Nothing much...

A few people have asked how Kristin's second week of Baby Ballerina's went...well...she was REALLY excited to go...kept talking about it...and then, once she got there...
She acted the same way as the week before...I thought she was a little better, but Troy didn't think so...I told Troy we're getting a bargain, we only paid for her to take ballet, but he gets to learn for free too! He wasn't amused!
So, you all saw the look on Kristin's face. Well, she found a mirror and was practicing her "pouty lip"...
I did get her to "kinda smile" once...we'll try again next week. The crazy thing is, right after we left, she was talking about going back next week! So, we'll see how it goes on Monday! Sorry Troy! It's really too bad I'm pregnant right now! :)
While Jake and I were waiting, he was feeling left out and was begging me to take pics of him...so here's Jake!














Kyle is doing good...school is good! He loves it! He got in major trouble this week for telling a lie, and got himself grounded off the bus for the week...(Our punishment, not the school bus) That was the best punishment we could come up with that would affect him the most, even though taking him and picking him up every day hasn't been the funnest! He's not going to lie anymore...FYI, he lied about losing his lunch box and his lie involved his teacher. Kyle's not such a good liar, even though it must have taken him all day to think up this lie...(So far this year, he's lost 2 lunch boxes and 2 sweatshirts...IN LESS THAN A MONTH!) He has learned his lesson...he can't wait for Monday!

My window frame...again...

Okay, so I decided to enter this contest to be one of quite a few designers for this new book. I don't really think I have a shot at it, but thought it wouldn't hurt to try. I had to submit a project that I had made, along with a few of my scrapbook pages, so it forced me to "fine tune" my window frame. I just finished it, and have to say, I LOVE IT! I even removed a generic picture corporate housing had put on our wall, and put up my window frame. Maybe I love it so much, cause it's pictures of our family on these walls! It would look better if these walls weren't white...Anyways, here it is!

Our Weekend...

Hello! It's Sunday night. We had a busy weekend (for us, anyways! Nothing like Kenny and Cherice's weekend might entail!). On Friday, the kids had a Primary Activity. It was so well put together, and the kids really enjoyed it! It was titled "And Nephi's father dwelt in a tent" (or something along those lines). The kids were split into 3 groups and given a "Liahona - for 24 hours Kyle called it the Liatona- on a piece of paper. They got a stamp when they completed each activity. There were 3 different activities for them to do, they tried to model it after Lehi's family in the wilderness. They had the cub scouts make an obstacle course in the cultural hall, then they set up an actual tent in the Relief Society Room where they played a game - not sure what it was, I was keeping Kristin occupied in the hall - but all the kids came away with a candy bar, so as you can imagine, it was a huge hit! Then they had something in the Primary room - not sure what that was either. At the end, they all brought their Liahona's into an end of the cultural hall where the had ice cream sundaes. It was the most well planned and executed primary activity that my kids had been to. (No offense to anybody who planned previous Primary Activities my children have attended! :)) It really kept their attention, all the kids were so good, and Kyle is still talking about it!

Saturday, Kyle had a soccer game. He was definately on his game! He scored in the first 30 seconds of the game! He was so excited! He is definately improving with each game, and even better, loving every second! Naptime was Saturday afternoon. Yep, for the whole family, except for Troy, who listened to the BYU game on ksl.com.

I got ready to go to the Relief Society Broadcast. I couldn't figure out where my stake center was (towards DC somewhere...) so I called my friend Kari, and asked if I could meet her at hers. Since the broadcast doesn't start until 8pm here, they do a refreshment/social time before the broadcast. Let me tell you...there was no green jello with carrots! Amy, you would have been amazed, it was like pampered chef heaven...or that's what I thought anyways! There was shrimp and cocktail sauce! AT RELIEF SOCEITY! I was amazed...I think it's normal here, cause I didn't hear any ooh's or aah's. They had all this fancy food, and then about 6 chocolate fountains going - with different kinds of chocolate, dark, milk, semi-sweet, white - and fruit, pretzels, and marshmallows to put in them. WOW! It was nice. Kari showed up later than I did, so I just walked around a stake center in which I knew NOBODY and ate their refreshments. I was missing my Farmington Ward...anyways, I met up with Kari, and we watched the broadcast. It was good! It made me excited to watch(not sure if we get to watch it, or listen to it here...still trying to figure out if it's broadcast here) Conference.

