Insomnia

Maybe I can blame this last round on school starting back up, but really, I get a few days (or nights?) of insomnia every month or so. I fall asleep okay and then I wake up sometime between 2 and 3:30 and can't get back to sleep. This morning, while I was wandering around the house by myself, I came up with my "Top 5 Worst Things About Insomnia" and my "Top 5 Best Things About Insomnia". I figured I should try to find the silver lining, right?

Here goes:

Top 5 WORST:
1. Everyone else is asleep and I'm awake all by myself
2. "Sleep odors" I encounter as I stumble down the hall
3. Achy eyeballs
4. Finally feeling drowsy about the time the alarm goes off
5. Vacuuming, which would be a good use of my time, isn't really a good idea

Top 5 BEST:
1. Peeking in at my kids and husband sleeping. Even Troy looks sweet and innocent. :)
2. Overwhelming gratitude for those same kids and husband-gratitude that we're all here together, we're all safe and healthy, and we can be together forever. Just. . . gratitude.
3. Sensing the world wake up outside: watching the sky lighten, listening to the traffic increase.
4. Housework done sooner in the day, so more time to play later!
5. Time to think up crazy posts for my poor neglected blog

Dobby

I've been wanting a little dog for several months now and we were able to find the perfect one on my birthday! :) I spotted him on the North Utah Valley Shelter's website late on Wednesday and Troy went to check him out and pick him up Thursday morning. He's a Cavalier King Charles spaniel- Troy says his name is bigger than he is. He's playful and ENERGETIC; it's about like having a toddler in the house again. We are really enjoying having him in our family, though.

So it's been awhile. . .

Looks like the last time I posted was on Lara's birthday- yikes! I guess I just have so much fun checking out other people's blogs that I forget to update mine. Hmm. Well, here's a brief synopsis of what's been going on with us for the last few months:

February:
Snow, snow, and more snow. Eric decided to play football for the new high school (Westlake) next fall so he began getting up at 5:15 three mornings a week for conditioning. We celebrated Valentine's Day with pink pancakes for breakfast and did our best to stay warm. :) Kelson played city league basketball and Maddie, Kelson, and Lara all got their parts for Enchanted.

March:
Again, snow. Averie turned one- that year went by so fast! More football, more Enchanted, and Mom's work started to get really busy.

April:
A little more snow, but then SPRING BREAK! We took a road trip down to Arizona to visit Andrew and Annalise- 14 hours in the car each way. Good times! We saw the Mexican border (not really much to see), visited Tombstone and Bisbee, and stopped by the Grand Canyon on our way home. Mom had a birthday in April and we got a dog! His name is Dobby and he's a Cavalier King Charles spaniel-very cute and VERY energetic! Grandpa and JoJo finished their mission in Germany- we're so happy to have them home.

May (so far):
As of yet, NO SNOW! :) Maddie's Musical Express group performed at Lagoon and won first place for the second year in a row. Eric's still doing great with football- they're starting to practice outside now. Mom and Dad celebrated their 13th anniversary with an overnight trip to Salt Lake to hear David McCullough speak at the Salt Lake Tabernacle-very cool! And the kids and Dad were so sweet to Mom and made her Mother's Day wonderful.

Anyway, that's what we've been up to. I'll recommit to doing a better job posting a little more often. . . Hope everyone is well and happy!

My baby's turning 7 today

I can't believe my Lara is now 7 years old. She's pretty excited- we're going to have a music party this afternoon (her idea) because she loves music. This little girl amazes me. She is feisty and strong-willed but very soft hearted. Last night she got upset with us because we wouldn't let her stay up to finish her movie. She threw herself in bed and refused to say her prayers or let us tuck her in. We left her alone for awhile and, about 15 minutes later, there was a little knock on our door. We opened the door and she ran in and threw her arms around me. She couldn't go to sleep without us and her prayers. :)
She's really thrilled about turning 8 next year. Eric's going to baptize her and she tells everybody about it. Her big brothers and sisters are her definitely her heroes. The biggest heartache in her life is not seeing BreeAnne and Averie more often; she remembers to pray for them every time she says a prayer. She also loves her extended family and talks about them all the time. I think if Lara could have her way, everyone she loves would live in our house and be with us all the time!
I am so grateful for this little girl. The most frightening experience of my life as a parent came when she was diagnosed with RSV when she was six weeks old. She and I spent a week in the hospital, including one very memorable and tender night when I prayed and pled with Heavenly Father desperately. When she drives me crazy, I think back to that night and how things could have turned out differently. I wouldn't trade her for anything! I love you so much, Bug!

Girl Scout cookies- yum yum!

It's been a long time since we've had a Girl Scout at our house, but we have one this year. Lara's a Daisy and this year, for the first time ever, the Daisies get to sell cookies. She is SO excited! We went to the parent meeting on Tuesday night; she was pretty disappointed that she didn't get to take some home to sell right then and there. Anyway, her goal is 30 boxes (which shouldn't be too tough, I hope) and if the troop reaches their goal, they all get to go to Build-A-Bear. The cookies don't actually go on sale until Saturday morning- please leave a note if you're interested in some and Lara and I will get in touch with you. :)

Three of my favorite people

This is what the holidays are all about- relaxing together. :) I caught the three of them napping and they were just so stinking cute I had to take a picture. I love how Eric and Troy are like mirror images of each other, and Lara's just nestled in between them.

Christmas, etc.

Wow, I can't believe Christmas has come and gone. It was wonderful- lots of fun with family. We went to Troy's parents on Christmas Eve day and had a yummy turkey dinner with all the cousins, aunts, uncles, and Grandma and Grandpa. Then back to our house for our Christmas Eve party with my siblings (except for Lise and Andrew who just moved down to Arizona-we missed them!). We FINALLY got the kids to bed, except for Eric who wanted to help the elfs. :)
An interesting conclusion to Kelson and "Beedle": On Christmas morning, I was surprised that a certain book-shaped gift was nowhere to be found. I looked under and behind the couches, and tried to discreetly get Troy's attention. Just as I was starting to panic, Eric looked over at me and could tell that something was awry. "Hey, are you looking for that book? I stuck it in the tree last night," he offered. We quickly grabbed it and handed it over to Kelson, who thankfully hadn't yet realized that something was missing.