't win, but they didn't let them shut them out either!

They are a great group of boys and I'm glad Jaxon has been able to be a part of it. Two games left. Here we go Jaguars here we go!

Porter's Last Game!

While the computer was out of commission the boys had two games. This last week was Porter's last game. He has really enjoyed playing flag football this year even if it wasn't tackle! He had a wonderful coach who really did a good job of teaching them the game of football.

Before every game he would meet early with them to go over plays and make sure they were all warmed up and ready to play!

Porter blocking (he is in the blue shorts!)

We are going to take you down coach!

This game was the perfect last game! They won (not that they keep score - whatever! I promise I am NOT holding a grudge!) They had an amazing pass that was carried in for a touch down. They were all on fire! Porter had some really amazing runs.

The thing I think I enjoyed the most about Porter playing flag football this year is that he learned it takes a whole team to win a game. He got to try almost every position so now if :)* he plays tackle football he will have a good understanding of the game and what he is supposed to do, along with what position he would like to play!

Great job, Porter we are all so proud of you! Keep up the good work!

*We all know that it is not if, but when! :)