We love these things!

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Snowball Fight!

Trevor's feeling better so we thought we'd have a little fun!

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Our Anniversary & Other Doings...

Our 9th anniversary was on November 28th. We celebrated with the whole family. Partly because it was on a Wednesday and partly because Trevor was ill. We wanted fondue so we went to Crate and Barrel and bought a fondue pot. Once we realized how much work would go into it, we decided to just go out! We hit The Melting Pot and boy were we glad we did! They had a promotion going that was just great. If you bought a $100 gift certificate (that could be used that evening) they'd give you 4 $25 vouchers to use during the year! We ended up doing that and got a *free* meal for our anniversary! It was nice because the kids got a few things for them, so we didn't have to share our fondue!!! The kids had a great time "cooking" and dipping their food. If you ask them now who wants to go, they all say "me, me, me, me, me!!!" Nathan- I love you so much. It's been a wonderful 13 years, 8 months and 20 days! You've always treated me with so much kindness, respect and love. You make me feel special and I wouldn't be me without you!








On Friday, November 20th Kassi had another 6 weeks awards assembly. She was on the "A" honor roll, again! You'd be a little surprised what it takes from a first grader to make it on the "A" list! Good job, J! That same day, Trevor had his Fall Carnival at Kinkeade. Nathan, Ashlee and I went to help out. We took groups of kids around the school to enjoy all of the activities. Trevor was in my group. The kids had a fun time. Let me tell you, Ashlee can hold her own with the "big kids!" Her attitude goes a long way when it comes to playing with bigger children!





The next day, Saturday December 1st, was a busy day. The kids had a nursery/primary activity in the morning. Then Kassi had a dance rehearsal in the afternoon - dance things always go long! (the picture is at the rehearsal) I was busy running to all of the activities and trying to put together costumes the rest of the day. Then that evening was the Ward Christmas party. Kassi and Trevor were involved in the Nativity scene (hence, the costume making). Kassi was an angel and Trevor was a sheep. They did very well in their parts! They looked so cute, too!

The next day, Kassi danced in the Nutcracker Suite party that her dance academy put on. There were little tributes to the dances that are done in The Nutcracker. Kassi's class did the Chinese Tea dance. She looked so cute. Of course, we forgot our camera. They had the story of The Nutcracker read by a story teller, and to put it mildly, Trevor is obsessed with Nutcrackers. He loves to look at them and for a week straight, begs to buy any nutcracker that he sees. The crazy things kids latch onto!!!


Nathan had a WIPS (Work In Progress Seminar) that he had to do on Monday. He worked many hours on compiling all of his data and finishing up experiments. He did very well. He got a lot of compliments from his superiors! That's always nice! He's looking into finishing up a few more projects and he's pretty much ready to start writing his paper. His estimated date for graduating from Graduate school is this next June or July. Go Nathan!

This last Wednesday, Trevor had a field trip. They asked me to come and help chaperone. I happily agreed! We went into Fort Worth to the Casa Manana theater and watched "Frosty the Snow Man." It was fun for the kids. After the play we headed back to Running Bear park and had lunch. The kids enjoyed the nice weather and got to play on the toys for close to an hour! Nathan had been watching Ashlee at home, so they came to the park to join the fun! Like I said, Ashlee can hold her own with the big kids! The only time she got a little upset was when her finger got stepped on by the slide. Other than that, you'd have thought she was a preschooler!









Later that night, Ashlee went potty on the big girl potty for the first time! Yea, Ashlee! She got a princess cell phone that she picked out weeks ago. She was very excited! When we got everyone ready for bed, we discovered that Trevor had a fever. He wasn't acting too sick, but as the night progressed, so did his temperature. He's still running a 103.6 fever so I'm sure we'll be off to the doctor's office tomorrow. Trevor's also fallen in love with the Be Kool patches. His fever is staying high and he's loving the relief they bring. We used these last year and loved them. Now, Trev's addicted to them!





