These Boots are Made for Sleepin'

I think Lizzie likes the new boots I bought for her today.

Baby Number 5

We are excited about our new baby coming late June or early July in 2013.  I have had baby cravings for a very long time and it never seemed the time was right.  I tried feeding my craving by mugging on my new nieces and nephew, but it did not suffice.  Brad and I went to the temple one night and both had the feeling that we needed to try again.  After a month, we were blessed with a positive pregnancy test.  I am now 11 weeks and feeling it.  Ugh!  I forgot about the feeling of morning (night) sickness that comes with early pregnancy.  I ate Taco Bell for the first time in 7 years.  I was craving a stinky Mexican pizza and burrito supreme.  I was dying the rest of the night!  We told the kids on Thanksgiving day because they were starting to get worried about my morning throw up sessions in the bathroom and lethargy in the afternoon.  Brad began by saying that Mom went to the doctor and they found a parasite that will live inside her for another seven months.  You will find that she will gain some weight because the parasite is positioned in her stomach which will grow dramatically.  The reaction:  Brian was laughing under his breath (nothing gets by him), Scott was seriously worried and kept asking questions like, "What does it look like?"  "How big will it get?"  How will the doctors get it out?"  Is mom going to get more sick?"  Lizzie and Katie just kept asking for the different flavors of sparkling ciders in their glasses while Brad was talking.  In conclusion, our children are very excited for the new addition to our family.  The only problem is that I gave everything baby away because I seriously thought our family was complete.  At least I still have a crib that is stored at my in-laws and I get to shop for baby clothes!  So fun!  We will find out if we are having a boy or girl in February.  I will keep everyone posted, but I have a feeling we are having a little boy.  

Names in the making:

Girl:  Annabelle (shocked that Brad likes this)  

Boy:  Michael Pearson (after great-grandma Elizabeth's maiden name)

Brian is Middle School Class President

So proud of my little Einstein for winning American Leadership Academy Middle School Class President.  He is loving it!  We worked for two days on his posters which had a Captain America theme.  He did well on his speech in which he informed people that "he may look like Captain American before he had his super serum, but he will lead the school with the same strength and integrity that Captain America has."  

San Diego Trip 2012

San Diego Zoo

 I want one of these herb walls when I get big

Yikes!  A great picture of my braces!

Actual polar bear size

 Scott found this snail.  He loved the antenae!

 On the sky lift

 By sweet Brian loves his little sister Katie

This is how tired Katie was at the end of the day

Yes, that is snot!

Coronado Beach

So beautiful!

Christmas Dance Recital

Dancing to Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

Katie and her friends dancing to I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

Posing for the camera!

I started Lizzie and Katie in this great dance studio that takes place in a home garage that has been converted to a dance studio.  I am so happy I did!  I can now invite family to the recitals because the tickets do not cost $10 a person, they use a public facility for the recitals, and their costumes have no hint of "hoochy mama" at all!  I love that I can reuse them  for dance clothes, too.  I also love that they dance with their neighborhood friends which means I can carpool with them.  The recital was so fun to watch and it was only an hour on a Saturday morning.  

A Christmas Theme

This is Lizzie's latest writing assignment.  Here is the translation:

"If Santa decided he would not work on Christmas, I think an elephant would take over and I know that it would give me an MP3 player (note her understanding-empty 3 player) and my brother Brave and my sister the dad of Brave if they have it."

I love my little Lizzie!

Katie's Got a New Look!

Love this look!



Show me love!

Now she's just flirtin'!

My sweet baby girl is near-sighted like her Grandma Judy!  Her glasses have little hearts and butterflies on the side and are very pink.  Very Katie! 



Family Camping Trip 2012



For our family vacation this year, we did it hillbilly style and headed up north to old Southern Utah for some fine camping.  We planned on camping in Zion National Park, but a local told us that Zion is way too crowded and the facilities are not that great.  She then directed us about 26 miles north of Kanab to the Corral Pink Sand Dunes.  We could not have asked for a better camp ground!  Velvety sand grounds,  a personal picnic table, barbecue, bathroom and shower.  It was perfect!

Isn't this view amazing?!  I have never seen anything so beautiful!  This is near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  The clouds are spectacular and they made the most gorgeous shadows on the rim.  We live in an incredible state!

