A Visit From Our Elf....

For the Past Two years, our family has participated in the tradition of having an Elf visit our family through the month of December. "Jingles" normally shows up the day after Thanksgiving and stays til Christmas Eve. Jingles job is to watch the kids during the day to see if they are being good or naughty and then report back to Santa nightly to let him know how the kids did during the day. On Christmas Eve, Santa takes Jingles back to the North Pole with him. 

This year, Jingles showed up on November 30th on our doorstep via snail mail. He was wrapped up in a brown paper package. Kaleb and Karmindy LOVED getting their package and a personalized letter from Santa! The kids have also enjoyed waking up very early see where Jingles is hiding in the morning. Jingles is always doing something a little mischievous during the evening hours.  On the first night they awoke at 5:30 a.m. to see where he was. Oy Vey. Mom and Dad were sure tired that first morning! It has been a very exciting tradition for the kids and they truly look forward to this fun memory maker!

Halloween Cuties

 Today was the annual Trick Or Treat Fest at Mark's Office at the Church Office Building here in Riverton. The office totally shuts down at 2 pm and the families of the employees come in and trick or treat to all the cubicles and offices there at the building. The kids loved the Trick or Treat Fest last year and have been looking forward to going this year for as long as I can remember. After Kaleb got out of school and off the bus at 2 pm, I got the kids dressed in their darling costumes and we headed out. The kids had a blast visiting all the cubicles and filling up their buckets. They really got quite a load, in fact, while we were waiting for one of the elevators to go home, we got talking to a family who said that their daughter got 7 lbs of candy last year! Wow! We didn't get that much because we were only there for under and hour but the kids had plenty of candy. I am pretty sure they would have stayed longer if we had let them. Karmindy really got into it this year and loved going from cubicle to cubicle. 

 The kids and Mark on the lookout for Cubicles with Candy!

 Mom with her cute little Spooks!

Dad with his lil' Munsters!

It was so fun to go and visit Dad at his work and have another Halloween activity to do as a family and make  fun memories.

On another note, the kids have been so excited for Halloween this year!! Kaleb has enjoyed changing our family Count Down to Candy Countdown and will proudly tell me each day how many more days till Halloween. Karmindy will tell me everyday that Halloween is coming and that it will be "Very Sppppooookkkyyy! She says it in her very spooky voice and It makes me giggle.

The kids have also been super excited to dress up. Kaleb chose to dress up as a Jedi Knight  this year and he is so handsome in his costume. Karmindy has been so excited to dress up in the Bee Costume that I found last year. Karmindy has loved dressing up in it and pretending to fly around the house buzzing and pretending to sting Kaleb. She has such an active imagination and it makes me laugh. I have to wonder where she comes up with the stuff she says! :)

The kids are so eager for Halloween to come and truth be told, I can't wait either! I love the whole excitement of Halloween- the weather, pumpkins, candy, yummy baked goods, decorations, and dressing up! Such Fun. It truly is one of my favorite holidays!

The Buzzy Little Bee is Off to Get More Candy!

Funny Things that Kids Say....

I haven't blogged in forever and I will catch up soon with what we have been up to...hopefully soon!!! In the meantime,  I keep forgetting to jot down somethings that I find so cute (and some not so cute) about Karmindy and I don't want to forget them. Karmindy is quite the character and I love her little gruff voice. I really need to record her speaking because her little voice brings a smile to my face. She says the cutest things and it is typically words that she knows but can't pronounce very well and I don't want to correct her just yet because I think it is darling! 

Bizzert=Dessert
Nema-nems=M&M's Candy
Chick-el-a= Chick Fil A Restaurant

- She will ask "You wanna see something cool?" (She proceeds to show us her latest trick like standing on one leg, jumping off of the furniture or running in a circle, usually anything silly).

-Whenever she is asked to clean her room or help pick up her toys she will immediately tell me she has a headache or is tired and will lie down and carry on as if she is exhausted, when five minutes earlier she was playing and was just fine.....(She has a flare for the dynamics!)

