I learned

Some things I learned while in Disneyland......

• Coming down with the flu on the last day of your trip is much better than coming down with the flu on the first day.
• Humans lose the ability to see where they are going while in Disneyland. Even adult humans. I almost lost my life to a 40 year old woman.
• Ice cream can make even the angriest bear happy in Disneyland.
• My kids honestly don't care what they are doing, as long as they are not waiting in line.
• Or walking.
• Carrying a 40 pound 5 year old on your shoulders is painful, very very painful. But, in reality it is less painful than listening to said 5 year old whine about her aching feet.
• It is impossible to get through a Disneyland trip without aching feet, and legs, and back, and head, and shoulders, and hips.
• Despite all of the above..... Disneyland makes your heart happy. And that is what makes it all worth it.

Disneyland

Oh NO!!! Koda ate Ayden's head!!! And, Jade thinks it's hilarious. Such a good sister. We had so much fun in Disneyland this last weekend. We went with some friends and their kids which always makes the trip double the fun. This year, Jade was tall enough to do everything but two rides. She loved Space Mountain and the Hollywood Tower Hotel. That girl has no fear. I hope she stays that way. Fear is useless, right? Ayden loved all the rides too. I think his favorite was Indiana Jones. He was in the driver seat and I'm pretty sure he thought he was really driving.

Here are all the kids in Toon Town. So much fun. We stayed for three days and loved every minute of it. This is probably our only family vacation for the year, so we tried to make the most of it. Unfortunately, I came down with the flu on the last day at Disneyland. The real live flu (headache, body ache, fever, cough, outright misery). It was like the kids and Steve were towing a Zombie around Disneyland. But, on a positive note, we did things we probably wouldn't have done without me feeling like death and the kids really enjoyed it. Overall, it was a fantastic trip!!!

For being 5 years old, she sure knows A LOT.

As I was helping Jade's class this morning, I heard at least 3 girls all saying "I know, I KNOW" every single time someone told them something (even their teacher). I had to laugh (to myself, of course, I would hate to add to the teachers obvious frustration).
The reason this made me chuckle and some of you with 5 year old girls may know where I'm coming from, is because apparently Jade was born knowing EVERYTHING. Really, everything.
All I have to do is open my mouth, look her direction, and she is automatically saying "I know". Please note, I haven't actually said anything yet. But, she KNOWS.
The flip side of this is the arguing that results from her vast knowledge of the world. We go round after round after round of trying to prove who is right. There is no convincing her because she KNOWS.
I'm a little confused, I thought she wouldn't reach this stage until she was a teenager. But, apparently, she is among many other 5 year old girls who were also born knowing everything. It helps to know I'm not alone.

The psychology of sick kids

Nothing, seriously NOTHING, tears a mom apart more than watching her kids suffer from illness. It's just a virus, a nasty run of the mill cold, but I find myself really struggling. Are any of you like that? It can't really be true, but I feel like Ayden has been coughing since October. The current cough is bordering on another trip to the doctor, "just to be sure".
It's the whole "just to be sure" thing that gets me the most. I ask myself a million questions about whether or not I'm doing the right thing. Is the air too dry, is the house too dusty, what if he's allergic to the detergent, could it be pneumonia this time, maybe something in the school is irritating him (aside from the cute girls who like to tease him :) and it goes on and on and on...... Having a sick kid is mentally exhausting.

I'm not complaining, really it is just a cold, but I felt the need to share. I hope I'm not the only one who thinks illness is the biggest struggle for a Mom. And, I do thank God that I haven't had to deal with any "real" illnesses with my kids. I don't think I have the mental strength to deal with that!

He was sent to bed with a cocktail of grape flavored syrups, hopefully he'll get some good rest and be brand new tomorrow.

On a side note, I was completely spoiled for my birthday!! Gluten Free Pizza, GF Carrot Cake (yummy!!!), new gardening tools, an ipod touch, a droid incredible phone, and a day full of the people I love most near and far. Nothing makes me feel more special than seeing dozens of birthday wishes on my FB page from people who have all been and still are a huge part of my life!

