Nativity 2008

This year was our first annual Nativity with the grand kids. My mom did an awesome job getting costumes for all the kids. Erik wrote a cute script for the event and Greg and Veronica made an awesome Nativity. Oh, and I provided 4 handsome actors!:)
Kyle played the part of Samuel the Lamenite. He loved his part! He for told of the birth of Jesus Christ in 5 years. The other kids threw rocks at him(made of foil), but the Lord protected him and he was able to escape! Tyler played the part of Joseph. He took his role very seriously. I sensed that he understood the reverence the part of Joseph should be given. Mia played the role of Mary and she took her part just as seriously.

Kory was one of the wise men. He brought the baby Jesus a gift and then knelt beside him.

Trey was a Shepard. I must say he made a mighty cute Shepard!! Surprisingly enough even him, Savannah and Chloe walked over to look at baby Jesus when they were suppose to. Precious.

It was a very fun evening and one that I am thankful took place as I really hope my kids understand and realized the real meaning of Christmas. Thanks mom for all your work to make the night such a hit.

Happy Holidays

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Dress-up

I love little boys and their imaginations!! Yesterday Kory found these goggles and decided to pretend to be Anikan Skywalker as a little boy. All morning he was pretending to fly a podracer. Then Kyle got out his favorite hat, found one for Tordy(he takes this turtle everywhere), and a hat for Kory. They became the three amigos. Off they went on an adventure. And who ever said boys don't play dress-up?!

Trey playing dress-up with his brothers. We love this little man. He's a little difficult right now as he can voice his opinion rather vocally, but he's so cute it's worth it.

Roundup!

Monty's dad has an 'unknown' number of chickens on his property. Yesterday Monty had the idea to round them up and put them in the coop. Boy were they surprised. Monty said the first one he caught was a piece of cake, but after that they knew what was going on and it became quite a chore! My sister in law Cindy and I had a great time watching the gang with the round up. When all was said and done they caught at least 20--the task will have to continue a different day. Great job guys!!

A chicken flying off the coop trying to get away! Tyler--do you think he looks proud? How many people does it take to catch a rooster?Two brothers! (James is in the tree, Monty's on the ground)

Kyle during a proud moment. To finish the evening we had chicken for dinner! Not one of these chickens, but the boys thought it was funny anyway!

Sick!

Three down and one to go!
It all started Sunday night with Kory! Poor guy was so wiped out. He got sick and slept through the whole thing. We woke him up, got him in the shower and put him in pj's and he went right back to sleep. A few hours later...we repeated it all again. Monday he slept almost the entire day and then was fine when he woke up.
Yesterday afternoon Trey got sick. We were on our way home from a park and right after getting sick he fell right to sleep. My sister in Law Veronica was so sweet to give him a bath while I cleaned up my car. He slept for a few hours and then woke up all better.
This morning Tyler woke up saying he didn't feel very good. Sure enough he was next. Now he is taking a nap which trust me is not normal!! The kid hasn't taken a nap since he was 2 days old! Okay...that's a little bit of an exaggeration...but not too big.
So, now we are just waiting for Kyle! I must say the boys have all been really good sports. Thanks boys!

Halloween

Halloween 2008 was a huge success thanks to Mammy. She saved the day. Life had been so busy with a quick move that I never got a chance to get the boys Halloween costumes. (They didn't help any as they kept changing their minds as to what they wanted to be.) However, after arriving late Wednesday night, Friday morning Mammy took the boys shopping and after SEVERAL hours they each had costumes that made them smile. Mammy was VERY patient and loving. Thanks mom!!
Kory was first--Batman! Then Kyle decided on a Ninja--he stayed true to character all night. Tyler was the hardest to please. He knew he wanted to be a clone trooper, but the costume was out in every store. My mom drove out to Redlands and found the costume. Then Tyler didn't like the mask, so she got him a helmet. All I can say is he is lucky he was with grandma!!:) He was so happy. And lets not forget Trey--a WILD MAN!! No costume needed!!

I LOVED this picture because it was Trey's first "CHEESE" picture! I never even tell the boys to say cheese, but Trey must have learned it somewhere and said it for this picture! So fun! I love this age of new words everyday!We went to my parents ward Halloween party and the boys had a wonderful Halloween night. I think they got enough candy to last till next year! Fun times. They continue to enjoy their costumes--it's great to be a kid.

