The Ensign Family

Kelsey Update

2012-02-06T15:15:00.006-07:00

It is hard to believe that our little Kelsey is almost 5 months old. She continues to grow and is now in the 75 percentile for nearly all of her growth categories of height, weight and head size. Thankfully she also continues to be a calm and happy baby. Since our last update she has been in twice to have new ear molds made as she continues to grow out of the previous mold. We also went in to have a second Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) test performed.

Love the look on her face...."um, something cold is in my ear." It is a little difficult to tell, but the new mold (pink) is quite a bit larger than her current mold (clear).

Primary Children's Hospital Visit for second ABR test.

The audiologist was very thorough in her testing and ultimately maxed out the capacity of their equipment without getting a response. This didn't really come as news to us as we do not feel like even the hearing aids (turned up to 80 decibels) are registering a response from her.

Getting fitted for her third set of ear molds. She doesn't even fuss during the process. In the coming weeks we will take her in for an MRI to take a look at the workings of her ear. It will be interesting to see if all looks normal inside, or if perhaps some things are either missing or out of place. We have also begun the process of having a specialist come to our home twice a month to teach all of us Sign Language. It will be nice for our kids to have instruction coming from someone other than Mom and Dad.

There is a Deaf Ward that meets close to our home here in Lehi. In the coming weeks we want to attend and get a feel for that as well. Mostly want to ensure that our older kids could feel comfortable. I doubt we would attend this Ward regularly until Kelsey is older, but we are interested in checking it out.

One fun development is Kelsey has begun to babble in Sign Language. We will have to post a short video soon. She will wave one hand quickly, and also make a fist and tap the side of her head. She also recognizes the sign for bottle and milk.

Thanks to all of our family and friends for their continued love and support.

No more Monkeys Jumping on the Bed...

2012-02-03T12:36:00.001-07:00

Unless Dad is trying to take your picture.

In this quiet moment....

2012-01-08T21:13:00.002-07:00

Cassidy and Mckay asleep in Mckay's room, having a sleepover. Kelsey asleep in my arms and my husband asleep on the couch has inspired me to take a moment and send out a big thank you. Thank you to all who have blessed our lives this past year. My heart is full of gratitude and love for all those who love and support us. Also, a thanks to my Father in Heaven, who is constantly blessing us. I see miracles happen every day. I am grateful to know that I am not alone in the challenges, or in the joys of life. I have seen many times his year when my prayers have been answered by other people. I am grateful for dear family and friends that have been my angels this year. I am grateful for my sweet kids, and wonderful husband whom I get to share every day with. I feel so blessed to have so much.

Blessing Day

2011-12-11T19:17:00.006-07:00

December 11, 2011

Blessing Day

Today I am a proud Mama. We blessed Kelsey at church today. She looked beautiful and never even cried; even with 11 men standing around her. She was blessed to be an adventurous spirit, and to have much patience and love for those around her. Thank you to all the family members that traveled to be to our meeting at 9 am. For the family that wanted to be there, but could not, your spirit and love was felt. Thank you all for your love and support!

Kelsey is a little angel that has come to our family. She is such a happy, calm, peaceful baby. She absolutely adores people. If you make eye contact with her you are most likely going to get a smile from her that will melt your heart. I treasure the moments I get as her earthly mother. I love to snuggle with her. I love holding her and talking with her. It has been so fun having another baby in our home. She brought a piece of heaven with her to share with our family. I am grateful for my bright, smiley, blue eyed baby girl. She is a ray of sunshine and makes all those around her happy. I love you Kelsey girl!

Bedtime Story

2011-12-09T15:09:00.007-07:00

Usually the kids will pretend to be asleep so I will carry them up to their beds.

This night they really were asleep.

As often as possible, I try to "tell" the kids a bedtime instead of "reading" the kids a bedtime story. This means, however, that I have to be creative at coming up with new stories all the time. When I just can't seem to bring my 'A' game in the creativity department... I usually end up ripping off the storyline to some movie the kids have never seen. Most of the time I can come up with stories that keep the kids entertained. Recently our stories have been lasting several nights before reaching their conclusion. Last night we finished up one of our multi-night stories, but I had a tough time finishing after Cassidy asked a funny question.

Brief synopsis of where we were in our story....

"The two children are attempting to find treasure in the dark cave. They are using the light from the boy's watch to explore the cave. Together they find shapes carved into the cave room floor. There were Squares, Circles, and Triangles. The kids began to follow the pattern of shapes..."

Cassidy loudly interrupts: "Dad, there were no rhombuses!?"

Sadly I had failed to include the wonderful rhombus shape in the cave floor carvings. I know...careless on my part. It is nice to know she is paying attention at school.

Kelsey Update

2011-12-05T15:13:00.008-07:00

We have had a bit of a busy month as we continue to learn all that we can about Kelsey's hearing loss and the options that are available to us. The next logical step in our adventure with Kelsey is to determine IF or to what extent Hearing Aids may provide sound to her. To do this we visited with a very helpful Audiologist who created an ear mold for Kelsey. This is done by attaching a small piece of foam onto the end of a string. The foam is placed into the ear canal to ensure nothing gets past, and then the ear is filled with a pink silicone like substance. Once the plaster like material has dried it can safely be removed. The ear mold below was then shipped away where a company will make the actual piece that will fit inside her ear and attach to the hearing aid. Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday, we needed to wait two weeks to get her molds back. While waiting for her ear molds to be shipped back to us we visited an Opthamologist to ensure Kelsey's vision was free from any abnormalities; mainly Ushers Syndrome. We were less concerned about this appointment as she smiles whenever making eye contact with us.

Kelsey's exam room.

Waiting for the Eye Doctor. All of the results from her vision tests came back normal.

Before Kelsey could be fitted with her new Hearing Aids we once again visited with the Audiologists who performed an additional hearing test. The results of this test were then used to program her new Hearing Aids to the appropriate frequencies. The sticker on her shirt says, "I had a hearing test."

Finally her ear molds arrived in the mail and earlier today we once again traveled to meet with the Audiologist to have her fitting for her hearing aids. Unsure the extent in which these hearing aids may assist her, we are simply borrowing these aids "on-loan" for a three month trial period.

Mom and Dad taking turns putting her hearing aids on. After a little practice and some very patient cooperation from Kelsey we started to get the hang of it. Both Hearing Aids on for the first time.

We will continue to explore all avenues available to us. Kelsey is such a sweetheart of a baby. Other than choosing to have a very late bed time, she sleeps through the night and is very happy during the day. As we continue to learn more and explore other avenues we will continue to update this blog with her adventures. Thank you to all of our family and friends for their continued love and support.

Cassidy's REFLECTIONS

2011-12-05T15:08:00.003-07:00

This year Cassidy entered the "Reflections" contest in two categories: Visual Arts, and Literature. We are proud of her and the lessons she learned while thinking about this years' theme- DIVERSITY MEANS...

"I am fine, because I am me!"
Accepting her ribbon

Showing off her Visual Art and Ribbons.

Happy Birthday Mckay!

2011-12-05T14:59:00.004-07:00

Happy 5th Birthday to Mckay!

On his request, we went to Panda Express for lunch,

and Chuck 'E' Cheese for dinner as a family.

Opening Presents

He is such a great kid, and we are so glad to have him as a part of our family.

Visiting Grandma & Grandpa on a Mission

2011-11-22T13:50:00.007-07:00

Alisa's parents are currently serving as President of the Washington, Tacoma Mission. When we felt Kelsey was old enough to travel we went up to visit and introduce them to their new granddaughter. They were so kind to take time to see us, and to show us the beauty of their mission.

Thankfully Kelsey slept for most of our outings.

"Come on Grandma - Race Me!"

The kids were even able to pick out the pumpkins for the mission home.

One of the highlights of the mission home is the rope swing in the front yard. Even when it was raining a bit, we went out front to swing on the swing. I wonder how many Elders have also taken a turn on the swing....I'll bet hundreds. Thank you to the Weavers and their Sacrifice of Service. We love you and are proud of all you are doing. Thanks for the fun visit.

Dads & Doughnuts

2011-11-22T13:44:00.003-07:00

Cassidy's school every year invites the Dad's to come in and read to their kids while enjoying a doughnut. It was so fun to go with Cassidy and have her be excited to show me around her classroom. We read some books, had some laughs, and ate a doughnut. I am already looking forward to next years' Dads and Doughnuts.

Pumpkin Carving

2011-11-22T13:36:00.003-07:00

My Brother Grant and his wife Jill invited us to their home this year to carve our pumpkins. Cassidy and Mckay did a great job choosing their pumpkin, and drawing the design they wanted Dad to carve out for them. (Not quite ready to give them the knife yet.) I love how they are both in shorts while out in the cold. Where are these kids' parents?

Happy Halloween!

Birthday Time

2011-11-22T13:32:00.001-07:00

Happy 30th Birthday to Lisi.

On October 21, we were able to celebrate Lisi's 30th Birthday.

What a joy and a blessing she is to have as a wife and the mother of our beautiful children.

