I spy with my little eye...

Elli's not so little sty. It started on Thursday and by Saturday morning it had turned into an eye infection. Poor girl. She has to tip her head back to see out of it since it wont open all the way. It's still pretty swollen today, but hopefully now that she's been on some meds it will start to go away.

Happy Halloween 2009!

Hope you all had a fun Halloween this year. Ours was pretty non-eventful. Ellie and Tyler had a good time trick-or-treating with Bryan. Kate and I stayed home and handed out candy. Anna went to a party with some friends from church. We carved our pumpkins on Friday. Tyler spent a lot of time that day drawing out different pumpkin faces. His pumpkin face is the one he picked. I did my best to carve it just like it was drawn.The costumes this year are as follows: Anna was a hippie with a homemade tie dyed shirt (in fact all the kids ended up with one because I had so much dye left over), Ellie was doctor (she's using a costume I made for Anna a few years back; and thank you to my sister Stacy for the cap, mask and booties), Tyler was Harry Potter with a homemade matching scarf, and Kate was a ladybug cause she's as cute as a bug (who didn't want her hood on or picture taken which is why I don't have one of just her)!
Good times over all!

More from Virginia: Part 1

Rollingbrook Court-This lovely yellow house is were I lived from ages 4 to 12. Driving through the neighborhood and walking around brought back so many great childhood memories. I use to climb those trees in our front yard (they weren't that big when we were there, but they were big enough!). There is a path by the house that leads up to a playground.

On the way to the playground you cross over this (now pretty dry) creek, where we use to catch tadpoles.



Once to the playground you find this great twirly slide. We spent so much time playing with friends on this very slide. I was surprised to find it still there.

This was great place to live as a kid. It's looking a little run down now, but it was still fun to visit one last time. Chances are very slim that I will ever go back there again.

Choo-choo Grandpa

Bryan's grandpa, Howard Haymond, passed away last week. The kids called him Choo-choo grandpa because he use to drive trains for Geneva Steel. He was a kind, loving, cool grandpa who will be greatly missed.

Granny's services

There were 3 different funeral services for my Granny. The first was in St. George where she had been staying for the summer. You see, my mom flew out to DC at the beginning of the summer, packed her up, and brought her out to Utah so that she could be with family. We knew she wasn't doing very well, and later we found out that her cancer had returned and was at a stage 4. This service was mostly for her family since she had a lot in Utah. I can't believe I only got 2 picture the whole time we were down there. One of my sister and me, and the other is of Anna with Jordan, my cousins daughter (her 2nd cousin?)- they are only 3 days apart in age- cute girls!Her other 2 services were in Washington DC. I was able to fly out, with Kate, to attend them. The first was a memorial service that was held at her ward house. This happens to be the same building that I attended when we lived back east- it's also the building I was baptized in. All of my cousins but one (Melissa- we missed you!) were able to be there. I think this was the first time in a very long time- if ever- that we were all together. My youngest sister's husband was the only in-law that came, so his filling Melissa's place. So we have: Denny (the in-law), Bailey, Bradley, Tyler, Allene, Aubrey, Rachael, Lauren, Megan, Stacy, Jessy (me) and Tiffany. Here is one of my Mom with Kate chasing leaves outside the church. And one of my Dad holding Kate. She loves her Papa, he was one of the few people she would willingly go to while on our trip. The second service was the interment at Arlington National cemetery. The cemetery was beautiful, but a little loud with the airport so close by. This is a picture of my Grandmother's 4 children: Stuart (my dad), Trudy, Michael and Allen. The services were beautiful in all locations. There were lots of tears and laughs. It was wonderful being around family that I don't get to see very often. More to come from my trip later!

Ellie's Tea Party

This year Ellie got to have a friend birthday party and she picked a tea party. It was a lot of fun and a lot of crazy- with twelve 9 year old girls! They eat treats and punch, played bingo, opened presents, and played outside. I'm so glad we only do parties ever other year because it was tons of work.I made all the girls a flower hair clip and they got to eat on antique "snack sets" (glass party plates with matching cups). Kate just couldn't get enough of the necklaces.
It was the kind of party that I won't mind NOT doing again for a long time. Too much work. But Ellie had a really good time and that's all that matters!
It

We'll miss you Granny!

