Is it June already??????

HOLY COW! I cannot believe that half the year has gone by. It seems like a big blur. I am hanging my head in shame and embarrassment over the time that has elapsed since my last posting. I do think I have a few good reasons that justify why so much time has gone by. I have been struggling with what things to write on my blog this year. As most of you know, we have had an onslaught of crazy things happen that are not necessarily things you put on your family blog. The year started out with me struggling through a rough surgery and and even rougher recovery. (Sorry folks, no photos of that event!!!!) That pretty much wiped me out for 3 months. During that crazy time, Lonny lost his job. (Madison asked him where he left it and she offered to help Lonny find his job! So sweet.) Not fun, we have been through this before, but that was when we just had Josh and it was easier to change course at that time. Now we have 4 growing kids, we had just moved into our house and we were just feeling like we were making friends and fitting in. So, now we are in limbo...the question is still looming "will we have to move again? will we be able to stay here?" I think we have felt a spectrum of emotions...fear, frustration, sadness, relief, gratitude, stress, hopefulness, exhaustion, despair, anger and love. (Sorry folks, no pictures of that either). A few days after Lonny was laid off, I started an online course to be a medical transcriptionist. That was tricky trying to do a course and still be in recovery and still be a mom of 4 kids. The first part went quickly and I did very well and now I have 5 chapters and a final away from completing the course and becoming certified! Woo hoo! A good friend of mine called in March and said their group had an opening and would I like to start working. I took the job and now I am working as a transcriptionist for an oncology doctor and it has been great. Super busy, but great. My paycheck helps some, but we are still needing Lonny to find something. Jobs are few and pretty much impossible to find and so Lonny is starting his own company. It is close to being up and running, we are still waiting on some legal stuff and permits, but hopefully by the end of June, it will be official. Josh is next on the surgery table. He has a stubborn infection that needs to be taken care of and he is scheduled for June 17. Sorry dude! (Sorry folks, we will not be taking photos!!!)

Aside from all this, some good things have happened. We were able to go up to Denver and ski for a few days. That was a great break for us and the kids had a terrific time...and so did the adults!!! Josh finished losing all his teeth...he now is all permanent! He also challenged himself to get all A's all year and he DID! Even with his toughest class (Language Arts) he worked hard to get an A in that class. Good for you Josh. He also has a fun couple of weeks. He is going on a campout with Grandpa to the Black Canyon in Colorado. He took his first solo flight and was looking forward to a great adventure. Then he has less than a 24 hour recovery and he is off to our stake scout campout for a week. Good times for him. Kelsey had a great year in soccer. She was the second top scorer on her team and in one game she drilled in 3 goals. She is so skilled at that sport. Kelsey also made it to the State Track and Field meet and had a great time participating in the long jump. She made the top 10 in Arizona! She also finished the year with all A's. Natalie read over a MILLION words this year at school with the accelerated reading program at her school. Holy book worm Nat! She did not have one grade less than 97%...you rock girl. And sweet Madison has learned to snow ski, count money, swim, read, play 'othello' and say her 'f' sound. Fish is not 'gish' and Four is not 'gore' anymore. I'm going to miss that beloved 'g' at the beginning of everything. She is an expert at 'memory' and she beats me every time.

I am hoping the second half of the year is not quite so brutal. We are looking forward to our vacation to the lake (Yes folks, I will bring my camera and use it). We are hopeful that Lonny's business will start generating some money. I expect to be certified by the end of summer and then have a bit more free time to do the extra things I like to do. I really hope that the next six months are not so much of a blur and that I can find a way to feel more connected to the fun part of life and remove some the of heavy burden that has been weighing down our family this year. Things have to get better don't they?

Big Boo-Boo

Since moving to AZ, all of my kids have stopped wearing shoes and run around barefoot all the time. Madison had been playing with her good friend Jax over at his house. Madison was outside running up and down a trailer and was shoeless and sliced open her foot. She did not cry or even know she had done this. Jax's siblings had seen the pool of blood and the trail of evidence led to Madison's foot. So, Jax's house turned into an Urgent Care Center. His mom called her husband who happens to be a doctor and he brought home his stitching stuff and glue to fix her up. Jax was so sweet and kept on checking up on her "Is Madison okay?" "Is she fixed up yet?". They laid her on the table and decided that glue would hold the almost 2 inch gash closed. So without a peep...Madison got flushed out and glued up and has been hopping on one foot all week. I think she will be more inclined to put some shoes on from this day forward!