Prop 8

A friend of mine sent this to me and I just think it's so awesome!! For those of you living in California this makes complete sense. I have to say I feel kind of like a hypocrite because yesterday I took my sign down for a few hours while my landlord and his 'partner' came to look at the house and the condition it's in. Actually, I thought the sign was still out, and felt just horrible as they were walking through the house, but after they left Monty informed me that he'd taken it down before they came. I was so relieved!! Just a little awkward is all. I just don't want any contention. I knew the sign would hurt their feelings and we still feel the way we feel irregardless of a sign, so I felt it was an okay thing to do. After all, it is his house. Anyway, if you haven't heard this fast Sunday is a National Fast for Prop 8 to pass. Please join if you can!

Kory turns 4!!

Thursday was Kory's 4th birthday!! I still can't believe it!! Where did the time go. He has been asking for months when he was going to turn 4. Finally, at the beginning of the month I made a chain with him to count down to his birthday. This seemed to cut down on the "Is it my birthday yet?" question. As you can see, he dressed himself on his birthday. It was all I could do to let him stay in it, but I bit my tongue and let him. He got to go to Toys R Us and pick out a toy. He picked out this bat cave. Since than it's been loads of fun!

I noticed that this picture shows off his dark tooth and some of you may not know the story, so I thought I'd just document it now! When we were living at Vandenberg Air Force base and Kory was almost 3 he tripped and fell while playing chase with Kyle. (This was about 6months after falling in Cheyenne and busting his lip on the other side.) His front tooth went all the way though his lower lip. He had to be put to sleep while they stitched up his lip and the following day he took a trip to the dentist to ensure his tooth would be okay. The dentist Dr. McCune(he was in our ward) told us it looked okay, but would most likely be darker than all his other teeth. Sure enough--it is! I like to think of it as his signature smile. It's part of what makes Kory, KORY!!

We love you Kory!! You're an awesome son! We are so thankful to have you!

Leap of Faith!!

Yes, it's true. Monty submitted his letter of resignation today from his job at Target. For the past several months he has been feeling it was time for a change and last week he made his final decision. In a few weeks we will be moving back to Southern California and he will be going back to school. His goal is to go to medical school in about a year and a half, or pursue a career in Educational Administration. After much discussion, prayer, fasting, crying(...well, me at least) we believe this is the best decision for our family. I'm excited for Monty to finally get to go after what has always really wanted to do. He loves people and works so well with them. I know once he is in a service oriented atmosphere he will be truly happy. This is a leap of faith, with a lot of unknowns, but often in life we must take a step into the darkness to find the light that awaits us at the end of the tunnel. (Now just pray the boys take the news okay. They don't know yet!)

Sleep!

Trey has been our best sleeper--I must give him that. Now, this isn't anything to brag about, he still didn't sleep through the night till he was a year old(oh except for about three weeks when he was 10months old), however he does take comfort in his thumb and has been our only child who has ever put himself to sleep. Up until now I could put him in his crib, say 'sleep well' and he'd go to sleep...however, things are changing. He's getting a little more clingy! I've found that as long as I stay in the room he will go to sleep. I don't have to pat his back or any of the slave labor the other boys demanded and for that I'm grateful. So, I've adapted well and during his nap I lay down on Kory's bed until he falls to sleep. Sometimes I take the opportunity to nap myself, other times I read, or pretend to be asleep...you all know the drill. Well, the other night I was so tired when I was putting the boys to bed so after putting Trey in his bed I went to lay on Kory's bed...the difference being Kory was also in his bed. Trey was furious and would have nothing to do with that!! He stood in his bed screaming until I took him out and put him in Kory's bed with us. Then he peacefully went to sleep. So the new verdict...Trey is find with me in Kory's bed just so long as Kory is not in the bed too. Again, I can't complain...I find it funny!

Tagged

So, I went to my fourth file and picked the fourth picture. It was a picture of Kyle in a space helmet he made. He was so excited that night. Fun times.

Okay, now I'm suppose to choose 4 friends to do the same!
Marci, Nikki, Lizeth, and Michelle. Tag you gals are it! Fourth file, fourth picture!:)

Trey is talking...well, a little

(Sorry, you've gotta pause the music at the bottom of the page to hear the video) We are totally enjoying Trey and his new ability to talk. The boys had fun with him the other night. Yes...he's on top of Tyler's bed...his hangout place.(actually last night he wouldn't go up the ladder for some reason, but that is besides the point.) Some words Trey says everyday now: Mom, Dad, Tyler, Kyle, Dama(means 'the ball'), thirsty, go, dog, hee-haa(is that a word?), diaper, trash, bubble and AHHHHH!! for everything else he wants and can't say. It's really fun to watch him grow. It's even more fun to watch the boys enjoy him grow.

