Long Lost Blogger...Found???

I really hope everyone is sitting down!  It's been (cough) years (cough) since I've updated our blog and I'm so sad because I'm horrible about writing in my journal and I just spent a good amount of time reading through my old posts and reminiscing about old times I had forgotten.  Well, the last 2 years will just have to go down as a failure in the remembrance of the details.  Fact accepted, time to move forward.

We have been without a computer to put all our fun family pictures on for a VEEERRRY long time, as you can tell.  We have now got a computer, internet, working printer in our home...welcome to 2012 Wright family!  :)  Once I get started putting pictures back on my computer I'll start updating with what we've been up to.  Some posts may end up being just pictures, but I want to try to remember at least all the fun stuff in the last 2 years.

Where are we now???

Yates has been assigned to the Washington County Drug Task force for the last almost 2 years (time frame questionable??) and is LOVING it.  He really enjoys the team that he gets to work with.  They're all so different, but they work so well together.  He has been getting more involved with grappling and has really enjoyed the opportunity to learn new stuff and improve his skills.  He's even signed up to compete in a grappling event coming up in Vegas in July.  I'm excited for him to get to do something that he's passionate about, even though he's been razzed a little for pursuing it.

I worked for South Central until Jan 2011 when they sold the wireless division and laid off the wireless employees.  Yates and I made the tough decision for me to stay home with the kiddos (being that I was expecting #4 and all).  It has absolutely been the most difficult "job" I've ever had.  It took me a good 6-8 months to adjust and actually enjoy being home.  Apparently I'm an instant gratification sort of gal and the kiddos just don't seem to want to tell me I'm an amazing cook, housekeeper and best mom in the world every day.  It was a good adjustment to have to make, and I've been so super busy now that I don't know exactly how in the world I ever fit a working outside the home "job" in the mix.  I have been a R.S. teacher for 6 1/2 years and just was released this last Sunday.  I've also been an assistant Bear den leader in scouts, but will be released someday since I just received a new calling to be the 1st Counselor in the Primary Presidency.  I'm super nervous about it, but excited for an opportunity to grow and learn new things.  I've been playing softball on a city league team and have LOVED it!  I've met some great new people who have become great friends and enjoyed every second while I'm on the field!

Tucker is 9 3/4 and has been in an interesting phase in life.  People with kids this age are telling me that it's "normal", but it's been an interesting ride for sure.  He is already into the "my-friends-are-the-coolest-thing-in-the-world-and-I'd-much-rather-be-digging-for-poo-in-the-dirt-than-going-to-Disneyland-with-my-family" stage.  Alright, I'll admit that may be a slight exaggeration and a little dramatic, but THAT is exactly what 9 3/4 is giving us.  Tucker just read this and would like to state, for the record, that he would much rather go to Disneyland than dig for poo.  LOL!  I've never been a mom to get all emotional about my kids getting older.  I prefer to be proud of them for their accomplishments and I love to see them in their different stages in life.  This is no different.  He's a very smart boy that loves to be social (like his mama), is such a big help with his sisters and brother, is very responsible, loves to try new things and is a good friend to others.  I love to watch him as he's growing and am so PROUD of him!

McKinlee is still such a beautiful little girl that we still hear about it pretty frequently.  She is my little tomboy though! ;)  I just KNEW I'd get a little girl that wanted to get her hands a little dirty.  I love it!  She can stick with the best of them and I have to get after her for starting things that she can't finish with Tucker.  She's still pretty petite, but there's a lot of fight packed in that tiny little body.  She just finished Kindergarten and is S-M-A-R-T!!!  She is reading on a late 1st grade/early 2nd grade level and can frequently be found with her nose stuck in a book somewhere.  She just started tumbling and it took awhile for her to be comfortable, but she LOVES to pratice now!  She has just finished her 2nd year of t-ball (go Cubbies - 2nd year in a row) and 1st year of soccer and is an athletic little stink too.  She's a pretty well rounded little girl and the BEST 2nd mama little Oakley could ever have!  She is so good and patient with her and just loves to help do anything to take care of her!