On Thursday, Mommy and Ashlee got our hair cut. This was Ashlee's first cut and she did okay. She didn't move too much but her face did show her true feelings! hee, hee!



Like I said, Trevor's been ill but we've gotten some things done around here. We finally got our lights up outside and we're doing the tree today. We made salt dough ornaments and the kids got to paint them this afternoon. As soon as they're dry, they'll get to hang them on the kids' tree in the family room!

It's been awhile..

There's lots that have been going on the last few months, but thankfully the trials that came are gone and the blessings that followed can still be felt! September was a crazy month due to having to live in a construction zone! It really was crazy. We ate on the kitchen floor for a few weeks, and some nights we didn't have a bed to sleep on, but thankfully, it's done! The kids were just as excited as we were to have our house back!

October left our heads spinning with our rash of bad luck, but it's over too. Our home was broken into, the windshield cracked while washing the car (in 85 degree weather mind you), Nathan got a ticket from a constable(!) and we were told that our loan that we signed to have the work done wasn't at all what we thought we were signing. In fact, what we signed was a bunch of papers that said if we didn't have $33,000 worth of proceeds from the house when we sell (in approx. 2.5 years) that they'd foreclose on the house. Anyway, lots of prayers later, the city softened a little and offered a compromise that isn't fair, but better than the mess we were in. Thank heavens!!! Truly, we couldn't have gotten through this trial without the love of our friends and family. It was a really bad few weeks for all of us but the love and support we felt from those who checked in on us really meant alot. You know who you are. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

We do have to add that we had a very nice Halloween. Kassi was a diva cat, Trevor was a pirate and Ashlee was a cute pumpkin! Nathan went as a washing machine and I was a few loads of laundry. We had fun! The weather was perfect for "trunk or treating" and we enjoyed our traditional Chili's dinner afterwards!













But, on to the good stuff. Life is good. We're happy and continue to try and pull through the commitments we've taken on! Last week the kids had the week off of school for the Thanksgiving holiday. We celebrated well! That weekend, Mom and Dad were in town. They sacrificed a lot (a nice 39th anniversary and 61st birthday) to be here to support Nathan and I through the end of the housing debacle. I kept telling them that it was a really busy time to come, but boy am I glad they were here. One of the things that meant the most to me was that I was so sick to my stomach on the day of the Housing and Human Services board meeting that I just couldn't/didn't want to go. Thankfully I didn't have to because Dad took my place and went with Nathan. On the same day we had Enrichment and they were a huge help to me getting ready for it that night. Seriously, it wouldn't have gotten pulled of on time if they weren't there to help me. Oh, and Mom's just the best. When she went to pick Kassi up from school on Thursday at 3:00 p.m., she found out that Kassi needed a turkey shirt by 6:45 that night. Yes, another thing that night! Anyway, boy did Mom pull through. Kassi was the best (not because she was the only) turkey in the program. Her teacher got the biggest kick out of Kassi's shirt. Thanks Mom!!!

Trevor had his first talk in Church on Dad's birthday. Dad wrote the talk and Trev nailed it on Sunday. He was really excited to do a good job for Grammy and Wawa. Both Kassi and Trev were excited because they got to sing a happy birthday song to Wawa in primary. The sad part was later that day when we had to say good-bye. They hate it when visitors leave. So do I, though. It's so nice to have someone come visit you and bring a special presence to your home.

On Monday we went to the drive-in. It's always fun to go. We saw Mr. Magorium's Magic Emporium and Fred Claus. Both movies are okay.

On Wednesday we got great prices (not seats!) to Disney on Ice "Finding Nemo". It was a lot of fun. Our friends, the Astles went too. I think the kids had more fun playing with them after the show then actually watching the show - but hey, we're good parents to pay money (for the tickets) to have them be excited about something that's always free (playing with friends). I mean, who normally gets to play with their friends in an arena? Come on! Totally worth it! (YEAH RIGHT!!!) Okay, so I'm exaggerating a bit. The kids really liked the show and we all had lots of fun finding Nemo!

