Jan 2012 Here we come!

I has been a weird Jan with no snow until last weekend and the temperatures in the 50's. Lezlee and I took the kids to the park one day and there we were with kids running around in barefeet during Jan! Life is back in full swing with early morning basketball for Tyler, Basketball games which Ryan is coaching his team this year and the sarted off with a win on Saturday, way to go Grizzlies! Treven is ready to start his basketball which starts next week. Halle is back doing gymnastics, while mom and Emery are going to tackle some potty training. Mom has been the one holding back and not wanting to since this girl has been peeing in the toliet since October I just haven't wanted to do the whole potty training thing yet, I have to admit I love just throwing a diaper on and not worrying about potty breaks on errands!

Like I said it finally snowed on Saturday and the kids could not wait to play in it. Treven had even told me that his Christmas break wasn't fun because we didn't have any snow! Well Treven had a grand day in the white stuff. Halle, Emery, and Treven got to play down in the snow at Grandma and Grandpa Averett's while I went to Tyler's Basketball game. Then they came home and Kim Oberg had built a nice little sledding mound in his backyard which Halle and Treven and a ball on. Then Treven went and played in the snow with Cole. By the time Treven was done playing outside he couldn't feel his fingers! But he had a huge smile on his face. Emery loved the snow and now she wants to be the big girl out playing with the kids.

Emery is starting to talk non stop and I love all the new words she is learning. My favorite has to be when she told me she wanted to play with Grandpa Averett. Now I know I didn't teach her Averett, but she has picked up on that and now she loves to play and call Grandpa Averett all the time.

Janette had to tell me a funny thing Tyler said while we were gone on our little trip. Tyler was getting mad at Treven while they were playing the a Wii game because he wasn't playing it by the rules or how you are suppposed to play the game. Tyler finally yelled at Treven, "You have to play the game the right way, just like the scriptures!" Way to go Tyler, I hope you always Choose The Right!

FHE got a little out of control Monday night. We were having soup in a bowl and Treven was having a hard time with eating dinner and so Ryan through a piece of bread at Treven to make his laugh and the next thing we know there is an all out food fight! Sorry Janette, you come for dinner and always get more than you bargin for! We couldn't just stop at the bread and then there were noodles flying and faces in the soup. Now I have finally figured out way one time or another I have had to clean food off my celings, RYAN!

Some Miracles in my life

Tonight for FHE we watched the movie "17 Miracles" with the kids. I was a little hesiate at first due to the nature of the movie, but then I wanted my kids to see what the pioneers had done for us so that we could live in this beautiful valley. I of coursed cried through the whole thing but feel so grateful I got to watch this with my kids. Halle kept talking about the wolves were in a part of the movie they almost got a little boy that was standing by himself while his family had gone off to help another with their handcart. But in the end the little boy was saved and so I asked Halle who was protecting the little boy from the wolves and she said "Jesus". So I got to turn this into a little teaching lesson and so we talked about the the things we can do to protect our selves from todays "wolves". After I put my kids to bed and had gratitude in my heart that I have never had to put my children to bed hungry or lay them down in the frozen earth I had to come and write down 17 miracles I have had in my lives.

Today had been a trying day emtionally and spirutally for me so when I couldn't shake this feeling that I needed to watch this movie with my family I knew there must be some lesson to be learned or my prayers were about to be answered whether I liked the answer or not.  Sleep will not come and I know the reason.

1. The miracle of true conversion. I have always been raised in the church but didn't truly have a testimony of the church until about the age of 17. In one of the darkest hours I had know in my life I finally turned to my heavenly father instead of blocking him out like I had been doing for the last year of my life. And when I hit my knees and with a contrite spirit and broken heart did I feel the love that the savior has for me. From that day on I knew the church was true.

