Sunday Christmas Program

Yesterday was a great day. Elizabeth sang with me in the choir program at church. She attended all the practices with me since early November. She is the youngest member of the choir, I am so proud of her. She sang her little heart out and she had no problem learning the songs. None of them were even remotely familiar either. I really don't know how well we sounded. I never received one complement or even an acknowledgment. But either way it was a very good experience. I hope she continues to sing with me! She looked so pretty in her new dress Grandma Farnsworth bought for her. I wish I had a picture. I'll have to get one soon and post it.

She also gave a wonderful talk in primary, she had double duty. She talked about the birth of Jesus and all the people who came to worship him. She wrote it all herself with very little help from me. She is so smart! I told her the story once and she caught right on and understood everything, from the angel appearing to the shepherds and the 3 wise men finding the new star in the sky and bringing gifts for the baby Jesus. She is learning that it is important to give more than to receive. I was so surprised to find that, without any help whatsoever, she had wrapped a present addressed to me and put it under the tree. I'm so excited to find out what it possibly could be. It's probably something she found lying around the house, but the jester is so darn adorable, I won't care one little bit if it is.

Merry Christmas, All! Only 3 days to go!

Getting the Christmas Tree

Last year we decided that we would make a new Christmas tradition by cutting down our own tree. You have to go in the mountains where there is snow to get the Christmas tree, right? Or it just doesn't feel like Christmas! Especially when we don't usually have a White Christmas where we live. So we packed up the kids, brought along some hot chocolate and warm clothing, and ventured up to Cedar Mountain in search of the perfect tree.

Too make a long story short....we wandered off onto a side road thinking we would be fine. Well, we didn't get far before we discovered there was alot more snow than we anticipated and we got stuck! If any of you have a Honda Odyssey you can understand that they are not the best vehicles to be driving through the snow. It probably wouldn't take much to get that van stuck, we should have used our heads better. But we learned our lesson! Luckily there were people ahead of us who were able to push us out. 45 minutes, and several frustrations later we were able to be out and on our way to find the tree.

We didn't go far before we stopped a the side of the road. The snow was deep, up to our knees and we were already hungry and tired. Kevin quickly found the tree while we stayed by the car and played in the snow. It was an adventure we won't soon forget! The tree is beautiful and still smells fresh! Maybe next year we could do without the frustrations, though.

From our home to yours: Have a very Merry Christmas!!

Ward Christmas Party 2008

We had the best Ward Christmas Party this year. The food was delicious and the entertainment was a blast! We haven't beed to a party like that in quite some time. It was more of a Hawaiian theme than Christmas, but we loved it.
Afterwords, Santa came and the kids loved sitting on his lap, except for perhaps Eli, who gave Santa a "look" and tried desperately to get away. But he didn't cry.

In the first video below: Our Bishop is the big guy in the red shirt. His wife is next to him in the red shirt and blue skirt. I think it's safe to say that she has a little more "rhythm" than him.:)

In the second video below: If you look closely at the children sitting on the floor you can see Elizabeth doing a pretty good job mimicking the dancers. Kyler's having fun too. They've got "rhythm" too, if I do say so myself.

We had a blast! Merry Christmas!

Kyler and Santa

Eli and Santa

Elizabeth and Santa

Making Cookies With Mom

Yesterday afternoon it was blistery, cold and snowing. Elizabeth was off to a pizza party with her primary class, so Kyler and I made yummy chocolate chip cookies. He was such a good helper and had no problem staying on task. He helped with the measuring, mixing, stirring, and the best part...licking the beaters. He even helped with the scooping.

As you can see I couldn't even get him to stop long enough to smile at the camera. Believe me I tried! He just began to ignore me about the fifth time I asked him to say cheese. He was focused and determined to get the job done. It's amazing how different kids can be. Elizabeth likes to help but when it gets too boring she's off doing something else. But Kyler just sticks around until the job is done. We had so much fun making cookies together, and they were the best cookies we've EVER made!

2nd Graders Sing at Lin's Market

Sometime last month Lin's hosted an Open House to start the holidays and to promote their nice new renovation. The 2nd Graders from Hurricane Elementary sang a little program. The store was jam-packed, but luckily I was able to grab a quick snapshot. Aren't they the cutest bunch?? And smack dab in the middle is my beautiful daughter. What an awesome picture!!

I've been tagged...

I'm not sure I quite understand what it means to be "tagged." I've come across the idea a couple of times when reading different blogs. But now I have the privilege to join in the fun. Good thing it isn't difficult to figure out. I am listing 3 things that I value and 3 things I don't value. Here I go...

