What? Again?

I don't know who it was that hacked into my blog and said they were going to start posting again, but I will do my best to do my part.

Today, I just have to say that after celebrating yet another birthday, I am so grateful for my amazing husband and children. There is nothing better than having those things in life that really matter. And as the holidays approach, I pray that I can keep a true focus on what life is all about.....less yelling, less anxiety, less huffing and puffing; but more hugs, more laughter and more smiles from my kids.

It's All Perspective!!

Whether it be fortunate or unfortunate, I have very little desire to Blog or Facebook. This may be a sign of my "older" age and my absence from the "modern and hip" world, but life is crazy enough! I have three beautiful children that I love and adore. I guess I should want to share that more with those I care about......but my mentality must be all wrong. I think it must be my personality that prevents me from feeling like I am able to get things posted in a minimal amount of time. I just spent over an hour figuring out what background "suits" me and good gracious, it's not like I'm naming a child. I am hoping to calm the perfectionist and just be able to create simple postings for sharing and remembrance. So, fake it til you make it, right!! Here we go with Round 2.

Courtlyn is 5!!

Our girl is 5!!! I cannot believe that our little girl is 5 years old. She is such a helper and loving daughter. I could not do it (whatever that is, each day is different) without my girl. Courtlyn Kennedy is such a blessing in our lives. I know it is hard to have a birthday so close to Christmas, but she was a trooper when I explained to her that we would wait until after Christmas to have her party. I love her and her analytical reasoning. Sometimes I wonder which of us should really be the mother. For her birthday, she got a Puchi Pup and would not let go of it for anything. Here she is sleeping, with it still attached to her arm. We tried to pull it away and she had that thing clenched tight. And when she woke up, with a glare she said, "Don't try to take my pooch away!" Alrighty then! We love you Court!

She has also been asking to go ice skating, so we took her. At first, I am not sure any of us were having fun. So, we kept working at it and the kids didn't give up and before long, they were enjoying a few "skates" around the ice.

Since Cannon couldn't go ice skating, we took turns trying to keep him busy with snacks. After they were all gone, he was hoping to find some stashed in the camera case. Darnit!

Afterwards we asked Court and Ash which they prefered: ice skating or skiing. Court said ice skating and Asher chose skiing. Guess we will be splitting up our free time. Personally, I prefer sledding. Maybe I can persuade them!

Holiday Season...And then some!

This holiday season has gone by very quickly. I guess that is what happens when you are having fun with your family. Wil has had a bit of time off of work, and we love having him home. Our Thanksgiving was quiet and we actually went out to eat instead of cooking. That was nice! Then it was time for Christmas preparations. I wasn't much in the mood for putting up the Christmas decorations, that is until it snowed the day after Thanksgiving. Then it was on!!! Snow made it just perfect for putting up the tree and snowmen. Courtlyn and Asher had their preschool Christmas program. Although they are not in the same class, the teachers combined the classes and they performed at the Church.

Courtlyn was a pro after doing this last year. As for Asher, he was just excited to have all that attention, not quite sure what to focus on. They both did great. We also had our ward Breakfast with Santa.

I think Cannon will need at least another year to get comfortable with the idea of a big hairy man dressed in soft, fuzzy red pjs. But, Courtlyn and Asher could have spent hours on his lap, telling him everything they wanted. Sweet, sweet Santa.

During the holidays, we also visited Uncle Chuck E. Cheese. Here are the three of them in their cute outfits that GG and GPa bought for them.

The kids had so much fun, well mostly. Cannon seems to be afraid of somethings (schoolbus?), but not monster trucks. Go figure.

We also chased him around the house as he used his booster seat to climb up on everything and turning lights switches on and off and on and off and on and off......

He is such a funny kid and he definitely keeps us on our toes.

After all that, we had a quiet Christmas Eve dinner, with all if us antsy for the next day! I love this season!

As for Christmas day.....It was wonderful! Stockings and presents, yummy leftovers and jammies all day. Just how Christmas should be.

The kids enjoyed playing with their new toys and we enjoyed seeing their smiles. Spiderman even joined us for a game of nerf darts.

Cannon loved his cars and Courtlyn and Asher enjoyed playing their Leapsters.