2. The mircale of answered prayers. I have always felt out of tune with the spirit and have a hard time listening to the still small voice. But I have never felt so sure about an anwer then when I was praying about who to marry. Ryan and my family love to tease me about how our engagment came about since it was were are just friends to Ryan asking my dad for permission to marry me. The quick turn about came from months of prayers to know if I should and who should I marry at such a young age, 19. Never before had a answer come so strong that Ryan was who I was supposed to marry. This instill in me that all important decisions should always be answered with prayer and the help of the lord.

3. The miracle of the temple. Going through the temple for the first time raised so many questions and  some giggles on my part during the endowment, but never have I felt so close to my heavenly father then when I am in the temple. Miracles come every time I go small and big. Even when I wrecked the car one time coming home from the temple there as still a little miracle waiting for me later on in the week.

4. The miracle of tithing. Ryan and I may not be millionaires and, but we have always been able to support our family and meet our financial obligations due to the fact that the first check we write every week is our tithing check. When Ryan lost his job we saw the mircale of tithing first hand and the blessings the lord will provide if you live the law of tithing.

5. The miracle of birth. I never knew how much I wanted to be a mom until I told Ryan there would be trouble in our marriage if we didn't have a child soon. We were only married for about 6 months when I kept having dreams about a little boy and this feeling that we needed to have a child. Tyler must of been one impatient spirit up in Heaven because I had never had a feeling so strong that I needed to something that I wasn't prepared to do yet. Well he was coming and that next month I was pregnant and had Tyler at 21. Through all my kids birth and even just working on the Mother/BAby unit you can't help be in awe of these little bundles of joy and the journey they take to get here.
One funny thing about me is that before we go and find out the sex of our baby I have these weird dreams tipping me off on what I am having. Before we went to the ultrasound for Tyler I had a dream that I gave birth to this beautiful baby boy monkey. Well Tyler came out a boy and was covered in all this hair. I still to this day haven't seen hair on a kids back like Tyler or the length of his eye lashes. His lashes were so long that they touched his cheek! I still remember a snowy day and he started to cry since he couldn't open his eyes because of all the snowflakes stuck in his lashes. Treven I had dreamed about a little boy with chocolate eyes. Again out came an olive skinned little boy with the blackest eyes. Halle I dreamed about a curly brown haired blue eyed little girl. She came out with the curly hair only it was blonde and her eyes were that dull greyish blue but turned to hazel. Emery was the only one that held completely true. A blonde haired little girl with the bluest eyes and the fastest feet in the world. Well if you have seen her on her tricycle, I haven't found anyone that can ride a bike that fast with two feet on the ground, she looks like Fred Flintstone!

6. The miracle of health. Working as a nurse I see how sickness can effect not just the person, but everyone involved with that person. How blessed my life has been that my kids have been healthy and strong but I feel so blessed that I can hopefully give help in any form with those that have the trial of health problems.

7. The miracle to be a wife/mother. Oh how I love having the title of mother. I enjoy being a nurse, friend, sisiter, daughter, my church calling and but I find pure joy in being a mother. Through all the ups and downs nothing bring me more joy than being a wife and mother to my family.

8. The miracle of finding Ryan. I always tease Ryan each year on our anniversary if he thought we would have made it this long after the first year. Like most couples that first year is finding out about each other and learning to live and work together as a couple.  Ryan has been and is my best friend. He has taught me the true meaning of humility, being unselfish and many other traits that I strive to have. Each year I think I can't love him anymore then I find out that I can.

9. The miracle of friends. Ryan and I  along with our kids have always been surround by good friends that we cherish. We always talk about how lucky we have been to have lived in to great neighborhoods and the friends we have known for a very long time  and the new friends we have gotten to know and feel like we have know them for a very long time! Our children couldn't have better influences in their lives then the friends we see them. Thank you to the parents for raising such outstanding kids that each night I pray that their influences will rub off on my kids!

There are so many other miracles I am grateful for but then it would take all night to write them down, these are just a few that were in the front of my mind at the time. It is just like our families gratitude list we make every Thanksgiving, it just keeps going and going and going when you look take the time to see how blessed your life is and how each trial becomes a blessing no matter how big or small.