On Thursday, we had been invited to a family's home who live in our ward. They made everyone comfortable and we all had a lovely time. Dinner was great. We were about 45 minutes late (we called to warn them) because Ashlee wasn't feeling well and it slowed our progress on our dishes. I'm sure they didn't believe us though. When we got there she perked right up and ran around with the rest of them. After dinner, it snowed for a bit so we let the kids run outside for a few minutes (like 2 - it was freezing!) and took a few pictures. It's always makes your heart sing when you see snow fall from the sky. There's just something special about it....
Later that night the kids had a sleep-over at our house. Caroline, Elliot and Mei spent the night. We also had a sitter spend the night so that Nathan and I could go shopping the next morning. It was a fantastic idea to have the sitter and I'm totally doing it again next year!


On to BLACK FRIDAY--
It was a blast! I went last year with friends and it was great. I went this year with Nathan and it was wonderful! We conquered the sales! The only disappointment was Kohls. They opened at 4:00 a.m. and we got there at 4:02. The stuff that I wanted was gone, already!! We did, however, save $50.00 on a knife set! We haven't gotten knives since we were married 9 years ago! I better watch my chubby fingers!

So we left around 3:45 a.m. and got back home at 12:00 p.m. We hit Kohls, WalMart, Target, had breakfast at IHOP with the Astles, then off to Costco and Toys-R-Us. We had a great, great time. The only hitch, which didn't end up being a big deal, was that Ashlee had to come with us. She spiked a fever about midnight the night before. When we went to give her medicine before we left, she woke up and wouldn't go back to sleep. Let's just hope she doesn't remember what we bought come Christmas morning *wink,wink!*


If you've got a second, click to see the York kid's elved!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9606164060

Just for Fun...

We always said that we look so much alike that we'd have "cookie cutter" babies!









Just for kicks:

Kassi's Birthday/Did Jen cry when Kassi boarded the plane?

Click to play Make your own Smilebox

So the question was "Is Jen going to cry when Kassi boards the plane for Vegas?" The answer is "yes." Actually, I couldn't stop crying. I was a huge ball of nerves for hours. Seriously, it was the worst I'd felt in my entire life. I know that sounds dramatic, but it's the truth. The funny thing is that it wasn't a bad thing that made me feel that way. It was fun and wonderful thing, but boy did I not want to live it! For those that don't know what I'm talking about, Kassi got to go to Las Vegas to celebrate her 6th birthday. Here's the scoop:
Her birthday was on Friday, 9/14. We had a great day. Due to construction on the house, we had spent Thursday night at the Drury Inn. Kassi thought it was so cool to wake up in a hotel on her birthday. They ate breakfast in the hotel room and we got the kids ready for school. Nathan, Trevor, Ashlee and I went to Kassi's school for lunch. My parents did that every year when I was growing up, so I was very happy to learn that I could do the same. We enjoyed spending a little bit of time with her during the day and she was thrilled we were there. We also got permission to bring treats to her class. When I asked her teacher, Mrs. Kayser-Boyd, about the treats, she said "cupcakes." When I double checked with the office, they said "cupcakes." So we brought cupcakes. However, since Kassi was going to do such a special thing for her birthday, I figured everyone should celebrate with her. I made the all of the kids a "hobo bag" and filled them with a popcorn ball, candy airplane and tootsie rolls. We told them that Kassi was going to travel to Las Vegas and that she packed all of their bags for them. Some of the kids said "I don't know if my Mom will let me go!?! The poem included went like this: Here are some special treats from me to celebrate my sixth birthday! Since I’m going to travel I thought that I’d try to share the fun in some way! I wish my new friends could come along, so I’ve packed a bag for you. Enjoy the treats as I “pop” on the “plane” and “roll” into the sky of blue! Love, Kassi York (The Birthday Girl!)

