Love These Kids!

Yep, this is my attempt to get all four kids to look at the camera at the same time.  Didn't get one where they were all looking and smiling, but you can see the process, anyway. :)

We're almost done!!

Jason will be HOME about 1 week from now! I can use a few more exclamation points if you can't tell how excited I am!!! We've been trying to keep ourselves busy while daddy was away. The boys are in basketball at Peterson. They have fun, but their favorite part is the snacks at the end of the game. :) Charlee is still enjoying her dance lessons. She likes to dance everywhere she goes now. Jackson just had a growth spurt of body and personality. He is a character, for sure. He's been playing with his voice and finding new noises. Right now his favorite it to wheeze like an 80 year old smoker. He finds himself hilarious. And let's be honest, the rest of us find it equally hilarious. His favorite is to make funny noises during prayers and at church. I think he knows we can't resist busting up laughing. Especially James.

thanks to a good friend, I canned applesauce and tomato sauce for the first time ever!

My lovely mint, lemon balm, lemon mint, and bergamot. I added calendula to the empty spot. I have been enjoying lovely fresh herbal tea for weeks. My mint is going crazy so I stuck some in the dehydrator. I love making my own herbals.

James's piano recital. He did well.

How can my baby be old enough for solids?? It makes me happy and sad.

Dance class

Charlee had her first dance lesson yesterday. She was SOOO cute! She kept telling me she was going to be a Cinderella. She followed directions really well. Right after, we went to Target and bought her a dance outfit. She looks too cute!

I included a pic of my Christmas present. My Aerogarden! I am so excited about it. My plants have already started growing nicely. For the last 2 summers, I have spent a significant amount of money trying to container garden. In-ground gardening is not an option in my sloped backyard. Anyway, the container gardens were always an epic failure. So, I figured an indoor garden is better than nothing, and helps cure the winter blues. I love it! In just a few weeks, I will be enjoying some lovely fresh herbal teas and cooking with herbs.

That first pic of Jack is Jason's first attempt at editing with his new camera! Unfortunately, Jason took his camera to Alabama with him for these 2 months, so my pics will continue to be crappy until he comes back.

Christmas Letter

Life is crazy busy right now. Something has got to give. Right now, that something is Christmas cards. I am choosing not to send them. Instead, I wrote my Christmas letter and decided to post it on the blog. Mostly, for my own sake. I get my blog printed in a bound book and it becomes sort of a journal/scrapbook. So, for those who take the time to look at my blog, here is our year in a very small nutshell.

Dear Friends and Family,

It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone. Life seems to go so much more quickly as I get older. Our kids are growing up a bit faster than I would like them to, but they are such a joy to have around.

I guess I’ll start with the youngest and go up. Jackson is almost 4 months old now. He is such a happy baby! He laughs and chatters all the time. He loves his siblings and chatters at them with the most vigor. They return his adoration with lots of kisses and pats. Jackson is even thoughtful enough to let mom sleep very well at night. He only wakes up once or twice to eat and then goes right back to sleep (well-almost always).

Charlee is growing up fast. She misses her brothers when they are away at school. But mommy appreciates this time with her because she knows all too soon Charlee will be going to school as well. She is looking forward to preschool next year. She is also looking forward to dance lessons starting in January. And let’s face it….mommy is looking forward to that more than anyone. Since I only have one girl, I pretty much insist on Charlee taking dance just so I can dress her up!

Jayden is in first grade this year. He is doing very well. His teacher tells me all the time how much she loves Jayden’s personality. He is such a sweetheart to everyone he meets. He gets so enthusiastic about life and everything around him. It is very contagious. Very often, when I ask him about school, he will say, “Best. Day. Ever!” And then tell me some sweet story about why it was the best day ever. I just hope that someday I can adopt that positive attitude and have that many “best day evers.”

James is in third grade this year. I cannot believe how advanced third grade is! He is doing some challenging math! Sometimes when he asks for help on his homework, I am secretly figuring it out on my calculator under the table. I know, right? But he is keeping up with it very well. James is at the age now that sometimes after the other kids go to bed, he and I sit and talk. We have had some very stimulating conversations about life and the gospel. Honestly, it scares the crap out of me to have him growing up right before my eyes. I think to myself, “How am I going to teach him everything he needs to know?” I guess that is when I just get on my knees and beg for help and guidance. Parenting is a big job, you know?

Jason had a wonderful year this year. He really loves working with GPS. And apparently, he is super good at it. He won the CGO (company grade officer) of the quarter award at the squadron, wing, and 14^th air force levels. I am so proud of him. He is actually away right now in California for some training he was hand-picked for. Then in January and February, he will go to Alabama for another training. He is moving onward and upward. What a good husband I have, huh?

I am still working on my Masters in midwifery. I can’t wait for the day I can write in my Christmas letter that I graduated from MCU and am a certified professional midwife. But alas, it is still a couple of years away. I am on “maternity leave” right now from attending births. I am going to start going to births again after the first of the year. It will be tough to leave my baby, but I am going to start slow. I only have 1 birth a month scheduled right now. Sometimes it seems impossible to keep up with everything I need to be doing. School, callings (yes, plural), housework, exercise, scripture study, homework with the kids…and the list goes on. But everyday I strive for balance. I tell my birthing moms to be gentle with themselves, and I need to remind myself of that same thing on a daily basis.

We miss our families that live far away. We wish we could see you more. Know that you are in our thoughts and prayers.

Pictures of the Big Man

I love the Christmas season! The lights, the music, the parties...everything. A friend emailed me a copy of a 25 day advent activity that I'm very excited to start with the fam. It is a scripture, song, and story for every day in December. What a great way to bring more of the spirit of Christ into Christmas!!

I have tried and tried to get a picture of Jackson smiling. He smiles all the time...he's such a happy boy. But of course, as soon as the camera comes out, he stops smiling to check out the camera. Oh, well. Here's what I've got. Enjoy.

Big, puffy cloth diaper bum. :)

Caught him mid-yawn

Love those big beautiful eyes

Love those kids!!

Don't tell....but Jason is getting a camera for Christmas. So, hopefully in the near future, we will have some higher quality and quantity pictures comin' this way.

Fall Break

The kids are on fall break right now. It's nice to have the boys home with me during the day for a while. Charlee loves it when her brothers are home. Jason took a couple days off and we spent time together as a family. Friday, we went to Wishing Star farms. It was really fun. The kids rode ponies, had a hay ride, went on a 50 foot slide down a dirt hill, pet the animals, and all sorts of other fun stuff. Then we picked out pumpkins at the end. James and Jayden had to carry their pumpkins to the car. They, of course, picked out the biggest pumpkins they could find, so it was no small task for them to get them to the car. But, they did it!