easter 2013

we had a lovely easter sunday today.  very low key, very quiet.  just the way i like it.  here are the latest pics of the kiddos.  dylan 7, marissa 10 and eli 3.  i love these kids so much.  every day is a new pile of laughs.  they are just so much fun!

ski videos - M & D

mari and dylan's skiing videos would take too long to load here so here are links to view them online:

marissa - http://vimeo.com/63198323

dylan - http://vimeo.com/62582263

they've both been skiing the same number of times, but it's so interesting to see how differently they ski.  dylan's video is so bumpy because i'm doing everything i can to stay with him, and still somewhat record at the same time.  he tends to go fast, 'sort of' making turns, rushing to the bottom.

marissa is much more cautious, takes her turns really slow and is obviously concentrating hard on what she's doing.  she's had one really bad fall and that might be partly why.  she wasn't injured, but her ski came off and she had a pretty decent bruise afterwards just below her knee.

i can't wait to spring ski with these kids!

dylan's taekwondo & tournament

dylan continues to excel with taekwondo.  we could not be more pleased.  he recently completed a board breaking class, which was super cool.  i was really impressed with him!

(sorry about the poor quality phone pics)

dylan also completed his first tkd tournament.  he was so worried he would not get a medal.  his first competition was a board breaking event.  he was required to do five different moves.  unfortunately he didn't break the board with his hand and was eliminated.  he was pretty upset and feeling pretty down on himself.  but that afternoon he competed with other kids his age (some ranks above and some below him) in sparring and forms.  he was thrilled to find out he medaled in both!  a bronze in form and a silver in sparring.  watching him compete in the gold medal round was STRESSFUL.  we're so proud of him!

 he's got his game face on...

he kicks!

success!  broken board.

studying his video from the first round of sparring...hilarious!

i LOVE this picture.   dylan's face is priceless.  the cute redhead next to him is the kid he lost to in the final round - his name is tannis.  they were both such good sports and hope to see each other again at the next tournament in the fall.

point for dylan...

point for the other guy...ouch.  awesome.

the skiing family

we have had the BEST time skiing this year.  i'm so glad we got ski passes for the whole family.  the kids seem to be really enjoying it and it's so fun to have an activity that everyone loves to do together.  they hardly ever complain about the early morning and long drive.  it's been a winter i will cherish forever...watching my babies learn, grow and excel.  could a mother ask for more?  can't wait for spring skiing!!

here are a couple videos of eli - the first was his very first attempt down the slopes alone.  i LOVE how he laughs all the way down.  after the second video we spent the rest of the afternoon on the green runs with him skiing independently.  very cool!

dylan - green belt level 2

dylan tested again for his next belt at TaeKwonDo and passed.  he's now a Green Belt Level 2.  it's so fun to watch a child find something they have a passion for and excel at it.  he never complains about going to class and is improving rapidly.  it's a good outlet for all the energy he's got!  good job dylan - we're proud of you!

i love this picture.  the other kid has the best face.  he should have blocked the kick!

dylan and master quinn.  he's a great leader and a good example to our little d-man.

iphone gems - end of 2012

here are the rest of my iphone gems from 2012:

 we did the potty training thing for the LAST time!  yahoo!!

broken arm marissa had to watch her final game of the season from the bench but she cheered her team and they finished strong with a win!

dylan rocked perfect attendance for the second cycle in a row.  i sorta feel like this is an award for the mom :)

we like watching daddy play hockey on saturday nights!

dylan has caught the hockey bug too and he and phil try to hit open skate on the weekends when we aren't skiing.

my little buddy.

eli is my good helper when we have to shovel the driveway.

i discovered this delicious treat.  yum.

the cast finally came off.  she continued to wear a splint for three more weeks.

dylan got a bunch of broncos gear for christmas.  he loves it!

the first two days of christmas in utah were spent like this - in bed with a bad stomach bug.

our drive back to colorado was a bit treacherous at times but we made it back home safe and sound.

sweet, sweet boy

i love this boy.

dylan is my child.  my middle child.  i know what it feels like to be in the middle.  when we became pregnant with little eli, i realized that we were consciously making dylan a middle child.  some people don't think that birth order influences a person but i disagree.  i think that your place in a family is how you see your place in the world - it shapes who you are.  i'm mindful of my little middle guy and i worry about him.

he has been blessed with so many talents and i have felt from the day he was born, the power of his spirit and the intense love that his heavenly father has for him.

for whatever reason, dylan seems to have had the hardest time adjusting to our move west.  since school began he has had struggles with anger.  he isn't violent towards his teacher or any of his peers, but he has a hard time when his frustrations boil over.  he has stomped his feet, slammed his hands on the table, ripped his art, and cried.  it's not a regular thing but it is a pattern of behavior we have seen repeated a few times over the last few months.

