So here I sit, the last day of 2010. It has been busy year, and I think a lot of that has to do with the addition of child number 3 to our household- that happened last year, but she has kept us busy.

We recently made an offer on a home in a nice neighborhood here in Lakeside, there are even paved streets! It is a short sale, and although we said we would like to close in 30 days, I believe that the process will be long and draw out. I hope that there are not too many surprises in the inspection and we can move along. There have not been a lot of homes in our price range that I have loved....and I love this home. And the price will make it so that we can keep this home if we ever need to move away from Lakeside...(for any reason).

We have had a busy winter, mostly made busy by Nate's need to collect wood so that we can use it to heat our home. We still have a huge pile out back that needs to be cut down, but Nate cannot find his extra chain, nor his manual, or his tool to change the chain...so it sits. We have a lot all ready cut to size and if we move into our new home before the end of the winter we will just give the un cut stuff to friends.

This year we went out to cut our own tree again. It was so much fun and I recommend it to all. We took out the $1500 truck and it rocked! The place where we went to cut was beautiful and we plan to go camping there this summer. We will probably take $1500 truck with us for the adventure...and we plan to take it sledding too (anything to minimize the mud in the van..if possible).

Nate got his review from work and it looks like he should be getting a good raise. We have not heard the last word yet, but if all goes through then he should be making closer to what he should be making in his position. I am looking forward to being able to put more into savings for our retirement and savings for house fix ups and savings for fun stuff. I like saving. Unfortunalty I also like buying stuff that is a good deal (my trips to the valley are evident of that...and sometimes I feel bad- but I don't ever want to pay full price for my running shoes again, so when I found out mine were only $62.50 on clearance I had to get 2 pair...see what I mean!).

We had a smaller Christmas this year and decided to haul it down to the valley to celebrate with family. Santa came to Grandma and Grandpa Anderson's house for our kids and Reagan... they had fun and I have realized that things have gone well with making things more simple... I think next year I can do even better (like, they hated unwrapping their clothes..so I might stop it, or pack all their clothes into one box!).

I was un sure of when I wanted to head back, so we sort of played it by ear. We got to spend some time with Nate's buddies on Sunday night after Christmas, but that meant that he had to leave really early on Monday morning to head home to work. He took my dad's truck with the plan for me to head back with the kids and my parents later in the week and do a car swap and have my parents stay with us for a few days. Nate had such a good time with his buddies (some of whom he had not seen in a very long time) that we decided he would come back for the New Year holiday (driving home the afternoon before New Year's Ever) and I would just enjoy the slightly warmer weather here, run errands and get some shopping in. The kids were excited to spend more time with family. We also go to play at the park (Mikah is a master at the slide and could slide all day- or be pushed in the swing by Grandpa). We picked citrus at Grandpa A's house, went to the Natural History Museum, Picked more Citrus, and played at the mall... as well as sucking in as much Disney Chanel as possible.

Then it started to snow up north...it snowed sideways...and we even got some fluries down here. Nate was delayed on Thursday and then we deemed it not save and too late to travel up today, so I am a loner on New Years...and Nate is even more alone.. (and our washing machine broke!!!).. So tomorrow, New Year's day, we will drive up and meet him half way and do a car switch. Nate will also pick out and buy us a new washer!!! And time permitting we will go sledding. (Jake is determined to play at the play place at the mall one more time before we head out, and Mikah would not object...so we will probably do that too).

Before we started our Christmas break, Maesyn's teacher called/e-mailed me to talk about an after school program for kids that could use more of a challenge in school. I don't think they have a gifted program, but if they did Maes would be a great candidate (all parents think that about their kids..but this little girl is reading at a 2.8 grade level and getting 100% on her tests- and her teaches area always praising here, and telling me how bright she is). It is called Odyssey of the mind...and I am slightly familiar with it. I am reluctant to over schedule her, but at the same time I understand that she needs a challenge or she will become lazy... as I have seen in some of her home work when she accidentally misses stuff because she is going too fast! - she is pretty excited!

