Our awesome Christmas

We had such a great Christmas this year. First of all, daddy was home, which is the best present of all. We had a family tradition growing up of going out to eat (or having Brent the chef cook if he was home that year) and going to a movie on Christmas eve. Christmas eve is also my mom's birthday, and we always looked forward to it because we knew we could all be together and have a blast. So, even though Jason and I stayed in Montana for Christmas this year, we kept up the tradition. We went to Macaroni grill and ate (such good food, yum!) and then took the kids to Disney's Christmas Carol at the theater. It was 3D, which was a surprise, but really good, I thought. It scared the kids a little, but they got over it. :) Then we drove around looking at Christmas lights. That evening, we made sugar cookies and decorated them. We also got online and tracked Santa, which the boys really got a kick out of.

Christmas day was really fun, too. We got up pretty early and the kids really got excited about their presents. That always makes Christmas so fun. Then we cleaned up and got ready for Christmas lunch/dinner with our friends, the LaDukes. They came over and had a yummy roast dinner and we each made stuff for the meal. Then our kids played for several hours while we chatted and played our new Wii. The next day, Alicia told me she was sore, and so was I! I guess we were pretty enthusiastic about the game. :) We spent the evening just chillin' at home while the kids played with their new toys. It was wonderful.

Then, yesterday, we took the kids out sledding by Monarch (about 45 minutes away) out in the woods. We found a really good spot and James and Jayden had a lot of fun. We only have one sled, so we decided that next year we need to buy a big tube so more of us can fit. Then we ate at the Cub's Den in Monarch, which is a little bar/restaurant that had really great burgers.

We missed our family, but our little Christmas here in Montana was very special. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and know that we love you very much.

Christmastime is here!

We are having a great Christmas season so far. Both the boys had their Christmas school programs this week. Since I could not operate the video camera and the still camera at the same time, I have no pictures of it. But they both did a great job and were so excited to do it. James's was on Wednesday, the day I watch my friend's kids, and so I had all 6 kids there watching the program. It was pretty challenging trying to get all 6 kids herded through the crowded school halls, but I got through it and the kids had a lot of fun.

I am so excited to have the kids out of school for a couple weeks. It will be nice to have a more relaxed schedule for a while. I just hope I can keep them sufficiently entertained so they don't drive me and each other crazy!

We are looking forward to a wonderful Christmas at home. Last year, Jason had a Christmas alert and so I went to my parent's house without him so I could see my big brother. It was a big sacrifice for Jason to let me go. This year, he is really excited to have a nice Christmas with just our little family and no worries that he might get called to work. Life is good for us.

We will miss all of our family this Christmas and we hope it is a happy one for each one of you.

Cute little girl hairdo

I looked up some little girl hairstyles online and I am so proud of myself! Charlee's hair for church today was so super cute, if I do say so myself. Here are some pics for your viewing enjoyment.

Havin' fun

We went to the OG Children's Christmas party yesterday. It was really fun. The kids got to sit in a helicopter, joust, make crafts and talk to Santa. I love it when there are free, fun kids activities going on. Speaking of free and fun, the base just opened up a family play area in the base gym. It has two jumpy castle things, badmitton, soccer, and other games to play. Why wasn't this here for the last 4 years?! We've been reduced to going to McDonalds during the winter to entertain our kids. Anyway, we are excited to be able to use it for the last few months we live here.

Pictures of the Birth Center gang

We had a baby shower for the birth center receptionist today and got a picture of (most of) the gang. Just thought I'd share so you know who I'm talking about when I mention them.

Far left is Melanie, the other midwifery student; me of course; Brianna, the receptionist; sitting down is Elaine, the midwife; and Tiffany, a fellow birth assistant.

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a really good Thanksgiving. My parents came up and it was my first time hosting Thanksgiving. We had a wonderlicious meal. I was grateful for my parent's help and advice cooking the turkey and stuffing. The kids were so very excited about having grandma and grandpa at our house. I felt sorry for my dad because he had kids hanging off of him the entire visit.

Friday we went to White Sulfur Springs to a hot springs pool. It was a little ghetto but we still had tons of fun swimming with the kids. We watched a lot of movies, too.

I was sad to see my parents leave this morning. But I am grateful for such a fun Thanksgiving. We missed all the family we didn't get to see and hope you all had a wonderful holiday.

First Catch

I caught my first baby today. It was one of the most overwhelming, spectacular, humbling, scary experiences I've ever had. I can't go into details here, but this was a big milestone for me and I had to include it here. Wow, what a privilege I have to do the work I do.

Halloween

We had a fun Halloween. The kids were super excited. Jayden wore his costume pretty much constantly this whole week. I even had to wash it before trick-or-treating because it was already dirty from wear.

We had a ward party on Friday, and then of coarse trick-or-treating on Saturday. The boys were both power rangers and Charlee was the cutest little Dorothy you've ever seen.

