New Beginnings

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Kadee's 8th Birthday

I can't believe my little girl is 8 years old! We celebrated by surprising her with a lunch date and trip to the movie with her best friend, Jordan. We went to lunch at McDonald's and the girls got happy meals and Oreo McFlurries. After that we went to the movie and got kids packs. We pretty much had the whole theater to ourselves, so the girls had a hard time picking their seats and sat in about 5 different places before they finally decided on the perfect seat. After that we went back to the house and the girls played for a few hours. Then on Kadee's actual birthday I went to the school and had lunch with her and took cupcakes to her class. That night I made her favorite meal, fettuccine Alfredo, and we had grandpa and grandma Bradley over for ice cream cake. I am so proud of the little girl she is becoming and her kind heart.

Bradley February Birthdays!

Kadee's 8th Birthday Interview!
Who is your favorite person in the whole world? Jesus
What is your favorite color? Pink
What is your favorite TV show? Good Luck Charlie
What sport do you like the best? Softball
What is your favorite outfit? The one that grandma Debbie got me for my birthday
What song do you love? Raise your glass by Pink
What is your favorite cereal? Frosted Flakes
Who is your best friend? Jordan Shorts
What do you want to be when you grow up? A nerd, just kidding. A nurse
What is your favorite book? Knuffle Bunny
What are you really good at? Gymnastics
Where do you wish you could go on vacation? Florida
What is your best memory? Playing with Jordan
What would you buy if you had $1000? an Ipad
What vegetable do you hate the most? cooked carrots
If you could have a wish, what would it be? To have Jordan be my friend forever
What is your favorite flavor of Ice Cream? Strawberry
Who is your biggest hero? Dad
What do you like to do best with your friends? Jump Rope
What do you hope you'll get to do before your next birthday? Go swimming

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Super Bowl XLVIII

I can't believe I only took one picture on Super Bowl Sunday. This is it, Matty being silly at Grandma Debbie's. We actually started out at the BDAC with Jeff Wood and his friends and family. Connor and Kadee loved the big court to play ball on and there was tons of yummy food, but Matty and Kinlee were a nightmare. They were into everything they weren't supposed to be, were both super ornery (which meant they were mean to each other and anyone else who dared come near them), and were just super busy. Rory was busy talking and socializing so I chased Matty and Kinlee around until I was at my whits end. The final straw was when Matty tipped over a glass table, luckily it didn't break, but I was beyond frustrated at this point and on the verge of tears, so I loaded up all the kids but Connor and left. Rory wasn't very happy with me but I honestly felt like I couldn't stand another minute of chasing the kids around. I started to cry and was headed to Wellington and I decided I didn't want to go home alone so I went to Debbie's house. It's amazing what a change in perspective can do. Once there, I immediately calmed down, sat on the couch and ate some yummy chocolate peanut butter bars and felt like I could breathe and my kids could be themselves. Matty wanted to get in the tub the minute we got there so after he washed up he put on one of grandma's spare shirts and played the donkey game shown in the picture. It ended up being a great night.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

End of January

Wow! I can't believe January is almost over, it's been a busy month! This past weekend Kadee had a gymnastics meet in Helper. There were a lot of kids there and she did really well. She took 3rd on the tramp and 4th on the floor and double mini. Connor has been working hard in scouts and Tuesday night he received his Thomas S. Monson Award. It's an award they worked on getting for a couple months and were all very excited to finally get it. Tuesday we also had McTeacher's night. 50% of every meal purchased at McDonalds between 5:30-7:30 went to our school. It was a great turnout and my mom even joined us and won a free dessert from the raffle. Connor had his second to last basketball game last night and it was an awesome game. We were playing an undefeated team from Helper so the boys wanted to win so bad. They ended up winning by 4 points! I swear they were more excited than if it had been a Jazz game. Matty started working with the speech therapist and will work with her twice a month. He will also go to a play date at the Castle Valley center every Friday for 6 weeks. I guess it helps improve their speech because they are socializing with kids their own age. Since Kinlee is home with us she will get to go and participate as well. She has been very sick so she missed preschool and dance on Tuesday, but was feeling better today so she got to go back to school.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

P!nk

Monday night Rory and went to the Market Street Grill and the P!nk concert. It was a great dinner and an amazing concert. Love him so much for buying me the tickets for Christmas and for always spoiling me!