Titan...I get a big ole smile on my face just typing his name.  I could not keep the spunk this boy has bottled up if I tried!  He's such a little ham and does the funniest things ALL THE TIME!  He loves to wrestle, fight, tease, disobey us, be rough with the baby, and then instantly turns into the BEST little snuggler with the most tender heart.  He's the first to tell me that I'm his best friend and will give me a hug and kiss whenever I ask him for one.  He's my little buddy!  If I ever leave, he comes running to the door to hug my legs yelling "MOMMY!"  I l.o.v.e him!  He currently loves all things Superhero, motorcycle (he has a poster of Chad Reed-22 on his wall) and is quite the self-dress'er (think snow boots, swim trunks, life jacket sort).  His new thing is to uncontrollably laugh at us while we're getting after him for something, which infuriates me.  The madder I get, the harder he laughs...sigh.  I still haven't found that section in my parenting manual (what...you didn't get one?).

Oakley is THE.BEST.BABY.ON.THE.PLANET!!!  I always said that I couldn't have Titan be the last child because I needed my baby to NEED ME desperately.  Well, Oakley fits the bill.  She loves her mama more than anyone else, which is hard in its own way, but I will never complain.  There have been very few periods of unpredictability with her.  She's always been a pretty easy-going baby and very rarely can't be consoled when she's upset.  She is 9 months old and crawling very well, anywhere she wants in any direction.  She will pull herself to standing against almost anything, but doesn't have the stability yet to keep her balance if one hand slips off of her stronghold.  She eats really well, sleeps from about 9-10 until 7-8 in the morning without waking at night (YAY!), has started clapping on cue (most of the time), is just starting to understand waving hi/bye and shakes her head NO all day long (thank heavens without meaning N-O...yet).

Okay, there's the long and short of where we are.  I'm slowly getting pictures on this computer and as I do I will get some new pictures put up.  I promise I won't disappear for a long time again.  I can't.  I need this blog later when I'm an "old granny" (what Titan tells people his Nana is) to remember.  Heck, I need it in my 30's to remember last month.  Pictures are coming...soon!  I'll also be changing this back to private soon once I start actively posting again.  Post your email address if you couldn't log in before. :)

McKinlee 1st Day of School - 2nd and Last Year of Preschool

McKinlee started her last year of Preschool this year. She goes Mon-Thurs for 2 1/2 hours each day. She's going to Happy Day Preschool again (the same preschool Tucker attended) and she loves it! I've been very impressed with their preschool for anyone who is looking for a recommendation in this area. They have lots of fun with the kids, but they are always teaching and emphasize early reading. They take each student at his/her own pace and won't go any faster than the child/parent wants to go.

McKinlee is a very, very smart little girl and started beginning reading last year in her 3-yr old class! She's doing well again this year! I am so proud of McKinlee and for her excitement to learn! It's contagious and it makes me proud to watch her!

Lazy End of Summer Fun

We went up to Kolob with Sean & Lesley to get away and spend a night up in the mountains! It is so beautiful up there and I only took one picture the whole time we were up there! :( I was too busy stuffing my face and chatting away. We headed up to Kolob without Yates because he was playing cops and robbers with the marijuana gardners.
Lesley's parents have a cabin and a big shout out to them for being so gracious and letting us come crash their pad every once in awhile. I really like her parents...we got to spend time with them at our Disneyland trip last year too. They're GREAT!
It was Yates and I's responsibility to do dinner that first night and we had decided that we wanted dutch oven chicken, potatoes and cobbler. I always help prep and prepare, but Yates is ALWAYS the one who tends to the actual cooking. He thought he might make it up, but wasn't sure so we waited as long as we dared wait and then started prepping and getting stuff sliced, peeled and getting stuff going ourselves. Just as we got to the point we were going to have to get stuff into the dutch ovens and get them cooking, guess who drove up??? Yates, and he had some good stories to share with us about all his adventures that day while we finished dinner! ;) Dinner turned out great, although we haven't quite perfected the cobbler yet...we're getting closer. We had lots of fun and the kids ran around and got plenty dirty. We got them all tucked in for the night and then us adults went outside and told stories and laughed until late late. What fun we always have when we get together!
Had a scrumptions pancakes and bacon breakfast the next morning and then we just hung out and let the kids play some more before we grudgingly packed up and headed home. It was a great weekend!
Here's little Maci and Titan enjoying the swing! THIS is the only picture I got...haha!

Tucker 1st Day of School - 2nd Grade

Holy moly! Second grade? For real?