The last few weeks of our lives

We have had an eventful last few weeks. The first week of October I went down to Utah again for a school conference. It was an awesome conference and I leaned and experienced a ton. The first 3 days were prenatal care lab and then I took sexual abuse. I missed my family so much since Jason took the week off again to watch the kids at home in Montana while I was away. I stayed with my grandparents. My grandpa passed away the second day of the conference. My dad called me during the day to tell me he had passed. I was so glad that I was there in SLC and that I had been able to see him for a couple of days before his death. My mom was there staying with my grandparents, too, since they new my grandpa wasn't doing well and would soon die. It was a bittersweet week after that because we were sad at grandpa's passing but also so happy to see so much family that came in. I cancelled my Friday class because that was the funeral day. Everyone was there except for one cousin. Even Brent flew in from Boston and my cousin Brian flew in from the Virgin Islands. I saw family members that I had not seen in years. We all felt Uncle Bruce's loss pretty keenly during that time.My family loved spending the short amount of time we had with Brent. We went out to eat the night he came in and then after the funeral we just hung out for a while. I went home on Saturday and had the rest of the day to wash clothes and prepare to fly to Las Vegas on Sunday for a family vacation. Jason was angelic and had the whole house clean when I got home. I was so surprised and delighted! Las Vegas was fun. We walked around and saw all the lights and massive casinos. We took the kids to the Tournament of Kings at the excalibur. That was super fun. We stayed at Circus Circus and the kids liked the circus acts and the games, where they won lots of stuffed animals. I took the kids to Shark's Reef, which is a great aquarium, while Jason went to the LV temple. I think the boy's favorite part was when we took them to the Adventuredome. That is an indoor amusement park. Our latest bit of adventure was a few days ago when we found out we will be moving to Cape Cod, Massachusetts next year. We are excited. It will be a whole new adventure for us. So, if any of you have ever been there, we would love info since neither of us has ever been to the Cape.

me preparing to get a pap from the student pictured below. (Yes, we all had to wear the headlamps. Funny, I know.)

Don't worry. I had to do the same to her after.

Just a cute pic of the kiddos

All the ladies from the Utah MCU conference

The conservatory at the Belagio

Whenever I say "say cheese," this is the face I get from Jayden

Charlee sitting next to me at the Tournament of Kings

With a "king" from the show

Adventuredome

The boys rode this ride MANY times

James lost 3 teeth in a week

My cutie face bug

Nursery

I am so proud of Charlee! She just turned 18 months on the 19th of this month. The next day was her first nursery day. I always am unsure of how my kids will react to being left in nursery at church. But she just walked right in and started playing! The leaders said she was so good the whole time. And since our nursery has 23 active kids every week, I am glad to contribute a well-behaved child to the mix. This was her second week, and she did just as good as last week. Hooray for a social child!

My interesting food day

For my holistic health class, I have to do a bunch of "practical" assignments, which basically means make and do lots of fun stuff. So, this past week I have made my own creme frache (European sour cream), homemade cream cheese and whey, and sprouts. But today I stayed home all day and make lots of fun stuff. First off, I made a "green drink." Here is what I put in it (and I drank the entire thing, I might add): handful of spinach, 3 stalks celery, fresh homegrown sprouts, a thumb of ginger (yes, that is what it is called), juice of a lemon and a lime, an apple, a handful of parsley, and a banana. I can't say it appealed to my epicurean side, but I did feel good knowing I had all those servings of fresh fruits and vegetables. I think I'll make this a once or twice weekly habit.

My next feat was to make my own chicken stock. It took all day, but the results were awesome. I can't wait to make something with it.

Then, over the last week, I've been preparing a sourdough starter. Today it was ready and I made sourdough bread. It's...interesting. There was no yeast in the recipe, and they turned out a little brickish. They taste good, but they're not so much light and fluffy like I'd hoped. Anyway, it was a learning experience. I didn't take a picture of them because they are simply not pretty. Tomorrow, I am making a potassium tonic (it's gonna taste gross, I already know it) and starting a mint chutney (what do I even do with that, anyway?). Wish me luck.

As part of the class, I have to go on an "optimal" diet for a week. This basically means I have to eat food full of vitamins and healthy fats and such. So for dinner, of course on a night when Jason was on alert because he HATES fish, I made grilled salmon, sweet potatoes and whole wheat and oat rolls. It was super fabulous. I mean, I am only beginning to be a fish lover, but this was some of the best fish I've had yet! I am so proud of myself. I have to give the credit to my dad, however, because right before I made dinner I called and asked him how to grill the salmon and he gave me some ideas that made it so tasty. Basically, I grilled it skin side down first and put on melted butter, sprinkled on lemon juice and garlic and then flipped it, peeled the skin right off and added the same seasonings. Sooo Yummy!! Even my kids ate it, and that is saying something. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture because life gets crazy at the Hope house around dinner time, especially when Jason is gone.

