Well, I had a lot to post today, but only about 12 minutes to write, EEK!
I went through Stephen's class syllabuses today & made a to do list for him. The man has ALOT of work to this week. I will pray for him, I know he'll feel overwhelmed.
I signed Jonathan up for Drivers Ed. It cost $95, but it will be worth it to have a 3rd driver in the house!
I really need to get a few more things done before the kids get home, but tomorrow I will blog about an experience I had with Kaitlyn & how it has changed my perspective on parenting.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Sunday, January 2, 2011
January 2nd
Our time to go to church switched from 1 pm to 9 am, and I LOVE IT! Being the first week of the month, it was fast & testimony meeting. We have lived in this area for over 10 years now, so the people we go to church with seem like part of our extended family. I love the warm, familiar feel whenever we walk in. I was truly edified by the testimonies that were shared. People, our friends, encouraging each other to live the Gospel a little better, to come to know Christ better. I just feel very blessed to be a part of this ward & neighborhood.
A funny story about fast & testimony meeting. Jonathan's friend Jared bore his testimony. 7 minutes later, his friend Russel, stood up. 2 seconds later, Jonathan stood up. What's funny is that earlier, their Young Men's President stood up, & was bearing his testimony about the importance of living a righteous life as young men & respecting the Priesthood. He looked over at the Young Men who were sitting together because they had passed the Sacrament, and as usual, they were goofing off & not paying attention. The YM president commented on their behavior. Apparently, they are great multi-taskers because at least one of them heard the comment, and as a result, the three, Jared, Russel, & Jonathan stood to bear testimony to prove they were indeed paying attention!
For the past several months, I've had the opportunity to help a little girl in our ward with special needs transition from nursery to primary. She moved in our ward in June. She was 4, & due to being a little behind developmentally, she was put in nursery. I bonded with her almost immediately. I was given the assignment of transitioning her from the nursery to the primary. By September, she was in Primary sharing time for the entire time, and I was assigned to be her Primary teacher for the Sunday School portion. Today, she went to her regular class with children her age and did really well! There are two teachers in her class, so I am no longer needed. And it feels great! It means I did my job well, and she has the skills to be successful in a regular class. I did love working with her, & I will miss her, but it is a great thing that she is able to move on.
So, I returned back to the nursery today. Most of our nursery kids were 3 years old, and moved on to Primary. Now, we only have 4 children, & it is a delight to be with them again!
Stephen also returned to the Elder's Quorum after serving in the Young Men's for 3 years. He said he enjoyed it. It was wonderful to take a nap after church.
The kids & I had to help Stephen with a little homework for his religion class. He is required to take Family Foundations class this semester. His first assignment is to post a picture of our family. Well, you would think with all the pictures I take, we would have a family picture. nope! So we set the camera up on the tripod & snapped a picture:
And now, for the most exciting news (hopefully)! Jonathan finished his paperwork for his Eagle and set up an appointment with the person in charge of reviewing the paperwork before scheduling his board of review! This is his second attempt, and hopefully, it will be accepted. His appointment is tomorrow!
A funny story about fast & testimony meeting. Jonathan's friend Jared bore his testimony. 7 minutes later, his friend Russel, stood up. 2 seconds later, Jonathan stood up. What's funny is that earlier, their Young Men's President stood up, & was bearing his testimony about the importance of living a righteous life as young men & respecting the Priesthood. He looked over at the Young Men who were sitting together because they had passed the Sacrament, and as usual, they were goofing off & not paying attention. The YM president commented on their behavior. Apparently, they are great multi-taskers because at least one of them heard the comment, and as a result, the three, Jared, Russel, & Jonathan stood to bear testimony to prove they were indeed paying attention!
For the past several months, I've had the opportunity to help a little girl in our ward with special needs transition from nursery to primary. She moved in our ward in June. She was 4, & due to being a little behind developmentally, she was put in nursery. I bonded with her almost immediately. I was given the assignment of transitioning her from the nursery to the primary. By September, she was in Primary sharing time for the entire time, and I was assigned to be her Primary teacher for the Sunday School portion. Today, she went to her regular class with children her age and did really well! There are two teachers in her class, so I am no longer needed. And it feels great! It means I did my job well, and she has the skills to be successful in a regular class. I did love working with her, & I will miss her, but it is a great thing that she is able to move on.
