The Past Several Months...

The past 6 months...

Disneyland: We flew to Long Beach, CA on Nov. 6 for a fun trip to Disneyland!  Rene met us there for a couple days.  It is always fun to be there and to have her with us.  We LOVE Disneyland.  We had great weather and few crowds in the 5 days we were there.  

Thanksgiving: We had our own little Thanksgiving dinner, but the turkey wasn't ready in time, so we ate all the side dishes then went to see The Muppets Movie.

Hockey: We went to at least 18 Utah Grizzlies Hockey games this season!  We had so much fun watching, cheering, and getting to know favorite players.  During one notable game, there were so many penalties that there were only two Grizzlies players left on the bench--all others were in the penalty box.

Washington, D.C.: In November my parents called to tell me they would be home from their mission by Christmas.  They offered to have me come one more time to visit them and the city.  I went in early December and the weather was nice.  The night I got there, we went to see the new MLK (Martin Luther King Jr.) Memorial, WWII Memorial, and Lincoln Memorial at night.  The next day, Mom and I went to the art gallery then Dad picked us up and we went to Mt. Vernon.  Dad dropped me off at the American History Museum then Mom and I went to a concert at the Kennedy Center.
Friday, some of their students (mothers) came to their apartment for a luncheon and lesson.  Mom and I then went to the State Department.  This was new for me.  This is where the US hosts foreign embassadors, where special dinners and speeches are given, etc.  That night my parents went to help at the temple and I wandered through Gerogetown.  The next day Dad took me to the Lincoln Cottage, another new one for me.  This is where Lincoln spent his summers.  I went to the Portrait Gallery, then the three of us went to the temple visitors center.  Sunday was church, then we drove to the Catholic University cathedral and went in for part of mass.  That night we wend to the Jefferson Memorial.  Monday morning, Dad dropped me off at the FDR Memorial.  I walked from there to MLK, Korea, Vietnam, and Lincoln.  It was a pleasant walk on a chilly morning.  We went to Arlington National Cemetery to see the Changing of the Guard, then we found the part of the cemetery where recent burials take place.  There, we saw several freshly dug gravesites and headstones from those who died in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.  Some were born around the time I was; others were born in the 90s.  Many did not have headstones yet.  This was very touching, very sad, and very real.  Around the same time, President Obama announced all troops would be home by Christmas!  Tuesday was the last day I was there, and I went to the Newseum, another first.  This is not a Smithsonian museum.  I liked seeing newspapers, famous news clips, etc. and the top of the mangled Twin Tower building that fell in 9/11.

Kindergarten: James did very well in school!  He was a good student and was well behaved.  In fact, he earned the "Responsibility" award in his class.  His teacher called to tell me and I was a but surprised, but proud as well.  He told me he is "one of the goodest kids" in his class, and also told me who the "baddest" ones are.  :)  He did well on his last two report cards.  He made friends with boys and girls alike.  James is doing well at reading too.

4th Grade: Emily's teacher just loved her.  She said when we went in for Parent-Teacher Conference, "I just don't know what to do with her."  (In a good way).  Emily tested for reading at a 7th grade level.  She got perfect 4's and E's on her report cards.  Her teacher said Emily doesn't engage in gossip and backbiting like some girls in her class.  We were glad to hear that!

Christmas: On Dec. 23, we drove to St. George, and on the 24th we drove from there to Phoenix to visit Rene.  It was a long, boring drive through the desert after we crossed Hoover Dam.  At one point we almost ran out of gas and rolled into a gas station while the gas light was on.  I could just imagine Kevin having to walk miles and miles to get gas while the kids and I stayed in the car and having to call Rene and tell her we wouldn't make it for Christmas Eve.  But, it worked out and we had a fun Christmas Eve with her.  On Christmas day, we went to a park where the kids tried their new rollerblades.  Karin and her family came from California and we all had a nice dinner together.  We loved the weather at that time--it was sunny and warm.  We spent a lot of time outside on the patio, in the pool or hottub, and at parks.  One night we all went to see the Phoenix Coyotes NHL hockey team play the Boston Bruins.  It was neat!  The kids both got Rollerblades and Nintendo 3Ds's (hand-held game console) for Christmas. 