Our Kelsey is Deaf

2011-11-14T16:00:00.013-07:00

Two Months Old!

I'm not sure it is possible to be prepared to have someone inform you that your new daughter is Deaf; however, when the announcement came it did not exactly come as a surprise.

Kelsey was born on September 13, 2011. Like her older siblings she failed to pass her first hearing screening. Because we had other children fail their first test, we were not too concerned that Kelsey would never pass a hearing screening, but rather, like her siblings, she just needed a little more time.

We waited the necessary time and had her tested again. Again, she did not pass her hearing screening. We were then told that we should wait another two weeks and then have her tested again. Our suspicions that Kelsey was Deaf began during these two weeks. A loud noise would occur and she seemed unfazed. I took her on a walk in the stroller and when a loud motorcycle stopped at our intersection and she remained asleep, I took special notice.

We waited the two weeks, she was tested, and again we were told she was not passing the tests. At the conclusion of this third failed screening, the audiologist recommended that we have a more comprehensive test performed. This test is called an ABR (Auditory Brainstem Response). Sadly, we were forced to wait nearly 2 weeks for the soonest available appointment.

Kelsey had an ABR performed at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center on October 17th. The audiologist connected electrodes around her head and performed multiple tests to determine if she had a hearing loss, and if so, what kind. Hearing loss typically falls under two categories:

1. Conductive: This hearing loss occurs when there is a problem conducting sound waves through the outer ear, the ear drum or the middle ear. In some cases, this type of hearing loss can be temporary or solved by surgery.

2. Sensorineural: Hearing loss occurs in the inner ear, or the cochlea (snail shaped part of the ear that contains thousands of hair cells), the cranial nerve (nerve that sends the sound waves to the brain), or in the central processing part of the brain (the brain cannot receive the message from the nerve). Typically one or more of these functions does not work properly.

Types of hearing loss fall under four categories:
1. Mild
2. Moderate
3. Severe
4. Profound

At the conclusion of Kelsey's ABR she was diagnosed with Profound Hearing Loss. Her hearing loss is Sensorineural. It is believed that only in some very low tone frequencies she may have Severe Hearing Loss. Having to tell parents of a tiny baby that their child is Deaf cannot be easy, however, we left a little disheartened at the lack of resources provided to us as we left. We were basically told, "I am so sorry. Do some research on your own, and your child's pediatrician can also assist you." The drive home was a somber one and the rest of the day felt like a constant ride on an emotional roller coaster.

Thankfully Alisa works for Utah Schools for the Deaf. This meant that we at least were aware of individuals to contact who could point us to available resources. After taking a couple of days to wrap our heads around the idea of having a child who could not hear, we began making the necessary appointments to educate ourselves on what options we had.

We visited a Pediatric ENT at Primary Children's Hospital who confirmed the previous diagnosis. He was more helpful in explaining what options we may have, and also referred us to an Opthamologist and a Cardiologist to rule our some very rare, but also very serious conditions that can accompany Deafness. There were no complications during Alisa's pregnancy, or during delivery. We have no family history of Deafness, and therefore the ENT felt it appropriate to rule out some of these serious conditions.

Our Opthamology appointment is scheduled for early December. More anxious to rule out any heart problems, we visited a Cardiologist for several hours where many more tests were performed. Thankfully, Kelsey does NOT have the serious condition known as a LQTS (Long QT Syndrome) in which there is a delayed repolarization of the heart following a heartbeat. It was nice to finally get some good news.
Since we have learned of her Deafness we have been grateful to family and friends who have expressed their love and support to not only us, but also to little Kelsey. She is a beautiful girl that we feel so blessed to have in our lives. We do not view Kelsey as broken, disabled, or handicapped. She is merely a beautiful girl that cannot hear. We continue to explore all options available to us and are in touch with some helpful organizations who are visiting our home regularly to educate us. We are embarking on a new adventure. We will continue to update this blog with news of Kelsey, but also of all the crazy things that continue to happen in the Ensign household.

Cassidy is 7

2011-11-04T10:52:00.002-06:00

Cassidy is 7 years old now. She had a fantastic birthday. We went to lunch as a family at Wendy's. She was very excited to get to check out of school for lunch time.

After school she had her first "friends" birthday part. We decorated pumpkis, played pin th tail on the donkey, and ate scones and ice cream. All the kids had great time. We are grateful Cassidy has so many good friends.

Cassidy got a scooter and a mini pillow pet from Mom and Dad. She was very excited and decided the mini pillow pet should be in every picture we took after that.

The weather was nice enough to try the scooter out after her party.

We are so glad Cassidy is a part of our family. She is a fun loving, dancing, singing, energetic, book reading, smart and sensitive daughter. We love you Cassidy!

4 weeks old

2011-10-21T21:44:00.003-06:00

Happy 30th Birthday Taylor!!!

2011-10-20T16:02:00.002-06:00

September 29th was the BIG day for Taylor. We were excited to be able to celebrate with him. We sent the kids to school and Taylor and I (along with the baby) went on a lunch date. When the kids got home we celebrated with gifts. The kids helped wrapped their gifts, then they colored on the outside of the wrapping paper. They were proud of the gifts they had to give their Dad, and this year, he even got to open them himself.

We are so grateful for what an awesome person Taylor is. He has been the glue that has held everything together the past year or so. He works hard to build his business, he takes such great care of the kids and me, and always helps keep the house looking good. Thank you for all you do Taylor, we love you!

The camera was out so we needed to snap photos of the kids.

Cassidy and Kelsey

Our greatest blessings....

and the reason we practice Zone Defense and not man to man
This is the view we see almost all day. Mckay getting close to his baby sister and giving her lots and lots of kisses

Two weeks old

2011-10-20T15:48:00.002-06:00

Kelsey is such a joy to have in our home. She is a calm, happy baby. Well, unless you put her in the car or try and change her diaper. Kelsey is a good sleeper. She has even slept through the night already. We are realistic and know that it may not last, but we will take any night's sleep that we can. Kelsey loves to have time to herself to lay on the ground and stretch. She is the first child that we have had that likes to lay on the ground by herself. Luckily she loves cuddle time too. The whole family fights over who gets to hold her. Her big brother Mckay always has plenty of kisses to give her. We are so glad she is here and a part of our family.

The things kids say...

2011-10-19T12:29:00.005-06:00

I love being a mom, and hearing all the funny things that kids say. Recently there have been many funny stories at our house. Here are two of my favorite:

During general conference we were listening to one of the apostles speak. As he started to close his talk he turned to a side and looked directly in the camera. As he did this Mckay's eyes got really big and he started leaning backwards. He turned to me and said, "Mom, Can he see me?"

One afternoon Cassidy had a friend ask to play. I reminded her that today her room had to be clean before she could play with friends. I was really hopeful this would help motivate her to clean it up. I sent her up to her room to start and told her I would be there in 3 minutes to help her. About two minutes later she came downstairs and with a bit of attitude said, "Mom, would you rather me clean my room or study the gospel!!!?
While shaking my head I replied, "Right now you are supposed to be cleaning your room, so I would like you to clean your room."

"But Mom," she said while holding up a Book of Mormon, "I am already to Alma!"

It was a nice effort on her part, but she still had to clean her room.

One week old

2011-10-03T16:19:00.000-06:00

The Tanning Bed

2011-10-03T16:06:00.003-06:00

Traditionally I have to take my kids to test Billirubin levels 24 hours after hospital discharge. Kelsey is the first of my children to have her levels sky rocket high enough to have to use the lights. She was on the fancy tanning beds for 4 days. She was a good sport and slept pretty well while she was on the lights. We even got a "Billi Blanket" which is a smaller light that you place on their tummy or back while you hold them. It was nice to be able to hold her some of the time and still be able to have her under the light.

Our newest addition

2011-10-03T15:40:00.005-06:00

Our little lady....Kelsey

We are so glad that Kelsey is here safe and sound. We were a bit surprised at how large she was...I never thought I would deliver a 9 pound baby but now I have. Things went smoothly with labor and delivery. Labor was a little longer than we expected but I was able to sleep through some of it, so I was not complaining. Our stay at American Fork Hospital was great. The nurses and staff were exceptional, and the dining room service was awesome. We had a lot of family stop by to visit. We are grateful for all those that helped with our other kids, and those that came to keep us company during my stay in the hospital. We could not have done it without all the love and support!

We were able to take Kelsey home two days after she was born. Her brother and sister were very excited to have her home. Mckay has showered her with kisses over and over again, and Cassidy always has a good dance to show off to her sister.

One of our favorite things about Kelsey is how she loves to stretch. She doesn't like to be swaddled, just lay flat with her legs straight out. It is especially cute how her legs just hang in the air. I am convinced that she had her legs straight most of the time she was in the womb now that I have seen how she likes to relax. We sure love this little girl!!

Mckay's first day of preschool

2011-09-28T20:51:00.004-06:00

On September 6th Mckay started school. He is going to a new preschool with one of his close friends. To celebrate the start of his school we went to dinner as a family and then to his back to school night. We met his new teacher Mrs. Trisha and he saw the room he will get to play in for free time. He was excited to start school, even if you asked him directly he would tell you he doesn't want to go.