Church was today. We had to keep Kristin with us, because we were sure the nursery wouldn't think her cough sounded very nice, even though we know it's just her asthma. Kristin has flared up with her asthma again. I'm hoping we can get through it without a trip to the hospital. It's pretty bad. At least the weekend is almost over. Oh, but the third hour of church, the bishop wanted the adults to watch this video. The missionaries did it and it was on missionary work. They had to turn off the lights in the cultural hall, and then they propped the doors open for a little bit of light. Kristin was just playing with her babies around us. When the movie was over, and the lights went on, Kristin hollered - YEP, HOLLERED - "Hey everyone! It over now! It all done!" She kept hollering things like that until Troy could get to her and tell her to hush. At least we got smiles and giggles - no dirty looks. It was pretty funny, and she was right! That was our weekend...exciting for us! Have a good week everyone...we attempt ballet again tomorrow...I think we have Kristin prepped...so hopefully it will go well!

Swimming...

Okay, Jake also started swimming lessons this week. Instead of paying for preschool, I put all the kids in 1 activity to tide us over until we get to Utah where we'll be settled and can find a preschool that will be long term, etc... So, Jake got swimming lessons. The first day we went, Kristin had ballet, and Jake had swimming lessons, so we put Kristin in her leotard, and Jake in his swimming suit. Kristin thought she was for sure getting jipped, cause she stripped off her leotard and demanded we put a bathing suit on her. I think part of the reason Kristin didn't enjoy ballet as much, was that she would have rather done swimming. Anyways...Jake thinks he's pretty lucky that he gets to go swimming twice a week! I'm just hoping he learns to swim without arm floaties...the instructor says he will after this class, but I'm not convinced...it seems a little babyish to me...oh well, faith, right?

Ultrasound

I got a FREE 4-D ultrasound yesterday. Apparently, if you schedule your 20 week ultrasound with this imaging center, they give you a free 4-D ultrasound at 28 weeks. So, we scheduled it and went to check it out. I didn't know what to expect. They gave us our photos on a disc. Here are a few...I will try to explain them to you...it kinda looks like we're having an alien baby! Hee Hee...

Okay, this is a picture of the side of her body. You can see her arm(center), the bottom of the picture is her bum, and then you can see her leg on the right. She's in the...well...fetal position...go figure...The big blob on the upper right corner is the placenta...not much to look at...

Okay, this is a little blurry, but it's a frontal shot of her face. Look close, you can see her eyes, nose and mouth. The blurry thing on her cheek, is her hand, but it's pretty blurry...

This is a profile shot of her face and side of her arm. Her face is at the top left. Her whole arm goes across the bottom of the picture. So, that's it. These were the 3 pics that turned out the best...so, if any of you are contemplating paying to have this done....here's what to expect. After getting it done, I don't think I would pay for it. It's always nice to have any ultrasound done when you're pregnant, just to make sure things are good! All's good, and YES, she's STILL a girl! That has been confirmed by at least 7 ultrasounds(My doc here does it at every appt)...so if they're wrong...the medical society has MAJOR problems! Oh, less than 10 weeks left til D-Day! (Delivery Day!)

Ballet...

Kristin's first day of Baby Ballerina's was today. Needless to say, she didn't enjoy it. I love this picture of her. The funniest part, is that Troy had to sit next to her the WHOLE time. Who knew ballet was a family sport! Troy, Jake, and I did as much as she did today!


Kristin was the caboose at the end of the ballet choo choo...Don't worry, right after I took the picture, she let go, and Troy had to help her!
This was Kristin's favorite part of ballet, sitting in the corner, looking as if she was at a funeral...she sure is cute though!


This look on her face, stayed the whole 45 minute class. She didn't enjoy ballet at all. I am hoping she will like it next week...we'll have to practice this week. I wish she would have known someone in the class, I bet it would have made it easier on her. She loves nursery so much, I just thought she would like this as much too! They didn't do anything really structured, they stretched, they gave the girls princess wands, and had them run around on their tip-toes...Troy had to hold one of Kristin's arms up high, to get her to do tiptoes...Then they had them do somersaults on a mat...all pretty fun stuff, but this look on her face is exactly what she thought of it all!

Kid-isms...

Okay, they had this guy up at the grocery store(he's life size, and is holding a tray that had candy in it). My kids were laughing their heads off, saying: "Look! It's Papa!" I turned and looked, and had to giggle myself!

Today, Jake was really bored, and was whining that he really wanted a backyard! Troy and I said, "You want a backyard, WE want a backyard! Then we could send you outside!" Kyle said, "Why, then you could have some romance?" He's a goof ball!

Soccer...

