Woah! Not Ready for 13...Look Out There's a Teenager in the House!

Richard turned 13 on February 12th.  I am so not ready to have a teenager living in the house with me.  I don't feel old enough to have a teenager and 13 means I really only have a say for another 5 years.  Time passes by so slowly sometimes yet so quickly at other times.  I expect a lot from Richard, and for the most part he delivers.  He has finally taken an interest in his grades and frequently stays after school to bring his grades up.  He is a great big brother and cousin most of the time and continues to keep us all on our toes.  His favorite sport is the sport he's playing at the moment.  He puts everything he has into whichever sport it is (and must have ALL of the necessary equipment needed).  Although this past year has been rocky at times between us, I love him dearly.  My favorite trait of his is the fact that he will not back down to ANYONE.  No matter if they are bigger or older...if you are a U of U fan, you'll hear about it.  While standing in line to ride Matterhorn in Disneyland, out of the blue he looks at some random guy in his twenties two rows away and yells,"I hate Utah". I am certain that everyone around us thought he was crazy, and rude. I know it's just his personality so usually I let it go.  The guy was a good sport and they bantered back and forth for a bit.  He goes out of his way to be friends with everyone, especially if they don't have any friends. Although I was not sure how he would do in Jr. High, he has done great socially...academically we're still working on.  Every one of his teachers said the exact same thing.  He has a lot of friends in this class and he talks a lot and has a hard time focusing on what we're doing.  Yes, that's my Richard!  Happy Birthday Richard!  Here's to another great year.

Merry Christmas 2010

This year has once again brought many fun and exciting adventures for our family.  Here are just a few of the highlights for 2010.
Richard turned 12 in February and received the priesthood.  I am a proud mama every Sunday when I see him dressed in his suit passing the sacrament.  I need to try and remember that during the week when I’m not so proud!  He is a 7th grader at Lakeridge Jr. High and loves the freedom it brings.  I have decided that his academics are his business and he is in charge of making sure his homework is done.  It has been one of the hardest things I have ever done.  Richard played Lacrosse during the summer, Football in the fall, and now he is wrestling.  His football team took the championship of their division and never lost a game.  He had a great set of coaches including Merrill as the head coach.
Riley turned 10 in June and realized the dream of his life when he and Richard bought a dog together they named Cali.  She was strictly an outside dog and I was assured when we got her that she could stay outside all year long.  Then it turned cold and the shivering began.  She now sleeps with Riley every night curled around his feet.  Riley is in 5th grade at Noah Webster Academy and loves his teacher Mrs. Roden.  Riley also played Lacrosse and Flag Football.  He also had great coaches including Merrill as his Lacrosse coach.  His Lacrosse team only lost one game and his football team won every game.
Lindsay turned 8 in February and was baptized in April.  She is the busiest girl I know.  She is on an all star competition cheerleading squad who won the national championship title in February.  She is also on a company dance team, and takes piano lessons.  All this in addition to all of her homework every night makes me re-think everything she is involved in.  Merrill thinks we should put her on a ski team, but I don’t know where we would find the time.  She loves every snowstorm we receive because she knows it means skiing at Park City will be coming soon.  Lindsay is in 3rd grade at Noah Webster Academy and is an absolute social butterfly.
Merrill is working at Aquaveo in Provo taking care of their computer system.  He is currently serving as a Gospel Doctrine teacher in our ward…a calling he loves.  I can’t think of anything that I would rather do less.  Merrill has also written a few children’s books that are really great.  He is a great writer, teacher, coach, father and husband and we are lucky to have him take care of us.
I am living the retirement program Merrill has been selling me all of these years…and it is GREAT!  For the first time in my life, I LIVE for Monday…when everyone goes to work and school.  I truly love my family, but it’s nice to have a break.  I am serving in our ward with the Young Women as the Mia Maid advisor and I love it.
As we look forward to a New Year we are excited to face the challenges that will surely come.  We feel so blessed to live near family and friends and to be able to call such a beautiful area home.  We love you all so much.
Merrill, Andrea, Richard, Riley, Lindsay and Cali

Double Digits for Roodle Doo

Riley hit the big 10 on June 1st!  He is the sweetest boy I have ever known.  Even when he is upset with me, he'll get angry and say something he shouldn't and immediately comes to apologize for his words, with tears in his eyes.  