When she knows she is in trouble or gets in trouble for doing something naughty, she will immediately tell me that, "I just LOVE you mom!" I think that she says this in hopes that I will lessen her time sitting in the corner or having a time out.

This past week, as I was picking her up from a friends house from playing there for several hours, I called her over to me and told her it was time to go home, she replied, "Mom, you're bugging me. I am tired of you." (Yes, that stung a little bit and she was sent to the corner when we got home and dad talked to her about being respectful to mom and others.) Still so sassy. I am afraid of the teenage years!

Karmindy tends to tell me she "doesn't know what to do" when she gets overwhelmed by large groups or when she is uncomfortable or in a new situation. Mark and I both think she gets like this because she has a lot of anxiety in new or uncomfortable situations.

Even though Karmindy is quite the Little Miss Sassy Pants we LOVE HER and wouldn't change a thing about her and we are so happy to have her as a part of our family!!

Look Who is in Preschool!

I can hardly believe that my baby is starting her last year of Preschool this year! I am a little sad but excited for what is in store for Karmindy. She is such a special little girl and I am so proud to be her Momma! Karmindy's first official day of Preschool was held today. She was so excited and couldn't wait to go to school. It was hard for her to watch Kaleb start school a few weeks ago. She desperately wanted to be like her big brother. I would find Karmindy wearing her cute cupcake backpack throughout the day prior to starting school. It made me smile when she would do this. The day finally came and off to Preschool she went! Karmindy is LOVING her teacher, Ms. Gaylene and looks forward to each Monday, Wednesday and Friday so she can wear her backpack and go to school to learn about something new. She loves Show n' Tell and having her Best Friend, Emilia Pidcock, in her class. I can't wait to see what you accomplish this year Sister, you are one amazing little person!!

Look Who's Going to 2nd Grade!

I am in denial that I have a 2nd Grader! I can't believe Kaleb is in 2nd Grade this year, where is the time going? I say this every year but I feel like the days are long but the Years go by so Quickly!!!  

Kaleb is growing up to be such a wonderful young man. I am so proud of him and the special person he is becoming. He is truly a Good Boy. Kaleb was so excited for school this year and was incredibly excited that he got his teacher of choice, Mrs. Goodman. We have been fairly lucky with getting good teacher the past two years and are grateful. The year round schedule truly stresses me out because good teachers tend to jump from track to track so I always feel like we have to outguess the system which I hate. No fun!! Especially for a Mom who is a super duper anxious person anyways!

On the first day of school, Kaleb was up and going before me! He was excited! He looked so handsome in his new Clothes and was on his way to face the day. Kaleb asked me to drive him to school that day and I figured I will do that until he asks me not to. I hope he always wants me to take him and be there for him. When we got to school we quickly went to where his new classroom was going to be and were able to catch his teacher really quick for a photo op. 

We then headed out to the play grounds to line up with the rest of his class. It was hard to leave Kaleb this year, because he is such a huge help to me at home and truly helps me with his sister. Karmindy had a hard time saying goodbye too. She loves/idolizes her brother. Needless to say, it was a long day waiting for Kaleb to come home from school. The instant he came through the back door, Karmindy raced over to him and gave him a big hug and told him she missed him. It was precious. Believe me, I wasn't too far behind Karmindy to greet Kaleb. 

I am so thankful that Kaleb's first day was a good one!! Cant wait to see what is in store for him this year!

Father's Blessings!

Each year, the night before the new school year begins, we take the kids out to eat as a family. This year the choice was "Training Table." After dinner we headed home for Baths and to get ready for School for Kaleb. After Baths and laying out brand new school clothes and back packs, we have the tradition of Mark giving the kids a Father's Blessing to help them out with the upcoming school year. Mark gave each of the kids a beautiful blessing, which makes me so grateful for the priesthood, and especially for Mark for living his life accordingly to be able to hold the Priesthood. Mark blessed both of the kids to have a good year, to choose good friends and to do well in their studies. I hope all three come to pass. 