Value
1. Life- It is a very precious gift. In any shape or form, creation is the most fascinating thing anyone will ever experience. Whether you are able to hold a newborn baby that you've been carrying for 9 months, or even reap the benefits of gardening at harvest time, there is something very spiritually uplifting when you engaging in the act of creating life. It makes every hardship worthwhile.

2. Food- Good food. Mmmm Mmmm, there is nothing in the world better than filling an empty tummy with tasty, comforting, yummy, well-prepared meals. And don't forget the supposedly occasional treats, particularly chocolate! Heavenly Father gave us taste buds so we can enjoy our food. The hardest part is making sure I don't over-indulge.

3. Relationships- We are all here to help one another, to help lift each other's burdens and to strengthen bonds of families and friendships. "No man is an island."

Things I don't value
1. Disrespect
2. Swearing
3. Disobeying (my children in particular).:)

Now, I need to tag 6 people. If you would like to join in, please list the things you do and don't value. I tag....Cara Nelson, Shawna Wolsleger, Katie Seely, Lori Roberts, Shanna Wheeler, Nikol Jordan.

Kevin's 30th Birthday Party, October 25, 2008

We had such a blast at his football party! We ate good food, played a fun game of football and enjoyed the company of our friends. Thanks to all those that made it to celebrate Kevin's 30th birthday. And we missed all those that couldn't make it. Kevin had a great party!! Happy Birthday Kevin! Welcome to the 30's! You are officially OLD!

Thoughts at Random

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, the Holidays have officially arrived. I want to take a minute and count my many blessings and list specific things that I am thankful for. Such things can be easily forgotten during this busy time.
First and foremost, I am deeply grateful for my dear family who are so precious to me. As the years go by I become more and more awe-inspired as I watch our children grow. They are precious gems and I thank my Heavenly Father for entrusting me with their sweet spirits. Elizabeth is becoming such an intelligent little lady who loves Heavenly Father and Jesus, and is gaining a stronger testimony of Joseph Smith and the marvelous work he did. She is becoming more and more someone I can easily talk to. We have a special mother-daughter bond, and she senses that we are the girls of the household. She is a very driven student and eager to learn responsibility. I can only assume that those characters often come to the oldest. She has a fun and crazy imagination and I'm amazed at the jokes and stories she comes up with. She definitely keeps us laughing. She, I'm happy to say, inherits that from her father.
Kyler is such a handsome and sweet little boy. He will make one lucky girl very happy some day. He is quiet and patient and likes to please people. I like to say that he takes after me.
Eli is so very cute. I haven't seen very many babies that were cuter. You could say that I'm biased, and I probably am, but it is hard to argue the fact that he is so darn cute. He has big blue eyes and a smile that can melt any heart in an instant. I am thankful everyday for him. Considering that we may not have even had him if we hadn't lost the twins. I shudder to even have such a thought. He is our precious gem, but not to be any more loved than his older siblings.:)
I'm very thankful to have Kevin in my life. He is my best friend and confidant. We haven't been apart much in our 8+ years together. He keeps me laughing and I am amazed at how he loves me and our children. I love him more today than the day I married him. I am grateful to have such a husband that takes good care of us.

Election Day 2008!

I'm not Catholic, but I can't agree with this presentation more! Vote today for what you stand for and believe in! This country can remain strong as long as we are true to the values we hold dear!

Happy Halloween!!

In case you were wondering, Liz was Princess Peach from the Mario Brothers. I made her costume myself and I was happy with the way it turned out. She thought it was funny that her teacher didn't recognize her in the blond hair. It was fun making it for her this year, she was unique. And Kyler's superman curl turned out perfect. Doesn't he look just like him?

Ah! What a cute little dalmatian!!!

Not a Dull Moment

Eli is Growing and Growing

Our Very Own Piece of Land

Kevin and I are very proud to say that we are official land owners. Back in August we applied for a Rural Development "Sweat Equity" program. And in September we signed the Land Deed and became official land owners. Here is the plot of land looking at it from the street.

And here it is looking out from the back wall. Yeah, I know, it's just a bunch of weeds right now, but it's our beautiufl bunch of weeds. The lot is located in LaVerkin, so within the next year we will be LaVerinites. Sorry Hurricane, it was great while it lasted! The way the program is set up, there will be 8 families who will build 8 houses at once. We do our own work and we can't move in until all 8 houses are complete. So far 5 families have qualified and we are waiting on 3 more before we can break ground. So if you, or anyone you know is interested don't hesistate, there is still time! And it would be great to have you as neighbors! We are hoping by November ground will be broken and we'll be busy building our very own house! Yea!!
No kidding, if you are interested in knowing more contact Color Country. Even if you aren't ready for this phase, there will be a Phase 2 to start in the spring. The lots for those are located just across the street!