So, I returned back to the nursery today. Most of our nursery kids were 3 years old, and moved on to Primary. Now, we only have 4 children, & it is a delight to be with them again!
Stephen also returned to the Elder's Quorum after serving in the Young Men's for 3 years. He said he enjoyed it. It was wonderful to take a nap after church.
The kids & I had to help Stephen with a little homework for his religion class. He is required to take Family Foundations class this semester. His first assignment is to post a picture of our family. Well, you would think with all the pictures I take, we would have a family picture. nope! So we set the camera up on the tripod & snapped a picture:
And now, for the most exciting news (hopefully)! Jonathan finished his paperwork for his Eagle and set up an appointment with the person in charge of reviewing the paperwork before scheduling his board of review! This is his second attempt, and hopefully, it will be accepted. His appointment is tomorrow!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
January 1st
One of my goals of the new year is to blog a little something about each day. Some posts will be bigger, maybe even more exciting than most. Some will have pictures, other's won't. The purpose is to keep a record of our daily life.
Yesterday, I think we hit that point where we are ready to back to our normal routine. It has been really cold & snowy. Bitter cold, it is no fun to be out in, even to play in. So we have been cooped up all week & the kids are going stir crazy! They are bored of playing games, watching movies, & playing on the Wii.
Jonathan & Kaitlyn went to a New Years Dance & had fun. The rest of us stayed home, played Disney Scene It & watched a movie. Earlier in the day, I took down the Christmas Tree & decorations.
Welcome 2011!
Yesterday, I think we hit that point where we are ready to back to our normal routine. It has been really cold & snowy. Bitter cold, it is no fun to be out in, even to play in. So we have been cooped up all week & the kids are going stir crazy! They are bored of playing games, watching movies, & playing on the Wii.
Jonathan & Kaitlyn went to a New Years Dance & had fun. The rest of us stayed home, played Disney Scene It & watched a movie. Earlier in the day, I took down the Christmas Tree & decorations.
Welcome 2011!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Happy New Year!
) can hardly believe today the last day of the year is here! As I have checked my email & facebook this morning, I've seen Top 10 Lists everywhere. I thought I would do one of my own!
DAISSON TOP 10 (in no particular order)
1. Jonathan turned 15, obtained his learner's permit & wiped out our mailbox the first time he backed out. His driving skills have greatly improved over the year.
2. After 3 years of living with us, my Dad moved to California.
3. Hannah turned 8 & was baptized! It's great to be 8!
4. Jonathan worked at Maple Dell Scout Camp as a full time paid employee,
5. Our family vacations included a trip to Rexburg & and Northern California where we played with family & visited Six Flags Marine World, & San Gregario Beach.
6. Kaitlyn decided to pierce her ears & started wearing make-up
7. Emily continues to excel in Gymnastics.
8. Stephen was accepted into BYU- Idaho's online advanced nursing program. In 3 years, he'll be a Family Nurse Practitioner.
9. I went to the doctor early in the year & found out the reason I was in so much pain & unable to sleep was because I was having muscle spasms every 5 seconds. 2 pills a day has completely changed my life! I no longer hurt, and I get 8 hours of sleep and wake up rested.
10. Stephen was released as 1st counselor in the Young Men's presidency after serving 3 years. Before that, he was ward mission leader. And prior to that, he was executive secretary in the Bishopric. Now he is the men's sports cooridinator. The release has been an adjustment for him, but one that will allow him to balance work, family, & school more effectively (This is what the Bishop said.)
It's been a great year & we're excited to see what 2011 brings!
DAISSON TOP 10 (in no particular order)
1. Jonathan turned 15, obtained his learner's permit & wiped out our mailbox the first time he backed out. His driving skills have greatly improved over the year.
