The Holiday Season

Well this is a long one. . . To start the beginning of the Christmas season Landon had a great idea to sneak down stairs and open the big Christmas present. When I found him he had left the gift behind and was very disappointed as he says "that was a boring present"! Worked great for me I love my new calender, would have been nice if I got to open it first but hey at least he did not get the satisfaction of opening something of his. Thanks Khendra I love it!

We did get our tree decorated and I have to say it looks different every day. Landon was very into the whole process and got mad at Van for moving everything around. I have to say that I am tired of hearing Landon tell Van to stop taking the tree a part.

We were not as lucky as some of you guys and we waited over an hour to get the three minutes with the famous man. Landon came up with some off the wall toy that I am not even sure exists to ask for and Van looked at him and screamed.







The boys in there Christmas clothes all ready for church, to bad we were 30 minutes late but, they looked so cute. Thanks Grandma for the great matching shirts and ties.

What better way to end a Sunday then with a great family night. The kids did the Christmas program for us. Last year my mom was not so satisfied so she took charge and the kids loved it.

You have to follow up with some great deserts and this is what we came up with. I think that my mom may demote us next year but the ginger bread houses did work. So if anyone needs to throw together a ginger bread house (we did have a week to prepare but being prepared is way over rated) mega blocks work great. Defiantly not how my mom would of had us do it!!

Our holiday season was very busy and fun. We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

Soccer!

Whitney kept telling us how we needed to go play soccer with her "little girl" because she is really good. Well, I have to give it to her soccer may be the only thing Zoey is really good at (unless you count eating shoes). The kids had a blast and Zoey was wiped out by the end of the game.

Thanks Uncle Tommy, Aunt Whitney, and Zoey!

*yes, we know tackling is not part of the game but it was the only way to stop Zoey*
*Van loved it and was actually good!*

*This one just makes me laugh*

WE LOVE YOU LORIN!
Tonight is such a sorrowful yet happy night for us. We are so sad to see Lorin go but knowing that he is in a better place and pain free makes it easier. You were such a great brother and a wonderful Uncle. We will miss you so much and Landon will never forget his memories with his Uncle Lorin! Thank you to everyone who has already called and offered your love, support and service to us, it means so much.

~Landon~

I had a lot of kids over yesterday and as I was feeding them all lunch I had this conversation with Landon. . .

L: Mom, where is Maecyn's mom?

She is at work.
L: Oh, where is Marcus's mom?

She is at work.

L: Oh, can you go to work and drop me off somewhere?

At breakfast this morning he were eating and he says. .

L: Mom can you drop me off at Bodin's now?

Yes

L: YEA, YEAH, HOORAY (and some more clapping, cheering, and jumping up and down)

LET'S GO!

Wow I feel loved! Thanks Shani for letting him come play today, if you didn't I thinks he would run down the street until he found someone that would let him in! I am amazed at how determined he is to get out of this house. Seriously, is it really that bad in here? This is why I don't want Van to start talking yet, I can only handle one kid talking to me at the moment. I think I need to find a job!

Pediasure Post Child

I had to laugh at the comment that was made about Van being the poster child for Pediasure. I agree you two are right. Here is a picture of Van in March during his weight check days

with Pediasure and a little time he has turned into a 24.5 pound Chunky Monkey! I know he is huge, I think he might of been on Vanilla pediasure with hersheys chocolate a little to long. At least I could see my money working and NO more weight checks!

Batman & Ironman

I am slow but yes we did celebrate Halloween! Landon loved pulling out the pumpkin goo and Van would not touch it. We took them trick or treating to Great Grandma Betty's house and then were back to our house for some more. Landon loved going in "that scary creepy garage" (the haunted house across the street) and made sure that every house gave a piece of candy to him and Van. Van was lazy and rode in the stroller but never let go of his candy bucket. It was a great night and Landon is already thinking about what he is going to be next year!

Welcome Home

We were so excited that Uncle Lorin was home that we couldn't resist sneaking over to see him. Lorin came out to see us and Van went right over to give him some high fives. For those of you that know Van he does not usually venture off to anyone. I think that Lorin may have found one of his BIGGEST little fans! I have to say that it was adorable.

Jason and I than left the boys and went to get some dinner without them. Thanks You!! When we were gone Landon did one of his famous falls in the street and got a rock stuck in his leg. They said that it was really stuck and took a while to get out so we got back and he had his bandaids on and was limping around. We stayed until about 9:30 so Landon fell asleep on the way home and we got to hear him sleep talking "Grandma was I brave?". Thanks for giving the brave boy excellent medical care!

I know you want a candle!

Candles Anyone?! An awesome friend of ours Josie is doing a Gold Canyon Candle Fundraiser to help the Merkley family out with all those medical bills. I have set up a blog for Lorin with his story and all the information for the fundraiser if interested go over and visit.

http://www.lorinmerkley.blogspot.com/

Beware: Landon is totally into looking at the pictures he has taken with his Uncle Lorin so you will see a lot of them.

