A happy holiday!

We have had such a wonderful holiday this year! It's been so busy that even I have fallen asleep at "bedtime" as I listen to the kids reading or singing to me!
Our holiday started with our excursion to get our Christmas tree! Don't ask me why put I absolutely have to get a real tree. I love knowing that for the month of December I have an actual tree in my home. I love the smell, I love the pine needles that I find in MY bed, I love the decorations that Miaja decided is 96% homemade ornaments and I love the lights glowing when it gets dark. I don't know why we don't have a tree in the house more often!!!

After we got our tree up then we started in on the holiday parties and celebrations! The Relief Society had such a great Christmas Dinner. We had a beautiful presentation of Christ's life and then some of the ladies sang a few Christmas carols and it was such a great spirit to start the holidays off with. (of course I forgot to take pictures).
A couple of days later was our ward Christmas party. The kids got a visit from Santa and they even performed some songs for us! It was fantastic.

Thomas wasn't too excited about meeting Santa

Chase...having a very serious discussion

Ayden was ready to evacuate at any time!

Of course Miaja warmed right up to Santa...then she asked him for the American Girl Lanie's camper..that cost near $300. We talked to Santa about that one before hand!!!

Sunday, after the church, we decided last minute to go downtown and take some pictures of the family and visit the Alamo. it's free and there is a really beautiful garden area. We had such a great time! The weather was perfect and the kids look adorable so it was well worth the craziness of getting everyone ready after a very busy day at church!

I loved this picture of the kids!

Love that girl and her infectious smile!

Thomas was finishing his waffle that he had for dinner on car ride downtown...gotta love a breakfast dinner on the car!

I love these boys that fill my life with love and joy!!!

I can't beleive how these two have grown this year!

Ayden...he is such a sweetheart

Happy Holidays!!

Just thinking....

Some of the beautiful women in my life...my sisters

My mom...of course. I've always thought that she is so beautiful!!!

Need I say a thing...I love her smiles!

Today I visited with a great friend who was struggling with some things and felt like she was possibly beyond help. My heart wanted to leap out of my chest and squeeze her. I wanted her to see all of the wonderful things that I see in her and even more importantly all of the amazing gifts God has given her.
After visiting with her my mind kept wondering back to our conversation and I had such a range of emotions. I looked at my beautiful children and I thought...I will never let them feel that way...EVER. I felt a tiny bit of anger towards Satan because I know that if he get fabulous women like this one to feel hopeless then he has won half the battle (or more). Then I felt determination. I felt a urgent determination to let any women that come into my life see how truly remarkable they really are (because I genuinely feel that).
Many of my feelings have come from an experience that I had a few weeks ago.
I was jogging at about noon and was almost five miles from home when a woman yelled out to me, "Excuse me miss...do you have a cellphone?" I told he no and was starting to ask if I could help when a huge man grabbed her and literally threw her into her apartment. The woman immediately scream (a type of scream I've never heard) "Help me please, help me!". The apartment had a tall metal gate around it so I couldn't get to her so I looked ahead and and saw a Walgreens up the hill. I honestly prayed to God for more strength than I knew I had and ran as fast as I could up that hill. They let me call 911 and within minutes there were five police cars there. They drove me down to the apartment and we got in and went up to the door. My heart sank...no answer. I looked at the police officer and hoped to see him getting something to knock the door down but instead he told me that they couldn't open the door unless they saw distress. I started to tear up and was hoping I could hold myself together. In these few short moments this woman had become my sister in a way. I felt responsible for her. She had asked me...she looked me in the eyes and asked me for help. I had to get to her.
The police promised to wait outside for a few hours but inside I new they would never catch the man that hurt this daughter of God. As I turned to jog away, (after waiting for an hour or so), the police man put his hand on my shoulder and said, "It's really ok. This kind of thing happens all of the time." Then a woman who lived across the way said, "Ya, that woman has been in trouble for a long time. No one can help her."
Those words have run through my head over-and-over. Someone can help her. She isn't beyond help. There IS a way out.
I found myself following a car into the gated community the other night (no kids were with me) and knocked at the door hoping to find this woman but again, no answer.
It might sound a little crazy but I won't give-up. The worth of souls truly is great in the sight of God and as these two women and others share with me there fears I only feel stronger the love of a kind Father and Brother that leaves the ninety-and-nine to go after that one lost.
So, where I was headed with this comes back to tonight. As the kids and I were reading scriptures before bed tonight we read 3 Nephi 22. I fell in love with verses 8-17. Particularly verse10. It reads,
"For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that has mercy on thee."
Wow...that covenant that promise of peace is offered to all children of God. The woman I put my arm around at church today and the woman who stays shut, for now, in her apartment.
So as I tucked my kids into bed tonight I made sure they each knew how loved they are loved and left my working husband a message to let him know the same but then I felt like I should let anyone who might one day read this to know as well. I'm not a bit time blogger but if there is a message that I want all those I care about to know then this would be up there on the list.
We are all so loved and there is always a way to find joy and peace.
Good-night all you beautiful women!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I am thankful for a husband that LOVES to have fun with his kids

I am thankful for our dog Belle

I am so thankful for my kids and that I can be mommy

I am thankful for my life!