My dear sweet Granny passed away last week. She was an amazing women who will be truly missed. She was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at the beginning of the summer so we knew this was coming, but it still came sooner then I would have liked. I was able to drive to St George (where she had been living with my Aunt and Uncle) 2 weeks ago. It was hard to see her so frail, but at the same time I feel very blessed to have been able to care for her for a few days after all the care she had given me over the years.
We lived pretty close to my grandparents while I was growing up, so I was able to spend a lot of time with them. She use to take us to the swimming pool on the air force base; she would take us to feed the ducks (always making sure to wipe the poo off the bottoms of our shoes before getting back into her car); she would have us over for sleepovers- which usually meant taking a bath in her pink (yes- pink) bath tube and eating toast with whipped honey on it for breakfast. She had the best collection of dress-up clothes, board games, records, and books; and always made every holiday extra special. My granny was dutch- so I can thank her for my blond hair, blue eyes, and big bones :)
I love her so very much and will miss greatly!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Dad (Papa)-
Happy Birthday. Here's a little video from the kids just for you! We hope you had a good day!
Love-
Bryan, Jessy, Anna, Ellie, Tyler and Kate

Happy Birthday Ellie!

Elizabeth had her 9th birthday on the 1st. Between soccer practice for Ellie and YW for Anna, we didn't have much time to celebrate. But we did get in some birthday donuts, ice cream and presents. "Why donuts" you ask? Well, she asked a while ago if she could have donuts instead of cake this year (I think she got the idea from a cousin). So that's what we had. Ellie's full of spunk (and a little sass here and there too!). She's a great part of our family and we love her very much!She gets to have a friend party this year and has asked to have a tea party. So on Wednesday we will be hosting a tea party for her and her friends. I've already started preparing- my freezer is quickly filling up with cream puffs & tart shells. Wish me luck- I've never thrown a tea party.

First Days of School

The kids started school this week. Anna and Ellie started on Monday, and Tyler started today. Did I shed any tears at my kids going back to school- NO! I enjoy the routine of school days, and lets face it, who doesn't like a quiet house for a few hours.

Anna started 8th grade this year at Clarke N Johnson Jr High in Tooele. This is a new school for her because the district realigned the boundaries (last year she was in Grantsville). She was a little nervous the first day because her schedule had gotten messed up and wasn't on the computer when we went to print it Sunday night. She spent most of first period in the office getting it fixed. It all worked out in the end and she's had a good first week so far! Ellie started 4th grade. Her teacher this year is Mrs. Burket- the same teacher Anna had in 4th grade. She has some good friends in her class this year which is always nice, I just hope she doesn't get too chatty in class. Ellie walks to and from school every day with some other kids on the block- including her best friend Zoe (in the picture with her below).Tyler started kindergarten this year. He was so excited! He is in Mrs. Hyre's afternoon class- the same teacher Ellie had for kindergarten. Bryan was able to come home for lunch to walk with us to school. He wasn't nervous at all. I walked him into his classroom and showed him where to hang his backpack. Then I walked him out to the kindergarten playground where he gets to play until class started. I told him that he could go play until his teacher calls them in and he said "Ok Mom- see ya!" No hug or kiss, no nervousness- just ready to go. He's not going to miss me at all!We have smart, great kids. I can't wait to see what they learn this year. I know they're capable of so much. Good luck guys!

Mini Stay-cation

We went on a mini family stay-cation last week. Bryan took Thursday and Friday off work so that we could do some fun stuff with the kids before school started.

On Thursday we took the kids to Lagoon. They had been begging all summer to go. We didn't tell them where we were going ahead of time, so they were all pleasantly surprised when we pulled into the parking lot. They all had a really good time riding the rides. Kate spent most of the time in the stroller, but was still really good the whole day. On Friday we went to Seven Peaks Water Park. I love this park. When we lived down in Provo we would get season passes so that we could go often. It's small enough that I feel OK letting Anna and Ellie go off together to ride the slides, but big enough to not get bored. Tyler loved the slides too, but had to go with a parent. We even took Kate down some of the tube slides. It was a clear, sunny, hot day- perfect for the pool. That night we stayed down at Bryan's parents house in Springville. It was nice not having to drive all they way home.On Saturday Bryan and his Dad took the 3 older kids on a hike to Round Peak in Springville. It was super hot outside and they all came back tired and sweaty. I think it was a longer hike than what they were expecting. I stayed at the house the Kate. The arrow in the picture is pointing to where they hiked to.Overall we had a really fun time together. It's always good to get away as a family every once in a while.

Tyler's new trick

Tyler called me outside today to watch him do a new trick on his bike. I wasn't expecting to see this...

Crazy kid! Where did he learn to do that? He has no fear!