We love FOOD

Jason hates shopping with me he hates when I dig in and get out the coupons (I have to admit I hate it to) but when I save 60% I do feel like I have accomplished something. I have been working on a three month supply for our family for when that horrible time hits us the hardest and this is the result. I knew I was doing pretty good but I had it all scattered here and there so after a couple hours of neglecting the kids I got some organizing done and here is the result for the kitchen pantry.

I must admit that I am proud of myself and it has made we want to start in on the laundry and bathroom. Well not really I just really don't want to do my homework!

Best Doctor Visit

The boys were hiding out in Vans room where I could hear lots of laughter - that usually means they have some toy against the crib and are climbing in just so that they can climb (or fall) back out. To my surprise I found the boys playing happily together, not destroying the room or killing themselves. It is nice to know that the boys really are capable of this! If your wondering Landon said that Van passed his check up!

One small act of kindness

Jason has been wanting to do so something for his Dad just so that he has something to smile about. It sounds like something easy to do but it took him a while to figure out the perfect project & once he figured it out he was running with the idea. He decided very late Monday night and was finished with the project by late Tuesday night.

The kids enjoyed the night of climbing dirt piles, throwing dirt rocks, and climbing into really big holes, and the guys were patient enough to not yell at them when they were throwing in the dirt that had just been removed - sorry!!

Thank you Tommy, Jared, and Brian for helping Jason complete his tree planting project.

TiMe to meet McKade!!

Welcome to the World McKade

Shani and Ben dropped the kids off first thing Tuesday morning and were off to the hospital. McKinna had it planned that she was going to cry at school because Shani was not going to be there & we all know that when McKinna comes up with a plan she will follow through! Being the mean person that I told her that if she cries I would not take her to meet him when school was out. When I dropped her off (an hour late) her eyes started to fill with tears I reminded her that if she cried all day she would not be able to go see McKade she put on a smile and was off. When I picked her up she was so excited that she could go meet McKade!!

When we were at the hospital we were talking about when Van was born and how Landon wanted him to sleep in Daddys truck. Shani was saying how funny that was well Bodin once again topped Landon. He got up about 1 am and was crying for his mom Jason told him that she was at the hospital with the baby and he would see her in the morning. He kept on so Landon came into our room because "Bodin is to loud" so I went back to lay with Bodin and he went strong for a long crying "Baby McKade need go Bye Bye" it was so funny that I could not get mad at him for keeping us all up all night. Good Luck McKade you have to earn your keep it that house!

Thank You Uncle Tommy!

So Landon had an awesome time with his Uncle Tommy he looked for pottery with him and checked out the Horny Toad that he caught and Tommy even as Landon says "saved my life". It is always a joke how our kids don't choke, they have never choked and they eat everything. We went to grab some pizza the the pizza hut for lunch and at the end of the meal they gave us the round peppermints well Landon got his, he has eaten them tons of times before but this time was not so good. He had it in his mouth and took a drink Whitney asked what kind of drink it was because he had a funny look on his face. Well that was the look of extreme fear. I grabbed him and tried to get hit it out of him and then looked at Tommy on the other side of the table and threw him over. Nothing like some on the job training for the new fireman. Well after several hard back hits and lots of people watching him he got it out and Landon let out a scream. (you might be wondering where Jason was during this he was with us - yeah you guessed it he was in the bathroom)

On the ride home Landon told us "I don't want that candy ever again"! So here is a HUGE thank you Uncle Tommy for saving my life! Love Landon

One GREAT weekend!

We were able to go up to Grandma and Grandpa DeSpain's cabin in Show Low over the weekend. We had such a great time. Van got sit next to Zoey on the ride up and for the most part they were best friends - that is until Zoey stole some of his food. You don't steal food from Van he thinks he needs every last crumb for himself.

Landon is famous for falling in the fish pond but this trip he watered it and did not fall in!

We did lots of hiking and stopped for a lot of pictures. I am amazed every time we go just how burned things still are.

Van loves playing peek a boo with Landon.

Jason went and called in some elk with one of his friends that was up at his cabin in Heber on Saturday morning so when he got back he told Landon all about what he saw and here they are on there way out to call some to. Landon used his call but they didn't see anything. SHOCKER! But it was fun for Landon and one day he will learn that he can be quiet and will have to be if he plans on seeing any big game with his Dad.

Check up Time!

So I hate taking my boys to the doctor, they are not capable of passing a check up. Landon had the whole tumor on the skull issue which he FINALLY got cleared from but not until after a surgery, scans, and lots of Dr. appointments. But hey its over and on to the next thing which would be that he is either a slow color learner or he is color blind not a big issue but still does not completely pass his check up!
Today at Vans one year the doctor listens to his heart and listens and then listens some more. Okay I am not stupid and I already know whats next. He recommends taking him into the cardiologist to get his heart murmur checked out. I am a horrible parent and went ahead and passed on that. He looked a little surprised with that answer and we compromised - after the next check up if it sounds the same I will take him in. Van you have three months to grow out of this I hate going to the specialists, been there done that will Landon not doing it with you!! So next is. . . His Iron test came back low at his last check up so we need to retest that to find out how much iron to start him on iron, seriously you downed the formula how could your iron be low?! The only thing he thrived on is his weight. HOORAY!! He went from not being on the charts at 6 months to 4% at 9 months and 24% at one year and 75% for height! So all in all they are healthy which I am extremely grateful for!

