Family Pics 2009

Here are some of our family pics this year. I decided we should dress up. I know I know! I thought they turned out really cute. Brookelyn did everything the lady asked and Kira screamed a lot of the time. It could have been the time we took them or just because she is really hitting and enjoying those terrible twos. I hope you enjoy. I actually really like this one of the two of us.

Kira took her brithday pictures in this chair and remembered it. She loves to sit in it.

The lady tried to get both girls in this pic but Kira would have none of it so Brookelyn did it all by herself.

I like this one. I actually catch them at home like this once in a while. I can't wait til Brookelyn can read and she can read to Kira.

My girlies. I love them so much. I am grateful that I have them in my life and would not trade them for anything, not even a boy. I am grateful that Heavenly Father entrused me with these two beautiful, bright, intelligent girls.

This was Arik's favorite.

Team Jacob

Thursday night a group of us went to see New Moon at the midnight showing. This movie was better then the last movie. For those of you that have read the books I have always been Team Jacob but after watching the movie I don't know how anyone can not be Team Jacob. It was a good movie. Of course it is not as good as the books but what movie ever is!!

Life has been crazy busy. Arik has been running around finishing his paper and getting ready for his defense. Basketball has been going good. My girls' team is still undefeated. We have four more games after Thanksgiving. We have a great chance of winning all four. We have already beat three of the four teams.

Brookelyn has been great. The primary program was last week and she did great. She had her part memorized and didn't need help from her teacher. I was so proud. Afterwards, I told her that she did great. She said, "Mom, you did great watching me." She makes me smile.

Kira has been a handful. She is so much fun. Right now she busts out singing Can You Feel the Love Tonight. She sings it all day, during Sacrament and during any quiet moment she can. When we pray we say Sure Love Ya afterwards. Kira has taken it upon herself to say it after any prayer, Opening prayer at church, after the bread and water prayers, and the closing prayer, and after blessings on the food. It is cute but I wish she wouldn't yell it at church when everyone is trying to be reverent.

We have decided to move to Pocatello. It means that our family gets to see each other more and stuff. I will have to commute until the end of the school year, then I will try to find a job in Pokey teaching. Pray that we will be able to sell our house fast and that everything will work out. Life is great and all these new things are so much fun. As Arik once said, at least now when I have to move I get to move with my best friend and will never be alone.

Favorite Time of the Year

This is Arik's favorite time of the year. Better yet, holiday of the year. Arik loves Thanksgiving. He refuses to listen to Christmas music or put Christmas decorations up until after Thanksgiving. He loves the fact that he can eat all day long and not have to feel bad about it. In my family we always decorated for Christmas on Brandee's bday (my sister) so I am used to waiting. I love watching the leaves change colors and to see all the vivid colors there really are out there.

In less then two weeks I will be watching New Moon with my sister, sister-in-law, and a group of girls. We have tickets for the midnight showing. It makes it a lot easier for babysitting, though I know Arik would watch the girls if I asked him to anytime. This is one movie he is happy to send me off with a group of girls to watch and leave him at home. I love him so much!!

We started off the basketball season winning the first two games this past week. We won 26-13 and 23-8. In the second game all the girls scored and in both games everyone has had equal playing time. I don't know if that will last all season but it is starting off good. I have a totally different group of girls this year, not quite as focused as last year's team but they are getting better every day.

The first tri of school ends on Thursday. Holy Cow we are already a 1/3 done with school. Is time going super fast for anyone else? The girls are growing exponentally and I seem to blink and miss something else.

When we went to the doctor this past week Brookelyn was 36 inches tall and 34 pounds. Kira was 33.5 inches tall and 32 pounds. We will have twinners here in a little bit. (I mean Kira catching Brookelyn, not actually twins. :))

Arik is crazy busy wrapping up the thesis but he will be done and ready to go on Dec 7. I am so proud of him for accomplishing this and finishing it through not matter how frustrated he got. (Those of you who have helped him through this know what I mean.)