Kyle had his first soccer game on Saturday. We thought he did pretty good! The kids played 20 minute halfs. (I thought that was WAY too long without breaks for little kids, but he hung in there...barely!) On Monday, he had his first practice (I know, backwards, but that's how it worked out with Labor Day). Troy and I were so impressed at his practice! He did so great! I know we're his parents and we should think that anyways, but last year, I was his coach, and Kyle was pretty much the team mascot! He just liked goofing off and running around...always near the ball, but never aggressive enough to get in the game. At practice on Monday, I would have to say he was probably the best kid on the team. He controlled the ball, stayed right with it, and was very aggressive. He was awesome! I couldn't believe it was Kyle! During the scrimmage, he was the only kid to score (well, technically it bounced off of the cone, so I don't know if it was an actual goal, but it was the only one that got that close!) So, I think we've got a star soccer player on our hands! YEA! Tuesday night, Troy took him to the park and practiced with him and Jake while Kristin played on the PINK slide. She was in heaven...she just kept saying, "the slide is pink!"

September 11th...

Okay, so 5 years ago, September 11th was a huge deal for all of us. Yesterday at church, I came to realize how much more terrifying it was for the people living here. A few friends at church heard and felt the crash at the Pentagon, a few people in the stake were killed there. The people who live here had to be evacuated from their workplaces, (Capitol Building, White House, CIA, etc.) the places I watched and heard about on TV were their everyday life. It has given me a new respect for just how many Americans were affected by this. Not that us on the West Coast weren't affected, because WE WERE! But, talking to some friends who lived 2 blocks from the Pentagon on September 11th, I can't imaging the terror they lived through. They haven't even been able to tell their 7 year old anything about it! They finally decided that they needed to last night, because now that he's in 2nd grade, they figure he'd hear something at school today. It just gave me a new respect for the survivors and those who didn't survive on September 11th. I hope that when my kids are old enough, I will be able to convey what happened that day so that they can fully understand the magnitude of all that happened! Anyways...I know I'll always remember that day and the feelings of terror I felt...hopefully I'll never feel that way again!

Kyle started school!

Okay, school is the greatest invention ever! It is heaven to have Kyle gone everyday! Only because I know he is learning, getting out energy, and being social! He is loving it! His teacher called and asked if I would come in on the first day to help get through lunch...showing kids where to go, etc...(I'm sure they knew way more than me!). So, I'm going to tell you what I observed and about Kyle's school from my perspective. The school is absolutely enormous! There are at least six 1st grade classes with no more than 20 students a class. Trying to drop him off was a nightmare! There are 2 floors at this school, complete with elevator and everything. The school is less than 5 years old, so it has everything modern and new! He goes from 9:00 to 3:55. It is so much nicer than in Oregon, where we had to be there by 7:50! We get so much more done in the morning (Breakfast, scriptures, prayer, we ALL shower, etc...)! And, picking him up doesn't interupt naptime! Hot lunches are so much better than in Oregon too! It is healthy and not burnt! Except that it cost $2.50 per lunch! (Not that I didn't like Butternut Creek Elem in Oregon, I loved it, I'm just comparing!) The many different ethnicities amazes me! I just have never seen anything like this, and I have lived many places! (Utah, Colorado, Arizona, California, Oregon, and Las Vegas). Let me give you the run down on Kyle's class. There are 20 kids in his class. Kyle is 1 of 2 white kids, there are 2 Blacks, 2 Asians, and the rest were a mix between Eastern Indian and Mexican. (I had a hard time deciphering between the two, but my guess is there were more Eastern Indian.) I apologize if I am not completely politically correct with my descriptions, and I don't mean to be rude or off-color, I merely am describing Kyle's new school environment. Looking around the whole lunch room, the different ethnicities amazed me! White people were definately the minority. Well, other than the teachers, I would say 97% of the teachers were all white. I was the only white mom there helping with lunch, all the other mom's were Eastern Indian. I really love observing the other cultures! It was really interesting to see all the things kids brought to lunch. Most of the lunches, I could not tell you what the kids were eating. The thing I love most about this is it's totally normal to Kyle. Just going down 3 generations, you see what a change in society there has been! I mean in acceptance to other cultures. Hopefully it continues. Anyways, enough about that...I just thought it was interesting...On Kyle's first day it was POURING rain! (He thought it was another Hurricane Day) So, I didn't get any good pics of him. I did take pics of all the kids last Friday in their new school clothes, so here they are.

Kyle's backpack has a spot for a cell phone, so he thinks he needs either a cell phone or an ipod now. INSANE! Don't worry, for those of you who know me...NOT A CHANCE! (unless he colors one on paper, and sticks it in the slot! and Kyle's not a colorer)

Naturally, Jake had to pose in his own way! He was trying to do Karate moves, but I had to exlain to him he had to hold still, so this was what he came up with!

Sure, she looks sweet! But...remember the purple paint?

I took a ton of pics this morning. I made them into black and white's and am going to start over with my window frame! AUGHHH!!! I wish I had all my crafty stuff here! It's frustrating! Okay, photo tip. (I don't know why it took me so long to do this) For this picture, instead of making them pose, I decided I wanted them laughing. That's my favorite thing to hear them do, and I love the results. The smiles are real! Oh, and it's really easy to make them laugh! You just have to say "poop".
Okay, this picture is a little blurry, but it looks AWESOME in black and white! Plus, I love the look on Kristin's face! She loves "her boys".