I worry probably a little too much that the kids will have positive experiences and to also to choose good friends. I want nothing more for my kids to be successful and to make good decisions. I am truly so proud of both Kaleb and Karmindy. They are each both remarkable little people and I know that they have so much good to accomplish in their lifetimes. They truly are special little Spirits and I am so grateful that Heavenly Father has entrusted them to me and Mark. I hope thatt I can Make my Father in Heaven proud and raise these two right!! One thing that I want my kids to always know is that I LOVED THEM DEEPLY and that I am so PROUD of them. 

Hello Zoo!

For one last hurrah before school started, a few neighbors/friends decided to head to the Zoo one afternoon. The Hogle Zoo has a new Polar Bear exhibit. We kept hearing wonderful things about it so I was eager to take the kids and check it out. It was really cool to see the Polar Bears Swimming around. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get any pictures because it was so crowded and busy that day at the Zoo. It was, well a "Zoo!" The three of us had a great time checking out the new exhibits and being with friends. It was a  lot of fun! I took a ton of pictures that afternoon of the kids but apparently none with them and too many animals. Go figure?

 Kaleb with his friends Winston and Jaxon.

 Kaleb and Karmindy enjoyed hanging out in the hallowed out logs! The were really something to see and especially to lay down in.... Guess you have to try it out for yourself! :) Karmindy in the next picture was hot and tired! I think if I would've let her rest for too long, she may have just taken a nap in there.

 Kaleb riding on one of the Polar Bears!

Little Miss Animal Lover herself had to jump on the Baby Polar Bears back for a picture.

My Star Spangled Babies

Our Fourth of July this year was pretty low key, we stayed close to home during the day, but then headed to our neighbors and friends home (Matt and Misty Pidcock) for a neighborhood BBQ and Fireworks show. Matt and Misty, more like Matt, is really into the 4th! :D He heads to Wyoming each year a couple of days in advance to get fireworks and always comes back with quite the awesome Firework finds! This is our 3rd year going to our neighborhood get together and we look forward to it each year. The 4th of July has really become another favorite holiday of mine and it is fun to look forward each year to socializing with friends and being with my little family. Each year, I also try to find the kids some sort of patriotic outfit to wear. Kaleb and Karmindy seem to like having a new outfit and enjoy getting dressed up in the Red, White and Blue colors. 

I am so grateful for the freedoms which we enjoy by living in America. I am also grateful for the men and women who so willingly go to war to protect our freedoms! Thank you! I hope my kids will always know that living in a free country and enjoying the freedoms we do, didn't come free. There were those who paid and are still paying a price for it and for that I am grateful.  

My Sweet Little American Beauty!!

Fireworks!! The kids loved the Sparklers and the Tanks!

The kids truly loved the fireworks this year. Kaleb really got into it and made me quite nervous. He is all-boy and was such a pyro. Karmindy liked the fireworks but enjoyed just sitting by me on the lawn, on a blanket watching everything. She has never liked loud noises so her and fireworks don't quite mix. I sure love my sweet little tender heart!

My Star- Spangled Babes!

One Fish, Two Fish!

The Summer went by quickly for us this year. It makes me a little sad because since we are on Year Round School, it doesn't feel like my kids get much of a Summer, however, we really try to make it count!! This Summer I was able to enroll the kids in Swimming Lessons for two weeks. I felt lucky to even be able to get them in for two session because it was extremely hard to find any available at our nearest Rec Center. I ended up taking the Kids to the Outdoor South County pool and it worked well for us. Kaleb had taken there before and I loved it several years ago but went with the Rec Center last year because it was the closest to our home. 

The kids did awesome during their two weeks of lessons, and It was so fun to see them get more brave and progress as the weeks were over. After seeing how much they improved this year with taking two weeks of lessons, I will for sure being doing this next year and may even put them in off track lessons. I took many a pictures of my little fish swimming this summer but I included my favorites!

Little Buck-A-Roo's!

