FAMILY: Happy 2018! The weekend of the 12th,
Grandpa & Grandpa watched the girls and Heidi surprised Jason with 24 hours
of kid-free time J They enjoyed sleeping in, going for a
walk on the trail, going to the temple with friends, and going to 2 movies! The
girls enjoyed hanging out with the Potts & the Simons were also in town! On
the 14th, we FINALLY finished Little Women! It took over a year, but
it was so wonderful. We are all going to miss hearing about the adventures of
Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, and the rest of the March family.The 15th
was MLK Jr Day, and we decided to go check out Toquerville Falls. We’re glad we
had the truck because it’s ROUGH getting up there. The girls mostly rode in the
back of the truck on the dirt road. It was all so worth it, though, because
they were beautiful! The water was freezing, but that didn’t stop all the girls
from climbing all over the falls and having so much fun! Afterwards, we ate
dinner in St. George. It was a super fun day J On the 20th, McKinley & Kezia
both tried out for the Cedar City Children’s Musical Theater’s Peter Pan. They
both did a GREAT job! McKinley got the part of Tiger Lily and Kezia is Michael!
We’re so excited to see their performance in February! That evening, Heidi
& Jason went to a devotional by Elder Quintin L. Cook. It had snowed quite
a lot that day, and on the way to the devotional, they got in a small accident.
They are all okay and the van is okay, but it took quite a bit of time, and we
missed most of the devotional L On the 26th, we celebrated
Zhane’s half-birthday. It was fun to have her cake & ice cream that night,
and it was movie night, so she chose Aristocats. It was fun! On the 27th,
Kezia had her hot cocoa stand to raise money for hospitals that she’d been
begging for. Mom baked some goodies (Kezia helped) and did the cocoa. Kezia,
her friend Courtney, and McKinley stood on the corner & helped get
attention. It didn’t take long! They were all sold out of the hot cocoa,
snickerdoodles & sugar cookies within a couple hours! We live in such a
great neighborhood. They raised over $65 – way to go Kezi! Another thing that
our family started this month is EMDR therapy with Colby Backman. He comes to
our home on Thursday nights and helps us work on our “big feelings.” We also
have been enjoying having the Potts here – every Sunday they come here or we go
there. They are spending 1-on-1 time with each girl per week and one week we
put together humanitarian kids, too!
JASON: Jason was furloughed for about a half-day on the 22nd of January. We are glad it didn’t last a long time, and we also enjoyed the little bit of extra time we had with him on that Monday. He has been very busy at work, and also with his calling this month! He also helped Ireland a lot with her science fair project.
HEIDI: Heidi had fun surprising Jason in January with a kid-free day. They had so much fun living like retired people J Heidi has been working on her belated beginning-of-year projects, including her new years’ progress ideas, vision board, and doing birthday cards for the year. For 2018, Heidi’s word is “connected.” She wants to feel more connected to her loved ones on the other side, on this side, to her body, her spirit, nature, etc. She excited about it!
McKINLEY:
-McKinley had a busy month with church! On the 6th, she did baptisms for the dead with the Young Women at the Cedar City temple, on the 8th she went to Panda Express to talk about her personal progress, and on the 27th, she had a regional devotional to go to. Oh, and she got called as the Beehive President J We’re so thankful for the amazing young woman McKinley is.
-McKinley had her first official babysitting job this month! She watched the Oswald’s grandson while they went to the temple. He wasn’t feeling good so he went to bed early & McKinley pretty much had the easiest first job ever – and got paid $20!
-McKinley kept wanting to go ice skating with her friends, Karmiyah & Olivia. The first time they went, they weren’t open for the public skate. The 2nd time, there were so many people that they were out of skates L So… mom suggested a Plan B – doing a scavenger hunt at Walmart. McKinley wasn’t so sure about the idea, but they ended up having a lot of fun finding things that started with A, B, C, etc.
-McKinley did so good at her Peter Pan Audition! Mom really enjoyed watching her sing and do her speaking part. We’re so excited to see her as Princess Tiger Lily! (and a pirate). She was so good to help & cheer-on her sister Kezia as well (it was her first audition).
