Christmas 2009 ... Small and Quiet ..... Just Right!

It has been a Year now that we've been here in PA! I can't believe how fast the time has gone since we left our little Oasis in the desert! This is our second Christmas in our "little white house in Pennsylvania" and it has been great. We had a crazy couple of weeks before Christmas with Wes finishing finals, and me trying to get some shopping done without the kids! Once things settled down a little we got to wrapping, singing and enjoying the Christmas Season.

The Kids got WAY to much stuff thanks to their Grandparents who mailed packages that filled up all our tree space! Santa was also good to them and they had a fun day playing with their new games and toys. It was a nice and quiet Christmas just with our little family. I am grateful for the long list of gifts and blessings we receive from the Lord everyday! Christmas is my favorite!

Hope you all had a very Happy Christmas.

What Shall We Give?

What a wonderful Message for us all this Christmas and all year through! We are wishing you and your families a very Merry Christmas! We are so very blessed and Thankful for our Family and Friends!

Please click the link below to view this inspiring message of love and service this season!
What-Shall-We-Give?

Snow, Snow, Snow ...... Ho, Ho, Ho !!

We got some good snow last weekend and we hit the hills! The first sled trip of the year was Fantastic! Everyone had a great time sledding down the hills. Last year the only child who really enjoyed it was Reagan, so this year it is really fun to see the boys loving the snow, sledding, rolling down the hills and getting back up from a face plant or two!

That night we had our Ward Christmas Party! The Primary kids sang a number so we got to see Reagan doing some sign language. (Dylan stayed "backstage") Santa came for a visit and the older 2 kids were able to sit on his lap, and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Reagan's list went from an ipod to a rubik's cube, and Dylan asked for a new Wii game. Jack wasn't at all interested in talking to Santa, maybe next year when he figures it out more. It was a great party, we have a fantastic Ward! This was a really, really good day!

Right NOW!

A couple of weeks ago Dylan was playing Wii bowling and caught Jack in the nose on his back swing .... ouch! This resulted in Jack getting a pretty fast running bloody nose. From there we have the following dialog in our home:
Dylan: "Mom, Mom oh no Mom my brother I'm sorry it was an accident my brother is bleeding I died my brother, oh no my brother is died!"
Me: "No Dylan he's ok Dad has tissues on his nose he is going to be ok, he will stop bleeding soon and he is NOT going to die." Dylan then runs into his room crying ....
Dylan: "oh no Mom oh no, Jack is bleeding and I hurt my elbow at school and it was bleeding ..... (more tears and panic) Mom we need Jesus RIGHT NOW Mom Right Now!" what can I say after this .......
Me: "Yes we do Dylan, yes we do"
Jack was fine shortly thereafter and Dylan was playing the Wii again within the hour.

Palmyra ..... 1 Flat Tire, 3 Tired Kids, and Lots of Grinding Gears

So we braved a trip to Palmyra on this past snowy Saturday. I was our Ward Temple trip and we decided we needed to make sure we got there this time! (the last couple of times we have had a sick kid or been out of town) After waking up early and loading up the car we thought we were set to go we were going to pick up a Sister in the Ward and hit the road. Wes walked in the house and announced that he'd discovered a flat tire on the van, and not a slow leak a nail in punctured flat tire. So we had to switch to Wes's car, much squishier and no room for the extra gal we were supposed to bring. After a few phone calls and rearranging all our "stuff" (kid paraphernalia) we were gassing up and on the road with our kids pack in the back seat like little sardines. 3 hours later we arrived at the Inn to help watch the kids of those doing the first session. Wes and I did a session later while other ward members watched our rambunctious kids. So very nice of them, we had some of the oldest and craziest kids there! We had a great time in the Temple, it was so nice to go together! I can't wait to go back in the Spring with the family and see more sites around town, when it's warm.

Me and the kids at the Sacred Grove & The kids in front of the Palmyra Temple

They had The Life of Christ bronze sculptures up in the visitors center. We were so glad we stopped by. We got see these these Kirtland this past spring and now again, they are so beautiful and worth the drive to see again! Dylan wanted his picture near the statue of Joseph Smith, he thought that was cool. He also loved all the buttons he could push and learn about the "warrior guys with painted faces" Helaman's army from the Book of Mormon. Reagan is between a sculpture depicting the Savior in his ministry, and another display of our living Prophet President Tomas S. Monson. She thought it was cool learning more about the translation of the Book of Mormon and seeing the first one ever printed on display.

On the way home we had some really snowy weather, and some 4wheel drive issues, hence the grinding gears title. We were on the shoulder with flashers going for almost an hour on the freeway going about 35mph. After some tears from the kids, and at least a dozen prayers we were blessed to find the car running perfectly just as we hit our exit. We didn't get home until midnight, who knows when the kids got to sleep, they were too excited for the snow! .... still a great day and very worth all the effort! I am grateful for the blessings of the Temple, and the opportunity we have to attend and feel The Spirit, while we are serving there!

Jack-in-the-Sink

Jack decided to color all over his toes and legs with Reagan's build a bear marker. I told him we needed to wash off his toes. Minutes later we walked into this scene in the bathroom. Sink full of Jack, soap and water. What a Dude!

