The year in review

If you have never read my blog here is the best post to catch up on us.  If you have read it then you can just skip this one.

Every year I like to look back and see all the hard, wonderful, crazy, stressful, beautiful moments that we have had. So here is to 2010!

January we started the year off right by ringing in the New year with Mama and Papa. We went sledding with the Otteson's the first day of the year.  It was a lot of fun.The kids had their first and last(we hope) time at Chucky Cheese.  That place is awful.  This was the year that I became an Aunt for the first time.  I love that little girl as if she was my own.  Lucy is adorable.  It is fun for my kids to finally have a cousin.  JJ started babysitting for us.  We went to Emma's baptism preview and left him home.  It was awful.  We loved this new found freedom.  Emma is also a wonderful babysitter.  JJ took third place in the Geography Bee.  We are so proud of him for this.  Elsie moved to a big girl bed.  She is getting so big. The kids and I made kaleidoscope together.  Jeron grew a beard for the first time and shaved it in January.  I think he looks HOT with a beard.  Ellie had some major poop problems and I had had enough.  She got poop all over my house one night while I slept like sleeping beauty.  The part that makes it the worst is that I never sleep.  Ellie got into JJ's room and spilled his ink all over JJ's desk and all over herself.  I was able to sneak in and catch Jeron reading to Elsie.  Moments like that melt my heart.  January is NEW BEGINNINGS.   

February was a great month.  I arranged a much needed night out with my Monson girl cousins.  It was so nice to spend time with them.  Oh, how I love them. My family decided to see what Jeron and JJ would look like as girls.  It was crazy how much JJ looked like Emma.  I hardly every get to spend time with the ladies during the day without kids but Jana, Molly, and myself worked it out to squeeze a lunch in and leave the kids with our hubbies.  It was so fun.  Then Jana took me to a church in Draper where I met Jeron and the kids.  We got to see Fatima get baptized.  It was a very neat day.  Michael finally got his Eagle.  I am glad that he did it.  Our neighbor gave us a cute present for Valentines.  We were to write love notes to each other.  It reminded me of when Jeron and I dated.  It was cute.  Elsie has started sitting at the computer and saying "I'm working"  Who is she mimicking?  We had a fun Valentines and made some cute ones for the fam.  Grandma Jan and Grandma B came up for a visit.  It was fun to see Grandma B run around the house with the little girls.  They loved it. Elsie is starting to say the funniest things. It is fun to see her start talking and expressing herself.  Tara and I had a fun GNO.  It is great to have a sister in law.  JJ got his Bear this month.  He does great in scouts.  He really enjoys all that he learns.  JJ turns 10.  This sure made Jeron and I feel OLD.  He is a great kid.  He was able to have a friend party.  They did a gaming party.  He also had a family party and ALL of Jeron's family came.  So did all the Meads that still live here.  It was a fun night.  February is LOVE

March brought a crazy time.  First Ellie, Elsie, myself and my mom headed to Washington DC to see the Vogel's  and meet Lucy.  She is so darling.   It was a lot of fun.  We celebrated my mom's birthday.  I was introduced to Potbelly's, We went to Great Falls and the wonderful Wegman's.  We went to Mt Vernon.  And for a special treat we met up with Ashlee and Smitty.  It was great to see them, especially for Ellie.  She just loves them.  Emma turns eight and is so excited to get baptized.  Michael my brother gets his mission call to Paris, France.  We are all so excited for him. Emma has her first slumber party and it was a blast.  She also had her family party.  Elsie turns two and I can't believe our baby is so old.  We got a monster towel for Elsie and she loves to scare us in it.  The darn little Leperchan messed up our house on St. Patty's day.  Ellie and Elsie sneak around while Mommy works.  Maybe even raid the pantry.  The kids except Emma go on a bike ride.  We had the day off so we surprised Daddy and went to lunch together.  We decided to go to temple square and do the tourist things.  Ellie was reading through and noticed a Tea Party.  She set one up for Elsie and myself.  She really is a doll.  March is LUCKY.

