BUSY BOY!

Zach's new church outfit he got for Christmas from Grandma Halliday.

Zach 18 months old, and our new family picture both are a picture of the picture since my scanner wouldn't work so not the best, but you get the point.

Anytime I clean Zach wants to help, he takes the mop, broom, or vaccum from me and tried to do what he sees me do, what a big helper.

Zach decided Alycia's baby doll stroller was the perfect size for him, so he threw her doll on the floor and climbed in, glad it didn't break.

Zach is my busy busy busy boy, he gets into everything. This is what I get when i take my eye off of him, he spilt cereal all over the floor then plays in it, (is he making a cereal angel) heehee.

A New Year!

So it is a new year, with hope in my heart that this year is going to be better then last year. The year 2008 brought a lot of blessings, excitement and heartache. I am grateful for those blessings and trials. As I reflect on those and the loss of loved ones, and surgeries and sweet service rendered I am grateful. As those of you who know me, know it is hard for me to ADMIT I need help, I love to give service and to help others and lighten their load, but so hard to accept it. I wonder if that is why some of these things this passed year happened was to teach me it is OK, and that others need blessings too. First hard thing was asking my parents to come and help out while I had my kidney removed, then all the outpouring love that I received was so overwhelming and hard for me to accept. I know I couldn't have done it without all the love and prayers. I also learned this year the outpouring love of the savior, and that though times are rough he doesn't leave you alone, when I thought I couldn't handle another moment is when I knew he was carrying me like the poem Footprints. Josh's surgery was another time that I noticed unconditional love from my ward, friends and family. Even though I don't have family here in Nebraska I have never felt alone. I have been blessed with sisters that give me smiles and encouragement even when they don't know I need it, and that is what keeps my head up and me ready for the next task. With Ed in the bishopric and trying to handle 5 kids (one of which wants to run up and sit on the stand with Ed and humiliate me with screaming and crying) I struggle at times and wonder why I endure Sundays, but I know I need the uplift that I receive when I walk through those Chapel Doors. I am grateful for the lessons this year has brought and the realization that I am not nor should be above being served and that I need to let others serve me, which is still a hard thing for me, but I am learning.
With the New year I am looking forward and wanting to do better, both physically, mentally and spiritually. I know that if I do not exercise my body then I am shut down mentally and spiritually. I need to exercise all of them in order for my life to be in harmony. So I am starting my new year off with a positive look that even if and when things come at full force I will battle the storms and I will be prepared in all areas.
We spent New Years eve as a family, ate too much food, laughed a lot and played games, we toasted the new year at midnight then off to bed, was really grateful to be with my family and enjoy one another. Was shocked that even Alycia age 4 and Tyler age 6 lasted till midnight, there's a first. New Years day was enjoyable, Ed had the day off and we enjoyed playing more games, eating food and laughing. We did encounter one bump in our day and that was my car died. Guess kids had left the doors open one too many times and the battery was dead couldn't be recharged. So after spending GULP $90 on a new battery we are up and running again. I know we have new obstacles coming, but I am praying that I will have a good attitude and take it as they come. I hope that all of you have a great start to the new year and that we can all turn to the savior, and let him help us in our lives. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL !!

Christmas

We had a great Christmas. Christmas Eve we read the Christmas story then opened up one present which is our jammies. The next morning santa had come and left some things for us, kids were so anxious they couldn't sleep, Aaron said he woke up at 2 then 5 and at 5 he couldn't go back to sleep and they didn't go to sleep till like 11:00 crazy silly kids so excited for Christmas. We had a great time opening presents and being together as a family. after opeing presents we had the missionaries over for our breakfast casserole and they called their families and spent the day with us, better then being all alone on Christmas day, so that was fun.

Our Christmas dinner, we put up a table in the middle of the kitchen as we were in the middle of playing Settlers of Catan and didn't want to move it from the table, hahaha. We had a ham and losts of food, YUM!

My sister made us all scarfs, they are so pretty and warm, we LOVE THEM!

Zach's smile here is so cute, he got a Jack in the box, and was so excited, love little kids at Christmas time.

Alycia got a scooter and road it through the house all day, and it was PINK, she couldn't ride the boys' scooters cause they are boyish, hahaha.



Ed and Zach opening presents.