Kindergarten Picnic

Today was Kyle's Kindergarten Picnic. Kyle is so animated with his expressions that watching him sing just made me laugh. He loved every second of being in the spotlight! The kindergartners sang songs ranging from 'twinkle twinkle little star,' to 'I can copy that', and 'humpty-dumpty' all with motions attached. After the presentation we sat and had lunch. Thanks Kyle for a great afternoon. Kyle thanking Kory for coming!Of course no brotherly contact an exist without a tackling match...All in good fun.Trey really enjoyed the presentation. I wish I could have gotten a picture of him, but again, my short lens isn't working. He loved the hand motions and started making up his own and clapped his little heart out after every song!:)

We are two readers!

Tyler officially finished 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'. It was a huge undertaking and we are totally impressed that he finished! Monty and I both KNOW we never read a book like that at his age! Great job Tyler. The latest test from his school puts him almost at a 5th grade level(which probably puts him a few grade ahead of me).
Kyle is also amazing us with how he is picking up reading. Kyle has been begging me to let him try to read a level 2 Hooked on Phonics book, but I haven't wanted to sit down and work with him and don't feel the need to push him since he's only a brand new Kindergartner. I know, bad mom. Anyway, the other night I gave in and got out the first book, 'Slam and Dunk and the Big Game'. The next day he said he had read it. Sceptical, I had him bring it to me and sure enough he read the whole thing. GO KYLE!! We are so proud of you!! Keep up the great work boys!

A weekend of "First's"

On Wednesday night our family left for a weekend at Disneyland. Monty promised Tyler he would take him to Disneyland if he finished Harry Potter. (He's not quite done, but pretty close and we had to take advantage of the few days in a row Monty had off because that doesn't happen often.) The first day didn't start off so hot. First off my camera wouldn't work. Royal bummer! Then, Kory is finally 40 inches tall so he could go on Star Tours...however, when we got there he chickened out. Monty and I were so frustrated with him because he just wouldn't trust us that he was going to be okay and love it!! Finally after trying everything we just decided to not force the issue anymore. However, shortly after leaving Monty came back with Kyle crying. Kyle kept saying his stomach hurt and he felt like he was going to throw up. It was blazing hot so Monty just told the boys we were leaving. We left, went back to the hotel and hung out for a while.(By this time we knew Kyle was just being dramatic and wasn't sick). Then, while at dinner before going back to the park Kory said, "Yeah, I'll go on Star Tours. It will be fun." Hello?...what changed his mind I'll never know! We went back and HE LOVED IT!! ! We went on a few more rides and had a good night...well, except Kory cried before every ride asking over and over--"Is it scary?" He even screamed before Peter Pan which is like as non-scary as a ride comes!!
Friday Disneyland was awesome! Kory went on "Soaring over California" and loved it! He cried but did it and even got a "Honorary Citizen of Disneyland" pin.
Trey played with his stroller the entire time we waited. Then Tyler went with me on California Screamin'. I've always wanted to go, but couldn't because of being pregnant or the line was too long. However, on Friday the line was short, so he went with me. He was scared because he'd never done a loop...but he did great!! When we got off I asked him what he thought he said, "Well, I didn't throw up!" Then he went with Monty and they went on the first row!! MAJOR GUTS! He was not happy about it, but did it anyway. I was totally proud of him.
Poor Tyler, you can't even see him, but I swear...it was him! Fun father -son bonding!:)Kyle went on one new ride...a small roller coaster at California Adventure. He cried the whole time. He hated the drops and said he thought he was going to throw up. I was however proud of him because he did try something new. So all three of the boys tried something new!! Good job boys!

Kyle being crazy.
On the way home my van started making a very similar sound to the sound it made a few months ago. The check engine light went on and Monty and I just looked at each other with that look of...this is not happening. After about a minute Monty said, "Lets just drive this to a dealership and get a new van.(we knew there was no way the van was going to get us home as we were still a ways out) So, here is a picture of my new Honda Odyssey which I LOVE!!! It is so safe, so clean, so quiet, so awesome! Thanks Monty for taking such great care of us!;)

Circus

Saturday the boys and I went to the Circus here in Paso. The boys were so excited they were dressed by 7:15am and the circus didn't start till 2:00! At about 9:00 we did go watch them put up the tent and pet a few of the animals. One thing we learned was they use the elephants to help put up the tent. Never knew that! Afterward we went to Target to get some circus snacks for the kids. (my friends idea...we got them circus cookies, circus peanuts, popcorn, juice. They each had their own bag and loved it!!)

