Canada here we come!!

We are leaving for our long awaited trip to Canada in a couple hours!! Kya said to me yesterday "when I see grandpa, I am literally going to jump on him and give him a hug." Then Tyson said "I am going to hug grandma and grandpa and tell them that I missed them so much!" It is hard only seeing my family once a year...I think we may have to take a second trip this winter. So, goodbye Cali...I hope your sunshine follows me to Canada again this year!

Inspired by Pinterest

We have been spending too much time on Pinterest lately, but one good thing has come out of it...my kids have created their very own reading "nooks". We saw some really cute reading tents and I said "I wish we had room in your bedrooms to set up one of those"...well before I knew it, my kids had found room and made their own little reading spots. They aren't as cute as the ones on Pinterest (click here to see one of my favorites), but they have motivated my kids to spend more time reading...which is always a good thing. Tyson has even been working on his reading skills:)

Jordan's Nook

Kya's Nook
(I had a better picture, then realized she was only wearing underwear,
so I had to crop it...that's my Kya)

Tyson made it all the way through this book, counting all the words he didn't know on each page. He was disappointed that there wasn't one page that he could get through without any mistakes:( He's getting there though!! I'm proud of my little boy.

Baptism Day!!

I was stressed about all the details of Kya's baptism. Yesterday when I called my parents all upset about it, my dad reminded me what was important--Kya was getting baptized. It wasn't important how many people couldn't make it. What mattered is that Kya cared enough about the gospel and her Heavenly Father that she wanted to get baptized. We are so proud of our little girl. Congratulations Kya. We love you so much!!

Before...

I just love this picture so much. My 3 little angels!!

After!!
(Grandma Kurki made the beautiful dress and sweater)

The whole family
(I tried to pick a picture where my sunburn didn't look nasty--it's REALLY bad!!)

Happy Birthday Kya

Friday was Kya's 8th Birthday!! She spent the day at the beach, movies (we saw Judy Moody--very cute), opening presents, dinner at TGIFridays and cake with the family. It was the perfect day for the sweetest 8-year-old on the planet!!

(My Little Miss Sunshine Cake was a disaster, so she got this one instead)

We love school...but we're glad it's over

This year has been full of ups and downs when it comes to school.

Jordan started her 4th grade year with an overnight field trip to the Wild Animal Park and Legoland. Needless to say, her year was filled with fun and excitement...and a little bit of drama. She absolutely LOVED her teachers (well one more than the other) and had a blast building a dream city with her classmates. We couldn't be happier with all the things she has learned.

Here's Jordan with her portion of the "city" they built. She build an elementary school, an apartment building and an animal hospital.

Kya unfortunately was stuck in the community public school again this year. Luckily next year she will join her brother and sister at the charter school. Regardless of the poor quality of school she was attending, Kya has excelled in her school work this year. She was at the top of her class and tested at a gifted level. She has become so confident in her abilities as a student. We are most proud of Kya's effort level and her excitement and curiosity to learn anything and everything.

Here's Kya with a couple of the awards she got this year!

Tyson started Kindergarten with a few months of crying:( With such a rough start to the school year, I am amazed at how much he has grown to LOVE school. He has made so many friends and learned so much. He has a passion for math! I can't believe the level of math he has achieved while still in Kindergarten. I swear my girls were not doing double digit adding and subtracting while they were FIVE!! I still can't believe he will be in 1st grade next year. Man, it is hard to watch your baby grow up!!

I couldn't resist sharing a couple pages of Tyson's work from this year. His letters still need a little work:)

"I have a dream. My dream is to be a hockey player"

"We play Playstation. I play bow and arrow with my dad.

Sometimes I win my dad"

Anyways, with all the fun, excitement and achievement that comes with school, it is so nice to have a break. The kids are going to spend a couple weeks relaxing and taking swimming lessons, then we are off to Canada. I can't wait!! I really think this is the most wonderful time of the year:)

Canceled

Summer birthdays are always difficult. I usually try to have Kya's party in June before school gets out, but this year my surgery made that impossible. So, we tried to plan her party for this weekend. Well, it turns out that only 2 of her friends could make it (one of which has a sprained ankle). So after much stress, I decided just to cancel it. Kya was surprisingly okay with it...I think I was more upset than she was:) Anyways, with her birthday a week away and no party planned, I am excited to come up with some really fun surprises for the big day. I can't believe she is going to be EIGHT!!!

Here are the invitations! I thought they turned out cute.

Here is the cake I am going to attempt to make (I hesitate putting this on here, because I know mine will not look this good, but here it is):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/59658603@N03/5587288478/in/photostream/

College, then what?!

I was watching a show this morning (one that I don't care to admit I was watching) and one of the characters said "I'm two years out of college, it's about time I figure out what I want to do with my life" (I know, must have been a riveting show, right?). Well, while I was in college, I never quite knew what I wanted to be. I had the hardest time picking a major. I finally declared "Health" as my major because those were the classes I seemed to like the most, but when I got deep into my major classes, I realized I didn't really want a career that my major was leading me to. Well, 2 months before I graduated from BYU I had my beautiful baby Jordan. I did graduate, but I have never had any type of career. I have spent the past 10 years being a mom. This past year that all my kids have been in school, I have thought a lot about who I am and what kind of career I could possibly have--after all I should still be in my 40s when they are all grown up. I still have NO IDEA. I know I was meant to be a mom....but, beyond that, I really don't have a clue and it's really starting to scare me. I just want to be passionate about something. I'm passionate about my kids and maybe that's all I can handle right now. I don't know, I guess all I can do is keep searching...

Me and the kiddos SLC 2009

Just use paper towel...and don't complain about it!!!

I have been in a grouchy mood since Wednesday. Why? Because I am trapped in the house and unable to do the things I normally do. I don't know when the last time I actually wished I could scrub the bathroom floor was, but oh my gosh I wish I could scrub the bathroom floor!! It's true, even with crutches I probably could do more work around the house, it's just 10 times harder! So I watch as my hubby tries to work, take care of the kids, and take care of our home. It's not working out so well.

This morning Mike wanted to get ready for work while I helped the kids get ready for school. There is nothing in the house for breakfast, no clean clothes for Tyson (he ended up wearing his tball pants), the shirt Jordan was supposed to wear for her presentation was very wrinkled, and we didn't have $5 to give to Kya for her class party!! When everyone finally got out the door (10 minutes late), I hobbled to the bathroom...only to find no toilet paper!! This is the 3rd time since I've been on crutches that I have gone to use the bathroom only to find no toilet paper. I know I shouldn't complain. Mike has way too much to do. I guess all I can do is use paper towel and try not to complain about it. Can't wait until Tuesday...my last day of crutches--hopefully!!!