April we had a really fun APril Fools.  I got a little more into this year than normal.  We tricked everyone by making a fake Daddy.  We had a silly dinner also. The girls and I headed to Trolley Square for a little girl time.  It was fun to do a girly thing with them.  We made Easter eggs and man that is a lot of eggs.  We had a great Easter with all of our family.   Ellie has started helping do chores and loves it.  The kids got some April snow and made a dinosaur.  The lock had to be taken off of the pantry and every once in a while you can find a child looking through the keyhole because they are stuck in the pantry.  The kids had the week off for spring break and it was rainy.  We did go to Barnes and Noble and get books.  We went to Lagoon a bit early and it was extremely fun.  We might always need to go in April.  the kids looked so cute in their Easter outfits.  Michael went through the temple for the first time.  Lucy oh ya and Maren and Ryan come to town. The kids love Lucy and can't get enough of her.  Emma gets baptized and it was a beautiful day.  Lucy and her shared their special day.  Lucy was blessed also.  It really was wonderful.  The guys get to hang out and had a great time.  Uncle Carl came to Ellie's soccer game.  She sure loves Carl.  Ellie had to get tubes again.   It was an easy surgery.  When we got home Elsie and Ellie made pet rocks.  It was a lot of fun.  April is FRESH STARTS.

May was started out in Park City for Brocks birthday.  We went swimming and had a wonderful time.  I have turned Elsie into my little model.  I take her for photo shoots all over and she seems to love it.  Mothers Day was a very special day.  The kids and Jeron spoiled me.  I started working out.  This was a hard thing but a much needed thing.  I even took up running.  I have never run and when I have I hated it.  Elsie falls asleep on the hard floor.  Ellie graduates from Preschool.  We are so proud of her.  I chop my hair and start to question what I had done.  I do like it alright now.  I take Ellie on a mini photo shoot and get some darling pics of her.  Ellie has her last day of school with her other preschool.  We go to Dairy Queen for her field trip.  Jeron and I finally go on our Melting Pot date night.  John watches the kids and we catch Elsie fast asleep on Grandpa.  Elsie wont wear clothes anymore.  She is our naked child.  Poor Emma smashes her hand in the hinge of the door.  Ellie graduates from her other preschool and tells everyone she wants to be a mom when she grows up.  I cried.  The little ladies got New shoes and were in love with them.  It was so cute.  We went miniature  golfing at Cherry Hill for Memorial Day with mama and papa and the Meads Clan.  Maren and Lucy also came for a visit.  May is BEAUTY.

June while Maren is here it means that we eat out a lot.  I was worried what this would do to my diet and working out.  I had been craving Pei Wei and it just happens to be the place everyone decided to go.  YUMMY.  JJ finds out that he needs glasses. So here we enter the glasses world.  The kids are out of school.  They loved their teachers.  Especially Emma.  We will miss them.  The girls all just love each other so much.  Sometimes I feel bad for JJ being all alone in a pink house.  Boo is silly and tries to scare us all the time.  She runs around with a mask on.  Maren was here for a few weeks so we got to spend some quality time with each other, which always includes Spanky's.  We also went swimming on the only warm day in June at Farmington Pool.  One of our families favorite places is the cabin. For Michael's last few weeks we made a point of going to the cabin and eating Hobo dinners.  It rained on it but us was still so much fun.  Smitty and Ashlee were there as well.  We headed to Cedar City with Jeron's work for the Utah Summer Olympics.  It was a lot of fun.  We learned about popcorn and Ellie and that there are "pig rocks".  We had another round of mini golf at boondocks and this time it was maybe NOT as fun.  "SHUT UP" it was fun. "NO, YOU SHUT UP"  We went to the MTC with Michael in a big 15 seat van.  It is always so hard to say goodbye.  See you in two years.  We had another girls night out with the cousins.  Love those ladies.  Jeron and Jeff played softball this summer.  It was a miserable season.  They lost every game by well, A LOT!  Ellie and Elsie just love each other and it is showing more and more.  Jeron had quite the birthday season this year.  he had 3 fabulous days all for him.  David finally took Jeron and I flying.  It truly was beautiful and amazing.  I suggest everyone go in a small plane and tour the mountains.  AMAZING.  Eclipse came out and I went with my friend Amy for the premier.  It was a lot of fun to act a little bit like a teenager again.  June is FAMILY FUN!

July is all about the red, white, and blue.  We love the 4th and this year Emma and Ellie got to be in the parade.  We had a Monson family party on the 5th.  We went to the cabin with the Richards minus the hubbies.  We had a blast.  We played in the sun with the little ladies and they loved it.  We spent a lot of time at Farmington Pool and I mean a lot.  Love the sun and the tan.  We had Jeron's nieces up for dinner and Jeron's cousin Turner.  It was fun to have them over.  Just me and the older kids went to a late night movie.  It was great.  We played with new hair do's with the girls.  The kids and I can't get enough of Pineview also.  We even ran on the hills on the road up.  Our ward did a neighborhood parade for the 24th of July.  On my birthday we went to Silver Lake to take pictures.  I loved it they all posed and didn't whine.  I can't believe I am 34.  The kids and I went to Classic with The Johns.  JJ got a paint chip in is toenail from the water-slide.  He had to have a procedure to get it out.  Yikes he is tough.  July is FREEDOM.

