Winter Fun

OK so I have been a little busy....I feel like I have totally fallen of the face of the earth. I have had tons of things that I wanted to put on the blog so that I would be able to have it when I print it out. I am surrendering to the fact that I SUCK at staying on top everything! It's OK, I am learning that I am not perfect at everything (for that matter even CLOSE) and that I can ask for help! :)
The Monday before Christmas Colby had to have surgery on his ankle to remove all of his hardware. He assured me that he would be fine and that it was in and out. Wouldn't you know I am smarter than I look and I was right, it was more than he thought and he was down for the count for several days! Also mother nature decided to bless us with a gift and dump 18-20 inches of snow that night! So Colby was NO help in keeping up with the walks and driveway! Once we dug ourselves and some of the neighbors out we decided that me and the boys would take advantage of the snow and go for a ride. We hooked on to the snowmobiles and off we went, it was so pretty up the canyon! I love to go out and play. I had never been out on my own with out Colby so I told the kids that they could not be all day and that they had to be safe. I didn't want to have to try to get them unstuck.

This is Brett, Kaid, Brock and me. I told them that I wanted a picture and they all laughed at me saying they didn't want to stop for pictures. So I had to beg and when it wasn't perfect they told me that it was tough and that it was it.

Brett has gotten to be quite the dare devil and he goes FAST! He loves to side hill, he told me that he will teach me how but I am not so sure that I am that daring!

Brock was the one who would pose for a picture for me. He is such a good kid. He wanted me to take him off of some jumps and I told him that there was no way - we didn't need to end the year like we started it.

Kaid Dance

Ok, so this weekend was quite busy at our house. Kaid had Sweethearts and the rest of us just had life. Kaid told me that I could post this photo, so I am going to take advantage of it. He said that they could never get a picture of him when he was higher in the air. But he assures me that he was indeed higher.

This is part of his Sweethearts dance date, they went snowmobiling in the day and then came back home to get ready to go to the dance. I will post those photo's once I get them off my camera. He had a good time.

Erika

I'm DONE Part 2

***UPDATE*****
I just got off the phone with the Vice Principal, he said that the District took in to account Bretts grades, attendance, and lack of problems in the past and have decided that it would be in the best interest of everyone if they ONLY give him a WARNING!!!! I am so excited. I never knew what all of the excitement was about in the first place. So Brett is now in class and was told that he can't bring ammo to school.

Ok, you all see that the boys look cute and innocent in this picture?! Well lets just say that looks can be deceiving. The past month, no scratch that the past year and a half we have been fighting a battle with the school. It seems that no one really cares if your child succeed in school they just want them to be there to get their funding. (Sorry mom and dad I know when you taught you were different! I am talking about now) And I am sure that in deed there are still teachers that care, they are just not at the schools that my kids go to. Enough said. Well it started with issues at or with Kaid, in Payson they never marked tardies, in Salem they are obsessed with making sure they have the best school and all that BS! They are just trying to make a name for themselves, anyway we will just say that Kaid has 24 hours of detention to make up! Yes that is not a typo 24 hours. So we feel like we are making some progress and "think" things are getting better and we find out that Brock cheats- see earlier post called Cheating if you need that story. Then we go back to dealing with issues with Salem, Colby and I take a day off of work to go over and straighten things out with them. We ended up spending 4 hours there! And then last night I get a call from Brett's school.....Hence the earlier post "I'M DONE!"
I am informed that Brett had 3 "17 shells" in his pocket and the school is a "Safe School" he is in direct violation of the Safe School, the Vice Principal is waiting to hear from the School District as to his punishment, BUT he assures me that he is looking at anywhere from 10 days to 1 year suspension. Are you freaking kidding me?! He did not have a gun he had some shells in his pocket...He did not threaten anyone, he simply forgot that they were in his pocket...Are you freaking kidding me?
I went in this morning to see what they had decided. The Vice-Principal said that they have not heard yet what his punishment will be. I tried explaining that Brett was a good kid, never been in trouble or anything. His response was it doesn't matter he violated policy. And they will send him to skill building until they find out how long the suspension will be. He told Brett he could work on his missing assignments while in skills, I asked if the Vice-Principal knew who he was dealing with. Brett had a 3.95 both terms and is getting a 4.0 right now. So what homework does he need to do?!?!
Are you freaking kidding me?! (I know that I have said that- but come on, this is ridiculous) So as soon as I hear anything I will let you all know.
Erika

Snow Party

For our "ward" snow party, we usually go out to the church farm and have fun, this year we were told at the last minute that the church was no longer allowing motorized machines on the property. So we had to punt, luckily we found a great lady that said we could use her property. So we headed over for an afternoon of fun. Brock was so excited to go and get to be out in the snow, I think he was on a tube the entire time. He was freezing by the time we got home. But he enjoyed every minute.

