The Family Christmas Letter I Don't Send

I have never been energized enough to do Christmas Cards, but if I did, this is the letter I would probably put with them.

We are still surviving in Lehi.

I was recently called as the Cub Master and I am hoping they will release me as the Enrichment leader. I am slightly afraid they might just let me keep both. In my spare time I enjoy chasing two one-year-olds up, over, and around the house and watching Maggie and the Ferocious Beast on a daily basis. Periodically I also do mountains of laundry and dishes.

Dave is still the Young Men's president and a few months ago he switched departments at the church office. He is now the Finance Manager of the Perpetual Education Fund. It has been a great experience for him so far and we both have a new respect and testimony of the program. It is truly inspiring to know how the church is helping people around the world and it has made us so much more grateful for what we have. There are so many wonderful members of the church living in very different circumstances and the PEF is helping to give them the opportunities they need to change their lives.

Ashton is in third grade and enjoys math, reading, and playing with all his little friends--usually at our house.

Allison is in first grade and is turning into quite an artist. She also likes to play with her friends (especially playing dress-ups) and is enjoying gymnastics.

Hunter is four years old and my little sweetheart helper at home. He is a great big brother to his little sisters. For the last four months he has been going to the basics class at the literacy center and about two weeks ago he came out claiming to have read a book in class. My distracted mother response was, "That's nice Hunter," but later that evening he floored my by reading five beginner books. Who knew?

Kristen and Loryn are 1.75 years old and dictate a lot of what goes on in our home. They play really well together and it is very fun to see them interact. They seem to communicate well with each other and they hold hands as they walk around the house or give each other hugs. They also like to trash their room together instead of taking their naps. They are starting to talk and it is wonderful that sometimes I understand what they want because they can tell me. Loryn still gets herself mixed-up with Kirsten and will call "Loryn, Loryn" when she is looking for her sister, and Kristen makes the greatest pouty-lip faces when she doesn't get her way. Loryn is our little free-spirit and reminds me of a sweet little elf. Kristen is very enthusiastic and shows all her emotions on her face and through her body language. You never have to guess what Kristen is feeling.

In all we are doing really well and look forward to another year.

Merry Christmas! With Love,
April and Family

Halloween

We had a great Halloween.

Ashton as Egor, Dr. Frankenstein's assistant.

Yes Master

Allison as Rapunzell

Rapunzell, Rapunzell let down your hair. Hunter as Buzz Lightyear

To Infinity and Beyond
Kristen as a little bumble bee.
Buzz, Buzz

Loryn as our little mouse.

Squeak, Squeak

Primary Program Day

The kids had their primary program today. It went really well. Hunter's sunbeam class sang the second verse of "I Am A Child Of God" which he has been practicing for weeks. Ashton's CTR 8 class sang "When Jesus Christ Was Baptized", and Allison had a little speaking part. They were all very cute. Grandma and Grandpa Ashton and Joy came down for the program then stayed for the family dinner we had at our house this evening.

We took pictures outside after church. Ashton lost his tie and Hunter was acting his usual crazy self. The twins kept running in opposite directions and Allison was patiently trying to get this overwith. Considering all our challenges, this was the best picture we could get of all the kids together.

Say Cheese

Allison looked particularly pretty in this picture. I love her bright blue eyes.

The Zoo

For UEA break we took a day and went to the zoo. Dave even took the day off work.
All of us admiring the zebras while the zebras ignore us.

Most of the animals were carefully contained in their pens, but it seems an alligator got out and found a tasty meal in the playground.

Watch Out Ashton!!I Will Save You!!
Princess to the rescue.

Allison shows her alligator wrestling skills.

Near by, Hunter rides a giant, wild caterpillar.

Ride 'Em Cowboy!

We also took a train ride safari.

Hold on tight!

Laundry Room's Beautiful Floor

Last month Nielson came and helped me tile the ever-in-progress laundry room. Sometime during the summer I texturized the walls and painted. Now the floor is done. Hopefully I will get the sink and cabinets installed soon.

Hooray for Nielson the Great!

Loryn, Hunter and Kristen posing on the new and improved laundry room floor. It looks a lot better than it did, and it will be so much more functional.

I am so happy!

Old Picture but a Cute One

I accidentally clicked on this picture tonight and thought it was so cute.

