Chasing our kids: a New year with New goals

So last year I was very laid back with this blog, which is too bad because I LOVE looking back over past posts and seeing all the fun things we have been doing! I heard a quote that said "Simply keep a journal, and one day you'll find that your ordinary life is Extrordinary" So one of my goals the year is to blog more often, with or without pictures.

So here is a quick re cap of the last little while...

For Haloween my kids dressed as Anne of Green Gables, Angelina Ballerina and The Cat in the Hat. I think they turned out super cute! Whenever a little girl (or one her age) saw Cristine they would say "Who are you.. a scarcrow?" But ALL the mom's and grown ups knew who she was right away, and almost with tears in their eyes would burst out "Oh it's Anne!" I spent the last month before reading the book to the girls at bedtime. Tanner didn't think it was much fun. but I am determined that my girls will grow up to be little ladies and cultured in Lucy Maud Montogomery, Louisa May Alcott and Jane Austin. Right now we are reading Little Women. How Fun! But Tanner is not being left out and we have started reading "The Dragon Slayer Academy" series of books together. I did make him watch Anne of Green Gables with us though when we got it for Christmas. He said it was "Horrifying!" But my swet husband reminded him that good husbands know about Anne of Green Gables. Isn't he romantic?

A few months ago the aching in my jaw was getting worse and the dentist suggested I see and endodontist about it. It turns out when I had a root canal a couple of years ago the previous dentist had left a metal file in the root of my tooth, which had then become re infected. Yuck! He had also cause a problem with the root canal on the other side by drilling through the bottom of the root allowing bacteria to get in and reinfect that tooth as well. So I had to get one root canal re done and the metal file had to be taken out surgically. NOT FUN! THis will be an on going issue for a least a while onger trying to get things to heal.

WE took our kiddos Ice Skating for Family Home evening a few weeks ago. It was so fun. They have little tiny walkers for kids to hang onto. It looked like a miniature old people scooting around on the ice. But Ty and I did our share of hanging onto the kids' walkers because otherwise we would fall ourselves.

Brooklyn got pretty good with the walker and went fast while Cristine was content to go slow. Their faces above show it all! Tanner however was convinced he did not need it and therefore spent 90% of the time of his bottom. He was very determined to go fast without a walker like the bigger kids and couldn't understand why it was so hard.

We ended up putting our kiddos in a smaller "kids" section and let them go without the walkers. They spent their time like this... hanging onto the edge the whole time or on their bottoms. But we sure made a lot of fun memories!

I think all our pictures of Christmas are on Ty's i pad so I will have to upload those later. But Brooklyn turned 8 on the 7th of December and we were very blessed to have both Grandma and Grandpa Westover AND Rusty's family come to her baptism. She was soo beautiful in her white dress and we are Soo proud of her decision to be baptized. She invited our Baptist neighbors to her baptism and they came! they then took a little tour of our building and asked lots of questions. Way to be a good missionary Brooklyn!

And to top it all of with fun they all got to stay for Christmas! BEST CHRISTMAS EVER! It was seriously so fun to watch all the kids open presents and see the special things they got. WE played Games with Grandma and Grandpa. and played with the kids and watched out for Hyrum who had a facination with our tortoise and kept hiding her in her bedding or in the blankets of our bed. Tyson took Rusty Paddle Boarding on a warm day. Rusty took a lot of pictures which I will have to post later too. Hyrum gave everybody "a kiss on the forhead which will turn into a star later" and Hannah stuck to the girls like glue. Tanner was Rusty's buddy and wherever Rusty went, Tanner went too.

Brooklyn's favorite gift was a real sewing machine. it's still small but works like a champ. When we discussed goals for the year Cristine said "I want to do jobs so I can earn money to buy a play dress" Brooklyn said "I want to learn to sew a play dress so I can sell it to Cristine!" Tyson got a guitar. I have loved the music filling my home with Tyson playing the guitar and Cristine on the piano. Brooklyn really really wants to learn the violin. We are becoming quite a musical and accomplished family! Our ordinary lives are starting to seem extraordinary!

I was called to be the Laurels Advisor in our ward.. which I LOVE! And as such us leaders have been asked to complete the personal progress program again, along with the girls. How fun! So I have been learning and trying new things lately. One of which is learning how to "do" my girls hair. After all, there are three girls in the house with pretty long hair! It has been so fun, so for your viewing pleasure here are some pictures. It's why we don't have pictures of christmas.. the camera was in the bucket of hair supplies ;)

These are the rag curls we did on the girls. I love that it looks like little bows while the hair is drying, but it makes for a tight spiraly curl.

Cristine's "up do" a pancake braid with twists

A Waterfall Braid a Lace Braid

French pancake braids

3 rosette buns

Chignon with braids

"hair bows" in a braid

These are my absolute favorite.. they are no heat "sock curls" aren't they beautiful! I simply rolled their hair into socks (clean of course) and took them out the next morning! These curls stayed in all day too!