The morning of school Mckay took his traditional picture in the front yard, and then one in front of the home where he goes to school. Mckay is getting so big, I am glad we have this last year of preschool before he starts public school and is gone to school all day.

Kelsey has Arrived

2011-09-13T22:28:00.002-06:00

Kelsey arrived today a little before 6 pm.

I'll create an additional post later, but wanted to announce her arrival.

9 pounds 3 ounces 21 inches long

Getting Checked out and cleaned up.

Mom and Baby are doing Great. Thanks to all the well-wishers.

1st Grade!

2011-08-31T17:48:00.002-06:00

First Day of 1st Grade

"First day of School, First day of School!"

Never one to shy away from a good pose.

Cassidy was excited to tell her Grandma that she rides the BYU bus.

Sandwhich Du Jour

2011-08-31T17:41:00.002-06:00

Cassidy and Mckay have entered the phase of life where they like to prepare food for their parents. The other day I was working on the computer when they brought me up this declicious looking sandwhich.
Looks good right?

Easy to make really, just take two slices of bread, coat with mayonaise, add provolone cheese, and top if all off with a generous portion of sliced strawberries. MMMmmm.

Thanks Kids!

I was super appreciative, and then we had a talk about the kinds of things Dad likes on his sandwhiches.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Show with Kids

2011-08-31T13:03:00.005-06:00

Mom and Dad decided that before a new little sister joins the family, we would go out for a "big kid" date. We went to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Hale Center Theater in West Valley. They had seen the show before at an outdoor venue and were excited to see it again. We didn't get tickets early enough however so we were split up sitting 2 and 2. Perhaps a bit hard to see, but Cassidy and I are sitting behind the older gentleman in the black tie. She was excited to watch as the performers came out onto the stage. Mckay with Mom.At intermission Cassidy and Mckay switched places. Still difficult to see, but now Mckay is with me. (Fourth row up behind the man in the black tie.)After the show was over, Cassidy wanted to go shake "Joseph's" hand and tell him what a good job he had done. He said it meant the most coming from the younger kids. We have so much fun with our "older kids." They are good kids who are kind to each other. We are excited however, as it won't be long now until a new "little one" joins our family.

Pass of all Passes

2011-08-19T21:01:00.004-06:00

For Christmas we got Utah County Pass of all Passes. We have enjoyed Trafalga, Flash Basketball games, Orem Owlz games, and now Seven Peaks Water Park. Summer is coming to an end and we were anxious to get out and have some big kid fun before school starts and the baby is here. The kids loved the wave pool, and all the slides. Taylor was fantastic to help the kids so much, since I was limited in what I could do being pregnant. I am so grateful for all of his help and support. I just smile when I see him playing with our kids.

The kids loved to ride in their own tubes. At the end of the day we discovered the slides they could do all by themselves, even wait in line.

Pioneer Day Waterballoon Volleyball

2011-08-10T13:03:00.003-06:00

For Pioneer Day this year we got together with my family for a BBQ and some Waterballoon Volleyball. Thanks to my parents for the fun BBQ, and to my Sister Amy for the fun game.

My grandpa losing his hat while making the save.

Cassidy with her grandpa "Poppa Eric"

The unbeatable team!

Delivery in Seattle

2011-08-10T12:32:00.008-06:00

At the end of June, Alisa's parents began their Missionary Service as the President of the Washington, Tacoma Mission. Alisa and I volunteered to drive a vehicle up to them. We left mid-day on Thursday and drove about 10 1/2 hours before stopping in Kennewick, WA for the night. The Boise Temple. (Picture taken from the car window as we drove by.)
Mt. Raineer
The drive through Oregon and into Washington really was beautiful.

Space Needle
View from the Observation Deck

Alisa looking cute as we get ready to board the Seattle Monorail.

The above picture has funny story. We walked down to Pike Place Market. The "Public Market" sign is pretty popular so I asked her to stand by the curb so I could take her picture with "the sign." She acted a little confused wondering why I would want a picture of her with that sign. The picture below is the sign she thought I was referring to.

We are not fans of sea food, but the market was a lot of fun, and had beautiful flowers.

We bought some to give to Alisa's mom.

Don't want to eat them, but still fun to see.

We arrived safely and have a fun, although quick time with Alisa's parents.

We are proud of them and their willingness to serve.

Orem Owlz

2011-08-10T12:28:00.002-06:00

Fun night at the Ballpark.

Butterfly

2011-06-28T13:21:00.003-06:00

Taylor's mom loves butterflies, monarch butterflies the most. Every year she will collect Milk Weed and find the eggs on the leaves. The family, and many local school classes, enjoys watching the eggs hatch to caterpillars, the caterpillars grow large and fat, turn into a chrysalis, then become beautiful butterflies. Often I watch Cassidy play and see her share many of the same interests as her Grandma Lisa. She loves to make things, sewing, plants, flowers, animals, and butterflies. One Sunday she found a butterfly. It must have been injured, and not able to fly, or else Cassidy had the magic touch to be able to hold it.

The end of a great school year

2011-06-28T12:47:00.003-06:00

June is coming to an end fast! This has been a very busy, fun filled month for our little family. Cassidy graduated from kindergarten and Mckay from Joy School. Since then we have been busy with my family enjoying the last few weeks we will have all together before my parents leave for their mission. My prediction...my kids are going to be bored in July.

Cassidy's school held a dance festival. Cassidy was so excited. She did a great job performing. It made her day that when she was done, she got to get checked out of school.

Pictures: Cassidy with Grandma and Grandpa Weaver and Cassidy with Mrs. Rico

Kindergarten graduation was on June 2nd. Cassidy felt this was a very special day. She invited the whole family down for her ceremony then to our house for special sugar cookies and watermelon. During the ceremony a video was played of each child saying what they are excited for about first grade. Most of the kids said "to meet my new teacher" or "two recesses." Cassidy, my original and creative child, said "To go to school all day long!" I am excited for her to go to school all day, but I am already sad that she will not be around the house to entertain us all. She is a happy kid that is always full of excitement. We will miss her when she is gone all day long!

Jarom, Mckay, Kaitlyn and Jack. (Alan moved a month before school ended)

The start of the school year Mckay and I started an adventure together. I, and a few other moms in the neighborhood, started a pre-school class for our kids. We each taught twice every 5 weeks. The year was fun and the kids grew to be good friends. Mckay loves to have his friends come and play, and he is even comfortable going to play at their house now too. I am grateful that we were able to be a part of this school group. I am proud of Mckay for the things he learned and the friends he made. I was surprised to learn that he likes to be the class clown, tell jokes and make every one laugh. He has grown up this year!

We had our graduation party at a park. The kids had fun running and playing make believe. We forced them to stop playing to take a picture. It's just too bad that the graduation caps that I made were way too small to stay on their heads.

Cassidy...The Bee Killer

2011-05-26T23:38:00.007-06:00

Now that the weather is starting to improve, we are again being visited by wasps and other annoying stinging creatures. Recently, Cassidy decided to take it upon herself to "Poison" the bees with some orange juice, an otter pop, a chinet plate, loads of tape, and a hand-written note. (Apparently these are some intelligent bees.) She was convinced that with one sip, the bees would become so ill that they would die.

Translation: "Nectar is good for bees, and This is Nectar."

Convincing? I think so.

Although it may have helped that I bought a chemical spray...

Tulip Festival

2011-05-06T16:22:00.004-06:00

Thanks Grandma for visiting the Tulip Festival with us this year.
Mckay wouldn't pose for too many photos,
but is always happy to have his picture taken with his mom.

Cassidy found this piece and felt that it looked like her.

Lost Tooth

2011-05-06T16:11:00.004-06:00

Cassidy lost her first tooth!

Thank you to all of those who fielded a phone call from an excited girl!

How about an Announcement!

2011-04-28T17:25:00.004-06:00

Baby Ensign GIRL due mid-September.

Mckay's excuses

2011-03-29T11:14:00.003-06:00

Mckay loves to make excuses to get out of bed at night.

Here are some I like:

-I am too hot to sleep

-I am too cold to sleep

-I changed my pajamas

-It is too dark

-Cassidy is being too noisy (she is in a different room)

My recent favorite excuse is "Mom, I am too sleepy to sleep!"

A few new things...

2011-03-05T16:23:00.002-07:00

The kids got their own room before Christmas. Since then we have been making little changes here and there. The first thing we did was make new curtains for Cassidy's room. Well, really my amazing mother-in-law made them while I watched. They match the bed spreads perfect and we just love them! We also used a gift card from Christmas to purchase a cheap carpet cleaning machine. The kid's carpets have been cleaned!!! It looks great.

My parents received their mission call. They will be serving as Mission President in the Washington, Tacoma mission. We will sure miss them, but are proud of their example and choice to serve a mission. We love you Mom and Dad!