EAGLE in the HOUSE

On Dec. 11, 2008 Josh officially became an Eagle Scout. He passed his board of review and we all are so proud of him and his hard work in the scouting program. Josh worked hard to complete all the required merit badges and then was able to work in a community playground for his big eagle project. Then after a month or two of crazy paperwork to fill out and get signed, he was able to have his board of review. He was interviewed for 45 minutes (way longer than normal) and the people doing the interview were very impressed with him and were very surprised that he was just 13 years old. It is nice to have him achieve this rank and now he can just enjoy earning fun merit badges. It is great that Josh knows that he has what it takes to be an eagle scout! Congratulations buddy!!!

The Reason So Much Time Passes Between My New Blogs

So, I had another moment and the computer and I was just browsing through some family and friends blogs. I got to thinking...boy, I really have a hard time putting up new posts. I was pondering why this was the case and I have an answer. First of all, I have an impossibly crazy calling in our ward...gospel doctrine teacher. Yes, for all those who don't know yet...it is true...I teach GD and I just came up on my one year anniversary! Scary to think they haven't kicked me out yet!!! SO...that being said, I teach every-other-week. I spend a week preparing my lesson and then I teach and then I recover for the next week and then I start preparing my next lesson. Between the preparation and the recovery...I have NO TIME TO BLOG!!!

The other reason is that my computer happens to be in the hands of my kids more often than it is with me. That is a problem that leads to not being able to blog often.

I am off to bed now and if I don't have time to blog again soon, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Let's Talk about Summer!!!

So, I have a moment and the computer at the same time, that does not occur too often around here. I thought I would post some stuff about our great summer vacation. I took the kidlets for a 4000 mile (yes, that is 4000 miles!) round-trip tour of the Wild West States. We started heading north from Phoenix and took a leisurely drive to Durango Colorado. We stopped in Holbrook, AZ for some lunch at DQ and then for some gas and drinks at Gallup, NM before heading across the Indian Reservation. There are not too many places to fill up along that stretch of road, so a full tank and full tummies are a must. We got to Durango around dinner time and went to the Mexican Family Restaurant for dinner. Madison was pooped and did not eat anything and Josh was thrilled that they made grilled cheese sandwiches at a Mexican diner! We played at the park by the river and then headed to the hotel for a quick swim and then bedtime.






The next day we journeyed to Silverton, CO. What a terrific and beautiful drive that is! The mountain pass is high and the sites are fantastic! We had come prepared with the 'barf bucket', but surprisingly we did not have to put it to use. Phew! We had a great lunch at "Natalia's Cafe" and saw the Durango/Silverton train and then peeked in a few souvenir shops. The town sits at about 9000 ft and it was quite cold at that elevation. I was glad we put our jackets in an easy spot to get at. We continued on through Ouray (once again a terrific drive) and then on to Gunnison. This is where we met Grandma and Grandpa and boy the kids were excited. We drove up to Crested Butte the next day and took the rented Jeep up to the trail head. Grandpa was having a GREAT time driving through the river, barrelling over snow banks and bumping along the washed out trail. The kids thought it was great when he drove through the river and the water washed up and over the windshield and into their laps! We hiked back along a trail that was full of mud, water, snow and fallen trees. At first Natalie was taking great care not to get wet or muddy but that only lasted for about the first hour, then she would just trailblaze through anything. Madison was a trooper. She hiked the whole way and only need to be carried across a couple of streams and tricky spots. Kelsey was taking pictures of everything. She loved finding the little flowers that were just popping their heads up. We had a great hike. It is good to be able to enjoy the outdoors and see the beauty of the mountains.











