Santa!

Trey is so thrilled for Santa to come. He came to Treyson's daycare - with gifts for everyone! Treyson's face was priceless when he first saw Santa, as well as when he opened the gift and showed everyone! He held it up above his head to show everyone and was so excited and proud. I'm sorry I missed getting those pictures. Kids make Christmas great & I'm so excited to spend this Christmas in San Diego with my 3 awesome kiddos!

Kylie has a sleep test

Kylie has always had crazy sleep habits. She talks, walks, screams, drools, rolls, etc. Sometimes all night long! She is having a hard time waking up in the morning as well as going to sleep at night. I took her to a sleep doctor and a sleep clinic overnighter followed. Ky had to be hooked up to soooo many wires. She was so hooked up that she slept better than she usually sleeps - she was too nervous about moving to move much. I didn't sleep well - and then the tech woke us up at 6 (yes, I grouched at him a little). We will find out in January what the results are, but for now, here are some funny pictures!

Thanksgiving pics

Here are the Tetons!!

Well, I already told about our great time in Idaho/Jackson Hole for Thanksgiving. Here are some pictures . . . Here is the elk leg we found. gross! Fresh blood (we had to have Trey wipe it off his shoes).This is my favorite park, it has tons of elk antlers that are found out in the hills and brought here for arch entrances to the city park. I think it's way cool.

Some Pictures

Watching New Moon was so much fun with Aunt Robyn! :)

So, I have some pictures I wanted to add from other updates. The first is from seeing New Moon. We had the best time seeing that with some other family members. My cousin's family throws a big party when they rent the theater and it ends up being tons of fun. We missed the after party due to Treyson throwing up (which began our family round of stomach flu). But, here are some pictures of the girls with Edward & Jacob!

Is it Christmas yet??

So, we wake up to a dusting of snow this morning, Treyson looks out the window and is thrilled!! He asked me if it was Christmas now. Nope, not Christmas yet, but I'm probably more excited for Christmas this year than he is. We are headed to warmth! San Diego, San Juan Capistrano & Tehachapi, California are all in the plans for a Christmas vacation. We plan to spend Christmas Day with Shaamu, and I couldn't be more thrilled. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, we broke with our tradition this year by actually driving to the grandparents home for a "traditional" Thanksgiving. Traditional if you count Friday being Thanksgiving meal day for us as traditional. On Thursday we drove and hour and a half over the top of a mountain to go to Jackson Hole. Nothing was open except for the Bunnery (a yummy place to eat with the awesome slogan, "get your BUNS in here"). We LOVE eating there (we even buy their bread to bring home - have some on the counter). After eating there, we went to the "antler" park to take some pictures. We drove somewhere to look at the Tetons (amazing). When we drove into Jackson, the view was spectacularly non-existent. :) The clouds were below us, so we couldn't see anything below and then when we drove through them there was no visibility. It was awesome! TJay's dad found an elk hoof and lower part of the leg. It was cool to see for the kids (although the blood on Trey's shoe was gross). We also found some money in the parking lot! :)

Friday we ate & played games all day. It was the BEST! I didn't even leave the house (it was so cold). I alos read a lot, and planned out some changes to my language arts class (yay for an English teacher mother in law).

Saturday we went to the temple in Idaho Falls. It was nice, we've never gone before. It's so old & small compared to Mt. Timp where we usually go. It is beautiful with the murals. Afterwards we went over to TJay's brother's house and enjoyed their sweet hospitality. We played games (even the Dad's) and ate and visited. The girls screamed (for some reason when the cousins get together, they run & scream & have a great time). My sis-in-law's brother was there with his family and it was fun to see them (we've known him since he was 10 - fun to see him as a dad). We had a marvelous time and stayed too late, but it was still too early - we didn't want the evening to end.

