Santa stopped by on Monday night...

Yes, he's a busy man, but we ended up getting him to stop by our place. He said he was in the neighborhood visiting an "aunt". Here are some pictures:

Kat hamming it up...



Once she realized who was at the door... oh the excitment!


A big hug for Santa!



Chillin' with her Dora DS game and her big brother's Nintendo DS...


The kids got a big present too... Santa was concerned that they wouldn't have time to play with it because they leave on Christmas morning for a week, so he dropped it off early. What a nice man!

Jazzing it up

So, Chad won tickets to tonight's Jazz game. We took Thomas and a friend of his. It was awesome! We lost, but still had a blast. All in all it ended up costing us about $20.00. We were chosen to run a relay race during the first break. If we won, we would get a $500.00 water heater, if not, a consolation prize. I got out on the floor and rode my little tricycle, Chad pushed Thomas in a wheel barrel, and Micah was supposed to dribble the basketball and shoot a layup. Those floors are really slick. I fell behind quick, and Chad almost dumped Thomas, it was hilarious. The other team couldn't make the shot, so Micah went charging down the court. He was about 3 steps away and the guy made the basket. We did get a really nice thermostat though. Totally had a great time. We are the perfect family to make total fools of ourselves in front of 19911 people.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

We got our tree up last night and took our traditional Christmas picture. I'll be printing them up at the Wal-mart a bit later today. Kat's got extremely pink cheeks. I'm guessing she snuck a granola bar when she was playing at the neighbors.



Byron, Kat, Thomas and Julia


me and Kat

One more to go... and a concert

I'm sitting here studying trigonometric functions for my very last final of Fall 2008 semester. I'm glad it's almost over. I have a few grades posted so far. Yay me!

English Literature: A
Family Finance: A
Statistics (I was worried): A
First Aid (unless I bombed the final): A*
Trigonometry (again, unless I bomb this final): A*

*not sure on this grade yet.

I went to Byron and Julia's Christmas recital tonight. They both looked awesome and sounded really good. They've only been playing the trombone and clarinet for a couple months. I'm really, really proud of them. I can't wait to post the pics/vids. After the first song, Kat yelled out to the stage, "That was awesome Julia! You should blow harder!" The ladies in front of me about died laughing.

Finals...next week

I finally finished Family Finance and English Lit, my 2 online classes. Next week are my finals in First Aid, Stats and Trigonometry... then, I'm free. I'm exhausted, and stressed! I took a couple days off next week to prep, but I know I'll be ready. Wish me luck!

My little champion.

Byron had his first wrestling tournament this weekend. He did AWESOME! It was a Pre-k through 6 tourney and he took 3rd place. Way to go Byron!!

Holy light at the end of the tunnel Batman!

I can see the end of my collage career!! This is it!
Spring '09 - 2 classes
Summer '09 - 1 class (if it's offered) and apply for the program!
Fall '09 - Start teach program Level II plus calculus
Spring '10 - Move to Level III
Fall '10 - Student teaching or internship!
(I'm hoping for this. It's 5/8ths pay for the first semester and then full pay and full benefits after graduation. I'd get my own class and a support teacher assisting me. That would so ROCK!! Especially if I can get into the Jr. High)

Right now, I'm taking 5 classes and have been averaging 16 credit hours the last 3 semesters. I'm wiped (though I have made the Deans list each semester). I still can't believe it... that's all there is I should be teaching Fall of 2010! It seems so far away, but not when you look at it like that. I'm so excited!! Weehaw!!!

Exhausted...

You know it's getting towards the end of the semester when you just feel totally exhausted, beyond exhausted, wiped out maybe? It's 9:22 pm and I have a huge Stats test tomorrow, a major project due in finance and have to be to work at 6am. I'm hoping that I can get off around 10 because I have a PTSA meeting and would LOVE to have some more time to study and get these things finished. Only 4 more weeks... now, back to studying!

My little Kat...

She's getting so big. I finally scanned in her school pictures. I can't believe she's 4!! (click on it to make it bigger!)

Happy Birthday to me....

I have the coolest husband. He got me this for my birthday!!

(don't mind the fridge, it's waiting for the power company to pick it up)
My hubby totally surprised me (as usual). The man is an awesome surpriser. Now I just need to register it and get my motorcycle license. Oh, and winter needs to stay away just a little while longer. (Yeah right)

We went and saw "Zack and Miri make a porno" OMG it was sooooo funny. Then we went to Tepanyaki and had dinner. We had no kids and nothing but us time. It was awesome!!

Sunday, we went to dinner at his parents (where the kids were). When I got there, Kat ran to me and sang me Happy Birthday. The kids got me a pretty beaded necklace. They are such sweethearts.

Are you ready for some (flag) football?

What an awesome season. We ended 6-2! We lost our first one and our last one, so we didn't win the championship. The game was awesome though. On our opening drive, we scored a touchdown! Then, they scored one. Our defense had a case of the nerves or something. The game came down to the last seconds. We had a hurry up offense, the score 30-35 (them). Brandon passes into the inzone and NO SCORE! It was a real nail biter. After the game, we had a pot luck and handed out certificates. Our final act as coaches was the parent/child football game. The parents whooped the children hardcore. Height does have it's advantages.