Halloween and State

This year for Halloween I was at state for Volleyball. Our high school team made it and it was all the way in Couere A'lene (it is ten hours away in a Charter Bus.) Our girls ended up taking 3rd place. They did awesome and our only losses were to the 1st and 2nd place teams. State in Idaho is much didffernt then State in Colorado and so much more intense and exciting. While I was at State Brandee my great sister took my girls. She dressed them up for Halloween and took them to the ward party. Brookelyn then got sick and then Kira got sick. (Sorry Brandee I didn't want to get your family sick.) Yesterday I took the girls to the doctor and they do not have the Pig Flu (as Arik calls it.) They are just sick. A viral thing that they just had to deal with. They are feeling much better and I get to go to work again tomorrow. Arik and I gratefully did not get sick. (Knock on wood.)
Here are some pics from Brandee's ward party. Thanks Brandee for taking the girls.

Brookelyn bowling. Arik just loves Kira's face in this one.
Brookelyn wanted to be Cinderella. So she was.

For one last year we just had Kira be what Brookelyn was at that age. I think that next year Kira will not be okay with just anything anymore. She poses so cute.

Arik stuck candy outside the door telling everyone we were sick and just take a couple pieces of candy. Someone stole all the candy and my bowl. Not cool!

We are doing much better now. I have my first basketball game tomorrow. I am a little nervous and stuff.

One last bit of information. Arik got a new job. It is in Pocatello. We are just deciding if we want to move there or stay here and have him commute or have me commute for a couple of years. If I work for one more year we will have the van payed off. We also like our house but if we can't sell it the government will pay it for us. They will also pay for the move and it is a total full time job now. There is no chance of a 8 week lay off like before. He is the AFMO fire. Whatever that means, I am not sure but it is a step up. Also Arik is defending his thesis on DECEMBER 7th.
After four years of work we are final finishing it all. He is working his behind off but will be done in a MONTH!!!

Happy Halloween to everyone!!

The Teacher Wins...Holy emotions

Okay today for P.E. we played basketball, that is a sport I can handle. A little group of us (three boys and myself) played 21. I hit 3 after 3 and made all my free throws and WON!!! That is right. I might be 12 or 13 years older then them but I totally took them. They couldn't believe it. They complained that most of my points came from free throws and I told them that that just shows how important they really are.

So thanks to my dad for spending part of every Christmas break for 4 years making me shoot 500 free throws. Also thanks to my dad for letting me steal his routine when shooting free throws. Shooting free throws really wins games!!!!!!!!



Okay this needs a preface. I was a week late on that monthly thing. Then I woke up around 4 in the morning yesterday morning to use the bathroom and was bleeding. I cried a little (yes we would like to have another one but things just don't work out the way we want them to) and I was in a lot of pain. A lot more than usual for that thingy. Anyways, I came to school and during my first hour a student would not work. I asked him to start doing something. He told me he was and held up a little bike. (It was one of those that you have to glue and put together yourself). I told him to put it away and get to work. 5 minutes later again I asked him to start working, he told me he was and held up a bottle of super glue. I told him to put all that stuff away and to work on English. I then told him if I saw those things again I would take them away. He stood up looked right at me and said, "Oh, no you didn't." With the attitude and hand and head shake and everything. I lost it. I was so mad. (Remember what happened earlier that morning. Hormones were crazy.) I yelled at him and told him to get out of my class and I walked down to the office. By the time I was at the office I was in tears and I told them what had happened. Now it seems silly that I got so mad and cried but it was a bad start to a bad morning. How dare he talk to me like that?

Anyways, things are going better and I am starting to feel better now!! Too bad I care so much for these kids otherwise why would I put up with stuff like this all the time. Isn't teaching great???

It's about time

I know. It has been a while since I posted anything at all. And the only reason why most of you look at this is for all the cute pics of my girlies. I do have some and will add them soon. Our computer died and I can't scan pictures right now so birthday pictures that we got from Sears are still waiting to be added. I do have some other pics that I will add when I am on my computer again.
Here is an update.

