Hello 2017

New Years Eve was pretty low key.  We changed the clocks as usual so the kids didn't stay up too late.  We played games, did a few fireworks, and rung in the new year.  Looking forward to another great one!

2016!

Feel so blessed to have all these people in my life.  I am really so lucky.  2016 flew by of course but we had some great moments and memories.  And also some harder moments like the passing of my sweetest Grandpa Ballam.  

Jer as always works so hard to provide and support our family.  He tries his hardest to please me and make me happy.  Which obviously there is no end to so he deserves praise for all is efforts.  I don't tell him enough, but I am so lucky to have found him.  He has trained me to know that eventually he will come around to whatever I want.  He's a smart husband!  He does well at Western Rock and gets lots of positive feedback and praise for his accomplishments.  We are proud of his example of hard work and dedication.  We both credit many of our successes on hard work and perseverance.  It can sure go a long way.  He is also an asset and strength to our ward.  He is the Young Mens 1st Counselor, over the Teachers.  Seems like he has been part of the Young Mens program for so many years now!  Forty is looming just around the corner for him and he threatens that if I need another baby it needs to be before he's forty!!  He works tirelessly around our new home on project...after project...after PROJECT.  I have promised him we will take a break after our kitchen redo.  His list never ends.  Luckily I'm in no way a NAG about it...EVER!

It's hard to write about yourself!  But for history's sake I'll give it a try.  I taught the CTR 7 class in primary this year.  I joke that they give Jer all the big callings, which is just fine by me!  I still would like to get back into crafting, sewing as the kids have gotten a little older.  We no longer vacation rental our basement and have a permanent renter which has freed up some time for me.  I was on the PTA board this year over memberships and try to help in the kids' class when I can.  I volunteered in Cardon's class once a week.  I have enjoyed going to the gym and working out every day.  It has been such a stress reliever and much needed break for me.  I feel as healthy and strong as ever.  Cooking and eating real food has become even more important to me over the last year and I feel like I'm doing myself and my family a service by helping them to be their healthiest self.  Don't worry, I still can't turn down a Mexican food date night though.  I'm actually not sure how I manage to fill up my days so completely.  Being married and having children takes most my time, but it's what I always wanted to do and wouldn't want to do anything else.  I feel blessed to be able to be home with my family.  

Truman sure is turning into a young man.  He is almost as tall as me and definitely as smart.  He is constantly telling is random facts about all sorts of things.  He started Intermediate School at Lava Ridge and it has been wonderful for him.  He is enjoying having a variety of classes and meeting lots of new people.  He especially likes his honors science and honors choir class.  He is involved in school and works hard to keep his grades up.  I have been impresses with his organization and ability to get all his things done on his own this year.  He loves to read and it's not uncommon to find him holed up in his room with a good book.  He enjoys scouts and looks forward to it every week.  He plays for a competitive soccer team called Heat FC and has found a great way to exercise and have fun with his team.  He also continues to work hard on the piano and it is really all coming together for him.  He is also starting to give us glimpses of his moody teenager days that are not far off!  Truman loves to have one on one time and is his best when we can spend some quality time with him.  We are so proud of him.  And I seriously can't believe he will be leaving on a mission in 6 years!  Where is the time going?

Prentice Tacy is still my helpful girl and second mom to the boys.  She works hard in all she does and wants to be her best.  She has made lots of new friends this year with her best friend moving to a different school.  She is in her fourth year of Chinese and we never get tired of hearing her speak it.  She is on a competitive soccer team as well, United FC.  She also continues to work on the piano and get better all the time.  She likes everything she does and is always willing to do more.  She is good at finding moments to help the people in our family and pitch in where she can.  She really is just a "good" girl.  I am lucky to have my mimi me!

Cardon has started kindergarten this year and is loving more independence and probably time away from home.  He seems to be the most social of my kids and loves being around other people and friends.  When I drop him off at school he is like a friend magnet!  Nothing like the rest of us. His cute smirk can win over anyone.  He likes to be a helper in any way he can.  Whether it's helping to cook a meal or explain an assignment to a classmate.  He played on a soccer team this year and scored instead of refusing to go in the game like last year.  He does very well in school and knew all the kindergarten sight words but 3 before the year even began.  He is a great little reader and unlike me math and numbers seems to just click for him.  Reminds me of my brothers a little.  He is always seems to be trying to out think us or decide what we want him to do so he can be sure to do the opposite.  Sometimes parenting him takes all my reasoning energy by the end of the day.  He is is quite the kid to parent.  Jer and I both hope his stubborness serves him well someday.  When he digs in, you know you might as well give up!  We love his playful and fun spirit that he brings to our family.