-Mom took McKinley & Addison Bealer to the temple on a Wednesday morning. It was busy, but we were able to get 6 family names done (mom did them, too), and get home with enough time to relax & have some German Pancakes. It was a neat morning, and we hope to do them every week!
-McKinley hasn’t been feeling so great. First it was really tired-ness, and headaches. Then it turned in a hacking cough LMom has been trying to let her sleep in more, but we hope she feels better soon!
JASON: Jason was furloughed for about a half-day on the 22nd of January. We are glad it didn’t last a long time, and we also enjoyed the little bit of extra time we had with him on that Monday. He has been very busy at work, and also with his calling this month! He also helped Ireland a lot with her science fair project.
HEIDI: Heidi had fun surprising Jason in January with a kid-free day. They had so much fun living like retired people J Heidi has been working on her belated beginning-of-year projects, including her new years’ progress ideas, vision board, and doing birthday cards for the year. For 2018, Heidi’s word is “connected.” She wants to feel more connected to her loved ones on the other side, on this side, to her body, her spirit, nature, etc. She excited about it!
McKINLEY:
-McKinley had a busy month with church! On the 6th, she did baptisms for the dead with the Young Women at the Cedar City temple, on the 8th she went to Panda Express to talk about her personal progress, and on the 27th, she had a regional devotional to go to. Oh, and she got called as the Beehive President J We’re so thankful for the amazing young woman McKinley is.
-McKinley had her first official babysitting job this month! She watched the Oswald’s grandson while they went to the temple. He wasn’t feeling good so he went to bed early & McKinley pretty much had the easiest first job ever – and got paid $20!
-McKinley kept wanting to go ice skating with her friends, Karmiyah & Olivia. The first time they went, they weren’t open for the public skate. The 2nd time, there were so many people that they were out of skates L So… mom suggested a Plan B – doing a scavenger hunt at Walmart. McKinley wasn’t so sure about the idea, but they ended up having a lot of fun finding things that started with A, B, C, etc.
-McKinley did so good at her Peter Pan Audition! Mom really enjoyed watching her sing and do her speaking part. We’re so excited to see her as Princess Tiger Lily! (and a pirate). She was so good to help & cheer-on her sister Kezia as well (it was her first audition).
-Mom took McKinley & Addison Bealer to the temple on a Wednesday morning. It was busy, but we were able to get 6 family names done (mom did them, too), and get home with enough time to relax & have some German Pancakes. It was a neat morning, and we hope to do them every week!
-McKinley hasn’t been feeling so great. First it was really tired-ness, and headaches. Then it turned in a hacking cough LMom has been trying to let her sleep in more, but we hope she feels better soon!
IRELAND:
-Ireland is enjoying gymnastics & has really improved! Her back-walkovers are getting really good and she has more power in her back-handspring. Way to go Ireland!
-Ireland spent a good deal of time this month with her 5th grade science fair project. She decided to do it on “can water float on water?” where she put fresh water in one bottle and salt water in another bottle (both colored) and then put them on top of each other to see if they would mix. It was a cool project & when done right, the water did float! She got 3rd place & gets to go to SUU! Great job Ireland!
-Ireland had SUCH a fun weekend on the 19th! On Friday, she got to go on a field trip to SLC – they went to the State Capital and Aquarium. Then the next day she got to go skiing with Mahina! So much fun! Eric (Mahina’s dad) says we should think about buying her equipment because she’s really good! Later on Saturday, Ireland had fun making a snow fort while the snow lasted.
-On the 24th, we finally went to the doctor for Ireland’s heel. It has been bothering her off & on for about 6 months now & lately has been so painful, she avoids walking on it. He took x-rays, but it looks like it’s just the growth plate that’s hurting her, which is pretty typical. She needs to wear more supportive shoes with inserts. Hopefully that will help!
-Ireland got to go ice skating with the activity day girls this month and had so much fun!