This is what Brett did the entire day, he would drag kids around and drop them off and get another load of kids. He loves to be in charge.



This is a photo of Kaid after he had gone on a ride where Vern tried every trick in the book to get him to fall off of the tube. He never did fall off he just got a face full of snow. I was pretty amazed that he could hold on through some of the tricks that Vern did.




This is what Colby did, he sat and talked to everyone and made sure that they were warm and had plenty to eat. He is really good at taking care of people. For some reason he never wants to get out and take a ride on the tubes.


This is me, Chelsey, and Nat, we were braving the tube with Kaid in the driver seat...Needless to say we where ready for a wild ride. He loves to be able to get his old mom flying in the air. We held on as long as we could but the three of us where no match for Kaid. Kaid was taking Nat and Lacee for a ride and they did not even make it out of the gate. It was quite comical. I think everyone had a good time and made memories that will last a lifetime.
Erika

Cheating

Last week I was talking to Brock about how his day at school had gone and how he had done that week, he proceeds to tell me that his teacher only gave him 90% on a test because she had said that he CHEATED! I asked how did you cheat, he said that he did not, but that his teacher said that he did. I knew that we had SEP the next day so I thought that I would talk to his teacher then. So the next day as we were driving to SEP's Brock was extremely nervous, which he usually is. But I kept asking for more details on the Cheating he did not give me anything other than what had already been said.....So in we go to meet with his teacher, we sit down and she tells us that Brock is doing well and there are no concerns at all. I was a bit puzzled by this so when she asked if there were any questions I of course said YES. I proceeded to tell her what Brock had said the night before, she had a weird look on her face and said that Brock has never cheated, and Brock said it was on my math time test......The light went on with the teacher, and she started to apologize. She then proceeds to tell me that they were working on doing speed tests, so before they started Brock went through his paper and wrote a 1 in front of all the problems, which would have allowed him to finish the entire paper in the time allowed, but one problem....Not all of them would be ten or higher... So she told Brock that he could not cheat the system. And once she gave him a new paper, he only missed one, so he got 99% but Brock said that it was 90% because he is not understanding the 99%. It was really quite funny once we got the full story. His poor teacher felt so bad, she kept apologizing and said she will find a different way to say things. You gotta love a kid that thinks outside of the box. I always knew that Brock was the one that was going to keep us on our toes!

Recap of December

Wow, I can't believe it is the end of a year....Time sure seems to fly by when your the parent. I remember being a kid and thinking that it took forever for Christmas to come and then forever for my birthday to come around...Now, I blink and they come and go. This month we had a lot of fun and really enjoyed our time together. We started the beginning of the month the the Ward Christmas party, it was a lot of work but a lot of fun. Colby, Kaid, & Brett really came in and helped out at the last second. And they didn't even complain. The next week I had finals that I tried (key word) to study for...I really didn't apply myself like I should have. There was too much other stuff that I had going but I was able to get a 4.0 so I must have done alright with the studying. (Colby said he wonders if my parents will still pay me for grades?!?!)
The next week we were headed to LAS VEGAS, yes I typed that correctly Vegas! Not for the NFR, but for the Pioneer Bowl! BYU vs Arizona... We went down with Colby's parents and two of his brothers and their families. It was so much fun. We went down early on Friday so that we would be able to go to the fireside, I still get chills thinking about the spirit that was there. When the team gets up and sings "As the Army of Heleman" I can't describe the power it has. It is an awesome sight.

If any of you know Colby, you know that PATIENCE is not one of his best virtues. So with that said as soon as we hit Las Vegas you could feel his stress level rise....We wanted to go to the outlet stores and while we were driving up and down the streets looking for them (because we couldn't ask for directions, and I should have printed them off line) we came across this man, we even had to flip around to get a picture. From some of the YW/YM Colby gets texts messages about the people who wear helmets and running shoes....10 minutes in Vegas and we find one standing on the corner. He even had a "guitar hero" guitar on his back. We all laughed and laughed.