Our kids are growing up fast. Mckay is enjoying his joy school. He especially loves spending time with his Dad, and playing the Wii. His new phase it mismatched socks. He won't wear socks if they are matching. Not sure where it came from, but if he has socks on, I don't really care what they look like.

Cassidy is loving kindergarten. She is a great reader, and a great friend to all those in her class. She recently got glasses for reading time. She loves them! She especially loves to carry the glass case around with her and clean her glasses as often as possible. Mom and Dad just hope they don't break any time soon. Cassidy also just started a gymnastics class. She is good at gymnastics and Mom and Dad just hope it helps get rid of some of that energy she has bundled up. :)

New family rule....

2011-02-22T18:59:00.002-07:00

"No crafting in the bathroom"

Mom and Dad are tired of cleaning up bits of paper, glue, scissors, crayons and tape of the floor.

Our Resident Artist

2011-01-31T12:19:00.002-07:00

For Christmas this year Cassidy asked for nothing but Art Supplies. She was so excited to receive: paper, pencils, glue, scissors, and many other craft related materials. She literally spends hours a day coloring page after page to give away to family and friends. The picture above is one she is most recently proud of. We love our little artist. If you need a picture drawn especially for you....just drop by.

Thank you Taylor!

2011-01-29T19:23:00.002-07:00

Thank you Taylor for all of your hard work this week.

I am so blessed to have a husband that takes great care of me. This week he deep cleaned my kitchen (including hand scrubbing each tile on the floor), cleaned the bathrooms, kept up on all the dirty dishes, cleaned the kids' rooms, and even carpet cleaned all the floors in the house. He washed all the towels and rugs and fed the kids almost every meal. On top of that all, he gave me a long Saturday morning nap.

I love you Taylor! Thank you, thank you!!!

Merry Chirstmas and a Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T21:39:00.003-07:00

Ready or not 2011 is here!

2010 was an adventure for our family. We are grateful for our home, clothes and means to provide for ourselves, the extra time we had had to spend together, the gospel, and mostly for each other.

I love you Taylor, Cassidy and Mckay!

New years eve with the Weaver's

Mckay did not quite make it to see the ball drop, Cassidy was a ball of energy the whole night.

Christmas Morning.....We love spending a day spoiling our kids rotten, eating too much candy and playing as a family.

2010-12-23T15:38:00.008-07:00

A lot has happened in the past few months. We have been working hard, and making sure there is still plenty of time to have fun as a family. The following entries are from most recent to oldest. Fall is a great time of year for our family!

This past weekend we went with the whole Weaver clan to the most magical place on earth.

(all 22 of us, we all looked great in our matching clothes!)

This is the first time our kids have been tall enough to go on every ride with the exception of Indiana Jones and Screamin' roller coaster in California Adventure. Needless to say...THEY LOVED IT!

Matterhorn was their favorite ride. One time was never enough...it was always. "again, again!"

It was quite the Disney experience. Two days of rain added to the fun!

Small World at Christmas time. A Weaver family favorite.

Waiting in line for the Run Away Train and Space Mountain

Taylor and I finally made it to our first Jazz game. We went with all the married couples in his family. It was a blast, and helped that the Jazz put Golden State away.

My parents decided to take all their girls food storage shopping for their Christmas presents. After loading up 6 carts of food and running in through one checking lane, my dad got to play a scratch to win game. He won!! Our whole order was FREE! It was quite a great feeling to leave with a ton of food, and not have had to have Dad pay for any of it.

Thanks for being willing to pay for it all Dad! I love you!

This is Mckay's gel for his hair. It was full, then he decided to do his own hair. It took washing his hair twice before some of the stiffness went away. I love it when kids start mastering independence.

Taylor's Birthday: September 29

Following tradition we went to see a movie and to dinner.

The kids love to go to the bottom of the theater and dance while the credits are running. It was a good thing the theater was mostly empty when the show ended.

Cassidy's Birthday: October 12
Cassidy chose to have a large party with both sides of the family. We wish our house was bigger when all 50 of us are together. She had a great day and loved being with all her grandparents, cousins, and aunts and uncles.

Lisi's Birthday: October 21

During the day Taylor and Alisa took each kid on a one on one date to Thanksgiving point's garden. We met her parents for dinner at Goodwood BBQ. The highlight of the day was driving to dinner, we were almost there when Cassidy shouted, "I am wearing bare feet!" Needless to say we made a quick stop to Payless Shoes for some clearance flip flops.

Mckay's Birthday: November 9

Mckay wanted to have more presents and no party. Grandma Weaver took him shopping then we met up with Grandma Lisa and Uncle Hunter for dinner at Chick Fila before we went to play games at Chuckee Cheese.

Kindergarten Picture!

2010-10-11T12:22:00.000-06:00

Cassidy's Kindergarten Picture.

Prayers

2010-10-06T19:03:00.002-06:00

For the last week or so Mckay and I have not been feeling 100%. Last week Mckay got Pink Eye, then it spread to his ear, then he caught my cold. For the most part he has still been happy. Last night about 30 minutes before bed Mckay just started crying and crying because his throat hurt. When we said our bed time prayers Cassidy prayed for "Mckay to feel better and his throat to stop hurting." This only made Mckay cry even harder that his throat was hurting, but it helped him get to sleep.

As I was sleeping I felt Mckay climb into bed with me. He snuggled close and gave me a hug. Then he started to cough and cough. Taylor and I tried to get him to sit up, or to drink and not much was helping. I asked him how he was feeling. He replied, "My throat and ear doesn't hurt. I am just coughing." I finally sat up in bed to have him sleep in my arms and try to prop him up some. Mckay's head was laying on my chest. As I kissed his head he looked up at me and said, "Cassidy should have prayed that my cough would go away too," then he fell asleep.

At first I laughed a bit. Then after a moment I realized that the Lord was teaching me a lesson. Children have such great faith. Mckay truly believed that a prayer would heal him. As I lay there in the dark with him on my lap I felt ashamed that I did not have that complete faith. I knew he would get better, I just didn't expect a miracle right then. Cassidy and Mckay knew we could have our miracle immediately.

With my child in my arms I said a small prayer to my Father in Heaven. I asked that Mckay's cough would go away. I knew Mckay had the faith that it would work, and so I believed too. At the end of my prayer Mckay stopped coughing, and did not cough for the rest of the night.

The Lord cares for us, and watches out for us. He will answer our prayers. I am grateful I for my cute kids who have taught me this great lesson in Faith.

Mckay and school.....

2010-09-27T17:33:00.005-06:00

Mckay is doing a Joy School in our neighborhood. There are 5 kids in his class and all the mothers take turns teaching. Mckay decided he needed a Spiderman backpack. After looking and only finding a Mario and Luigi bag he got that bag and a Spiderman folder. He was so excited to start school, even if he was a little nervous to go the first day.

He took the opportunity to pose a bit too. Perhaps some of his best pictures!

Cassidy was excited for her brother to start school too!

Mckay's first day of class he learned numbers. The teacher sent some papers home to have the kids write out the numbers. Mckay came home and went straight to the table to do his homework. The kid sat there for over 20 minutes just practicing his writing. I love his attention to detail and often wish he would share a bit of it with me.

School Day 2

2010-09-27T17:24:00.007-06:00

I have a girl who loves that camera.......and what can I say, she is really CUTE!!!!

Mckay has learned that one on one time with Mom or Dad while Cassidy is at school is fun. Day 2 Dad took him to Cabella's to feed the fish.

Kindergarten

2010-09-27T16:47:00.005-06:00

Cassidy was ready to go to school in 2009. Most of the girls her age started and she was ready. As the year passed, she realized, no school isn't so bad. You can play all day and you don't have to work.

She was excited for school to start this year, but not as excited as she would have been last year. She realizes that you have to work at school, and that is not near as much fun as playing all day with your little brother.

The first day of school came and Cassidy was excited to get on the bus. I was a little nervous she wouldn't be able to find the bus to get home. At the end of the day she made it home safe and sound.

Caleb is in her class this year. She and Caleb have been in the same pre-school and are great friends. I am so glad they are in the same class. Cassidy says, "Mom, Caleb helps me find the bus...if he is there I am not scared."

Annie is the only girl in her Primary class that went to Kindergarten this year. They are also great friends, as they should be since their Grandmas live next door to each other.

Mckay and Cassidy are best friends. He really misses her while she is gone.

Cassidy in her new school clothes. Grandma got her "jeggings" (jeans/leggings) and a Mac and Cheese shirt.

Mckay trying to get a last glimpse of Cassidy as she drives away.

When Cassidy got home she was excited to show Mckay what she had for him. A little Hersey's kiss inside her hand heart. Note the shoes, the second she was in the door they came off. Keeping shoes on for 3 hours will be the hardest thing for Cassidy at school this year. And heaven forbid when it gets cold and she has to wear socks too. :)

WE DID IT!