This is at the Best Friends Animal Shelter.  There was this really interesting koi fish that looked like a Chinese dragon.  I wish I would have taken a picture of it.

  

 

Brian-12, Scott-9, Elizabeth-6, and Katie-3 at one of the many scenic places in Zion National Park.  This was after we listened to a ranger tell the history of Zion.

Hummingbird Heaven!

Brian playing cards under the great Cottonwood tree in the middle of a grass field near the lodge at Zion.

At the edge of the Virgin River.  Katie wanted to swim in it so bad, but a native told us that there is a cow farm up stream and sometimes the cows poop in the river.  I did not want my kids to come home with a souvenir of E. Coli or Listeriosis.  It was difficult to resist swimming though.

Lizzie's balancing act. 

 

Scott and Brian resting near the river after a long day at the park.

 

Yee Haw, Cow Girls!  We ate at this dive in Kanab because we drove home so late from Zion. Neither Brad or I wanted to cook at our camp ground.   It had the worst salad bar in the world!  There was a nice Australian man in front of me in the salad bar line and he asked the waitress which dressing is which.  She said that the one with clumps in it is Blue Cheese dressing and the other is Ranch.  Clumps?  We both laughed at how unappetizing she made Blue Cheese dressing sound.

 

Scenery from the Best Friends Animal Shelter

Pot Belly Pig goes for a walk.  NO, not my husband!  Of course, Brad is my pot-bellied sweetheart!

Coral Pink Sand Dunes.  Can you see our names and hand prints in the sand?  Isn't Katie's smile adorable.  She loved the sand!  It was so soft and velvety that you had to take your shoes off and squish your toes in it.

This is what came out of Lizzie's shoes every night.  As you can tell, she was very proud of it!

      Our camp site

Scott loved finding all kinds of bugs.  Everyday, Scott and Lizzie found a stink bug and named it.  It grossed me out how they would let them crawl all over their hands and arms!  They did not mind their smell when they sprayed.  Lizzie thought it smelled like hot chocolate.  Ick!

Chug-a-lug, Katie!  Brad picked up 5 different kinds of Jones Sodas and took off the labels.  They all had to guess what flavor the soda was while we drove to Bryce Canyon.  Katie guzzled the every last drop of bubblegum soda.

 Beautiful Bryce Canyon.  The 3 mile hike on the Navajo trail was so breathtaking!  I did not even mind the huge drop off when we hiked down the trail.  My children are so brave when it comes to heights.  Not me!  I seriously came home with fever blisters all over my lips from keeping in the stress of the kids going down that steep trail.  I did not want to share my fear with them.  They were so steadfast in keeping up our pace and moving forward, even Katie.

See how high it is?  This picture was one of those moments in which I kept my stress at bay.

Katie still is happy after going up this canyon full of switch backs.

North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  A nice man from San Francisco took this picture.  We met people from all over the world!  France, Netherlands, Germany, Lithuania, Egypt, Belgium, Australia, and a lot of East Coasters.  Brad and I loved talking to everyone.  He also was able to practice his French speaking skills.

Bison grazing in the meadow near the North Rim on the Jacob Lake turn off.  We counted 48 adults and 14 calves.

Little Baby Mule Deer grazing by his mother near a trail in Zion National Park.

We loved this vacation.  I am getting so much better at camping!  Brad is an amazing camper chef!  He made the best oatmeal, eggs and pancakes, and burgers while we were there.  I have to admit I made a really great stew one night!  Of course with every camping trip one has their mishaps.  One night Katie woke up because she had to go to the bathroom.  I did not want to walk to the restrooms, so I had her pee near our campsite on a boulder.  She ended up peeing a little on my leg and foot.  Luckily, I was able to give myself a quick bath with Wet Ones.  Gross!  I also had altitude sickness when we reached 8,000 feet at Bryce Canyon.  Headache, nausea, and immense pressure that evening was not fun.  A good night sleep cured that illness.  Did you notice Brad's beard?  Not that his beard is a mishap!  Well, he grew that out over the summer during all his manly camping trips. I made him shave it off when we came home.  His beard just looked messy!  I will treasure every single memory from this wonderful trip.  I loved spending time with every child without the distractions of computers, t.v., and everyday life.  What a great finale to a summer full of camping!