Sunday we got up and just enjoyed the slow pace of packing and getting ready to go. We left after lunch (they have yummy leftovers) and actually made it home in 3 1/2 hours! (it took us 5 to get up there). Already unpacked, have 4 loads of laundry done (and by done I mean dry - not folded & put away). :)

Now, on to plan Christmas! It's a Southern California Christmas for us this year - hey, we can only take so much "tradition". :)

Baby Justin's blessing

November 1st was the blessing of our "baby brother who doesn't live with us". :) We were thrilled to go up to Dave & Robyn's and see Justin blessed. We enjoyed visiting with them and Grandma & Grandpa Cash afterwards. We also loved holding little Justin! We think he is awesome!

Weather girls

I arranged for my class to go on a fieldtrip and do the weather on channel 5 news at noon on November 3. We were able to go to the Children's museum and play around before and after doing the weather report and a static electricity experiment. It was very cool. You can watch it on http://www.ksl.com/ go to weather, weather lab and choose nov. 3. Since it was on November 3 (my Dad's birthday), I asked if they would wish Dad a happy birthday - and the meteorologist did! :) It was pretty cool.

Then we went to the U and the Utah Museum of Natural History. We had a science class on traits and DNA. It was very cool. The kids got to extract split pea DNA and study chipmunk skins, plants and beetles. It was a fabulous trip!

Our family is holier now

Yes, you heard that right, we are holier. Alyssa got 2 holes in her ear lobes on November 3. Our family rule is 10 years old and she wanted to do it on the anniversary of her baptism. So, as per tradition, we invited best buddies (3) and went off to Claire's at the mall. After looking over the choices, Alyssa picked her birthstone studs and held on tight to Mom's hand. Alyssa was very brave, she didn't shed one tear. She did jerk and we were worried she had jerked too hard and something was misplaced, but it all worked out. Alyssa even asked for both ears to be done at the same time. :) She got a coupon for an earring holder for her birthday, so after being thus beautified, she went off with her friends to pick out just the right one. We picked out best friends necklaces for the 4 girls and they posed for pictures in a photo booth. We shared a cup of pretzel bites and left for home. It was a fabulous day!

My baby is 6!

Treyson turned 6 a couple of weeks ago. He was so excited. It was hard for Trey to wait thru all of ours. He had been wanting a pirate party for so long! We got him a pirate costume and he even wore it to hand out his invitations. Since his birthday is so close to Halloween, it usually ends up being a costume party - because he loves to dress up. We played games, went on treasure hunts and ate a treasure chest cake. :) It was so much fun and Trey loved that his friends came. He has good friends and loves to have them come over. It was a ton of fun!

6 Reasons why I LOVE my boy:
1. He loves people
2. He is so happy!
3. He is such a hard worker.
4. He likes going places.
5. He loves reading stories.
6. He is my favorite BOY!

The funniest thing, he keeps saying, "pretty soon I'll be 7, then I'll be 8 and get baptized." He is pretty excited about that. I can wait, don't want him to grow up too soon, it's already going too fast.

Double Digits!

Well, it's happened, the day my lizard has been waiting for: her 10th birthday. She was so thrilled to be "double digits". It was so cute. She was able to have a friend sleepover Friday night and help her get ready for her party Saturday afternoon. Her best buddies came over and we did their hair, make up and glitter nails. They all decorated a frame and we took pictures so they can all have a framed picture of their bffs! It was a lot of fun, and my Lyssa who is so sweet said it was her most memorable birthday ever! Since she is ten she can get her ears pierced. She decided to do it on Nov 3, the anniversary of her baptism. She is taking 3 friends to the mall with her and when we leave Claire's, she will be pierced. She is thrilled!

10 Fabulous things about my 10 year-old:
1. her kind heart
2. her generosity
3. her sense of humor
4. the care she gives to her little brother
5. she loves loves to do kind things for others
6. she is a naturally talented dancer
7. she is a hard worker
8. she is determined
9. she is quick to forgive
10. she came to our family almost perfect, we just have to try not to mess her up

Lyssa is such a fantastic, loving, kind, giving little girl who has already learned the love of service to others. I am so blessed to know her and learn from her. I count myself lucky to be her mom. Thanks, Lys, for being the great girl that you are! I love you so much!!!