Kindergarten Thanksgiving

At the kids school the 2 kindergarten classes did a Thanksgiving program this year, it was really cute. They made their own costumes and sang a few traditional Thanksgiving songs and a few fun creative compositions of the teachers. Dylan's class was dresses as the Pilgrims and the other class were dresses as the Indians. They got to sing for their parents and have a little Thanksgiving snack after the concert. It was a fun to watch and was so great to see Dylan participating in the program and having a good time.

My First Half

13.1 and it is done! I finished my first 1/2 marathon November 7, 2009 on Presque Isle. A great gal from the ward Lacey organized this "Keeping it Holy Run" for those of us interested in running a 1/2 marathon. Most of the races here are on Sundays and therefore we don't get to participate. This was a lot of work on her part and we all really appreciate her willingness and time!

I spent 10 weeks training for the run. I was enjoying myself quite a bit, I discovered I like running even more than I thought I did. I got to do a lot of runs with Micah, we pushed the little kids in the strollers, so we were all getting a little break at the same time. Things were going pretty good ...... then Reagan and I got sick, blahh. I ended up with Strep and Pneumonia and was out of commission for a couple of weeks for everything, let alone any race training! The closer race day came the more and more worried I got. Between the weather, sick kids and life the last 3 weeks before the race I only got in about 6 miles TOTAL! I tried to be prayerful, but come race day I was scared. I considered not doing it but I have wanted to do a 1/2 for so long and didn't want to give up yet. I started out running with Micah, she had her kids with us at first and things were going good. About half way through my lungs started to tighten up and things got rough from there. I ended up walking a little and then running a little. Micah (who was probably sick of me by then) jetted ahead and I was on my own .... and struggling. The last 3 miles was the killer for me, I ended up doing a lot more walking then I wanted to. At this point pretty much everything hurt and I was ready to call Wes to come and pick me up. As corny as is sounds I kept thinking of the Pioneers and how far they walked everyday for months, without asics or Ipod's. I kept praying and walking and trying to jog as much as possible, I felt beaten down and wiped out! As I got close I could see Micah and her girls waiting to cheer me on! (what a friend!) I wanted to finish strong so I started jogging, Micah said "just around the corner Jodi seriously just around the bend!" (she had said this a few times along the way) She was right this time and as soon as I turned the bend Reagan and Jack started running toward me, my family and the whole bunch of runners were there, I was touched. I thought for sure they'd gone home tired of waiting for me, but they were there cheering. I hit the finish line and hugged Wes, I wanted to cry, I didn't think it would be that hard! I was so glad to be done and so happy that I did it, what an accomplishment. So with the help and support of The Lord, my Family and Friends I finished my first half marathon! I am excited to try again in the future. Thanks everyone, Yeah!

The Leaves are Down and The Beds are Up!

I realized last week that it's been over 5 years since we lived somewhere the kids could jump into a pile of leaves. Well this fall we have more than a pile of leaves and the kids had a blast jumping! Wes was raking and bombarded with all 3 kids and the dog!

The boys are finally off the floor! When my folks were here they decided to do an early Christmas and get the boys some actual beds, thanks G&G. Jack put on his hard hat and he and Reagan helped Wes put up the new beds. Dylan popped in from time to time between rounds of Super Mario Galaxy, but came for the finished product! They love the beds and their room looks Great, amazing what a difference beds make!

Zoo Boo, Trunk or Treat, Piano Recital and Halloween ..... Oh My!

This was a SUPER busy Halloween!! The kids dressed up 5 out of 7 days the week of Halloween, and I was sick of it ..... ok looking back it was pretty fun. We went to the Erie Zoo Boo for F.H.E. to start off the week. The Ewell's came with us and of course Wes and Andrew talked a little school/O.R. but once that was out of their systems they loosened up and had a good time! Our kids loved the Zoo Boo. Dylan was a little nervous with a few of the costumes, especially the man dressed as a gorilla, but he stayed close and was ok. Wes got to see how much Jack loves the carousel and the ducks. Reagan came straight from Takekwondo so she was dressed as a yellow belt, (real life costume) yes she is moving up fast! She had to break a board with her hand to move up a belt and did it not problem, pretty cool! She's good at it and she loves it. We also hit the Ward Trunk or Treat held in the church gym. Both me and Wes had to help with a booth, and after that the kids did more candy grabbing, trick or treating around the halls.

The next day the older 2 took their costumes to school for the parade. And then came the big Oct. 31 .... We went and picked up a couple of girls in the Ward, Kate and Hannah, their little sister was sick and their Mom couldn't take them out. We trick or treated in their fantastic neighborhood, sidewalks, street lights, and happy neighbors! Jack had all his gear, flash light, umbrella, pumpkin, hat, glow necklace and he wasn't letting go of anything! He zonked in the stroller part way through, made it nice for the big kids. Dylan did really well this year, he was excited for Halloween and spent a lot of the night laughing and telling Kate "it's not real the scary costumes and stuff, only pretend." The school helped talk a lot about that with him for the parade and so did we for the BIG 31 night. Halloween night was when Reagan's foot got so bad that she ended up getting piggy back rides to finish out the trick or treating and to get to the car. She's pulled some tendons and bruised a few bones! Yeikes :-(

Oh I forgot, another night this wonderful costume filled week we got to go to Reagan's Halloween Piano Recital. She did SO great, as usual. She is very talented and Wes was more than impressed as was I. She is really enjoying piano and she has a Fantastic teacher who get's her! All in all we are sugar loaded and I am wiped out, fun stuff!