Before we got on our way to St. George, we stopped at my parents' house.  The kids did not know my parents would be home from their mission.  They walked downstairs in their house and Emily said "Oh, hi" when she saw Grandma.  It was a nice reunion and a great surprise!

New Year: We rung in the new year with our friends, Adam & Heather Milner, and their kids.  We had fun staying up till 3am talking and playing.

Work: The school year was a good one for me.  I enjoyed teaching US History, AP US History, US Government, and Geography.  I really like the flexibility of my job.  Being able to teach online from home is something I never imagined would be possible, especially because the internet was new when I graduated from college and started teaching.  It is a lot of grading, emailing, phone calls, etc. and once a day I do a live lesson online with students.

Kevin's work is going well.  He has done well with the classes he trains and earns respect from his peers and supervisors.

Hockey, Part II: The kids started hockey lessons in March.  They went to the Olympic Oval, near our home.  The Oval is where the 2002 Olympic Speed Skating events were held.  The kids started skating lessons 1.5 years ago, but we have been wanting them to learn hockey.  This program went two nights a week and they both did well at learning some fundamentals.  They both look so cute in all their hockey gear.  They get incredibly sweaty under it all.  We are proud of them for working hard and not being afraid.

This prompted Kevin to make his hockey comeback.  He played as a youth, but when trumpet started to become more important, hockey had to go.  In May he started on a D-League team ("old" people, ranging in age 25-48 or so, who have not played or who have not played in a long time).  He bought all his own gear, which is quite an investment.  So far, he has done well and scored goals and assists in each game.

Illness and Injury:  In the he 2nd game Kevin played, he bruised his liver.  He somehow got the stick hard into his liver, and it was so painful the next day that he got a CT scan which showed the bruise. Over the next few weeks he healed.  His thumbs and wrists have been hurting since then also.

In March, I woke up one day with limited mobility and pain in my neck.  After 10 days of it not getting better, I went to physical therapy (this is after I saw a doctor and the muscle relaxer and pain medication were not helping).  After a few sessions, I was doing lots better.  At the same time, Emily got a stomach virus and had to miss her piano recital.  Soon after, while my neck was injured, I got the same virus and actually passed out on the bathroom floor.  Kevin heard a thud and when I didn't respond, he found me slumped on the floor while the door had been jammed into the wall.  The next day, Kevin got the virus too and was throwing up all day.  We thought James was clear, but that night at a hockey game, he threw up at the entrance, and they refunded our money.

Today, I have an ear infection.  I get them once a year or so.  It is painful!

Visit: Rene came to visit on her birthday, March 25.  It was a good time for her to be here because my neck was hurt and she was able to help.  Aunt Jackie, Uncle Kevin, Cousin Less, and Dog Buddy came for a few hours for pizza and visiting.  

Summer: this is the first summer we have not been on year-round school, so we have a full summer.  I have all of July off and the kids have been out since June 2, not starting back till August 28.  In June, I had two conferences to attend.  The first was the Utah Common Core for Literacy in Social Studies.  The second was one I applied and was accepted to: The University of Utah Hinckley Institute of Politics Huntsman Seminar for teachers.  There, I and 25 other selected secondary teachers from around the state got to meet important political and public figures.  We spent a day at the courts and city building, a day at the capitol, and two days at the U.  It was incredibly interesting and informative.  Several local political and public figures came to speak to us.  I learned a lot and was glad I got to go!

We've been swimming a few times with our friends.  We've been sleeping in and hanging out.  I've been biking a bit, as the weather permits.

Reunions: This year I have seen several friends and family members I haven't seen in a while.  We had the George and Annie Sowby Family Reunion at Cherry Hill, UT  at the end of June.  Several Sowbys from AZ, CA, and UT came.  It was fun to be with them and their families.  We enjoyed the water park there.  I got to see my college friend/roommate Melissa Payne Farnsworth in Logan one day.  She was visiting with her 4 boys (a set of twins) and the kids and I drove up to see her.  It was great!  I also got to see old high school and college friends Kristen Jolley Larson and Jared Jepson.  It was fun to catch up with them and see their kids.  They were great friends.  Last week, Kevin, the kids, and I went to Riverdale to visit with his high school friends Jason Ricketts and Cory Wilkin.  Cory and his family live in CA and we usually see them when we go to Disneyland.  My brother Craig and his kids visited from Kentucky last week.  It was fun to see them!  We had a big swimming party at David's house with everyone.  The kids had a blast and the adults enjoyed visiting.  On July 23-24, we went to Logan overnight and visited with Kevin's cousin Les.  They have a beautiful yard with a little stream in the back.  We enjoyed visiting and taking it easy.