OINK< OINK

Ok, so I had to poke a little fun. H1N1 has hit our home. Kylie & Trey both tested positive this week for that strain of the influenza virus. Things we've learned: the media is all hype! The only difference between this strain and others is that this is a new one, and we've all built up some resistance to the others. H1N1 isn't more dangerous, worse or kill more people than other strains. We also learned that mostly people are kind, but sometimes they're a little stupid. (mainly adults, who I guess just need to learn more - myself too). As far as my experience with the flu goes, H1N1 rocks! No puke, Trey was only sick for about a day. Ky's been down for a week, but only fevered for 4 days. The good news, Ky & Trey don't need an H1N1 vacine! :) More good news: Everyone is going to school tomorrow! A week is a looong time for a 7th grader to miss school. And, 2 days is a looong time for a 5yo to miss school & playing with friends! :)

Other news, it is my birthday tomorrow. I will be closer to 40 than to 30. :( It's ok, though because I really like where I'm at right now. I guess 35 has been great & 36 should be even better! :) (let's hope). So, I will enjoy tomorrow (teaching, chiropractor, dinner out, drive car to airport) and then get on with the party planning for the pirate party and the still undecided party. When you're turning 6 & 10, you need a party! :)

Hello, Teenager!

This is my super special, awesome daughter holding her newest little cousin. She LOVES him!

Well, it's official, I have a teenager of my very own! (well, I do share her with her Daddy who adores her). Kylie turned 13 yesterday! To celebrate her special day, she wanted a sleepover with her BFF and a day at the mall with her BFF (no parents allowed). She had a super fun time shopping (they even tried on prom dresses!). She made smart decisions and came home with some way cute stuff! She is such a good girl, and so responsible! I love her to pieces!! She is my favorite teenager EVER! Love her!!! Here is a picture of her today:

Treyson made her a special birthday crown. And TJay wanted to make her add up her age in candles, instead of just a "1" and a "3". :)

So, let's go with the lists of 13:
13 reasons why I love Kylie
1. She is an awesome babysitter.
2. She is fun to hang out with.
3. She is sooo very creative.
4. She is good at everything she tries.
5. She is a great nail painter.
6. She has the cutest handwriting (and loves to do cute lettering).
7. She is kind.
8. She is goofy.
9. She is fun to watch play racquetball.
10. She is sweet to her sibs (when she wants to be).
11. She is super smart.
12. She is gorgeous.
13. She is MINE!!! :)

Kylie, I love you so much and am so glad you are my daughter. You are such a cute girl who is so much fun to do things with! You bring so much joy & laughter into our lives! Thanks for doing everything you do to help our family. Thanks for being a great example to Lyssa & Trey. They love you & look up to you so much! You're the best!!!!
love & kisses, your mommy

Yes, we are still here

ok, so you know it's been waaaay too long since you've blogged if you sign in (to your own blog) and say, "look how cute this background is." um, ya, so I forgot that I had changed it, and it's been sooo long. But, we're still here: alive & kicking, just INCREDIBLY busy! Treyson just finished his first soccer season (loved it) and is enjoying Karate. Since he is learning "fung pu" (as in the movie "fung pu panda") he is a REAL superhero. Nothing is better than that! :)

Alyssa is dancing again this year: tap & ballet. She is in the older class and goes for an hour now with kids older than her (her teacher wanted to move her up). She is also in a city volleyball league now and had her first game Saturday.

Kylie & TJay have racquetball league every Tuesday night - they love it. It's like a weekly date night. The kids & I started a hula class a couple of weeks ago and are really enjoying it. Treyson likes to do it and it's a pretty good workout. When we get finished with the Tahitian practice, our bellies hurt. It's a great way to be active together as a family.

Throw in school (I'm in 5th grade, Kylie in 7th, Lyssa is in 4th & Treyson goes to morning pre-school/daycare and afternoon kindergarten) and work (TJay enjoys being a DBA in AF) it makes for a fairly busy household.