Two Weeks After Surgery and All is Well!

Here it is October 4th already. It's been 2 weeks since we were at Primary Children's and I must reassure you that Eli is doing very very well. We came home Sunday afternoon (the 21st) with Eli hooked to the oxygen tank. But by Monday, the very next day, he was doing just fine on his own. And now he is doing just great and not even needing Tylenol anymore. We go up again on the 16th for a follow-up. It has been wonderful to see him NOT gasp for air while he sleeps and he breathes so quietly now. We were a little nervous that it would take away his happiness, but it hasn't been so. He smiles even more now, if that's possible.:) And he eats like a horse. He is finally starting to put on that baby weight that he should have been months ago. It's just wonderful!

He's so curious about everything that is in his sight. He has to grab at whatever he can. He loves the attention he gets from his big brother and sister. They can make him laugh so easily and it's so fun to see the joy in their faces as they interact with each other. That's the funnest part of having more than one kid. Eli is also eating some solid foods and loves to eat anything that has some flavor to it. He is starting to babble a little, saying "da da da," and he loves to squeel. I'll get some more pictures on here soon. He's changing so much!

Kevin is still going strong at Deseret Laboratories. I am very thankful that he is able to keep such a secure position there, especially in tough financial times like these. This week DLI layed off 12% of their workers and some of them came as quite a surprise. But luckily Kevin still has his job. Times seem to be rough, and my heart goes out to anyone who has to go through the agony of job searching.

Last Sunday we got the news that we will be in the 14th Ward from now on. Our whole stake went through changes and created 2 new wards. We will miss our friends in the 8th Ward, but we are also excited for the new people we'll meet and glad for the freshness of a change.

Catch Up

To all my friends who are bloggers and not facebookers this post is for you! I'm sorry I've been so bad at blogging. Since I found facebook that's what I spend my free time doing.

We are still at Primary Children's Hospital this morning. It's Sunday the 21st of September. Eli had surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids on Friday the 19th. Everything went well, the doc said his tonsils were pretty good size, but his adenoids were "humongous." His breathing already sounds much better. The recovery has been a bear, though. Because his airways are so tiny even a little swelling causes problems with oxygen. So he is still hooked to the machine with oxygen support.

Peach Days Fun! September 2008

Kyler's First Day of Preschool

What a handsome boy (note: no more cast)! Kyler is now going to Head Start Monday through Thursday. He loves going to school. It keeps him busy and he has so much fun. Head Start is a great program, Liz really enjoyed it when she was that age. They feed them breakfast and lunch, they get their own toothbrushes and they brush their teeth at school, they have a nice playground with sand pits and swings and slides and bikes, and they do centers and circle time. It's better than Kindergarten. I wish the Kindergarten program was as good as this. I am glad it is available to us. Kyler's favorite thing is taking his Diego backpack and also finding his name all around the classroom.
I am getting age reality check lately. Not only do I have two kids in school now, but i'll be the big three-o in just a couple of weeks. Eeek! It really isn't too bad, I'm looking forward to all the experiences and opportunities the 30s will bring. The 20s have been good to me and I'm preparing myself to say goodbye to those days as I welcome the days ahead! Here's to Paulette Farnsworth turning 30!

First Day of 2nd Grade!

Elizabeth and Megan are finally in the same class this year. They will have so much fun. They better behave themselves!:) I am glad Liz has a good friend in her class.



School bells are ringing, children (and moms) are singing, summer is ending and a new year of school has finally started. Elizabeth started 2nd Grade on August 12th. She was so excited to go to her new classroom and meet her new teacher. Ms LIz Vari is her name, they have already bonded over their names, as you notice her name is Elizabeth too, but she goes by Liz. I'm excited to see what the year will bring. She is such a studious student already and has to be right all the time. Ms Vari has some good things planned this year. I was thrilled to see that she keeps a piano in her classroom. I am a strong believer that music is essential to learning and I love that she clearly feels the same way. It will be a good year. Hurricane Elementary has a new principal this year so it's exciting to see how things will be changed.

Kyler will be starting Head Start on Monday. I will just have Eli at home and he is just a baby still. It will take some getting used to. It's an exciting time in our lives with our kids now in school. I hope they don't grow up too fast.