Our oatmeal on the 1st day of school tradition...THEIR request...at least he has a shirt on this year! :)

Lookin' Good

At the bus stop with Draygen

Heading off

Tucker's New Hair Cut and a Close Call

Tucker got a new buzz for school this year. He loves it! I can't even honestly remember why, darn me for my blog update procrastination, but he just about split his head open the day before we took him to get the buzz. Sad that I can't even remember the story! I'll have to ask the boys and see if they recall and update if they remember what happened.

Play Dates

McKinlee has received the short end of the stick when it comes to play dates. There really aren't a lot of little girls her age in our ward and absolutely none in our neighborhood. She always ends up stuck having to play with Tucker's friends as a tag-a-long or just with her brothers. I tried to make a point to invite a couple of girls over this summer for play dates. McKinlee had a blast with both girls! Lots of silly giggling, teasing, dress up and pretend tea parties...something she rarely gets to do! We made sure to have a fun little photo shoot at each one and boy do these girls have some personality!
Don't mind that McKinlee's wearing the same clothes! She has her favorites, and it isn't unusual for her to dress herself the same every day until I finally put a stop to it. At least she's got the matching down, we're still working on that with Tucker. :)

Cute Chloe and McKinlee:

Cute Aelie and McKinlee:

Kellie Stilson Photography

This amazing photographer is having a giveaway for a free family photo contest on her blog at http://kelliestilsonphoto.blogspot.com/
Check out her photos and enter to win...but not too many of you so I have a better chance! LOL!

A Sure Bet that Summer is Here!

This is what you will see if you visit the Wright household during the summer months. My little lizards out sunning themselves on the cement after a dip in the cold water of the swimming pool. :) It always makes me smile!

Burned!

We had a little scare this summer. We tried to head off to have a dinner with the Adams family up at Red Cliffs Recreation Area, but when we got up there found out the road was closed and we couldn't make it. We weren't about to waste a dinner trip so we headed to the Leeds City Park instead. The park is actually very nice. It is very big with big grassy areas, a little cooler than here with big shade trees and the sun goes behind a little hill creating shade in the park quite a bit earlier than dusk. They have a big fire pit set up for use as well.

We had brought tin foil dinners so we got the fire going and cooked up our food. We finished eating and played around in the park for quite awhile before we decided it was time to head back home. I'm sure anyone who knows Tucker knows that he absolutely CANNOT stay away from fires!!! We've joked about it before, but have gotten upset with him plenty of times. We were packing up the trucks to head back home and Tucker decided he wanted to throw one more tiny little stick into the fire...not just anywhere in the fire but in the "perfect spot" in the middle. The fire pit is kind of tall and a cement encircled ordeal. It sits in the middle of a pad of red square "tiles". There were some small pebbles from the parking lot that were all over the tiles and when Tucker leaned over to put his stick in the middle his feet slipped on those pebbles and dumped him into the middle of the fire!!!
Brandon and I saw him about the same time, but he reacted much quicker and hurried and ran over and grabbed him out of the fire. Tucker had instinctively put his right hand down to catch him when he fell and his knee had stopped him as well. We tried to turn on a hose by the fire pit, but the water must have been turned off...no water came out! Brandon rushed him over to the back of his truck and opened up a cooler full of ice he had brought drinks in and shoved his hand into the ice...anything to try to get the heat out. His warm-up pants he'd been wearing had melted, but thankfully not to his skin. We kept some ice with us in a bag and headed home to wait and see if it was going to need to go into the Dr. It ended up not being as awful as I anticipated and his hand healed really well and never ended up getting infected. We actually still had some stuff at our house from when Titan had burned his hand on my parents' stove so we immediately started putting that stuff on it and keeping it covered until it healed good.

I just remember being sooooo scared!! I know Yates was too, because he got really upset with Tucker and started yelling at him while his hand was in the ice chest about what a horrible decision he'd made and even spanked him in the back of the truck. Tucker was so scared he ended up pee'ing his pants (both because Yates was upset and because he was scared about what had happened). I don't put that in here as a negative against Yates at ALL! We were all scared and anyone who knows Yates and Tucker knows that if anything ever happened to Tucker it would be a life-altering thing for Yates to deal with.

Lots of talks about fires and what COULD HAVE happened and we'll see if Tucker changes his ways. Hopefully he'll be a lot more careful in the future!

Sleepyhead

My kids can fall asleep in the wierdest places at any time of the day. You can tell when they've truly had enough. Case in point:


Titan just thinks I'm weird for thinking it's worth taking pictures of.

My Baby Turns 2!!!

