Do I have to cry?

This wednesday is the funeral for Chris' grandpa. Tonight we were talking to the kids about what was going to happen and how they needed to act.

A: "There will be a lot of people there that will be crying. So you need to be prepared for that."
P: "So do I need to fake cry?"

To say the least Amy (Chris' sister) started to laugh so hard I thought she was going to cry.

By the way we are sad for Peggy (Chris' step-mom) but Grandpa Tidwell was 97 years old and lived a very good life and never lived in a nursing home, and he passed away peacefully.

Need to rest

Saturday night our fam went to Olive Garden in Salt Lake City. It is about an hours drive for my family but we went to meet Erin for her Birthday. Plus I love to drive. So Chris had Lukers in the van and was going to stop at the store then go home and I had the two girls. He called me on my cell to tell me that Luke had fallen asleep and he was going straight home. So later that night I tucked the older kids into bed and noticed that Luke was still in his play clothes. Very unusual for that kid. He refuses to go to bed unless he is in jams. So at about 2:17am Luke came and got Chris. This is what happened.

Chris trying to get jams on Luke at around 8:00pm.
L: "Dad I need a rest."
2:17am
L: "Dad I am done resting now. Can you help me get my jammies on brush my teeth and say my prayers?"

Chris the wonderful father he is lets me sleep and he helped Luke get ready for bed.

For FREEEEEEEE....

If you have seen the movie Bedtime Stories you will know the line. I am trying to find activities the kids and I can do for “freeeeeeeee” or really, really cheap. There is so much I want to do before Chris leaves. We accomplished another goal... sort of. We went to a museum, but Chris had to work so he was unable to come. The Utah Museum of Natural History to be exact. The first Monday of every month is free to anyone.


Abigail just loves spiders. Especially when the are about the size of your hand.

They had a toad exhibit at the museum and it was really neat. Frogs from around the world.

Witches brew anyone.

They had a really neat fish tank the kids were able to go into the middle and see all sorts of fish.

What me? I didn't do...

Busted. That smile says I am up to something. Guess what mom? I gave myself a haircut. It was bothering me and I needed to cut it.

Look at the good job I did. See the nice even sides. Doesn't it look good? And guess what? It's not bothering me anymore.

Look at the good job I did in the back. Doesn't it look nice? To say the least he is going to the barber with Chris and fixing the rest.

Abbie decided to play beauty shop with her doll. That is Kit Kittridge from An American Girl. Maybe someday the hair will grow back.

I don't know what was Lukes or Kits hair. But they both got a mild makeover one afternoon. Needless to say Abbie is banned from the scissors for a very long time.

What a Hair Day!!!!

So Mads was brushing her hair and getting ready for school when she came downstairs. I was so proud of how she handled the situation. I couldn't believe my eyes. She was so calm. I sent the other kids to school and worked on her hair. I thought I was going to have to get the scissors and go at it. Let's just say 15 minutes later the brush was out and we were on our way to school.

Erin this one is for you

So a couple of weeks ago we went to Layton Surf-n-Swim. It is a pool that starts out shallow and gradually gets deeper. Then about every 15-20 minutes the pool produces waves. It is so much fun. We got tubes for the kids so they could ride the waves and have fun. Chris and I would sneak up on the kids and grab their feet or legs. Well, not having my glasses and trying to see underwater is not a good combination for me. I saw a pair of legs coming from the bottom of the tube and the swimsuit kinda looked like Prestons. I dived under the water and swam to the legs, grabbed them, and started tickling what I thought was Preston. When I came up I saw that it was a teenage boy and Preston was standing by the side of the pool. Oops! The boy laughed I apologized and he said his mom probably would have done the same thing. Maybe I should get goggles with a prescription. Oh well. At least he had a good laugh.

Swimming

Luke finally gets in the water. Last year at Lake Powell when we were out on the ski boat we had to force him in the water because he was getting to warm sitting in the sun. He was not happy. Now he loves the water and going under. He is ready for swim lessons. Next year we will put him in.

Madison is such a water bug. She loved playing in the deep end on her tube all night long.

Abigail always with a smile

Love Preston's smile.

Look at those handsome Tyler boys.

Amy and Family

Chris' sister Amy flew in from Seattle for a few days. She stayed with us and Nikki. On Saturday we took the family on a fun little hike in Layton. The trail is paved all the way and very pretty. This bridge is about a mile or so into the hike. We had lunch there and played for a few minutes.