Today is my Birthday

I had intended to wait until March to update this (nothing like going a full year without updating the ol' blog). But, to honor the day of my birth, I will regale you with tales of our life..... Lucky you. You might want to get comfortable, a lot happens in 10 months.
I can't think of a word to sum up the last year so, I'll just tell you about it and maybe you can help me with an appropriate adjective.
About a year ago I chose to try a gluten free diet in an attempt to alleviate my horrid stomach problems. It was a huge adjustment, but I love to cook, and I really enjoyed working through new and old recipes finding what worked and tasted best. I am super happy to tell you that making that change has literally changed my life. I feel SO much better now. I know my health has improved and I eat much healthier now. One side effect that I didn't anticipate was the terrible nightmares that accompany such a huge life change. I have dreams where I've eaten a cracker, or piece of bread and wake up terrified. It keeps me motivated to be sure.
I had my tonsils taken out in April. A few years ago, I got the worst strep infection and since then, my throat has never been the same. It seemed like I constantly had a sore throat and I could have an active strep infection without even knowing it- the only way I would know that I had another infection was if the kids tested positive. So, major surgery and major pain later, my throat is better. Fantastic side effect for that was losing 15 pounds, and I've managed to keep 10 of those from coming back- yay me!
We traveled to Alaska this Summer on a cruise. It was one of the best vacations of my life. I absolutely love Alaska. I am still in awe at the beauty. I would give anything to go back (for a visit, couldn't live there). The cruise was great, we went with another couple from Cedar City. I think having our friends there with us made it about a billion times more fun.
This Summer, we also spent a week in Northern Cali with my family. Two of my brothers live there so the family that is still here in Utah boogied on up to play with them. My youngest brother has a pool in his backyard with a diving board. We had two or three awesome pool days. He also has a boat, so we got to play on the wakeboard and tube. I'm proud to report my first attempt at wakeboarding was a HUGE success, the second attempt- not so much (OUCH). We spent a day in Santa Cruz at the boardwalk amusement park. It was one of the best family vacations I can remember.
The kids both played soccer this Fall. I coached Jade's team. Both kids finished the season undefeated. It was a lot of fun. Soccer in Cedar City is always interesting. Fall and Spring seasons bring both freezing and sweltering weather. We freeze, sunburn, and have a blast!
I had a job (HAD being the operative word). I am now happily unemployed- again. I was the outreach worker for Iron County Council on Aging. It was a good job, I had a lot of fun and met some really wonderful people. I decided though that my kids are still just a little too young for me to be away from home that much. Since I quit, I am a very happy Mamma and that makes a huge difference in our family.
Ayden is in second grade and doing very well. He's experiencing his first frustration with girls. It's funny. There are a couple of girls in his class that are teasing him relentlessly. Mind you these girls have been his friends since Kindergarten. My conclusion is that they have a little crush on him and this is how they're dealing with it (his teacher said pretty much the same thing). He just doesn't get why someone would tease you if they like you. The only thing I can tell him is that girls are crazy and now is a good time to accept it and move on.
Jade is in Kindergarten and also doing well. She isn't as academically inclined as Ayden is. But, she is hanging in there. She just doesn't see the point of learning, makes me laugh. She is only in school for 1/2 a day, so we get plenty of time together. I help in both of their classes and it is a lot of fun. I love getting to know their friends. Today, Jade's class sang me Happy Birthday and it honestly made my day. Such sweeties.
We have a dog, we've actually had her for over a year. She is a Shih-tzu and her name is Missy. We absolutely adore her. She completes our family quite nicely.
Tomorrow is the anniversary of me and Steve's first date. 13 years ago. Goodness. Can that be right? Yup, sure is. 13 years. I can't quite process that right now, but I thought you should know.
I'd like to say I'll do better updating this here blog. But, I know myself and I would hate to set the bar too high. I will say that it's been a fantastic and challenging year, but all in all, it's been good.

Yup, we're still alive

I could also title this post "the most boring post of the year". I plan on telling you nothing exciting, I have no awesome pictures to share, and you will be done reading this in about 10 seconds. give or take. But, I needed you to know we are alive and well. Just busy beyond belief. Still love ya!!

Hawaii!!

Hooray!!! We had an absolutely fabulous time in Hawaii the past 6 days. For the first three days, we were on Kaua'i. Then we headed over to Oahu to stay with my dad for the remainder of the trip. It was so fun! We hiked, kayaked, zip-lined, saw loads of sights, watched sea turtles, ate tons of really good food, and relaxed. Oh, and we came home sun-burned, mission accomplished.
Here are a few pictures to enjoy!
This is my dad and I, on the beach at Turtle Cove.

Steve and I, again in Turtle Cove. We saw a least 6 sea turtles.

Here we are at the top of Diamond Head in Honolulu. Wow, it was hot, humid and way too many stairs. I was crying like a baby until we passed an 81 year old man who was hiking up the hill like he was strolling in the mall. The view was beautiful, honestly it was worth the quivering knees and jello legs.

While we were on Kaua'i, we did an excursion to the Princeville Ranch. They took us kayaking, hiking and zip-lining. I think this was the highlight of the trip. Steve managed to stay upright in his canoe, and we both went across the zip-lines like we were old pros.

Me, on the zip-line.

The start of our hike. This mountain is usually covered in clouds. It's the wettest place on Earth, but we lucked out and had a beautiful dry day!