2011 In Review

I can't believe we are at the end of another year! I don't know what we did to make this year fly by so quickly, but we've had lots of fun and many opportunities for growth. Here is a run down on each member of the family. (in this picture, Lucy is not born yet and the extra boy is our cousin Izac)

Tyson - Is still working as the Director of Sales and Marketing for the Salt Lake Marriott City Center. He loves his job and the people he works with. He does a great job and works hard. He's taken this last week of the year off and it's been nice having him home. He went from being the Cub Master in the ward to Young Men's President. He's adjusted to the demands of this calling and is really enjoying it. He is still without his own cell phone, which shocks anyone who knows that, and anyone who works in any way with the youth, knows that is not possible because texting is the only way they communicate, but we've been able to make it work.

Camber - I am still teaching piano and enjoying it. It keeps me busy, but allows me to stay home with the kids and help them with their school work and other activities. I completed my first sprint triathlon at four months pregnant, and while not breaking any records, gave myself a goal for next time. I stay busy running the kids around and keeping the house in some kind of order. I maintained going to the gym most days up until three days before having baby number five and accomplished having all five kids without any pain medications.

Tanner - Turned 10 this year, when did that happen! He started taking piano at the beginning of the year and tolerates it. He actually enjoys it as long as I don't correct his timing or try to help him with a piece. The Thursday before school was supposed to start, we got an email from a charter school in our area saying that our application for Tanner had been pulled if we were still interested in having him go there. So he started at American Preparatory Academy. I love this school! He's done so much better with the routine and while his focus still leaves much to be desired, he has gotten a better handle on it. He's adjusted well and while the homework load is more than he cares for, he's enjoying the school. He's still able to say he hasn't missed one day of school since starting Kindergarten. His favorite thing lately has been putting lego sets together and got a pretty big lego set from Harry Potter for Christmas. He had it put together in two days.

Tyler - Turned 8 this year and was baptized in June. She is maturing and has become my second set of hands. She is so helpful with the baby...almost too helpful. She will jump at any noise we hear from the monitor and will go get her out of bed. We've had to talk about waiting for a few minutes before she goes in to get the baby. She has really taken off with reading and took our challenge to read the 4th book of Harry Potter and get $25. She had it finished in a month. She loves school and also started piano at the beginning of the year. She does really well with it and will take pieces I leave out on the piano and try to play the top line.

Jake - Is now five and started kindergarten this year and loves it! His teacher is Mrs. Morgan and he's enjoying learning how to read and being a big kid and riding the bus. A few weeks before Christmas break, I had walked to the bus stop to pick him up and as we were walking him, he told me not to pick him up anymore, he's big enough to walk home by himself. Our house is three houses down from the stop. He and Jefferson are buddies and will both take their shirts off to wrestle.

Jefferson - He's growing so fast! He turned three this year and when you ask him, he holds his fingers up like he's throwing a spider man web. He started preschool with Miss Hillary this year and loves going. We also have him in a weekly playgroup in between his preschool days that he enjoys. He was doing speech at the beginning of the year and progressed quickly with that and tested out of the program six months after starting it. There are still some things we have a hard time understanding, but he talks really well now. He loves his baby sister and will come give her kisses all the time, even when she's sleeping. He's such a good kid and so different than the other kids. He climbs everything and loves to play basketball and watch any kids of sport. He'll sit and shoot a nerf basketball 100 and only make a basket once, but he keeps playing. He was really in the "Peanut Butter Jimmer Time" and would always say it right before shooting the basket. Even though he's not the baby in the family anymore, he's still my baby boy.

Lucy - Joined our family November 4, at 6:27pm. She weighed 6lbs. 9oz. and was 19 in. It was a pretty easy and fast delivery and as with the other kids, I bounced back and am back into my routine pretty quickly. It is so fun having a baby girl again. It was a shock to get into the baby thing after being out of it for three years, but I think we've all adjusted well. She eats like a pro and has started sleeping longer chunks, giving me a little bit more of quality sleep. We've discovered, as of late, that she's not a big fan of bottles...we're going to have to change that. While my kids have never had many bottles, I still need that as an option in the afternoons while I'm teaching. But we are loving having her here and love the smiles that she's started sharing and are excited for all the little things she'll learn and the kids can't wait to teach her.

I love the feelings that this Christmas time brought with it this year. I felt like having a new baby around brought my emotions much closer to the surface.

As we come to the end of this year, we are grateful for the growth that has come and the many opportunities we have been blessed with. We are excited for the new year and the many things that it will bring with it.

Happy New Year