Uncle James is holding Kristen and Aunt Paula is holding Loryn in the hospital the day they were born.

Hunter's Unofficial Birthday & Ashton and Allison Home

This morning Ashton and Allison flew home from North Carolina. The lady that sat next to them came up to me as I waited for them to get off the plane. She said they were so good and praised Ashton for being so nurturing with Allison. She was also impressed with how smart he is. I was so happy they sat next to someone nice. That was my biggest worry.

After we picked them up, we went to my parents and then all of us went to Chuck-a-Rama to celebrate Hunter's birthday. After that we went to Chuck-E-Cheese. Hunter has been begging us for months to go back, and Catherine and Brooke wanted to go to satisfy their lifelong feeling of deprevation from not going as children. We had a great time.

In the evening we went to Ardie and Lorraine's for Karen's birthday/24th of July party. They even put candles on a cake for Hunter and we sang to both of them. Then we all enjoyed a fireworks show put on be Scott Ashton and John Culpepper.

The kids basically collapsed in the car. Especially Ashton and Allison who had been up since 2:00 am our time.

It was a GREAT day!

Crazy Babies

Here is a list of some of the funny things Kristen and Loryn have done lately.

• Sit together at the piano and play the keys, then turn and hug.
• Kristen say "baby" and point to herself.
• Loryn hit Kristen with Kristen's sippy cup which Loryn stole. Kristen then cries, but keeps coming back and getting hit again. Kristen didn't hit back just looked broken-hearted at being picked on by Loryn.
• Two days ago, about ten minutes after I put them down for their nap, I walked by their door and heard them babbling and laughing at each other.
• Yesterday when I went to get them from their nap they were both standing in their cribs holding onto the side and jumping and laughing across the room at each other.

Kids in North Carolina

Ashton and Allison left for North Carolina today to visit Dave's parents. They flew as unaccompanied minors, but everything went well. They both became a little teary at the airport, especially right before getting on the plane. I felt the same, but I couldn't show them that. I just had to put on a smile and reasure them they were going to have so much fun. Beverly said a woman that sat behind them told her in the airport after they had picked them up, that they had been just perfect on the plane. There were several other minors traveling alone and I guess they all sat together and did just fine. It was still a little nerve wracking for me though.

School is Out & Church with Kids

I guess school finished over half a month ago, but we are still adjusting. It is so nice not to have to wake the kids up and get them ready in the morning. The only things we really have scheduled is on Tuesday & Thursday Ashton and Allison go the the literacy center here and study math and reading for an hour. It is a wonderful free program offered to anyone in our community. Ashton started doing the reading in first grade and quickly became a great reader. Hopefully it will help Allison do the same. Now Ashton is doing the math program.

Mostly we are taking the summer one day at a time. Our big accomplishment this last week is that we made it to church on time without Dave. He had to play the organ on Sunday, and was sitting at it with his back to us when we walked in and actually sat up front on a bench. After the first song he sat down next to the organ and I watched him look at the doors and scan the back of the room. I could tell he was wondering where we were. To his great surprise we finally caught his eye during the sacrament. As he said, he didn't think to look for us in the front. Just because we haven't sat on a bench in months????? The kids actually think sitting on a bench is a really exciting thing. Now if we could get them to actually sit on it we will be doing really well.

Seizure Update

I took Kristen to her pediatrician today. After discussing everything that happened, he believes it is a virus related seizure. He said the rotovirus (sp?) is known to sometimes cause seizures in small children and since Kristen had been experiencing vomiting and diarrhea for two days before it happened, he believes the virus causing the stomach problems is also to blame for the seizure. If she has another seizure he will send her to Primary Children's to see a neurologist, but if he is correct that it was the virus, she probably won't have any more.

Thanks to everyone who has remembered us in their prayers and for all your love and concern. It is comforting to know we have such a wonderful network of family and friends. Love ya all!!

Kristen's Seizure

Yesterday we had a scary experience. About 10:00 am Kristen had a seizure. I was down in the laundry room when I heard her fall in the kitchen. I ran upstairs to see how she was. She was on the floor but not near anything to climb on. I scooped her up and went back to the laundry room, when I noticed she was acting very strange. She was arching back away from me and jerking a little and gagging. Her eyes were very dilated and rolling back with her eye lids wide open like she was scared. I thought she was going to throw-up or choking on something, since she has had had a stomach bug since Tuesday night. We ran to the kitchen sink and I was holding her on an incline and patting her back, but she continued to jerk and gag.