Post Christmas

I realized after we headed out to the Valley that we had not taken pictures of the kids in front of the tree...so after we got back...while I was doing this:
Nate took the kids into the front room with the tree and took a few of these:

Christmas

On Christmas Eve we enjoyed our tradition of homemade pizza with Derrick and Summer and Reagan at my parents house and then we read the Christmas Story as the kids acted it out! Reagan was Mary, Maesyn was the Star, Jake was Joseph and Mikah was...cute.

The kids slept on a big air matress right next to the fire place, it is a wonder that Santa did not wake them up. He heard them on the roof a few times making lots of noise and jingling his bells... but he must have known they were asleep because he did not come down to be sighted!

In the morning the kids got just what they wanted. Maes had asked for a candy jewel machine and Jake a skateboard. Mikah got a shopping cart- weather she wanted it or not..but she seemed to like it.
Mikah with her shopping cart.Jake, looking so strong without his shirt- he was too hot- trying out the new helmet for his skateboard.
Maes, with the Candy Jewel Machine.

Later that day we retreated to the Garner Family Home for more and more gifts and fun.

Here is a cute picture of Mikah before the trip. She is "helping" to make some sort of baked good.

Getting ready for Christmas

Santa came for a visit early in December to the little shopping center in town and we went to get in line right after school...and stood there for a very long time...and finally got our chance to see santa! I would have waited until later had I known that he would have been at our Ward Christmas party (the party that left half the ward with a stomach bug).
At the shopping center they had a fun little raffle in which Jake won a makeover from a local salon. Maesyn and I split, we both got hair cuts and she got some pink high lights and a style!

The kids also got fun treat bags from Santa. Local shops continued and there were fun treats such as bubble gum cigars and rub on tatoos!
We went and cut or tree again. We took a picture with this tree we were about to cut, but then decided it was too close to the road, and if we cut it we would be breaking the law... so we hunted some more. But our tree looked a lot like this one!

Zoo Pass

For the past several years we have been lucky enough to have a zoo pass, thanks to the grandparents.
We went to the zoo over Thanksgiving break and then again over the Christmas break. Nate said that the first time Mikah got to pet goats she was sure to put the brush around her hand the proper way, but would pet them with her other hand. She made sure that she got every goat and even gave one a kiss! yuck.
Jake really wanted to ride the camel again and Maesyn was brave enough to ride this time. I think they had a great time..although every time Jake says that they did not get to stay long enough! It will be fun this summer when they have the splash pads open. Mikah should get a huge kick out of it!

Grandma Dorathy

Here we are with Great, Great Grandma Dorathy!

We love Grandma and want to be like her when we grow up.
Grandma gets in trouble for climbing a ladder to inspect that they did a good job fixing her roof.
She had the best dirt for gardening and tells great stories..

and the kids seem to think she has fun toys! In fact, they are the same toys that Nate played with when he would visit her when he was a kid!

Jake turns 4

Jake turned 4 and requested a Robin Hood Party.

He looked forward to it all week, but the morning of the party he was feeling under the weather and even threw up. We called all the parents and told them of the situation but said that Jake still wanted a party. He seemed a little lethargic at the beginning, but by the end of this party he was back to normal!
The week before the party I made little Robin hood hats for all the guests. This is one of the girl hats, I added a flower on it next to the felt feather. They also got little tunics and bags for their money.


We made swords out of paint stir sticks from home depot. They got to decorate them as they arrived.
We had a jousting contest with pool noodles. I loved that we had a pretty nice "warm" day out so that we could actually have our party in Sherwood Forest! It was still a bit chilly, but at least it was not snowing.
I had planned a fun archery game, a la "pin the tail on the donkey" but the arrows would not stick to the target. Mandi and I (mostly Mandi) made these arrows with sticks from the yard. Each kid got to take one home.
We also had a fun treasure hunt. All of the clues were based on characters from the Robin Hood Movie. Sarah set the whole hunt up. At the end was a wooden box full of gold chocolate and plastic coins, and jewels! I think the kids had the most fun on the hunt! Here is Aubree enjoying the spoils of the hunt.
Jake has good taste and wanted a cheesecake for his cake, I made one and also cupcakes for the kids. He really likes purple, so we made purple frosting and then chocolate arrows for decoration!

