5 months old

Somehow Jess made the post BEFORE Christmas. She's still got 2 more days before she's officially 5 months old but I just LOVE THIS GIRL! She's such a good baby--except for the fact that she won't take a bottle and she's not enjoying the solid food experience...yet. I can't believe it's already been five months since she entered our lives!

Ever since I got my new camera she has filled up my lens most of the time. I have so many more pictures of her than I do of any of the other kids. She's just SO cute! (not that my other kids aren't)

Christmas and other posts will be coming...

Early Christmas

Todd bought my Christmas present on "black friday" online. I'm soooo glad he did. It's going to be a fun Christmas using my present! Here's some of the practice I've gotten in...

I'm a total amateur when it comes to taking pictures or getting a good angle but I love learning! And my finger hasn't gotten arthritis in it...yet! I thought I was annoying Todd with how many pictures I've been taking so I told him I was sorry for taking so many. He said he's glad I love it, he just doesn't want me taking pictures of HIM. I've got a lot to learn but I'm sure having fun in the process. I'm hoping to figure some 'tricks' out before Christmas so I can catch some great family Christmas Memories.

Time With Tiff Treats

We were able to move the majority of our stuff on the 11th of November--yes, Julia's birthday. The cool one that was 11-11-11. That next night Tiff brought over a jar filled with candy and the cutest poem attached:

Whenever you think about your favorite Aunt Tiff
Just undo the lid and go ahead and take a whiff
Then choose your favorite candy
unwrap and chew it slow
and think about the fact tha
your my favorite too, you know.
Love, Tiff

She made me feel like such a dud because she's just so dang creative and thoughtful. Well, the next morning the kids came into my room. Porter said, "Mom, I'm thinking about Luke." in that somewhat whine voice he has. Julia of course followed suite and said she was thinking about Luke too. I knew this was leading to the treat jar Tiff had brought the night before. I told them that they had to be thinking about Tiff, not Luke, to which they quickly changed their thinking.
Several times throughout the day they would say, "Mom, I'm just thinking about Tiff again." and they would get their treat. After a while I told them that there was a limit of thinking of Tiff to only four times a day so stop thinking about Tiff!!

We love our Aunt Tiff (and the treats she brings!)

The Bus Left Me!

Porter being picked up for Kindergarten

Moving to our new house has brought many changes. One of these changes has been a new school. We don't live close enough for the kids to walk/ride bikes or scooters anymore. They have to ride the bus. They are totally excited!! We'll see how long this lasts.
This morning I sent Payton up the road a little after 8:00 am...thinking the bus came around 8:10? the bus stop is just up the street from us and I watched from the road until I saw the bus do its loop around the subdivision above ours. I couldn't see Payton but assumed he would get on the bus. Around 8:15 he came back home. I asked what had happened! How could he have missed the bus??!!
"The bus just left me!" Payton said. I told him that he had to run to the bus stop because the bus doesn't wait for kids who are just taking their own sweet time to get on the bus. About 8:30 I loaded the kids up to take Payton to school. As I'm about to round the corner, I see a group of elementary aged kids across the road playing. I asked Payt if that was his bus stop. He said, "Well, that's where they dropped me off yesterday." I said, "Ok-it's your bus stop. You haven't missed the bus. Get out of the car and go wait with the other kids."
No wonder the other bus left him. It wasn't his bus! I'm sure this is of the first of many 'New School' experiences we will have.
(pictures will be coming...)

Tiger Style Wrestling

I know. I never thought I would miss the day of being a "Hurricane Tiger". I've always been so true and proud to be a Panther, but having kids do activities in Tiger Territory has changed my opinion. My boys have loved the wrestling program that Hurricane High puts on. Last night was their first tournament for this year and they both did so well! Porter took third as a 38 lb. kindergarten kid and Payton took first in the 2nd grade 75-94 lb bracket. Yea, Payton was the chunky one in the bracket and will probably get put with 3rd graders next tourny but he loves his gold. 