we have discussed his need for self-control.  he looks at us with those dreamy eyes, filled with tears and says, "i don't know...i just get so mad."  i've wondered how can i help this sweet, sweet boy?

we have made a conscious effort to make scripture study and prayer a regular part of our morning.  we've had awesome weeks and then we've had other weeks where monday was the only day we got it all in and the rest of the week just dissolved into homework & extra-curricular mush.

after his last incident at school, we decided to recommit to the scriptures and prayer.  i told dylan that if we make sure to start our morning off right - feasting on the scriptures, and asking for god's blessing - it might help his days to not be so frustrating.

each night, when he returns home, if he has a sticker on his calendar from school it means he had a good behavior day.  each day he'll hop off the bus and let me know that he got a sticker.

last night he quietly came to my side and whispered in my ear, "mom, the scriptures are working."

Sunday Six - 10/28/12

WOW - it's been a very busy few weeks.  here's a little bit of what we've been up to:

1.  at the end of september we decided to head to utah to watch byu play hawaii.  it was the first byu game for the kids and we had a BLAST!  we got to stay with jules & tj (thanks guys!!) and their cute kids.  we ate at cafe rio (of course) and had a wonderful bbq saturday afternoon at shannon & john's (thanks guys!!).  we took our kids on a tour of provo and byu campus.  it's changed a lot.  it's so beautiful.

first stop was the brigham young statue outside the ASB.  i wanted to recreate a picture from long ago...

the picture above is me and my two older brothers circa 1980 or so.  fun that the statue is still there, but you can't get as close to it now but the flowers are beautiful!

mari, dylan and natalie outside the JSB

before the game we stopped by the new broadcast building, which is located next to the marriott center.    i really wanted to see what it looked like and get a glimpse of where the journalism students were working.  it is an amazing building which now houses not just KBYU and the Daily Universe but also classical 89, BYUtv, BYUtv international, BYU radio and radio instrumental and radio international.  i was so bummed when i went inside and found that most of the building is secure and you can't really walk around anywhere.  far cry from when i was a student and anyone could just hop off the elevator at the WILK and wander around the news room and tv studio.  i felt like heavenly father gave me a sweet little gift though.  as i was standing at the curved glass windows that allow a view into the main feed area, a gentleman came and asked me if i knew what i was looking at.  i explained who i was and why i was there.  he then asked if i wanted a tour!  i was so excited - he walked me through the studios on the main floor - sports desks, kitchens, green screens...it was beautiful and so new and nice.  i was so thankful to have had a tour behind the scenes, and for the nice memories that returned as i reflected on my time there.

the game was a blast!  natalie and mari were just cute little buddies the whole trip.  byu blew out hawaii so we had lots of opportunities to sing the cougar fight song.  we spent a ridiculous amount on food at the stadium and left feeling happy and tired.  special thanks to don & janet for sharing their tix with us!!

eli was kind of a stinker and wouldn't pose for any pictures...but he loved the game and still asks if we can go "b-ya game".

and two of my favorite people in the whole world!!  shannon and julie - it was so fun to be together again.  can't wait till the next time!!

2.  a few weeks ago, after our family attended "mormon night at the rockies" i looked up the denver area byu alumni chapter.  i submitted my info and expressed interest in being involved.  shortly after i received a call from the chapter chair and we had a great conversation.  at the end, he asked if i'd be willing to be involved as part of the committee and that they had an opening for a secretary.  i said yes and now i'm heading up two events in the coming months - BYU Alumni & Friends Night with the Nuggets in January - and the BYU Modern Dance company will be coming in February and i'll be helping coordinate that event as well.  i've already met some great people and look forward to meeting many more.  i took over the facebook page as well and we've already tripled our followers in the last week.

3.  calgary's temple has finally been dedicated.  most of my family were able to attend one of the sessions.  i had originally planned to go home, but after our impromptu trip in july, decided to stay home.  i'm so anxious to see it - and even more anxious to go with members of my family.  it's just so lovely and so close to home.  i can't wait.

4.  a week before our utah trip our stake had the privilege of having elder holland visit.  i decided to sing in the choir and it was a great experience.  in retrospect i wish i had sat with my family so that i could have seen more of his face than the back of his head, but i was only a row behind him and was also able to shake his hand afterwards.  i'm always so impressed with him.  one night a few days later i kind of went on an elder holland bender - i got onto lds.org and watched talk after talk.  it was so uplifting!  he's definitely one of my favorites.

5.  shortly after moving to colorado, we got the kids signed up in their various activities & lessons.  dylan has been taking tae kwon do and LOVES it.  he recently tested for and received his yellow belt.  it was a huge achievement for him.  he did a great job!  so proud of my sweet boy.

6.  here's a little halloween preview....

 spooky!  stay tuned...more photos of the other ghouls to come...