2010-08-28T10:05:00.007-06:00

LEHI UTAH GATEWAY STAKE 5K RUN/WALK

...and Carnival

At the beginning of the summer I set a goal to work out. I knew I could never stick to it unless I had a deadline. I decided that my deadline would be to run a 5K this year. Our stake hosts a 5K/Olympic activity annually, so I decided that was my deadline. I knew I needed moral support, so Taylor climbed aboard the 5K train and we started to train. We trained for about 4 weeks, then took 5 weeks off. I was starting to give up on even thinking about running the race, but with Taylor cheering me on, we decided to stick to it. This morning we ran our race (and did not die). We pushed the kids in the double jogging stroller, which I am sure made us run a lot slower....or so we are going to say. With not running for the last few weeks we were proud of ourselves. We ran a lot more than we thought we could and finished with a time of 42 minutes and 19 seconds. Taylor even took second in his age category!!!
The church we were at is near our house and has a park with swings. Every time we drive past it Mckay asks when I will take him to the yellow park. Today the kids finally got to play at this park. We all laughed when their little bums were soaked after sliding through a puddle of water at the bottom of the slide.

After the race the church had put up some carnival games for the kids. The kids were excited to stay and play, and we were excited to shower. We made a compromise and the kids just played a few games then we got to go home and shower.

St. George in June

2010-07-20T22:04:00.010-06:00

Dixie Red Hills and Snow Canyon.

"Dad, why do you have to keep taking my picture?"

Cassidy and Mckay were fearless as they explored the Red Rocks, which of course made Alisa and I terrified that they were going to explore themselves over a ledge. Fortunately we escaped without any injuries.

Green Valley Resort. The kids loved that there were multiple swimming pools to choose from.

We had the great opportunity to see Disney's Tarzan at Tuacahn theater. The kids loved watching the "apes" on "vines" travel above our heads. Even as Mother Nature chose to rain down upon us, we stuck it out, and had a great time.

"Fort"

2010-07-20T21:59:00.002-06:00

Cassidy and Mckay made a "fort" and fell asleep inside.

Four Generations

2010-07-20T21:56:00.002-06:00

Milton Dale Ensign, Dale Eric Ensign, Mckay Milton Ensign, Taylor Clint Ensign

Weekend Adventure

2010-07-20T20:00:00.006-06:00

We recently were able to spend a quick weekend up at a Condo in Midway, Utah. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for letting us use their weekend of the time-share. We had a blast riding bikes, swimming, and even an adventure over to Park City for a couple of rides down the Alpine Slide.

Collecting Rocks to throw off the bridge. (Yes it made Mom nervous to have Dad hold Mckay over the railing.)

Taking a quick swim in the pool.

Our quick weekend adventure continued with an afternoon stop at the Park City Resort for a couple of rides down the Alpine Slide. After describing what the Alpine Slide would be like, Cassidy said, "I might be a little bit scared." However, once she got going, it was Dad who was trying to apply the brake. Mckay enjoyed the slide too, however, the highlight for him may have been the chairlift ride to the top.

Couple of Cute Kids

It is always fun as a parent to get to be with your children when they experience something exciting for the first time. We have already been told that we need to make a return visit to the Alpine Slide the next time we are in the area.

Slip 'N' Slide

2010-07-18T12:06:00.002-06:00

Slip and Slide in the Backyard. It took a little practice but they both got it down in a hurry.

Father

2010-06-21T15:48:00.002-06:00

As a mother of two beautiful, happy children I see how key the role of a Father is in a child's life. I feel truly blessed for my children to have such a fun, creative, daring, spontaneous father. When Dad is around, life is never boring.

The best time of the day is when Dad comes home! All day, every day, "Mom, when will Dad be here!" I would get a complex if I didn't know that they do love me too.

Taylor loves and protects our children. He chases them, tickles them, launches them into the air, plays hide and seek, golfs, swims, colors, makes forts and tents and cuddles with them.......

My kids are happy, healthy and confident because Daddy loves them and they know that they are special to him.

Thank you Taylor for being a great father. Thanks for loving our two little ones.

Football Frienzy

2010-06-15T22:09:00.003-06:00

Mckay loves sports. Soccer, basketball, golf, football, it doesn't really matter. He recently went through a big football phase and we played football every night before bed, and every morning before Dad left for work. One particular night Taylor and I were using the love of football to motivate Mckay to get his pajamas on before bed time. We said, "Mckay, get your pajamas on and we can play football for 5 more minutes."

"OK," he said as he barrelled up the stairs. He reappeared in about 30 seconds.
I couldn't help but laugh....this is what he looked like.

All he did was throw a pajama shirt on over his clothes and

raced back downstairs.

It is moments like this that I will always treasure.

I sure love you My Little Man, Mckay!

Cassidy in tears

2010-06-01T21:43:00.004-06:00

As I type, my Cassidy is in tears.

It is the last day that we will have our Saturn.

Cassidy didn't realize that getting a new car, meant you have to get rid of the old one. Maybe one day we will have enough funds to have three cars (or a need for three cars), for now, two is sufficient. Taylor came home from work and we decided to go and look at Minivans. We were contemplating buying one at the end of the summer, we did not plan on driving home a new car.

We did.

The Salesman really was working it when Cassidy got flowers!
The kids sitting in the Jeep on the Show Room Floor. Cassidy was pumped about the windows that you have to roll up and down all by yourself. Who knew power windows could be boring?!?
We are the proud owners of two white cars!

Our new car.

I am so excited!!! No more squished kids, cup holders, a Cd player that works and many, many, many more upgrades.

So THANK YOU TAYLOR!!! You have sacrificed a lot for this car. Especially because it means you will inherit the old Civic and have to commute in it every day.

Who decides when Easter is?

2010-06-01T15:09:00.002-06:00

Easter Sunday is April 24th in 2011. When I saw that I was baffled. Easter is almost always the first Sunday in April. Occasionally it is in March, or the second week in April, but April 24th! That is so late. No one will be on spring break for Easter and most college spring terms will be done before Easter. Seeing the date for next year made me wonder....

How is the date for Easter decided??????????

Thank goodness for Google! I love the feature that you type in a question and hundreds of options of resources pop up to answer your questions. Thanks to "Easter Trivia and Facts" Website I now know the answer. The answer is so strange it made me laugh.

"Easter is usually celebrated on the first Sunday, after the first full moon, after the first day of Spring. It could take place any Sunday between March 22nd and April 25th."

Gosh, the first Sunday, after the first full moon, after the first day of Spring. Who would have thought???

Change

2010-05-24T10:28:00.006-06:00

I typically support change.

Change brings new perspective on life, new challenges, and joy.

However, sometimes it brings sorrow too.

Yesterday I met with a member of our Bishopric. I was released from my calling as Primary Chorister and called as Cub Scout Committee Leader.

I don't really know what that means, or what I will do.

I do know that I will miss all my primary kids!!!!

(Over 100 of them)

I have served as chorister for 18 months, and would have loved to for 18 months more, and then 18 more months again! That is my favorite calling in the church. There is something so special about being with God's children. I have been spiritually fed and edified as I sang songs with them every week.

So here's to change. For the best or the worst, the only thing that is always consistent is CHANGE.

I love being a Mom!

2010-05-09T11:05:00.003-06:00

Growing up I always wanted to be a mom. Never in my greatest imaginations could I have dreamt how great being a mom really is. I love the daily hugs, kisses, conversations, learning moments, smiles, tears and the laughter. My kids love me unconditionally. I probably don't deserve it but they love me despite my weaknesses and faults. Today is a day to celebrate mothers, but for me it is a day to remember how great my kids are and how lucky I am to be a mom. I love you Cassidy and Mckay. You guys are my greatest treasures!

MCKAY

MY sensitive, cuddly, do things at my pace, accident-prone, bundle of fun

CASSIDY

MY sweet, fun loving, energetic, smart, independent little lady bug
I am so happy we get to be together forever!

Happy 7th Anniversary!

2010-05-07T15:42:00.002-06:00

How quickly seven years have passed.

Happy Anniversary Alisa!

I Love You!

Mckay gets a Big Boy bike

2010-04-22T21:55:00.004-06:00

It was finally time to get Mckay a two-wheeler. A family trip to Wal-mart and we came home with a great bike. He was very excited to try it out, in fact, so excited I didn't get the "before the first ride" picture. Instead I have the "after the first ride" picture.

Mckay is not the most coordinated child.
He tends to fall down a lot.

His first attempt at riding his new bike at home resulted in two trips to the asphalt. Luckily for us, he kept getting back on.

This is the "After I am done riding my bike for the day" photo. In the end it was fun and he liked it. Our next investment just may be elbow and knee pads.

"But Wait! There's More"

2010-04-16T10:40:00.003-06:00

Have you ever found yourself fixated to the television watching an infomercial for a product you don't need, but trying to convince yourself that your life just couldn't go on without it? Growing up with never had cable or satellite TV, so if you stayed home sick from school, you could either watch Sesame Street, or Ron Popeil pitch his amazing Food Dehydrator.I honestly became fascinated by infomercials and their in-your-face sales pitch approach. "Act Now" "Limited time offer" "Now how much would you pay?" "But if you act now" were catch phrases that appeared in every infomercial I watched. It didn't matter if you watch Ron Popeil pitching his dehydrator, or Chef Tony selling his Miracle kitchen blades, or even Billy May's selling Oxy Clean, each had a formula, and for whatever reason...it fascinated me. They fascinated me enough that I was successful in pitching to my mother our need for a RonCo Food Dehydrator. I think we tried it about 3 times before it ended up in the storage room. Sorry Mom.

