Snow!!

These always post in backwards order but here goes. This is Rachel posing on the couch in her oh so cute skirt and shirt. We love her in them!!
and here is Colby riding the scooter in the backyard. He is funny!!
Rachel and Rebekah
Rachel posing with her popsicles. She was very happy to eat them!!
In her dress after church. I had to take a pic of it, because Rebekah wore it not so many years ago!!
We went to Prescott on Saturday to see Mark and Heidi and their new baby. It snowed most of the day! Here is the splatted snowman Nathan made.
And here is Nathan trying really hard to put Mr. Snowman up on our slanted hood!
Heidi and Matthias. Such a sweet boy, almost makes me want another baby! .....almost
Rachel and Daddy hold baby Matty
She really liked holding him, and I did too! Thanks guys for letting us play with you!!

sick of sickies!!

If you haven't seen much of us lately, it is because we have been sick. Super sick! It started several weeks ago when Nathan had a nasty run in with bronchitis. He was on antibiotics, but it still took several days before the fever, chills, shaking and general crummy feelings went away. He is still coughing up a lung, but at least he doesn't feel as bad, and has an inhaler. Fast forward a few weeks, and you have Rachel getting bronchitis. She ended up on antibiotics, and breathing treatments. Not a week later, she started off the family fun of the stomach bug. She got so sick, and couldn't keep anything down for several days. I was told to take her to the ER by her doc, so after 7 hours in there, and 4 of her getting iv fluids, she was finally able to hold some juice down. She has been slowing getting back her appetite and being her mischievous self again. A week later, I had my first bout of vertigo in several months. I was down for the count for 3 days with the torturous room spinning, nausea and sleeping for hours at a time. If it sounds fun to stay in bed all day, you are wrong. It is alright for the first few hours, but it gets really old, really fast!! I was sending Nathan texts all the time, once I got coherent enough to type. Poor guy got to be super dad for a few days. Then Rebekah got the stomach bug, and was sick Sunday night and all day Monday. She was back to school Tues, and we had a few days of a reprieve. Then Wednesday night, I had a late dinner, and started feeling sick. The feeling lasted all day Thurs, and I hate actually throwing up, so didn't eat anything at all during the day. My wonderful Mother had some chicken noodle soup and ginger ale that she gave to me, and I finally ate that. I had choir rehearsal, and DID NOT want to miss it. I sucked it up and went, despite the fact that I had barely eaten, and still felt icky. But, I managed to survive, and sang what I needed to. Our concert is on March 5, and we now have only 2 weeks left to have an entire program memorized. I just couldn't miss a rehearsal, and with Brett, who wrote the amazing music, nonetheless. We normally have his brother, Brandon, direct us. It was a nice change, and some much-needed comic relief to rehearse with Brett. They are both extremely talented, and I feel so privileged to be a part of their organization. The debut of the Messiah in America-We'll bring the World his Truth- will be something that noone wants to miss. I am so excited to help bring the dream to fruition in this way. It is the story of 3rd Nephi from the Book of Mormon, and is truly spectacular with the full orchestra behind us, and the talented soloists that are going to be joining us. YAY! We are almost there!! Now, if we can all just stay healthy for a while......

scrapbooks and knowledge

caleb's class made him this card when he had his tonsils out! i love it, but we couldn't keep it up anymore. so we took a picture.

so for those who know me well, you understand what a big deal it is that i finished!! i am about 6 months behind, but i finally finished all 5 books of the pictures i had printed!!! i ordered the rest of the pictures today. it took forever, literally almost a year to finish, but i did it!! i finally had enough extra money to stock up on paper and page protectors and adhesive. that made all the difference. it is really hard to find the motivation to work on them when you know you don't have all the supplies you will need. it's one of those, "why bother?" scenarios. so thank goodness the post office has extra trips during the holiday season, even though nathan hates doing them with a passion. we at least get a little much needed extra money!!
and on a side note, i am back in school, taking 9 credits this semester. they are all online classes, and so far, i have done pretty well. but i find that i have to actually prioritize to get things done, and watching the shows i have recorded, does not always end up at the top of the list like it used to!! GASP!! i know. but i have been feeling pretty good about myself lately, you know, improving my mind and all. and i have tried to make the kids more organized too, with a little chore chart that they can move the stars over when they finish. it was pretty simple, and way cute! now, if i can just get the kids to actually use them.....
and another side note, nathan and i are taking a marriage and family class put on by our stake, and we are really enjoying it. nathan was totally against the idea at first, but agreed it to appease me. he is a really good man, and i find myself even more grateful for him as i learn about other couples, and remember that we have a pretty dang good thing going!! yay!