I love these kids and it was such a great day. We are so blessed!! Every year we try to "cut back" and we did not do a lot this year, but you realize how much we really have. We have those things that really matter: an eternal family, good health, our testimonies, and love and support from friends and family. All the other stuff is nice, but sometimes gets in the way. It is hard not to want more and more, but this "new" year I am going to try develop contentment. I have what I NEED, and I need to keep my priorities straight. I am so grateful for my life and for those that are apart of it. Thank you!

Halloween Happenings!

For Halloween, we had a witch, a gorilla and Spiderman come visit (although Spiderman has been here all month and continues to visit daily - along with Peter Parker).

We went to our Ward's Trunk-or-Treat on Tuesday night and survived the chaos. It is nice to get in there and "get'r done." This picture is of the kids raiding their bags after making it through the parking lot. It was funny to see Cannon. Although he is only 1 1/2, he understood what was happening. He had a serious grip on that little pumpkin bucket. Try to take it away and you got a raging mad gorilla. Thursday night we covered the table with newspaper and did the dirty work. The kids did really well and enjoyed the carving part, not so much the yucky guts. The kids are all at a fun age for this and their excitement just makes me remember the good ol' days. Halloween night was beautiful with such nice weather. As we were trick or treating, there was an older boy (maybe 15) that was dressed as Spiderman too. Asher thought that we had to follow him all night. "No Mom, Spiderman went this way!" It was cute to see him so excited. By the end of the night, Cannon could finally say something that sounded like "trick or treat" instead of just holding up his bucket, which is how we began the evening. It is so great to live with such wonderful kids and to see them enjoy life's experiences. They are growing up way too fast
and I am going to miss these times.

Family Trip to Cali - Disneyland and the Beach!

(I have been a little behind on my blogs so I decided that today was catch-up day.)

Disneyland

There's no better place to see kids truly be kids. We flew out Friday morning and drove straight to Disneyland. The kids (Wil and I included) were very excited. We headed straight for the Materhorn. We figured if they could survive that (happily), then they could survive anything Disneyland had to offer. It was a success.

We also found the new Buzz Lightyear ride and could not get enough of it. You get to shoot at bad guys and Wil loved keeping score. Yes, he kicked my butt every time. Then we tracked down Buzz himself. They were also able to see Mickey, Goofy, Minnie and 3 Princesses. We watched the parade and walked all over the "happiest place on earth." It really brought back memories for me as a child. Wil laughed when I told him I wanted to cry while watching the parade. I hope the kids keep these sweet memories too. After we were all worn out, they each got to pick one souvenir. Asher picked a light up Buzz and Courtlyn picked a baby Minnie. Then we packed up in the car and this is what happened.....

Off to the Beach!

The first time we went to the beach, we were planning on strolling along the beach and enjoying the sounds. Well, Asher got a bit too close and we should have known. Cannon loved swimming in the sand and chasing the birds. We rented a "family bike" and cruised up and down the beach. I love being by the ocean and the sense of relaxation. There is just a different lifestyle there. The next time we went to the beach we were prepared with swimsuits and sand toys. There is nothing cuter than a baby on the beach.

We all had a great time spending time together, without the phone, computers or other daily things that take us away from each other. The kids did really well with little or no naps and I wish I could find that little piece of heaven in each day. Life gets too busy and cluttered up with foggy stuff. I am grateful for those times that the fog settles and the sun warms you and you can just enjoy living life. There is nothing better than a family, except one that is eternal. I need to remember to thank my Heavenly Father, everyday, for the blessings He has given to me. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured! (Pres. Hinkley) My life has alot to enjoy, I only need to stop long enough to do it. Hopefully these memories will remind us how important this is to do every year. Life goes by way too fast. Thanks Wil, for working so hard and providing so well. Thanks Courtlyn for helping to keep us straight. Asher, thanks for making us smile. And Cannon, thanks for your spark. I love you and am grateful you are in my life.

Ward Campout

I was so excited for the ward campout. We were not able to go camping all summer long, so I was eager. Wil kept trying to convince me of coming home after the campfire or at least getting a room at a nearby casino but, I refused. We all had a great time. Our bishop brought up his zip line again and the kids had alot of fun riding it. We got a few cute pictures. I love letting the kids get dirty (and I mean dirty) and not caring. Then 10 pm came and we decided to go to bed. Yeah. That room at the nearby casino was sounding pretty darn nice. I admitted to Wil that we probably should have gone home or gotten a room. Once again Wil, you were right!! Anyway, I am hoping as the kids get older, it will get easier. Thanks for humoring me Wil!