The next day we shopped at the families new favorite store "Bass Pro" if you think Cabela's is neat, it pails in comparison to the Bass Pro shop. I could have spent hours in that store, oh we did. They had one of the neatest aquariums I have seen, they had real ducks in the store and neat mounts.
We then went back to the hotel and geared up for the game. We decided to go early so that we could do some tailgating...so we went to the stadium and watched people and listened to the bands. Brock wanted his face painted so we waited in line and he told them exactly what he wanted...
Then we went into the stadium to our seats. There were about 20 of us so we had a pretty good cheering section, we were surrounded by Arizona fans. At the start of the game they had David Hasselhoff sing the National Anthem and there were some of the troops from the Air Force base there to carry out the flag.. It looked really neat.

I was not prepared for the cold, we were in Vegas in a Desert who knew that it could snow there?!? It had snowed a few days before we got there but it was so cold that they still had snow on the ground in some places. So once the sun went down it got COLD! But we weren't going to let that keep us down, we cheered and loved everything about the game.
Most of you know that my kids require sleep, will with the time difference it was really getting the best of Brock, the kickoff was at his bed time in Utah, so by the first of the second quarter Brock was asking how long until bed? I told him several hours, he was not amused. So with about 10 minutes left in the second quarter he asked if he could sit on my lap, yep you guessed it! This is how he spent the rest of the game, that is until I decided in the last of the 4th quarter that I was COLD- Brett, Brock, and I went out to the car. Colby & Kaid joined us after the game was over. Even though BYU lost we still had fun. They played hard and that is all that matters. Right?!Brock did not notice the cold at all, that is until I had to give back the blanket when we went out. We all had a blast and enjoyed the time to be away from home and the stresses.

Christmas was great, we had my parents over for dinner and were able to just stay home and relax. We rang in the New Year with Kaid and Brett out with friends, and Colby, Brock and myself at home. Brock did not see the New Year, but Colby and I did.

Reflection

Three years ago I was riding in an ambulance wondering what was going on, how things would be, and praying that Brett would make it. It seems like it was yesterday when I got the call from Brett, I was at work and he was home sick. He called and told me there was an explosion and he was on fire....I remember rushing home and seeing Brett outside looking so hurt, he had no hair and was covered in ash, and already was blistering. He got in the car and we headed to the hospital, we were later transferred to the Burn Unit at the U of U, where we stayed for the next 4 days.

It was there where we learned what had actually happened to Brett, we had a small propane bottle in the basement, which was defective. It had filled the room with propane and when Brett went to put a piece of wood on the fireplace, it exploded. Which caused him to burn 45% of his body with 2nd and 3rd degree burns.

We learned how to dress and care for his burns, we learned new exercises to help his skin so it would not lose it's elasticity. We learned so many things while we were there. But some of the most important things we learned where not taught to us by doctors, nurses, or social workers. They were taught to us by the tender mercy's of a loving Heavenly Father, he once again taught us the power of the Priesthood, Prayer, and families. He showed me that I am never alone, I can remember running down the hall and finding a bathroom and crying and shouting... Why me, why Brett? And then getting on my knees and asking for help, the calm that washed over me was unreal, but I knew that HE was walking hand in hand with me on my journey and was not going to let me go it alone, nor would he allow Brett to go it alone. Heavenly Father sent alot of angles to our family in our time of need, there were friends who took in our other two boys, and never even questioned when we would get them..(This was just a few days before Christmas)There were friends who came and cleaned my house so that I would not have to come home and deal with the smells...People who cooked for us and came by or called to see how things were going and people who just prayed..We know that prayers were answered, because we have Brett with us and he is whole.

There was a lot of recovery, bandage changes, and trips back to the burn unit. But all of us have learn so much. We have watched Brett turn his accident into strengths, I have watched him grow closer to the Lord, and know that he has a purpose here on earth. He has learned lessons that most people never learn. He is much wiser and more caring. We have watched Brett reach out to those who are different and try to build them up. We have seen Brett turn the other cheek to those who made fun of him, he rose above the teasing and still befriended them. Brett is an example to all of us. He has made such progress, it is so nice to have the long road behind us; but we would not trade the trip because of what we have gained.

