WOOD WORKS

2012-02-12T17:56:00.001-07:00

Grandpa Joe

2012-01-12T08:18:00.006-07:00

My Grandpa Joe recently passed away- January 11th, 2012. Unfortunately for the majority of my life I've lived in a different state than my grandparents but we visited as much as we could, less often since I've gotten married and started a family of my own but there are something I will always remember my Grandpa Joe. He would always sit in the same chair at the table with his beer, cigarettes and tv remote. I would sit next to him and play "spider bug". He would move his hand and fingers like it was a spider crawling across the table and I would try to squish his hand. I loved playing this game with my grandpa when I was little. I always thought my grandpa was a pretty quiet guy, except when he was giving my dad a hard time about politics. He would always drive my grandma around because she didn't drive. So when we would visit he would drive us to the video store, grocery store and wherever else we wanted to go but he would always wait in the car no matter how long we took. One time I remember him hitting a bump in the road and all the kids went flying up and hit our heads on the roof.

I don't remember my grandpa in very many pictures but I've seen these and one other from when he was younger. He used to tell me he was an orphan. I never knew if it was true or not. It took me years before I finally knew for sure he was teasing me. I always wondered why we called him Grandpa Joe because his name is actually Benedict Gerard Brennan. I think the story behind the name Joe came from a kid he looked up to and he decided he was going to go by the name Joe too. My dad always called him Pete, which never made sense either but I guess the story behind it is that one day my dad was goofing off and called him Pete and it just stuck.
Some of my favorite stories about my grandpa happened just before my grandma died last year. His true character came out and you could see how thoughtful and caring he was. I love this one- One day my grandma had fallen in their bedroom and couldn't get up so my grandpa climbed out of bed and laid on the floor with her until someone came home to help her. He wasn't strong enough to help her up himself but he made sure she wasn't alone. Even though he will be missed it's a happy thought to know that now they are together again.

And it starts

2011-12-06T08:43:00.005-07:00

We have been lucky- so far this year we've only had one major school project. Chris was assigned a region and had to do a written report and visual about a Native American Tribe from that area. He had to hurry and get his research, written report and project done because it was assigned over Thanksgiving break and we were leaving for the holiday. He decided to make a model of what they lived in. He had so much fun doing that he decided to make some clay pottery to add to it. He did a great job!

Thanksgiving Fun

2011-12-06T08:21:00.005-07:00

We spent Thanksgiving with my family this year. It was full of fun, food, family and relaxation! You can't beat that. Grandpa took the kids to the Festival of Lights and made sure we got our Polar Express movie and hot chocolate in. We also enjoyed our own mini Turkey Bowl game. Kira and Sam decided they'd rather play at the park with Garrett.

Halloween

2011-11-22T07:52:00.005-07:00

The kids had mummy heads and mummy toes for dinner on Halloween. Not the healthiest meal but they liked it.

The kids had multiple costumes to choose from this year. These are the ones they wore trick or treating. For our Trunk or Treat at church most of the kids wore a different costume but we didn't get any pics. Sam was Captain Jack Sparrow- super cute- Kira was vampiress (she wore a cat costume to school), G was Batman, Spencer was a mummy and Chris stuck with his Darth Vader costume. They had a lot of fun trick or treating.

My kiddos

2011-11-18T08:08:00.007-07:00

G's a Big Boy Now! Garrett has been out of diapers for a couple weeks now and is doing great! He's growing up so fast. It's sort of crazy not having a baby around anymore. G totally cracks me up everyday. Yesterday we played a color game. I pulled each crayon out of the box and asked him what color it was. Anyway once we pulled them all out and then put them away he decided it was his turn to quiz me. He pulled one crayon out at a time and asked me what color it was. He even pointed to the tip like had done. After I told him the color he'd repeat the color and tell me "that's right" or "very good" in his little 2 year old talk. It had Kira and I laughing.
Sam has definitely mellowed out but he must have had a mischievous moment because yesterday I found toilet paper stuffed in most of the door knob holes around the house so the doors wouldn't close tight. My guess is that he was keeping his brothers and sister from locking him out! He is super excited about starting school next year. He's excited when we do anything school related. I don't think I have to worry about his self esteem, pride maybe, but he's a pretty confident kid. He walks around the house saying how awesome he is and that he's the best at this or that.

Spencer has been growing out his hair. More from lack of time for a haircut then anything but he likes it long. The other day he came up to me so proud of himself saying, "mom, I can push the hair out of my eyes without using my hands" Then he flipped his head and smiled when his hair moved to the side. Then he said "I can do it the other way too" and demonstrated his hair flipping talent again. Again I was totally cracking up.

Kira and Chris aren't little kids anymore. It's sort of a crazy thought that my kids are quickly approaching teenage years. It's been fun watching their personalities, tastes and opinions develop. I love having older kids around!

I have been extremely blessed with amazing kids!

Soccer

2011-11-01T09:13:00.002-06:00

Sam loved playing soccer! We loved watching him! He's sad that the season is over and can't wait to play again.

Kid Pics by Steve

2011-10-02T21:01:00.003-06:00

Lagoon Trip

2011-08-14T23:27:00.003-06:00

We took a quick trip to Utah before school starts up again. We stayed with Grandpa and Grandma Wood. The kids thought their apartment was super cool. They kept calling it a "hotel". They loved the pool-big surprise, huh. Sam and Garrett were a little too fearless! We tried to tire the kids out with swimming but they were still up late. The next morning we went to Lagoon.

We had a blast! The last time we were at Lagoon Kira was just a couple months old. We have taken Chris, Kira and Spencer to Disneyland since then but it was a whole new world of fun for Sam and Garrett. I loved watching the kids with huge smiles all day. After every ride Garrett would say "more, more"! He even pulled the restraint back on him so he could keep riding. The older kids were pretty excited to be able to go on the big rides. Chris was our hesitant one but he warmed up to roller coasters after a while. We spent the whole day playing and eating! Before we left we introduced the kids to funnel cake. The kids were instant fans. After a full day of fun and food the kids were out cold minutes after getting in the van. We loved spending time with Grandma and Grandpa Wood and Aunt Steph and are glad they got to be there with us. It was a fantastic way to end the summer break!

Week at Grandma's House

2011-08-04T12:50:00.002-06:00

The kids got to spend a week without mom and dad at Grandma and Grandpa Anderson's house. They did lots of fun things. These were the favorites!

Golfing- Kira's not a huge fan of golfing so she spent the day at her cousins' house enjoying some girl time!

Fishing- Kira was the only one to catch a fish, but they all had fun.

Reunion 2011

2011-07-27T22:29:00.004-06:00

We were able to enjoy a beautiful day in Driggs with family- a lot of family that we don't get too see very often. We had lots of yummy food, played in the creek, made little sail boats to race in the creek, went on 4 wheeler rides, and just hung out and talked. Aunt Steph always has fun things for the kids. She brought a little ball that you can make homemade ice cream in. The kids had a blast!

First Pickin'

2011-07-27T22:18:00.005-06:00

Our garden is doing pretty well. We're excited that we actually got something to grow! We've spent hours upon hours weeding. The kids have been good troopers. Lately they've all offered to take what we call "Garrett Duty"- making sure G stays off and out of the plants. The bonus to Garrett Duty is that they get to sit and play in the dirt with their shovels and buckets. Of course the week the kids are gone is the week we get to actually pick some of what we've been growing so they can see what all the effort is for. Oh well, there will be more waiting when they get home!

Pioneer Parade

2011-07-27T21:55:00.004-06:00

Every year for July 24th, Pioneer Day, our ward's primary (church group for children ages 3-11) along with 2 others has a Primary Pioneer Parade. The kids can dress up like a pioneer and decorate their bikes, wagons, scooters... then we ride/walk to a nearby park and play pioneer games and have popsicles. It's a lot of fun.

2 Years Old!

2011-07-27T21:44:00.003-06:00

We did a little better for Garrett's birthday than we did Spencer's- we at least got a couple pictures before the camera battery died.