I had been a little worried for Kassi since her teacher told me that she's SO shy at school, but since her birthday I haven't been worried at all. After she gave these to the kids, they were telling her that they loved her, giving her high-fives, telling her that she was SO COOL! She seemed to need that little bit of attention to feel comfortable. Anyway, it was so wonderful to see her so happy and "herself" when she gave these gifts out. We spent the rest of the day as a family just doing birthday things. She really had a great time. She had an "all american" birthday asking for hamburgers for dinner and brownies instead of cake. The idea was for her to get into bed early that night because her flight to Las Vegas was leaving at 6:55 a.m. on Saturday morning. That plan was derailed when WalMart called to say that her glasses were in. This was at 8:25 (and they close at 9:00). We had ordered them at a WalMart that is a little drive from the house so we hurried up there. By the time we got back and did the brownies it was pretty late!

The next day, Nathan, Kassi and I got up to send her off. Nathan stayed home with the other little ones and Kassi and I were off to the airport. Yes, I was crying...tons. I just couldn't stop. We waited together until they wanted to board her (she was flying Unaccompanied Minor and was never left unattended) on the plane. She's usually very cuddly with me so I asked her if she wanted to sit on my lap. "No!" (she acted insulted at the suggestion!) Then when they came to get her I was telling her goodbye and she said "okay, okay!" (like, hurry it up Mom, you're embarrassing me!) Anyway, she was acting like she was such a big girl and to see her walk down the jetway was took more out of me than I thought it would. It's making my eyes water now just thinking about it. Anyway, she was super stoked and couldn't wait to see Grammy and Wawa and all of her cousins. When she arrived in Las Vegas, Aunt Missy had done up signs for her welcome and she was so tickled. The entire weekend was planned with non-stop things for her to experience. I'm in awe at all they did with her. I really thought everyone would just hang out. I'm so full of gratitude that my children have family that loves them and wants the best for them. Man, was she spoiled! In fact, the plane ride there was a breeze for her. She wasn't scared, sad or nervous. She said that she was happy and excited. Even with the late night on Friday, she didn't sleep a wink on the plane! The plane ride home, however, started a little differently. Kassi had the row all to herself, so she was all alone. I think that the change from being surrounded 24/7 by family to all of the sudden all alone was a little hard for her to bear. When the flight attendant (plus a husband and wife) came to deliver her to us, she told me that Kassi was very teary at first. So much that a lady that was sitting around her aisle went to comfort her. In talking to Kassi, she asked her where she went to school. When Kassi told her Barton Elementary, the lady said that she grew up on Fouts Drive. Kassi told her that she lives on Fouts Drive. The lady was so touched that she sat by Kassi the whole way home. Her husband sat across the aisle. I'm so grateful that she was watched over. Can you believe that someone who grew up on the same street that we now live was visiting Las Vegas the same time Kassi was? I'm thankful that she was going home on the same flight as Kassi, seated near enough to notice that Kassi was sad and tender enough to talk to her and make her happy again. There's 5 huge blessings right there! I couldn't thank her enough when we met her. Anyway, I asked Kassi why she was crying. She just kind of shrugged her shoulders.

Me: "Were you scared?"
Kassi: "No."
Me: "Were you nervous?"
Kassi: "No."
Me: "Were you sad?"
Kassi: "Yes."
Me: "Why were you so sad?"
Kassi: "Because I was going to miss all of my cousins." (sounds like she's going to cry again, and avoids it by rubbing her eyes)
Me: "Well, weren't you excited to come home and see us?"
Kassi: (sheepishly) "No."