Next we headed to Denver. On the way we stopped at the Royal Gorge. The bridge that crosses the gorge is over 1000 ft up. At first I thought...okay we will walk across a bridge, no big deal. WELL, boy was I wrong! We got to the edge of the canyon and looked at the bridge. It was swaying in the wind, bouncing up and down and side to side. The wind was howling through the canyon, the bridge just has wooden slats that make up the deck...with spaces in between I might add, and to top it off...CARS are allowed to cross the bridge! I was just about to stay on firm ground, but peer pressure from my kids and parents (they had already done this before) I started across. Panic Attack Begins. What an experience. I could just stare straight ahead and cling to Madison's and my mom's hand! My kids were jumping up and down with the sway of the bridge and Josh was taking all the photos over the edge of the bridge...crazy things! So, we made it across and I could breathe again, but then I realized that our cars were parked back on the other side of the bridge...we had to cross the gorge AGAIN! AHHHH! Panic Attack Continues! Well to bring an end to this story, we did make it across both times and it was quite the experience!






We were able to spend a couple days in Denver just hanging out. This was the first summer we had been to at my parents. Usually we visit during ski season. We hiked the hills around my parents house and had a nice time just chillin for a bit. Now we were all headed to Whitefish Montana. On the way there we went to the Black Hills in South Dakota. We stayed in Hill City and WOW, what a great few days. We toured the wind cave, hiked around Sylvan Lake (the one in National Treasure 2), saw Mammoths being excavated, did some other hiking, saw buffalo, and watched the 4th of July fireworks at Mt. Rushmore!!! What a terrific experience. The kids were fantastic and were so excited to be there. Madison still talks about the faces in the mountain and where we saw the fireworks. After a few days there, we headed out and stopped by Deadwood to see the Bullock Hotel and the Presidents Park. The hotel was uneventful, but the Presidents Park was cool. They had a carving of each President with some information by them. Impressive. We drove through Wyoming (BORING) and stopped in Billings for the night. The kids took turns riding with Grandma and Grandpa and that was a good experience for them. The next day we made it to Whitefish and WOW were we ready to be at the lake for 2 weeks.














Each year at Whitefish is great. It is so fun to see so many cousins, aunts, uncles and of course, Grandma and Grandpa. Lonny was able to fly in for a week and then drive home with us. The kids were so happy when Dad showed up and they played hard with him there. There were a few birthdays that were celebrated. Josh turned 13 at the lake and Madison, Emily and Melissa had summer birthdays as well. Madison tried waterskiing for the first time this year (she was three at the time). Josh and Natalie learned to wakeboard and Kelsey just improved on her skills from last year. They all are great skiers and they all love to tube! Uncle Blake had brought a knee board and that was a highlight as well. Josh gets going and pulls off some 360's and jumps off the wake (show off!!!!) He loved it. We did a fun hike in Glacier and Grandpa took Josh, Melissa and Brooke mountain biking on Big Mountain. We did marshmallow target practice and some fun family games and of course a couple of trips to DQ for ice cream treats! We absolutely love being at the lake!



















After two weeks of lake time, we piled in the van and headed south back to Phoenix. We stopped in Provo and stayed with Evan and Grace for the night and then zipped on down the rest of the way to the desert. Instead of going through Page, we cut down towards the north rim of the Grand Canyon and took a more scenic route. Very pretty and not much traffic and we would definitely do that drive again. I can say that when we pulled into our driveway at the end of a long drive, we were so glad to be home. We were gone for a month and did not miss the 115 degree temps here in the valley at all!

"LISTEN...can you hear that?"

I had a funny conversation with Madison a couple months ago. We were alone in the house since the three older kids were off at school and just kind of chatting together. She said to me "Listen, can you hear that?" and I said "Hear what?". She then said..."Listen, can you hear that?". So I listened carefully and I really couldn't hear anything. So I said, "No, I can't hear anything." She then said "Listen, can you hear the words in my head?" It took me a second to figure out what she was getting at and then I clued into the fact that she was talking in her head and had just discovered she could say words and "hear" them in her head. I love the simplicity of children!

Metamorphysis

I woke up one morning and discovered that my 3-yr-old had changed from little girl to big fish! She has been taking swim lessons and has now mastered the art of swimming without a life jacket. It took all of 2 weeks! She is a maniac in the pool. Jumping in from the rocks, diving to the bottom of the DEEP END (7 1/2 feet), big arms, little arms, underwater swim, back stroke...you name it and she will do it. She LOVES being out in the pool!