So why am I bringing up Infomercials today? The answer is simple,...they convinced my daughter Cassidy that we needed a new Vacuum! The other day I found Cassidy watching an infomercial for a vacuum. When it went to commercial she ran up to me and loudly proclaimed, "Dad! Dad! It sucks stuff up on Wood and on Carpet! You want to buy one?!" It should be noted that we have no hardwood floors in our house, but it didn't matter; their sales pitch worked on a 5 year old girl who was now convinced we needed a new vacuum.

After I quit laughing I remembered I was completely fascinated by a product called Brown & Crisp Bags. Let me take you back...the year was 1996 and I was hooked. Most recipes require you to cook at 300-400 degrees in conventional ovens, but takes time to cook and clean up. Brown & Crisp allows you to cook at oven temperatures faster than conventional ovens without the mess and added clean-up time.

It should also be noted that I had never assisted my mother with the cooking of family meals, so I am still unsure why I loved this product, but I did. In fact I remember watching the commercial multiple times. I loved the Brown & Crisp. In fact, I loved watching infomercials, and now I have a daughter who got sucked into one as well.

OK, I fessed up, now I want to hear how many of you enjoy a great infomercial, and if so, which one? Anyone purchased anything that you desperately needed, but now wonder what you were thinking? "Don't delay, time is running out!"

Glow in the dark stars

2010-04-13T20:00:00.002-06:00

I loved having glow in the dark stars on my wall when I was young. My mom never really liked it, but she put up with it. Thanks Mom for always being patient with me.

Tonight my kids put glow in the dark stars on their wall with their dad.

Cassidy putting stars on her ceiling and wall. When Taylor asked if she had put any on the ceiling yet she said, "Sometimes I roll to the side, so I need the stars on my wall."
Mckay putting the little star on his wall. It may not glow too much because it doesn't get much light under the bottom bunk, but he was excited to put them on. He was even more excited to turn the lights off when the time came.

Dad helping Mckay get the little stars off the paper.

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Stars...

I will give you a dime to be quiet

2010-03-17T10:14:00.005-06:00

Growing up I shared a bedroom with my younger sister, Ashlee. We share great memories of pretending to sleep while the tooth fairy came, while Mom vacuumed late into the night, and even during an earth quake. We had a lot of fun nights telling stories and laughing when we should have been asleep.

However, I was always the one that wanted to go to sleep first! Some nights it would get late and I would say, "Ashlee, I will pay you a nickle to be quiet so I can sleep."

"OK," she would agree. Twenty seconds later, "Do you want to hear a joke I made up?"

"No, I will pay you a dime to be quiet," I would say.

"But Lisi, it is a great joke," she would quickly return.

"Ashlee, I will pay you a quarter to shut up" (Shut up wasn't allowed in our house, but sometimes I had to say it to emphasize I was serious and ready to sleep.)

Sad thing is, a quarter was a lot of money to me and I would have given it up in a heart beat. Even worse, I still remember the joke she would tell over and over again...."What did the hat say to the cow? You stay here and I will go on a head"

I have great memories of sharing a room. Our current house is a three bedroom house. Taylor and I have opted to put the kids in the same room so we have a play room as well. In the last month Mckay has been going through a, "Mom I am tired can I go to sleep?" phase. Not that I am complaining, I love it. He will occasionally ask for naps, or just say that it is bed time. A mother's dream come true.

I love standing outside their door. Cassidy will start to talk, or bang a book on the metal post of her bed and I hear Mckay say, "Cassidy be quiet, I am trying to go to sleep," or "you are being loud and keeping me awake." Sometimes he even just yells, "Cassidy, stop it!!!!" I can't help but laugh. I totally understand Mckay, and am sorry, because it probably won't ever stop.

What I hate the most!!!!

2010-03-08T16:58:00.002-07:00

There is not a lot of things that I hate. I have a list of pet peeves, but who doesn't. In fact, this may be the only thing that I can honestly say I hate. I just hate going to the dentist. Ugh!

Today I had my bi-annual checkup at the dentist. I absolutely loath going to the dentist. I am not sure where it stems from. Growing up I had no problem going to the dentist. After Mckay was born I went to the dentist. I was in the middle of my cleaning and I started to bawl, for no good reason. I couldn't breath, I was dizzy, I lost complete control of myself. I am not proud of it, but because if it I hate the dentist. It happens every time.

Laughing gas has become my best friend at the dentist. I don't make it through an appointment without it.

I have tried to figure out what it is at the dentist that causes me to loose it. This is what I know for sure does, but there may be more out there!

-The Smell
It doesn't matter if it is a brand new office or decades old, they all smell the same..It makes me sick.

-The sound of drilling
It doesn't even have to be in the room I am in. Any drill and I loose it.

-The scraping sounds
What I would give to turn off my hearing for half and hour to have my teeth cleaned.

- Sitting in the waiting area
I just know what is coming. That I am about to loose all control of myself. I just can't wait for it to be done.

-Cavities
I never had cavities growing up. Having babies sucked all the calcium from my body and caused cavities. The first cleaning after having kids I had 9 cavities, the time after 7. And I promise I do know how to floss and I clean my teeth regularly.

-Laughing Gas Buzz
They say that laughing gas wears off quickly with a little of oxygen. It always knocks me out. It takes me a day to feel normal after sucking it in for an hour.

-The appointment time
It is just my luck, but every time I go to the dentist, something has happened to their schedule. My 30 min cleaning turns into me suffering in the chair for 90 mins. I have had appointments that when I arrived they were no longer scheduled. I have had dentists forget that I was there and I just sat there stuck to the chair, not able to move with the laughing gas cords tying me down. I have arrived and had to sit in the waiting room for over an hour before they would even take me into the back. AHHH. Nothing ever goes right at the dentist.

I could go on and on......but I won't. At least not today.

I must say I am celebrating tonight. I survived a day at the dentist. In fact it was perhaps the best day I have ever had at the dentist. (This does not mean it was a good day, it just wasn't completely terrible!)

I arrived ten minutes early, and I didn't have to sit in the waiting room!!!

I sat in my chair, chose my channel on the TV, and the x-rays and cleaning were done immediately. (They couldn't say my name right, but they never do so I should stop hoping.)

I still got dizzy, had a hard time breathing, had sweating hands, had to clench the chair but I did not loose complete control of myself.

I DID NOT HEAR ONE DRILL....that is right. No drills in that office for 45 mins. I heard a child's tooth pulled, I hear another patient getting teeth cleaned, but I never heard a drill. I think it makes a world of a difference when there are no drills.

After my teeth were cleaned, I only waited about 3 minutes for the Dentist to come it. He reviewed my X-rays and the verdict was good. NO CAVITIES! That is the first time since having kids that I can schedule a 6 month check up and not have to go in for work in between!!!

I was in and out in 45 minutes, my insurance covered the whole appointment and I made it without laughing gas today! Today was a success!

Sleepy?

2010-03-04T20:02:00.003-07:00

Tired Anyone?

Remember when you could fall asleep whenever you were tired, and it didn't matter where you were? Those were good times!

The Ensign Olympic Games

2010-02-24T19:14:00.003-07:00

Taylor and I were sitting on the couch. We heard Mckay tumble down the stairs, he started to cry. Nothing new at our house. We waited for him to walk to us, because we knew he was ok. We talked and hugged, he laughed, and off he went. Cassidy from the background yells, "Dad we need you to come catch us so Mckay doesn't run into the wall again." We went to check and this is what they were doing.

My two cents

2010-02-20T20:47:00.004-07:00

Valentine's Day was great. I love that there is a Holiday just to celebrate that we love people. The Tuesday before Valentine's Day I was reminding Cassidy that it would be Sunday and explaining to Mckay what it was. I told them we would make Valentine's for our cousins and cards for other people that we love. I then went upstairs to shower and get ready for the day. When I came down to check on the kids Cassidy had gotten crayons and paper and both kids had made cards for Taylor, with no prompting or help from me. Cassidy folded the papers into a book and even helped Mckay write an M on the front so Dad would know it was from Mckay. For the next 5 days, Mckay took the card in the car, the grocery store, and any place that he could. He was proud of his work, and very excited to give Dad his card.

Cassidy helped with the inside of Mckay's card.

I love spending every day with Taylor, not just Valentine's day.

I love my kids. They are thoughtful and caring. They made Valentine's day extra special.

FHE Painting

2010-02-18T21:32:00.006-07:00

After seeing how much fun Mom and Dad had painting on real Canvas, the kids asked if they could paint on canvas as well. So for Family Home Evening this week we sat around the kitchen table and turned Cassidy and Mckay loose with paint, brushes, canvas, and their imagination. Cassidy (Top Two on Left) Alisa (Top Right)

Taylor (Bottom Left) Mckay (Bottom two on Right)

Alisa successfully painted a side-by-side design of Cassidy and Mckay.

