A Long Overdue Update- pasted from my blog so it is a few days old

Here's the lowdown.

Mike- Doing a filler job for a couple of months, working with civilians. This is an exercise in frustration for him every single live long day. Upside- while I love a man (a specific man) in uniform, Mike has to wear business casual every day to work and he looks HOT! Love it! Mike took the girls to the Jonas Brothers 3D concert on Saturday. He had to listen to Heavy Metal all the way home to make himself feel better. Also, went on a date to the temple Friday night to do sealings for our ward and then out to dinner at Macaroni Grill, it was fabulous and we voted to do it every month. Very convenient since I think that is what we are supposed to do.

Me- I spend hours of each day on the phone, internet, etc... trying to work out what is going to happen with Ellyn's school program. Everyone agrees it needs to happen, now we are having funding issues, methodology issues, scheduling issues. I do feel that everyone really is trying, so that gives me some consolation. It will all come together, I know it will. Everything just takes time and that makes me crazy. Besides that I cleaned out my dresser and closet today. My top "junk drawer" had filled the second drawer as well and so I reorganized everything and made a few hard Goodwill choices as well. I feel better, actually I am downright proud of myself. Also, Mike and I are starting on Jillian's 30 Day Shred today AND I got a few new fabulous things to wear at Target on Saturday (with Ellyn while Mike was at the movie with the other 3). It was a pretty good sale. Life is sweet at the moment.

Jane- auditioned last week for "chairs" in band and out of her 6th grade band and the Advanced Band made up of 7 and 8 graders, a total of 15 flutists, she made 4th chair. Granted, I don't know alot about flutes, but... I do know a little bit about music and I am truly amazed at what she has accomplished since August. She loves her flute and practices as often as she can. Last night Jane, our friend and Ellyn's Respite provider Rebecca, and I drove up to Oakland to hear Jenny Oaks Baker and the Temple Hill Orchestra play movie themes. It was amazing. Jenny is a very famous violinist and a member of the Church. If I knew how to link I would. Let's just say she's awesome. It was beautiful.

Sadie- loves having daddy home. Loves it. The kid is so happy to play with daddy. Any decision she is given involves staying with dad, granted that usually involves video games or a movie and normally a treat as well. What's not to love? She is also continuing in her reading of Harry Potter and really enjoying it. Smart kid.

Ellyn- has a had a really hard time as of late. We think she might be having growing pains. Something is making her not her usual happy self and it worries us. Today, however, she seems to be doing much better. She is getting to watch a couple of her favorite Disney movies the last few days in an attempt to woo her from her grumpy moods. Right now she is happily babbling through Little Mermaid.

Sawyer- is becoming such the big boy. You should see him at church. Mike has laid down the law and Sawyer sits quietly on daddy's lap during all of Sacrament Meeting. Mike does keep a few treats in his pocket for little rewards. Then...when it is time for Sunday School and then Priesthood Sawyer takes Mike's hand and walks with him to his next destination. Mike told him to "say goodbye to Mommy" after Sunday School on Sunday and he turned and gave me a happy wave and then turned and kept walking. A few minutes later I had to deliver a message to Mike regarding set up for Enrichment by the High Priests (Mike is the secretary in case I haven't mentioned that), Sawyer stood waiting patiently and then finally reached up and took Mike's hand and gave him the look like "Dad, we have to get into class, let's go." It was so obvious that he was loving being the well behaved big boy. He's such a funny kid.

As a side note- the dogs are finally potty trained and have been working their way back into my good graces.

Wow, this is long. I am a big fan of the short but sweet as of late but if you procrastinate this is what happens!

Blog Out!

We went to a Snow Fest at the end of January... These are some pictures. My favorite is Melia's face in the one with the Snow Bear.. She thought it was a real bear and was so scared!