On June 29th, we are able to get out as a family and attend the Riverton Rodeo with our neighbors and friends, Jason and Natalie Bradford and their boys. When I was younger my parents would take me and my siblings to the Rodeo in St. George every year. We looked forward to watching the Clowns, The Bull Riding, Barrel Racing and the Bucking Bronko's. My favorite event was the Bull Riding. I loved it! I also loved that we got to stay up really late- like 11pm. That was so late and exciting when you're a kid!

 Mark and I have never taken our kids to a Rodeo before and I wanted them to experience it for themselves. Kaleb and Karmindy were super excited and both wanted to wear their Cowboy hats. Karmindy had a Jessie Dress from her Birthday Party that was perfect and I let her wear that as well. They looked so cute! Before the Rodeo we were able to watch some Skydivers dive into the Arena wearing the American Flag. It was really cool to watch them. The kids thought it was amazing!!

The kids really enjoyed watching all the events! They even had a calf money event for the kids where they attached a ton of bills to a belt that was tied around the calf's middle and the kids in the audience could come down from the stands and chase the calf and try and get the money. I didn't think Kaleb would do it but he did and he did a great job. He is truly motivated by money so he was in the arena chasing the cows for all his life. He was unsuccessful in getting any bills and was quite upset about it. I told him when we got home we would put a few bills in Kozette's collar and she could chase her around the yard. That seems to pacify him  and calm him down until we got home. We still haven't followed through with that and Kaleb hasn't let us forget!

 It was so nice to be able to relive something that I did as a kid and watch my kids enjoy something that I enjoyed when I was their age.

Diggin' Dinosaurs!

One of my dear friends from Southern Utah, Marylynne Miller and her hubby, Nathan just moved up from Ivin's to Saratoga Springs. We, along with several of our other neighbors from our old Ivin's neighborhood  have slowly moved to Northern Utah. The Recession, job losses and better opportunities have been the reason for all of us moving to Utah and Salt Lake City Counties. I have kept in touch with Marylynne and It is so nice to have a good ol' friend live so close again.  She has always been a dear friend to me and I have always loved her company.

 On Monday, June 18th, we were able to get together and head to Thanksgiving Point  Dino Museum for an afternoon of fun. Marylynne brought her two adorable boys along- Mckay, 4yrs and Andrew, almost 1yr old.. We have always had this joke that McKay and Karmindy are betrothed because they are they same age and are so cute together!! McKay is only a month or so older than Karmindy.

See!

Match made in Heaven!!

Kaleb, Karmindy and Mckay had a blast hanging out and exploring the Dino Museum. It was so fun to reconnect with Marylynne and catch up with her. We all had a fun afternoon and me and my kids are really looking forward to when we can get together again!! Here are a few pictures of our adventure-

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Father's day was pretty low key around there parts. I took pictures of the kids holding wooden letters and assembled them in a three picture frame. The pictures spelled the word "DAD." The kids gave him the collage and we also got Mark a few pairs of shorts and a couple of casual shirts along with a nice work shirt. Mark requested that I make Spaghetti with the works - salad, garlic bread and Ooey Gooey Chocolate Cake for dessert. His wish was granted and he was one Happy Camper!! He loved the Photo Frame of the kids and proudly took it to work to display on his desk. I think he had a nice relaxing day!

Kaleb's Last Day of School

Today was Kaleb's Last Day of School, it was a bitter-sweet day! Kaleb has loved having Mrs. Forman. I couldn't have asked for a better teacher, Mrs. Forman was truly the best fit for Kaleb this year. I also loved her and have never met a more invested teacher than she was. She was very organized and just absolutely loved each of her students. I could tell this every time I volunteered in her class, which was 2x's a month. 

Today after Kaleb left for school, I hurried and put together a "thank you gift" for his teacher. There is a website called Pinterest that features lots of  craft ideas and I found this teacher appreciation idea on there and tweaked it a bit. 

It says, "Teachers come In-N-Out of our lives, but will stay in our hearts forever!" We put a gift card for 

In-N-Out  in the gift bag for his teacher.