2. After 3 years of living with us, my Dad moved to California.
3. Hannah turned 8 & was baptized! It's great to be 8!
4. Jonathan worked at Maple Dell Scout Camp as a full time paid employee,
5. Our family vacations included a trip to Rexburg & and Northern California where we played with family & visited Six Flags Marine World, & San Gregario Beach.
6. Kaitlyn decided to pierce her ears & started wearing make-up
7. Emily continues to excel in Gymnastics.
8. Stephen was accepted into BYU- Idaho's online advanced nursing program. In 3 years, he'll be a Family Nurse Practitioner.
9. I went to the doctor early in the year & found out the reason I was in so much pain & unable to sleep was because I was having muscle spasms every 5 seconds. 2 pills a day has completely changed my life! I no longer hurt, and I get 8 hours of sleep and wake up rested.
10. Stephen was released as 1st counselor in the Young Men's presidency after serving 3 years. Before that, he was ward mission leader. And prior to that, he was executive secretary in the Bishopric. Now he is the men's sports cooridinator. The release has been an adjustment for him, but one that will allow him to balance work, family, & school more effectively (This is what the Bishop said.)
It's been a great year & we're excited to see what 2011 brings!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
1st day of school pictures
Yay, I am caught up for the year! I have been blogging all morning. Here are pictures of the kids from the first day of school.
September- St George
Kaitlyn & Stephen went to St. George over her birthday weekend. They took A LOT of pictures! I haven't gone through them yet, but I'll post some when I do.
November
We spent most of November working on Jonathan's Eagle Scout Project. He finished the project & then went to his pre board of review right before Thanksgiving to review the paperwork. We had worked pretty hard on it, so I was confident that all was in order. Wrong! There were several things the committee wants him to fix before final submission. Jonathan has been pretty busy with homework, & with the holidays, I've been pretty busy as well. Slowly, he has rewritten several parts of the paperwork, & he is almost ready to resubmit the paperwork. We have to get this finished within the next few weeks because he starts driver's ed and wants to find a job. Always busy.
Originally, we planned to go to California to spend Thanksgiving with my family, but snow storms kept us in Utah. We spent Thanksgiving at Stephen's counsin's houe. It was a lot of fun! The kids enjoyed playing with second cousins.
On the last Sunday of the month, we decorated our house for Christmas.
Originally, we planned to go to California to spend Thanksgiving with my family, but snow storms kept us in Utah. We spent Thanksgiving at Stephen's counsin's houe. It was a lot of fun! The kids enjoyed playing with second cousins.
On the last Sunday of the month, we decorated our house for Christmas.
December Fun
There wasn't a whole lot of time to do fun things before the kids started Christmas break, but we managed to squeeze a few things in.
One day after school, we made cookies.
The living planet aquarium had a free day, so I checked the kids out of school after lunch (Emily had a presentation, and Jonathan had a test). It was fun. We bought Kaitlyn a camera & she took most of the pictures. I think she has talent!
Stephen & the girls went to our ward Christmas Party. Jonathan was at a debate tournament & was supposed to be home at 6:30 pm. I was waiting on his call to pick him up. They ended up being 2 hours late & we both missed the party. :( However, Emily was nice enough to bring us a plate of delicious food!
Emily, Hannah & I went to a Christmas get-together with my old Room mates from Ricks college. The girls enjoyed playing with their kids, & I enjoyed visiting with some of my best friends & eating good food.
One day after school, we made cookies.
The living planet aquarium had a free day, so I checked the kids out of school after lunch (Emily had a presentation, and Jonathan had a test). It was fun. We bought Kaitlyn a camera & she took most of the pictures. I think she has talent!
Stephen & the girls went to our ward Christmas Party. Jonathan was at a debate tournament & was supposed to be home at 6:30 pm. I was waiting on his call to pick him up. They ended up being 2 hours late & we both missed the party. :( However, Emily was nice enough to bring us a plate of delicious food!
Emily, Hannah & I went to a Christmas get-together with my old Room mates from Ricks college. The girls enjoyed playing with their kids, & I enjoyed visiting with some of my best friends & eating good food.
