Katrina in the snow

Christmas time 2008

Oh christmas tree oh christmass tree..... how lovely are all the broken ornaments!

One of my best memories of my youth is all the lovely christmas trees my mother had over the years, many of which she would enter similar ones into the festival of trees. Well we started a tradion in our own family or should I say Danielle had years ago that each year we have a kids tree that has new hallmark ornaments placed on them each year along with all the past old ones.

Well it seems this year that the tree has found it's way into the hands of Brayden, and being a boy.....well use your imagination!! Two years ago we started using plastic ornaments due to Trina and her obsesion with the tree, well now Brayden loves those as well as all the other ornaments. So slowly but surely the tree is loosing it's lustre.

I never realized how hard it was to try to decide what to get for the older kids, Maddy and Austin. We ask them what they want for christmas and they just give us that blank stare. So now we have decided to go to family gifts so to speak. They each get some new clothes, just what you want as a kid huh, but then we give them a larger family type of gift. This year it will be a new game system that they all can play, including the little ones. I must have really caused my parents to struggle with all my requests as I got older.

Snow has finally fallen here, Brayden just as with everything else doesn't care if he is out barefoot in it, he just loves to play and loves to make a mess, mostly of himself. Sydnee has yet to be out in the snow, she watches her brother and sister and probably wonders what they find so fun about a whole bunch of white stuff. Trina lvoes the snow, she can't stop playing in it as long as someone is outside with her. Everytime I go out to shovel she wants to be out there and start a snowball fight, anything to be able to throw snow. We tend to have a very busy christmas eve and christmas day especially with the older two and the time with their dad. We will keep you updated as the holiday season progresses but for now be content with the "is it christmas yet" that is the most prominent question around our house.

2008 in Review

So here it is again another year has gone by any yet we still don't know where it went. All we do know is that things are great. The family is doing well and so is our business.

Austin turned 12 this year and was able to be given the gift of the Priesthood and is now a Deacon. He is a refreshing part to our young mens program since he loves to read and does not mind to speak up and give his opinion.

I hope he never loses that part of him it will serve him well throughout his life. He played another year of football, he made the "A" team but there were so mnay kids he really did not get his chance to become better this year. We spnet alot of time working on his own for next year, he is a hard worker and will get better soon enough over those who do not work hard at it.

Maddy is now 9 and she is doing great. She is attending some time at Sylvan and it has helped her greatly in her ability to learn and progress with her schooling. She is doing so well for what

she has had to learn to work with. She is getting big now too and soon it won't be long before she is out of grade school as well.

Trina is now 4 and is a typial 4 year old. She is having to learn how to play with friends and share, it is a new concept to her I guess and it is not something she likes to do very often. She too is growing up and becoming more and more indpendent. There are times when we try to help her and she gets upset with us for butting into her business. We have started going thru pre school learning systems with her so she can be ready for school in another year and a half. Unfortunately for us she won't start kindergarten till she is almost 6 years old.

Brayden is our little sweetheart. He is so caring and watchful of everyone, yet at the same time he can be the typical 2 year old and throw those lovely 2 year old tantrums. he loves to play sports with his dad and then loves to help with anything around the house, he runs around singing the clean upsong from nursery when we are cleaning around the house and loves to help with the laundry.

Sydnee is now almost 1. She has gotten the crawling down and is learning how to stand and walk a little now. Though she is a little shy about wanting to try to walk on her own. It is either that or else every time she is going to try Bray and Trina both go and pick her up. So she is taking a little longer than usual for us to get the walking down. She is such a good little baby, very calm unless she is hungry or upset over something, otherwise she and Brayden have a very similar temperment. Maybe it is becuse out house is sooo full now that they have no choice.

Danielle and I are doing well. Danielle is getting used to staying home though she is becoming more involved with our business, but with 5 kids there is not much time for much else, especially with 3 of them 4 or under. I myself am getting increasingly busier each day. With the business growing and the responsibilitites that it requires I am spending a good amount of time during the day working on it. We are meeting some wonderful people and making huge strides for our family, I love what we do for families and there has not been a more rewarding opportunity for me in my life.

Well it has been a great year and we look forward to having an even better year in 2009.