Holy cow! I've totally fallen off the face of the earth when it comes to updating this blog! Tyson even mentioned something about posting something on the blog and then laughed and said, "who am I kidding, you never update the blog!" So, I should probably get a move on it and update. I'll just highlight some things from each month with some pictures and we'll call it good. Lucky for who ever reads this that I had the worst camera only up until June when Tyson got a really nice camera for his birthday and then I started taking more pictures. So here goes...
January:
We started the new year with our friends here at the house and watched the ball drop. Tyson was again at work so I brought in 2011 kissing the back of my hand...again.
We welcomed our Brazilian exchange student Amanda Rosas from Manaus the second week in January. Little did we know that she would become like a second daughter and fit in like she'd lived with our family from day one. She set such a great example of reading for our kids and was a huge help!
A week later, we were back at the airport saying goodbye to our first exchange student Han and sent him home to Korea.
February:
I flew down to Arizona to help out Tyson's brother and sister-in-law who just moved to Arizona weeks after having twins, along with their three other kids. It was fun to go down and help out.
March:
The unthinkable happened...not that we were all that surprised, but we got the positive on a test and started to brace ourselves for number 5! Yes, we are adding another little one to the chaos of this place we call our home. We've decided to be surprised and didn't find out at the ultrasound what we are having.
April:
Along with spring, comes spring break. Mandy's parents were going to come pick her up at the end of her adventure to explore so of the great US of A, but things came up and they ended up not being able to come. So we decided to have a trip on our own and introduce her to the disgusting ways of Las Vegas.
We stopped in St. George on our way down for the night and went swimming. We also went on a fun little hike and realized our kids really like that kind of stuff!
Apparently, that was the best part, because that's all Jefferson talks about. We drove down at night, because it's so much easier to travel when the kids sleep. I wish I would have taken a picture of his face when we got him out of the car to go into the hotel. He had the biggest grin on his face and all he wanted to do was look out the hotel window down at the pool.
He keeps asking when we're going to St. George so I finally had to tell him we'd go during the summer when the kids are out of school. Wouldn't you know it, but now that the kids are out of school, he hasn't asked once when we are going.
We stopped in St. George on our way down for the night and went swimming. We also went on a fun little hike and realized our kids really like that kind of stuff!
Apparently, that was the best part, because that's all Jefferson talks about. We drove down at night, because it's so much easier to travel when the kids sleep. I wish I would have taken a picture of his face when we got him out of the car to go into the hotel. He had the biggest grin on his face and all he wanted to do was look out the hotel window down at the pool.
He keeps asking when we're going to St. George so I finally had to tell him we'd go during the summer when the kids are out of school. Wouldn't you know it, but now that the kids are out of school, he hasn't asked once when we are going.
We also celebrated Mandy's birthday, Americanized Brazilian style. We did carne esada and tried to have a Brazilian food spread. She told us she'd never eaten carne esada before. Oh well, we tried our best. :) We got her a cake with the Brazilian flag on it and she said it seemed weird to see her flag here because it had been so long since she'd seen it. On her actual brithday, she requested McDonald's for dinner, so we all went out to eat. Needless to say, the kids had a great time and Mandy, if she wasn't already, was now their favorite person because we never eat inside at McDonald's. That was a real treat for them.
May:
April showers bring...um...May snow storms. Yes, it was still snowing in May. And freezing! Mandy's mom kept telling her to pack up her winter things and ship them home so she wouldn't have to worry about trying to pack them in her luggage. We all had to laugh because she still needed them. We joked about snow falling in June back when she first got here, little did we know it was going to be a possibility. With May, came Tyler's 8th birthday. She got baptized the first week of June, which was special for us because Mandy was able to be here for it as well.
Tyler's birthday was the only one she was here for.
Tyler's birthday was the only one she was here for. I competed in my first sprint triathlon. Yes, four months pregnant. I had set the goal and registered before we decided to try for another one, so I was locked in. I told myself I wasn't going to break any world records and I was just doing it to set a time for me to beat next year. It was a lot of fun and I'll totally do it again next year! Like I said, I didn't break any records, but now I know what time to beat next year. And wouldn't you know it, I didn't get any pictures. I know I had pictures taken of me, but none that I have in my files and Tyson wasn't able to make it with the kids so no one was the specifically for me and to take my pictures.