December Performances
This month was crazy busy until the 21st. Kaitlyn's rehearsal schedule for Beauty & The Beast increased from 2 days a week to 3 days a week. Emily had a few extra choir practices in preparation for their December concert, and Hannah had mandatory dance practices for her recital. I felt like I was in the van more than I was at home from 3 to 6 pm, and I admit, I felt a little cranky about it. I kept wondering why I agreed to let them participate in so many activities. But it was during their performances, that I realized how worth all the craziness was. They all performed beautifully!
Kaitlyn's Choir Concert
Hannah in her dance costume:
We took video of Emily's concert & I'll upload it soon.
Kaitlyn's Choir Concert
Hannah in her dance costume:
We took video of Emily's concert & I'll upload it soon.
Salem Pond- Festival of Lights
I have a confession to make, I did not take these pictures. I googled to find pictures. I love taking pictures, but sometimes I just want to enjoy the moment with Stephen & kids.
Last night, we took a drive through Salem Christmas Pond. We do this every year, & it is one of our favorite places to see Christmas lights.
Then we headed to the Festival of Lights in Spanish Fork:
Last night, we took a drive through Salem Christmas Pond. We do this every year, & it is one of our favorite places to see Christmas lights.
Then we headed to the Festival of Lights in Spanish Fork:
A very special present
This post is a little emotional for me to write. Both my mother and Stephen's mother have passed on. The kids never knew my mom, but they adored & loved Stephen's mom. When she died four years ago, it really affected the girls. Kaitlyn would often say, "It just isn't fair that my grandma had to die when I was a little girl. Why Mom?" All I could say is that God has a plan & we need to trust him. Still, the girls miss having a Grandma.
A few weeks ago, Stephen's Aunt Irene called to say she was in Salt Lake visiting her sister, & had gifts to give the children. When the girls, saw the gifts magically appear under the tree one day after school, they rushed over to see who they were from. Each tag stated that the gift was from "Grandma & Grandpa Campbell."
They were all silent for a few seconds. Then Emily said, "Well Aunt Irene is Grandma's sister. She won't mind if she is our Grandma here on earth until we see her again in heaven." Hannah & Kaitlyn both agreed & they all happily poked & prodded the packages trying to guess what Grandma Campbell had sent them. We have a tradition of letting them open one gift on Christmas Eve (besides pajamas), and they all chose this one from Grandma Campbell:
Now these dolls are really special to me as well. My Granny made dolls like this for me when I was a young girl. When I was a teenager, I wrapped them up & put them in a black plastic garbage bag to save to give to my children one day. I set them in the garage to store. My dad was taking out the garbage & accidentally thought my dolls were another bag of garbage. He felt really bad about it & I've always felt sad that I wasn't able to pass them on. Now, the girls each have a doll & plan to take care of them so they can give them to their girls one day!
Thanks Aunt Irene/ Grandma Campbell!
A few weeks ago, Stephen's Aunt Irene called to say she was in Salt Lake visiting her sister, & had gifts to give the children. When the girls, saw the gifts magically appear under the tree one day after school, they rushed over to see who they were from. Each tag stated that the gift was from "Grandma & Grandpa Campbell."
They were all silent for a few seconds. Then Emily said, "Well Aunt Irene is Grandma's sister. She won't mind if she is our Grandma here on earth until we see her again in heaven." Hannah & Kaitlyn both agreed & they all happily poked & prodded the packages trying to guess what Grandma Campbell had sent them. We have a tradition of letting them open one gift on Christmas Eve (besides pajamas), and they all chose this one from Grandma Campbell:
Now these dolls are really special to me as well. My Granny made dolls like this for me when I was a young girl. When I was a teenager, I wrapped them up & put them in a black plastic garbage bag to save to give to my children one day. I set them in the garage to store. My dad was taking out the garbage & accidentally thought my dolls were another bag of garbage. He felt really bad about it & I've always felt sad that I wasn't able to pass them on. Now, the girls each have a doll & plan to take care of them so they can give them to their girls one day!