Christina:
Life has been crazy. Starting my day at 5:30 AM reminds me so much of Seminary. I miss Seminary but I do not miss getting up that early. Volleyball will be over in a week and a half so then I can sleep in another hour or so. My team started great and then has slowly fallen apart. We are 3-4. (But given that last year they never won a game. We are doing okay. Also they have a rookie coach who keeps learning new stuff all the time.) Two weeks from today bball starts. It is not quite as demanding as volleyball. I am looking forward to the season. I will be coaching the 7th grade team again. I don't get to move up with my 8th graders but it is fro the best of the program so as much as I am sad over it I am okay. At least I still get to coach. We just hit the mid term of the 1st trimester and have parent/teacher conferences this week. I am really not looking forward to them but it will be nice to get a better glimpse of what these kids live with and deal with at home.

Arik:
Arik has finally been home for a weekend. Now that snow has fallen (yep SNOW) he has really slowed down. He keeps waiting to hear from his professor at USU so that he can finish up loose ends and finally graduate. He has been awesome cooking meals and taking care of the girls. He supports me 100% in my coaching and that really makes all the difference. He has applied to a job in Pocatello and another here is Soda.

Brookelyn:
Is getting way too smart. She now knows her address and phone number. She is learning to write numbers now and likes to correct mom all the time. She has the red headed attitude and temper and we are learning to adjust to it. She is a big helper most of the time and loves to help Kira. She knows she is smart and uses that a lot. She loves preschool and always tells me everything she did that day. (I just love coming home and having her give me a play by play.) She also learned to whisper in ears so she loves to tell me secrets that she doesn't want Kira to know.

Kira:
She has learned the phrases: Leave me alone, Go away, and Never, ever, ever. These are moms least favorite words and has a hard time with them. She is getting to the point when she knows she goes wet and poop. We are starting to work on making it to the bathroom and to the potty. Maybe by Christmas (that would be nice). She is growing all the time. I jsut pulled out the winter clothes and she is wearing all of Brookelyn's old clothes. I can't believe how big she is and how fast time has flown. she can count to ten and knows about 7 letters of the ABC's.

My Broncos are undefeated so far this year!!! Much to my surprise. Also, BYU is coming back a little bit. Too bad they blew one game. Now we can only hope they keep winning and beating these other teams. The Rockies made it to the playoffs this year without haiving to win 22 games in a row and didn't even need a play in game to go either.

Life is great and conference came just when I really needed it. It was nice to get uplifted a little and to hear words of counsel and support from our prophet and leaders.

Saving Madeline

As a public defender, Caitlin McLoughlin dreams of someday locking the bad guys in prison instead of defending them. But prosecuting jobs are scarce, and Caitlin’s future seems bleak. When her current client is about to walk away from a brutal crime, she risks her career to make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else. But how far is she is willing to go— especially when she needs her job so she can continue caring for her mentally disabled sister? Then Caitlin meets Parker Hathaway, charged with kidnapping a four- year- old child. Just another criminal, just another job, Caitlin thinks. But when she learns the real story, she realizes that she must put everything on the line to defend her client and save the little girl before it’s too late. Saving Madeline is the story of a man determined to protect a child he loves, and the woman who dared to trust him.

I read an advanced review pdf copy of this book. I have always been a big fan of Rachel Ann Nunes and this book is no different. This book is also different from many of her other writings and asks many thought provoking questions. It takes you inside of the legal system and gives you a better understanding and closer look at how things happen and what it trying to be done to protect children and people from all the evils that are attacking our world today.

It was a book that I had a hard time putting down and afterwards kept my mind going and considering things I have not thought of before. It took me to a world inside our own world, that for me really doesn't exist in my little bubble, and got me to ask myself, what could I be doing? I really enjoyed this book. Whether you have never read Rachel's books before or if you are a long time fan, all will enjoy this latest book by her, Saving Madeline.

Rachel is also doing a drawing for this book. Everyone that comments on this post will be entered in a drawing for a copy of this book. So please post your comments and I hope you win!!!

You can read sample chapters at Rachel Nunes' site

Where to buy and general info:
Amazon.com
CedarFort.com
DeseretBook.com
Shadow Mountain Softcover Tradeback $17.95
Romance, 321 pages.
First printing in September 2009
ISBN 13-978-160461-049-3
Book also includes a discussion guide.