At this point her coloring started to look awful; her lips were turning a little blue and she was very white. She also started drooling. I immediately called 911 and they sent an ambulance. (Actually they sent two police cars, an ambulance, and a fire truck. It was quite the scene in front of our house.) Before any of them arrived Kristen did start breathing again in short gasping breaths, but her eyes were still staring off into space. The seizure itself probably lasted about a minute. The police officer arrived first and had me lay her on the couch. He made sure she was breathing and then the paramedics came in and gave her some oxygen. She was still out of it but did fuss when they pricked her finger. She was very white and dazed. They told me they wanted her to go to the hospital and took her to the ambulance. I actually didn't even see her go because I was trying to make phone calls. I couldn't go with her because I still had to make arrangements for the other kids. You might say I kept my head during the important part, but panic took over once the police and ambulance got there. When they asked me if there was anyone I could leave the other kids with I said yes, but I couldn't remember the names of any of my neighbors or ward members. My mind was racing but unable to remember anything. I did call two people, but they weren't home and I was left staring at the ward list unable to find the names of anyone else I knew. This was a little crazy since there are tons of people I could call. Finally I recognized one name and hurried and called her. I also had three other neighbors show up at the front door. They had seen the commotion and come over to see if I needed any help. What a relief. Allison and Hunter went next door and Ashton and Loryn went to the friend I had called.

The ambulance left with Kristen, I made final arrangements for the other kids to go to different homes, and then I hurried and went to the hospital. When I arrived Kristen was in the ER screaming at the top of her lungs with one nurse holding her and several others trying to help. She recognized me, but even I couldn't console her. She was MAD!! The doctor said it was normal for a child her age to be very upset and irritable for several hours after a seizure. It took three of us to hold her down while wrapped up in a blanket in order to get an IV in her arm. It didn't help that the first try didn't work. They took several blood samples to test her electrolytes and to do cultures. They also decided to sedate her since they wanted to do an MRI and X-rays and needed a urine sample and there was no way to get any of those things otherwise.

Before I left home I called Dave and he called my parents. He takes the bus to Salt Lake every morning which means he doesn't have a car at his disposal. My parents picked him up from work and brought him to the hospital. He and my dad gave Kristen a blessing as she slept after coming out of the sedation.

To finish the story, all the results of the test came back normal. Everything looked fine. Their only explanation was that maybe she spiked a fever despite not having a fever before or after the seizure. Otherwise maybe it was just a fluke. They told me to follow up with her pediatrician on Monday so that is what we are going to do. We walked out of the hospital around 2:00 pm.

Today she has been completely normal except she continues to have diarrhea and she threw-up again tonight. I just hope she and Loryn get over this stomach bug soon and that we don't have any more seizures.

Memorial Day

It rained most of the day, but the sun came out for a little while this evening, just long enough to go to the cemetary and see Aunt Debbie's grave.

Dave and kids at American Fork Cemetary at Debbie's Grave

The kids had a fun time running around and looking at all the grave stones and monuments. Dave's grandmother is burried their too Amazing Rainbow

On the way home it started to drizzle a little bit again, but when we got out of the car their was the most amazing rainbow. It was so bright you could see each color distinctly, and it stretched all the way across the sky. This picture doesn't do it justice.

The light was purfect for taking pictures of the kids so I hurried and snapped some closeups of all of them in their natural state and habitat (not glamour shots, but real pictures of everyday life).

Mr. Ashton

One happy, funny, friendly, crazy little guy.Princess Allison

What a beautiful smile and such a sweet, loving, friendly girl.

Hunter "Total Sweetness" aka "Senhor Hunter Pants"

Zest for Life, Love of Playing, Little Ball of Energy

Miss Kristen

Happy and On the Move

(She pulled out her other ponytail making her hair poke out on the one side. This is a typical look for her and Loryn. She is so cute you just want to tickle her.)

Miss Loryn

So Sweet and So Busy

(Loryn has such a cute smile, but it is very hard to capture on camera. Her whole face lights up when she smiles.)

Update on Laundry Room

In case anyone was worried that I just demolished my laundry room and it has stayed that way, do not fear.

