Life As We Know It

Nothing like the present to post.  I have a lot of catching up to do, but instead I'll just start from today.  :)  Things are going great...Lukas is in 2nd grade (Mrs. Goodman), Max is in Kindergarten (Ms. Calhoun) and Zoey gets to stay home with me!  Pat just finished his last day at IMC and will start work at Jordan Valley Hospital next week.  He is still busy with Real Estate, too.  I am busy with Primary (1st counselor) and just finished the Fun Run at school-I was on the PTA committee.

LUKAS-He is really into Angry Birds and he still loves TMNT.  He just had his 8th bday.  We are excited about his baptism coming up in Oct.  He does well in school and has a lot of friends.  He plays flag football and takes piano lessons.  He is really good at drawing and he loves to sit and color/draw.  He moved his room from the basement back in with Max.  It was too dark and lonely down there.  (We are hoping to turn that room into an exercise room...).  He is a great helper and plays so cute with Zoey.  He'll sleep in her room on the floor sometimes and he always helps her.  He gets a long great with Max most of the time...they are either best friends or worst enemies.  He is a good swimmer now and loves going to the pool.  We have all taken up running and he likes to go for a run, usually about a mile.

MAX- He has grown up so much.  I was so worried about him in school, but he has done awesome.  He loves his teacher and classmates and can't wait to do homework.  He is learning how to make friends and has recently become BFF with his next door neighbor, Cambree.  They used to fight a lot, but now they are two peas in a pod.  They are in the same kindergarten class and I think that helps.  Max is a great dancer, he hears the music and just takes off.  I need to sign him up.  He is a runner too and likes to go for a family run at least once a week.  He is learning how to write and has the cutest drawings.  He likes swimming and playing wii.  He is a comedian with some of the things he says.  He is very witty and has a tender heart.  He can be such an awesome helper and has the best attitude.

ZOEY- This little diva is into everything.  She knows what she wants and nothing will stop her.  She has perfected the tantrum and tries to get what she wants by throwing one.  She refuses to let me do her hair most days, which is unfortunate because it is getting so long and pretty.  She used to let me hug and kiss her and now when I try she wipes my kiss off and says, "I wiped it off!"  She loves princesses (Cinderella is her favorite) and she likes riding her scooter around the house.  "I scoot!"  She is not the best sharer and is learning how to play with friends.  Most days she does pretty good, but there are times when she is a bully, hitting and pushing.  She loves to play with her neighbor Hadlie who is a year older and Cody, too.  She has a playgroup once a week that I think is good for her.  She needs to  learn social skills.  She is so fun and talks so much.  She has to do things herself, like open the door, buckle, get dressed, get her own cup.  She is sassy and independent.  But she is also so cute and fun.  She changes her clothes about 10 times a day.  And she LOVES leggings.  I don't know if I will get her into anything else.  She is definitely addicted to sugar and treats.  We recently took down her crib and put her in a big girl bed.  She has done great so far and likes to snuggle with her blankie in her bed.  Sometimes she'll climb up in my bed, but most days she stays in her bed and sleeps all night.

PAT- He has always had a hard time breathing at night, so he finally decided to have surgery to fix it.  It's been about a month since he had it and it has made a huge difference.  He doesn't snore or breathe loud, and that's huge for him.  He has been wanting to make a change at work for awhile and applied at several different place.  Home Health, The VA hospital, Jordan Valley... He had interviews at all three and job offers, too.  He decided to go with Jordan Valley.  It pays the most and is closest to home.  He's a float pool nurse and works 3 nights a week.  Plus doing real estate and keeping his clients happy, he stays busy.  He teaches the Valiant 10 boys in primary. It's fun being in Primary with him.  He also ran his second half marathon, Half Crazy.  He had minimal training, but rocked it.  :)  He wants to be a runner and got some cool shoes to start off right.

JaNECE- Lately I have been busy with the PTA Fun Run.  It's the school's only fund raiser and I was in charge of the silent auction baskets.  It was A LOT of work, but a huge success and the kids had a blast.  Now that it's over I have to move on to the next big thing and that is the Primary Sacrament Program.  I am the first counselor in primary and that is my assignment.  Things are pretty much in order, but it's a lot of work, too.  I love the presidency and feel so blessed to be in primary.  About 3 months ago I started running.  It has been quite the journey, but I have come to love it.  I look forward to the days I get to run and signed up for Running Scared 10K in October.  I look forward to it and hope I can keep it up.  I have to really coordinate schedules with Pat to make it work.  I still go to my Girls' Night every Monday night.  I have great friends and it's a fun time to unwind and recharge.  I do a dinner swap with my friend Becky every other week.  It has helped me to try new things and recipes. She's definitely a better cook than me, but I am learning.  I really want to get more into photography, and have taken some pics of my kids and a friends.  I want to get good, but I think I need to take some classes to really learn.

So life is pretty good and I feel super blessed to have all that I have.  I look at my family, my parents and siblings, and am so glad to have them in my life.  My dad is coming up on 4 years of cancer survival.  He has had major ups and downs (mostly downs), but he has really fought hard and is hanging on.  He is my hero, fighting daily just to live.  My mom is a hero too, being there for him and taking care of him.  I count my blessings daily.  :)