Front Yard Walls

Meet Cam our new landscaper.  He is AMAZING.  I really like this guy.  He has worked so hard and when I try to act like a boss to make sure we're still progressing, he's already one step ahead of me.  And, he wears a beaver hat.



Board forming concrete walls (board forming so you can actually get a stamp of the wood in the concrete)







When the forms are pulled off



As for our former contractor, we are still in hot pursuit with tagging him with our lawsuit.  He is doing a good job hiding.  Nobody can find him. Another 20 or so days and hopefully the judge will say we win by default. People of the world--do the right thing and be someone people can trust.  It really hurts when you don't keep your word.

DARE Graduation

Happy DARE Graduation and I'm so happy to not have the DARE song in my head "D- I won't do Drugs, A- won't have an attitude, R- I will respect myself, E- I will educate me now..." add the jazz hands for effect. Gretchen had the honor of wrapping up the song as end rapper.



Gretchen had the honor of wrapping up the song as end rapper.



Always nice of the grandparents to come support

Holiday "Break" (Literally)

What started out as a beautiful day....

Whole family skiing





We had just had lunch at the top of the ski lift



We started to make our way down



I started on ahead to go catch Becket and got going too fast and put too much weight in my heels causing my to loose my balance and I came down on my left hand to brace my fall.  I thought it to be a sprain, but when I lifted my jacket I found my arm to be hanging.

I was so bummed, just because it was such a great day, broken arms are expensive, and I knew it was going to be a while before I could get back to my routine. I'm not very good and staying down.  I just stomped down the mountain and refused to parade myself on the toboggan. When I got into the clinic, the nurse said, "you're lucky! the girl before you broke both of her arms."









Surgery the following Tuesday



Now I just wait until this metal plate holds my bone down to heal itself.  The body is remarkable.  I will be bionic for the rest of my life.





I'm glad I had the surgery.  I was one of those borderline cases where my bone could have kept dislocating even if I had a cast.  I decided to go with the nuts and bolts so I could stop feeling the bone rubbing on bone.  I felt so much better after my "distol displaced radius fracture" was not going to be going anywhere. It also turned healing time into 2wks vs 8wks in a cast.

My cute neighbors brought me meals for a week causing me to cry in gratefulness.



I hate putting people out over a dumb mishap, but I really could not cook and Mat was gone the next day to St. George.  I could pour a mean bowl of cereal with the assistance of my kids :-) but a warm meal was so nice for my kids. "Who's bringing dinner tonight mom?" they asked. They got used to the new food surprises.  God works in mysterious ways.  I've been struggling a little with my spirituality.  It's not as solid and unshakable as it used to be. Everyone has to dig deep within there soul to find their light and I suppose setbacks like this, make you realize there is something else out there and a whole lotta kindness to go with it. How we are all connected to each other and how we all need each other.  What a time for reflection and neck kinks as I've laid here the past two weeks healing (with my right hand Foo man).

Winter Holiday

We had a lovely time over the winter break--

Girls performed what they learned from their drama class







Star Wars



It was this intense...



I'm applying my brakes to stop me from turning 40--I'm 38 this year (Roz's birthday is the 22nd so we celebrated together) Moment of of silence to respect the second chance of life I was given on December 21st.



Was that a long enough moment of silence? Try that again. I'll wait.....

We went Cross Country Skiing a ton--kids did well for their first time







Christmas Day






Our first gaming station.



While we were filming movies of the kids, we came across this little diddy that Becket had started a few months ago.  His movie is still in progress.



Homestead Getaway!









The kids surprised us with the Big Bang Theory and got Aunt Lindsay to buy it for them so they could surprise. It was so sweet of them.  That was the first time I had ever actually put together a Lego set on my own.







Snow Foo Man



One of my favorite moments over the break was when we were all gathered by the tree.  Mat was playing the guitar, while Gretchen was singing, Becket was drawing beside the coffee table and Micah and Master Foo had fallen asleep in my arms.