Luke wanted his picture taken while he was in the stroller. Abbie kept trying to peek under but didn't quit get the point of getting in front of Amy.

Preston got a little nervous once we found this sign at the beginning of the trail. If you can't read it, it's warning us about the dangers of possibly running into a mountain lion. Oh well, at least I run faster. Preston your lunch meat.

Everyone trying to do a silly face. Hands down Amy you don't need to try. HAHAHA

What a beautiful family. Amy thanks for coming and making memories with the kids. We love you dearly and can't wait to see you in May in Seattle.

Goals

So some goals have been partially accomplished and I have realized that others may not be. Sledding for example. We were supposed to get a big storm last week. Lots of snow. It was suunnny. So much for sledding. Maybe I should change it to ice blocking. If you don't know what that is; let me explain. It truly is a "Utah" thing. As in cheap date activity. Never did it but sounds fun. Take a block of ice find a grassy hill, sit on the ice and slide down. Create your own sledding experience in the summer. I miss sledding. Used to go all the time as a kid. Loved it. Maybe we can find some snow in the mountains. Hopefully still white.
Flying kites has been accomplished to a point. We have been trying for a couple of weeks with our cheap $1 kites from wal-mart. The wind was either too gusty or not strong enough. I'll never buy cheap kites again. My dad bought some awesome kites at costco and showed Luke them a couple of weeks ago. Since then everyday he has asked me if it's windy and if we can fly grandpa's kites. Yesterday was perfect. My mom and dad came up. Bless their hearts, they are so busy and took the time to come up. We went over to the school and spent an hour flying kites. They were awesome. It reminded me of the times as a kid when we would go to Kansas and fly kites on the family farm. Half the neighborhood kids showed up and all wanted to try. We got some great pics. They will be coming soon.
Chris went hiking with Preston and the Webelos yesterday morning. He also took the three other kids. I stayed home so I could deep clean uninterrupted. It was great. Put on my music and scrubbed the house. Love that clean floor feeling that lasts only 10 minutes. Oh well. So we are all going to try and go this Saturday. All are welcome who want to come.
Today was the dedication of the Draper temple. Chris took Preston and Madison while I stayed home with Abigail and Luke. They were excited. I will go in August with the kids to the other dedication.
We are getting there. I feel like I have a lot of time, but also that there is not a lot of time. This summer is going to be great and I am excited for what lays ahead. With God by our side Chris the kids and I will get through this. I love him.

Tour of Duty

Time has come again for Chris. We just found out this past monday that his unit has been activated and he will be deployed in November. His army reserve unit will be stationed in Afghanistan. He will be gone for at least a year. We knew there was a possibility of him being activated againg but hoped it would not happen.
These next few months of blogs are mainly for me and the kids. I will be journaling our events, emotions, and good times we have for the children. So the next few months are going to be a whirlwind of emotions as I prepare my kids and myself for what will be happening. My best friend, lover, husband, and father of my 4 children will be going back to war. I was able to do this once and can do it again. With the help of family, friends, prayers, and mainly God freedom will continue in this great country of ours and Chris will return home again safe.
Chris gave me a beautiful blessing Monday night. In it he said to take the next few months and build a bond with the children. Make memories and enjoy the moments that we have. To strengthen our family. To make sure we have joyous occasions and to know that he will come back to help raise and support our family.
I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband who loves me and our children. He has always provided for us and made sure all our wants and needs have been met. He works hard for us. He has a strong testimony of the gospel and lets the kids see that daily. I love him very much and want him to know how proud of him I am.
As we prepare for his deployment there are goals that I would like to accomplish. I want to do these things so that our family will grow and stronger than ever, we will be strengthened and feel at peace when he leaves. That the children will never question what he is doing, but know that he is fighting for our freedoms. I am going to record these as we accomplish them and I challenge any of you who read this to join our family. I know on some of these goals I will need the help of family.
1. Read the Book of Mormon all the way through as a family.
2. Have family home evening regularly.
3. Attend a temple open house.
4. Attend a temple dedication with Preston, and Madison. (Live or broadcast.)
5. Sleep under the stars at Bear Lake.
6. Hike at least 4 National Parks here in our own backyard. Utah what a great state!
7. Fly a kite with the kids.
8. Go to a new museum.
9. Play at a new park each month.
10. Picnic as often as possible.
11. Have regular family game night.
12. Read as many Dr. Seuss books to the kids as possible.
13. Go sledding.
14. Teach the children about the Constitution, and Declaration of Independence.
15. Go to Pineview as many Fridays as possible this summer.
16. Take Chris to Lagoon and ride 'The Wicked'
17. Get a yard.
18. Go to Seattle.
19. Ride bikes as often as possible as a family.
20. Laugh until tears roll down.
And most importantly do something new or different every week with the children and Chris. Whether we go somewhere or stay home. Just make memories with them. Listen to them and love them.
If anyone has any ideas please tell me. I have been blessed to have nine months to make these memories with our children and I don't want to loose a moment. So let the journaling begin.