Saturday we went to Trey's soccer game, Lyssa's volleyball game, did homework, yardwork and house work, then went to the lake for our last boating time of the season and followed it up by motorcycling in the desert and a campfire with smores. That was just one day. That may explain why I haven't blogged in a bit. I do need to catch up and add some pictures.

Also, I have a new nephew - the first on the Cash side! Dave & Robyn have a baby boy: Justin David, who we think is the cutest little thing around! We love to hold him and snuggle him and give him kisses. I have to get a picture of Trey holding him, he always has the best, sweetest little look on his face. Trey has been asking us to go to the baby store and get a baby brother (it's closed). So we told him we'd share Justin. Now he calls Justin: "my baby brother who doesn't live with us". It is soooo cute!

Well, I've gotta be done now. Need to finish putting grades in, grab a bowl of cereal and head off to bed. Tomorrow after school we have piano lessons & the gym - guess it'll be a laid back day. :)

Lost Tooth

Treyson got his teeth two or three at a time when he was a baby. Does it suprise anyone that he is losing them that way too? :) Trey's bottom two front teeth were loose at the same time. He has been wiggling them for weeks every single day. We check them, they are sooo loose. His adult teeth have come through so he's had 4 bottom teeth. Today I noticed something was different and checked, one tooth fell out. We don't know when (besides today) and we don't know where (i'm guessing he swallowed it with lunch). But, one is gone and one is still loose. Here is a picture of Treyson with 3 bottom front teeth instead of 4! Hopefully we can catch the other one when it comes out. (although the tooth fairy will still come - even without the tooth).

School Daze!

School is back! Yes, I love it. I love the change in season. I love the new schedule. I love the lists (yes, I'm a list person). I love everything about it! I even love working. Teaching is great. The kids are awesome. I just like it (I get stressed too, but I still like it.). I love first day of school pictures and uniforms! The best part: I have the best, smartest, cutest, most wonderful children to take to school! (and I still miss them like crazy during the day. I love that they are all at my school so I can see them during the day - yes, I spy on the kindergarten during my lunch break. Admit it, there are a lot of jealous moms out there. :)).

So, here's the break down: Our school is a K-8 and here are our members: Kylie is in 7th grade. She has 8 classes, 8 teachers, a locker and a BFF in most of her classes. Kylie is a joy and she is loving school.

Alyssa is in 4th grade and still has a lot of friends and loves school, she would love skipping summer break because she misses it so much. She is going to be in my class for math & language arts and she is so excited about that.

Treyson is finally at the girls' school. He is in afternoon Kindergarten and loves it. He also goes to a "house school" in the morning (his words to differentiate the two). House school is a pre-school/daycare. He eats there, has pre-school, field trips and other activities. He loves that too. So, we are all in school (Dad works around the block from us). It's a great time!

Soccer

Well, Treyson is old enough to play city soccer (and mom remembered to sign him up) and he is loving playing! He is on a team with his buddies: Ethan & Reagan. Treyson loves to play goalie! He is a fast runner and a good kicker, when he's concentrating and not playing around with his friends. :) We often tell him, quit playing and pay attention. Parents are so silly! Here are some pictures (thanks, Jill) of our little soccer star.

Exploring

Smiley Kylie! I don't remember what we're looking at, but I think I'm stopping Lyssa from doing something crazy (what is a Mom for). I also wanted to include this to show how beautiful the scenery is and also prove that I was there. Sometimes not so many pictures of me participating. :)

Alyssa in a crevice that only she could go in.

Daddy helping Trey get started. Treyson loves his bike.

Next is Daddy jumping "over" Treyson. :)

On August 8 it was too cold to go to the lake - and supposed to rain - which puts the Belt's into a quandry. What do we do? We decided a motorcycle day in the desert was in order. Everyone had a great time! Treyson kept wanting to go for more rides on his motorcycle. He is getting better at steering, slowing and accelerating. TJay lessened the "guardian" switch which gives Trey more power and helps his bike ride better (it also gives him access to more speed, which is why it was turned down). He enjoyed it more, since he could ride easier.