I need to write one thing from wrestling this year because I know I'll forget it later. At one of the their practices I couldn't be there because I was working and Todd was out on a fire. Tiff was willing to pick the boys up and drop them off to their practice that night. When I picked the boys up on my way home from work I asked how things went. Payton said he had to wrestle 100 lb. third grade girl in practice! Then he told me what his coach had told him...

"Coach Hirschi said, 'Is this a sport for girls?' and I said no and he said, 'Make her cry! Make her wanna go home!"

So I asked him if he made her cry. He said, "Well, a little but that was before the coach said anything to me."

I had a quick conversation with his coach and he told me, "Ya know, we teach our boys to respect girls but when we're on the football field or the wrestling mat, we tell our boys to beat the hell out of each other."

I just smiled because I know Todd feels the same way but as a girl/mom I wasn't quite sure how to feel about my boy making a girl cry. I just hoped the girl would not want to come back the next week. I was wrong. Oh well? The most ironic thing of all was that 'the girl' he was wrestling was Casey Shomaker, one of our neighbors when we lived in the basement on Telegraph in Washington.

-Wrestling Tiger Style-

Bronze medal

I'm not sure why I don't have any pictures of Payton but here's a little video footage...

La Verkin Elementary

 

I love this school!! We live close enough that the boys can ride their bikes or scooters to school. I don't worry about them getting to or from school safely. There have been numerous times that the boys have had problems with bike chains falling off or some other bike problem where someone has helped them fix the problem and I had no idea there even was a problem! That's the kind of people that live in this area. I feel so safe and I know my kids are being taught good things by great teachers!

Last night was their 3rd annual Dance Festival. I only videoed a little of each of their performances because my digital camera is not the greatest...especially at long distances...and while I'm holding a baby. Forgive the blurry moments and the shaking.

Go Cubs!!

-I won't get to say that too much longer!-

Living Close to Number 3

Another thing I'm going to miss when we move is living close to my sister, Tiffani. I say #3 because out of the five of us girls she's the third one. It's been nice for me because no matter where I live I've had one sister that was no further than 10 minutes away. I don't know how many times I've been somewhere (like WalMart, the Library, a park...you get the idea) and someone will ask if I'm related to Tiffani Wright. Yup! Sure 'nough. Apparently, even though Tiff and I don't always see it, we look alike AND talk alike. It's been fun to let our kids do things together like swimming at the Hurricane Pool and playing at each others houses. I like the visit's Tiff makes when she has to drop Khloee off at dance so it's just her and her babe, Alaina t hat come and hang for an hour. It's fun to just be able to sit around and catch up on whatever needs to be chatted about.
I do feel bad about always complaining about Hurricane being so far away from St. George so that was why we wouldn't visit her much. And then we decided to move to La Verkin--it's even further!

Tiff making me a delicious birthday breakfast. I knew she'd love this pic so I threw it in

Julia and Alaina on one of their 'dance visits'

Julia has always loved Tiff. The bond must have been made when Tiff started as Julia's "roll coach"

 You know I love ya' Tiff and I'll miss seeing so much of you. But since we're saving so much money on Todd's gas to work, that means that a little trip to Hurricane now and then won't break the bank!

Double Header

I think this picture might speak for itself. I will miss you double headed shower. This was always one of Todd's FAVORITE features of his house building adventure.

My 'Back up' Vacuum

Although I will miss my central vac in our home, I'm going to miss my back up vacuum. It's our neighbors chihuahua, Bentley. He has helped me numerous times to clean up my kitchen. Today while Julia ate her roman noodles, she allowed Bentley to help too. 

We'll miss you Bentley! ... even though Todd will never admit to  it!