Grateful

the girls in their christmas dresses, and the boys with new ties.













here is all of us at sandy's graveside with john. rachel was being a twerp.:) and here is sandy's beautiful headstone. i really like how it turned out.

The past few days i have been filled with an overwhelming sense of my blessings. i was reading on a friends blog about how she is trying to let the house go a little bit, and not stress over every crumb on the floor, and thing out of place. she is trying to enjoy her children being children. i am trying to adopt this attitude, but it is proving difficult. i have serious ocd when it comes to my house, and it is stressful to me to have things cluttered and messy. but i am trying.
i have 4 healthy and beautiful children who are trying beyond imagination, while being hilarious and so much fun. they fill my life with joy and unexpected things every day. i will think that i can't handle one more crazy shinanigan by any of them, and then someone does something so sweet and sincere, it brings tears to my eyes, and makes me forget what i was upset about in the first place. kids are so much more challenging than i ever imagined as a kid and teenager, but also so much more rewarding. they are unspotted from all the craziness of the world, and just see things how they are. they don't have an agenda in what they say and do, and you know they are sincere. if they tell you that you look pretty, they really think so. they don't just give lip service like some of the adults are known to do!! kids will tell you that you look scary when you wake up with eyeliner and mascara running all over the place. or when they don't like the new hairdo you are experimenting with. kids are nothing, if not honest!!
and i am blessed beyond imagining with nathan. he is a true spiritual giant, and we all look to him for guidance. he goes every day to a job he despises, so he can support us well. he loves me even when i am not behaving very well. the last year has been hard for me, but he has stuck by me through all the emotional turmoil i have experienced, and still loves me.
so i have been trying to better myself so that i can become the mother and wife i should have been all along. i am starting classes again at mcc, so hopefully i can get a job in a few years, and boost our income. i have been faithfully reading my scriptures since the new year, which i have been less than perfect at in the past. we are going to attend a marriage and family class for the next couple of months, even though nathan really doesn't want to. he is doing it because he loves me. i know it without a doubt. and i am trying to do better... that is a start, right?

new family pics of all

rachel with such personality!!









caleb with his blue eyes and dark skin is gonna be a heartbreaker!!
















colby is growing up, and so handsome

















the whole family posing. can you tell the sun was in our eyes? :)








rebekah had strep throat when we got these taken, i just didn't know it until after. she had her arms folded and said she was cold the whole time, but genius me didn't put it together until the next day when she had a fever. she is still gorgeous, but we retook her individual pics later. here they are.











i love this one of our backs. it is really cool looking!




nathan and i. he really is quite the handsome man, with the clean-shaven look.
















and here is the whole fam. caleb his tonsils and adnoids out just a few days earlier, but you can't tell. that kid is tough!!















my beauty girls










handsome boys

winter sing

last night was the school program, that they call the winter sing. caleb couldn't be in it, because he had his tonsils and adnoids out on wednesday. poor kid! but he is taking it like a trooper, and is barely taking any pain medicine. only when we force him to!

here is rebekah's class getting ready to sing



colby getting his snazzy tie tied by dad

colby posing for the camera after a great performance.

rebekah ready to go sing
and videos of each awesome kid. i am proud of them, and all of their hard work!!

new fun

i always post the pics in backwards order from the time they actually happened!!

here we are chilling between concerts. we didn't have a whole lot of time to relax, but when we did, we sprawled out on the floor to munch. it was very nice!! our concert was a great success, selling out the hall for both performances. i loved performing again, and it is so fun to be a part of such a cool organization. our next concert is march 5, where we are doing an original oratorio premiered here that is composed by one of our amazing directors, brett stewart.
here is tat and i in the car before our concert
colby got his wolf award for scouts, and had to search for beef jerky all over the room. it was pretty funny to see him wandering around looking clueless!! he found it behind the books though!!
nathan had his birthday on the 28th, but we celebrated early to spend it with family.
rachel still just worships caleb, and was climbing all over him. this is the only shot where you can see both of their faces!!
i can't believe how fast time is flying by. i am actually done with my christmas shopping though, so that is a huge relief. and i am managing to keep the house and kids mostly clean, despite the debilitating dizziness and headaches that seem to follow me everywhere i go!! at least they don't last as long anymore.....here's hoping!!