Alyssa wanted to work on learning to jump, so she spent most of the day riding up a tough hill and getting better at that. She also tried her hand at jumping. She is a little go-getter like her Dad. Speaking of, TJay also wanted to work on his jumping and rode up and jumped on a hill. He also shoveled a part so it would be better.

Kylie wasn't feeling very good, so she didn't ride, but she napped and read books with her Mommy who also didn't ride (Mom never rides). In Tjay's travels, he discovered an old mine area with a "cave" (rock crevice) we could climb in. So, we went exploring. It was fun to climb in and around. Alyssa is our crazy climbing monkey/explorer and she found a crevice to climb in that only she could fit in. Everyone climbed up to the top and all over and had a great time! We love going out there.

Mohawk Time

It was way past time to cut Treyson's hair and I was having a bit of fun. It was so long, and we had decided to shave it so short, that I decided to leave the center long for a few days. It was so fun to do (and a great suprise for TJay)! Treyson loves it. When he got out of the shower he wanted to "make my hair big again". When my Dad was 17 he got a mohawk when his mom sent him for a haircut. She was so mad. I probably would be too. But, it's cute on a five year old! :) Here are the pictures to prove it! ps. if anyone needs a "hawk" of their own, come on by.

Strawberry Days

Pleasant Grove, at one time, was the ultimate strawberry growing community. Apparently, strawberrys were shipped all over the states from our little pg growing fields. In celebration, we have "strawberry days" each year. You know, a carnival, parade, concerts in the park, strawberries & cream, a rodeo, baby contest, etc. Like every other town, except for the strawberries & cream. The first night of the carnival is family night where every ride is one ticket. The following nights the rides cost 2-5 tickets each. With tickets being $1 (except this year - 50th anniversary was 50cents/ticket) we go on family night or we don't go. This year it rained. We still went. Glad we brought jackets. It was fun to see the kids loving going on rides in the pouring rain, parents encouraging (bribbing) their kids to be done, or I saw a mom tell her kid (who was in tears wanting to go back to the car) that he had to go on another ride & he'd have fun. Our kids had fun in the rain and I have pictures to prove it!

Treyson's Artwork

This year in the preschool Treyson went to, they made artwork blankets. He has ABC squares, and he painted or drew something on each square that had to do with that letter. The first square has a birthday cake with his birthday listed and the second his name. It is my favorite thing. It is backed in his current favorite color, green. I tied it and they sewed the edges. I love that he has this to remember his year at school. He loves his blanket!

Kylie's 1st Sacrament Talk

Kylie was outside playing with a new cousin (new, to her -it's her grandma's cousin's granddaughter) and the Bishop pulled over to talk to her. When the conversation was over, Kylie had the assignment of bearing her testimony in sacrament meeting about her experience on the Trek (see previous blog entry). This caused much strife and discord in the home, accompanied at times by tears (we do tears a lot here: one is a tween and one is about to be a tween and 2 are parents of aforementioned girls). Kylie practiced alone, Kylie practiced with Mom and Kylie practiced with Dad. Kylie was honest - with everything.

When Kylie gave her talk, she talked about not wanting to go on the Trek, not wanting to awaken at 5 am, and not wanting to be there. Then Kylie talked about gaining a testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith as she watched the mob take him away. She gained a testimony of the trials of her pioneer ancestors as she walked, had little to eat and was happy to go home to a nice warm bed, instead of having to walk again the next day. Kylie also said she gained confidence in herself as she made it up a hill with the boys & men looking on during the "Women's Walk". She was impressed that all the boys at testimony meeting said how hard it was to watch the girls struggle and not be able to help. In the end, Kylie said, it was a good experience.

There are times when I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my Kylie. Fortunately, most of the time she is a fun, responsible, kind girl to be around. Sometimes, like today, she is outstanding and I am greatful for the opportunity I have to get to know her. I am a very lucky lady to be able to be Kylie's mom!

Thanks, Ky!! I love you!