KEZIA:
-Kezia came into our room one night, about 11:30. She walked into our closet and dad asked what she was doing. She said going to the bathroom J Dad had to re-direct her to the correct location
-Kezia was so sweet this month – doing the hot cocoa stand to raise money for hospitals, and later that day she had a playdate where they wrote encouraging notes & put them on people’s doorsteps & ran away J
-Kezia’s teacher called one day and was concerned about Kezia’s anxiety/perfectionism. Her meltdowns have escaladed & one day she got 1 wrong on a spelling test, and cried on the floor, and hid under a desk. We are working with Colby and her to work through her big emotions. Mom is trying to do more meditation & connection with her as well.
-Kezia continues to get punches on her Soar cards, and this month she won a water bottle! Yay!
-Kezia did SO well on her Peter Pan audition! She sang really well & acted well too! When she sat down from her audition, mom said “Whew! I bet you’re glad that’s over!” Kezia said “No! I wish I was still up there!” J Sounds like she’s in the right place. She even wanted the weekend to go faster so she could be at her play practice. We’re so excited to see her as Michael!
-She had fun at Activity Days this month, including “fishing” at her leader’s house, and ice skating!
-Kezia says she is going to have 3 kids when she grows up J
LINK:
We have enjoyed spending more time at Link’s bench this month, since we pass by it on our way to & from play practice. We have loved to stop & play with the cars, talk about Link, and remember. We are also talking a lot about Link in our therapy sessions. We are still trying to deal with his loss in healthy ways. We miss you, our sweet wonderful son. We love you!
NOELLE:
-Mom & Noelle definitely have some interesting conversations in the car. Here are a few samples:
We have enjoyed spending more time at Link’s bench this month, since we pass by it on our way to & from play practice. We have loved to stop & play with the cars, talk about Link, and remember. We are also talking a lot about Link in our therapy sessions. We are still trying to deal with his loss in healthy ways. We miss you, our sweet wonderful son. We love you!
NOELLE:
-Mom & Noelle definitely have some interesting conversations in the car. Here are a few samples:
-“Mom,
if I eat my food good and drink my water then I will grow a baby doggy in my
tummy.”
-There is a song on the radio right now that says “Take me to church… and you can sharpen the knife.”
Noelle says “Mom, that song just said to shop in the night!
-Another time we were listening to a song (Shut up & dance with me) that said “She took my arm…”
Noelle asked incredulously “She TOOK his ARM??”
-One day Noelle asked mommy how many kids she was going to have when she grew up. Mom said she didn’t know. Noelle said “I think 10”
-We love Noelle’s descriptions. One night at dinner, Noelle took a bite of food and said with a pained expression, “this tastes exhausting!” Another night, she must have liked dinner, because she took a bite & exclaimed “this tastes adorable!”
-Noelle got to give a Primary this month! (she is a Sunbeam now!). We thought she might giggle the whole time into the microphone, but she did pretty good! She didn’t speak for a couple minutes, but then started repeating what mom was saying into the microphone. Great job Noelle!
-Another of Noelle’s sayings (in a sassy voice) “how do YOU know?”
-One thing that’s got us laughing out loud… whenever mom & dad would kiss, Noelle would say “awwww, yeah.” (comes from a Studio C episode). Sometimes she would say “dad, touch mom’s face” and say “awwww, yeah!” J
-Noelle really remembers most of her dreams. One morning really early, Noelle came to mom in the living room and told her all about her dream in detail. She said we were all driving to St. George and we crashed and Link was there. Another morning, mom asked her what she dreamt about, and she said “I don’t know. My dreams were too sleepy to come last night”
-A couple more favorite Noelle sayings “What today is it?” and “Last day we…” (instead of yesterday)
-One day Noelle ran into the kitchen saying “Mom! Come quick – it’s raining in my bathroom!” Mom knew that was not good. The toilet was overflowing L
-Noelle is really curious about geography. She asks about Utah, and St. George, and Salt Lake City.
-Noelle has learned to WINK! And it’s SO cute!
-Still working with Noelle on being nice to Daizy. She likes to put her hands in Daizy’s’ mouth and hold her tail L
-There is a song on the radio right now that says “Take me to church… and you can sharpen the knife.”
Noelle says “Mom, that song just said to shop in the night!
