Seriously, I AM so blessed!

If you're not into sappy, don't read on. . .I just have to say that I really can't believe how blessed I am to have so many family members live near me! Dave and I have always chosen to live as close to family as possible, but until the last two years--I only dreamed of actually being neighbors with my sisters and brothers! I used to say (and actually still do) that I would be in "heaven" if my whole family could live in my neighborhood! Well, that has practically (as much as is conceivably possible) come to pass over the past few years! Dave and I moved here to West Jordan nearly 8 years ago, since then Becca (my sis) moved to Sandy, Frosty (my bro) moved to SLC, my dad moved to SLC, and Julie (Dave's sis) moved to Riverton! But, as if that wasn't enough, just recently (in the past two years) Afton (my sis) moved to West Jordan, Rachel (my sis) moved into the neighborhood next to mine, and then, to top it off, Hobie (my bro) moved to the neighborhood next to her! My kids are in cousin heaven and I'm on cloud nine! I LOVE my neighbors/friends and NEVER want to move for that reason, but having family around has definitely been the icing on the cake! Everytime I sit down to ponder or think about what to write about--I just end up being so thankful for everyone I have around me--and wondering how it all came to be. It started as a dream, and now I'm living it! Now, don't get me wrong, I still dream of having MORE (I know it's hard to believe there's more, but there is) of my family live close, but. . .this is definitely more than I ever thought was really possible. I know it might not be this way forever, or even for very long, but I'm sure loving every minute of it--for myself and for my kids! Families really are a blessing--and I know Heavenly Father gave us families because he loves us. I'm just doubly blessed because I happen to really love my family! :)

Dance, Dance, Dance

My girls love to dance. Darci is always wearing a dress/skirt (or "pretty" as she calls it) and showing me her dances. I put Kyra in a ballet class this year just for something fun to do with her cousin Emily. She has enjoyed it and it has been way cute to watch. Darci can't wait to do "ballallet" too (hopefully with her cousin Elizabeth--they practice together all the time). Here is a cute clip of her dancing just before going to Kyra's recital--she can't let her sister get all the attention!

Kyra was so excited to show us everything she has learned in ballet so far this year. Here are a few pics from her recital:

Here is a clip from her solo dance--I'm glad she didn't tip over from spinning so much! :) Oh, and don't mind my giggling--I tend to do that a lot! I just thought she was adorable--and I was so proud of her for doing it all on her own.

Call Home!

My family has a newsletter "Call Home!" that we put out once a month (my maiden name is Call if you don't already know that). I will be posting my section under this title every month. It will usually be pretty long as I sort of recap everything, so if you're interested, read on. . .

I (along with the help of Dave’s mom) home schooled Mark this month. It has been fun and a little bit crazy, but also productive for both Mark and me. But, now (through Phil and Becca—whose nephew attends, and my neighbor—who teaches there) we’ve found a Montessori private school that Mark is excited to go to. We don’t know yet if he’ll be able to start immediately or if we’ll be waiting until Fall. We toured the school and it seems that everything is taught in a very “right brained” way. Mark is most excited about not having to wear shoes, getting to do his work on the floor (at his own pace), having a quiet lunch room, and getting to go on a field trip EVERY Friday. Needless to say, I’ve been very busy and going a little bit crazy trying to adjust to all the changes around here. Hopefully we’ll be able to settle back into some sort of routine soon.

Well, we’ve all had dental appointments where 3 of us (Mark, Kyra, and I) had to schedule again for fillings and crowns. What is up with our teeth?!! It was fun to have mom here for a few days after Reed was born, she and I got to go to the temple together. Speaking of--Rachel, Robert, and I just took all the kids through the Draper temple. The kids LOVED it! Darci thought all the lights were pretty, Mark loved the “heaven” room and the sealing room where “he will get married,” and Kyra liked seeing where we do baptisms for the dead—in a font on top of 12 huge oxen. It was a great experience and I’m really looking forward to attending the temple dedication with Mark in a couple weeks.

We’ve been taking advantage of the awesome weather this past week. I took the kids to the park on Tuesday and finished my book while they played (yes, my kids are old enough to do that now), Wednesday Rachel, Irene, and I took all the kids to the zoo, and yesterday Becca called everyone and we all met at the park for the afternoon. We missed Irene and kids and Frosty, but the rest of us “locals” were there to have fun together for a few hours.

Kyra and Emily had a little dance recital where they both volunteered to do solo’s. I was so surprised that Kyra jumped right up to perform without any reservations—she’s usually too shy and nervous to do things like that in front of other people. When Dave asked her if she was scared she said “No, my teacher told us to just pretend we were in class and that no one was watching, so I did that and it wasn’t even scary.” They were both adorable and did a great job!

Dave just got a third job (second being a jiu-jitsu teacher at the gym) with a security solutions company that provides training for the Special Forces teams from all branches of the military. He’s the high threat environment instructor who teaches them the hand to hand combat and ground fighting. Last week they told him he’s the highest rated instructor they’ve ever had. Now he is part of the required curriculum for their program.

Daddy 'n Darci

This was one of those adorable "daddy-daughter" moments that I actually caught on film (oh wait, what should we say these days? caught on memory stick?!!). Darci thought it was so funny to pinch his cheeks together and move his face back and forth--she was laughing her head off. Oh, and isn't her hair adorable? lol

Randomness

Here are some random happenings in my life lately! Enjoy.

My girls (and their friends/cousins) love to play with all the clips and barrettes. I often have a head full (as you see my mom with Mark below) to take out when I go to bed at night. And, no, it does not stop at hair, they love to decorate the plants, soap, toys, etc. I had my nieces over one night and we made flowers for their hair. They had a great time designing them and then I just hot glued them together and onto a clip. Aren't they cute? It was easy and a lot cheaper than buying them in the stores.

Kyra was begging me to get her some juice and apparently I didn't respond fast enough (or the way she wanted me to). I do keep the amount of juice we drink down to a minimum around here, just because I know water is so much better for all of us. So, when I turned around, this is what I found her doing (I guess there's more than one way to get a drink of juice):

Here's Darci and her cousin Forest. . .Yes, they are three (and two) and yes, they got a hold of some markers when I wasn't looking. Of course, this picture was taken after I calmed down and got Darci's belly washed off, and then realized how funny it was (because it came off )! Little stinker bellies!!! lol

Pay It Forward. . .

My sister Christina has this on her blog and I thought it sounded fun. So this is how it works..... The first 3 people to leave a comment on this will receive a hand made gift from me during this year. When and what will be a surprise. There's a small catch...You knew there would be didn't you? Post this on your blog then come back and leave a comment, telling me you're in. Fun, huh? Remember, only the first 3 comments receive the gift. Good luck!

Good Reads

If you loved The Work and the Glory, Children of the Promise, and the Hearts of the Children series (as I did) then I've found another series you might enjoy (as I am!): Out of Jerusalem, by H. B. Moore. As I confessed in my last post, I love historical fiction, especially LDS based series. This one obviously begins with Lehi in Jerusalem. The author has also started a prophet series of which I've read the first one--Abinadi. It was very good, I can't wait for Alma!! I also heard from a friend that there's a series out there on the life of Christ called The Kingdom and the Crown. Has anyone read those? I think I'll look into it next. Enjoy. And be sure to let me know what you think. . .