Yellowstone National Park

For Memorial Day weekend we decided to go to Yellowstone, since we hadn't been since I was pregnant with Logen. Despite the LONG drive up there, and Logen's scheduled question "are we almost there?" every 10 minutes, & Sawyer's geographical curiosity question "are we still in Eagle Mountain?" on every pit stop, we had a lot of fun. Pops and Grammy came, too, as well as Mike, Kindra, Kylie & William Jones/Stock. We saw lots of elk and buffalo, 2 bald eagles, a couple of coyotes, a fox, a wolf, & a far away mama bear and her cub climbing the hill...I think that's all. Anyhoo, we all had a great time. I love it up there! Since there was a lot of photos, I put them all in a slide show below this post. (You might want to scroll down to the music thing & pause it since there's music in the slide show.)

Spring Break

I remember Spring Break being warm...don't you?! I guess I shouldn't complain, it could have been worse...like snowing. We kept having to postpone going to Hogle Zoo because

of rain, but we did make it on Friday. It was a little chilly at first, but by the time we left, it started warming up. But it was still fun! This was Gavin's first zoo visit, and quite frankly, he could have cared less. He was just happy to be outside! I love the zoo!

I could sit all day watching the monkeys and gorilla. I just can't get over how human-like they are. Sawyer had a blast and kept saying "let's go check sumfin' else out!" He started a temper tantrum when we were leaving, until we mentioned McDonald's...then life was good again.

Easter 2009

Didn't we just get through with Christmas?! And now it's already past Easter?! I guess that's what happens with time, it's inevitable! Anyway, Easter has come and gone, and what fun it was! The kids had fun sleeping in the same room that night, in fact they had a "sleepover" the whole week of spring break...whatever gets them to bed without a fight! As the Easter Bunny was making his stop at our house, he had to chuckle to himself when he saw the kids' new Easter shoes outside their bedroom door for him to put candy in them. This was a tradition my sisters and I did when we were growing up, and my kids remembered it, without my reminder this year...what fun!

I found this cute website called http://www.myfavoritepal.com/ that carries matching ties from infants to adults. So, I found blue and white polka dot ones to match Jessica's blue and white polka dot dress...so proud of myself! Dinner at Grammy and Pop's was fun, too, along with the egg hunt. But wasn't quite the same with Tamie, Jared & Irish not there.

This year I only bought 2 bags of candy and filled the rest with bubbles, toys, puzzles and snacks they don't get very often...I mean the EASTER BUNNY only put 2 bags of candy in this year. AND I didn't hear any complaining...guess Bob was right (dang), they really don't need tons of candy! Being a kid is so much fun! Next year will be even funner, with Gavin being a little older and being able to join in. But this year, he was happy just being there!

Valentine's Day 2009

I never really liked Valentine's Day when I was growing up, but my mom always made it fun. By passing on my mom's tradition, I hope my kids look forward to this holiday. Instead of roses for each kid, I make sugar cookies with their names on them, and give them candy and a toy. I needed a way to justify getting Mario Kart, so I talked them into wanting it for Valentine's Day. They originally didn't want it, but I did, so that just tells you how good I am at convincing! But now I can't pull them away from it. And growing up, all the kids in our neighborhood would leave valentine's on door steps, ring the door bell, & run. But no one around here has even heard of that, so our neighbors must think we're even weirder than normal! But the kids love doing that, probably because it's like playing a joke!

Sleigh Riding

I usually love the snow (as long as I'm not the one driving in it), so after driving by Silver Lake amphitheatre and watching people sleigh ride, I wondered aloud to Bob why we haven't been yet with the kids...ever. When we lived in Sandy, all the good hills were always too crowded and safety was a BIG issue for me. But now that we're out in the sticks with a lot less people, I honestly couldn't find a good reason to not go. And the un-plowed streets, after the big snow storm, brought back memories of my mom tying an inter-tube to the back of our car and pulling us around the neighborhood and church parking lot. So, I bugged Bob about getting an inter-tube for about a week. But by the time he actually got one, the streets got plowed. That's okay, because he also got a plastic sled, so off to the hills we went! The kids had a blast...despite the bike helmets I made them wear (yes, I am a worry wart). And I decided to get in the action, too, despite the usual out come for me...peeing my pants. But surely now that I'm an adult and have better control, and things aren't as funny as they were when I was a kid, I shouldn't have a problem...right? Before I proceed with the story, let me give you some background on me. I have an extremely weak bladder with little to no control when I laugh. I should have factored in the fact that child birth does a number on your bladder, too...what was I thinking?! Anyway, the first and second time going down was a blast...I forgot how much fun it was. But I decided to do one last run before we left and Logen wanted to go down with me. Well, he likes to drag his feet which made the sleigh turn and eventually tip us over. As I was sliding down the hill upside down on my back, I saw Logen fly in the air right over me, which started the laughing...uh oh. Eventually, I stopped half way down the hill so, I got up to walk down, and slipped and fell on my butt...where I finished sliding down the rest of the hill. All the while laughing with tears in my eyes, and you guessed it...peeing my pants! (I'm so good at hiding it, no one even knew!) My kids where looking at me with horror-stricken faces asking if I was alright...I'm not sure if they were actually worried about me, or just plain embarrassed. And Jessi proceeds to tell me the all-to-often speech I tell her "It's alright mom, sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself!" Maybe they thought I was crying because of the tears of laughter coming out...anyway, serves me right for giving myself too much credit on self control. I guess some things will never change...they only get worse!

