We are going to UCLA

This is what the kids are excited about. 40 minute from our place. beach is about 10. We are so excited.

Seating for 22, this way.

We had a great Thanksgiving. I had a blast getting ready for the Thanksgiving. Mostly cause Chris was going to be home for four straight days. I just wasn't used to him being around so much. Hopefully someday I won't be surprised when I wake up and he is still there. We just feel so fortunate to have wonderful kids, along with the gospel and a country where we are able to have religious freedoms. We had three families over for Thanksgiving day. The Richards (which me missed Will, but are so glad he is doing better), Blackhams, and the Smiths. Making a total of 22(minus Will). We ate tons of yummy food, laughed, talked, and played the Beatles Rock band. I am so mad for some reason I didn't take any pictures of the best part the people that came. So I guess all I can show is the fun table setting. I had a blast putting together. Learned how to make a center pieces. I also loved that we were all able to write down on the table the things we were grateful for. Then the mints(M&M's and Irish Creme Hershey Kisses) that I wrapped and put as table toppers. So fun and such a full night.

Whistle while you work

So Saturday Morning work has been the new norm. It started with Chris being gone every week end or on call on the one he was home for. So things just were not getting done and our house was starting to pile up. Normally doesn't bother me to bad as long as I know there is an end in site. This time I was just wondering where the end was. So one special Saturday morning. I said this is it. We are starting Saturday chores. I remember doing them and always intended my kids to share in the joy of slave labor. If you are apart of the family well you get enjoy in the part that cleans and learn what it takes to be a family member. I truly believe that if we are always taking our kids to one talent enhancement thing after another. Then when it comes time to be married and raise there family, will they know what its like to not have it all about them or will they just wonder if work is to hard want to get out. I want them to realize how it is to work and when you do it pays off. Its so healthy to give and lend a hand. There is a joy you receive from it that can't be explained. I love this book Chris read one time. About all these highly educated LDS career oriented people. Who had to come home and feel needed in the family by taking out the trash or what ever their responsibility was. They were never above the family. And if they didn't do there work the family and home wouldn't function right. We all need to feel needed and get down on our knees sometimes and put our nose to the grind. Helps humble us. Remembering that work makes us stronger. Realizing that it takes something to make something. Life isn't free. I hope that one day when my boys get married they will be able to show their sweet wives they know how to clean a toilet, tub, vacuum, and then do some yard work. Work has a bad connotation cause work brings for great blessings. So from now on we have child labor laws at our house. Yep, our kids work. I couldn't be prouder of how hard they work today. Don't get me wrong they worked before but Saturday is now a different kind of work day.

Each chore assignment.

Christopher- Counters, Tubs, bedroom- had to clean out drawers Ethan and Christopher had messes up. End with reorganizing the drawers how they wanted them. All three drawers are shared. One PJ's, Sock, and underpants. I think its so cute that they planned their room how they wanted it. So excited about sharing.

Ethan- toilets(they fight over this one, honest no lie),vacuum down stairs, bedroom

Matthew clean up toys in the play room. He did about half, good for now he will get better.

Jackson job destroy what everyone is doing. Eat random items he find like one of Christopher granola bars, It was in the rapper. Not moldy stuff you know.

Me- over see what everyone is doing. Clean my office. You wouldn't recognize it. Mop and the rest of the house.

Chris- Cars and trash.

I can get used to this. Love clean!

And he's off... and now he's done.

Chris has been really busy this past year. Getting research after research project done, taking those never ending tests, serving others, and us. He has done an amazing job. Been an even more amazing Father, and Husband. He has been on the interview trail for the past two months. It has made for some long weeks and weekends. He was gone most of the month of October. So we are hoping and feel hopeful that everything will go well. It has definitely brought on some butterfly's and some stress into our home. We have been through the excitement of being asked to interview and then also the flip side of the sorry letters. I thought would get easier since we have done this before kind of thing. Coming to find out NO we are still human and have this natural part of us that probably wants acceptance from everything and everyone. Needless to say we are very please and feel very blessed to have been able to interview where we have. Chris just finished his last away interview with one more to go at Wake Forest Baptist Hospital where he is currently working. So in no particular order here are the options for our family.

In order of interview timing.Not rank!

UCLA- L.A., Ca
Casey- Portland, Or
Vanderbilt- Nashville, TN
New York Eye and Ear- Manhattan, NYC
UW - Madison, Wisconsin
University of Utah- SLC, UT
Wake Forest Baptist Hospital- Winston Salem,NC

I think we both feel we would be lucky to go to any of these programs. Retina Surgery is highly competitive, and they are saying the numbers of applicants increase by a ton this year. So honestly just matching would be awesome. The best part of being at the end of residency is if we don't match we can at least just move back west and get a job. So I am thinking WIN-Win situation. Preferably we hope to match and feel good about this happening.

I couldn't be more proud of Chris and all his hard work. We love you Dad! I am so grateful for your example to our kids of hard work, love, honestly, priesthood holder, and faithfulness to me. Love ya!