Smith and Pitt (ok Willes but Smith originally)

After my parents came my good friend Terra came for a visit, yeah! We didn't know when we moved here that Erie was going to be such a hot spot, but we LOVE the company! Dylan really liked having her here and kept calling her "Mommy's best girl friend," pretty cute. Our first night out while she was here we went to dinner and a movie. When we came out of the movie it had snowed, yes snow! She came 2000 miles to visit and it was snowing and dang cold! Welcome to Erie Terra, windy cold and cold. But the leaves were pretty!

We went down to Pittsburgh on Saturday. (Wes's recommendation) We rode a lift that overlooked the 2 rivers that run through the city, and had some cool views of the city, including the stadiums and the bridges.

We also went to this part of town called the Strip District where tons of street vendors sell their stuff in the shops and on the street. We drove through the city a bit to get there and were excited to see some local shops. By the time we go there it was about 4:40 and after walking around a bit we realized that the entire strip (everything but the bars) shut down at 5pm so needless to say we were a bit disappointed. We hit a couple of places quick and headed to the outlets just north of Pittsburgh. We shopped there until they closed :-)
It was so great to see Terra, I hope she had fun! During her trip Reagan got sick with viral meningitis and strep throat, and the night we got back from Pittsburgh I got really sick. Found out Monday that it was strep and pneumonia yuck! Wes drove her to the airport in Buffalo and I crossed my fingers that she wouldn't catch our germs. Thanks for the visit Terra! Come back anytime!

Grama and Gramps and Fire and Camps

The first of October my parents drove 2,500 miles from Utah to Erie PA for a visit. My sister told me that my Dad said "Nothing sounds like more fun to me right now than a road trip" and my Mom's response was "Sounds like Hell on Wheels to me"! Those of you who know my Mother will know that she reserves swearing for the utmost of important occasions, so this was big! They came across the land in "the rig" their dually Chevy diesel truck with the camper on the back. It was a beautiful time of year with leaves changing and plenty of places to stop along the way. It took them about a week to get here, and about 4 days to get home. The kids were thrilled to see Grandma and Grandpa and of course play in the camper. Me, Reagan and Dylan spent a long and rainy night out in the camper with only about 10 "we are going inside moments" .... but we survived the night and came in for breakfast bright and early.

We hit the beach one night for a hot dog roast. There wasn't a sole in sight it was nice spending our time; running around, playing with the frisbee & sticks, eating, throwing Wally in the lake and trying to keep Jack out of the lake.


The folks were here over General Conference so they got the experience of watching it online with us. We have a windscreen I mac and once we got Conference to load (in English not French) it was great. We also did our share of sitting around watching the cute kids while they were here! Reagan did a little TaeKwondo for us, Dylan did some Light-saber moves and Jack showed his talents by eating things and getting into stuff. (pretty much his everyday) We also got to hit the Quaker Steak and Lube, and Wes had some time away from studying to come with us, YEAH! Thanks for the visit Grama and Gramps!
Glad it was warmer this time around :-)

Reagan is 9 .... what??

Reagan turned 9 this year! What a DOLL :-) She was my chunky baby girl, with a raspy voice and a LOT of attitude. 8lbs 3ozs 19 inches long and ALL cheeks! She came here knowing who she is and how to get what she wants in life, and that hasn't changed a bit. She is a happy kid with a lot of fantastic qualities and we are so glad she is with us! We had a small party at home with cake and a few tears (the boys kept blowing out the candles) and presents. Her favorite was that she got to go get her ears pierced .... so excited!

She of course also wanted a HUGE friend party and my friend Micah had a great idea for a fun party craft. She came over and helped the girls decorate composite notebooks, making them into cute journals, poem books, or whatever the girls wanted. Thanks Micah, I couldn't have done this without you! This craft required me to frequent many stores looking for supplies and just the right scrapbook paper to decorate with. It took over my LIFE for a while before the party, but well worth it. The girls seemed to have a good time, especially Reagan. We of course also did a pinata (my kids are addicted to them) and presents and had some pizza, with the small pack of girls at our house!
It was just a little crazy and a lot of fun! Happy 9th Sister we Love you!

Sing it Sister

Our Ward held the 2nd annual Erie Idol in September, a lip sink contest organized by the Youth of the Ward. (like my September isn't crazy enough) Reagan was really excited to do a number with a couple of her friends Miley, and Bella. It was a cute song called "This day is a Gift" and Rea was dressed as the gift. She got to throw candy every time they sang the words This day is a Gift in the choirs. It was a huge hit and they won second place, well deserved! She was SO excited. I "got" to participate with the RS in a fun number with the Ladies. And the boys did some watching and some dancing. Here are a few pics