My baby isn't a baby any more! Believe it or not I love this age! Sure he's a typical 2 year old boy getting into mischief (and he's just getting started!) but he's always making us laugh and showing off the new things he can say and do.

Spencer's B-Day!

2011-07-12T15:43:00.002-06:00

I can't believe how fast my kids are growing up! It's crazy. Spencer celebrated his 7th birthday. Unfortunately the camera battery was dead so we didn't get any pictures. His newest thing this year is Bey Blades. He got 2 new Beys to battle with. All you hear from my house is "Bey Blade, Bey Blade let it rip". One of Spencer's new Beys is called Capricorn, he was calling it Kettle Corn : ) He's always making me laugh. I love this kid!

Since I didn't have a birthday picture I thought I'd share the most recent one Steve took of Spencer. It started to rain super hard and all the kids took off outside to play in it. They thought it was great. They were soaked from head to toe in a matter of seconds!

4th of July

2011-07-06T09:00:00.006-06:00

We had a fun filled 4th of July weekend!

We went to Rexburg and went bowling and played miniature golf. Then we headed over to the splash park.

We went to Driggs and spent the night so we could take the kids to see the hot air balloons in the morning. We woke the kids up at 5 am to take them to the balloon launch. We got there and found out that it wasn't going to happen because it was too windy. Arrg! But the kids still had fun playing in the creek and going on 4 wheeler rides.

Then, of course, we went to watch the fireworks. We decided to go to a school and watch from there. It was great because the kids could play on the playground until it got dark. It also helped that the kids had friends there to play with!

Steve's New Blog

2011-07-01T08:16:00.003-06:00

Steve has a new hobby- Photography! He started a blog that showcases some of his work. You can check it out at http://woodworksphotography.blogspot.com

More Pics by Steve

2011-06-25T09:01:00.004-06:00

A couple more cute shots

Steve's 1st Photo Shoot

2011-06-22T22:04:00.002-06:00

Recently Steve has really gotten into photography. In the past he's done pictures of a couple temples, the Tetons and other landscapes. Some good friends of ours asked Steve if he would take a few pictures of their new baby. Here are a couple of those pictures.

I think they turned out pretty darn good for a rookie!

Vacation 2011

2011-06-07T09:09:00.009-06:00

As soon as school was out we packed up and headed to Utah. We spent a few days in Spanish Fork then continued on to St. George. Grandma and Grandpa Anderson and my brother, Robb, and his family came with us. Unfortunately Kristy changed positions at work and wasn't able to get time off and Joey had EFY that week so they weren't able to come with us.

Thankfully the kids did really well with all the driving but I'm afraid Garrett has become a movie addict.

We stopped at Cove Fort on our way down. It was build by Gordon B Hinckley's grand father, Ira Hinckley, under the direction of President Brigham Young to offer protection, food and water to travelers.

Front View:

One of the Bedrooms:

Kitchen/Dining Room:

Telegraph:

Inside View:

We went exploring in the red hills while we waited for the house we were staying at to be ready.

The vacation was low key and relaxing. We had down time every afternoon for naps and in the evenings we played Minute to Win It games. The kids also had a coloring contest and did a lip sync for us.

We walked around the St George temple. It was beautiful.

We went to Snow Canyon and hiked the Petrified Sand Dunes.

The kids loved finding and chasing lizards!

Playing on the normal sand dunes

Chris was the only kid tall enough to ride the normal go carts so they settled for the Kiddie Go Carts. A couple of the kids were a little disappointed that they went so slow but they had fun trying to pass each other and blocking them from being able to.

The grown ups had a race of their own. I realized I'm no good- I'm way to safe of a driver. But it was still fun. Steve on the other hand...

Bumper Boats. The kids definitely got wet!

Zions National Park:

Dad and Steve got a chance to go out and golf while the rest of us played in the water at Town Square Park. We also spent an afternoon swimming at Sand Hollow Aquatic Center. The kids wore themselves out and had a blast. Sorry no pictures of these.

We enjoyed our time together as a family and getting away from all the daily chaos that comes at home. I loved not thinking about anything but having fun. Now it's back to reality :(

May Madness

2011-05-16T09:35:00.006-06:00

Kira had her 9th Birthday! She has grown up so fast! I'm so glad that I have Kira in our family of crazy boys.

Over Mother's Day weekend we were able to go to Utah to enjoy time with my family. My Grandma Anderson flew out for her birthday and Mother's Day. To celebrate with us, my uncle and his family also came out to Utah from Arizona and Alabama. It was great to see everyone. I haven't seen my cousins that came since I was a little girl. It was fun to meet their families and get to know them again.

Chris has been studying a lot about Idaho history this year in school. All the 4th graders put on a program at the end of the school year. It was really fun to watch. Chris would practice the songs at home, driving his brothers and sister crazy. He didn't have a speaking part was very excited to be one of the square dancers. He did great! After the program we went into the library to see all of the Idaho projects that the kids made. Chris chose to build a replica of Taylors Crossing Bridge. He collected a bunch of stick and rocks to make his bridge out of. He worked hard building it with little help from anyone. (I can't find the picture we took of his bridge but hopefully I'll find it soon and can add it later)

We planted our garden. Now we're just hoping and praying that something grows!

We spent a lot of time (and money!) at the dentist this month. All the kids had their normal check ups and all of them had to go back for one reason or another. The most drastic was Christian. He had 9 teeth pulled! There wasn't anything wrong with the teeth. His permanent teeth were coming in and the dentist wanted to make sure the baby teeth were out of the way so they didn't cause any problems. He did great! Amazingly he was still able to eat!

Chris and Spencer have really gotten interested in golf so we signed them up for a junior golf club. They had a golf etiquette class and are super excited to get to go out and golf all summer with Steve and some friends that are also doing it.

April Fun

2011-04-28T08:02:00.010-06:00

Easter weekend! It was a beautiful weekend. We spent as much time outside as we could. Chris has another school project due in May, so we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and start his project. It's an Idaho project. He's building a mini version of Taylors Crossing Bridge. So we went down by the river to explore, research and take some pictures.

Of course the kids enjoyed an outside Easter egg hunt. We also had a nice picnic lunch at the park. Steve was able to enjoy a round of golf. When we was finished the kids and I joined him at the driving range. The kids all had fun hitting their bucket of balls and putting. Garrett even had to get into the action. It was a great family, fun filled weekend.

Spirit week at school. Crazy hair day! Kira wanted octopus hair so she has 8 braided pony tails around her head. Spencer wanted poof ball hair. The picture doesn't do it justice. Unfortunately we had just cut Chris's hair so his options were limited. He decided on rows of mohawks.

Spring break! The kids had a full week for spring break. It was a nice, and much needed, break from the normal chaos that comes during the school year. We just had a quiet, relaxing time sleeping in and playing with friends. One day we took the kids bowling. They had a blast and did really well!

Pine Wood Derby 2011! We had a great time at the car race. His car, Poison Ivy, did pretty good. He came in 4th or 5th out of 15. Chris picked out the car design, helped carve and sand it, chose the paint colors and helped paint it. Steve really tried hard to make this Chris's car. In a Den meeting, the boys all made stands for their cars.

G Rocking out

2011-04-06T22:21:00.002-06:00

Chris is 10! Aaahhh!

2011-04-06T22:05:00.005-06:00

Unfortunately March didn't bring better health, but we survived and keep chugging along. Poor Chris was sick on his birthday :( Luckily we celebrated a few days early since grandma, grandpa and Joey came up to visit. Chris has always been an easy going, mellow kid. I'm so thankful for him and all the help he gives. It's crazy that he's in the double digits now! He's definitely growing up and I'm not sure that I'm ready for the teenage years that are quickly approaching!

Random Happenings

2011-03-02T10:59:00.005-07:00

Between the many, many sick days February was full of a few more school projects. Spencer had to make a 100 days of school project. He had to gather 100 things and display them. He chose safety pins. He picked out an Indian type ribbon and pinned his 100 safety pins on in in groups of 10s.

