Awww

Taekwondo Testing

This was a much anticipated taekwondo test tonight! Karmin got invited to do her first test and she was over the top excited. It was like she was asked to go to prom--I have never seen anybody so excited to take a test! She wants a yellow belt so bad. She will find out on Tuesday if she passed. Such a nail biter for this cute girl!

For Trevor, well, he has not always lucked out with taking tests. It has taken him longer to get his belts because it seems that tests lined up with hospital stays, other plans that couldn't be changed, or one time we forgot, or the chance to watch the new Star Wars movie in the theater for Christmas with Dad. Such was the case in December. Grant had bought tickets for the boys as part of their Christmas presents. We had it planned for several weeks before we found out about his December test. Trevor was so nervous about what his instructor would say, but he chose to go to the movies with Dad--because when do you get to see Star Wars in the movie theater?

So tonight I saw this moment, and thought it was so cute--with Trevor being tested with his instructor. 
It turns out, that his instructor was chewing Trevor out for missing his test! I thought it was a great experience for Trevor. There will be times in our lives that people will not like our decisions that we make. We will decide things that are best for us or our families, and we need to be confident in our decisions that it was the best decision. Trevor has no regrets choosing to go with Grant, and he realizes that his instructor does not feel the same way--and that was hard for Trevor. But it was okay. He was right in his feelings of his priorities. And if he can learn this lesson as a kid, he will be ahead of a lot of adults when he is older.

My Helper

Karmin is one of the biggest helpers ever! If Lucy is crying and I can't get to her, Karmin is right there to help console and snuggle her. Karmin has such a tender heart, and loves Lucy. She loves to make her happy. Lucy loves Karmin.

No Rest for the Weary

Anytime we sit down, this girl comes right over to sit on us somehow. Whether it be on our laps, or even on our backs...she is there. I don't mind. I love this girls snuggles. 

Scouting for Merit Badges

Trevor had the opportunity to join another ward's merit badge clinic tonight. They were finishing up their swimming merit badge. Trevor didn't know anybody there and since it is mid-winter, he hasn't been exactly practicing swimming lately, so it was hard work! I was so proud of him for working so hard and going out of his comfort zone to get the merit badge.

FHE Dinner with Nana and Papa

Here are 2/3 of my favorite kids in the whole world!

Fire Station

Today, Piper and I got to go to the fire station with all the kids from her preschool. They had so much fun! The kids all got to see the fireman dress up in all his clothes. Piper did not want to go near him! They all got to sit in the firetruck too. We went to a pretty busy fire station. At the very end of our field trip, the alarm went off so they had to leave right away. We were thankful that we got to do the whole field trip before they were called out, but it was also pretty cool to see them take off. 

One Step at a Time

I'm just having a hard time with this. We are getting so close to Lucy's first birthday, and I am just not handling it well! I will just post pictures and move on lest I end up in tears. So...here are her first steps that she took tonight while we were all gathered together for family home evening---so everybody was there to witness it!

Ben's Skiing Adventure

Ben was invited to go up skiing with a family in our ward. They are so nice for taking him with them. He really enjoyed his day. He had fun taking pictures of all the snow and ice that accumulated on him!

Accomplished!

We read scriptures as a family every night. But, as we were reflecting a few months ago, we admitted that we had never read the Book of Mormon as a family from start to finish. I know that there is a power that comes from reading and studying scriptures. And Grant and I knew that if we read the Book of Mormon as a family, we would be blessed.
So back in August we set a goal to finish The Book of Mormon by the end of the year. To do so, we had to read 4 pages a day. And we did it!
We took the kids to an indoor water park to celebrate our accomplishment. Karmin, Trevor, and Ben stuck together going down the slides. They would partner up or go solo, but stuck together. Grant and I traded being with Lucy and Piper. Lydia just kind of did her own thing. She spent a good part of her time on the slides, but also enjoyed the other water features. She seemed to like soloing all afternoon. It was a lot of fun doing something so different. We even enjoyed $1 slurpee's on the way home!

Hair Envy

Oh I love her hair!

Every Moment Counts

I know these moments are going to end quickly. Too quickly

First Family Fun Thing of the Year

We had a bunch of snow lately, and it is predicted that it is going to melt very quickly very soon. So for our family fun thing we went sledding yesterday. 

Go Team!

Lydia had the opportunity to be a cheerleader for two days. And they were probably the best 2 days of her life! On Thursday night she got to attend a cheer camp. She had so much fun practicing and yelling and jumping! Then last night, she got to go cheer at half time during the girls' basketball game. She positioned herself front and center. She also pushed the envelope by dressing with a little flair. The girls were supposed to wear black pants with their blue shirts that they were given. She made herself a little different by adding a blue skirt to go along with it. (So she is in the center with the skirt.) She had SO. MUCH. FUN!!

A Few of My Favorite Things

Toothless

The way things are going, I think these are going to be the last of her pictures with toothless grins. Our baby is growing up.

New Years Fun

So Ben threw us a curve ball on the week of New Years. He had so much stomach pain, and to make a long story short--through a few doctor appointments, blood draws, a ct scan, and an eventual trip to the ER, we were told that it looked like Ben had Crohns as well. But we wouldn't be able to tell until he was seen by the GI doctor the following week and had scopes done. *Happy Holidays!*

It goes without saying that it was a very somber New Years Eve. Ben was told on Thursday morning to go on a liquid diet until Monday. This was after not being able to eat anything for 4 days prior and losing 8 lbs. As a 14 year old growing boy this was not fun. Finally Sunday night, the hospital called and said that he had tested positive for food poisoning. Never had we ever been so excited that someone had food poisoning!

He wasn't given the green light to eat solid foods until tonight. I think he enjoyed every bite!