We are so sick of winter here in Rexburg... only a month and a half left. We both would LOVE to have rain any day over this weather. We reserved our moving truck a couple of weeks ago and we will be leaving Rexburg on April 15th then stopping for the night in Boise to split the trip up. Then we will be getting into Vancouver on the 16th. Treven will be starting classes with WSU Vancouver on May 11th. He has not planned his classes yet because at WSU you have to meet with your advisor every semester before you sign up classes which I think is awesome! Treven plans on going year round and he has around 5 semesters left so that would be he would be done by December of 2010... Kind of stinks that way because he will have to wait a full year to begin Medical School. It is just crazy to think that there is an end in sight.
As far as jobs in Vancouver for me, I am trying to contact Vancouver Public School District because there is a health teacher retiring this year from Alki Middle School (in Salmon Creek where Mom and Dad are at) which would be perfect. The school district is weird in the fact that they don't really post jobs on their website or so I have heard from teachers that work there. But they say they will not look at applications that are not from a job posting. I also heard from Mom and Dad that they are coming to Idaho and Wyoming to do job interviews for teaching positions so I am also looking into that. We will see if they respond back to me in the next week. Please keep us in your prayers that I may be able to find the best possible option for us! Of course even if I do get the job I will have the summer off for the most part. If I don't end up getting a full time position... I will probably just substitute around 3 to 4 days a week since they are having a subsitute shortage in the Vancouver area right now... That is enough of that rambling.
The girls are doing great. I cannot believe that McKenzie is 7 months old! She is scooting all over the place... so close to crawling. She was sick from about a week and a half, but now my giggling active baby is back and all over. She started sitting up on her own about 3 weeks ago and she is getting stronger. She loves to stand up or pull herself up on our hands. She absolutely LOVES electronics... controllers, the laptop, and cell phones and such. Her personality is really coming out and we are loving it. Melia loves being able to play with her sister more. Melia loves church. We had to miss church a week ago due to the girls and I being sick and so everyday she has been asking to go to church. Today we pulled up and she just screamed YAY! CHURCH! The other day she walked over to the corner of the room and folded her arms... We asked her what she was doing and she said " I am in BIG trouble!" We have never said that to her so we have no idea where she got it from! Also when McKenzie was sick our neighbor Andy and Treven gave McKenzie a blessing. Ever since then Melia pretends that she is being Daddy and giving McKenzie a blessing. Melia loves to paint so I buy these wooden cut outs of different shapes and animals and I starting making them into magnets for the fridge when she finishes painting them... Papa and Grammy, look for yours in the mail! She wanted to send some to you. Those are some things lately that have been going on with the girls.
I did get my diploma and Idaho State Teaching License like a month or so ago. I took pictures just to prove it to Mom and Dad... I need to post some recent pictures of the girls and stuff since I haven't lately so sorry if there are a lot!
I have been trying to stay busy with crafts and such. I am on the fellow shipping committee and in charge of birthdays so this weekend I made a little wall hanging for each of the girls on their birthdays. I will have to take pictures and post those as well. I love them and got many compliments at church and that girls couldn't wait until it was their birthday... only problem is I will only be here for another month and a half. So I am going to make extras for them to have for a little while until they have someone take over my calling! I was going to be coaching a club team in Idaho Falls, but since we are moving I would only be there for 5 practices. I didn't think it was fair to the girls, but I am helping them with this weeks practice since they haven't found a coach yet.
Sorry for the long boring post... just thought an update from us could help with the blog moving along! If there are grammar problems it is because I am tired, but waiting for Treven to be done studying! So deal with it!
Love you all!

Kim

I know you find this strange, that I have decided to reverse my decision to sell the yellow rocket. After much deliberation and pounding my head on the granite countertops, putting the pedal to the metal and discussing the impending sale with the rocket, I've decided to to drop my adds and stay content with my "baby". So, in tribute to the beast, I am going, instead, to install a new navigation system and McPherson Super Charger to enhance it to the tune of 750 hp. Any comments? Dad

Happy Birthday to a man who is so dedicated to our family. He treats me like a queen and always makes time to play with the boys. I am so glad he is part of my life and the father of my children. He truely is my best friend. I love you!
Forever and Always, Anne

The parks here are amazing! They are by far the best thing about this island...well, that's not completely true because I would probably say the same thing about the snorkeling, the aquarium and a few other things. But for the purpose of this tribute, we'll focus on parks. The parks are characterized by lots of amazing slides, teeter totters and climbing areas that all way too dangerous to exist in the states. Our favorites are the roller slides, they are tall and long and instead of a flat sliding surface it's little rollers that you sit on, we usually sit on cardboard because you go faster and it's more comfortable. Alyssa LOVES roller slides and goes all by herself!

On Wednesday we went to one of our favorites, it's called Dolphin Park because the play structure resembles a Dolphin. It has a zipline, rollerslide and these fun horses that you peddle in a circle. It is also right on the beach. The weather was so warm we took our beach gear and walked through the tide pools and played in the sand! It's been a little too warm lately and it making nervous for summer!!!






Our friends the Balls took us to the most amazing park ever, we can't decide what to call it but based on the picture we should probably call it The Slide Park. Amazing slides all built into the hill.

On the red bumpy one you actually catch air.

The HUGE cement one is great for the kids unless they sit on a board or something because then it becomes insanely fast. Tom slid down it on a board and went so fast I had to literally jump out of the way and watched as he blasted into the net of the playground and was luckily stopped. He ripped open the seam on the rear of his favorite shorts, too bad I didn't notice until we got home because we could have had a good time teasing him there!

There is another park we love, the Civic Center Park and it has a huge roller slide, a nice playground with unusual spinning things and The Drop Slide. I don't know if you can tell but, yes, it does go straight down and I had to watch several people do it before I concluded it was actually possible.

This is not the first entry dedicated to park and certainly not the last. Play on!