The kids had fun making their Valentines and Valentine boxes. Chris is the only one that had to make his own box at home. Kira and Spencer did it in class. Chris decided to decorate his box like a basketball court. He actually put a hoop on it so the other kids could put their valentines in the hoop and it would fall through the hole and into his box. Chris also had to do a science project about a planet or something in space. He chose Pluto. We learned a lot about Pluto.

Kira missed her Mother/Daughter activity for activity days because she was sick, surprise, so we planned a girls night. We invited a couple friends over and did nails, had pink rice krispie treats and sugar cookies along with a little pink love potion. It was tons of fun. Definitely something we'll have to do more often.
Samuel turned 4! Crazy! He's always made life interesting and exciting. He's doing great with his letters and numbers. He's a smart kid. The bad part is that he knows it! He seems to be mellowing out a little, thankfully since Garrett is quickly approaching the terrible two's. Sam is an awesome kid an we're glad to have him and all his spunk in our family.
Chris got his Bear in Cub Scouts! Now onto Webelos...as soon as he turns 10.

Proud Mama Moment

2011-01-31T16:44:00.006-07:00

Each month in Spencer's 1st grade class they make a writing journal. His teacher gives them a writing prompt and they write a few sentences about it. I love reading through his journals. This is one of the pages in Spencer's January Journal that made me so proud.

I'm not sure why it loaded side ways, but this is what he wrote:
This year-
...I go to school.
...I will play
...???
...I wake up early.
...is awesome.
...I will play in the snow.
...is fun.
...I will read my scriptures.
The picture he drew is of the Book of Mormon.

We have been trying hard to read scriptures every day as a family. The kids have been doing great with waking up early so we can read before Steve goes to work. We've also been focusing on the scriptures and scripture stories in our Family Home Evenings, so when I saw that he included reading the scriptures as something he'll do this year it made me smile. Even though things don't always go as planned at least the kids are getting something out of what we are trying to teach them.

(I also liked that he wrote " I like my mom" and "My mom is nice".)

Week of Projects

2011-01-27T20:40:00.006-07:00

We had few projects this week that the kids enjoyed working on. It was fun to watch them and see what they came up with.

For Cub Scouts Chris had the Space Derby. It's the first time we've ever had to make a rocket. He did a great job and came in 3rd!

Steve and a friend actually made the rocket launcher that they used. That's Chris's rocket on the left.

Spencer's 1st grade class is making a city. He was assigned to make the water tower. He was nice enough to let Kira help him paint it.

Sam was feeling a bit left out so we broke out his bug maker that he got for Christmas and he made a couple of bugs. He was able to fill one of the bugs with slime so it would ooze when it got smashed. He thought it was pretty cool.

Sam's at it again

2011-01-20T14:55:00.004-07:00

Garrett and Sam were playing so well today. Then Garrett decided he wanted to read a book with me. Sam disappeared while I was reading Garrett stories. After I realized I hadn't seen or heard him for a little while I called for him. No response. That's when I know he's up to no good! I went searching for him and found him coming out of my bathroom with a big smile on his face. He had painted his toe nails with Kira's bright red nail polish. He was so proud of himself and he actually did a pretty good job for a 3 year old, not a drop of polish on the floor, wall or cabinets! After he realized he was safe and I wasn't mad he put his hands out and asked if he could paint his finger nails. I can handle bright red toes on my little boy but I draw the line at bright red finger nails.

Grandma Marlyce

2011-01-06T10:56:00.003-07:00

September 12, 1934 - January 5, 2011

A few of my favorite memories
*My Grandma Marlyce worked for Pillsbury. I was so excited when I found out. I had seen the Pillsbury commercials as a kid and was positive it was my grandma that was poking the Pillsbury Doughboy's belly to make him giggle. I thought she must be famous.
*My Grandma always made the best scrambled eggs and Macaroni & Cheese. I thought it was funny that she called Mac & Cheese Kraft Dinner and would ask if I wanted butter on my sandwiches. When we would visit she always made sure we got our favorite things to eat.
*When we would visit we would all load up in the car and go to the movie store. Each of the kids would get to pick out a movie then we would go to the store to pick out our treats. We always got loaded up with goodies when we visited Grandma and Grandpa. They had a candy jar out on the counter and she always made sure it was full when we came. We would watch our movies and chow down on treats late into the night.
*My Grandma also had lots of make up and shoes. I thought it was great. She would let me use her make up then she'd send me home with the make up she didn't want anymore. I was in heaven. One day I looked in a closet and found all her dress shoes and had to try them on. She had a pair of red high heels, the heals were really long and pointy, that I would pretend was a telephone. Grandma had the coolest stuff!
*I loved going with Grandma to get her hair done. I would sit in the chair next to her and spin around. She would get her hair permed and colored. For lots of years I remember thinking her hair looked purple!
*Grandma always spoiled us rotten when we visited. Every time we got to her house she would be at the door to greet us each with a kiss.
I'm very grateful for the chance that I had to talk to her on Christmas Day and tell her that I love her. I'm thankful for my knowledge of the gospel and the comfort it gives me because I know that this life is not the end and I will be able to see her again. She may even be waiting to greet me with a kiss like she did so many times before after being apart.

Kid Pics

2011-01-04T22:01:00.005-07:00

2010 Christmas Letter

2010-12-29T09:58:00.003-07:00

This year has gone by in a blur, the kids are growing way too fast and I’m just trying to figure out where the time has gone!

We have enjoyed being back in Idaho. The kids have loved all the snow!

Christian (9 years old) really likes his 4th grade teacher. Chris has been struggling with staying focused in school and it would take hours for him to do his homework so after a conversation with his teacher we had him tested for ADD. It's amazing the difference his medicine has made not only in his schooling but in his speech as well. He has enjoyed cub scouts and is looking forward to basketball season!

Kira (8 years old) also loves her 3rd grade teacher and is doing really well. She enjoys reading and being read to. Kira loves Activity Days, where a group of girls her around her age get together and do crafts and activities twice a month. She loves spending time with her friends...and getting a break form her brothers!

Spencer (6 years old) is in 1st grade with a wonderful teacher. He’s a perfectionist and has to have his school work just right. He takes his schooling very seriously. Needless to say, he’s doing very well. He has been waiting patiently to lose a tooth and he recently lost his first 2! Spencer wants to play football like his Uncle Joey and again has to wait patiently to be old enough to play.

Samuel (3, almost 4 years old) is always an adventure! There is never a dull moment with Sam. A couple things he has tried this year are driving the car and cutting Garrett’s hair. But he has also done really well with learning his letters, numbers and spelling his name.

Garrett (1 year old) is discovering the world around him. He loves playing with balls and cars and has also taken a liking to climbing and jumping. He is a great dancer too! He’s always laughing and giving loves. He’s a typical, curious little toddler that gets into everything. It’s fun just to watch him.

I couldn’t ask for a better group of kids. They are a blessing to our family and have taught me so much.

Steve is enjoying his new job. He loves his schedule, 4 10 hour days with Fridays off. I admit, I love it too. He has been dabbling in a few little construction jobs for fun. He was also very excited to go hunting this year and actually get an elk!

With Steve’s work schedule, I have been lucky enough to be able to help with Spencer’s class every Friday. It’s been great to be involved with his class, teacher and school. Life is pretty normal and uneventful, just running kids to appointments, helping with homework and the other every day, ordinary “mom jobs”. Some people might think it’s boring or unfulfilling but I wouldn’t change it for the world!