I didn't have any updated pictures last time. Shortly after demolition my dad came and helped re-sheetrock the old doorway, and make all the necessary patches. Last weekend I bought the tile for the floor, and you can see some of the pieces just laying on the floor (left bottom corner next to toilet). We switched the electrical for the washer and dryer and moved the water hookups to the center of the back wall. This made it possible for us to switch the position of the washer and dryer so the dryer door doesn't hit the toilet anymore.

It still needs one more coat of mud on the drywall, and then it can be textured, primed, painted, tiled, and finally we will put in a new cabinet, sink and countertop.
This is a picture of the old doorway into the playroom. It is now closed off, and there is a new doorway to the playroom directly from the family room. All that space that used to be hallway is now part of the laundry room. There will be a kitchen sink cabinet next to the toilet with a small utility sink and then countertop across to the wall on the left. Hopefully there will be cabinets above as well.

Demonlition

Tearing out the Wall

The past two months have been very busy around here. In April I demolished my laundry room and we are still working on putting it back together again. It is very exciting but so much work. This has taken up most of my spare time. A short way into the destruction process I decided to take some "before" pictures, thus the first pics have some evidence of chaos to them.

Looking into the bathroom/laundry room from the family room. When you go through the door there is a small hallway to the right that leads to the playroom. In order to use the bathroom you had to lock the door to the family room and hope no one was in the playroom because although there was a doorway into the laundry/bathroom, it was too small to have a door of its own. This is less than ideal.

Here is a picture of the hallway into the playroom. Why is there a hallway to a bedroom but no door on the bathroom to the left? Why? Who buys a house with a bathroom with no door? Functional Door into Playroom

The laundry and bathroom was very cramped. This itty-bitty pedistal sink was the only sink I am sure would fit in this space, and you couldn't open the dryer door all the way because it would hit the toilet. The chair in the picture was for demolition purposes. I was so excited to be knocking all this out that I didn't want to take the time to remove the chair for picture purposes.

Tear it All Out!

What a beautiful, beautiful site!!!

Here are the toothpick remains of the hallway wall. The pedistal sink is gone as well as the awkward cupboard in the back by the dryer. Just some plumbing and electrical to move.

Happy Birthday To Me

Well I am officially 31 now. It is 1:40 AM and I have been up working on stuff for church tomorrow, but I wanted to wish myself a Happy Birthday.


Perhaps I am a little slap happy at the moment, but this seems like a good place to insert the picture Ashton and I put on his birthday party invitations. We took the picture of him and then he modified it on the computer. We included the following phrase as though it was a word bubble coming out of his mouth.

YOU WILL COME TO MY PARTY!

Alien Tub Babies

Catherine heard about these funny tub pictures and specifically asked that I share them.

These were actually taken January 30, 2008, so about two weeks before the babies birthdays.

"What's everybody looking at?"

The babies like to play with their Dora the Explorer tub toys. Unfortunately for Boots, he is about to be eaten by the Kristen monster.

"Look mom, even my tongue is clean," says Kristen.

Kristen still enjoyed taking a bath back then. She is now going through an anti-bath phase we hope she outgrows soon.

"So do you like my hair," asks Loryn.

We discovered that before rinsing out the baby shampoo you can do all kinds of fun sculpting with baby-fine hair.

Hunter's Potty Training Miracle!!!

February 17, 2008 is a very significant day in our home. It is the day the switch turned on and Hunter went from being in diapers to being completely potty trained.

There were times I honestly thought I would be potty training the twins and Hunter at the same time. Miraculously after many failed attempts on my part, this Sunday afternoon Hunter decided to use the potty and has been using it ever since. Just like that, it was all over...done. No accidents. Dry at night. A miracle.

In case anyone thinks this was too easy, may I remind them that Hunter was already 3 1/2 and had shown zero interest in potty training to this point. I hadn't actively been doing any potty training for a while. I guess he just needed to decide for himself it was time, and have the confidence to do it.

As a reward for Hunter potty training we all went to

Chuck E. Cheese.

Hunter playing Ski-Ball while Loryn watches in awe.

Try throwing just a little harder Hunter.

Joy Riding

Kristen loved this little car, but Loryn wasn't so impressed.

Ashton, Kristen, and Allison--They really are having a good time.

"I don't think I like the features on this one," thinks Kristen while examining the Jeep ride.

Kristen wasn't so sure about the big moving Jeep. In fact she and Loryn freaked out when it started moving.

