Holidays

Well I have nothing witty or creative to say, so I will just give you a rundown of the holiday season for us. Jacob had his Christmas program at Ms. Sheri's on Tuesday the 16th. I was afraid that he wouldn't sing because he didn't at all last year, but boy was I wrong. Sheri invited all kids that were there to help with the program, and Jacob was the only one you could hear. He did awesome! We had a great time watching him perform. He sure hammed it up!

We took the kids out of school on Friday the 19th to head up to Columbia. Mark's brother Ryan needed help loading a u-haul so Mark, Zach, Ryan and Big Mark did that dirty work while Cindy cleaned the house, and Susan, Cassandra and I took all 7 of the kids to the zoo. I must say that I am sure we got the better end of the deal. The kids were great and we all had an awesome time!

For Christmas Eve this year, we decided to invite family over like we did last year. We had to take the couches out of the living room and borrow 2 round tables from the church because there was no other place for us all to fit. I need a dining room! Anyway, we had the 6 of us, Mark, Susan and Zach, Mammy and Granddaddy, Lora and Joe, and 2 missionaries. We had a friend of ours smoke the turkey and a beef brisket and we also made ham. We had TONS of food and everyone seemed to have an enjoyable time.

Christmas morning was so relaxing for us as this is the second year we have spent it at home! We actually had to wake up Kaitlyn to open presents this year. The kids were thrilled with what Santa brought. I had to get creative with the stockings this year because the kids were upset that we didn't have a mantle. So I made a place to hang the stockings and they were thrilled to find them filled Christmas morning. After we decided to get out of our pj's, we went to grandma and grandpa's house to exchange gifts there. Then we had a great steak dinner at Aunt Dianne's house. Thanks to everyone who gave us all gifts! They were very much appreciated by all!

The rest of the vacation has found us doing the usual stuff. Dirty laundry never seems to take a vacation. :( Mark is sleeping under the stars in Augusta tonight with our youth who are on their pioneer trek. He is headed home tomorrow so we can celebrate New Year's together. The babies seem to be doing well. I had my big ultrasound on the 22nd and everything looked great. Our boy weighs 14 oz and our girl 13oz so they are right on target. I will post some more ultrasound pics once I get around to the scanning them. Hope you are all doing well! Happy New Year!

Catching Up

Well I guess it is time for me to update this thing. It seems I always let time get away from me during the holiday season, and this one is no different. But I do have all of my holiday shopping done, so I am very happy about that. Now I just have to start wrapping so I can enjoy Christmas Eve this year.

Since the last time I blogged, not a ton has happened, but we still have been busy. I found out 2 days before Thanksgiving that our cute little twins are a boy and a girl! We are so excited and so far, things look really good with them. I will have my official 20 week ultrasound next week though, so we will take a closer look then.

We went to my in-laws this year for Thanksgiving and had a great time. We usually celebrate Thanksgiving on both Thursday and Friday because certain members of the family don't like turkey. So Thursday was traditional Turkey Day, and Friday was a crab boil--inside this time. It was raining, so much to my mother-in-law's chagrin, we ate crab inside her house. I took a few pictures of McKenna shelling the crab. She wouldn't eat it, but loved cracking it open for her dad.

My husband and I had 2, count 'em, 2 wonderful dates in the past few weeks. Thanks Zach and Cassandra for watching the kids! We hadn't had a date in over a year--seriously. Mark took me to hear the Savannah Orchestra, and the following week took me to see Twilight. Two very girly dates which I appreciated and needed very much. Thanks babe--I owe you big time!

But that is about it for us here. The kids are about standing on their heads for Christmas to come. I am excited too! I love this time of year and what it stands for. Jacob keeps telling me that Jesus' birthday is December 25th and wants to know how old he is. I love it! Here a few pics of the past month!