This year for his birthday all he wanted was a dog.  What he got was money.  Which he then used to purchase said dog with Richard.  They named her Cali, and they love her dearly.  It is so cute to have Riley run into the house after being with her and tell me how cute she is, and how much he loves her.  It reminds me of a new father.  Every little thing she does is so cute to him!  He tells me he loves her almost as much as he loves me, so I know he must love her a lot.  It has taken me some time to get used to having a dog, but I actually like having her around.  In the morning I'll find her outside his window watching over him.  I like to let her wake him up by licking him.  He loves it, and it makes for a happy morning. Other than the morning wake up call, she is an outside dog, which suits me fine.

Riley played lacrosse this past Summer and is now playing flag football, and loves them both.  He is so fast and squirrely it's fun to watch him play.  I dread the day when he'll want to play tackle football, but I know it's coming.  

Riley has a love of reading and over the summer read all 5 of the Percy Jackson series books...TWICE!  I could usually find him curled up in his bed reading in the middle of the day, oh the life of Riley!   

Riley is also my best student.  He does his homework at school or immediately when he gets home from school.  He is a man with a plan, according to the list he made:

1-get straight A's

2-go to BYU

3-go on a Mission

4-get Married in the Temple and have kids

5-become a heart Doctor

6-retire by 30 (we've talked about that one, he'll be lucky to be out of school by 30 so he's changed it to 40)

It is hard to imagine what life would be like in our family without Riley.  I am so proud of the young man he is becoming, and I am going to enjoy watching his journey through life.

I love you dearly Riley.  Keep being sweet.

Nine Words Women Use

1) FINE: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.
2)FIVE MINUTES: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.
3:NOTHING: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.
4)GO AHEAD: This is a dare, not permission. Don't do it!!
5)LOUD SIGH:This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing.(Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.)
6)THATS OKAY: This is one of the most dangerous statements a woman can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.
7)THANKS: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome.(I want to add a clause here-This is true, unless she says "Thanks a lot"-that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say "you're welcome", that will bring on a "whatever" )
8)WHATEVER: Is a woman's way of saying "UP YOURS!"
9)DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT, I GOT IT: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking "What's wrong?" For the woman's response refer to #3.

It's Great to be Eight

My Baby Girl is 8!

I tried to hold my eyes open...but they blinked and my baby is now 8 years old! Lindsay is the light of my life. When I was growing up (and acting like a teenager) my mom used to tell me that she hoped I got a daughter exactly like me, which I would reply that I hoped so too because she'd be perfect! Little did I know that I would in fact be blessed with a daughter exactly like me, and what do you know...she's PERFECT! Now I'm the one who's no longer perfect. Lindsay is great at everything she tries, and is sadly my most athletic child. Her cheer squad won first place at the National Championships which was really exciting, and everyone who has seen her ski tells me after watching the Olympics that she's going to be an Olympic skier. I have no doubt that if that is what she chooses to do then she'll do it. She has a stubborn streak (dare I say) worse than mine if you can even imagine that. She loves to shop with me, work with me, and just be with me and I love her to pieces. I am so happy to have her sweet little spirit in our home. Happy Birthday Lindsay Lou Who, I Love YOU!!!

12 on the 12th

It is really hard to explain how in the world I have a 12 year old. It's true, my little boy is 12 years old and getting ready to receive the Priesthood. I hope I can sit through the Sacrament without giggling. Richard is...Richard. What more can I say. To know him is to love him...or not, depending on who you are. With him it's all or nothing and anything I say does not sway him in the least! He has a brilliant mind which he occasionally decides to use. I wish I knew how to channel it in the proper direction. He loves playing any and all sports and is enjoying scouts. He is the only Deacon in our ward...surrounded by girls. Merrill keeps telling him that in a few years he'll like that, but for now not so much. He does list himself as "in a relationship" on face book which is so funny to me. I love teasing him about it, and in all honesty, I am actually impressed with this girl (not always the case). I don't think I am prepared to raise a 12 year old boy. I catch myself biting my tongue A LOT lately and it's still not even close to enough. Is there some sort of group I can join for having a 12 year old boy? For the first time in my life I get Beavis and Butt-head. He's got the same little laugh they had going on and he's never seen it. I never knew boys actually acted like that in real life...they do! Please pray for me, I have a feeling I'll need it over the next several years. Happy Birthday Richard. I truly love you more than you know.