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-28T17:17:00.003-07:00

We had a wonderful Christmas - as always. We were able to enjoy an evening with Steve's family for Christmas before heading down to Utah. Our drive went quite well until we hit Provo, mostly because the dvd system we got for the van for Christmas from Steve's parents. Then I heard a strange sound from the backseat. I turned around to find that Sam (of course!) was air blowing his nose toward the window. When I asked him what he was doing he turned and looked at me with something dark sprayed all over his face and jeans and tears running down his face. At first I thought it was blood but it looked more brown than red. I asked him what was wrong, while grabbing a wipe from the diaper bag. After a minute of deciphering what he was trying to tell me, it turned out that he had put an M&M up his nose. It got stuck so he was trying to blow it out but it had started to melt so he was just blowing out chocolate. How many other people can say their kid blows chocolate out his/her nose! That was our big adventure. We had a blast in Utah spending time with family. The kids got to do all their favorite traditions- seeing the Christmas lights, watching The Polar Express, saying Happy Birthday to Jesus and releasing red balloons on Christmas Eve night and going to the Dollar Store with Grandma and Grandpa to pick out parent gifts. This is more for Grandpa than anyone-he loves seeing what the kids pick out. Last year Spencer picked out a big Hulk poster for Steve and Sam got him a stick horse saying that daddy would share. We also went to "Bethlehem" this year. In Provo they had a program where they converted a few yards into a Bethlehem scene. We started out in a church for an introduction then we went outside and traveled to Bethlehem to pay taxes, we saw how crowded the Inn was and all the hustle and bustle that went on in town, the 3 Kings searching for baby Jesus and when the angel appeared to the Shepherds. Then we saw the stable where Baby Jesus was. It was a good experience and reminded us of the true meaning of Christmas, but it was a little too chaotic trying to keep track of all the kids in a huge jumbled crowd. So we might wait a few years before doing that one again. The kids, of course, loved opening stocking and presents then playing with their cousins all day. The adults have started a new tradition of having an Around the World Ping Pong tournament. Our next adventure came when we tried to reload the van for our return trip! Amazingly we got everything in and only forgot a couple things!

I'm afraid our Santa believing days are numbered. Chris has been saying there's no Santa this year but my other kids still believe which made Chris rethink his position. He's torn between the fun and the logic. Some people tell their kids the truth about Santa when they're young but I want my kids to figure it out on their own, to come to their own conclusion. Even if they are told, they still want to believe so I'll let them do it when they are ready. Honestly, I think it's fun when they believe in Santa and you see their eyes light up on Christmas morning, but we also make sure they know and understand why we really celebrate Christmas.
I'm excited (and a little nervous-ahem, Sam) to see what adventures 2011 will bring!

Winter Crafts

2010-12-03T20:15:00.005-07:00

Here are a couple of crafts that the kids have done recently.

Steve's sister, Stephanie, sent us this idea that she found here. We thought it was super cute so we tried it. The buttons only survived for a couple hours but Garrett has left everything else alone.

Chris, Kira and Spencer each made their own graham cracker gingerbread houses. Sam had a little help with his. Garrett had fun eating all the candy!

A Visit from the Tooth Fairy

2010-11-26T09:24:00.004-07:00

Spencer has been waiting and waiting to lose a tooth. His wait is finally over. I was very impressed with Spencer because the next morning when he found a dollar under his pillow from the tooth fairy he brought it to me and told me that he wanted to use it to buy a gift for a girl that our family is "adopting" for Christmas. He didn't even have to think about it. I was very proud of him and his selflessness. The kids all chipped in and bought a scooter for her with their own money. I have some pretty amazing kids!

Thanksgiving Fun

2010-11-23T15:48:00.003-07:00

My kids have a whole week off for Thanksgiving break so I thought I better have some things for them to do. I'm thankful for the internet and creative people who share their ideas!

We had some friends over and made a bunch of these oreo turkeys. The kids had a blast making them and eating them!

We made Pilgrim hats out of chocolate covered marshmallows and fudge striped shortbread cookies.

The kids made the tree trunk by tracing their hand and arm then colored leaves and glued them on. It doesn't look much like fall outside anymore but it did keep them busy for a while. I think we might have to make snowflakes next!

We had a Thanksgiving themed Family Home Evening. The kids made their hats and then put on a skit.

We've gotten a ton of snow in the past few days so of course the kids have been having fun building a snowman, snow angels... Garrett even went out in the snow for the first time. He was decked out with snow clothes. The poor kid could hardly move and wasn't too sure about the snow.

Halloween

2010-11-02T13:18:00.002-06:00

Samuel-A Whole New Experience

2010-10-26T08:04:00.005-06:00

This morning started out like any normal school day until it was time to bring the kids to school. I grabbed my purse and pulled out my keys. Kira was getting her backpack ready and remembered that I hadn't signed her folder. I put everything on the counter and went to find a pencil to sign her folder. So, I sign it, bring it back to her and she puts in into her bag. So far, so good. No major problems. I go over to grab my purse and keys off the counter, my keys are not there. I knew I set them next to my purse just a minute before. A thought crossed my mind, to quick for it to be mine own, Samuel is not here. I vaguely remembered hearing the garage door open and close. I ran to the garage in time to see my van creeping backwards. With Garrett in one arm I run out, swing open the driver side door, slam back the seat and hit the brake. He had put the key in the ignition and shifted to neutral. It was half way down the driveway by the time everything was over. I'm thankful for the thought that allowed me to get to the van before anything too horrible happened. Sam was standing between the middle seats, happy as can be and totally clueless. I scolded him for taking my keys and told him how dangerous that was...and he got mad at ME! Typical Sam. If he gets in trouble his normal response is "you're mean" shouted, of course, and accompanied by a nice scowl. I thought we were past all this but it seems to be coming back for round 2. I survived it the first time, hopefully I'll survive round 2!

Pictures

2010-10-24T21:21:00.007-06:00

Here are a bunch of pictures that Steve's Uncle took for us up in Driggs.

Driggs Adventure

2010-09-11T20:23:00.006-06:00

We enjoyed a beautiful day up in Driggs.

The kids liked riding on the four wheeler and did a great job picking choke cherries.

Spencer took his job very seriously!

Samuel got tired of picking the cherries so he started fighting dragons with his stick sword and hung out on the four wheeler. Garrett was out there with us too, we just didn't get a picture of him. Steve was carrying him in the backpack. He entertained himself by picking leaves off the bush and sampling the choke cherries.

When we were up in Driggs for our Wood Family reunion my sister-in-law, Stephanie, had pointed this shed out as a good picture place. I totally forgot about it after the other pictures were taken during the reunion so we took a couple quick shots today. I love the shed as the background!

1st Day of School!

2010-08-30T20:58:00.003-06:00

Chris just started 4th grade! He came home saying that his teacher was really funny and that they just played games today. His favorite part of today was having Spencer's class visit his. The kids in Christian's class will be reading to the kids in Spencer's class. I thought that was kind of cool. The worst part of his day was having to wake up so early!

Kira (3rd grade) also had a good day at school. She came home and said, "Mom, I made a new friend in my class!" Then she added, "but she's mean and hits me." So I mentioned she may want to talk to some other kids and see how many new friends she can make. Kira's favorite part of today was PE, even though they only got to play one game. The bad part, like Chris, was having to wake up early.

The most exciting things about starting 1st grade are being able to stay the full time and eating lunch at school. Spencer thought school was pretty fun. He said he liked everything about school but not waking up early. Spencer had a little bit of homework today. So after the kids had a snack I said it was time to do homework. Well, Spencer's teacher told them to do their homework tonight and bring it back tomorrow. So, when I said it was homework time Spencer replied, "Mom, she said to do it TONIGHT." After a few times of trying to convince him that it was ok to do his homework in the afternoon and him insisting he had to do it tonight, I gave up and just let him do it after dinner. That's Spencer for you, Mr. Literal!

Random Summer Fun

2010-08-29T17:23:00.002-06:00

We had a fun time at the Pioneer Parade in Spanish Fork. The kids had fun with the cousins and loved the candy. This was Steve's favorite entry!

We had a great Wood Family Reunion up in Driggs. The kids had a blast playing in the creek and just camping outside. Steve and his brother, Andrew, took all the older kids for a canoe ride. Kira went too. She just didn't make into the pics.

We went on a short, easy hike at Cress Creek. After our hike we went down by the river for a picnic. The kids loved playing in the water and skipping rocks.

The kids learned how to play frisbee golf. They've been on a few different courses and do pretty well.