Titan turned 2 on June 5th. I couldn't even begin to tell you just how much I love this little character of mine. He came packed with so much personality in such a little body and is starting to talk so well and clear that it makes me sad to see that he won't be my baby much longer. He's never really been the most cuddly baby...he'll hug and give kisses but he doesn't just want to snuggle up and STAY THERE. Heck, he doesn't stay ANYWHERE for very long. He's busy and on-the-go and I love him just how he is!
We were in Kanab this year again and just had a little birthday celebration over at JD & Jeri K's house. So much fun and it was so cute to watch McKinlee and Tucker give Titan presents they had picked out for him themselves.
Titan Craig...Happy Birthday little boy! We love you!

Tucker and Machine Pitch Baseball

1st post back...feelin' good! Let's begin where we left off, which was Summer 2010. Tucker played Machine Pitch baseball this year for the first time. He really enjoyed it actually. There was one game where the machine was being a little crazy and it actually hit Tucker with a pitch right in his hands! He had tried to duck and put the his hands up (holding the bat) to deflect the ball. He was a bit wounded for awhile, but it was toward the end of the game so he didn't miss too much. He played quite a few different positions this year: catch, shortstop, first base and in the outfield a little bit. He liked shortstop and outfield the most, but he was the BEST at catch and first base because he does well at catching and keeping the ball. It's so fun to watch the boys grow and progress through the years. I kept trying to encourage him while he was playing catcher because he did sooooo well, but he said it made his knees and the muscles in his legs hurt. I just laughed and then groaned remembering the same thing!!! The boy has a point!

Ahem...a little problem

I've been complained at for lack of keeping up...AGAIN! However, I thought I better at least explain a bit. We are lacking in the computer/internet arena these days at the Wright house. I have tons of pictures and tons of stuff to post and no computer to do so. My kids are still cute, my life is still crazy and I'm still in love. How's that for an update? LOL!

Seriously though, I promise I'll take some "off-work" time to come into the office and use my work computer to try to get stuff updated. Just not today (and probably not tomorrow)!

A Forgotten Tradition

There are lots of posts again. I'm trying not to get behind, but struggling, so this is a catch up of the last month. Enjoy!

My little sister Ashley used to be the cook in our family. Out of all of us kids, she had the passion and was good at it. We used to always make soft pretzels together in all sorts of shapes. When I say always, I mean we made either those or homemade breadsticks on a VERY frequent basis.
I was needing a fun idea for something fun for the kids & I to do and I thought that would be perfect! I sent her a text message asking for the recipe and after a few days decided to try calling my mom to see if maybe she had it. I had to leave her a message and while I was waiting for her to call back, Ashley called me with the recipe. Right after I got off the phone with her my momma called me back with the recipe as well. She said Ashley had called her for it and she didn't even know where the recipe was, but Ashley had used it so often that even after all these years she could tell her exactly where to go find it. LOL! I'm an impatient imp...it's okay...I admit it.
So we broke out the aprons my Momma made for my kiddos and got to work. We had so much fun with the dough and the mashing and the general mess making that ensued. I had forgotten just how tasty the end result was too!

New Easter Outfits and a trip to Kanab

We went out to Kanab for a weekend birthday excursion. My birthday, Nick's birthday and Roxi's birthday's are all within just 5 days of each other. We always have a good 'ole time scarfing our faces full of yummy food and just shooting the breeze. This time was no exception.
We stayed at Nick's house on Saturday night and when we woke up on Sunday morning I decided to have me a little photo shoot. Please ignore the fact that I was probably the only LDS blogger alive NOT to have posted something cutesy about Easter outfits. It's not that I didn't HAVE the cutesy little Easter outfits...I'm just a lazy blogger. :) So, here are my kids in all their Easter outfit glory! Yes, I went with a matching theme this year. I think it's partly the anal-retentiveness in me, but I think they all looked so danged cute together! It was pleasing to my eyes and thus the matching! The end!






After our shoot Tucker decided he wanted to take the camera and have himself his own little photo shoot. I told him he could take 5 pictures. This is what he came back with. Was I impressed? Heck yes! I did adjust contrast and color on a few of the pictures, but most are SOOC (straight out of camera).

In observance of my big 3-0, I wanted to come up with a witty post like my friend. I have been laughing my can off at her post since reading it, and have gone back many a-time to go get another chuckle. I love her wit and wisdom and she has a talent with words. So, instead of having to actually work hard and create my own witty post I called and got her permission to just re-post hers. It's a cop-out I know, but seriously you'll love it!