There was one evening when we had no rain and it was fairly warm, the kids ran outside one night after dinner, only to come back with Jefferson crying his, "I'm really hurt, come see me!" cry. A neighbor was carrying him back with blood dripping from his foot. He'd stepped on a piece of broken bottle and we were looking at the possibility of our first ER visit. We didn't end up taking him and he didn't get stitches, but he'll have a decent scar with a cool shape and he points to the area and tells us he stepped on a broken bottle over there.
Jake also graduated from preschool. I can't believe he'll be in kindergarten this year! When did that happen?
He loved his teacher Miss Hilary and he was sad when his school ended./div>
He loved his teacher Miss Hilary and he was sad when his school ended./div>June:
Just before school got out, Tanner had the opportunity to go to a basketball camp put on by Jimmer Fredette and Jackson Emery.
The kid was in heaven, even though he only saw those two for a little bit of time. But they had most of the BYU basketball team come help out, so he got some good time with names he's heard before while watching basketball.
The kid was in heaven, even though he only saw those two for a little bit of time. But they had most of the BYU basketball team come help out, so he got some good time with names he's heard before while watching basketball. School got out for everybody else the second week of June and a few days after that, we said a tearful goodbye to Mandy.
It was hard to see her leave, but we knew she was ready for some peace and quiet back in Brazil. She came from being an only child to a house full of four loud, crazy children and I'm sure there were many times that she was questioning her decision to come to such a chaotic house! But we still miss her! Tyson would tease her about two songs that were written with the title "Amanda". Those are the only songs Jefferson wants to listen to when we take our turns on the ipod when we're in the car.
It was hard to see her leave, but we knew she was ready for some peace and quiet back in Brazil. She came from being an only child to a house full of four loud, crazy children and I'm sure there were many times that she was questioning her decision to come to such a chaotic house! But we still miss her! Tyson would tease her about two songs that were written with the title "Amanda". Those are the only songs Jefferson wants to listen to when we take our turns on the ipod when we're in the car. After Mandy left, Tyson had his birthday and Father's day. Nothing real exciting, but he got a nice camera for his birthday, and the kids pooled their money together and got him a suit and new shirt for work. They really love their dad.
After Tyson's birthday was Jake's fifth birthday. He enjoyed his day and got McDonald's for lunch. I guess that's a tradition I've started now. Usually I take it to the kids for their lunch at school, but he got to eat it in front of everyone and I think that made him happy. Yes, that's a doughnut instead of birthday cake.
And now we are to July. Jefferson had his birthday and got more swords than you'd think a three-year-old should need, but he plays with each of them at least once during the day. He loves to have anyone who will give him two minutes, play swords with him. I think he likes the fact that he gets fireworks for his birthday as well. We were watching the fireworks that night and he came over and sat by me and said, "Happy Birthday to me!" He is a cute little stinker!
Jake and Jefferson had their well child checks. Jake, as usual is still below the third percentile for his weight and height. Jefferson comes in at 47% for height and 54% for weight. We've never had a child with those kinds of numbers. No wonder people think the two of them are twins every where we go! Jake may need to get his tongue cut because the skin connecting his tongue to the bottom jaw is too far forward and affecting his speech, but at this point he's still too young to make that decision.
Jake and Jefferson had their well child checks. Jake, as usual is still below the third percentile for his weight and height. Jefferson comes in at 47% for height and 54% for weight. We've never had a child with those kinds of numbers. No wonder people think the two of them are twins every where we go! Jake may need to get his tongue cut because the skin connecting his tongue to the bottom jaw is too far forward and affecting his speech, but at this point he's still too young to make that decision. Tanner and Tyler had their first piano recital and did really well. They surprised Tyson and Jake with singing "Happy Birthday" once the recital was all over. They did a great job!!
The second weekend in July we went to Yellowstone with Tyson's family. That's a lot of time in the car! The kids enjoyed playing with their cousins and building memories. I'm not a believer that Yellowstone is bear country. We didn't see one bear. I was sorely disappointed. 
And that brings us to the current. Tyson is working a lot, which is good. That means business is good. I'm still teaching piano and plan to take the week off after I have the baby and pick right up again. I've taken on some sewing projects, aside from the blankets I already do. Its been fun to make myself skirts that actually fit and don't look too bad either. I also added a crib skirt to the mix. The kids are getting big and learning new things everyday. What more could we ask for!
