Zach is 6 (can you believe it?)

I can't believe that my baby is already 6 years old. He is such an amazing kid. He is very funny, he always has us in stitches. He loves to make faces and silly little voices. He is still my little cuddle-bug. We often spend time in the morning just snuggling on the couch. He is so warm and I love wrapping my arms around his little body. He is also very sensitive to others and their needs. He looks out for everybody's feelings. He is also very creative and enjoys drawing and creating projects for us to admire.He is an incredibly grateful kid. He is so excited about everything that he is given. As you can see, he was very happy about the train from Grandma Marsha and Papa.
He does love his GeoTrax.

Saturday after his birthday, we had a little party at Leo's Place with a few of his friends and his cousin.

I guess he gets his wish! I know I got mine when he was sent into my life.

Happy birthday, baby. I love you!

The Christmas Program

On December 10th (Zach's bday), the kids' school had their Christmas program. They did it in a different way than I have ever seen done before. They sent home a program beforehand so that the parents knew when their kids were going to preform. That way, you didn't have to sit through 6 grades of singing to see your child's class do their thing. As it was, I still had three to watch, but it was worth it.

I'm always so proud when the kids do anything. I turn into such a blubberbutt because I am just so proud of the kids doing their best and having fun. (I have even been known to cry when kids I don't know perform! - hello America's Got Talent)

Zachary's class was the first to go after lunch. Zach was so funny cuz he insisted on wearing his "Christmas Sweater" for the program. I had to extract a promise from his teacher htat he would not be allowed to wear it to do anything else. I could just see it covered in green paint!

The kindergarteners were so cute when they filed in. They were so excited an dproud of themselves. They were all grinning ear-to-ear. Zachary kept looking at me and mouthing, "Take my picture!"Zachary even smiled as he sang.The kids all had little actions they did to the songs. "He sees you when he's sleeping..."This was the only good picture I got of Samantha because, when they stoop up, the girl in front of her practically blocked Samantha from view. *sigh*

Tristan was too cool to smile for the camera. This was as close to a smile as I got. I was so proud, yes, I cried a few times.

Okay, disclaimer, I know there are more pictures of Zach here than the others. I couldn't help it, those Kindie-gardners are so dang cute!

Spirit of the Season

I love this time of year. I love the music, the weather, the lights, the Spirit. If you were to ask me to name one person who exemplifies the Spirit of the season, I would have to say...
The bell ringer at WalMart. Surprise you? She is the most awesome lady. She is there every day. And if I'm right, I think she's there all day! She sits out there in her brown, insulated coveralls, ringing her bells, and singing at the tops of her lungs. I swear, she knows every Christmas song. She is not a great singer. Heck, she's not even a good singer, but that doesn't stop her. She smiles her huge smile and calls out "Merry Christmas" to everybody who passes her. I am there waaaay to often, but every time I see and hear her, I feel warm inside and can't help but smile. It's my hope that I can keep that feeling with me throughout the year. That I will remember that sweet lady and the love she obviously has for her Savior and her courage to show the world. I hope that I can be more like her!

Zachary's New Sweater

My Grandma Jensen makes beautiful sweaters for all the great-grands. She gave Zachary one for his 6th birthday. Honestly, when I saw that it was a sweater in his gift, I thought Zachary would be disappointed. You know, he's only six, he expects toys and "fun" stuff. Just take a look at the pictures to see his reaction...
He LOVES it! He calls it his "Christmas Sweater" and insisted on wearing it for his school Christmas program.

He's So Clever

My hubby cracks me up. He signed up to bring the yams to his work Christmas party, so he was making them the night before. He decided that they needed to be whipped, not just mashed. However, my parents don't have a hand mixer. Ty needed to whip those yams, so he improvised.
Yes, that is a cordless power drill with a mixer stuck in it!
He's so proud of his ingenuity.

The Lucky Ones

Last Saturday, Ty and Tristan went to see a new ski movie. Ty was really into Warren Miller movies when we were first married. On a side note, I liked to watch them to see Glenn Plake's hairstyles, but I digress. (If you want to check out some of his hairstyles, check out www.glennplake.net and enjoy.) Anyway, a friend of Ty's at work couldn't make it, so he sold Ty his tickets. Tristan wasn't sure he wanted to go, but he tagged along to check it out.
I guess the movie was quite an event. They had a raffle and a silent auction. Ty made a couple bids, but he was outbid as soon as the movie started. So, Daddy and I were watching a show on TV when the front door opened and Tristan walked in with a huge snowboard! Ty may have been outbid in the auction, but that didn't stop him from winning the raffle.
Tristan commented, "This is pretty much the best day of my life!" The boy doesn't even know how to snowboard. I guess he'll be learning this winter.
Now they're just being silly.

It Doesn't Take Much

It's funny what kids will play with. Sometimes, you can't entertain them with all the toys in the world. Then, sometimes all it takes is a fabric grocery bag.
The INL had a health fair and Ty came home with a lot of free goodies. My favorite was information from The Sleep Institute. He found out that because it had been so long since my last sleep study, I was eligible for a new sleep study and a new C-Pap machine. (The new ones have technology that will let you know if the pressure is off or if there is a leak at some point in the system.) The kids' favorite goody was the two cloth shopping bags.
First, Ty stuffed Samantha into a bag. I remember when I was that small! But I digress... Let me tell you, those straps are STRONG!!! Ty carried Samantha from the living room into the kitchen where I was making dinner. She was giggling like a madwoman.
Then, Samantha had Zachary squish into the bag so that she could carry him around the living room as well. It just goes to show, you can spend hundreds of dollars on toys and games for your kids and all it takes to entertain them is a freebie grocery sack from a health fair!