No Joke

2010-07-30T22:38:00.002-06:00

After being in Utah for nearly a year we're moving back to Idaho...Again. It' a bitter-sweet move for us. It'll be nice to be close to our Idaho family and friends again but we'll miss all our Utah family and friends.

1 Year!

2010-07-23T11:47:00.003-06:00

I can't believe Garrett is a year old! He has really learned a lot in the past month and has gown beyond the baby stage. He's walking everywhere. He goes up and down the stairs as he pleases. He loves his new found independence! He loves balls and walks around the house saying "Ball". Garrett is happiest when he is outside or in the water. He loves scaring Grandma with all his daredevil stunts! His personality is really popping out. He loves to jabber and tease. He is so much fun.

Spencer's B-Day!

2010-07-15T20:17:00.004-06:00

For his special day he wanted to invite his cousins over to decorate their bikes for a parade. We also went to a tumbling place with trampolines, a big foam pit and other little fun things. The kids (and grown ups) had a blast! Unfortunately, no one thought to bring a camera.

He also got to go to Chuck E. Cheese's with Grandma and Grandpa Wood and Aunt Steph. Another huge hit!

He asked for a "white cake with white frosting in a normal rectangle pan with Bakugans on top." It may not have been the coolest looking cake but it made him happy!

He loved each of his gifts. They have kept him busy!
I think this may be classified as his best birthday so far!

Who's That?

2010-06-26T07:52:00.005-06:00

All the boys got their summer hair cuts. We decided it was time to cut Garrett's hair. I loved his long hair, but he's at the age where he can't eat ANYTHING without getting it into his hair. Short hair is much easier to wash! Garrett looks like a completely different kid. It's crazy! I'll miss watching him play with his hair as he falling asleep. It was so cute! He still tries but ends up just rubbing his head and playing with his ears.

June in a Nutshell

2010-06-22T23:15:00.007-06:00

We started June off with Kira's baptism. We had a wonderful day and loved spending it with lots of family.

June has also been full of T-ball games and Tennis lessons. It's been fun to watch the kids learn new sports. Kira figured tennis out pretty easily and did really well. Spencer's first game was a classic tale. He hit the ball, ran to first and waited. When the next kid hit he ran to third, then back to first, and eventually made to second base. Of course after getting him to the correct base I realized that it was the last batter and so they run all the way home. The poor kid was so confused and came running into home fighting back the tears. I made sure to show him where the bases were before the next game and in which order to run them. Because he is so literal he had a hard time in the field. When his coach told him to stand "here" he did just that. He wouldn't move even if the ball was right next to him. So I explained that he didn't actually have to stay in that one spot but that he could run after the ball if it was close to him. Now that the game has been explained to him, he's a good player and is enjoying t-ball but would like to try tennis after watching Kira and has also expressed an interest in football which makes Grandpa very happy. I have a feeling Spencer is going to be the one who wants to play them all!

Chris enjoyed a fun filled day at Scout Camp. He got to build a rocket, shoot a gun and bow and arrows along with some other fun things.

I'm happy to report that Sam is no longer using his toys, dad's truck or the floor as a potty! He has learned to spell his name and is working on writing it. The funny thing is that he can write the letters "A" and "M" but he writes them upside down.

Garrett has been standing on his own and attempted a step or two then gaves up. He makes a mad dash for the stairs anytime the gate is not up and for the door whenever someone comes in or out. He loves playing in the sandbox, swinging and just being outside in general. His top teeth are finally coming in. He has 4 on the bottom and his second top tooth just broke through. He's dangerous now!

We attempted to take a picture of all the Grandkids on the Anderson side. A few of the results...

I think the kids did quite well. Have you ever tried to get 11 kids all under 10 to look at the camera and smile at the same time. It's pretty challenging! I love some of the faces the kids made- like Sam's face in the last picture!

Another Sam Story

2010-05-26T12:18:00.004-06:00

Potty training woes...
Since Sam decided he was ready to be potty trained things have gone pretty well, even through the night. But recently we've had a little problem. He doesn't want to stop what he's doing to run into the bathroom but he doesn't want to have an accident either so he just pulls down his pants and pees wherever it is convenient for him. So far he has peed under Kira's bed, behind the couch, next to Garrett's high chair, in a trash can, in the grass, on the sidewalk and on Steve's truck. Lovely! When Steve asked him why he peed on his truck Sam said "I was trying to make it beautiful." You never know what you're going to get with Sam!

Our Latest

2010-05-05T12:29:00.006-06:00

Kira just celebrated her 8th birthday!!! She is so excited to be 8! Her cousin has a birthday only a few days after hers so we did cake and ice cream together. Because it was an extra special birthday I decided to try something new with the cakes, but I'm all about easy so I went for the fairy cake. I think they turned out pretty cute. The girls loved them!

All the elementary schools in our area participated in a track meet against each other. Chris ran the 50m, did the softball throw and the long jump. He had fun but it was a lousy day, windy and cold. The poor boys froze.

One weekend we planned a fun trip to the zoo but we ended up at Temple Square instead. We drove up to the zoo but saw how packed it was and changed our minds. We tried Liberty Park but their was a Renaissance Fair going on their so it was crazy. So we headed to Temple Square to wander. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed spending time with family.

We were lucky to have my Grandma Anderson come out and visit us. The last time we got to see her Kira was just a baby. It was wonderful to be able to introduce her to all of my kids. They loved her to pieces while she was here! We thought we'd take a family picture while we were all standing there. Chris's "smile" cracks me up. Steve called it a "Pee Wee Herman" smile.

Forgot One

2010-04-27T21:05:00.002-06:00

One day the kids were hanging on me and just constantly in my face. So after all I could handle, I told them that I had a bubble around me and they couldn't come in it. Well Sam, being the smarty pants kid that already acts like a teenager, poked me and said, "I popped your bubble".

Before I Forget

2010-04-27T13:27:00.003-06:00

This post is just a few things that Sam has done and said this week that I want to remember. May be you had to be there or have to know Sam to find the humor in these but at the time it was hilarious. His expressions alone made me laugh!
- Chris and Garrett had a doctors appointment but Sam wanted to go just in case someone needed a shot. I was holding Garrett while the doctor was checking him out. Sam was standing over to the side of me and out of the blue said, "Excuse you Mom". I'm not sure what he thought I did but it made me laugh. I can only imagine what the doctor was thinking.
- Sam came with me to pick the kids up from school and drop a treat off for one of their teachers. While we were walking towards the door, past the line of cars picking up their kids, Sam punches my leg and says, "Red one". I think he's been watching a few too many commercials!
- Sam discovered a yellow highlighter and decided to draw on his belly and arm. He came out and showed me his art work and said, "I'm a Dude" while striking a pose so I could admire his work. He showed me his "dude arm" that he was very proud of. The only thing I can think of is that there was a guy with a ton of tattoos in line with us at the pharmacy the other day. Just the sight of a bean pole little boy showing off his muscles and "tatoos" calling himself a dude cracked me up.

March Madness

2010-03-28T20:38:00.011-06:00

Garrett has gotten his two bottom teeth. He has also learned how to roll around the floor, scoot in circles, crawl and pull himself up onto things. He even walks around if he has something to hold onto or push. He can go from his belly to sitting up and stands up in his crib which makes nap time and bedtime a little more challenging. Garrett also got to have his first Oreo Cookie. He loved it!'

Samuel had his first dentist appointment. Surprisingly it went went really well. He totally cooperated and didn't yell at, hit or bite the dentist! He was very excited about his new toothbrush, toothpaste and toy. Sam also got to go to school with his uncle for "Day Care Day" as part of a class. It was only for 30 minutes but he loved it. When I went to pick him up he said, "That was cool! What school am I going to next?" Sam has learned a few letters and sounds along with how to count to at least 10. He just picked it up because I haven't really worked too much with him yet. The most exciting thing is that Sam is no longer in diapers! He finally decided he was ready to be potty trained. We even ventured out with no accidents!