August was a lot of fun.  We started it off with a back to school fashion show.  This will be a tradition that we carry on until school ends.  It was a lot of fun. We had our ward camp out.  It was fun.  Jeron and Emma went on a daddy daughter date and painted pottery.  They had a lot of fun.  We headed to Pineview with our neighbors.  JJ learned to kayak.  He loved it.  Jeron and JJ had a date night also.  They went to a planetarium at Gateway.   I had a craft bug and painted wooden dolls.  I think they turned out cute.  We went to the Davis County Fair.  It was hot hot hot.  Elsie through a mug at JJ and split his eye lid open.  He got glued instead of stitches.  Pineview again.  Only this time Daddy came.  He was a sport but he hates it.  JJ had to go to the cabin with Mama and Papa because Elsie threw a cup at his eye and the glue couldn't have the Pineview water yet.  The kids head back to school.  Ellie starts Kindergarten.  JJ excuses Ellie from eating her veggies if she just gives us a kiss.  JJ and Emma head to the cabin with Mama, Papa and David.  August is INDIAN SUMMERS

September is time to get back to routine.  Elsie is just not getting the pee thing.  It is driving me crazy.  We had our Labor Day breakfast up at the cabin with the Cracroft family.  Jeron and I head to DC for our anniversary and our first trip away from the kids.  It was so much fun and we loved every minute.  Jeron loved Potbelly's.  We think Maren and Ryan are awesome hosts.  And Lucy is so stinkin' cute.  Ellie uses my lipstick and lies about it.  We had our family pictures taken by the Johns and we took theirs.  We headed up to Pineview to see the leaves and take pictures.  I got one of my favorite pics of Ellie looking at the lake. 
September is ADVENTURE.

October is changing weather.  I took the kids to Castle park for one last outing to the park. Ellie turns 6 and we are blessed to have her.  We had our semi-annual Priesthood GNO.  Ellie has her family party.  I can still rock the Chubby Bunny challenge.  We went to Gardner Village to see the witches.  I felt guilty I was going out of town for a GNO weekend so I had the neighborhood over for a treasure hunt with the kids.  Jeff and Tara get married.  I made a Halloween advent calendar and the countdown begins.  Jeron and I go to a Murder Mystery dinner and it was a lot of fun.  We make sugar cookies.  Emma wrote a darling poem for Halloween.  Elsie loves her silly ugly teeth and loves to pose in them.  JJ is Thomas Jefferson for the 5th grade Wax Museum.  We head to the pumpkin patch.  We carve pumpkins, and we celebrate Halloween.  Everyone came to the party looking awesome.  Don't be scared that is just Mama and Papa.  October is FANTASY.

November is when Elsie tells me that she is fabulous.  I love that about her.  Elsie bit her lip right through.  OUCH.  Emma is approached by a stranger and is scared to death.  Elsie is starting to make friends.  Lucy and Maren come for a visit.  Oh, how we love it when they are here.  We had a cousin GNO and had a blast.  I watched Parenthood and it brought back some hard feelings I'd been having.  It was good to get it out.  Jeron and I were pretty blessed with such beautiful kids.  I have a very thankful heart. I get to tend Lucy.  I loved every minute.  We had a great Thanksgiving.  First with the Meads and then with Jeron's family.  UTAH blocks the kick.  UTAH WINS!  November is GRATITUDE.

December is such a crazy month.  It was nice to enjoy a few moments like Elsie peeking in on the baby Jesus.  Ellie and Emma sing "Where are You Christmas" and get to dress up like "Who's".  Cute as can be.  We have the Johns up for our annual Christmas party.  Mama and Papa have the kids up for a Cookie Party.  Ellie didn't get to do because she was sick.  Turns out she was sick enough to go the hospital.  Then we all ended up getting sick. We throw Megan a bridal shower.  Mama and Papa take us to the Mo Tab concert and Jan watches the kids for us.  What a fun night.  The kids sing Silent Night in Sacrament meeting.  The kids visit Santa.  We spend Christmas Eve together.  Christmas is a beautiful day.  We get to talk to Michael.  Both the family parties were awesome.  We had a Monson family party at my parents house.  We hang out with Vogel's and Meads and have a great time.  There is hardly any snow but the kids and I make the best of it and go sledding.  We then had to go with dad.  Ti was extremely cold so the littles and I hung out in the car.  December is PEACE.


This year brought a lot of ups and downs.  The lessons learned were ones I will always treasure.  I just hope in 2011 I can learn a few less lessons:)  I hope 2011 brings you and yours much happiness.