Our New Pianist

Since the beginning of the year, Ady has been taking piano lessons.  As the picture shows, she takes this quite seriously.  She decided that she was no longer all that in to dance and wanted to try something else.  When we suggested learning the piano she got very excited.  She has a great teacher in our ward and really enjoys it.  I am amazed at how quickly she is learning it.  She has already learned to play a couple of songs and knows her keys quite well.  We are so excited that she loves to explore new talents.

Two Twins Turn Ten

 

I can’t believe it, but my once tiny twins have hit double digits.  It is hard to believe that these healthy big kids were a 3 pound girl and a 4 pound boy on ventilators in the NICU ten years ago.  I have enjoyed every stage and every age of their lives.  Treven is such a great example to his little brothers.  He is always willing to help and he is smart and funny.  Ady is a sweet big sister who is constantly ready to help others.  She does sweet little things and constantly gives gifts to others.  I am so proud of these great kids and all that they have become and the ways they learn and grow each day. 

For their birthday, we went to dinner at Noodles & Co., bowling at Fat Cats, and then we got ice cream at the BYU Creamery.  Ady had the game of her life and scored 140.  Treven also broke 100, and Jonah got a couple of strikes and spares.  Let’s just say that my old high school injury was acting up and I got beat by 3 of my 4 children that night.  The fourth one did not play.  As I stood in line at the Creamery, looking at the different flavors (haven’t been there in years) I kept focusing my eyes to make sure I was reading one flavor correctly.  I kept thinking that it could not be correct, but the font of the board was a little tricky.  Finally I asked out loud, “What on earth is in the Bishop’s Bush?”  A guy in line quickly corrected me and told me that the flavor was actually the Bishop’s BASH!  We all started to laugh and I actually felt relieved that someone was not that careless in naming the flavors at the BYU Creamery.  All in all, I think we had a lot of fun and the kids seemed to have a great birthday.  We love them so much and are so grateful to be parents to these great kids.

Yearly Photos

Just had some pictures done and decided to put them on the blog.  Overall, it went well.  As usual, we were able to get plenty of smiles out of our littlest guy, but we could not always control the distraction that the lights were creating for him.  Treven and Ady did great for the most part, as long as they were not too focused on their little brother.  It took only a couple of minutes and we got some great pictures of the kids to hang on the wall!  Ady looks beautiful, we are so grateful that Treven actually has hair, and you can see all six of Jonah’s little teeth in a couple of the pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baptism Day

Treven and Ady were baptized Saturday February 4, 2012.  It was a great day.  We had so many family members, friends, and ward members there to support them.  They were given special journals and towels by the Primary.  The towels have their name and baptismal date sewn into them.  Ady got out her journal that night and wrote all the guests that were there, and then wrote “guests there from Heaven: Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, Holy Ghost, Grandma” with big hearts next to each one.  She then drew and wrote on two pages dedicated to Grandpa (my Dad) about all that he said and how much she loves him.  They both reflected on everything that was said, and they both are excited to take another step in the path back to our Heavenly Father.  It is amazing to think that these are the same children that were once such tiny twins fighting for life.  The same 3 & 4 pound babies that were tangled with tubes and lines for weeks in the hospital’s ICU are now big, healthy eight-year olds.  I am proud of them and the decision they have made to follow our Savior and be baptized.  I am so grateful that my Father in Heaven would entrust these two special spirits into our care.  Treven and Ady are great, special kids and I love being their Dad.  We love you Treven and Ady and are so proud of your righteous decision and desires to follow our Savior. 

 

 

 

Treven and Ady’s 8th Birthday

 

We decided to borrow the gym at church for the kids’ birthday party this year.  They had about 16 guests including some friends and cousins.  They were completely spoiled with gifts.  We had pizza, cake & ice cream.  We played life-size battleship, musical chairs, frog detective, frisbee horseshoes, a little bit of basketball, and we even did the mentos/diet coke trick to make an enormous fountain of diet coke in the parking lot.  The kids had a great time.  We cannot believe that the kids are eight.  We love them so much for the ways they try to be good kids and choose the right.  They are the best of friends (most of the time) and are so sweet to their little brother.  Happy Birthday Treven and Ady.  We love you!