Where did October go?

It's almost Halloween? Where did October go? Tons of stuff to update for the month, but I'm supposed to be doing homework, so I'll have to do it between studying. My kids are adorable. I got back their school pics this month. I have to scan in Kat's, but here are my other kids.
Thomas

Julia

Byron

Kat:
To be added later

School is still really busy. I can't wait for this semester to end. I'm still working full time, but my hours have changed. I now work 6-3, ugh. I am not a morning person, but it's nice to be off early. More update to come...

September... already!

I have some of the cutest and coolest pictures to post... but I have not the time. Oh well, soon? I can't believe it's September already. The kids are back to school and so am I. The new classes are going to keep me busy.

We went to the Fort Bridger Rendezvous in Wyoming, as we do every year. I got to see my brother and sister-in-law, that was cool. Oh, and my cousin that I haven't seen in almost 2 decades! That was awesome. The kids had a blast!

Monday I start teaching my new class... the 4s. I'm excited. I need to go shopping for some supplies. YAY!!!

Time is blowing by!

I can't believe it's almost SEPTEMBER!! Where did this year go?! Kat is four now. She's playing soccer, it's about the cutest thing ever!


The first day of school has come and gone... We had our traditional french toast breakfast. YUM!!!!


Kat had her first experience at Lagoon. She is an adrenaline junkie! She even went on some big rides. Here she is on the Tidal Wave:


All in all, it was a great summer. Fall semester at Utah State started Monday, so life is about to get rough again. It's fun so far though.

Well, we're off to rendezvous, in Fort Bridger Wy. It's another tradition. I'll post pics later.

My old-fashioned kids...

The school did these... Love them!! I'll preface this with they had no clothes for Thomas... He's 5'8" and 190 lbs. I didn't realize this in advance of course, but he'd picked out a shirt that worked and wore his jeans. Great foresight!! Oh, and I wish Byron's eyes weren't bugging out in the last shot.

And the finals grades are...

Music A
Math 1050 A
Humanities A
Parenting A
Physics A- (doh!)

Whatcha gonna do? Makes my overall GPA 3.95. Not too bad for a working mom of 4 doing school full time. I'm looking forward to the next semester. Each one gets me closer and closer to my goal of teaching.

We got back last night at 9pm from our 1300 mile Harley trip. I'm a bit beaten up and sunburnt, but it was awesome. I'll post pics of the 3 day affair later, I'm still really tired.

And the grades come rolling in...

It's been a crazy semester, that's for sure. Starting a new job was an unexpected turn. Grades are starting to roll in:

Music A
Math 1050 A
Humanities A
Parenting (should be an A)
Physics (should be an A)

Next Semester is pretty full too. On the schedule:

First Aide
Math 1060
Family Finance
Stats 1040
English Literature

I'm still working full time too. This should be my last tough semester, the rest will be 3 classes each. Not too bad. I'm hoping to enter the eled program next summer. I should have my minor completed and be ready to submerge myself into the practicums.

So, for the end of the semester Chad and I are getting on the Harley and going down to Southern Utah for some sight seeing. It should be a lot of fun. I'll post pictures when we get back.

Finals week... Egads has this semester been killer.

ELED Music - A (this one is set in stone!)
Pre-calculus - A (considering she's dropping my lowest test score of 97%) Final is tonight!
Parenting - (most likely) A ... My final is today!
Humanities - A (This class rocked!! Read the Glass Castle)
Physics - (most likely) A .. my rocket soared!!! I have the final on Saturday.

I haven't had a lot of spare time. Next weekend C and I are going on a road trip to Southern Utah. Me, him, the harley and three days in the canyons. We really need the time away.

The kids had antique pictures taken. I can't wait to post pictures. They are so cute! I'll get the CD next week.

I hope everyone stays well...

Helpless

I hate feeling helpless.

Nothing matters more to me than my children. Julia had her tonsils out this morning and it's not going very good. She can't keep down anything. Not water, not Popsicles, not even her pain meds. We're trying to get her some anti-nausea meds to see if that will help. She's in so much pain. It's breaks my heart. I just wanna take all her pain away.

On a better note, we did get our trees planted. They look great. Now for the bushes and to get grass growing.

Yard work stinks...

I have 2 mosquito bites. I hate yard work. We've got the holes dug and I'm almost done taking out the old bush. I'm going to try to transplant it. Wish me luck. I can't wait for my yard to be done, then I'll be able to sit outside and relax.

I'm supposed to be doing homework, but instead, I'm playing EQ2 with my hubby. I'm such an addict. It's so much fun!

There was so much I was going to post earlier, but I've forgotten what it was. oh well. I'll remember tomorrow. G'night!

Happy Birthday MOM!!

I'm still working, but I wanted to wish my mom a super happy birthday. I wish we were there!! We would have been, but apparently her part of Wyoming has had a major water contamination catastrophe. I hope we can go up sometime soon.

An exhausting week.