This is a photo of Brett once he was able to come home, it was taken about 10 days after the accident once most of the swelling had gone down and he was looking more like himself, the white bandages were what we would change twice a day, he was wrapped like a mummy, and Colby and I got to play "cut and paste".

Brett was able to attend Burn camp the past two years up at Camp Tracy, he has been able to be with other burn survivors and learn and experience things with them. He looks forward to this every year. It is very neat to see him shine and be with others who have experienced some of the same experiences. It is nice to see him forget about things and just be a boy...He seems to come back each time with a new attitude, it is neat. It is neat to see they confidence that he returns with.

This is a photo of Brett and Brennon, one of the Junior counselors at Burn camp, this summer. The counselors have either been burn survivors or they work in the burn unit, Brennon is a burn survivor. Brett you continue to amaze me each day in your ability to show compassion to those around you...

Erika

Activities

Ok, I know that I am really bad at updating this as things happen. But one of my callings in the ward is Activities person. So with that said in our ward we typically do an activity each month. And since I am over the activities I am usually in the back working on something and not there with my camera, so I have to rely on people to help me remember the moments and take pictures for me.....So my sweet friend just emailed me some photos so I thought I would share them. The first ones are of the annual "Turkey Shoot" this is always done the day after Thanksgiving and we usually have a great turn out...this year we had over 100 people.

This is what Colby and I did the entire time... He would "throw" and I was the score keeper. This is Brock he was shooting a 410..He got 3rd in his age division he got 9 out of 25.

This is Brett, Kaid & Colten. Brett took 1st in his age division he got 20/25.. Kaid was told that next year he would have to move into a different bracket "the 25" he got 24/25. He also took 1st. This last photo is Brock getting his prize from the Bishop and Alan Davis.

It is a lot of fun, this year we even had Kathy and Roger stay over and come out...Hopefully they will continue the tradition, I know that the grand kids sure liked having them there. Roger shot well but I can't remember what he got.

So with the Turkey Shoot over the next week was the annual ward Christmas Dinner....This is a major undertaking....And I would not have been able to do it with out the help of a few great ladies who jumped in at the last second...To help save the day.....Thanks!!!! Bobbi, Janet, Kimberly, and Norma. And to everyone else who helped that I did not see.... We ended up feeding about 250 people..We ate and then the YW did a program and then of course we had a special visitor from the North Pole....

I do have photos on someones camera of all of my boys on Santa's lap, but right now I am not really sure who's camera...So if you have them on yours please shoot me an email....Thanks!

I missed when Brock was having his conversation with Santa.. But I asked what Brock said when Santa asked him what he wanted...I was a BIT shocked. Brock wants a CELL PHONE! I asked what Santa said, and he said that Santa thought that he could do that! I am going to have to TALK to Santa about that.

Class Assignment

A few weeks ago in one of my classes we were given an assignment to take our families names and for each letter say one thing about them...I decided that since this is like my journal I would transfer the assignment to this so I can remember what I thought....

C- Compassionate

O- Optimistic

L- Loyal

B- Brave

Y- BYU Fan (Y is hard)

M-Magnetic (he is quite the charmer :)

c- Cute

K- Kind

A- Adventurous

I- Intelligent

D- Daring

B- Brave

R- Responsible

E- Excels

T- Tenderhearted

T- Treasure

B- Bold

R- Respectful

O- Outgoing

C- Creative

K- Kind

I have been blessed to have such a good family. I love all of my boys! I hope they know that, and how proud of them I am....

Brett has a concert tonight I will get photos of this one.....

Erika

I FINALLY figured it out!

So this age thing is really working against me. I am really starting to notice my body is just not the same as when I was younger. I have noticed lines, aches, pains, and the big one that I am fat. So with that said my good friend and I started walking in the mornings to work off some of the fat. We get up and walk a little over 1 1/2 miles each day (expect Thursday's) and at first I was quite excited because I saw the scales going down....But now I am just staying right there not gaining but not loosing...I have felt kind of bad, her kids even tease use about still being committed to the exercise thing, they tell me that she is not one to stick to a routine. We have been doing this for six weeks now, and I just got an email that explains my ENTIRE problem.....And my walking partner can attest to just how much metal is in my mouth (she works at our dentists office :) )

So I wonder if we are done walking?!?!?!?

Erika