Here we are!!!

I've just been sitting here, wondering where to start....wondering what to say. I'm a little outta practice. It seems a little silly to post pictures of Christmas when we are just days away from Valentines Day. Perhaps I will give a brief update on us.

Jared is almost 5. He goes to Mrs. Tammie's preschool two days a week for two hours each time. He LOVES it there. He will be going to kindergarten this fall. He has mastered the art of burping like few others I've heard. He is a easy going all around good kid.

Taylor will be turning 8 in May, but has already made many plans for getting baptized. She is in second grade and loves her teacher Mrs. Hawkes and all her many friends. She likes to be helpful, when she wants to be. She is taking piano lessons and I love to watch the progress she makes with that. For those who are wondering, she ended up with an Easy Bake oven for Christmas from Santa. She is yet to use it.....

Dylan turned 9 just before Christmas. He loves to play and does not care so much for homework. I know that so many things I worry about concerning Dylan and perhaps his behavior being a problem, when sometimes I just have to remember that 9 year olds are just like that. His teacher is Mrs. Yates and his personal aide is Mrs. Bird.

I am in school also. I am in the LPN program at the Eastern Idaho Technical College (EITC). I am going full time and if I can stick with it, I will be done with my LPN in December. I'm still working full time as a tech on Labor and Delivery at Madison Memorial Hospital. Life is crazy and chaotic. I'm sure one day I will look back at this time in my life and wonder how it the world it happened....and the answer will be, only by divine intervention will this come to pass......

Christmas Shopping...

About two months ago, I asked Taylor to go clean her room.....SEVERAL times. And after asking and asking and asking, I let it go. But that night I went into her room while she and Jared were sleeping and cleaned up her room. Barbie's, Pet Shop Toys, baby dolls, the baby stroller, and baby carrier....the bulk of her toys. It was about two garbage sacks worth. I put them into hiding. She didn't know and hasn't seen them since. Well the next morning, her room looked so much better. She NEVER said a word about anything that was missing. Today was the first mention of it. She wanted to know where her Pet Shop's were...and even then, she was quickly distracted and probably didn't think about it for even 5 minutes during the last 2 months.
Therein lies my dilemma. Why in the dear sweet world would I want Santa to bring her more things that she doesn't need, let alone want. True, I could bring out the two garbage sacks of toys and give that back to her for Christmas. But if she didn't want it in the first place, why would I want her to have it back?
So now I am left to trying to figure out what to get her for Christmas this year. She wrote a page of 'stuff' in a letter to Santa. When asked what was on that page, she cannot remember anything. I walked up and down the toy aisle with her, hoping for a hint. But I walked out with no more that I walked in with. I'm not sure what to do. She is hoping for something great from Santa.....but what is unforgettable to a soft-hearted 7 year old???

Family Home Evening

At FHE tonite, talking about how there was no room in the inn...
Dylan:"In where?"
Taylor:"No...The Inn"
Dylan:"What's The Inn"
Taylor:"It was like a hotel, but without the pool......or the elevator"
...
Dylan:"Oh....okay"

Quotes of the week:

QUOTES OF THE WEEK:


Frm Jared (my 4 yr old):As I was talking about vitamins, "OH, THAT'S REMARKABLE!!"


Frm Taylor (my 7 yr old):As we were working on her reading homework, she didn't yell she SCREAMED "WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO RUIN MY FREAKIN LIFE!!!"


Frm Dylan (who will be 9 in 3 weeks): This morning while I was trying to help him clean his room..."Mom, if I were you, I'd hate myself..." Yeah, did NOT help him finish.

Pumpkin Pickin'

We went to the U-Pick Red Barn pumpkin patch in Idaho Falls. I was just off of Rollandet, just across the street from the camels at Tautphaus Park. They had a family special where you could get 3 regularly sized pumpkins and 2 jumbo sized pumpkins for $20. They also had train rides for $2 each.
Yep, that's my finger in the way.

(The sun was glaring on my camera and I couldn't see this at all.)

On the mountain of pumpkins, front and center.