Where do you see us next July?

Match Day is December 8th.

Preschool Halloween Party.

 

 

 

 

Matthew had his first preschool party. It was so fun. They played play dooh, had a ghost craft, and did musical pumpkins. They read a fun book and then ate lunch together. I loved it! Matthew loves going to preschool. I have to say I love Matthew going to preschool. I wish it was everyday. Matthew is really struggling right now. I somedays don't know if we are going to make it. I am sure if you don't see me for a while you might want to come and see if he has me on control and demand mode. We just went to the ENT and they are going to take out his tonsils. I swear he is acting just like Christopher did right before he had his tonsils out. I hope it does the trick other wise I am in for a long next year. He loved being brother bears with Jack-Jack for Halloween. I love that those two really play with each other so well.

Kindergarten Nursery Rhymn parade.

 

 

 

 

Ethan was the cow jumped over the moon. I tell ya he is shy. This is the only way he would pose when he saw me. He loves it but gets so embarrased he wants to sink into himself. What a cute Cow jumping over the moon.

Happy Halloween

 

Christopher- basketball player
Ethan - power ranger
Matthew & Jackson- brother bears

Jackson was also a monkey and super Jack-Jack.

Okay, so Matthew costume totally won the award for funniest. I bought at Once upon a Child and not thinking I should try these on before hand. Got home and it was way to short and the head was abnormally to big. I couldn't look at him with out laughing. Oh well he loved it and I learned an important lesson. I think I have a picture with his hood on but I haven't down loaded those yet so this for now.

T-ball

 

 

 

 

Ethan started sports------

T-ball

I think he liked the idea of playing sports well t-ball, he was so cute out there though. This kid has the biggest heart but is so shy. I loved the picture of him right before he hits the ball. Its just so Ethan. We are going to try some other sports. I think he liked it for the most part. He was really good at hitting the ball and standing in his position. It was sad cause the coach lost his shirt and so the whole season he wore a different colored shirt which made him feel out of place. I felt bad for him, but now that its over he loves his baseball shirt.

 

 

Flag football------------

--------------What can I say this boy loves all sports. He loved football. He loved wearing the mouth gaurd and tags. I was really impressed with the coaches they worked well with the boys. They were really good at showing the kids how to play. He was able to win many of his games. I couldn't believe it when he got touch downs and pulled other peoples tags. This kid is good at sports. He must get it from his Dad cause I don't play sports well at all.

and more

 

 

 

 

Third times the Charm

This is the third time I have been to the Biltmore and it was my favorite cause I was able to just soak up all the rooms and information. They also had three new renovated rooms open that I hadn't seen before. So third times the charm.

This picture above is blurry, So sad we had some one else take it, so I guess that is what you get. Mom and I had a fun day in The Biltmore Estate when she came out. And rescued me from my stressed out life this month. I couldn't be more grateful that Dad let her come while he went to China on business. We had so much fun shopping at Ikea for staging stuff for my house to put it on the market this winter. We laughed our heads off at night. There is just nothing like your mom to help you talk through life and all those little things. I love my mom, So glad she go to come and play.


The flowers we saw were incredible. I think my favorite were these Japanese lantern looking flowers. It was so funny cause we actually brought one home that had fallen on the ground. And sure enough before lunch the next day Ethan had torn it apart. I was so bumbed over a little flower. I guess I wanted to show Chris when he got home from his interview in New York.







After the Biltmore we headed to down town Asheville. I laugh cause when Chris and I tried to do Asheville a couple of years ago, we did it all wrong. Now I know how wrong we did it. Mom and I went to this awesome restaurant called Salsa, and I have been trying to find an excuss to get back there ever since. It was a very unique mexican restaurant. That just had a very different twist to ever dish using a lot of veggies. We were so stuffed. I loved talking with mom the whole day long with out any kid interruptions. It was a perfect day.
To top it off with more shopping for a last minute shirt gift. I love the sweaters Mom thanks so much. Want to laugh everytime I think about that night and making my babysitter sleep over so I could take mom to the airport since I forgot that I had to take her at 5 in the morning. My babysitter was so sweet about it too. LOVE her.

Cars

 

 

 

 

Jackson 21 Months.

I can't believe my baby is so big.

He loves Cars, Cars, and as you can tell trains. This is all he wants to talk about ever. If you ask him what he is thinking he says "Carrrs". He always manages to cram a few more rolled R's in there. Making it all the cuter. This kid has me wrapped around his fingure and I think everyone in our family. We couldn't love and enjoy him more then we already do. What a sweet and happy kid.

Flick

 

 

 

One of the things we love to do at the end of the week is have MOVIE NIGHT together. This was a couple of weeks ago when Chris was actually home. We watch Monsters Vs. Aliens. The kids actually just loved it. I loved how cute they all looked lined up and snuggling together. They each had a bowl of candy and some popcorn so by the end it didn't look so cute but the memory is there.