I cannot believe that Thanksgiving 2010 has come and is now gone! Each year time seems to go by faster and faster!
Jaron and I have had some really great Thanksgivings over the past ten years. Thanksgivings with lots of family, Thanksgivings with new friends, Thanksgivings with HUGE groups and Thanksgivings with a few very special people.
This year we got to celebrate our Thanksgiving with the Hakes family and we had such a great time (and a great meal)! The highlights we...getting to cook with my kids, having Jaron home for the entire day, getting stung by a bee, seeing all the kids laugh so hard as they rolled down the stairs and Miaja came over and told me she'd had a little accident...it's so cute when she gets laughing that hard... she comes by that honestly!
I don't know if I have ever felt so much gratitude in my heart as I have this year. It starts with my Father in Heaven and Savior Jesus Christ and branches out to my husband and very best friend then my four VERY silly and wonderful children.
I am so grateful amazing parents that are always there for me and who I can always look to for examples that I can trust and rely on and brothers and sisters that I've always admired.
I'm thankful for friends that influenced me for good all through-out my life. I am thankful for good health and am fully aware of what a gift that is.
I am thankful for all of God's creations, big and small.
I am thankful for our home.
I am thankful for each place we have lived and the adventures we've had over the last eight years.
I am thankful that I can keep learning and growing because I realize each day how little I really know and for some reason that only motivates and draws me closer to God.
I am thankful for the challenges that I've had in this life for they have made me who I am and they help me see those around me with more love and compassion.
I am thankful for laughter and smiles...my kids and Jaron share those with me daily.
I am thankful for music and dancing...both are very common in our house!
As cheesy as this sounds I am thankful for love because love is the greatest gift we can give and receive.
Happy (late) Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Birthday Chase!!!

Chase in Park City

Chase LOVES Ms. Belle

Ayden, Miaja and Chase...quite the trio...throw Thomas in and we have a load of fun!

Happy Birthday Chase!!!

Chase turned 6 yrs. old today and I cannot believe it! He has grown so quickly and has been such an amazing child to watch grow!
Chase is incredibly independent and he is an amazing learner. I recently broke into tears as Chase's kinder teacher, Mrs. Kotzer told me how much she loves Chase and what a great influence he is on his class.
Chase is such an important part of our family! He and Miaja are like two peas in a pod (most of the time), and he loves going to school with his big sister!
I was thinking about when Chase was born and it was probably under some of the most "magical" circumstances. We lived on the beach in Maine. It was an incredibly snowy winter and Chase came a few days before Thanksgiving.
One of the things I love about Chase is that he is constantly finding ways to let those close to him know how much he loves them. He leaves me little notes all over the house to say "I love you" and they are priceless.
One last thing that makes Chase so special is his LOVE for our puppy Belle. Chase will come home, hungry and exhausted from school but he'll still walk right outside to pet Belle and tell her he loves her. He is really, really tender with her and I love that about him.
We love ya Chasey!

Ott Elementary Bike Rodeo

Bike RodeoMiaja and the boys

Miaja with her good friend Joei

Miss Miaja

Chase with his class post-riding! All his class mates ran over to give him a hug when he finished! He did awesome!
(I took his pictures on his bike with our video camera and still haven't figured-out how to download them!!!)

Great Job Chase!!!

Bike Rodeo 2010
My kids have been looking forward to the annual Ott Elementary bike rodeo since last years rodeo! They love riding their bikes and they, with their neighborhood friends, organize a weekly rodeo in our cul-de-sac to practice! Miaja and Jaron worked really hard with Chase to help him learn to ride his bike without training wheels and Chase has been a quick learn! Both Miaja and Chase did such a great job! I teared up a little watching Chase knowing how badly he had wanted to do the rodeo without his training wheels and he did and he did a FANTASTIC job! He even got a ribbon for doing so great! He was one of four kinder kids that didn't use training wheels!
Miaja came home after school with a HUGE smile on her face and announced that she had won first in her grade! She got a trophy and everything!

Back-to-School

The Back-to-School Feast...
We had whole grain pasta w/ roasted tomatoes and fresh Parmesan.
Then we had a LOADED green salad (my kids love green salad) fresh, homemade french bread with sparkling lemonade! YUM!

We even pull-out Jer and I wedding china! The kids love it and I like to actually use them!

Each year we have a new theme that we carry through-out the year! This year we both felt really strong that this theme was the best for us...Believe and Be.

We want our little cuties to feel and know that because they are children of God they can Be anything as long as they believe in their selves and their divine potential.

