To Wii or not to Wii

So back during the holidays as parents we came into the dilemma (as parents usually do) of what to get the kids for Christmas. We had determined to get the kids a Wii, but as Christmas came closer we decided that getting a Wii probably wasn't the best thing for our family at the time. I knew that their cousins would be getting one and that we would be opening presents with them that morning and I worried about their reaction. I didn't want them to take away from their cousins happiness by throwing a tantrum and asking "Why didn't we get one?" or worst yet seeing the disappointment in their faces. (Not that they didn't get some great gifts!) So on Christmas morning I was plesantly surprised at how excited they were for their cousins. I kept waiting to hear the question of "Why didn't we get one" but it never came. A few weeks later the boys came up the stairs and said, "Mom, are there any jobs we can do, so we can earn enough money to get a Wii?" That was one of those moments when you feel like maybe your doing something right. I told them that if they could earn half of the money we would make up the other half. So for the past five months they have been pooling all of their money together, (minus tithing). The day finally came where they had their share, so wouldn't you know that when we went to go buy one, they were still difficult to find! Papa helped out by finding one in Seattle but some of his luck rubbed off on us and we were able to find one here. Anyways the last few weeks the boys have been enjoying playing the games. A friend told me about the Wii Fit coming out so I figured hey why not give it a try! Let's just say I Love It! Who knew you could have fun excercising! I've never taken yoga in my life and am really enjoying it, it also has aerobics like step and hula hooping. You can even take a run! I've actually been sore the last few days. I think the thing I love most is that it takes your BMI and weight so you can track your progress (or lack of). It even gets after you if you miss a day of excercising. Your Mii actually looks pudgy and then starts slimming down as you start losing weight (you were right -k-). I know it sounds like a commercial but thought I'd update you on our latest craze!

Happy Birthday Jared!

10 things I love about Jared

10. He is always happy

9. He loves to make jokes

8.He has the best imagination

7. He is a very good artist

6. The look he gives you when he is trying to get his way

5. He loves Snoopy

4. His bright blue eyes

3. He won't let anyone kiss him

2. He is always hungry

1. His adventurous spirit

We are so lucky to have him apart of our family!

What's happening!
Sorry if you've viewed my blog hoping to find an update and instead keep seeing the same thing. I actually didn't realize how long it's been since I've blogged. Things are keeping pretty busy. Spring doesn't want to seem to come unfortunately, our temp. highs are currently only reaching 30 if we are lucky, so to try and help it along, I finally cut the boys hair. I let them grow it out during the winter, to try and get the "shag" look. Some days I liked it and other days I wanted to chop it off. We finally did chop it on Monday. They all look so much older, I could actually see their faces! I would do a before and after picture but I'm in SLC and don't have access to pictures. So I'll try and post them later. Jackson and I have been kept busy trying to get our ward's Youth Trek underway. We went a few years ago as a ma and pa, but to actually be the one's in charge, it's just a little unnerving. We are really looking forward to it though, it really is a life changing experience. We will be going to Seattle in the next couple of weeks, the boys have been asking about grandma and papa, so we figured it was time for another trip. On a billboard on the freeway I keep passing a sign that shows a little boy and his grandpa fishing and it says, "Grandpa take me fishing!" It makes me think of my parents and how much I miss them. I'm really looking forward to seeing them.

SICK!!!!!!
That's all I have to say. We have been dealing with the flu for three weeks now. And me in my lala land thought I wouldn't get it. Now I am a person who doesn't really like taking medicine or going to the doctor, but I knew I was in bad shape when I had to ask my husband to take me to the instacare. It reminded me why I don't do any of the above,(no offense spyderdoc)after having a thing shoved up my nose to make sure I had the flu and then after the confirmation, getting a shot in my "you know where," I left with my adversion to doctors and medicine still intact. Although it was nice to finally get a good night's rest last night so there are some pluses. Currently this is my only means of communication since I no longer have a voice. So if you call and are told she can't talk right now, I'm not trying avoid you (o.k. maybe some of you) I literally can't talk! Thank you for listening to the ramblings of a mildly medicated person. If you would like to see a visual of how I feel today view the link to my sister Katie's blog, under the title "this is how I feel today."

Be Steadfast and Immovable......