Les Miserables Anniversary!

I am proud to say that I finally can scratch something off of my personal "bucket list." Monday the 11th was our 8th Anniversary!! For our date we went to see Tuachan's production of Les Miserables. I have known the music and the story since high school when I became somewhat obsessed with it and always hoped that I could see the play performed someday. Finally on Tuesday we were able to see it. Although it wasn't on Broadway it couldn't have been any better. Besides, the mystic of the outdoor theater only added to the experience, especially during the barricade scenes. I won't say anymore just in case you are planning to see it at Tuachan. I don't want to give it away. I will say the cast members' perfomances were all incredible, some even better than the broadway cast. Absolutely FANTASTIC! It blew us both away!

Updates!

Liz finally let me curl her hair! Isn't she beautiful?

Kyler showing his green cast

My apologies to everyone if I've left you hanging on a wire. I only have one excuse and that is the ugly word procastination. As you can see July has been a busy month. It seems to come all at once sometimes. Plus between Eli's testing and Kyler's broken arm we've spent many hours waiting at the doctor's office.

We went up to Primary Children's Hospital and back twice for different tests, including an MRI. Thank goodness it seems to just be big adenoids, like our other kids. We are thankful it isn't anymore serious than that. It can be fixed easily with surgery. I am still, however, waiting to talk to the ENT (Ear Nose and Throat Specialist) to see what we do from here. I suspect we will schedule the surgery sometime in the near future. Which means we will have to make a couple of more trips up there, one for the surgery and another for a follow-up. Dr. Daftary would like to have a sleep study done as well. So in a nutshell, we are not done yet, but at least we know what it is. I have also started giving him a more concentrated formula to give him more calories and he is finally gaining more. He is now around 14 lbs!! (he was only 12 lbs 13 oz 2 weeks ago). Thank you for all your concern and prayers! We are pulling through! We love you all and hope that things are going well in your lives!

Kyler Jumped Off a Trampoline and Broke His Arm

Here is Kyler waiting at the doctor's for his cast. I was at a PTA meeting one day, Monday July 14th to be exact. He and a bunch of kids were playing in the backyard and next thing I knew he came in screaming. Liz told me what happened, and I rushed him to the instacare where they x-rayed him, and sure enough he broke it. The x-ray showed it cracked right by the elbow. We had to wait to get it casted because of legal reasons, so they put it in a splint. But now he has a nice green cast.

Just too cute! Eli at 4 1/2 months old!

Kevin won tickets to see the St. George Roadrunners play. Eli is just so cute! We had fun at the game.

Youth Conference July 12, 2008

Kevin and I were in charge of the Ward Youth Conference this summer. It was alot of work! But it turned out to be a huge success. The kids loved it and I think the leaders had a great time too, even if it was 100+ degrees outside. The theme...The Amazing Race E2E (Endure to the End). We started with a muffin breakfast at the church then we split them into 6 different teams. Each team had a different color bracelet to wear and a set of leaders/drivers. We had them race all over LaVerkin and Hurricane to find their challenge envelopes. Here are some pictures of the LaVerkin Overlook Challenge where they had to memorize a scripture before moving on.
Some other challenges that we didn't get pictures of were. Sand Hallow Reservoir Clean-up and Canoe Challenge, Lin's Supermarket Singing Challenge. Here they had to make up a song and sing it to earn tips.

After the race we had water balloons and this set up at a nearby field to help cool off.

Then we invited the parents to the taco salad dinner and enjoyed a special talk given by the one and only Emmett Smith. And no, not the football/Dancing With the Stars guy. The track runner/youth speaker. It was an excellent talk. It was probably one of the best youth conferences I've ever been to. Wish you could have been there.:)

Happy Birthday Elizabeth! July 9, 2008

Another fun day at Jumping Jacks, Elizabeth's choice. And she got to bring a couple of friends along. Megan Peck and Megan Neeley joined us. They had so much fun! Kevin had just as much fun as they did chasing them around. He scared them good a couple of times. Little Megan Peck, in the words of Kevin, "you should have seen the look of terror on her face," while he was popping out from inconspicuous places. They had a great time dancing to the disco ball. We caught all three of them bustin' some moves on the dance floor. Even doing cartwheels.

Mmm, gotta love Dairy Queen ice cream cake! Good choice!

Happy 7th Birthday, Elizabeth! We love you very much and are so proud of the girl you are growing up to be! You are such a good big sister and helper to your mom. We are glad you are a part of our family!