I look at my children and I see endless possibilities! I begin to understand the look i my parents eyes when they looked at me with so much love.

A couple of years ago we started a tradition of having a "Back-to-school Bash". Anyone who spends any amount of time with our family quickly realizes how much my kids LOVE to dance and sing and be really silly!
We have a fabulous feast followed by a back-to-school fashion show then Jaron gives the kids blessings and we talk about our new family theme for the school year! It is a family favorite! The kids look forward to this special occasion all year long!

Ayden's Preschool 2010

Ayden doing apple art for the first day of preschool!!!

We love our preschool group! We have Ayden, Ethen, James, Scarlett and Nathaniel.

Big A all ready for his first day of preschool!
(Isn't he handsome)

Each year, since I've had children, we have done preschool. Most years we have been blessed with great friends to do it with which makes it even funner. Well, where we live in a very transient area with air force and army families I decided to try to organize a community preschool. It is mostly members of our church but not entirely. Originally I thought...maybe ten mommies will be interested. I serve in the Relief Society so I kind of thought I new where the needs were. Well, the preschool group has grown to over thirty moms with some having two children in the group. Of course we have divided the groups and we get together on Fridays for fun field trips like the bakery and the botanical gardens but it really has been a blast!
I was pretty overwhelmed at first. We had a meeting here at our house for the mom's and the house was completely full! It makes me feel good though that no little cutie is sitting at home looking for a friend. These kids are all friends and they have LOTS of fun!

Tommy & Ayden

I love this picture of Ayden and Thomas. They are the best of buds and Ayden has proven to be such a great big brother. He holds his hand whenever we walk into a store or the library and hetries to "tenderly" teach him the ropes at him! Really they both LOVE playing swords and wrestling so they a great time!

Schools In!!!

School's Starting!!!
Ott Elementary 2010

Miaja & Chase headed-out for their first time going to school together!!!
(Chase was SO excited!)

Miaja & Chase
in front of
Ott Elementary

Chase-Kinder 2010
His teacher is Mrs. Kotzer. He was so excited to find-out that she's expecting twins!
(Chase is OBSESSED with the classic Parent Trap and Daydreams of us having twins)

Miaja- 2nd grade
Miaja's teacher is Mrs. Rodriguez. She loves her and although she really wanted her grandma Vorkink to be her 2nd grade teacher (grandma teaches 2nd in Utah), she has decided that Mrs. Rodriguez will be a wonderful too!

I am so excited to see Miaja and Chase both loving school this year and getting to share the experience together. I never got to have a sibling in school with me so I get really excited to see my kids have each other! Their teachers have both told me that they are pretty cute when they see each other in the halls. Miaja always gives Chase hugs and Chase always blushes, (says his teacher), and Chase has been over-heard telling his class-mates about his "really fun sister in 2nd grade"!
I know that this blog is way over due but I do have to add that it was really hard to see Chase walk into his class for the first time. As the boys and I walked out the door Chase looked back just for a minute and he did the most adorable, sweetheart thing ever, he blew me a little kiss. We quickly had to leave because I knew I was going to tear-up even more but it made my day and also made me realize that although I wouldn't have him right next to me all day for awhile he was still my little boy.
2010 has already proven to be a wonderful school year!

L.Powell Pictures!

Our Lake Powell Trip!!!

This summer we got to finish our trip to Utah off with a trip to Lake Powell (a favorite spot for Jaron). I was so excited to Jaron to enjoy some of his favorite things; water-skiing, water-skiing and water-skiing but I must admit I was terrified to take my kiddos. Thomas is so quiet and quick and he thinks he can do anything. With a lot of team-work between Jer and I and help from family I am happy to tell you that Thomas is still alive and we had a great time!
Miaja's favorite was swimming and riding on the tube. Chase's favorite was the tube and a little place the kids discovered which they named "Dolphino Island". Ayden loved making sand castles and watching the fish (just a note...the fish are really ugly and have to constantly remind myself that they "aren't" swimming all-around my body as I swim). Thomas favorite was watching me chase after him and swimming in the water. Jaron is sleeping right now but I'm going to have to guess that his favorite was water-skiing and getting time off from work just to be with family. My favorite was seeing my kids and husband smile and as "mother-like" as that sounds it's true. I loved watching Miaja smile as she jumped off that way too high cliff and Chase when he finally got on the tube and had a great time! I love seeing Jaron smile as he skied and watched others. I also loved being with family and catching-up. Chatting with my sister-in-laws and Bonny was really fun! We all missed Amanda (but she was home with their new little baby).
We all had a WONDERFUL time!

Coombs Family 2010

While we were visiting in Utah this summer Jaron's parents had all of their children in town at the same time so we got take a big Coombs family picture. We took our own pictures while others were having their turns with the professional! I love taking pictures of my kids so we had a blast. Here's just a few!