Another fun tag.....thanks Rach

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME (first pet, current car-or dream car): Tiger Beamer
2. YOUR GANSTA STAR NAME (favorite ice cream flavor, fav. type of shoe): Chocolate Skecher
3. YOUR NATIVE AMERICAN NAME (your fav. color, fav. animal): Yellow Horse
4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (your middle name, where you were born): Marie Portsmouth
5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (First 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name): Lowju
6. SUPERHERO NAME (2nd fav. color, fav. drink): Blue Rootbeer
7. NASCAR NAME (grandfather's names): Jesse Runyon or Charles Clinton
8. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME (5th grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts with the same letter): Rymer Roanoke
9. SPY NAME (fav. season/holiday, fav. flower): Autumn Lily (Michelle--ours are the same!)
10. CARTOON NAME (fav. fruit, article of clothing you are wearing right now): Orange sock
11. HIPPIE NAME (what you ate for breakfast, your fav. tree): Bacon Willow

Now I tag Misty H, Cindy, Amy, Bill, Sarah, Tina, and Lora!

Lehi High

1.Did you marry someone from High School? Nope, not even from the same state.

2.Did you carpool to school? I rode with my friend Cindy once in a while, but mostly drove myself.

3.What kind of car did you have? An ugly blue Citation

4.What kind of car do you have now? Chrysler Town and Country

5.It's Friday night, where were you ....(then)? Always at the football and basketball games. I never missed!

6.It's Friday night, where are you.....(now) ? Friday is usually the day we go visit my in-laws so the kids can see Grandma and Grandpa. We usually make dinner with them and then just hang out afterwards. We have a good time with them.

7.What do you do now? Laundry, dishes, scrub toilets, change diapers--you know, grown up Mom things. I wouldn't trade it for anything!

8.Were you a party animal? Nope, I was pretty boring--afraid to come out of my shell I guess. I had a lot more fun in college!

9.Were you considered a flirt? Don't think so. There were only a few boys I would have like to have flirted with, but again--too shy. I was wimpy.

10.Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Can't carry a tune, so I was in band through my Sophomore year. The band program sucked so I didn't do it after that.

11.Did you get suspended or expelled? No way--I was an angel!!!

12.Can you sing the fight song? Sure can!

13.Who were your favorite teachers? That's easy--Mrs. Russell, Mrs. P. and Mr. Jacobsen

14. Where did you sit during lunch? Usually in Cindy's truck. We didn't stick around much for lunch. We would go to Kohler's and buy a bagel and a Dr. Pepper and then just drive around. If I didn't go with Cindy, I sat in the commons area with some of my other friends.

15. What was your schools full name? Lehi High School

16.What was your school mascot? Pioneers

17.If you could go back and do it again, would you? Probably not. I often comment that I am so glad I am not 16 any more. Too much drama for me. I like where I am!

18.What do you remember most about graduation? Not much really. I don't think I paid much attention to the program. I just remember the crowd afterwards while I was trying to find my family. I mostly remember the all night party at the High School afterwards. That was a ton of fun!

19.Who did you go to prom with your senior year? Didn't go, and was somehow not sad about that. Went with Bjorn Olsen my junior year.

20.Did you have fun at your senior prom? If I had gone, and with someone I liked, I am sure I would have.

21.Do you still talk to the person you went to prom with? Nope

22.Are you planning on going to your 20 year reunion? Maybe if I live close. Not going to make some fantastic journey to get there.

23.Do you still talk to people from High School? A couple, but mainly people from college.

I tag everyone who reads this. Have fun!

Halloween

My kids were thrilled when they found out Trick-or-treating was going to happen 3 nights in a row for them. I unfortunately didn't get any pictures of the first 2 nights, but I did of Halloween night. Anyway, Wednesday was our ward's trunk-or-treat and we had a blast! They had a nice sit-down dinner at 6:00 and then at 7:00 we headed outside for the trunk or treat and a carnival. Mark was dreading this part as they had asked the bishop to be in the dunking booth. It was really cold that night so he was worried about getting sick. But the leaders in charge were good sports and warmed up the water for him. The kids loved dunking him! McKenna didn't hit the target so she just ran up and pushed it and down dad went! She thought that was the best thing ever! Jacob actually nailed the target fair and square and laughed uncontrollably when Mark hit the water. He thought he was something else. Kaitlyn just watched and laughed the whole time. It was a fun night and no, Mark didn't get sick!