Spencer is very excited about starting soccer. After his first practice he informed me that he's the best player on his team, but he decided that wasn't good enough and changed it to the best player of all! He also told me that all the girls in his class say he's the coolest boy and that he's the handsomest boy in the class. I think may be we need to have a talk about humility!

This month has been a little uneventful for Kira. However she did lose another tooth and new teeth are finally growing in to fill in some of the holes.

At the end of February Chris finished up his basketball season. He loves basketball and is getting pretty good. It was fun to watch him play and his confidence grow as he improved.
Christian celebrated his 9th birthday! Crazy, I know. He also earned his wolf in scouts and has moved up into bears. He had fun making his pinewood derby car for this year. Unfortunately it didn't do as well as last years car and it got a little beat up but he still had fun.
Steve and I spent our 10th Anniversary watching Christian's pinewood derby race. It was nice to be together as a family and just be able to look back at the last 10 years and see how much has changed. 10 years seems like such a long time but looking back at it I wonder where the time went!

The kids, along with their 5 cousins in Utah, had a great time coloring their Easter Eggs. They did a whole lot better job than I ever did!

Bring on the Terrific 3's

2010-02-16T14:34:00.004-07:00

Sam is such a cute kid! I love seeing him learn and grow and discover new things each year. We are very lucky and grateful to have him in our family!

Sam and Steve fighting with Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader from the birthday cake. The light sabers even glow!

We appreciate all the family that helped us celebrate Sam's 3rd Birthday! Sam has really loved playing with all his new things!

Our Break from Winter

2010-02-16T14:02:00.006-07:00

We had a little warm weather getaway! We enjoyed our little vacation to St. George. It was a quick trip but we were able to soak up the sun and have a lot of fun together.

Valentine Boxes

2010-02-16T13:50:00.003-07:00

This year the kids each had to make a Valentine box. Each grade was assigned a theme to decorate their box around.

Kinergarten had "Nursery Rhyme" Spencer chose the "Jack and Jill"

2nd Grade had "Bugs/Insects" Kira chose to make butterfly. She worked so hard on making the tissue paper wings!

3rd Grade had "Simple Machines" Chris used a pulley to open the lid of his box.

Stats

2010-01-28T10:26:00.002-07:00

Garrett had his well check today. He's definitely a little guy, at least for our family! He's 15 pounds 6 ounces (10 %) and a tad over 26 inches tall (25%). The poor little guy had lots of shots but he endured them well. Sam and Spencer went to the appointment too. Sam was quite upset that he wasn't getting a shot today. Crazy kid!

I Love My Lips!

2010-01-22T22:02:00.008-07:00

Garrett has been keeping us entertained with his silly faces. He's had all of us laughing nonstop. He has discovered his lips and is making the cutest faces. Pictures don't do it justice. His personality is really starting to come out. When he makes a silly face, he'll look up at you to get you to laugh and keeps on changing his face to get a reaction. It's great!

I love this cute kiddo! He's growing up way too fast!

Kiddos

2010-01-08T22:53:00.001-07:00

Snow Fun!

2010-01-08T22:37:00.004-07:00

We got quite a bit of snow over the holiday break so we spent a lot of time outside playing. We found a fun, isolated sledding path that the kids had a blast sledding down! The kids also enjoyed making snow angels and having a snowball fight at the bottom of the sledding hill. We even brought Garrett sledding when we went back for round two, but unfortunately I didn't have a camera that time.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-08T22:13:00.007-07:00

We had a wonderful Christmas! We were able to go up to Idaho and spend Christmas with Steve's family. On Christmas Eve Steve's family always does a little program along with the yummy food. This year Steve's dad, Kent, read Luke 2 then his sister, Steph, sang a beautiful song that I have never heard before (I can't remember what she said it was). When she finished singing I looked over at Sam and he was sitting with his arms folded, head bowed and eyes closed. In his mind we just had a scripture and song so it was time for a prayer! I guess may be he was feeling the true holiday spirit. It was so cute. I love watching the kids open their gifts and seeing their faces light up, but this year the highlight was watching Samuel get excited over the small and simple things, like socks and Batman underwear! He had some of the best reactions. It was priceless.

The kids loved going up to Driggs for a sledding adventure. Followed by hot chocolate and warming up by the fireplace (I love the hat hair on Sam)! We also got to visit Great Grandma Wood while we were in Driggs.

Garrett hanging out with Eddison. Garrett only has two boy cousins, luckily they both happen to be close to his age.

2009-12-14T21:18:00.004-07:00

Can a kid be too good of a sharer? My answer - YES! While the older kids were at school I went shopping with the younger two. Because we were going to several stores I bribed Samuel with a push pop sucker. He was suppose to keep it in his pocket while we were inside the stores, but he's 2 and had to sneak a lick every once in a while. Unfortunately, while I was busy looking at something Sam decided another little boy in the store needed a taste of his sucker then hurried and put it back in his mouth before I could stop him- NICE. It was gross but he was so proud of himself for sharing his sucker I couldn't get mad. We did, however, have a little discussion about the rules of sharing food.

Then came our drama for the day when Samuel told Spencer that Kira got him a gold club for Christmas. Spencer was very excited by the news. Kira, on the other hand, was not so happy. We talked about exchanging the gift so Spencer would be surprised when he opened it. Spencer was quick to say that it would still be a surprise because he doesn't know what it looks like or what color it is, hoping Kira would change her mind so he would still get his golf club. Kira was torn, knowing she had picked the perfect present for Spencer and wanting him to like it but also wanting him to be surprised. So Kira and I came up with a plan so they will both get what they want. Kira drew a picture of his golf club and wrapped it in a box for Spencer to open, that way it will look like she picked something else out so he'll be surprised when she gives him his real club after he opens the package.

Spencer said the cutest prayer. In his prayer he asked that "Santa will feel happy when he gives us our presents" and that "Jesus will have a good birthday"! Spencer is so sweet and sincere.

Update

2009-12-07T20:47:00.008-07:00

Garrett is totally interested in food.

Spencer really got into the Thanksgiving Holiday. His kindergarten teacher did some really cute crafts with them. His favorite was the Indian head dress, quiver with arrows and face paint. He was totally in character that night. He'd go around the house shooting his arrows with his bow. It was pretty fun to watch his imagination.

Sam does not like time outs!

The kids and cousins watched Polar Express in 3D.

Sam
Chris
Spencer
Kira
We made graham cracker gingerbread houses. The kids had a blast!

Garrett got in on the fun too. He got a little taste of candy cane.

When Spencer was about Garrett's age Chris gave him a blue candy cane so we thought we'd compare.

2009-11-03T20:32:00.002-07:00

Garrett has figured out how to roll over from his tummy to his back!
He has been drooling like crazy lately. Hopefully he's not getting teeth. Kira got her first tooth at 3 months and that's just way too young. Garrett has the biggest smile that just takes over his whole face. We just can't seem to get those smiles in the pictures!

Halloween

2009-10-31T22:46:00.004-06:00

Today was a beautiful Halloween day. We took advantage of the nice weather and went to Main Street so the kids could go trick-or-treating to the businesses. Steve's sister came down afterwards and brought a yummy soup and the cutest pumpkin bread bowls! Once the kids had some good food in their bellies, we went to meet cousins for another round of trick-or-treating. We had the older kids who were running from door to door and the younger ones who tried but just couldn't keep up. As we went house to house our group got smaller and smaller. After we all trickled home, the kids dumped all the candy out on the floor and separated it into different groups so they could check out their loot. They got a ton of good stuff and even offered to share with mom and dad!

Pumpkins

2009-10-31T22:06:00.007-06:00

Our kids love picking their pumpkins from the pumpkin patch. This year we got to go with cousins, Joey, Grandma and Grandpa. We took a hayride out to the pumpkin patch. The kids searched and searched for the perfect pumpkin. We made the rule that they had to be able to carry their own pumpkins, otherwise we would have left with the 3 largest pumpkins on the patch. Sam was the only one who wanted a small one. Garrett loved being outside and looking at all the new things.