Puppy:  This is big--we got a puppy!  After meeting and seeing Les's (Kevin's cousin) golden doodle Buddy two years ago, we have been thinking about getting a dog for the kids to enjoy and take care of.  We surprised them by driving to Brigham City on the 4t of July to choose and bring Pepper home.  It was been quite a trip.  We got him too young (only 6 weeks) and there is a lot for all of us to learn.  The first few days he was mopey and cried a lot at night.  After that he got used to being with us and has done better and better every day.  We are adjusting to having a puppy around all the time and having to change our plans or schedules to accommodate him.  He is not fully immunized yet so we cannot take him in public or to parks, etc.

The kids have been pretty good with him.  They love to play with him but argue about who will take care of him at 7am when he's happy and ready to play.  He is a cute little dog who is growing all the time.  We're enjoying him for the most part and are looking forward to when he's a little older and the accidents stop and he is old enough to get out.

Report card time

School started in August with James in kindergarten and Emily in 4th grade.  James goes to afternoon kindergarten with Mrs. Knudsen and Emily's teacher is Mrs. Brown.

Report cards and Parent-Teacher conferences were last week.  Emily got a perfect report card--all 4's and all E's (they are graded on a scale from 1 - 4, with 4 being the best and E's being the best for social skills, behavior, etc).  James did well also, earning mostly 3's and all E's.  We are proud of our kids not only for doing well and learning in school, but also for behaving well.  They are great kids!

What we do to make a living

Kevin graduated in 1999 from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education. While he was looking for teaching jobs, he worked at Intermountain Healthcare as a phone representative. When no teaching jobs were available, he stayed there and was quickly promoted to a trainer. He stayed there until August of 2007. He now works for University Healthcare as a trainer (University of Utah).

Kristin graduated in 1998 from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology and History. (That darn math class kept her from finishing sooner). She graduated that same year from Weber State with her teaching license and got a job at Woodland Hills School, an alternative high school. She then went to Bountiful Junior High from 1999-2000. In 2000 she moved to the University of Phoenix to work as an advisor and remained there until Emily was born in 2002. After that she taught at Mountain West College and Lifeline treatment center. In August 2007 she graduated from Utah State with a Master of Education (Secondary Education) degree and went to be the Student Services Coordinator at Stevens-Henager College. In June 0f 2008 she applied for K12/Utah Virtual Academy, and was able to quit other jobs to work full time from home for UTVA. The first year, she taught history. The second year, she was an advisor, the third year, the counselor, and now again, a history teacher.

Cool places we've been

Emily has been on an airplane several times, since she was an infant. Her first trip was to San Diego when she was 3 months old. She has a passport, which she used in Canada in 2008. To date, she has been to:
San Diego in 02
Phoenix (several times to visit Nana and Papa in 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08)
Disneyland in 03, 06, and 07
Alberta, Canada in July 08
Washington DC in October 09
DisneyWorld, Florida in November 09
Moab/Arches National Park in 09 and 10
Bryce Canyon, The Grand Canyon, Kolob Canyon, and Cedar Breaks in July 10
Washington, D.C. (Em & Kristin) April 2011
California, January 2011 and November 2011


James has been to:
Phoenix (to visit Nana) in 05, 06, 07 and 08
Disneyland in Disneyland in 06 and 07
Washington DC in October 09
DisneyWorld. Florida in November 09
Moab/Arches National Park in 09 and 10
Bryce Canyon, The Grand Canyon, Kolob Canyon, and Cedar Breaks in July 10
California, January 2011 and November 2011



Kristin has been to:
Canada 88 and 08
Israel 89
Belgium 89 and 95
Japan 93
China 93
Hong Kong 93
Germany 95
Austria 95
Italy 95 and 98
Switzerland 95
France 95
The Netherlands 95 and 05
England 95 and 05
Scotland 95
Chile 06
Mexico 94

Kevin has been to :
Germany twice as a child

Funny things the kids say

I have read others' blogs and enjoyed them, and I use facebook and take lots of pictures, but I haven't done much in the way of journals the past few years. I decided to have a private blog where I can write things about my cute kids and our lives.