Christmas Dance Recital

 

Ady had a Christmas dance recital the other night.  It was really fun to see.  They did many different dances with many different outfits.  It is fun to see how excited she is to participate in dance, especially after 6 years.  All the girls did a great job.  We are really proud of our little girl. 

Proud to Announce....

The ultrasound was magical.  Our baby boy looks just perfect.  Half way through the process, he got a little tired of my belly being poked and decided to turn on his tummy.  The tech didn't appreciate that and tried shaking the instrument on my stomach to get him to turn.  He responded with a big kick.

Looks like this kid is going to be like his Mamma!

Unscripted and Unplugged

• I asked the kids where Ashley was when we were in a store.  Ady said she knew right where she was and led us right to her.  I asked her how she knew where she was.  Ady proclaimed, “Super Ady knows everything!” This made Treven respond with, “oh yeah, what is 5,216 + 922?”  Ady then responded with “I mean everything about where people are Treven!”
• Treven was playing soccer with some friends.  The soccer ball was kicked and hit Treven hard, squarely in the chest.  Just when I thought he was going to start crying, he said, “wow, that felt weird on my heart,” then he shrugged and went back to playing.
• We hung out with some friends a couple of months ago.  The kids were all downstairs watching a “Spy Kids 2” while we talked.  Our friend went down the stairs to check on the kids.  At the end, the girl is dancing around with a tiny bit of her stomach flesh showing.  We were told that all four boys seemed to be mesmerized when one suddenly piped up and said (in a somewhat lustful way), “I REALLY like her belt!” Luckily that one was NOT Treven. 
• We were going somewhere and Treven wanted to use the GPS.  It kept directing us a different way then I wanted to go, which I knew was slower.  I told the kids it was fine and that the GPS was wrong.  Finally Treven could take no more.  He said, “do you want me to wham you mister?”………he then whispered, “I wouldn’t really wham it Dad, I am just trying to get this guy to stop being so  unreasonable.”
• On our first boating trip of the season, I told the kids we would have to move them to bigger lifejackets because they had outgrown their last ones.  They seemed sort of sad to let their last ones go.  I told them it would be okay.  When I tried the news ones on them, Treven said, “oh I like this one better anyway, the last lifejacket really bothered my penis.”  The last ones did indeed have a strap that went under the kids legs for safety, something that this new one was lacking…….apparently for the better.
• Ashley was called as the kids’ Primary teacher for the first couple months we lived in the ward.  One week she taught a lesson on being a peacemaker.  They did some role-playing.  She picked the one kid that is known as the wildest amongst their Primary class, to role-play with her first.  Before the role-playing began, Treven very clearly stated to the little boy, “you had better not mess with my Mom or my sister, or you will be messing with me.”  He said this in a quite serious, hushed tone.  He is very protective of the ladies in our family.
• When we went camping/boating over Labor Day weekend, Treven really wanted Ashley to come in the tube with him.  He kept wanting to go faster and faster.  I went  a tiny bit faster and Treven soon realized the difference two or three MPH can make on the tube.  In between laughter, he shouted out, “I am a man, I am supposed to be able to handle this!!!!”
• Whenever we are driving in the car, the kids always want me to make up stories for them.  I always ask them to give me a subject and then away I go.  One particular time I decided I was going to make all sentences in the stories rhyme.  After I had told three brief stories to the kids, Treven asked me to tell them a story about them being super-heroes.  He then said, “…and please leave out your Dr. Seuss!”

 

• Ashley bought some pink lemonade in bottles from the store one week.  We were drinking it, when Ady said that we should get it again the next week.  I said, “maybe we could save some money and make our own.”  Ady said, “I just never thought of that because I don’t know where we buy pink lemons.”  She was dead serious.
• In Sacrament one week, Ady really seemed to need to blow her nose.  I quietly helped her.  She looked down at the tissue as I was folding it up, she proclaimed (a little too loudly) “whoa, I had some really strawberry boogers today!”

My Ady Girl

(Ethan, Trev, Zach, Nathan, Ady, and Ben)

My sweet Ady is completely surround by boy cousins.  I sometimes wonder how she holds her own against this rambunctious group.  And then I remember how much these boys love Ady.  They are kind to her and make sure she is always included in the fun.  Nathan and Ady are especially close.    

Ady pushing Nathan on the swings.

I never lived close to my cousins so at times like these I look at my children and pray they are making life-long memories.