Disclaimer: The below section was NOT written by me (with slight editing to save privacy), although many of the events and thoughts may have hit a bit close to home. :)

Today I turned 30. To celebrate, I'd like to take a look back at my last ten years with a quick review:

Age 20: Graduated from Dixie College, worked in Kanab, went one semester to the University of Utah
Age 21: Moved back to St. George, met husband, got engaged
Age 22: Married husband, moved to first home
Age 23: Finished college at SUU
Age 24: Baby #1
Age 25: Ran my first marathon
Age 26: Baby #2, moved to current home
Age 27: Baby #3
Age 28: Can't recall anything, survived?
Age 29: Ran second marathon

But being the realist that I am, I have to concede that while these were all pretty big events in my life, they weren't without some hardships, as well. So, since I HATE blogs about perfect husbands, children, hobbies, color schemes, and yummy treats, I have to interject some realism into my "20s List" (to help out all those folks that, like me, need to know that everyone else does NOT have a perfect life).

Age 20: Was so confused about where to go after Dixie, I felt lost
Age 21: Felt like I had to compete for husband's affection, I won, but what was this, "The Bachelor"??
Age 22: Felt like a failure for not getting married in the Temple
Age 23: Gained a significant amount of "we're in a comfortable routine now" marriage weight
Age 24: Did not know what the joys of motherhood were all about with a new baby that screamed for hours and hours every night for two months
Age 25: The year of the mouse invasion in our home - I didn't sleep for weeks
Age 26: Found out I was pregnant when Baby #2 was 5 months old, cried for months because the smells in our new home made me want to vomit and I felt like the old owner's dirt, and bird droppings, would never leave no matter how much I cleaned
Age 27: Threw a flower pot at my husband in front of his friends because I was very emotional
Age 28: Was consumed with three little kids, two of which weren't ready for Nursery at church
Age 29: Ran a marathon and didn't lose a damn pound

Life's not always great, but I am so thankful for the opportunities I've had to finish my education, have a family, and live in a place I like. As Tim McGraw would say I'll "drink a little lemonade and not so many beers, huh, maybe I'll remember my next 30 years." OK, so the beers haven't been a problem, but I can always "do it better in my next 30 years."

Okay, Crystal back again! :) That was funny huh?!? I am so grateful for ALL the ups and the downs honestly because, for the most part, I'm very proud of where I am. It's never an easy road and each day brings its own challenges and rewards, but as a man very dear to my heart just told me, "We're making it!" So here's to mid-life and all the great times we are to have. I hope you're ready for me, because I'm about to own it!

P.S. Forgot the picture. Yates had to work (boo!) so he brought home Chili's To-Go and I ordered my favorite treat! All that chocolatey-gooey deliciousness topped with ice cream and sticky caramel was all I really wanted for my birthday! The kids were more than happy to do the honors and help me ring in the big day in style!

Soccer 2010

Tucker played soccer again this year and loves it every year! He still is a little timid and kind of waits for someone to hit the ball to him instead of just running right after it and being the aggressor. He did better toward the end of the season, but my favorite thing about this summer was his coach. She was great! Tucker came home one day and said, "Mom, my coach's name is Inger...like finger. She told us it's okay to call her finger." I laughed and asked if he was sure that's what she had said. I highly doubt she gave permission to be called finger. She was super great with the kids and they all clamored for her attention and praise. She was free to give positive comments to each and every one of the players. Soccer is now over and it's baseball season. So far it's been an eventful one. Tucker's 1st year of machine pitch.

1st Grade End of Year Performance

Tucker had an event at the school where they dressed up like animals and did a little dance. I rushed to get there from work and didn't even think to grab my camera, so I didn't get any pictures. So, for the end of 1st grade presentation to the parents I failed to neglect my duties as a good mother and took my video camera AND point and shoot! My luck continued however, because I just may have had a dead battery on the video camera and had to stand at the back of the lunchroom near the wall outlet so I could get ANY video at all. That didn't stop me. He did great, but he must not have seen us come in because he didn't smile ONCE! I did notice that he was surrounded by girls. I know there are boys in his class, but he was stuck plum in the middle of the females...lucky boy!
I can't believe there's only a couple more weeks left of 1st grade!