Halloween in February?

Preston was invited to a friends birthday bash. It was a monster mystery dinner. He was the pumpkin. I was very proud of Preston considering the fact that he hates halloween. I took him to the party store and bought make-up for his role in the mystery dinner. He was supposed to be a friendly Jack-o-Lantern who was the life of the party. We called him "One-eyed Jack". He had a great time at the party.

Happy Birthday Madi

Madison turned 9 and I can't believe it. She is getting so tall and beautiful. She is having a great time figuring out who she is and what she will become. She had an absolutely wonderful day. I took her cupcakes to school so she could celebrate. She loved the attention her classmates gave her. Then that night we took her to Costa Vida for dinner. She absolutely loves their quesadillas. I added a couple of pics from this past year. She looks so beautiful in her pink sweatshirt and hair all done up. She loves posing. The other one is of her room. She loves horses, and loves to ride whenever she can. Grandma and I painted a mural a year ago to match her quilt that all of her Grandmas made her a couple of years ago for her birthday. This year all she wanted was a Nintendo DS for her birthday and a big friend party. We compromised and gave her the DS. She gets the party next year. She was so excited. Happy Birthday Sugar Bear! We love you very much. We are truly blessed to have you in our family. Love Dad, Mom, Prest, Abs, Lukers.

Abbie's Room

While Chris is away I will paint. Mom and I were going to paint a mural on the wall like we did in Maddie's room, but Abbie decided she wanted the "High School Musical" theme. First she found some fancy curtains at JcPenney she loved. Then she found a sample room painted the theme; I tried to follow but added my own touch. I think the mural would have been easier. Her smile says it all. Thanks mom for helping me. It was a lot of work but a project I walk away from glad that I did it.

Finally

So it has been a while. What can I say in one word to sum it up? LAZY! I have been lazy about the blog. A lot has happened. First off, Chris is back from Italy after three weeks and hopefully we can get some pictures up. I haven't even seen them yet; but he did bring me back some very fancy boots that I have had to learn to walk in. He has been busy and pretty much gone since he's been home. Madi had a beautiful birthday, Abbie got a room makeover. Check it out. The kids bathroom was painted a green that I can't describe right now. It didn't look like that on the sample card. (I think it is growing on me.) Our dear poor snake Sizzle passed away; PJ was heartbroken. Erin had a baby which she is beautiful, and I got to hold her the first day. I love new babies. Chris' dad was in the hospital for broken ribs, punctured lung and heart problems. He is on the mends but will take a while. So blessed it is not worse and that he is doing better. I took the girls to a play with Mom, D, and Lala. We saw the play "The Wizard of OZ." Ask Abbie about the LION. That was a blast. There are about a million birthdays in January in the family on both sides and friends. D and I ran away for two days and one night. But we had to take the kids. So who really got away? The kids who could play and skip school and do what they want or the moms who had to still prepare food, bathe kids clean up clothes and entertain? (And yes ordering pizza and picking it up is still preparing a meal.) Oh yeah and I am still primary president while Chris is in the bishopric. Yikes!!! So there you have it in a nutshell.

Trip to Italy, part I

My group left on the red-eye from SLC Int'l airport at 12:05 AM MST on January 3rd going to JFK in New York. We arrived in New York at 6:30 AM EST. From there we had a twelve hour lay over until our flight for Venice. That's a long time to spend in an airport so we decided to go find the USO. We asked a Delta Airlines employee and she informed us that JFK doesn't have a USO, which I found surprising. We also asked her where to check in for international flights and she said right here and asked us to wait for her, she would be right back. About 45 minutes later she came back and checked us all in and then took us to the airline's Gold Crown Club where we spent the rest of the day until it was time to go to our gate.

If you have never been in the Gold Crown Club, which up until now I never had, it is the 'rock star treatment' as one of my soldiers put it. The chairs are way more comfortable, the amenities are much nicer, and we had access to free food and drink while we were there. It was way better than hanging out in the regular airport all day. Way, way better. More later...