Happy 9th Birthday Jessica!

Monday the 29th Jessi turned 9 years old...I hope I can get through this without crying!

Each year that marks her birth is extra special to me because of what she's been through and the possibility of not having her here at all. Being a first time mom is hard enough, but when you have the threat of your first born's life being hung over your head, that makes it unbearable at times. Because of that, I've cherished Jessica and every passing year that I've been graced by her presence. She has grown so much over the past 9 years, not only physically, but spiritually and mentally. At times I catch myself asking "why her?! Why does this little precious daughter of God have to go through something as devastating as this that most adults will never have to experience?!". And then I watch her for a second and get my answer... because this trial makes her who she is and will become. She is so stubborn, strong-willed, yet extra sensitive, funny and full of life. She knows and understands things that most kids her age don't know and probably will never know. To her right now, it's not fair. But I hope in time she will realize how strong this has made her. I am so proud and impressed by her courage and strength. She knows she is different than others and has different needs, but that doesn't stop her at anything! She will find a way to do anything she wants to do! Like when the doctors told her not to jump on the trampoline after a surgery... where did I find her shortly after? ...On the trampoline, jumping! And she said, "see mom?! I jumped and I'm just fine!" Yet there are other times when she milks situations because she knows I'll give in. :)

Anyway, Jessi had a fun Hannah Montana birthday party with friends and cousin Bailie. I asked her why she likes Hannah Montana better than High School Musical, and she replied, "Because Hannah is a rock star and I am going to be a rock star!" And yes, in the pictures I am posting, she does have big knockers...she stuffed her shirt with socks. :) And I'm wondering the same thing...what is she wearing?! I find her at least once a day dancing to my MP3 player with her bust stuffed. I told her to stop rushing, she's already growing up too fast! I want Jessica to know (if she'll ever read this) how much I love and adore her...everything about her! She is so precious to me and I am so thankful the Lord let me be her earth mother...what a privilege! And she has taught me so much, already in her 9 years. I don't know what I would do with out her!!! I LOVE YOU JESSICA!!!

Jessica

Jessica seems to be growing up waaaaay too fast! She'll be 9 in 2 months, but I swear she was just born! Lately she's been in to my earrings and necklaces, pleading with me to wear them. One evening as I was taking my contacts out in my bathroom, and she came in and asked if she could wear some of my earrings. First of all, she was so cute in asking me which one's would look the cutest on her. Secondly, (she's gonna kill me for writing this!) I smelled body odor. At first I thought "is that me?!", then realized it was coming from her! My little girl needs deodorant! She's growing up...NOOOO!!! What happened to my little girl who used to dance and sing on the coffee table?!... actually she still does that, but now I yell at her for it because she's big enough to scratch or break it. I'm happy and sad at the same time because it's so much fun to see her grow, yet sad to realize she's not my little baby anymore. And that also means I'm getting old. Being the only girls in family, I hope we will always be as close as we are right now. And I hope she continues to feel comfortable enough to come to me for anything and everything. She's also doing great in school. Her teacher told me at parent-teacher conference, that she's starting to open up and talk & participate more in class. That's just funny to me, because we can't get her to shut up at home! But I so relate...I don't think I ever talked in school until I was in the 6th grade! She's actually doing tons better than me! And other than that little incident at school when some little brat (just kidding, I'm sure she's a nice little girl, maybe) hit Jessi on her pacemaker... which made her dizzy, she's doing fine...health wise. Her next check up with her cardiologist is next month, ugh. Her teacher also told us that she needs to work on her math, but is doing great in reading and language arts...again, just like me (not to brag or anything). All around, Jessica is such an enjoyment. Even her little tantrums are quite humorous...she breaks down into tears like it's the end of the world, instead of screaming and throwing things like the boys do. And her self choreographed dance moves are both humorously entertaining and yet shockingly good. I hope she keeps her love for life and self confidence as she continues to grow older. I love her so much!!!