-Another time we were listening to a song (Shut up & dance with me) that said “She took my arm…”
Noelle asked incredulously “She TOOK his ARM??”
-One day Noelle asked mommy how many kids she was going to have when she grew up. Mom said she didn’t know. Noelle said “I think 10”
-We love Noelle’s descriptions. One night at dinner, Noelle took a bite of food and said with a pained expression, “this tastes exhausting!” Another night, she must have liked dinner, because she took a bite & exclaimed “this tastes adorable!”
-Noelle got to give a Primary this month! (she is a Sunbeam now!). We thought she might giggle the whole time into the microphone, but she did pretty good! She didn’t speak for a couple minutes, but then started repeating what mom was saying into the microphone. Great job Noelle!
-Another of Noelle’s sayings (in a sassy voice) “how do YOU know?”
-One thing that’s got us laughing out loud… whenever mom & dad would kiss, Noelle would say “awwww, yeah.” (comes from a Studio C episode). Sometimes she would say “dad, touch mom’s face” and say “awwww, yeah!” J
-Noelle really remembers most of her dreams. One morning really early, Noelle came to mom in the living room and told her all about her dream in detail. She said we were all driving to St. George and we crashed and Link was there. Another morning, mom asked her what she dreamt about, and she said “I don’t know. My dreams were too sleepy to come last night”
-A couple more favorite Noelle sayings “What today is it?” and “Last day we…” (instead of yesterday)
-One day Noelle ran into the kitchen saying “Mom! Come quick – it’s raining in my bathroom!” Mom knew that was not good. The toilet was overflowing L
-Noelle is really curious about geography. She asks about Utah, and St. George, and Salt Lake City.
-Noelle has learned to WINK! And it’s SO cute!
-Still working with Noelle on being nice to Daizy. She likes to put her hands in Daizy’s’ mouth and hold her tail L
OAKLYN:
-Even though Oaklyn is not quite 18 months, they let her start to go to nursery. She loves it! And we are so glad we don’t have to juggle her in the 3rd hour any more J
-Oaklyn was sick & fussy this month. She had a couple weeks where she really was sleeping awful. L
-Oaklyn has started to say & sign PLEASE! It’s so cute! But maybe not AS cute when she signs please when her hands are covered in spaghetti sauce and she rubs it into her shirt J
-She still says “Happy!” a lot and we love it when she says it when we sing her good-night song. One night she was fussy & crying when we were singing her song and we sang “You make us happy when we are blue” She was sobbing “happy, happy, happy” as we were singing.
-Oaklyn is good at high 5s, and just learned how to do knuckles. It’s ADORABLE!
-Her hair is finally starting to grow! Mom is able to put it in a tiny ponytail and the curls still slay us with cuteness!
-Oaklyn is still super picky with dinners. She LOVES pizza, pasta with red or white sauce, ramen noodles, and Indian fry bread. And most types breakfast (thought she doesn’t like eggs). But that’s about it. Anything with rice or lots of veggies, she won’t touch L
-Even though Oaklyn is not quite 18 months, they let her start to go to nursery. She loves it! And we are so glad we don’t have to juggle her in the 3rd hour any more J
-Oaklyn was sick & fussy this month. She had a couple weeks where she really was sleeping awful. L
-Oaklyn has started to say & sign PLEASE! It’s so cute! But maybe not AS cute when she signs please when her hands are covered in spaghetti sauce and she rubs it into her shirt J
-She still says “Happy!” a lot and we love it when she says it when we sing her good-night song. One night she was fussy & crying when we were singing her song and we sang “You make us happy when we are blue” She was sobbing “happy, happy, happy” as we were singing.
-Oaklyn is good at high 5s, and just learned how to do knuckles. It’s ADORABLE!
-Her hair is finally starting to grow! Mom is able to put it in a tiny ponytail and the curls still slay us with cuteness!
-Oaklyn is still super picky with dinners. She LOVES pizza, pasta with red or white sauce, ramen noodles, and Indian fry bread. And most types breakfast (thought she doesn’t like eggs). But that’s about it. Anything with rice or lots of veggies, she won’t touch L
