Pinewood Derby!

If you missed this post originally, here was the background that went with it. So cute!
I just had my first experience with the Pinewood Derby. We are sad to report that Jyson's car did not fare well, but it was a fun experience. I think the best part is getting the car ready. Here are a few pics of the process:
Notice the safety glasses and especially the ear plugs (in case the sanding gets too noisy?)
I love the super intense concentration...
Jyson's favorite colors: red, orange, & yellow.He was awarded "Most Firey Hot." Good job little man. Better luck next year.

Random

I am sick of the winter crud. I think I've been sick more than I've been healthy this winter. I need Spring and clear sinus passages. Is that too much to ask?The highlight of this week was that Johnny and I got new phones. I haven't been too happy with the texting on my Nextel phone or the manly chunkiness of the phone, so we switched to Sprint (which is the same company so no new contract - yea!). I am the proud owner of a new LG Lotus square purple phone. Very girly - I love it! John is the proud owner of a new Blackberry Curve. He loves it. They've kept us entertained all weekend. Remember, we're sick. It doesn't take much to entertain us.Have you seen this movie? We quite enjoyed it. That also entertained us for a few hours. And finally...
(This photo courtesy of Photo Booth on our computer using the "dent" effect.)

Jyson is 8!

This is one of the first family photos we have. It was taken 6 weeks after John & I got engaged (thanks Jill). Jyson had just turned 3 the week before. Five years later I still consider it a privilege to be a part of this family. I know it has not always been easy for McKelle, Jake, & Jyson to go back and forth between homes, but I'm grateful for the time we've spent together.
Last Sunday we celebrated Jyson's 8th birthday. We had 22 people at our house for his party. Thanks to our great families for their love and support!Here is Jyson, doing what he's great at - getting people's attention.

Since it was Jyson's birthday, I have a few words to say about him. I love him dearly! He is spunky and funny and smart and darling (I'm sure he'd prefer handsome).He has always had an obsession about time. Before he could read numbers on a digital clock, he wanted to know, "What time is it?" He loves calendars and schedules. He wants to know in advance what time he has to be where.

Jyson LOVES people, and especially kids. He loves playing with his cousins, neighbors, siblings. When we go to a restaurant, he wants to sit at a table near other kids. He'll say hi or wave to anyone that will give him some attention in return.He has an amazing memory. When he was just little (3 and 4), he could tell you how to get to several places. He learned his alphabet and numbers very quickly. If you tell him some fact, I'm often amazed much later when he can recall exactly what you said.

One of my favorite things that we do is sing in the car (where we seem to spend a lot of time). We've been doing it for years and it still entertains me. Some of our favorites: Zippidee Doo Dah; Mary Had a Little Lamb; Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star; John, Jake, & Jyson-heimer Lloyd (adapted from John Jacob Jingle-heimer Schmidt; Baa, Baa, Black Sheep; Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (our recent addition); and many more. He loves to sing in different voices, at different speeds, and with great vibrato endings.
Jyson is a great kid with a good heart. He loves to snuggle up during a movie. He's a great reader. He loves to play games, any kind, any time. He loves movies. He loves bowling. He loves anything outside. His favorite colors are red, orange, and yellow. He's a great eater - rarely says no to trying new food and often out-eats me. I could go on, but I'll stop as I began - I love him dearly!

Busy Week

This has been a busy week, from start to finish. Actually, that's what every week feels like lately.

Let's start with the RAD simulation. John is a certified RAD for women instructor. RAD stands for Rape Aggression Defense. He's taught the class several times and this time he invited the wives & daughters of the police officers in his department. We spent 3 weeks learning the skills and Monday night we put them into practice. This is the before picture. I'm smiling and hugging him. A few minutes later he was a creep trying to attack me, so I was kicking and punching him. I hope I never have to use any of it, but it was a very empowering experience.This week we took a few of our Young Women to the Draper Temple Open House. What a beautiful temple. The celestial room was incredible!Finally, we ended the week with a super quick trip to St. George. We drove straight through to Mesquite and had dinner with Mom & Dad. (Thanks for the pasta feast Mom!) John got loaded up on "carbs" for his BIG ride today. He rode 103 miles from Bloomington to the entrance of Zion National Park and back. 6 1/2 hours on the saddle. Way to go Johnny! While he was sweating, Mom, McKelle, & I went shopping - what a girl thing to do.You're my hero babe! Someday soon I'll be ready to join you on the road...

I'm Hungry

Lately, I'm having a hard time getting motivated to cook, especially anything that takes more than 10 minutes or 2 steps. Luckily for me, John doesn't complain or seem to care if I cook the same 3 things every week (thanks babe), but I feel like I need to branch out. I did get a new easy recipe from my friends Boyce & Natalie (they don't go together, but they both shared the idea). Chicken pillows/squares. Very tasty and easy.

I need some fresh new easy ideas with relatively simple steps and no weird ingredients. Anyone?

A little catching up...

It's been a busy past few weeks. Here are the major highlights:
Jake turned 16 and John ordained him to be a Priest. We had a small birthday party at the same time. Here he is praying over his cake. Okay, he's just thinking hard about his wish.
Jyson has been practicing hard for his second grade patriotic program. He said he could wear a Scout uniform if he had one. He turns 8 in two weeks, so we went ahead and bought the full Cub Scout uniform. He was so excited about it. My two favorite Scouts. You gotta love a man in uniform.One night we were playing hide-and-seek. I heard Jyson go inside the linen closet. I opened the door expecting to find him standing there. Instead I found this:I absolutely loved the second grade program. They sang various patriotic songs and finished with some square dancing. Cute from beginning to end. This was the whole reason why Jyson wanted to wear a Scout uniform - so he could salute.During one of the square dance songs, the kids who weren't dancing started doing a "yeehaw" call and swinging their arms. After a few minutes, here's what the little girl next to Jyson looked like:John's parents came with us. Thanks for your support Grandpa Bob & Grandma Joy.If you really want a taste of the program, you gotta check out this little clip. So cute.

And finally, as an addendum to my last post, we attended our first adoption meeting at the Provo office. As it turned out, we are actually in the American Fork office boundaries so we got to attend their meeting as well. I feel very well oriented. Basically, we need to fill out a lot of paperwork. From there, they'll do a home study. Once approved the waiting begins. I'll keep you posted.

Serious and not serious

I've been thinking about this post for quite some time and not sure where to start so here goes...

Johnny and I have been trying to get pregnant for quite some time. I've always felt hopeful and had no reason to think otherwise - until our doctor's visit last month. I'll skip the details and numbers. Suffice it to say, the doctor said it would be a miracle if John and I got pregnant. That dashed all the hope I've held to this point and I cried buckets of tears. We didn't tell anyone right away. It's not the happiest conversation starter. All that said, I'm quite at peace now.

We may consider in vitro but we'll more likely adopt. We feel like there is at least one more child that still needs to join our family, however he/she chooses to arrive. I'm not sad anymore. I can't be, really. I have an incredible husband and 3 wonderful step-children who have given me the opportunity to mother, in at least some sense of the word. I have no qualms about adopting - I know that child will be mine. So, I'm putting the word out. John and I will attend our first adoption meeting on Wednesday night with LDS Family Services and we'll see what happens.

On a much lighter note, a much, much lighter note, John has joined facebook. It's been quite fun to watch him check for "friends" and write on "walls." I may have to set a time limit for him so I can have a turn on the computer too.