WE ARE BACK! ITS BEEN A REALLY LONG TIME!

I haven't written for 8 MONTHS! I feel sick about all of the missed opportunities to post about our family adventures and landmarks! We have had an eventful year! In December, Noelle turned 7! She is a beautiful girls with a love for life! She rocked 1st grade this year with all "Outstandings!" She learned to write, did excellent in her classroom and came out a strong reader! She is growing so much! It was the year of the neon colors and fashion boots. "MOM- I am a fashionista!"

In February, my baby boy Corom turned 5! WOW! Where has time gone? He has developed into an articulate little boy. He has become obsessed with Star Wars and can tell you any fact about the movies and spends endless time playing with his action figures. Corom is so ready for kindergarten and really excited! He is learning the piano and blowing us away with his ability to spend hours practicing and memorizing songs. He is independent and loving and a joy to be around!

Little Elijah is almost 4! What a year we have had with preschool. There is a really old soul squished into his little body. Elijah seems to "get" the world. Somehow he could roll around during preschool and come home and explain what we learned. He is a wiz at puzzles, also a master at Star Wars facts, he LOVES our new dog Luna, loves his strider bike, loves to eat and loves routine. Our baby isn't a baby anymore. Sniff, sniff... I keep telling him to stop growing. He is delightful and funny. What a great year it has been for Elijah's development!

 Meet Luna, our new Golden Retriever!

Tender Moments in Life

There are times in our lives when the presence of our Savior is very near. I have experienced His presence this week as we have dealt with heartache. On Thursday, I taught preschool and all seemed well. Within an hour of returning home, I began to experience the signs of miscarriage. I was 8 weeks along and had been eager for our first ultrasound to tell the kids for Christmas. I was totally unprepared and in shock. The emotional sadness was coupled with the physical pain. My children didn't know what was going on, which added to the impact. So, Thursday night, I canceled our dinner plans with our friend Chelsea, who was preparing to leave for a vacation in Alaska, followed by a semester internship in Idaho Falls. She responded back with her concern for our situation and inquired if there was anything she could do to ease the situation. We were hoping to see her that night before she left. Friday morning she texted Dan a goodbye and Merry Christmas before leaving for Boise to catch a flight to Alaska. On her way up to Boise she lost control of her Chevy and crossed over the median to hit another car. The other driver was killed instantly, his three passengers were severely injured and Chelsea was life flighted up to Boise, where she was pronounced dead. We did not receive the news until Saturday. I cannot remember a time where I have felt my emotions so raw, nor have I experienced heartache like this with Dan. Her funeral was yesterday, and because of the conditions of the roads, we decided to stay back, Today, there was a memorial at Dan's work. (As Chelsea was a co-worker of Dan's) As I was pondering our friendship, I felt Christ's presence. I know that our Savior lives and that this life is not the end. I know that our spirits go on to live in a state of rest and peace until they will someday be reunited with our bodies at the Resurrection.

I am not sure why Chelsea was placed in our lives. Dan came home from work one day suggesting that Chelsea babysit for us while we attended the temple. That was the beginning of a wonderful friendship.  She was 22 and a radiology student and CNA. She was living here without family. She would babysit or come over for dinners and Family Home Evenings. She took care of the kids the night Dan threw out his back and Trick or Treated with the kids. Though Dan has known her longer than I, I know that she was placed in our lives for a reason. Through this experience, we have been able to ponder on the beauty of life, on the Great Plan of Life. Today Elijah told me he was going to build a Rocket Ship to go visit Chelsea in heaven. Noelle was asking about where our bodies go when our spirits go to heaven and Corom said he could not wait to see her in heaven again. In their small way, our children are gaining a testimony of the Plan of Salvation. I am grateful for the Christlike example of friendship that Chelsea has shown us and thankful also for the trial of my miscarriage. I do not understand the why's behind these heartaches, but I trust that there is a plan for me. I am thankful for my body, a healthy body and for a beautiful family and the time we have together on earth.

More Summer Updating...California

You know how it goes. You promise yourself you will write it down before you forget and then you forget. That's how I am feeling with the summer. It was REALLY long and pretty eventful and then BOOM! It was over and now I am knee-deep in preschool teaching, young womens, soccer games and homework. I am already longing for those carefree days. BUT, life is good! I think it is necessary to be pushed a little bit to make us grow. Well, back in July, we took a fabulous trip to California. I was so grateful for 2 full weeks of vacation. It allowed us to fully kick back, relax and enjoy our family. We started our stay with my mom and dad, Brandon and the Hills at my mom and dad's house. We swam, played, ate good food and just enjoyed our time. This stop was too short, I thought, but I will take what I can get. We stayed from Saturday (Lucia's baptism) to Wednesday, when we headed south to Henry Cowell (in the mountains above Santa Cruz) to camp with family friends from my childhood. My mom's best friends and their families drove from all over to camp and reunite! What used to be four families with four kids each (all matching up to me and my sibblings) is now a HUGE group with spouses and grandchildren. Again, this stop was really short, but I loved it. Oh, and I forgot to mention that this group is called the COWS. You know, four women friends, like a four-legged cow when they went walking together. The cows were a big part of my childhood! We camped with all of my siblings and families. The kids played and played. We enjoyed rides on the boardwalk, played at the beach, celebrated the Fourth of July with fireworks in Scotts Valley and went to frozen yogurt for my mom's birthday. We also visited the Seymour UC Santa Cruz Marine Center. This was all crammed into week one of our vacation and as always, it was hard to say goodbye. This time was especially difficult as my sister Callie and her family headed off to Chicago this month for school. Sigh...being away from family is hands down my least favorite part of being an adult.