The kids had a fun time, and we had a fun time watching their imaginations at work.

Happy Valentines Day!

2010-02-18T21:10:00.005-07:00

A Really Fun Valentines Day.

Thank you Alisa for being My Valentine!

(Yes, We painted each other's portrait, and Yes,

they look like they were done by fourth graders.)

Our Valentines Day evening didn't go quite as smoothly as the day. We put the kids in the bath, where they decided it would be really fun to splash water all over the bathroom floor.Alisa went down to the kitchen where she found water all over the kitchen floor....

It didn't take long to discover that the water from the kid's "splash-time" had traveled through the floor and was leaking through one of our kitchen can lights. The joys of parenthood!

Happy Valentines Day!

Busted

2010-02-18T12:41:00.002-07:00

Disney Channel's Phineas and Ferb is the most watched children's show in our house. The story line is basically the same every time. The character, Candace, is always trying to "bust" her brothers for inventing and building incredible things. Every time Candace is about to bust her brothers, the inventions disappear.

The other day I was getting ready to go to work and Mckay saw a candy on Taylor's night stand. "Mckay, that is for Dad. I know you like that. If you want some you will have to ask Dad to share tonight."

"Ok, Mom"

When I got home from work Cassidy showed me some pictures she took while I was gone.

Candace may not be able to bust herbrothers, but Cassidy can.

When I asked Mckay if he ate Dad's candy, he just looked at me. I reminded him, "You get in more trouble for lying than for making wrong choices," then I showed him the picture.

He then readily agreed that he ate it and to apologize to Dad when he got home.

Cassidy-ism

2010-02-09T20:03:00.002-07:00

Driving home from the Post Office today this is what I heard:

Cassidy: Do you know what true happiness is? True Happiness is Love.

Mckay: Why is it that?

Cassidy: Because when you love each other you are happy.

Cousins

2010-02-09T12:37:00.006-07:00

Today I want to say one thing that I am grateful for.

I love that my children have cousins to play with.

So today, this post it dedicated to all of my nieces and nephews who are such great cousins to my kids. There are eight cousins on my side of the family and six cousins on Taylor's. It doesn't matter what family event we are at, there is always someone fun around.

This year I have been especially grateful that my kids to get be with cousins while I work. Some days my sister-in-law Michelle, and her son Owen, come to my house to watch my kids. Other days, my kids go with Uncle Mckay, Aunt Molly and Graham. Occasionally, my kids will go play at my sister's house with her 5 kids. I love knowing that my kids are having fun, and that they are with family while I work. It leaves me feeling at peace when I have to leave my kids. So thank you to Molly and Mckay, Michelle, Valerie, and all other family that have watched my kids while I work. Below are some photos of my kids cousins.

This is baby Damon. Cassidy and Mckay love to hold him, feed him his bottle and try to make him laugh.
This is the rest of the cousins on my side. (Damon was sleeping, so we didn't make him get out in the cold for the picture)
On the bottom left is Carter. Cassidy loves to color with Carter. He has even taught her to play X Box. He was even nice when she beat him.
In the green coat next to Mckay is Corbin. Corbin loves to wrestle and Mckay loves to join in.
On Cassidy's right is Mckenna. Cassidy absolutely loves playing at Kenna's house, doing the big girl things that Kenna likes.
On the top left is Brianna. Mckay has always felt safe with Brianna. Often times when the kids are playing and Mckay needs help, he will ask Brianna before Mom. The kids love it when Brianna babysits them.
Caden is sitting on James' lap. He is the sword fighter, and loves balls. Mckay loves to play with Caden. We are glad that he lives close by now.
Jeff is sitting next to the bride. Mckay will often say that Jeff is his favorite cousin. Jeff will always play and wrestle with him. Mckay loves playing football with him and tackling him. Jeff is nice to always let all the younger kids win!
Last, but not least is Bracken. He is the same age as Cassidy, and he loves cars and trains just like Mckay. Mckay loves Bracken's bedroom and all his toys. He especially loves it when Bracken will build the train tracks for him or do a puzzle with him.
On the left is cousin Easton. When Uncle Hunter and Cousin Easton get together, Mckay loves to chase the big boys around. This particular time, they all sat down playing their Ninteno DS.
Paxton, Mason, Cassidy and Hazley
Cassidy loves to play Barbies and makeup with Hazley.
Mason is the same age as Cassidy, and they run wild. Chasing and making up all sorts of games. Normally they get an uncle to come and throw them around some.
Paxton and Mckay are the closest in age. They play and get into all sorts of trouble. Normally they start the raiding of the candy drawer at Grandma's.

This is Owen. He comes to our house twice a week. The kids love Owen to come over. They will always look for their old baby toys to share and do dances to make him laugh.

Graham, the Burger.

He is at our house a couple of times a week, and our kids go there.

Cassidy loves to hold, squeeze and carry Graham all over the house.

Mckay will feed him his rice and beans for lunch. If you watch carefully you will see him give Graham a bite and then take one for himself.

I feel so blessed to have so much family so close by. We can go and see all of our cousins in less than a 30 minute drive. Cousins make our life grand!

The "Doughnut Factory"

2010-02-06T18:49:00.006-07:00

While watching the Food Network with the kids a few weeks back, a clip showing Krispy Kreme came on and the kids kept saying they wanted to go to the "Doughnut Factory." I guess it is fortunate that a Krispy Kreme happens to be in Orem. Two Saturdays ago we took the kids down and watched as they made the delicious doughnuts. All happy to have a Factory Hat, and a warm doughnut!

Video Tour of the goodness being made.

Dinner and a Comedy Show

2010-02-06T18:36:00.003-07:00

When I was growing up, my father would take me downtown to Lamb's Grill and Cafe. It is said that Lamb's is the oldest restaurant in Utah, and was opened in 1919. It was always a treat to go downtown with my Dad to Lamb's. Alisa and I recently had a fun date night that started with a Lamb Shank and Lamb's Grill and Cafe. The lamb was very tender and very delicious. If you've never been to Lamb's, then you really ought to make sure you stop in next time you are on Main Street in Salt Lake City. After dinner, we rushed over to Abravanell Hall for the comedy act, "The Colin and Brad Show," aka Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood from Whose Line is it anyway. Having seen them before we were excited to see them again and made sure we bought our tickets early so we would have good seats. Sadly, because we were sitting so close, the lighting made our pictures turn out less than ideal. The self-taken photograph after the funny show. Thank you Alisa for being such a fun date!

Guess what we found cleaning the Freezer?

2010-02-06T18:27:00.002-07:00

Cleaning the Freezer and what did we find?

Do you know what these are?

If you answered really old Frozen Breast Milk, then you would be correct.

To answer the question you are now asking, "Yes, we haven't done a deep clean of our freezer in over two years."

How bout them Jazz Autographs

2010-02-04T21:20:00.004-07:00

Recently had the opportunity with some friends to attend an autograph session with the Utah Jazz. Had a great time meeting the team and getting a few autographs. AK was great with the fans and stuck around after the signing session was over and welcomed a photo opportunity.
Coach Sloan and Sundiata Gaines

Fesenko and Koufus

Price

Wesley Matthews

Memo Okur

Paul Millsap and Ronnie Brewer

AK 47

Deron Williams

Kyle Korver

Puzzles

2010-02-04T21:04:00.005-07:00

Mckay Loves Puzzles!

Grandma Lisa will help with Puzzles, Cassidy will help with Puzzles, Uncle Hunter will help with Puzzles, and...Mom will help with Puzzles, butGrandpa...Not so much!Mckay has been going through a long Puzzle phase. It was fun to have my family down to play some games and answer Mckay's call to "Do some Puzzles with me?"

Cassidy took this picture of Grandma. "Cheese!"

The Burnt Plastic Smell

2010-02-04T13:31:00.004-07:00

Every night I have the same routine before I go to bed. I double check to make sure the garage is closed, all the doors are locked, no windows are open and making sure the lights are all off. There have been a handful of occasions that during the night time routine Taylor and I have been able to smell burnt plastic. We checked all around the house for the source, unable to identify it. The smell always seemed the strongest in the kids bedroom. Last week we smelled burnt plastic again. We became really concerned. Once again we could not find the source.

We went to bed hoping that something did not catch fire while we were asleep. The next morning I was clearing out the dishwasher.

I found this:

A plastic cup that met up with the heating

coils in the bottom of the dishwasher.

The source of the burnt plastic smell.

I don't know what caused the smell on previous nights, or why it was the strongest smell in the kids room, but at least this one time I know where the smell came from.

New Years Eve

2010-02-03T17:02:00.005-07:00

NEW YEAR'S EVE 2009

It was nice to enjoy a relaxing morning. Taylor had to work half a day, but when he got home the kids and I were still in pajamas.

Oh how I love pajama days.

