So, here's to New Year's Resolutions!!
I figure if nothing else I can at least post pictures! (Now that I have found my camera after it being MIA for the last 6 months.)
I took these pictures of the kids on a very foggy, Cache Valley day. We had about 45 minutes to get them done. I told the kids, "Just smile when I say smile, pose when I say pose and DON'T give me any attitude!" They did a great job!
Christopher - Sophomore
Shannon - 7th grader
Ellie - 2nd grade
Shelby - almost 3 years old.
The kids all made a haul this Christmas. Mostly clothes, a few gadgets and gizmo's, girlie stuff and snow apparel - which is essential when you live in Logan, although the folks at home are getting way more snow than us this year.
Matt got himself a new suit for work and church. He got a new calling a few months ago - Assistant Executive Secretary to the Stake Presidency. He is enjoying it, mostly because it's a ton of computer work, phone calls and scheduling verses having to be to a million meetings! He also has been hard at work managing Lovell Studios. He has done so much to help me stay organized and made my life SO MUCH EASIER! He takes care of all the stuff I hate doing or am not good at and keeps track of all the business aspects of what we do. I love it! He is at every performance setting up the equipment, doing sound control and taking down equipment afterwards. He is such an amazing support and help to me, I am so grateful. I couldn't do it without him and I'm so happy that he WANTS to do this with me!
Christopher has settled back in here nicely. Although he misses his Payson friends a lot... He is a great kid with a good attitude and is trying his best to keep good grades in school so when he gets his driver's license in February he can DRIVE the car. I don't know how I feel about that. Nervous..., but yet won't it be nice to have someone ELSE run all my errands???
Shannon is growing up a little too fast for my liking. What happened to my little 12 year old? She turns 13 on Monday. THIRTEEN. Just saying that out loud freaks me out! As much as we kid her about officially being a teenager, she knows it's true. She prefers to keep to herself and we have to DRAG not only information but a SMILE out of her. The eye rolling kills me. But she is still my sweet Shanny Paige. She is responsible, works hard at school, helps around the house and has a ton of friends.
Ellie-bellie is my little ray of sunshine. She is turning 8 next week and is so excited to get baptized! She is always happy and positive and cheerfully singing and skipping her way through life. She is an excellent student and does all her homework and reading without being reminded or asked. She mother's her little sister to death, makes friends wherever she goes and is currently in rehearsal for the "Wizard of Oz" (playing a cute little munchkin). She got a scooter for Christmas and rides it all over the house (wood floors are great for inside play). She has to contend with Shelby over her possessions and usually looses... but sacrifices for the good of the family. She and Christopher are in competition for the messiest rooms in the house.
Shelby is turning 3 at the end of this month. She is the most active little kid I have EVER had. She's in to EVERYTHING. Nothing is safe around here unless it is locked up. In fact, it's so quiet at the moment my mommy instincts are telling me that she is in to something. (Brb).... Whew. Just innocently watching TV. I don't know what I would do with out the Mickey Mouse ClubHouse TV show. That is the only program she likes to watch. It is on from 9 am to 10:30am and I get a lot done during those hours. Shelby loves to sing and dance. She knows what buttons to push on my piano to get certain songs to play. She will spend hours in the music room either playing the piano or singing and dancing along with her favorite songs. She loves candy and lippy (lippy = anything that goes on your lips. Chapstick, lipgloss, lipstick, vasaline, ANYTHING). She doesn't just put it on, she puts it on, layer by layer by layer until it.is.all.gone. So, if you leave your "lippy" laying around (or even if you don't, she will usually find it and take it) Shelby will have her hands on it and it will be consumed by her. She counter acts her naughty-ness by being too adorable to stay mad at. If she thinks she is in trouble, she will say, "Mommy, I love you!!"
Works every time.
I have been staying busy teaching and singing. A.LOT. The group that I sing with, Lilium was booked a ton during the holidays. We sang ALL OVER the valley from rest homes, to retirement places, Walmart, to the Tabernacle, work parties and ward Christmas parties. I absolutely loved every single minute! Getting paid for some of these gigs wasn't too bad either! I took a nice and much needed break once the kids got out of school and just spent it at home being LAZY. It was heaven.
Now it's back to school, back to teaching, back to WORK. It's going to be a busy month with all the birthdays and such. Matt is taking me to Florida in a few weeks and I can.not.WAIT!!