In other news, I'm finally posting Jayden's pictures from his first day at Miss Carol's preschool. He is loving it there.

smoke alarm misadventure

I had to blog about this because it's so funny/annoying. About midnight our smoke alarms all through the house start blaring. We raced around the house trying to figure out what it was. The poor boys were in their beds curled up in fetal positions with their hands over their ears. Charlee was sleeping right through it until I opened her door. Anyway, we couldn't figure out why they wouldn't turn off, so we finally had to call the fire dept. They told us to wait outside for them to arrive. We got the kids and waited in the car. When they came, Jason went inside with them. The boys thought it was totally cool that there was a fire truck (with their lights on and everything) and firemen at our house.

Well, after what seemed like hours (it was probably only about 30 min) the firemen came out and I asked what was wrong. They said that it is common in our base housing for dust to get into the smoke alarms and set them off. So they had blown the dust out. They left and we put the kids back to bed and not 2 minutes later the alarms were back on again. It was so nerve wracking!! We called the fire dept again and they said that it was now a housing maintenance problem. So we waited with the kids in the car again (the house was just too dang loud) and the guy took forever getting here. Here is the really funny part. (sorry if this is distasteful to some, but I think it's hilarious) James said, "Mom, I think I set the fire alarm off this time cuz when I went to the bathroom I accidentally farted." He was so serious! He was like, "I'm really sorry, it was an accident." After laughing really hard, I assured him that it was not his fault that the fire alarms were going off, it was just probably still dust. I'm not sure he believed me, I think he was convinced that this was his doing.

Jason went in again when the housing guy showed up while I stayed with the kids. They watched Cars on our laptop and I tried (unsuccessfully) to snooze. By this time it was almost 2 in the morning. So Jason came out and said the guy had replaced our smoke alarm and we could all go back to bed. Needless to say, we are all a little tired and grumpy. Poor Jason had to get up early and go on alert.

Another race and a new school year

It's been a while. I hate it when I go this long without updating because then I can't remember all we've done. Well, first of all, I did another race. It was supposed to be the base triathlon, which me and a couple of friends were doing together. We got there the morning of and saw that the pool was only about half full. I guess the guy that usually takes care of the pool levels and all that went on vacation and his replacement screwed up big time by emptying the pool! Oops! We were all pretty disappointed that our triathlon was canceled, so we decided as a group to just do a biathlon instead. So we did the biking and running portions of the race. It was super fun. Once again, it was harder than I thought it would be, but I was so glad I did it. Unfortunately, I still can't say I've ever completed a triathlon, though. :)

That afternoon, I drove down to Idaho to see my brother who had just returned from his mission (Texas, Houston East mission). It was awesome to see him. He has sure grown up a lot. We did a lot of fun things. We went to a movie together, just David, me and Kelli. We took the kids to an indoor playground/arcade and once again Kelli, David and I got to escape for a while to play mini-golf while our angel mother watched the kids. It was so great to spend time with my siblings. We missed Brent, though. David gave a great talk in church and we had a whole lot of family there. They all came to my parent's house after and had lunch. It was nice to see so much family that I hardly ever get to see anymore.

James started first grade the day after we got home from Idaho. I can't believe he is old enough to be in first grade! I blows my mind. He is doing very well in school so far. His teachers name is Mrs. Kakalesic. Try saying that 5 times fast. The poor first graders just call her Mrs. K. He says he likes her and that she is nice. That's always good news. Jayden will go to Miss Carol's preschool again this year. He starts this week.

Our trip

My parents were supposed to come up last Sunday, but called me and said they were having serious car trouble and couldn't make the trip. As a last minute decision, me and the kids went down to Idaho. It was really fun. We went swimming at Lava Hot Springs the first day. It took all of us to keep track of the kids! It was a super fun day. Then we went camping at Scout Mountain. We rode my parent's four-wheeler and made s'mores. My dad brought some wakie tackies and James spent most of the time talking to Grandpa and me on them. My dad taught him some nice phrases like, "over and out" & "rodger that." He thought it was great fun and it was so cute to listen to him.

After the overnighter, we took the kids with their cousin Kassidi to the Idaho Falls zoo. It was really fun. The kids were excited to be together and see all the animals. There was this really funny monkey there that was totally showing off.

10K

Me and some friends decided to do a 10K. We trained together 2-3 times per week at 6 o'clock in the morning. It was a lot of fun running with friends who encouraged me and helped me improve. On the day of the 10K, I drove to Choteau with my friend Alicia. She was doing the 5K, and some other friends of ours had driven up the day before because they were doing the half marathon starting at 6 am (Yikes!). The run was harder than I thought it would be, with a killer hill right before the turn around. But I'm so glad I did it! I used to hate running, but now, I think I'm starting to like it. It's surprisingly relaxing. :) After the race, someone pointed out that I was bleeding! I had a scab on my ankle from running with an anklet a few days before, and it opened up on the run and blood was running into my shoe. Yuck. But it was fun to get a picture of my battle wound. :)

Jayden's birthday

We've had an eventful few weeks. Jayden turned 4, and I can hardly believe it. I know I say that every time my kids have a birthday, but man! It was a super fun party. We had a lot of friends come over for a BBQ and water party. I wasn't sure if the weather was going to cooperate, but it turns out that kids don't care. They see a slip-n-slide and they are in it! Jayden really enjoyed himself, and so did I.