It's Sunday afternoon, August 8. Kevin is drumming on his new Roland electric drum set. Emily is watching Hannah Montana in the room next to me. James is upstairs playing in his room.

Over the years the kids have said some funny things. Here is a collection of some of them:
Emily:
"Secrets of the Child" (about 2 years old)
"Baby in the World" (a song: there was a baby in the world. He used to cry. And you would give him his bottle, to feel him better.)
"Felicious" (Her word for her toy dishes)
"Fff Fff" (she would do this when she saw a dog, trying to bark like one)
"Walt Disney Disney, Princess of the Joy" (a song)
Stories she wrote in kindergarten:
I lic to rid mi bic (I like to ride my bike) or I lik to rid mi elefat (I like to ride my elephant)
Funny names for stuffed animals:
Monel the rubber duck
Ossia the lamb
Alshista the silk scarf
Adeezja Azeeza, the imaginary grandma of Sally the baby doll
Enine the dollhouse baby
Inksaw the ghost

James:
"I had it but suddenly I barely just loosed it." (referring to a golf ball he found at the Homestead)
"I need a clunger" (referring to needing a plunger for the toilet) (4 years)
"Do pirates resist?" (resist is in place of exist) (4 years)
"My room is a bisaster" (disaster) (3 years)
"Dad, where does the Disneyland come from?" (about 2 1/2)
"Quaking asper" (referring to Quaking Aspen trees) (4 years)
"Hey look, is this a sand trap? Nope, didn't trap me!" (referring to a sand trap at a golf course)

Birthdays

Emily turned 9 on July 8!  She was so excited to have her first friend sleepover.  She had cousin Emma, and friends Whitney George and Jenna Milner over.  They made pillows, watched a movie, and sang out by the fire in the fire pit in the back yard.  They stayed up till about 1am.  Emily got an ipod touch from us.

James turned 6 on September 23.  He wanted a Cowboy party.  He had 11 friends for his party on the afternoon of his birthday.  We played games and had a pinata.  For months, he was wanted a 'real' cowboy gun from Cabella's, so the night before his birthday, we drove there and got him two play guns he wanted.

Fall!

August 22, I started school (teaching at Utah Virtual).  August 27, Emily started 4th grade (at the new Fox Hollow Elementary).  September 7, James started Kindergarten (afternoon).  Emily loves her teacher Mrs. Brown.  We found that Mrs. Brown is from Canada (and Emily has been to Canada!) and that she likes hockey (as do we).  The first day of school, Emily was assigned to take a brown lunch bag with five items that represent her.  She took Bailey, a little stuffed bear, her passport, some earrings she'd made, a picture she drew of a piano, and one other thing we can't remember.  :) 

James was nervous about school.  As we were walking to the line, he said "Oh, this is gonna be bad."  When I picked him up afterward, he said "That was fun!"  He mostly likes it and likes to go, with the exception of two times -- once in which he scratched me because he didn't want to go, and another when he cried.  He is doing well now.

This year, I am teaching US History, US Government, and Geography.  This is my 4th year at Utah Virtual, and I still like it.  I love the flexibility and the fact that I work mostly from home. 

The weather has been beautiful!  We have taken advantage of it by having cookouts in our back yard with us or with others (Jeff & Rachel Jensen, Zach & Tatiana Campbell, neighbors Russ & Michelle Sitz, Adam & Heather Milner).  Kevin became quite the griller.  We have enjoyed our new backyard furniture.

We have also been biking a lot. Kevin and I take turns going on the Jordan River trail, for an average of 15 miles each time.  We got a hitch and bike rack installed on our CRV last week, which makes it much easier to transport one to four bikes (before that, we would put one bike in the back and only one person could go).  Our first family ride, we went about 8 miles.  The kids did great!