On Thursday, we went to my in-laws so they could see the kids costumes. We only went to visit 4 other relatives that night, but boy did the kids get loaded up! And then of course Friday was the real deal and we invited some friends of ours over and went through the neighborhood. Kaitlyn's bag was so heavy she couldn't even carry it. We have WAAAAAY too much candy in this household. After that we went out for pizza and stuffed our face at a buffet bar of every kind of pizza imaginable. When we came home, the kids just crashed. They were exhausted! Everyone had a great holiday and thanks mom for making the Dorothy costume and the bags!

Fall Fun

We have been lucky enough to still have some nice warm weather in October. It has cooled down quite a bit, but it is still nice enough to be outside. So October has found us doing a lot of outdoor activities. We are half way through Jacob's soccer season. He has 2 games left. He loves playing soccer and is best at defense. He will not let a ball get past him, and if it does, he thinks the world is coming to an end. But we have had a blast watching him play.

Last Friday we all went to Ridgeland to help Zach work on his final project for his Eagle. He decided to build an outdoor sand volleyball court at the church. He had a great turnout to help him and my kids had a blast climbing on the huge piles of sand and spreading them out. I had about 5 pounds of sand in my car after that, but it was fun. Zach had one of the ward members grill hamburgers and hotdogs for everyone, so we got fed for our efforts. Can't beat that! I was the photographer, so manual labor was not part of my contract!

And then last Saturday, Mark's brother Ryan and his family came down from Columbia and we had a crab boil. I love eating crab, but when you eat them this way, you sure have to work for the meat. But I do know how to shell a crab, and that's not your everyday know-how right there! Unfortunately, my doctor told me to eat crab sparingly so I only had 2, and I knew the sausage would give me heartburn, so I had a hamburger. But we had fun even though it was chilly. Mark made a fire to keep us warm and keep the gnats away and Susan made us some hot chocolate. All-in-all a great time. I just wish I could have eaten more!!!

Finally.....

.....an update! Bear with me as I have a lot of ground to cover. I will try to keep it simple so as to not bore anyone. I must first apologize for my lack of blogging. I have absolutely no idea what happened to September. It was Labor Day, and next thing I know, Jacob was telling me to change my calendar to October. So here is a quick summary of the last month or so.

We began September, and ended the summer, with one last trip. We took advantage of the long Labor Day weekend and drove up to North Carolina to visit Mark's Mammy and Grandaddy. Joe and Lora Leigh came as well and we all had a blast! We took the kids gem mining which is a tradition for us everytime we go to NC. We also went up to Mt. Mitchell which is the highest point East of the Mississippi. Now for all you Utah people, I know you live at the elevation at which we were standing, but it's a big deal around here when you live at 18 feet above sea level. Anyway, after buying some North Carolina apples for ourselves and many people at home, we headed back to Savannah. The girls at Mt. Mitchell Jacob at the gem mine
Katy taking a break from looking for gems
Lora and Joe at Mt. Mitchell
Joe and Joe

The day after we got home, school began for McKenna and Jacob. They were so excited (as was I), but we were sad to see the end of summer. But the kids are loving school and excelling at everything they do!

Just a fun picture of McKenna, Jacob, and Kaitlyn
First day of school

The rest of September was busy with making school lunches, doing homework, dance classes, soccer practice and lots of church stuff. Next thing I knew, Jacob was counting down the days until his birthday. He turned 5 on the 5th of October, which was this past Sunday. He was tortured while we watched 2 sessions of General Conference before heading to Grandma and Grandpa's house for his birthday party. But he was a good sport and had a terrific time opening all of his gifts. Happy #5 Jacob, we love you!!!

Now as some of you may or may not know, Mark and I are expecting our fifth baby! Big number I know, but we are so excited about it! My mother-in-law was kind enough to chauffeur my kids to and from school on Friday so that Mark and I could go together to my first OB appointment. They always do a vaginal ultrasound to determine pregnancy, so I love being able to check up on the pregnancy so early. They gave me info I already knew; I was 10 weeks and am due May 2nd. But they had a little surprise for us too.....not 1 baby, but 2! Yep, fraternal twins. I wasn't 100% shocked, but definitely stunned. Mark and I both had a feeling that this was what was going on. I have been sooooo sick, to the point that I could hardly get off the couch, and starting to show (at least to myself) a lot more quickly than I did with the others. Also, my home pregnancy test came back positive long before it should have. So we are having babies #5 and #6! Wish us luck, we're gonna need it!!!