"Get me out of this thing," cries Loryn behind the wheel.

Birthday Marathon

This time of year is very birthday heavy for us. Four of the five kids have their birthdays within 3.5 weeks and Grandma's is right in the middle of those. Paula and I also have our birthdays at the end of March. In all...7 birthdays in a month and a half.

February 13-- the twins first birthday. THE BIG NUMERO UNO!!!

What is going on?

Kristen (in pink) and Loryn (in bib) looking unsure and confused while sitting on the counter with everyone watching.

February 24-- Mom turned 54 years old.

All in one breath grandma! No helping Hunter.

It took two whole cakes and a multitude of matches to do it right.

March 2--Ashton's big #8. We had a party for him with his friends on Saturday, as well as another party for family on his actual birthday. We are looking forward to his baptism in May when Dave's parents can come.

The Marshmallow Gun Posse

R-L: Cameron, Ashton, Ethan, Jacob, Zack, Cooper, Allison. Braden flashing the marshmallow gun in the back. We had a great time putting together our marshmallow guns and shooting them in the backyard. I found the instructions and plans online. They are made out of PVC and were really easy and inexpensive. I highly recommend them for a birthday party for crazy little boys.

March 8--Allison turned 6 this year. Allison also had a birthday party with her friends and another with my family.

Dora the Explorer Party Pals

R-L: Karina, Alysa, Ashlyn, Kendall, Allison, Ashton, Bronwyn, Kaitlyn, Hunter. Back: Loryn, Dave, Kristen.

It was a Dora party with a "map" that told us where to go on our treasure hunt. Ashton performed his magic ballon trick, candy, dancing, and finally a pinata pretty much sums it up.

Making Hunter Happy!

Poor Hunter! This time of year is really hard on the little guy who has to wait until the end of July for his birthday. At the family party I promised Hunter I would make a cake with his name on it. Here is Allison blowing out the candles of HER cake with Hunter's name on it.

The Joy of the Creamy

Ashton is such a sweet big brother to his little sisters. He willingly shared his creamy with them the other day. They were pretty happy to slobber all over it.

Ashton feeding Loryn a lick of his creamy while Kristen patiently waits her turn. The twins seem to take turns a lot better than other babies their age. I think it is because they have had to take turns all their life.
Kristen taking her licking the creamy.

The babies will be one year old on February 13th. I can't believe it has been a whole year since they were born. They are really starting to have some personality now.

Snow Fort

On Sunday my family came over for dinner. James came with the idea of making a snow fort since we have received so much snow. We had six inches that morning plus about 4-6 inches on the ground.

Playing in the Snow

Hunter getting James with a snowball. Never mind the shovel full of snow James has.

James seems to have the advantage!

Ashton couldn't run away fast enough to avoid the mother of all snowballs right on the back. Luckily he had several layers of snow clothes on. The kids had a great time playing with James, Paula, and Joy.

They spent a lot of time packing snow into the plastic garbage can James brought specifically for fort making. (Paula, James, Ashton, Joy, Allison)

Bombs Away!

Putting the fort to use.

Walking

The babies are walking. Loryn has been walking a little longer than Kristen, but Kristen is catching up fast. They look like little old women who need walkers as they teeter around the house. When they want to get somewhere fast though, they still crawl.

Loryn coming after me while Kristen looks on. Trying to take their pictures is getting harder since they start coming toward me as soon as they see the facinating camera. Someone needs to invent an invisible camera.

Catching Up

I haven't kept up with my blog very well this last month. Stomach flu, pink eye, and really bad colds hit our family. But things are looking brighter again since the babies slept through the night last night. (Mostly through the night--Loryn still ended up in our bed. I am not sure when or how, but I must have gotten her and brought her to bed with us.)

At the beginning of January I helped Catherine install her hardwood floor. It was a ton of work, but very fullfilling. It is so "pwity"!!!

April, Catherine and Nielson posing on the beautiful new hardwood floor we just installed. It is so exciting to see it come together. Catherine and Rachael are happy because the scary carpet is gone.

Catherine and Rachael posing with the stacks of boards waiting to be installed. Girl Power!In October or something, Catherine and I tiled her shower. To make a long story short it took FOREVER but looks Awesome now. It was a first time tiling experience for both of us, and we might even try it again. But next time--BIGGER TILES.