BIG BOY!!

Van man LOVE's cake, Birthday cake that is!! Van had a great 1st Birthday, he enjoyed destroying every last bit of his cake; I did learn from Landon's birthday and I cut his cake in half to avoid another long sick night form an overfill of Birthday cake. Thanks everyone for the great gifts he has played and worn them all. It's been nice not having to do his laundry this week.

I love this time of the year when the weather SLOWLY starts to cool down & the streets begin to fill up with kids again. I love being able to have the boys riding (or sitting) on the bikes or taking the power wheels around the block and maybe even. . . .

sailing over to this fabulous yard sale!! The older kids were reading it as we were out this morning however I was the only one laughing! I really hope it was a youngster that made this sign.

Time for Glitz!

Okay Erin I am definitely a Glitz girl. I love your boy lines they are so much fun. I finally did Van a couple of scrapbook pages and yes they are Glitz! I neglected my house and did your canvas project and it was a blast! The basic table page is my favorite so I started with that and here is my finished project. I put it up in the loft under a great Dr. Seuss quote.

I had to check the appropriate part of the table and add that. I also learned that I should use the stays on ink.

Park Pals!

It is finally getting a little cooler outside so I decided it was time to venture out to our favorite park - Desert Mountain Park. The boys wanted to go to the park with Gracen so we grabbed her and they were on their way. They all had a blast and cheered for themselves when they made it to the top of the rock! We didn't forget Van he was with us and he was always ten BIG steps behind. During his attempt to keep up he had a little mishap with the rocks but I have to say he is one tough kid and it did not slow him down. It was a fun morning and I can't wait until it is cool so we can start making our weekly park trips again.

You can't really tell from this picture but here is the result of his fall.

Building?!

So Jason has been working a lot and I have had a ton of stuff to do so our kids have in a sense not had the best supervision. I could here them laughing and I did ask them what they were doing and Landon told me they were building. They were building for a while before I decided to go look into it and discovered that my bed no longer looked like this.

It now looks like this and is the best thing to build with in the whole house!! Wow I am so excited about this new discovery! I guess it is nice that they were enjoying each others company. Landon keeps asking if he can build again - I think I might keep my door locked!

Super Hero words of Encouragement!

I told Landon and Bodin that Uncle Lorin was sick and that he was in the hospital until he felt better (you can visit him here). I suggested to them that we could do something nice for him. Landon said that he needed a Superman toy and a card. They both started shouting & acting out what they thought it should say. It was hilarious. . . .

Be strong like Superman and Batman!

Your awesome - fight!

I just had to add this picture I think Bodin aka Batman got a good punch in!

The card turned out cute and the boys did a very good job with filling it up with unique words of encouragement! Get well Lorin and know that our house is full of prayer, faith, hope, love, support, and Super Hero words of encouragement for you!! (Landon wants to bring you Batman food to help you get strong -not sure what that is but I am sure he will tell us!!)

Landon - Cute but Not innocent!

Beware all women my child may look innocent but he is a chauvinistic pig!

* He wants me to play Batman with him & he assigns me the role of Alfred (the butler) - I don't play!

* He handed me his shirt and says "It's dirty go wash it" - I do do other things boy!

* I got him a movie that came in the mail today he looks at it and says "Good Mom" - I am not the dog!

I would like to apologize right now for all the girls that come into his life I pray that he learns some manners! I really do try I am just not getting the best results.

On To The Next Project

Jason is always complaining about the toys in the backyard so when he says I am going to build a play house I was SHOCKED! I did have to give away three of my little tikes toys but lets just say his playhouse will defiantly make up for the ones I lost. It is still a work in progress but it has a climbing wall, two slides, the tire swing, & some other stuff. Landon thinks it is awesome and he can't wait for Handy Manny to get home form work so they can build together. Yes Landon has started calling Jason "Handy Manny" one day Jason is going to have to watch that wonderful show. If I am lucky it will be done next week then my house won't be so full on saw dust & the backyard won't be a construction site!

It's not the bat cave!

Hooray Landon's room is done! He loved helping with his Super Hero room. He helped with the painting (not fun) and he helped me make the pictures for the wall! He loves it but he still coments on not having a bat cave. Get over it buddy it will NEVER happen in this house!

HULK ROOAARRR!

Sara always buys Landon the best presents last year it was the spiderman gun that I get shot with almost daily and the spiderman that we get to dance to all the time! This year I think the gift is better a harmless Hulk mask - doesn't make any noise can't shot me with it I ALMOST love it. As you can see Van is TERRIFIED of it and now that Landon has figured it out well the picture speaks for itself. I have to say the mask has been confiscated for the rest of the day (and maybe more)! Sara I can't wait till Christmas Maecyn will get something really good.