Thanks Aunt Irene/ Grandma Campbell!
Spoiled by Aunts & Uncles
This is a story worth telling. Every year, we rotate gift giving with Stephen's brothers. Last year, his brother Mike had us, but they weren't able to get the presents the bought for us down here. A few weekends ago, I received a call from one of Mike's wife's friends, saying that she had a box of presents from Mike & family to give to us. She wanted to arrange a time to meet the next day, Sunday. It was during this time that we were dealing with the news that Grandpa Lee had died, & Emily's cat had disappeared. Christmas cheer was pretty low, so to pep things up, I told them a surprise was coming after Church & wouldn't say anymore. Emily & Kaitlyn, who love a good mystery, kept trying to guess what it was. They even passed me notes during Sacrament meeting with their guesses on them! They came close to guessing, but didn't quite put all the pieces together. They were all excited when we picked up the presents, but a little let down that they couldn't open them until Christmas!
We also enjoyed presents from Uncle Ernest & family! Thanks for spoiling us! We love you all!
We also enjoyed presents from Uncle Ernest & family! Thanks for spoiling us! We love you all!
Christmas Day
We had a wonderful Christmas day despite the fact that Stephen had to work at 6am, which meant that we had to get up at 4:30am to open presents. It was fun to watch them open presents:
I bought Emily & Hannah princess dolls, & although Kaitlyn is technically too old for Barbies, I bought her Belle to sit on her shelf, to remind her of the year that she was in the musical, Beauty & The Beast, Jr. We also gave her a retro 80's boom box with a CD player & alarm clock.
Emily loves all presents big & small, especially ones from her best friends. I think this was one from Carly.
I bought Emily & Hannah princess dolls, & although Kaitlyn is technically too old for Barbies, I bought her Belle to sit on her shelf, to remind her of the year that she was in the musical, Beauty & The Beast, Jr. We also gave her a retro 80's boom box with a CD player & alarm clock.
Emily loves all presents big & small, especially ones from her best friends. I think this was one from Carly.
Christmas Eve
Each year, I buy the kids a new set of PJ's. They know without fail that they will get PJ's, so I stuff a little something in with them so there will be some sort of surprise. This year I put card games in with their PJs. Around noon, I told them it was time to open PJs, which perplexed them since we usually don't open them until right before bed. To add to their confusion, I made them draw a number 1 through 4. Emily drew 1, so she opened hers first. Along with her PJs, she found a new deck of Uno cards.
We played a round of Uno, then Kaitlyn opened hers & found Phase 10. I guess I won because I was the only one starting phase 4 when the kids decided to end the game and move on to the next person's PJ surprise.
Hannah opened hers, and found The Diary of a Whimpy Kid card game. It was a fast moving game, and we all loved it!
Last, Jonathan opened him PJ's, & found Skipbo. Kaitlyn & Hannah were sick of card games, so they sat this one out. But Stephen, Jonathan, Emily & I had a blast playing.
We thought Jonathan using his pocket knife to cut through scotch tape was pretty funny!
We played a round of Uno, then Kaitlyn opened hers & found Phase 10. I guess I won because I was the only one starting phase 4 when the kids decided to end the game and move on to the next person's PJ surprise.
Hannah opened hers, and found The Diary of a Whimpy Kid card game. It was a fast moving game, and we all loved it!
Last, Jonathan opened him PJ's, & found Skipbo. Kaitlyn & Hannah were sick of card games, so they sat this one out. But Stephen, Jonathan, Emily & I had a blast playing.
We thought Jonathan using his pocket knife to cut through scotch tape was pretty funny!
Cookie Day
Last Wednesday was our first official day of Christmas break. I planned to spend the day baking cookies with the girls. Jonathan volunteered to be our taste tester! It was fun, & took up the entire day. The clean-up wasn't so fun, but worth the time we spent together. I didn't get any pictures since my hands were covered in cookie dough all day. We made truffles, Chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, and sugar cookies.
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