There you have it! I think that tells you how terrific she felt her time was in Las Vegas. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all of you that loved her, entertained her, fed her, gifted her, took care of her, did her hair, etc. She just can't wait to go again!
There were 140 pictures on a disk sent home with Kassi. Melissa just told me this morning that there are even more than that because that's just what Wawa's memory stick could hold and after she cleared it off he took another batch. Holy cow! The pictures posted below are literally like 1/6 of the shots taken! Thanks to Wawa for taking so many so that Nathan and I could feel like we were there! The pictures that follow are of Kassi leaving for Vegas and her return. The majority are of Kassi showing us all of her spoils she got from everyone. Thank you again. We love you all so much!

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

Pictures of Kassi's Trip

THANK YOU!!! She had the time of her life! The pictures make me smile almost as big as she's smiling!

Drury Inn & SWEETS

Tomorrow we're gong to be "kicked out" of the house for most of the day. We're having work (lots of it!) done on the house and tomorrow all of our duct work is being replaced. They tell us it's a messy, messy job. Lots of dust everywhere. They have work to do in every room of the house. They're starting between 9-10 a.m. and we're told that they'll be out of our home by 7:00 p.m. We're thinkin' that since the other deadlines that they've given us haven't come to pass, 7:00 p.m. isn't that reliable. Not to mention that everthing in our rooms are pushed to one side and covered in plastic, including our beds(well, they will be after we get up tomorrow morning)! Since we have children to feed, bathe and do homework with, plus clean up the plastic and dust in the bedrooms so they can get to sleep at a decent hour - we're not banking on it all happening smoothly. Hence, the Drury Inn and Suites. The kids are stoked. What child wouldn't be when they're told there's "Free Fountain Soda/Fresh Popcorn in the Lobby Daily 3 - 10 p.m!" What parent wouldn't be when there's the free hot breakfast - "Hot means sausage and eggs, not bread and a toaster. You'll enjoy scrambled eggs, sausage, Belgian waffles, biscuits and gravy. And don't forget the fresh fruit, bagels, pastries, juices, hot and cold cereals, toast, milk, coffee, tea and more." Oh yeah. Right across the street from the Dollar theater, a wal-mart and right next to a McDonalds. The kids simply can't wait. They've been asking every day when we get to go, and now Kassi's in 7th heaven that she gets to wake up in a hotel room on her birthday. Funny girl! If any of you need us you can reach us on our cell phones.
We'll let you know more about the house when the dust settles...literally!

"'Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,"
Be it ever so humble there's no place like home!"
-- John Howard Payne (1791-1852)

PTA - Pass The Apples?

PTA. Pass The Apples? Pay The Artist? Please Teacher Assistants? Hmmmm....

Tonight there was a "Meet the Teacher" session at Trevor's Pre-K school. We've already met the teacher, several times. She was Kassi's teacher last year. She's even been over for dinner. However, I went to hear what wonderful words she had to impart of our darling Trevor. You know, our middle child who loves to be the center of attention. The one who loves to sing, make random noises with his movements, and if he's comfortable with you, talk your ear off. I can't say I was nervous. Or even anxious. I guess I was excited to see how he's been faring the last few weeks. Can you guess what they had to say about my little boy?

Miss Witcher: "Trevor is SO CUTE. He's doing really well. He's doing well with his coloring, his writing. He does like to talk. A lot."
Me: (Nodding my head in agreement) "My Dad calls him Rainman."
Miss Witcher: "He's either talking, singing or making different noises, even if he's alone."
Me: "Yes. I'm sorry about that. He's always been like that. He comes complete with his own soundtrack. (giggles from Miss Witcher) I think it's charming, but I can see how it would bother a school teacher."
Miss Witcher: "He doesn't bother me. He's very good. He listens and does everything he's supposed to. All we have to say is 'Trevor!'(the 'warning' kind of tone) sometimes, but he quiets right up. But, he does like to talk a lot."
Me: "Let me know if there's anything I need to help him work on at home."
Miss Witcher: "He really is doing very well and he's so cute! He sings all of the songs and the kids look at him with amazement that he knows all of them already. He's a good singer."
Miss Jerri (the teacher's assistant): "I think he's going to make good money someday with his singing. He likes to sing."
Me: "Yeah, I hope so."