He got some excellent presents from his friends and had a really good time. We are so thankful that Mandi and Sarah and Benson could be in town for the weekend to help. Not only did we have a party for Jake that day, Maesyn had a practice and performance that day and Nate and I had a work party! Busy Busy. Nate also tried to work on the wood pile!

We are so thankful for the help of our family and so thankful to have our Little Jake brother! He is such an important part of our family!
Love ya Jake!

Little Sausage Face

It is amazing how all of my children can be so different. They have done some of the same things, for example, Mikah loves to walk around with a paper and pencil like her big sister used to at this very age.
Mikah, although so small, is such a character. She is here own little person. She has a mouth full of teeth at the tender age of 14.5 months.
She says very little. She can say "Hi" and "oh oh". But that is about it.
It seems that she eats more than any of my other children ever did. She will often go into the cupboard and pull out a plastic bowl to hand to me. This means she wants me to put something in it for her to eat. If she sees us eating she will insist on us sharing. She will hand me an empty bottle to ask for us to fill it, or she will get herself a juice box out of the pantry and hand it to me to open for her!
She has also started tapping our backsides to get our attention!
Last night I asked Nate to go get Mikah ready for bed. She is a hand full and once Nate get's home then she is all his!
When he got upstairs he saw her standing on the toilet, she had taken a headband out of the basket of hair pretties and put it on. She hand a runner's world magazine open as if she were reading it. When she saw Nate she dropped the magazine, grabbed a brush, and started brushing her hair!
Funny girl!

Today Jake is 4

Yesterday evening I began my work on Jake's robin hood party that will be held on Saturday. Each child will get a costume complete with tunic and tie, felt hat with felt feather and a wooden sword. I need to make a target and plan out some games...and finish what I started last night.

I ran this morning and did a yoga class and returned home by 7:45 to find the kids all bathed by Nate and Jake's breakfast of butter rice in the rice cooker.

We opened presents...who needs to wait for the evening?- before Nate headed off to work. Jake got a fun toy for his cars and then some much needed long sleeve shirts, some cowboy shirts and some hoodies.

On the drive home from dropping Maes off at school I asked Jake if he was having a good birthday.
"no"
"why not?"
"nobody came yet."
"well, they will on Saturday, who do you want to come?"
"series of grumpy noises" Jake has been a bit grumpy for about a year.
"How about R?"
"no, he will want to play with my toys."
"A?"
"No, he will want to take my gun."
"D and C?"
"No, a cause D took away my toy knife...and C is one of D's broders"
"Well, remember that D gave you that little horse?"
"Well it was in the trash."
"and T?"
"he does not know where I live."
"E and O?"
"E was showing me her tooth she lost and I did not like it and O wants cookies for my birthday, and I don't want M to come...acause M...um acause."
"well what about A"
"I don't want girls at my party... Just grown up girls."
"and J?"
"She will want to open all my presents."
"What about S?"
"yeah." (this kid is in the 4th grade!)

Well, I invited the kids that are in his primary class, and then the little girl that often comes to his primary class and the little boy that he plays with when I visit teach and then their siblings that Jake has seemed to enjoy playing with and the children of our friend's that Jake enjoys playing with...
He is such a grump.
I hope his party turns out right and that he is nice to everybody!
It will be interesting to say the least."


For the rest of his birthday today he will basically do what he wants (watch movies) while I work on the party. Nate is going to take him out to lunch for orange chicken, his favorite, and then I'll take him to the part before we pick up Maes. I think we will have some more butter rice for dinner!