New Year

I can't believe that 2012 is here! We ended 2011 on a high note and if 2012 can be like the last couple months then bring on the new year! Many blessings have come our way but the biggest has been the lords hand in making our family stronger than ever. Ryan and I had a great 13 year anniversary which he suprised me with a trip down to St. George for a couple of days while Janette and Lauren came and watched the kids, thank you so so so much! Ryan and I had fun shopping, eating, going to the temple, watching movies, and basically being lazy and just spending time together. The kids had fun playing with Lauren and Janette along with their friends. We came home on New Years Eve so we didn't make any plans this year but ended up having a really great time with the kids, Janette, Lauren and Emma. We took the kids out to eat and then came back and played twister, Just Dance, and laughing our heads off! Let me tell you Ryan is quit the Twister player and watch out for him and his way of cheating!

To end the year I wanted to ask the kids some favorite things from the past year:

Tyler:

Favorite Movie: Mission Impossible 4
Favorite Food: Mahi Mahi
Favorite Book: Alex Rider Skeleton Key
Favorite Hobbie: Guitar and Football (first year in tackle)
Favorite trip we took: Boys trip down to Lake Powell
Best Thing about Christmas: Everything
Favorite Book of Mormon person: Nephi
Hero: Austin Collie and Jimmer Fredette

Favorite thing learned in school: how to write a business letter


Treven:

Favorite Movie: Real Steel
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite Book: Hot Wheels
Favorite Hobbie: Soccer and Lego's
Favorite Trip we took: Boys trip to Lake Powell
Best Thing about Christmas: Opening the presents
Favorite Book of Mormon person: Samuel the Lamnite
Hero: Batman

Favorite thing learned in school: Art

Halle:

Favorite Movie: Cars 2
Favorite Food: Cheese Fondu
Favorite Book: Fancy Nancy
Favorite Hobbie: Dance and Drawing and playing with my brothers
Favorite trip we took: Vernal over Spring break
Best thing about Christmas: Getting coloring supplies
Favorite Book of Mormon Person: Jesus
Hero: Janette and Lauren

Favorite thing learned in School: How to read and write

Emery:

Favorite Movie: Tangled and anything Thomas
Favorite Food: Anything that mom and dad are eating
Favorite Book: Thomas and pajama party
Favorite Hobbie: Playing with Halle and dancing along with drawing on anything I can find
Favorite trip we took: all of them
Best thing about Christmas: wrapping paper
Favorite book of mormon Person: the only name she can say is Jesus
Hero: her parents of course! =)

Favorint thing learned at home: How to stand up to her two brothers and sister, watch out she wears the pants in the family!


Mom:

Favorite Movie: The Help
Favorite Food: anthing with sugar
Favorite Book: Reading all of Rachel's books
Favortie Hobbie: Keeping up with all my kids and sports
Favorite trip we took: all of them, It was great to go to two new places this year Steamboat Colorado and Star Valley Wyoming, also getting to go with my husband just the two of us
Best thing about Christmas: Since all the kids got sick and different times over the course of the whole Christmas break it was wonderful to have the kids to ourselves and spend some quality time over the holidays, also having my brother and sister in town.
Favorite Book of Mormon Person: I am with all my kids Nephi, Samuel, Jesus, and also Ammon and Alma

Favorite lesson I learned this year: Attitude is everything and "Thy will be done" When placing your life in the lords hands and holding tight to his will and teachings life works out the way it is supposed to and it turns out happy and fulfilled come trials or blessings.

Dad:
Favorite Movie: Mission Impossible 4
Favorite Food: Steak and Sushi
Favorite Book: Pacific
Favorite Hobbie: my wife and golfing
Favorite Trip we took: Anniversary trip and the boys trip
Best thing about Christmas: Opening Presents and my brother in law and sister in law present
Favorite Book of Mormon person: Captian Moroni

Favorite Lesson learned this year: What pish means or understanding baby talk again

Bring on 2012!