Our trip continues below the pictures!

As week one came to a close, the stinky campers (us) made our way over to Deb and Richard's beautiful new condo. They have spent the last year renovating the space and we were really excited to see it and to enjoy that part of Santa Cruz. Dan's sister Gina and her husband Josh came for the week too. Seriously, this week was a blast! We relaxed like we haven't relaxed in a long time. We watched movies, took walks, went to the beach, took family pictures and at A LOT! We also spent my birthday in Monterey. We went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and ate at Bubba Gump's. YUM! We got to hear Josh's fabulous Bubba impressions. We also spent time down at the Boardwalk. They are SO close. A highlight for me was going back later in the evening with Josh and Gina to ride the rides without kids. Um, so fun! We don't get out much and those two are such good company. After spending most of the week at the condo, we headed back to Orangevale. Dan and I attempted to go to the Oakland Temple, where we were married 10 years ago. We had a Wally World experience. A wild goose chase to find a mall to buy Dan socks or a tie, (I can't remember) and when we arrived, the temple was closed for cleaning. Wow. Nothing like a let down. We headed back to Deb and Richard's to BBQ with family for Richard's birthday. The kids swam and played. PHEW... this brings us to the close of our stay. We also got to meet up with dear friends for yogurt and a short visit. It is never enough time. This trip was priceless. It has been four years and I am still homesick. I don't think that longing for family ever goes away. I was so grateful for memories made and bonds made stronger. If anyone remembers something I left out, let me know. My memory is already fading! Anyhow, enjoy the pictures!

Potty Training...

After months of encouraging Elijah to potty train, I finally backed off and decided to wait. No need to make it a frustrating event. Today I hear him yell, "I need a wipe!" And... sure enough he had gone. He followed that pattern all day. He kept going in the toilet without telling me and yelling for me when he was done. He had to do this thing alone, I guess. I am so proud of him! I hope, hope, hope this means we can start phasing out of diapers. Way to go Elijah! Hope you are loving the mountains of m&ms you are consuming!

ELIJAH LOUIS...

I have a million posts to go back and do, but wanted to post my thoughts tonight about my baby boy. Elijah turned three on September 1st! MY BABY is 3! I am feeling the weight lifted of not carrying around diaper bags or worrying about baby proofing and 3 is turning out to be the year that he has discovered he has a brother to play with. I knew the day would come that they would discover that they are close in age, but it took legos to bring them together. Corom and Elijah play together all day! They converse, they fight, they laugh and they create really elaborate story lines. I am thrilled that the bonds of brotherhood are developing so young. Elijah is a joy. He is REALLY a joy! I am addicted to this little boy's sparkly-eyed smiles. Elijah is creative, witty and smart. His Doctor told me today that he is developmentally a lot more like a four-year-old. It is like there is a really old soul in a little body. Spend a day with him and you will see for yourself. Today we were sitting at the table and Corom was trying to remember the movie that Daddy had watched a few days ago. Corom and I were going back and forth for awhile trying to remember and Elijah looks up at us like we were dumb and says, "THOR!" Yup, Dan had watched Thor. He can do puzzles better than me, can recite and remember cartoon and TV show names and characters and is very particular about routines. He is riding a balance bike like a champ and spends a lot of time just talking my ears off. He is really good company. I often snuggle him at night, as this is the only time he will snuggle. He is too busy. When you try to kiss him, he will give you a raspberry instead. He likes to climb onto counters to get what he wants and dresses himself in the same rotating 3 outfits RIGHT when he wakes up. Elijah likes to do artwork and began preschool with me last week. He gives me a run for my money, but I think he will benefit greatly from the structure and learning environment. He adores our neighbors, who have 4 boys. He looks forward to going to nursery each week. Elijah is learning his scripture stories, says beautiful prayers and can sing many, many primary songs. His favorite song is Praise to the Man. He also likes to sing Adelle and High School Musical. He thinks that Coldplay is pretty good too. Somehow we missed all the nursery songs with him, as he has older siblings to keep up with. Elijah is a good eater and at 3, he weighed in today at 32.5 lbs. and is 36 inches. He was a character for the doctor. I love this boy to the moon and back. As I tell him daily, he makes me HAPPY! I am so blessed to have such a beautiful child to raise. HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY ELIJAH! We love you so much!

TO CALIFORNIA! Part 1- Lucia's Baptism

My beautiful niece Lucia was baptized on June 30th. We love this little girl so much and are so proud of her for her decision to follow in the path of our Savior. Noelle looks up to her so much. We were so excited to share this special day with her.

June 2012

We kicked off our summer the last week of May, when we ended our school year. It was really sad to see Noelle end kindergarten. It really felt like the end of her baby years. We spent June working on our yard and enjoying the sunshine! Nana and Papa came out to pick up our kids to take them back to Sacramento the last week of the month. While they were here, we took them to our favorite spot, our lunch park! They left for Sacramento 3 days before Dan and I. (Dan and I left the 29th) It was a treat for all. A chance for Dan and I to catch our breath, to clean and spend time together and a treat for the kids, to get to have their Nana and Papa to themselves. A BIG THANKS to Deb and Richard for making the long drive, again. June was a busy month, as we planted a garden, layed sod in the back yard and planted grass in the front yard. These were huge milestones for our family. There is such an expense and learning curve that accompanies landscaping your first home. It is REALLY exhausting, but rewarding to watch it progress. Here are some random shots from the month! I LOVE THESE BABIES!