My first day as Kat's pre-school teacher was Monday. What an exhausting week. Kat and her classmates are incredibly energetic. I ended up losing another 2lbs. It was a lot of fun though. I have determined life will be a lot easier if I have the week's lessons all planned out.

School is going okay. My music class is a bit overwhelming, but it's over next Thursday. Right now I'm trying to upload a video of a final teaching assignment. It's proving to be problematic. I'm reading a book called The Snow Leopard for Humanities, it's interesting. It's all Zennish and stuff. Math is easy, as usual and my child development and physics classes are so far, so good. I can't wait for music to be over. This should have been a fun class, but the teacher has overloaded us so far that we can all barely breathe.

Julia had her birthday last week. There were a bunch of pre-teen girls sleeping over. ACK! They were good kids though.

Oh... and as of 5/23 I'm down 44.4 lbs. GO ME!!!

Well, I'm off to do more homework and will update again soon.

Final Grades

Surprisingly enough, I pulled an A in Anthropology. How the heck did that happen? I did end up with an A- in English, but that was probably more than I deserved. I got an A in everything else, Geology, Algebra, and Art. My overall GPA is now 3.97. Not bad, not bad at all.

Today, my elementary school music class begins. I'm looking forward to it. The rest of the classes start next week. Then my schedule gets really crazy!

I just realized I haven't updated my New Years Resolutions yet. As of today, I am down to 246.6lbs. I am so excited. Before Christmas, I was over 285. That's 39lbs! I just take it 1 day at a time. I still do bite my nails though.

Where'd April go?

Seems I missed a whole month... I guess finals do that to you. This semester was crazy. Summer will be just as bad. So much has happened, I'll do my best to keep the recap short...

Thanks Dad!

I graduated with my Associates of Science (really, it's not til the end of summer, but I got to don my cap and gown early). It was a great day! I just wish my dad had been here to see it.

My husband and children bought me the most beautiful mother's ring for my graduation gift.

So for Valentines day, my dearest husband found another creative way to surprise me. When I booted up my laptop in the morning, my typical wallpaper had been changed and there was a seating chart for the Peppermill Concert Hall in Wendover, NV. I was a bit confused, but a note at the top of my screen said, "Look under your laptop". As I tilted it back, I found a picture of Trace Adkins (my most favorite singer) and the date May 2nd, 2008... Well, I about freaked out. I love his concerts. Better yet, the concert was going to be on my 5th wedding anniversary. WOW! I joined the fan club and applied for a meet and greet pass. I was totally surprised when I got one! I got to meet someone I highly respect and look up to. He signed his book and my ticket and I went and enjoyed an awesome concert. After the concert, Chad and I celebrated our anniversary. It was quite a night.



On 5/1 Chad and I took the kids to California. We were supposed to fly into Long Beach, but it was too busy, so instead we flew into Burbank. We got there at 900am and our return flight was scheduled for 220pm. We really tried to make that flight, but unfortunately, we missed it. OPPS!! We ended up flying out of Long Beach at 7:25pm. Enterprise was great at letting us switch airports. We went to the Aquarium of the pacific, it was so much fun! After that, we headed down to Venice Beach. The kids played in the ocean before we headed back home. Everyone seemed to have a great time. I can't wait to get the chance to go back. I love the ocean!!



Tuesday starts another semester. Summer is packed with 16 credit hours. Math 1050, FCHD (family/child development), Elementary Music, Physics, and Humanities. I'm getting my first B and I'm okay with that. My GPA at the end of this sememster should be 3.9, not too bad for a working full time mom of 4 going back to school. I'm pretty dang proud of myself.

If you got through this blog, you rock! It's a long one.

March, already?

This year is going so fast! I'm down 24 lbs, I'm pretty excited about that. In addition, I feel healthier. School is crazy. I really need to buckle down and finish this semester strong. I'd like to keep my 4.0 but it's not looking good. I may get a B or two. Really, I'm okay with that.

I got a new camera. I can't wait to start taking pictures with it. I've been using my camera phone and they kinda suck.

Chad and I took Kat to see Horton Hears a Who today. It was a lot of fun. She's still a bit too young for a theatre. She doesn't always sit still. Luckily, there were a lot of other restless kids there.

My mom is down from Wyoming. She's having a "catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation," so she'll be with us for a weekish. It will be nice having her here. Please send PP&Ts for her. It's supposed to be "routine."

((((HUGS))))

New Year, New Life... Resolutions

So its 2008. I turn 37 at the end of this year. How crazy is that? I am determined to get healthy this year. Chad is really supportive and we're going to do this together. We've started by eating healthier and exercising. I'm excited. I'm already down 9lbs. I'm hoping to be 150 by the end of the year. It's going to take a lot of hard work and dedication, but I can do it.

This was a picture of our wedding day. We may be a bit bigger, but it won't be that way for long.


So, here are my resolutions:

1. Lose weight.
2. Complete my A.S. and apply to the teaching program.
3. Stop stressing the small things.
4. Stop biting my nails.

So, there's always one resolution that never gets completed. I pick #4, we all know I can't stop biting my nails