Christmas Eve in our new pajamas, oh so soft and comfortable.

kids school christmas program

The kids' school had their Christmas program on Monday Dec. 8th. They did The Nutcracker. Aaron was in the front with the gold hat on. Tyler was a flower, 2nd row from the bottom. And Josh was a mouse. I like the video of the fight, as Josh and Aaron were paired up together, thought that was cool, and then Aaron fell like he was dead.

Trip to ER

I know not many people read my blog, so I guess it is more for me just to write, but is good to vent and a way to get it off my mind. On Monday Dec 1, 2008 Josh came home from school and went straight to the couch. A little while later he said mom my side hurts and I asked how long and he said since before lunch. So I pushed around his stomach and the only place it hurt was on the right side right above his hip bone, well a light bulb went off in my head as my nephew had his appendix burst a few years ago so I was concerned. So I called my Dr. and they said they were about to close so to go to ER, but in my head I was thinking if it is NOTHING then it cost me a lot of money to go to ER, so I took him to Urgent Care, and the Dr. there said to go to ER so off to ER we went. After trying to get Josh to drink this dye stuff and him not able and kept throwing it up they did a CT scan anyway which came back that his appendix needed to come out. We got to ER around 6 p.m and didn't get surgery till 12:30 Tuesday morning, what a long night it was. Poor Josh was such a trooper, he experienced an IV for the first time, and the lovely hospital gowns he hated them and the opening in the back kept worrying weather someone could see his underwear, I told him you lose all modesty when you go to the hospital, not fun I know. So they take my baby in to operate and call at 12:45 saying they had started operating and at 1:12 they called and said they were done and it went well. They usually don't do this but since it was the middle of the night and it was a child they let us into the recovery room to be with him while he was waking up. I am so grateful for the priesthood blessing he received and all the prayers people offered in our behalf. I am so grateful we caught it early and that it didn't burst and cause more problems. Around 2 a.m we got to his room and Him and I went to sleep about 2:30, as everyone knows nurses don't leave you alone while in the hospital so we got little sleep and the recliner they had me sleeping on was AWFUL! Josh ate breakfast and lunch and was doing well so they let him out at 6:30 p.m. It is good to be home and have my family all together. We pulled Alycia's trundle bed out and put it in the family room to serve as our hospital bed so Josh didn't have to do the stairs downstairs to his room, the thought of stairs made him nervous. He is home from school, but walking better and acting stronger all the time. I am grateful my MIL was still here and that she stayed with the other children so Ed and I could be with Josh, what a blessing. I am so grateful everything turned out well, now to find the money to pay for it, but so blessed he is ok.

Christmas season

I went to the insane Black Friday sales and got some good deals, but mostly just had fun shopping with my MIL and standing in the cold. We got all of our Christmas trees and decorations up, and I finally got to put up my manger scene that I got last year after Christmas sales. I love my new 9 foot prelit tree. I love decorating for Christmas and remembering our saviors birth. Zachary is having a blast getting into the tree and all the decorations (isn't that part of of being a baby at Christmas time) it is fun seeing his mind thinking what he can destroy next, what a cutie he is always busy. I am thankful for my Heavenly Father and that he sent his son for me and you, it shows me how much he loves me. Hope you all have a good holiday season, and have time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas when there is so much of the commercial stuff around.

Thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving approaching, I thought it was appropriate to write things I am thankful for. First off I am Thankful for my dear sweet husband and eternal companion Ed, he is so thoughtful, kind and loving, he is a wonderful husband, father, son and friend. I am so grateful for my sweet children, yes even when they fight and make me mad, I am thankful that they are here even if they give me grey hair, they bring so much love and life to our family, and are so fun to watch and listen too, I am so grateful to have them in my life. I am grateful for my parents who raised me and taught be about Jesus Christ, and the gospel, what a blessing it is to have in my life to answer so many of life's questions. Grateful that they taught me how to serve, gratitude, love, kindness, work. My parents are so dear to me, and I am so grateful for them, and my sweet sisters, and awnry brother, so grateful for their examples. I am also grateful to be an aunt to 13 cutest kids. Grateful for great MIL, FIL, SIL, & BIL's. I am especially grateful for Ed's job at Fed Ex Ground at this hard financial time, that it keeps a roof over our head, food on our table, and clothes on our backs. I am thankful for the beautiful scenery around me, the lake, trees, animals, so beautiful. I am grateful for technology that makes it possible for me to keep in touch with all my friends, I am so grateful for all of you, that pick me up when I am down, and love me when I am hard to love. Life is hard, but having so much to be grateful for makes it so much brighter. Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Gooble Gooble