Now that we have our pumpkins, it's carving time! The kids actually pulled out the seeds and goo themselves this year! Well, mostly.

The pumpkin carving got a little out of control!

Temple Square

2009-10-17T17:50:00.006-06:00

We decided to bring the kids up to Temple Square. Chris is the only one of our kids that has ever been there, but he was only a few months old so it doesn't really count. It was a beautiful day with perfect weather. Steve's sister came with us and took some family pictures for us. Let me tell you how much fun family pictures are with 5 kids, especially when one is a 2 year old!

I love this picture that Chris took of the Salt Lake Temple!

Friends!

2009-09-29T22:18:00.006-06:00

Kira has missed her friend, Sadie, up in Idaho. So when we went back up to Idaho for the weekend she made sure she got to play with Sadie. Chris was being photographer for me and took this picture of them at the park.

He also took this picture of Spencer and Olivia. It cracked me up.

Hiking

2009-09-29T22:05:00.010-06:00

Looking up at the mountains and seeing all the colors inspired us to take the kids to Payson for a nice little hike. They did great. It was a little harder then they're used to but they were troopers and were so proud of themselves when we make it to the top. It was beautiful.

We found this rock along the hiking trail. It was the perfect little chair.

The kids needed a few breaks on the way up so we took advantage of it and made them pose for a picture. Samuel was not very cooperative. He was too busy trying to explore everything.

Growing Up

2009-09-29T21:57:00.007-06:00

This is Samuel's favorite shirt. He calls it his skateboard shirt and always wants to wear it. Sam seems so grown up lately. He jumped from being a toddler to a little man. He's talking really well and has a great sense of humor. It's funny because he's a totally different kid when Chris, Kira and Spencer are at school. It's been lots of fun seeing him break out into his own little person.

Family Fun

2009-09-10T13:48:00.006-06:00

Steve's parents were down here last weekend for Garrett's baby blessing. On Saturday afternoon we met them, Steph and Andy at the Aquarium in SLC. The kids had a blast! Chris, Kira and Spencer all touched the sting ray and thought it was so cool. Samuel wanted to but chickened out whenever it got close to him. It was great to have a lot of our family all together for the weekend. Garrett did very well and was full of smiles after his blessing.

More Garrett

2009-09-10T13:33:00.006-06:00

Garrett is still a great little baby. He sleeps well and takes a pacifier and bottle- my life savers! He's starting to smile and has even started to coo a little. The big kids love hearing him try to talk and making him smile. I just wish I was a better photographer.

Cute Sam

2009-09-10T13:26:00.002-06:00

I just think Sam is such a cute kid and I love this picture of Sam wearing Grandma's glasses. Sam is really growing up! He cracks me up every day. He's still pretty mischievous but having more one on one time has helped. Sam has developed a great imagination and I love to just listen to him. His favorite thing to do, for the moment, is pretend he's a super hero, usually batman.

1st day of Kindergarten!

2009-09-10T13:23:00.000-06:00

Spencer was so excited to start school, especially since he had to wait a week longer than Chris and Kira. After the first day I think he decided school isn't as great as he thought it would be! He says his favorite part of school is recess! He's definitely our child!

1st Day of School

2009-09-10T13:16:00.003-06:00

Chris and Kira on their first day of school! (Because Spencer is in kindergarten he started a week later) Chris and Kira are really enjoying school. Kira made a couple of friends in her class and Chris has a teacher who plays lots of games so they're both happy. All the kids have really nice teachers who made them feel comfortable and welcome. It should be a good year!

Kira and Garrett

2009-08-28T13:07:00.005-06:00

Kira lost her top two teeth this week. She thinks it's pretty cool and is always putting her tongue in the space. Kira loves her baby brother, Garrett. She acts like a little mommy. It's pretty cute.

Latest Happenings

2009-07-19T13:10:00.006-06:00

We welcomed baby #5, Garrett Bradley Wood, into our family on Saturday, July 18th. He weighed 7 pounds and was 21 inches long. He was surprisingly our smallest baby! He's been a very content baby and will hopefully stay that way! The kids all love having him around. Sam was a little unsure about it at first but decided Garrett was ok and has been loving him ever since. Garrett joined our family a week early because Steve is leaving to start his new job down in Orem, Utah and we didn't want to chance him missing the birth. We will all join him in Utah some time before the school year starts so the kids won't have to switch schools again. Luckily the kids have cousins and other family down in Utah which will make the move a little easier for them. We have had many wonderful blessings recently and are grateful to have our new addition to our family and a new job.

Spencer's 5!!!

2009-07-08T21:28:00.005-06:00

Happy Birthday! Spencer has been so excited to turn 5 and now the day has finally come. We celebrated his special day with the Wood Family tonight with cake and ice cream. He said one of his favorite presents was his new red backpack for kindergarten. I'm still adjusting to the fact that he's going to school in the fall! He started out life running and hasn't stopped yet, so I'm curious to see what school adventures he has!

The 4th Fun

2009-07-05T22:42:00.005-06:00

The day started off with a fun little Parade. The kids loved the Star Wars float, the airplanes that flew over us and the go carts zooming around...Oh, they liked the candy they got too! We were going to have a Wood family BBQ but we all have a bit of a cough and thought it best to stay clear of the triplets just in case. So we did our own BBQ and played ladder golf. Then we were off to the dairy to get some yummy ice cream! We went to a school yard to watch the fireworks. The best part about it is that it wasn't too crowded and the kids were entertained with the playground until it got dark out. The hardest part was trying to keep track of our kids in the sea of red shirts! The fireworks were lots of fun, but the kids were exhausted and had a hard time staying awake until the finale. Sam got a bit squirmy about half way through, so I told him that we'd go home when the fireworks stop. He decided to take matters into his own hands and said, "Me stop them" Then he held his hand out and said "Stop". Surprisingly enough they kept on going! But he got distracted with a helicopter flying around and decided to pretend to shoot it instead. It was a fun family filled day!

Fun in the Sun!

2009-06-29T19:01:00.003-06:00

It was finally hot enough to go out adventuring in the water! So we took the kids to the Splash Park in Rexburg. Chris, Kira and Spencer went straight for the water and had a blast. Samuel was a little more hesitant, but once he tried it out he loved it. They deserved a fun day in the sun after the last few weeks of rain and stubborn sick bugs!

Bobcat

2009-06-26T08:51:00.002-06:00

Chris earned his Bobcat badge in Cub Scouts this week. He was pretty excited about it. During Pack Meeting they did a little ceremony where Steve painted his face. We all had a lot of fun.

Still Alive...Barely

2009-06-23T12:44:00.006-06:00

I can't believe this month is almost over! June was going to be filled with baseball for Chris and T-Ball for Kira, but it hasn't really turn out that way. Instead the first 3 weeks were filled with 4 sick kids. Whatever they had wasn't gonna leave without a fight. The blasted little bugger came back for 3 rounds each. I think we seriously went through a box (yes, box not package) of diapers, at least half of a huge thing of laundry detergent and a jumbo pack of toilet paper! I think that paints a pretty nice picture of how much fun we were having here. On the in between days when no one was sick (or so I thought), it was raining outside so we were stuck indoors and their baseball/T-ball games were cancelled. It was pure insanity! All I could think was, "And I'm having another one!" But now the weather is drying out and warming up and the kids seem to be over whatever they had so we're getting in as much ball playing and outdoor time as possible. We took the kids to the park to practice their throwing, catching and hitting the ball. We all had a blast but the funniest part was when Steve had Spencer run the bases and told him to run home. Spencer, being the literal child that he is, took off running toward the van! It's things like that that make those 3 weeks of craziness tolerable!