Me, Carolyn, Cameron, Kyle, Tyler, Kory, Trey and Betsy! Trey preferred Betsy that day! I didn't mind. He was better for her than he was for me...plus I'd been up with him the night before till 2:30am...I enjoyed the break!

Each of the boys enjoyed the circus. I sat by Kyle and he said, "This is more amazing than it is funny." Interesting observation!Kory watched in amazement!Trey enjoyed everything--when on Betsy's lap...on mine he just wanted to walk up and down the stairs!
Tyler loved the snacks!

Kyle's first loss!!

It finally happened--Kyle lost his first tooth! He wanted it to fall out on it's own, but it was so loose I was afraid he was going to swallow it. Anyway, I sat him down and pulled it out in half a second. When he saw me holding it he looked at me and then through his tears started laughing. He said, "I thought that was going to hurt, but it didn't." He hasn't stopped looking at his gap since(even for the picture I couldn't get him to look at me...he was looking at his reflection in the mirror). He still isn't ready to give it to the tooth fairy, but is hoping she'll come give him money anyway. I think her heart has softened and she just might show up! Congratulations Kyle!

ON TOP OF THE WORLD--or a bunk bed!

So, tonight after setting up the primary room for tomorrow, running to Target for some last minute supplies before Sunday, making dinner--cleaning up dinner, giving Trey a hair cut, giving two showers and two baths, and brushing 4 sets of teeth I thought the night had come to an end, until Kyle started crying over his loose tooth and I had to comfort him and Trey did the unthinkable!! He started climbing up the bunk bed ladder! At first it seemed like just a joke, but once he started...there was no stopping him!
To the top he climbed--all on his own!Think he was proud of himself?The boys asked if they could stay up on the bed for prayer and I allowed it. Tyler was offering the prayer while Trey talked, but...it was the first time he's ever said really said a sentence. As distinctly as possible he was saying, "Hi MOM!" When I opened my eyes he was waving! After the prayer I had to get a picture! I think tonight Trey thought he was on TOP OF THE WORLD!!
His achievement helped Kyle take his mind off his loose tooth. He is not wanting to part with it. He said he's going to miss it, so I told him he doesn't have to part with it. He can keep it forever for all I care! Tyler did the same thing with his first tooth. I think he's trying to cry his way into keeping his tooth and still getting money from the tooth fairy. The kids is no dumby!

Boys new favorite!

Our boys are totally loving Alvin and the Chipmunks! Monty rented it a few weeks ago on 'on demand' and we all enjoyed it.(I didn't enjoy all the messes they make however, all I can think of is having to pick it all up!) Anyway, since then they've been asking and asking for us to rent it again. I decided to go ahead and get it from Netflix and they are downstairs right now laughing it up. Monty and I had to agree that those little chipmunks can rock it out. We like the music. I guess I'm a little excited partially because this is the first movie in a long time that hasn't consisted of guns, fighting, and people blowing up that they have enjoyed this much. Their other favorite movies include Transformers, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, oh...and the Letter Factory. I guess there is another none violent one in there!:)

Afternoon at the Park

Today was Monty's first day off in a week(he still had to go into work for about two hours, but he had most of the day off)so after school we took the boys to the park. It was such a fun time! Trey LOVE's balls, so he was in heaven!! Monty ended up turning the afternoon into a football camp for the boys! It was a total crack up to see the boys reactions. Tyler worked at it for quite a while doing 'five and outs' and 'five and curls'. After trying and trying for quite a while with no success and then getting hit in the head he wasn't having the greatest time.It was time for a dad pep talk. Monty told him, "This ball is yours!" Tyler then took a rest for a while. Kyle took his turn and missed a few times, but once Monty said, "Whoever catches the ball gets a milkshake!"... Kyle held on to the ball with all his might!! Yeah Kyle!Next was Kory...

He missed it a few times and just like Tyler needed a Kory pep talk!:)
Tyler decided to try again and success!!:)
Kory tried one more time and success too!!;)
We headed right for McDonald's and the boys enjoyed their well deserved reward!:) Thanks Dad for the fun!