Chambers gave us our first broken bone this year.  In March he broke his femur while Jer and I were out of town.  We still call him our "baby" and he milks it whenever he can.  He really is the sweetest little boy and we all can't help but want his attention.  He seems to get along with everyone in the family.  He didn't start preschool this year and I have loved having him home one more year to treasure this age.  He still takes a nap most days.  He loves to have books read to him.  He wants to do whatever the older kids are doing.  He doesn't seem to understand when I sometimes have to tell him he's just not quite old enough.  Seems crazy that our baby will be 4 this coming year!

That's our year in a nutshell!  Looking forward to another great year!  Now if I can just come up with some attainable goals...

Christmas

Christmas morning Truman and I both woke up with the stomach flu.  I felt queasy the whole day but it wasn't too horrible.  Truman on the other hand got it really bad and vomited about 10 times.  He opened his presents but it was mostly downhill from there.  We slept off and on most the day while Jer carried on with the days festivities with the other kids.  By that night we started to feel better.  We had all planned on going to Salt Lake the next day but we felt with our sickness we better sit tight.  We did end up going north a couple days later when everyone was feeling good finally!

All Chambers wanted was water balloons for Christmas.

Poor Truman!!  What a way to spend Christmas.

 Favorite Christmas pajamas to date.  Especially from behind.  I'm thinking maybe I should have gone up a size.

Once we got up north I felt like our Christmas break finally began.  The kids were so excited to get some time in the snow.  Grandpa and Grandma Leonard had plenty of fun snow activities for the the kids plus some Christmas presents.

Chambers is pretty tuckered out after a day in the snow.

The boys got to go to a late movie, "Rogue One."

We also got to spend some great time with cousins.  The kids played and played and went sledding twice.  As always we ate too much but it was so good.  Anton and I were able to hike Olympus in the snow.  Such a unique experience.

We went to the temple to see the lights one night as well.  It was pretty freezing so we didn't stay long but the lights and atmosphere were beautiful.  I know I have a few more pictures.  I'll have to get them off Jer's phone.

As soon as we got home Jer let me take a quick run while he put things away from the trip.  I knew everyone's night would go a lot better if I got my run in.  It was New Years Eve after all.  It felt amazing.  And after being up north the cold didn't seem that cold at all!

Quite the Christmas Break

The day before the kids got out for school for Christmas Jer and I made the awesome decision to start the redo of our kitchen.  So the kids and I were stuck upstairs for a couple days while they worked downstairs.  Right after they finished, I was anxious to get out and do some fun things to start off our break.  As fate would have it, that evening Cardon got a bad case of pink eye.  I wanted to get him in to the night clinic so we could get him on drops and stop it from spreading and have a healthy Christmas.  Looking back we should have just purposely infected all of us at once.  We were so careful with hand washing and germs but every couple days someone came down with it.  Just when we thought we were good someone else seemed to get it.  To top it off Prentice also started us off with the stomach flu.  I'm still confused as to how exactly we picked up all these germs considering we hadn't left the house for days.  It was really starting to wear on all of us.  Jer, me, Tacy and Cardon all ended up with pink eye.  Tacy, Cardon, me and Truman all came down with the stomach bug.  Normally I feel like I get off easy and don't get sick too often, but obviously not this time!  The funny thing is Chambers was the only one not to get anything.  

Cardon showing us his red eye after he had been on drops for a few days.

We finally decided to get out and take the kids sledding in the snow since we weren't contagious for red eye anymore and we thought the stomach fly was done.

Here's pictures of us giving each other our eye drops.  It wasn't the best sledding but it was so nice to get out of the house anyway.

That night we still felt like we should stay away from my family for Christmas Eve just to be safe.  And that was lucky since Truman and I both woke up Christmas morning with the flu!  Christmas Eve everyone felt well and we had a really nice quiet time as a family.  The kids did so well decorating their houses and were really into it.

One last Christmas Eve picture before the kids were off to bed.

Truman got to stay up and helped get the Christmas breakfast table set.  He can be so helpful to me now.  Especially when he wants to stay up after everyone else has gone to bed.  I have learned that he really craves this individual time.  And even though I am tired by the end of the day and would maybe like more time to myself, I have enjoyed getting that time with him.

Then Truman headed off to bed since he "unofficially" still believes in Santa.  I just can't bring myself to really come to terms with the fact that I have a child old enough to not believe:(  Definitely growing up!  We kept Christmas much simpler.  I may have done a little more last minute shopping, but since we were too sick and contagious to leave for a week this is what it was.  We did mostly family gifts for the kids and a few individual ones.  For sure trying to stay with our simpler life.