Weekend In Utah

2009-05-26T11:10:00.003-06:00

We had a busy and fun filled weekend in Spanish Fork with our family. Unfortunately we only took a few pictures (which explains why I posted a picture of Chris with his eyes closed-it's the only we got of him fishing). One of the highlight events was going fishing. Well, according to Steve it's not really fishing because they went to a trout farm, but the kids had lots of fun catching fish. Kira liked catching the fish but wanted nothing to do with them after they were out of the water, as you can tell from her picture. They all caught a couple of fish each, except Sam, he fell asleep on the way so I hung out in the car with him so he could get a much needed nap. He did wake up in time to see the fish before we left. He was perfectly happy with that. Chris was also very excited about getting to go golfing with Grandpa, Steve and Joe. He loved hanging out with the big guys. The kids can't wait to go back this summer and stay for a little longer so they can get even more spoiled!

Work with Dad

2009-05-26T10:54:00.003-06:00

Steve and his dad went up to Driggs to fix the roof on Grandma Wood's house. Spencer got to tag along and thought it was great. He and Great Grandma hung out and went exploring.

Christian's Glasses

2009-05-21T16:15:00.002-06:00

Chris got his glasses today. He is pretty excited to show them off to all his friends and family. In the car on the way home he kept saying how he can see things far away and how he never noticed somethings before. I let him pick out the glasses on his own so he would hopefully like wearing them more. He informed me that he had to pick the blue ones because they didn't have red.

Makes Me Laugh

2009-05-08T19:39:00.003-06:00

I just have to share one of my favorite things that Spencer says. When Spencer and Sam are fighting and he's coming to tattle on Sam, trying to get him in trouble for hitting, he'll come to me and say, "Mom, Sam hit me back." I just have to laugh at some of the things the kids say!

Random Pictures

2009-05-03T19:55:00.005-06:00

I noticed that I haven't put any pictures of Spencer on the blog in a while so I picked out a few that I think are cute. The first two happen to be from our Disney trip back in October of 2008 and the last one is Spencer sitting on the heater vent one morning to warm up. Daddy taught him that one!

Happy Birthday Kira!

2009-05-03T11:15:00.006-06:00

Today Kira turns 7! The things she's most excited about today are being sung to in Primary, not having to sit in a booster seat in the car anymore and having lasagna for dinner. She's pretty easy to please!

Pinewood Derby!

2009-04-29T21:28:00.004-06:00

Tonight we enjoyed a fun filled night of derby car racing for cub scouts. Chris had a super fast car that he named Fireball. At first they did just a fun race so everyone got to race everyone else. Then they did a double elimination round. It came down to Chris and another boy whose car was named Atomic Fireball. Each of their races were close. Chris won the first race, Andy won the second so it was down to sudden death! The only problem was after that they tied 3 times in a row! So they called it a draw and they each were awarded 1st Prize! Chris was so excited about it and had a blast racing. We really enjoyed watching it too.

Sammy Update

2009-04-28T16:43:00.002-06:00

I just thought this was a cute picture of Sam. He had his 2 year well check today. He's about 36 inches tall but only weighs 25 pounds! So he's tall and skinny like his daddy.

Pic's of #5

2009-04-23T12:31:00.002-06:00

Here are a couple of pictures from my ulrasound. It's still a boy, poor Kira. Everything looked good and measured well. He actually measures a little big- surprise, surprise!

Fun, Fun and More Fun

2009-03-29T18:11:00.003-06:00

We had a busy and exciting weekend! The kids were very excited about having their cousins come up to visit. The day started out with Christian's baptism. There was a little mix up with the time so we showed up an hour early, but the kids made the best of it and had fun playing while we waited. After the baptism we had a family lunch at our house, then it was off to Blast Off where the kids played on the big play ground, the arcade games and some of them even climbed the rock wall! The grown ups had fun doing mini golf and laser tag! The kids were ready for more fun so we headed to the pool at the hotel. While we were driving to the hotel Chris told us that this day was the best day ever! The night ended with pizza and movie. By the end of the day the kids were so worn out that they all crashed and even slept in- yeah! Unfortunately, we didn't bring a camera so I don't have any pictures of our eventful weekend but I'm sure it's a weekend that won't be forgotten any time soon!

Baptism Day

2009-03-29T14:25:00.003-06:00

Chris was baptized yesterday, March 28th. It was a fun and exciting day for all of us. We had lots of family and friends to help us celebrate. We appreciate all their love and support!

Gone Fishin'

2009-03-23T09:00:00.002-06:00

I figure it's about time to put a post on here about Steve! We had beautiful weather here for a few days last week. Steve was invited to go fishing in Mackay with some friends. With the weather cooperating, there was no way he could turn down that invitation. The best part is they actually caught some fish! The kids thought it was cool and have been begging to go fishing ever since. I'm sure they'll go as soon as it warms up again. Steve's got fishing fever now!

Pig #1

2009-03-21T09:39:00.002-06:00

Kira's 1st grade class put on "The Three Little Pigs" play. Kira got to play Pig #1 and so she built her house out of straw. She loved it and did great!

Christian's 8th Birthday

2009-03-20T17:40:00.003-06:00

I can't believe Chris is getting so old. He's definitely been the most mellow boy that I have! We're all excited for his baptism next week, especially him! The kids had a half day of school so they got out before lunch- that made today even better for Chris. It was a beautiful day so we spent the day outside! We had a picnic then went to a couple of parks to play. Chris decided he wanted to try out a new ice cream place in town that freezes the ice cream in front of you. They all thought that was cool. Tonight we're having pizza and a family movie night. It's an all day family adventure!

Anniversary!

2009-03-18T08:12:00.004-06:00

On March 17th Steve and I celebrated our 9th Anniversary! We're almost to double digits- Crazy! So what have we accomplished in those 9 years...let's see there's Christian and Kira and Spencer and Samuel and Baby Wood on the way, I think we've accomplished quite a bit! But seriously, we have had a lot of great times, made some wonderful memories and even learned a few things along the way.

Silly Samuel

2009-03-12T14:08:00.004-06:00

Here are a couple of pictures of Sam that made me laugh.

After seeing the other kids with bandanas on their heads from painting he decided he wanted to wear one too. I'm not sure what's with the underwear!

Sam has had a hard time taking naps. He knows how to open doors and unlock them so he's always sneaking out. Today I decided to sit outside his door so I could catch him if he tried to escape. When he realized he wasn't going to get out of his nap he decided to make nap time more fun. If you didn't notice Sam sleeping under the basket!

Painting the Basement

2009-03-12T13:44:00.005-06:00

The kids had a blast helping Dad and Papa paint the basement. Unfortunately I didn't take the time to adjust the camera settings so the pictures aren't very good, but it was a memory maker for them anyway. They loved helping and took the job very seriously, especially Spencer. Sam painted one stoke with the paintbrush and decided that was enough. That's why there isn't a picture of him.

He's at it again!

2009-03-09T07:38:00.002-06:00

Last night Sam was suppose to be sleeping but he decided to stuff a tissue up his nose instead! I'm not talking like wiping his nose, he had little pieces balled up and shoved way up there. Steve pulled some out and sent him back to bed. Sam came out a few minutes later pointing to his nose. I told Steve to make sure there wasn't anymore tissue hiding in his room while I tried to get him to blow it out. We didn't have any success with blowing it out so Steve had to dig it out. I can't believe how much tissue he fit up there! It was seriously about 3/4 of a tissue. It's not the first time he's stuffed something up his nose either. So lesson learned- do not give Sam a tissue unsupervised (or anything else small enough to fit in his nose)!

Baby #5

2009-02-19T12:57:00.003-07:00

I changed my ultrasound so we could have it done before we moved back to Idaho. It was a little early but we were able to find out the gender. It looks like we're carrying on the Wood Family tradition. That's right, it's another boy! Kira will probably be sad to hear it's another boy but as soon as he arrives it won't matter, it'll be a little baby for her to love and hold and that'll be all she cares about. At least that's how it was with Samuel. So one girl and four boys it is- my house is gonna be a zoo! Not like it isn't that way already! I'd post an ultrasound picture but we didn't get any really good ones, other than the gender shot. Sorry!

Basketball

2009-02-12T20:32:00.003-07:00

Chris has really improved with his basketball skills. In his game tonight rebounded the ball, dribbled down court and made the shot! He was pretty proud of himself and so were we. It was a great play. He loves basketball even more now!