Kaleb was sad to say goodbye to his teacher but expressed how excited he was for Summer and for 2nd grade!

This year Kaleb has made huge strides in learning. He has become a great reader this year and catches on to things pretty quick with out much effort. I think he gets this from his Dad. Kaleb is also very outgoing and  made many friends this year. Some of Kalebs interests this year were reading Junie B. Jones  and Magic Tree House Books, playing/ reading anything Star Wars and doing Math Box activities.

We are so proud of you Kaleb and all that you accomplished this year in 1st Grade.

Karmindy Heart Update

I keep forgetting to blog about Karmindy's heart appointment. On May 6th, we took her in for her annual heart check up. We are so lucky to live in Riverton next to the Primary Children's Extention/Riverton Hospital. It is 3 minutes from our house. Karmindy has been able to have several check up's here and it is nice to not have to drive all the way into Down town for her to see her cardiologist.

 For her yearly checkup's she usually does a sedated echo but this year the Doctors thought she would be old enough to hold still and let them get the pictures that they would need to see how things are going. Mark and I were very nervous about this because Karmindy gets really shy and tends to get very anxious when she is introduced to new things/ or things that she doesn't want to do. When she gets anxious she will close her eyes and pretend people are not around and will become very difficult by throwing a fit. Her fits are the worst!!

Karmindy surprised us and was a champ when they had to do the echo. She held very still and watched Dora for the Tech and  we were able to get the necessary pictures! We were so proud of her. The nurse also took her Blood Pressures in her arms and legs. When they did this, they found out that her blood pressures are all very close in all her extremities. This has never been the case and so we were thrilled with the news. Dr. Day, Karmindy's Cardiologist, was very amazed at this and feels like the Cath- Procedure that we did last year may have tweaked something to help all things work right now. We are still keeping an eye on her tricuspid valve as well as the narrowing in her aorta but for now things are great. Mark and I left feeling not so discouraged about Karmindy's Health. We are so excited that we got good news and are overjoyed that Karmindy's body is doing well!! We will take any good news we can get! We are so grateful for Karmindy in our lives and our so proud of our daughter!

Field Day!!

At Kaleb's Elementary School, they have what they call Field day. Each class does some outdoor activity to celebrate the end of the school year. This year, Kaleb's 1st grade class focused on "Going to Camp." Leading up to Field Day, Kaleb's darling teacher focused on a different activities for each day that pertained to camp. Each activity focused on giving the kids a "Summer Camp-like" experience. On Tuesday, May 29th, I volunteered to go and help in Kaleb's class and assist the kids in Tie Dying T-Shirts. Kaleb's class Nickname for camp was Mrs. Forman's Frogs, so they died their shirts Green. It was such a fun activity and the kids were so hyper with excitement. It was so fun to see how each shirt turned out. Each one was so original. The day before (Monday), the kids made their own binoculars and visors. Tuesday, the kids made their tie died shirts.Wednesday, they made dirt cups with chocolate pudding and worms and had a reading day under the stars. Mrs. Forman had stars hanging from the classroom ceiling and the kids were allowed to bring books, blankets, a stuffed animal and pillows from home. On Thursday, they made a Critter Cage for all of the bugs they might catch on their "hike" to the park. 

 Friday was field day and I was able to go and volunteer. On field day, we "hiked" to a near by park where the kids competed in relay races, had water fights, enjoyed playing on the playground equipment and enjoyed eating snacks. 

 Here is Kaleb competing in a relay race.

Kaleb sitting by his friend Lina, also found out later that they are 3rd cousins! Who knew!? I think there are some similarities!! :) Lina's Mom and Me are 2nd cousins! :) I Lina's mom on this day and will record later about our fun/weird meeting.

Kaleb had a super fun time with his classmates. It was fun to visit with the other parents and get to know Kaleb's classmates better.

Here is Kaleb's 1st grade class. Can you find Kaleb? Hint: He is standing in the upper left hanging onto the playground equipment.