BEACON TREK

In case you aren't in the know, Beacon is for Beehive/Deacon. Kylie is a Beehive this year and our stake decided to have a Beacon Trek the week before the regular trek (14 and older 3 days, 2 nights). Tuesday Kylie arose at 5 AM! (We are totally against AM at our house). She dressed in borrowed and sewed pioneer clothing. She gathered sunglasses, lip balm, sunscreen and a tin cup, gulped a few yucky eggs (Dad makes good eggs, Mom not so much) and we headed off to the church to drop her off with the other 199 Beacons in our Stake (yes, we have over 200 12 & 13 year olds in our stake. 200 went on the trek). They were assigned families with a Ma and a Pa and they drove up to This Is The Place State Park. They saw Joseph and Hyrum taken away by a mob, they ate meager pioneer rations, they pushed handcarts up hills (at one point, the boys & men stood to the side and watched the girls and women push by themselves. This is the most difficult part of the day, even for 12 year old boys), they read letters from family back at home delivered by the Pony Express, and they had a testimony meeting. It's amazing. I thank our ward and stake leaders for providing this awesome opportunity for our little Beacon. :)

T-BALL

Treyson signed up for t-ball this year (mom was on the ball & remembered). :) He loves it! He had a practice last week & came home and told the neighbors (and tells pretty much everyone he sees) that he is "good at t-ball". :) He loves it & gets so excited to go. Last night was his first game and he did great. It is so much fun to watch. Everyone bats then the teams switch. They line up when they're in the field and everyone gets a turn to catch the ball & throw it to 1st base. No outs, everyone scores. In one hour they had time for 2 up to bats, so with 10 on each team, the final was 20-20. :) Love it! Treyson is having the best time. He was suprised last night when he found out everyone was coming to his game. I guess going to watch the girls & dad play racquetball is just something he's always done (and Lyssa dance). He doesn't realize that in our family everyone supports everyone else. Love it! I love t-ball. Most of all, I love my baby boy who is getting so big!

The Last Day of School

May is so busy & crazy! I think I'll grab a picture, then tell about it. It'll most likely be completely random in order. Kind of matches my brain this month!

This is Alyssa being the narrator in her class' play of "Jason and the Golden Fleece". The third grade studies Rome and Alyssa performed infront of parents and the other 2 3rd grade classes in the play. She was great! She's a great actress and has great stage presence!

The last day of school is free dress day - and the girls LOVE it! It's fun for them to not have to wear a uniform. I let Kylie take the camera and she took about 100 pictures of her friends and teachers. Now she is a 6th grade graduate - she's in Junior High! oh, no! :) She's a fun girl & here she is with her friend, Kim.

Treyson's last day of pre-school was Tuesday, so he got to come to school with me for the rest of the week. He loves coming to our school (and is very excited that he is in kindergarten now and his school is the "same as the girls". :)). Treyson has basically grown up at Odyssey (he was 1 when I began volunteering there. He really knows his way around. He also loves to pose in the pictures! (wonder where he learned that from - sisters).

This is my classroom and some of my sweet 3rd graders! I had the best year this year & they are such great kids. I will miss them (not enough to wish I were still in school). They were great!

As if the last day weren't busy enough, I told the girls they could both have friends over to celebrate school being out (since Lyssa is already missing her friends and going to school). Alyssa had 4 friends come over for sprinklers, popsickles, nail painting & pizza. They had a great time - and so did Treyson (he loved the "wet party")!

Kylie had 2 friends come over & they went to the bowling alley (by themselves, since they are 7th graders now). Then they went to Big Lots (just because it was near the bowling alley). Then one friend went home and Bronwyn (in picture) stayed the night for pizza & games. Kylie & Bronwyn ended up going to the park and meeting up with a lot of other kids from their school (apparently the kids had put up posters at school to meet at Discovery Park). They played games until dark, then came home. It was a very fun, grown up party. (yes, TJay & I are terrified!).

It was a crazy day, but very fun. Also, I got to go out to lunch with the teachers/staff at our "annual last day of school lunch at Chili's - no class for 3 months party". It was a fun bash also! :)