This is the theme for the youth this year.(Mosiah 5:15) We did our new beginnings on Tuesday and it turned out really good. Jenny Phillips has put out a CD with some great songs. She compares the stars to being steadfast and immovable, we liked the idea so we talked about each value and had a scripture that pertained to the stars and that value. Like Faith asked the question would I have had enough faith to believe what the star of bethlehem represented. We then gave each of the girls glow in the dark stars to put on their ceilings to remind them that they can be like the stars and give their light to help others through the darkness. The girls also sang a beautiful song by Jenny Phillips called "Steadfast in You." It talks about how strong they are and how willing they are to be steadfast in Christ. A real tear jerker to see them perform that and realize how amazing the youth are today! Here's some pics.

Where have we been?

I'm sure you've been wondering what we have been up to the last couple of weeks that we haven't posted, so let me fill you in. Well, it snowed, and then it snowed and then let's see, it snowed again! But we did do some things in between. Bennett and I went on a great trip, when the kids turn 8 they get to start flying in first class, so to celebrate this we have a tradition of going on a mom and me trip. Ben decided he wanted to go see the broadway musical "Wicked." Originally we had planned to go to New York, but L.A. was easier to get to. So with my sister-in-law and neice (who also had a birthday) we went to Wicked and Disneyland. The kids were spoiled, we ended up being able to stay and the California Grand and after telling them we were there for the kid's birthdays (Ben's was back in June). They ended up giving them a big thing of balloons, a button that said it was their b-days, and at lunch they got some chocalate mousse w/ a candle. Ben loved Wicked, he had me laughing because at some of the funny parts he would laugh really loud and hard. Other things that have happened are that Jackson has been taking the boys up to a ski resort called Kelly Canyon, where they have been learning to ski and snowboard. It's actually really inexpensive, so they have been up almost every weekend. I even went and had my first ski lesson, everything was going well until I hit the powder, let's just say I'm glad there weren't any cameras. We were also able to attend the dedication of the Rexburg Temple. The night before I realized I hadn't gotten our handkerchiefs, so I went to the local Walmart to get some, I knew I was in trouble when I couldn't find any. I went over to Deseret Book to get some tie tacs for the boys. When I walked in a guy asked me "Is there something I can help you find?" I knew if Walmart didn't have hankies neither would they so I said I was getting a gift. I really didn't want to embarass myself and admit I wasn't prepared. While looking at tie tacs he asked if I had my handkerchiefs. I smiled and rolled my eyes and said, "You would have to ask, no I don't have mine!" He laughed and said they had counted 150 people asking for handkerchiefs since 5:00 p.m. it was 7:30 p.m. I told him not to count me. Then I said, " You know I think I've heard of a parable about this, something to do with some virgins and some oil." But I then said that I knew I had material at home I could make some with, so I didn't necessarily fall into that category. In the end I no longer have a nice white tablecloth (it did have a stain!) The dedication was amazing. President Monson was so funny when doing the cornerstone, he had dropped some mortar and when the temple president came to put some in, Pres Monson asked him to clean up after him, he then said "That's what you call Repentence" and then he asked one of the general authorities who is latino to come and do it in spanish. It was a great feeling to be able to do the Hosana shout. I am so grateful the boys were able to have that experience. Jackson and I are being kept busy with getting our ward's trek underway. I'm so excited for our youth to have this experience, it is truly life changing.

Hope you have a great Valentine's Day!

Temple, Temple, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!

My sister's and I would sing this chant whenever we would drive by the Salt Lake Temple. I remember wondering what it would be like to go inside. This past week we were able to go to the open house for the Rexburg Temple. The weeks preceding our visit we spent our Family Home Evenings dicussing what the boys would be seeing and the purpose of the temple. We also discussed the dedication, and explained only those who had been baptized could go. Poor Jared was so sad that he couldn't go but we explained to him the reasons and that when he turned 8 there would be another temple he could go to the dedication for.(Oquirrh Hills) As the days came closer Isaac and Bennett were getting excited but Jared kept saying, "no, I don't get to go." Now as most of you know Jared is a big teaser, so I know a lot of this was teasing, but I was still concerned he thought he didn't get to come to the temple. Finally on the night we were to go Jackson told him we would take him blindfolded if we had too. Later on as we started up the walkway towards the temple I smiled down and said, "See they let you in." He just smiled that smile of his back. What a wonderful experience, I tried to point out the colors and different pictures so they could remember some of the things they saw. It was nice to tell them that this was where dad and mom would be when we went to the temple. The best part was in the celestial room, it was amazing to have all of us there together, we stood in a group and hugged each other. Later I contemplated the experience with Jared. What a great responsibility we have as parents to teach our children that Heavenly Father does want them to be with him and that by making right choices we can. I haven't been to a temple dedication since the Jordan River temple so am very excited to go with the boys and Jackson. How lucky we are to be able to be apart of this.