Jamestown Settlement

This was the Jamestown Settlement. It had replicas of the fort that John Smith was in charge of, and a Powhatan Village (where Pocahontas came from), and the 3 ships that sailed here 13 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. The 3 ships names are: Mary Constant, Discovery, and Godspeed. (In case you're ever on Millionaire, Jeopardy, or any other game show) At every place, they have people dressed up that act the parts of where they were. (Although, I will say it was odd to see a 40 something old white lady dressed as Pocahontas) They had hands on everything at this place, which is nice as a kid, and even nicer as a parent! They even had free water bottles! Imagine that! It was a fun day! We have decided that the trips we have been on this year have sure been educational! It's great! I need to play trivial pursuit again! :) Too bad we don't have anybody to play with...all in due time! :)

This is everyone on the ship Discovery. The lady on this ship was really nice. She let them pull up the anchor, and steer the ship. Steering the ship was NOT with a steering wheel. She said that the wheel hadn't been invented at the time this ship sailed. My question: was creating the wheel that hard of a concept? I just don't get it...

This armor was so heavy. Troy had to hold it on Kristin's head, or she would have fallen over. The boys thought it was the perfect accessory to their guns...and of course, proceeded to hit each other on the head. (You either have to have 2 boys, or brothers to fully understand this madness...)

These 2 pictures were actually from Williamsburg, but I finally got them to upload now...so they're in the wrong spot...oh well!
Jake grinding corn in the Powhatan village. He thought this was great!
This picture was also taken in the Powhatan village. It's a turtle shell that the Indians used as a bowl. I can tell you one thing, animal rights activist would NOT have enjoyed this part of the Jamestown Settlement. Inside every hut, they had TONS of wolf skins and other types. (Sorry Pamela Lee Anderson). The kids would go in the huts and try to lay on them, and Troy and I would both freak out. Who knows what was living in those furs...ew! They also had this game in the Powhatan village called "Corn Cob Darts" it consisted of corn cobs, and wooden hoops hung on branches of a tree. Jake thought it would be neat to look through one of the hoops. Well, Kyle thought it would be fun to throw a corn cob dart directly at Jake's head. Needless to say, Jake ended up with a little black eye, and Kyle announced " I didn't mean to hit him".

Colonial Williamsburg

Our colonial kids. The boys wanted guns. Kyle loved that hat, but he treated it more as a pirates hat, which will become evident in all his facial expressions in the pictures. Jake refused a hat. He wore his NYY hat most of the time. Kristin would only put on a bonnet once she saw other girls wearing them...she's such a girl.

Kyle couldn't get enough of Williamsburg. Even though he was a pirate most of the time!

Jake thought this tunnel of trees was the coolest thing ever. That's why he's smiling so big. It was his idea for the photo.

Troy made it home!

Hello! For all of my wonderful friends who have worried about me for 2 weeks, I want you to know I survived...barely...But I survived! Troy got home Friday night. He was amazed at how large my baby (a.k.a belly) had grown in 2 weeks. Yep, she's getting big! We took the kids to Chuck E Cheese's after we picked him up at the airport. Oh, Friday happened to be "Hurricane Day" too. Yep, that's right, Ernesto went over DC that day. It just seemed like a really long, hard, rain that lasted ALL DAY. At times the wind was insane, but it was off and on! Kyle kept asking to go swimming, and I kept saying, "NO, it's hurricane day." He now thinks that it was actually "Hurricane Day" just like mother's day or father's day...oh well...he'll eventually figure it out...it was years before I figured out the "Mission Field" wasn't really a field with people standing around in it. On Sunday morning, we woke up and decided to go on an overnight trip. It was very sudden and last minute, but with Kyle starting school on Tuesday, and with Troy's odd work schedule, it was our last chance without taking Troy out of work, or Kyle out of school. We decided to head down to Williamsburg, VA and Jamestown. Williamsburg was the first capital of Virginia, where Patrick Henry starting talking people into breaking away from Britain. Jamestown is where John Smith (yep, the Pocahontas guy) landed 13 years before the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock. (Quick History lesson...) The kids had a good time, and the weather was awesome! The weather threatened rain, but it never did, so we just had a nice cloudy cool day on Monday! I realized that the reason our kids (Kyle) were so horrible in New York, was because of the heat...go figure. I just realized that our camera is still in the car, and it's after midnight, so I'm being lazy and am not up for the 37 step trip to the car, so I'll post pics tomorrow! (Oh, my mom saw the steps, and they're much more awe inspiring in person...and I'm not exaggerating! :) More tomorrow...