Bathroom Remodel - Yahoo!!!!

We finally remodeled our bathroom!!! There are still a few finishing touches to make, but here are a few pics of it. This was a long awaited and much anticipated goal of mine. Rich did the majority of the work himself, with help along the way from skilled friends and neighbors. Can I just tell you how excited I am?

On a totally different subject, this picture pretty much sums up Cameron's first 18 months. To put it mildly, he cried A LOT. I've tried to chalk it up to teething, colds, you name it, but I think it just comes down to the fact that he is a high maintenance child. HOWEVER, lately he has suddenly become easier! He actually goes in the other room and plays by himself! He stopped biting my feet while I was trying to make dinner! He runs around with a smile on his face! I know this may just be a passing phase, but I'm enjoying every minute of it. Way to go Cam!

Recent Happenings

The kids love playing in the snow, especially when daddy joins them

Christmas morning

Christmas Eve in new pajamas

Cameron looking cute

Carson in his annual preschool program

Carson as an elf in his program


Now that the holidays are over, our life is a little blah! It was fun while it lasted. I'm glad to get back into a routine and have the kids on schedules. Maybe I'll even get caught up on laundry. We had a wonderful holiday season. We hope you did too!

Dream Vacation in Paradise

We finally did it! After years of planning and months of waiting, we embarked on our 10 year anniversary/pass the CPA exam/we need a break vacation. We flew to San Juan, Puerto Rico where we climbed aboard the Serenade of the Seas cruise ship. From there we visited St. Thomas, St Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia, and Barbados. We had never cruised before and weren't sure what to expect, but we both loved it. Besides a little sea sickness, it was a great way to go for a stress-free vacation. The weather was perfect, as was the company. Some of the highlights included a canopy tour in the rainforest including 9 ziplines, a hike to a beautiful volcanic waterfall, and a scenic bike ride through old sugar plantations. It was so nice to enjoy each other without the distractions and stresses of daily life.

This picture was taken at Orient Beach, a nude beach in St. Maarten. No, we did not participate. We stuck to the family-friendly side of the beach. Yuck!

Rich at a craft fair where they sold a lot of crap.

We went on a bike ride in Barbados...they made us wear silly shower caps under out helmets. It was beautiful and picturesque (the scenery that is).

A beautiful beach in Barbados

All dressed up for formal night

Touring an old fort in Puerto Rico

Returning home refreshed, reconnected, and relaxed.

I have to give props to my parents for tending our little cuties while we were away. My mom was exhausted by the time we got home (we were gone 7 nights!) She had to do carpool, naps, homework, the whole shebang. And Cameron didn't sleep at night for her. We never could have done it without you! Thank you so much! You are my heroes!

Living the Dream

Occasionally Rich will ask me, "what are your dreams"? Along with being rich and famous (J/K), I always have to tell him that I AM living my dream. When I was a little girl, it was my dream to be a mom and wife. Now that I am one, I can truly say it is a dream come true. Now don't get me wrong, our life is not perfect. I don't mean this to be boastful or to let on that our life is perfect, it's not. I only mean to say that I wouldn't have it any other way.

Just like most of you, my life is filled with tears and fighting, scraped knees and huge goose eggs, mental health challenges and constant messes. The laundry is never done, and the fingerprints on our glass never seem to get cleaned off. But to me right now, this is wonderful! It is part of our journey as a family and it is what makes me happy.

I love catching our little family in moments where we're all laughing and smiling. I love it when we dance together or play games or wrestle. I love it when I have moments of clarity and realize how truly blessed I am.

I've noticed that this feeling almost always lies in my attitude and perspective. A couple months ago, I found myself irritable, ornery, and difficult. Lately I've been waking up everyday with a smile on my face with excitement for the day. The difference: my attitude. Nothing in our lives has really changed in the last two months, except my perspective. I decided to focus on my blessings and the positive in my children and husband. When I did this, I became happier. I can chalk my feelings up to hormones, the change of the weather, or sleep deprivation, but for me it ultimately comes down to a conscious effort to focus on the positive in my life.

I don't mean to trivialize the feelings of depression that some people feel. I know that these are real and that "thinking happy thoughts" doesn't work for everyone. For me however, this truly does seem to work.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings today. I just felt like saying, I love being a mother and wife. It brings me so much joy.

Fun in the Fall

The kids love playing in the leaves.

Rich and I dressed up like Siegfried and Roy for our friend's Halloween party. The best part was wearing the mullet wigs. Thanks for letting us borrow your costumes Rach! It was so fun to gather with friends and party like rock stars (mormon style)!

Our trip to Gardner Village on the BUSIEST day of the year (UEA vacation with nice weather). Still, fun was had by all.

Sophie with her best friend Lillie.

Random Tidbits

Sophie received this goose egg on her right forehead by running into a metal pole outside! They were racing with their EYES CLOSED! She was running around again 10 minutes later.

Carson is playing soccer this season. I don't think they've won a game yet, but they look cool in their uniforms.

Cameron tried my homemade guacamole for the first time and LOVED it!

1st Grade Update

I thought I'd just update everyone on Sophie's progress in 1st grade. When I last posted about her (before school started), we'd already seen some amazing progress. I'm happy to report that she is doing fantastic in school!!!!!

At our first meeting with her teacher, in typical Selective Mutism fashion, Sophie sat close to me with her head down and her hands rubbing her eyes. She wouldn't make eye contact or even nod to her teacher. However, on the THIRD day of school, Sophie's teacher called me to tell me she had raised her hand to answer a question out loud!!!! By the second week of school, her teacher told me she was raising her hand to ask questions (takes more initiative) and was talking to and making friends.

One morning when I took her to school, I was helping Cameron for a minute. When I looked up, Sophie was racing down to the playground holding hands with two new friends. Sophie says when kids ask her why she talks this year at school, she just replies, "I'm not as shy as I used to be".

In our life, we consider this a miracle. The changes in Sophie since starting medication have been dramatic. People keep asking me what we've done to help her come out of her shell. The answer is, the right diagnosis with proper treatment. Her pediatrician recently told me that in his 23 years of practice, he's never seen a child so anxious or mute. We know it is a blessing that she has progressed so fast and can now reach her potential.