I have to say, it kind of makes me giggle. They had a silly kind of grin on their faces when they were talking about him. I'm not sure what it is, but he's a charmer. We had teachers vying for him since last year when Kassi was there. Miss Witcher won. I sure hope he doesn't do her in. I've been listening to his "music" for almost 4 years. Have I mentioned it's been lovely to have quiet mornings?!! (hee,hee,hee!)

Anyway, I went to "Meet the Teacher" to be supportive and a good mom, but what do I get for going? A new job. Do I really need another job? As I was leaving, the principle, Mrs. Baker, asked me if I would be their PTA President. PTA President? She said that she needs to send a letter out to the parents, next week, asking for participants for the PTA. I asked her if she was formally asking me, or if she was just mentioning it to me but wanted to see who might be interested in joining. She said "No. I'm formally asking you to be the PTA President." I said "okay, well I'll say yes, for now. I'll talk to Nathan to see if it could go along with his schedule. But, for now, yes I'll do it." I have to say, I was a little shocked. I know I sounded a little hesitant, but it's because I was a little hesitant.

I have to admit, it's been a few hours and I'm still nervous. I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I'm not sure I'll do a good job and I really don't want to look stupid. At the same time, it's a little exciting. Anyone have any hints, tips or ideas about how the PTA is supposed to run? Maybe I'll just invite Trevor to be the guest speaker since he likes to talk a lot. Or, maybe I'll have him sing... ;)

Perseverance pays off

"Big shots are only little shots who keep shooting." ~Christopher Morley

It's funny how wise children can sometimes be, and how their actions can leave such an impression on us. Last night, Kassi was practicing her math. She loves math. She is really good at flash cards and is fast working the problems out in her head. When it comes to writing down the answers, she's a little slower getting the numbers down. (I didn't realize that Kindergarten worked the numbers so much. With her skipping Kinder, there's a few things that she's just a little behind on. Writing numbers is one of them.) Anyway, at school there's a math race everyday called "Mad Minute." They have 20 problems that they have to have completed correctly in 1 minute. Last night when we were doing her math, she was consistently coming up short about 6 problems. She just couldn't get them written down fast enough. She asked for me to write down more problems over and over and over. After 5 sets, I told her it was getting very late (it was 10:00 - 1 1/2 hours past her bedtime). She started crying when I told her she couldn't practice anymore.

Me: "Kassi, what's wrong?"
Kassi: "I just really wanted to get to my +2's tomorrow.
Me: "Kass, it's okay. You're doing well with your +1's and we'll keep working on writing your numbers faster."
Kassi: "I just really wanted to move on to the +2's. Can I please do one more?"

We did one more practice run and she again, couldn't finish the problems.

Me: "Look, I don't think that you're going to make it to your +2's tomorrow, but that's okay. I don't want you to get upset at school. You should be proud of how fast you can do the problems. We'll just keep working on it and you'll get to +2's in a few days. Just be a happy girl and don't get upset at school if you don't make it, okay?"
Kassi: "Okay. I'll really try not to."

When I picked her up from school today, Kassi said that she had some very exciting news for me. "You're going to be SO PROUD of me!" she said. I asked her what her good news was.

Kassi; "I got to my +2's!"
Me: "No way, Kassi! No way!" (I didn't have to act excited - I was ECSTATIC for her!!!)

She was grinning bigger than after the first day of school. Of course, the story goes on and on with her getting showered in well deserved praise and she loved it.
I'm so impressed with Kassi. She wasn't willing to give up when she got discouraged. She asked to try again and again and again. Even when it seemed that there wasn't any light at the end of the tunnel, she gave it her all and succeeded! Go Kassi! If I could steal a little bit of her perseverance, I'd be doing okay!! I love ya, Kass. I'm so proud.....

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