Our Annual Bear Lake Trip

We try to make it up to Bear Lake at least once a year. My parents live up in Logan, so we usually say with them and just make it a day trip. Last's years trip was bad. It was cold and rainy out so ended up staying for only a half hour. But this year it was pretty nice. It was a little windy but the kids still had a really good time playing with their cousins and in the sand & water.

Kate had a really good time with all the sand. She had it everywhere! The boys had fun in the water and playing in the sand too!
Ellie and Islay made a "sand chair". And my dad took some good cat naps!We ended our day with some shakes (a tradition)! It turned out to be a fun day for all!

I love to see the Temple...

Almost 2 weeks ago I took the kids to see the new Oquirrh Mountain Temple. We meet my parents and sister (along with her kids Islay Mae and Noah) their. It was a hot day, and there were long lines, but it was worth it. The Temple was truly beautiful. The kids loved being able to walk through and see all the beautiful things inside.

Happy 10th Anniversary!

Last week I celebrated 10 years of being married to my wonderful husband. I love you Bryan- more today then 10 years ago. It's been an amazing journey so far, one that I hope never ends!

A family favorite...

We have a favorite recipe in our house. I've been meaning to share it with family for awhile but, like always, I keep forgetting. It is very easy and quick and definitely a kid favorite! Tyler does not like spaghetti at all, but will ask for seconds of this. Add it to your menu this week and enjoy!

Pizza Pasta

-1 12oz box of pasta (our favorite is radiatore but any small macaroni will work)
-1 14oz jar of pizza sauce
-2 cups of cheese
pizza toppings (we use black olives and pepperoni)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and mix with pizza sauce, 1 cup cheese and the toppings (if it looks a little dry, add a few tablespoons of water). Put into a casserole dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 400 for about 10-15 minutes, just until cheese melts. Enjoy!

#5- Saving the best for last

Well this is the last of my updates. I think I'll be all caught up after this one (well, at least until next week, then I'll be behind again!). We finally finished the basement. HOORAY!! That's right, after working on in for almost exactly a year, it's finally done!!! It's like we can breath again. The kids have room to spread out and be in their own space. Anna, Ellie and Tyler had been sharing a room since Christmas and were definitely starting to get on each others nerves. And Kate shared her room with a lot of storage (a queen size mattress set and lots of boxes against one of her walls).
Anna is now in her new bedroom (which is also the guestroom) in the basement. She is also lucky enough to have her very own bathroom in her room.
We also now have a playroom in the basement- no more toys spread out all over the house.
The TV is out of our living room and back into the family room where it belongs and has been joined by the computer desk (which had been living in our bedroom) and a treadmill (that I bought from a friend at her yard sale yesterday).
Tyler is back in his own room with a set of bunk beds all to himself.
And Ellie and Kate are sharing a room. Kate goes to bed first (around 8pm) and Ellie sneaks in later without any problems.
We still have a few little jobs that need to be done before it's 100% finished, but those can wait.
It's so nice to have a place for everything and everything in it's place!

#4- Baby Animal Day

We went to baby animal day at This is the Place Heritage Park this year. It was a beautiful day and wasn't terribly crowded. The kids had a great time holding and petting all the baby animals. They all want a bunny as a pet now. The younger 3 also got to ride some horses. Besides all the animals, we got arrowheads in the Indian village, made candles and dolls in one of the pioneer homes and took a train ride around the park. Overall it was a great family outing!

#3- Mini-Marathon

Every spring, the kids elementary school holds a mini-marathon for each grade level. Ellie's grade (3rd) had to run 3/4 of a mile. It's not required, but it is encouraged. Out of all the 3rd grade girls who ran, Ellie came in 4th. Way to go Ellie! I'm very proud of her especially since I'm not much of a runner.

#2- Tyler's Preschool Graduation

Tyler graduated from preschool at the end of May. He has loved being in Ms. Sarah's preschool class. She is moving to AZ and is going to be missed very much! He learned all the alphabet and can count pretty high. He is definitely ready for kindergarten. I get asked weekly "when is it going to be fall?" because I told him that he'll start school again in the fall. Of course he doesn't completely have the concept of time down so it's hard for him to grasp that 2 months is still a long time. Maybe I need to make him a count down chain (like you do for Christmas). Then he can take a paper ring off everyday until it's time for school to start. Anyway, he's a smart kid and I can't wait for him to start school again. He really thrives in that kind of structured inviroment.

Tyler and Ms. Sarah-
Tyler with his graduation certificate-
And just for fun- Here's Kate with one of the graduation balloons-