Two Week Notice

Usually that phrase is used to give your boss when you're sick of your job or it's just time for you leave for one reason or another. I'm bummed to give this two week notice because it means that's when we will be leaving La Verkin. I guess I never thought I'd be sad about leaving LaVerkin. It's not the most glamorous places to live but it's been our home for the past three years and I'm going to MISS IT! Silly, I know. I'm actually getting teary typing this.

I thought I would try and post one thing each day for the next two weeks that I'm going to miss about this place, but they are not necessarily in any particular order.

So, here's one thing:

Our house

I have to say house because we can't take it with us like we can our 'home'...if that makes sense. You all know that home is where the heart is and I plan on taking my 'home' with me wherever we end up. I will really miss this house. It's been perfect for our family. Not too much to keep clean but plenty of room to have 'too much crap'. I was prego with Julia when we built it. I remember when we first bought the lot a year and a half before we built anything on it, I would always want to dive past it--but of course it was a little out of the way unless we were on our way to Zion or Kolob. I even talked Todd into getting a Little Caesar's pizza one night and taking our camping chairs to go eat on the lot. Sounds silly now, but it's a good memory. 

Todd worked is butt off to build me a nice house and he did an awesome job. He's done such a good job in fact, it's made it really hard to love any of the houses I've been through while we're house shopping, trying to find something else to call our house.

It's our first house. Of course I will miss it. Of course we will find something else. Of course I'll never forget it...I hope.

We had some trade when building it so we thought we'd have enough sweat equity to actually make a little profit on it. We thought the market would turn around in a few years so we could sell it and use the money to buy something in St. George. We thought it would be easy to leave La Verkin after a couple years and never look back.

We thought wrong.

Anything the Boys Can Do...

Julia can do better...

She's way ahead of the boys on being able to ride a two wheeler with no training wheels. She will turn THREE next month. She is AMAZING! But seriously, is it any surprise? She's so much like her mother!

We bought this bike at a yard sale for $1 in hopes that the training wheels from Emmie's bike (Julia's cousin) would fit. FAIL! Then we borrowed Emmie's bike for a couple days and Julia LOVED riding it! Tonight, we tried riding the $1 bike just for kicks and the rest is history.

I'm a proud momma!

Giver her a minute. She gets a little better.

 

 She's so giggly. I love it!

I love how her brothers will rally around to help her get started. They were as excited as she was...almost

Sunday Preview

 Jess is over two months old and it's high time we did something about blessing this girl. We were going to do it at our family reunion last month, but Todd got called out on a fire a few days before the reunion. We're planning on blessing her this Sunday and this is what she'll be wearing... with a couple of changes.

 I didn't really have anything great to put on her head (and she only has fuzz on top) so I was going to borrow this from my neighbor, Jen.

But then I decided I could use her sister's creation and try and make my own. Don't look at it too closely. It's not perfect.

I didn't really like the look of this flower after scrutinizing it closer. I just looked too fake...if that's possible?

so I took it off and made this to take its place. It's a little larger than the one that goes on her head.

 

 Don't let Jess fool you. She totally loves the headband and can't wait for her special day!

My Family Hero

Payton had to do a report in his class about his family hero. He chose his dad to do the report on. Payton had to write a letter to someone asking them to tell him about his hero, had to brainstorm for his written report, write a rough draft, a final draft and then present it to the class. They were even supposed to dress up like their hero. He did a great job. The only thing I was bummed about was that he read his report. He had it all memorized so he could look up at the class but all the other students in front of him read their reports too. I'm blaming it on that. I love that he chose his dad!
Disclaimer: Our digital camera is pretty old school so excuse the noises of the camera trying to adjust to stay focused.

Good job, Payton!!
 

2 Months Old

 Picture Time!

 I Love My Neighbors!
Jen McClemore, who lives across the street from me, listened to me whine about not taking Jess to get pictures because I'm too cheap. She has a nice camera. She offered to take her pictures. I took her up on it!

My other neighbor, Kendra Johnson, can sew ANYTHING! She made the cute lacy outfit Jess wore in a couple shots. What will I do when we move?