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Smarty Pants

Yesterday the kids brought home their 2nd quarter report cards. I am one proud mama. Connor got straight A's and an H and Kadence got 100% in every area. They are doing so well in school and I am extremely grateful for their amazing teachers and that we live in a place where we are blessed with public education. I pray for their teachers daily and I pray that they will get the education they need to be successful in life. I'm also so grateful for their talents. Connor is well into basketball season and I finally got some pictures last night. He is very passionate about his sports and cried because they lost their first game last night. He played really well, but his game was off, so he was disappointed. Kadee has had a high fever and sore throat so I'm taking her to the doctor today to hopefully get some answers and get her feeling better. We've been very blessed as far as health goes too. Kinlee has a weak stomach, she throws up on a regular basis, but other than that our kids have managed to stay pretty healthy this year. So excited for 2014 and the promise it brings :)

Kinlee modeling pajamas that were mine when I was her age

2014 Basketball Season

Watching the game


Connor's Team 2014

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Be Prepared

One of my New Year Resolutions was to be more prepared. I decided to take on the task of making a month's worth of freezer meals last Saturday. I'd also like to update our 72 hour kits, but one step at a time. I spent 3 hours on Saturday preparing meals for our family (that doesn't include shopping time). I did a variety of dishes from casseroles to crock pot pork chops. It was exhausting, but definitely worth it. Every day this week I have been able to pull a meal out of the freezer and not worry about "what's for dinner." Thank goodness for Pinterest and all the different recipes and tips I found on successful freezer meals. If you are considering doing it, I definitely recommend it, it is much more cost effective and saves time in the long run.

As far as the rest of the week goes, nothing much is happening. We have been working on the day to day stuff of life, but haven't had much excitement. Connor is still playing basketball, he has an amazing team and they haven't lost a game yet. He plays with most the Wellington boys and loves having his friends on his team. Kadee started Piano again this week, I really hope we can keep her teacher around for awhile and she can continue to develop this talent. She has begun singing a lot lately and asked for a softball mitt & bat for her birthday. Kinlee started preschool again and was so excited to go back after Christmas break. She has been playing with friends and loves to be read to. She loves dance and is constantly doing her dance around the house. She also started Sunbeams and loves it. She goes around the house singing, "Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam!" Matthew is busy as ever. He is very mischievous and is into everything. He has to have another screening for his speech, but has learned quite a few words since his last screening. Either way, I think the extra help with his speech would definitely benefit him. He is such a lover boy and loves to snuggle, I love to sit and snuggle with him too, because I know it won't last long.

On a final note, always remember:

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Happy New Year!

I cannot even begin to describe how excited I am for the new year!!! 2013 was a rough year for me. I struggled in every area of my life and I am so glad it is over and so excited for a fresh start. I love resolutions and setting goals, so this is definitely my cup of tea. This year I set some resolutions and had my kids fill out a little questionnaire about themselves.

This Year:
A bad habit I'm going to break: Um, swearing
A new skill I'd like to learn: Crocheting or playing the piano
A person I hope to be more like: My mom in law, Debbie. She is so patient and kind
A good deed I'm going to do: Hopefully lots~service for my family and my young women
A place I'd like to visit: Lava Hot Springs
A book I'd like to read: Prince of Wolves Series
A letter I'm going to write: A letter to my kids teachers letting them know how much I appreciate them.
A new food I'd like to try: Freezer Meals
I'm going to do better at: Spending less time on line and more time with my kids.
A goal I'd like to accomplish: Finish my personal progress for the 2nd time (the first time I was in high school) and read the old testament (I just finished the Book of Mormon and am working on Doctrine & Covenants). I'd also like to do the 52 Week Money Challenge I found on Pinterest and update our 72 hour kits.

Kadee took first in Tramp and floor
at their in house gymnastics meet.

Kadee made me breakfast in bed
on New Year's Day :)

Curtis family great grandkids