Disneyland in October

We went to Disneyland as a family and we had so much fun! I will never forget this trip because the kids were so cute together and so kind to each other. Jacob would hold Kate's hand and they would walk and laugh together, and it was almost emotional to walk behind them and see them being good friends.

Highlights from our Summer

We started off our summer with a trip to San Diego. We went to the beach, Sea World, and the San Diego Zoo. We loved San Diego, and had so much fun as a family in that beautiful place.

We also vacationed with family in Utah. It was wonderful to be together and go camping. I also got to go to my 20 year high school reunion, and that was actually so much fun!!!

Another highlight for Ryan and I was competing in our first triathlon. This was a sprint triathlon in Pleasanton, CA. Ryan later competed in an Olympic triathlon in Monterrey. What a fun experience, and certainly not our last!!

It's been way too long!

I think it has been an entire year since I have updated my blog, and honestly, I couldn't remember my password or how to get in, but I figured it out! Life sure does seem to get busier year after year. Jacob is in 5th grade and Kate is in Kindergarten. Both are the loves of my life. I am busy with preschool as the owner of Little Learners Preschool and I have one employee, Tami Slayton. I am also serving in the Relief Society Presidency as the Education Counselor, a totally new experience for me. I am training to run in a half marathon next month. That's an update in a nutshell, and I'll give more later!

Our Trip to Lake Tahoe

While the kids were off track, we were able to take a few days and enjoy the snow at Lake Tahoe.  It was beautiful.  Jacob and Kate learned to ski, we went sledding, and ice skating.   It was so fun to enjoy the last bit of winter in such a scenic place.

Our Princess is Five!

We had the world's fanciest party yesterday for Kate's 5th birthday! It was done by a woman from our ward, and she did an amazing job turning our home into a Princess Paradise! The girls got to wear beautiful princess costumes, rings, bracelts, and other jewelry, eat on real pink china with gold flatware, and crystal glasses! They got to put on real make up and glitter hair spray and enjoy all things fancy for the afternoon! Kate sat on the royal princess chair and each girl came up a royal carpet to curtsey before the princess! The girls were all in Kate's preschool class and had the time of their life dancing and twirling under a pink canopy! Kate was in heaven! We sure do love our princess and can't believe she is already five.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Here are some of our favorite Christmas 2008 pictures!

Happy Holidays!

This year we did something we haven't done since Jake was a little boy in Houston, we went to Utah for Christmas! Honestly, packing up the car and driving in the snow was not bad at all! We had good weather, just put the backseat down in the van, told the kids not to peak, and we had a great trip! My favorite part of being "home" for the holidays was of course, being with family, but after that, it was playing in the snow! Monday before Christmas Alpine got the most perfect snow! We built a great big snowman and helped Devin make a big snow fort in the back yard. Later on, we went sledding and both Jake and Kate loved it! I had forgotten that if you are warm, snow can really be a lot of fun!

We spent Christmas Eve in Sandy with the Heywoods, and the Nativity was so cute with three angels, (Kate, Lindey, and Amy), and the big hit was Samuel the Lamanite, literally high on the city wall! Jacob was a wise man, which was perfect, because that kid just keeps getting smarter and smarter!

Christmas morning we were in Alpine, and had a wonderful time. Jacob got a iTouch and a big remote control car. Kate got her American Girl doll, and some super fun magnetic dress up dolls. Ryan and I enjoyed watching the kids, because isn't that the best part of Christmas anyway?!

It was a wonderful vacation, although I have to admit, it is nice to be back in California where it is a balmy 50 degrees!

We're Off Track!

At George Kelly Elementary School we are on the Blue Track. This means that we have November, March, and July off from school. I was determined to stay busy, and boy have we ever! We've arranged lots of play dates to keep the kids from getting bored. Today Jacob and his friend Chris Maxfield made a box cart and pushed each other down the street. Kate and her friends Rachel Maxfield and Dallin Silcox had so much fun playing in the fall leaves! We are sure enjoying being able to play all day!

October Memories

We have had a very busy month of October! We started off the month with a quick weekend trip to Disneyland! We had probably our best time ever as a family. Jacob braved every ride and loved them all! His new favorite is the Grizzly River Run and the Mid-town Mania both in California Adventure. It was just a perfect weekend getaway.

The very next weekend, we took a last minute trip to Utah! And by last minute, I mean I had no idea we were making the 12 hour drive until a couple of hours before we left! Ryan decided we could make the drive Friday after preschool and school, and so we left and made it to Winnemucca, NV that night. We woke up to a snow storm and made it to Utah just in time for the BYU football game! We had a blast in the freezing temperatures, and enjoyed seeing our Cougars win a game inLavell Edwards Stadium. We visited with family and then took off Sunday morning to drive back home! Whew!!!

For me, I had another getaway the following weekend to NYC with my four sisters! This was an amazing trip! We got to do all of the things a girl would love to do in the big city! We made a big sign and made it on the Today Show in the morning, we saw Wicked on Broadway that evening, we shopped, we walked Central park, we stayed right in Times Square and saw the city at night, (amazing), we did sealings in the NYC temple, we went to the Museum of Modern Art, we rode the subways, and just had so much fun!!! I will never forget that trip with all of my sisters. It was wonderful!

So of all of the weekends in October, we have only had a couple at home. We enjoy being busy, but this might be a little extreme. Life sure has been interesting, and we are all healthy and happy.

Tomorrow is Halloween and Jacob is Indiana Jones, and Kate is a real Snow White bought at Disneyland, and they will both look amazing! We will then look forward to some quiet time at home, and a trip to Atlanta in November.

Kate the Jumper

I just had to add this picture because it is so cute! Thanks to daddy for editing it!

On With Life

I have been wallowing in self-pity for a long, long time. We were unsuccessful in our attempt to bring another little one into our family. This news was just about the hardest news I have ever had to bear. I still get teary eyed as I think about what was not to be. But, I am finally ready to get on with life. I have so many blessings. My children are healthy and happy. My husband loves me. I am a child of God. I know that He loves me and has a plan for me. Even though I do not know that plan, I will carry on and strive each day to remember my many blessings and strive to do my part to strengthen my family and build up the kingdom of God. I do have a wonderful life and so much to be thankful for. Three of my biggest blessings are Ryan, Jacob, and Kate.

Ryan: He was just made Director of Logistics for the Northwest Region!! He has been gone so much and working so hard. We are always glad when daddy comes home!

Jacob: A super smart 4th grade student. He has all A's on his mid-term. He has lots of homework and works hard every day. His favorite day is Saturday because BYU will most likely have a football game. Thanks to NCAA 2008 (the video game), Jacob has learned a lot about the game. He and Ryan went to a Cal Berkley football game Saturday, and when asked what play he would run in any situation, his answer was most always, "A Hail Mary". (of course!) Jacob also got some special time with dad on a last minute camping trip to Yosemite! They slept in the truck, hiked, and had a great time together.

Kate: A preschool pro. She attends preschool in three classes, although only one is her "official" class. She is such a smarty pants. Kate is also a leader in school. She climbed up to the top of the playhouse and saw a little boy in the neighboring yard without his pants. She then "sold" tickets to the "naked show" to all her friends! We are going to have to keep an eye on that girl! Kate also just finished a power tumbling class and did a wonderful job!