Every year my family rents a small tumbling gym in Springville. We get an hour and a half to play and do what we want. The kids love it. I was a little nervous since Mckay was still a little sick, but we still ventured out.

The gym is always freezing so I asked Cassidy to put some leggings on with her leotard. She has pink, purple, rainbow, black, white....but of coarse she chose brown. The two colors that I really don't like mixed together for outfits.
There is a small trampoline that you can practice flipping off into a foam pit. The kids love jumping in. Just be careful, if you jump in with socks there is a good chance that you will have lost them by the time you climb out.

Taylor is always coming up with fun games and ideas. Above is a video of a game he made up for Cassidy and Mckay. Mckay would get too scared and he wouldn't straighten his legs all the way, but Taylor would still manage to get him to slide a little bit.

In this video clip Taylor scares Mckay about 13 secs in. He tosses him in the air while they are jumping. After that Mckay wouldn't let go of his neck when they jumped.

All the cousins loved to run down the long mat and jump in the foam pit. You can tell the oldest, because they are the fastest, and the youngest are the slowest.
12:00 AM. We made it.
Can you not see that I am sick and tired???
Why am I still awake after midnight? My bed time was 4 hours ago.
This is Cassidy's second year in a row making it up until midnight.
She loves staying up late with all her cousins and drinking apple juice when the big ball drops.

We hope everyone has a great 2010,

Happy New Years!

Season Sickness

2010-02-03T16:46:00.003-07:00

When Mckay was a wee baby he caught RSV. He is more prone to illness than Cassidy and I think it is because his immune system is weaker due to the RSV. I could be wrong, but every year Mckay will get multiple colds and respiratory illnesses. I can't wait until he outgrows the effects of RSV.

The week after Christmas Mckay's eating and sleeping schedule seemed out of wack. After about a week of things being off, he started having a temperature. Medicine would take care of it and he was back to bouncing off the walls. However, day 3 of meds for the fever, the Motrin wasn't working any more. I could just see in his eyes that he was sick. I called the doctor and got him an appointment.

The doctor came in to examine Mckay. He kept asking me about how he was coughing, if he had congestion....yada yada yada. Besides fever and things just being a little out of whack he didn't really have any symptoms. The doctor said it must just be a virus and was about to leave.

That is when Mckay coughed.

The doctor immediately said, "Oh, he has croupe."

Well what do you know, my motherly insticit that something was wrong, despite the lack of symptoms, was right.

Hallelujah! (not that he was sick, but that I didn't waste money at the Dr.)

The afternoon ended in a steroid shot and a warning that if the fever doesn't go down, he could contract pnemonia.

The next day was New Year's Eve. Mckay was feeling much better. We went to family for the event, but late Saturday night, the fever was back. Sunday I made an appointment, and sure enough, my poor Mckay had pnemonia.

An anti-biotic was prescribed and boy did it taste bad. After three days of forcing Mckay to drink it, and an unsucessful trip to Walgreen to add flavor, I was giving up on giving him any more. However, the only other alternative was more shots. I didn't want that.

I talked with the nurse and she informed me, "Put the medication in some chocolate milk."

How I wish I knew that from the beginning!!!!!!!!

Now Mckay is better. I am just looking forward to warm weather so the chance of respiratory diseases decrease.

The Big Gift

2010-02-03T10:59:00.004-07:00

The big gift box from Grandma was a Power Wheels Jeep. The Tuesday after Christmas Taylor and I assembled it and the kids gave it the first test drive. We moved all the furniture out of our front room in hopes that they could make a tight circle. Cassidy drove first, and after hitting the walls twice, we told the kids they could only drive forwards and backwards.

The kids love the jeep!!!

Chickfila

2010-02-03T10:41:00.003-07:00

In college my sister, Ashlee, and I were roommates with our long time friend, MaryIrene Homer. We met up over the Christmas break for lunch at Chickfila. I specifically chose the restaurant so our kids could go play in the enclosed play place and the adults could talk. Mckay ended up being sick so he stayed home with Taylor. Cassidy came with me. She refused to go into the play place because her brother was not there to play with. Go Figure! Lunch was still good. Thank goodness Ashlee was there because Cassidy sat on her lap the whole time.

It was great to see MaryIrenen again. We hope to get together again next time she is in Utah.

Hannah Montana

2010-01-27T12:56:00.002-07:00

My sister and her husband flew in for Christmas a few days late, so our Christmas celebrating was extended. On the Sunday after Christmas, we all met for another Christmas dinner, sister gift exchange and a white elephant gift exchange game. During the game Cassidy ended up with a broken blue tooth ear piece, Mckay got a little stuffed monkey, Taylor got a empty sunny d bottle and napkins and I got a cardboard stand up of Hannah Montana. I will be honest, I took Hannah away from my 7 year old nephew. Mostly because I have a sister in law who is a teen and loves Miley. I stole Hannah away, just to re-gift her to Camille. Now Camille has a stand up of Hannah and of Jacob from Twilight. What a pair.

Who know Hannah was so tall?
Cassidy is not so excited about her gift

Mckay feeding his baby cousin Damon.

Elders Ensign and Hammond

2010-01-26T21:18:00.004-07:00

While serving my LDS mission in Ft. Lauderdale Florida, and while assigned to the Coral Springs area I had an idea. The jury is still out on whether or not this was a great idea or just an idea that came into the mind of a 19 year old kid, but the idea came all the same.

The idea you see was to collect all of the Food Bags of the Restaurants that we ate at and create the "I'll Go Where you Want Me to Go" wall. (seen below)

The reason that I bring this up is that this photo was taken in the Summer of 2001 while I was living with Elder Kenneth Hammond. Elder Hammond was in town over the Holidays and we managed to get together for Dinner.

In the photo below Elder Hammond and I are modeling our new ties at a Tuesday Morning District Meeting. We purchased these Regis ties on "Preparation Day" the day before. Needless to say we became obsessed with the solid color, shiny, Regis tie. Yes, we look a little older, and we look a little,... maybe slightly more than little bit larger than we did nearly 9 Years ago. It truly was wonderful to spend an evening with Elder Hammond as we laughed at all of the funny and not so funny experiences we shared together. We were sad that Hammond's wife was unable to join him, but look forward to getting together with them sometime soon.

Men with Guns

2010-01-26T20:34:00.006-07:00

WARNING! The following post is filled with photos of men with guns, and men with guns and dead pheasants, and men with guns and the chucker that didn't get away.

Back Row: Mckay, Tanner, Taylor, Grant

Front Row: Hunter, Johnny (our guide), Eric

Each year the Ensign Men drive to the Lazy JW Pheasant Club in Moroni, Utah. This year we all got together the day after Christmas, but soon realized that conditions may not be so ideal. By the time we rounded the final turn and headed into the small town of Moroni, the temperature gauge in the car read -18 below. Most of the morning was extra cold, but after each of us had a shot a bird or two, things warmed up nicely.

Santa brought Hunter his first gun for Christmas. It was a lot of fun to have the Hunt man along side us with his gun. He even brought down three birds all on his own.
Why am I holding a small chucker when there are so many large phesants behind me on the table you ask? Because this chucker eluded me twice...and I was successful at ensuring he did not elude me a third time.

Still don't have a name for my gun. I am open for suggestions.

Grant and his Prize. He had to run this one down for quite some time.

Tanner and Mckay

Taylor, Johnny, Mckay

Mckay with his gun that he aptly named "The Widowmaker"

Grant on Point

Grant and Taylor

Grant and my Dad, Eric

Johnny and Hunter

Mckay and Tanner doing a bit of tracking

Mckay and Grant

Christmas Afternoon

2010-01-26T16:03:00.007-07:00

Christmas afternoon we spent at the Weaver's. Everyone was there except for Ashlee and Rick who did not fly in for a couple of days. The agenda went something like this: presents from Grandma and Grandpa, dinner, playing time, cousin gift exchange, playing, nativity and grandchild talent program, lastly treats and watch the family video for 2009. The day was packed with lots of fun, needless to say, the kids were tired when it was time to go.

This year grandma and grandpa gave every family one really big gift.

All the grandkids got their picture taken before the could open it.

Power Wheels
One day my children will have table manners, for now it is a work in progress.

Ham, scalloped potatoes, layered jello, sweet potatoes, creamed corn, salad and warm rolls. I was stuffed, yet I still managed to eat dessert.

"Daddy get me!"

Mckay loves to take pictures of us.

Cassidy and my Grandma Holladay. One of her four Great-Grandmas. She is a lucky kid!

My dad opening his white elephant gift from us. Kool-aid. Ami is out of the house so red Kool-Aid is allowed back in. Thanks Ami!

Cassidy and Grandma and Grandpa after she performed in the program.

Every year my dad will read from Luke while the grandchildren (and their parents that want to be involved) act out the nativity story. My parents take down their boxes of dress up clothes and the kids dress in what they would like. Every year it is a blast, you never know what will happen. It was nice having another baby in the family so a doll didn't have to play the character of baby Jesus this year.

Ashlee was still in Wisconsin, so Cassidy got to play the role of Mary. She even found a my little pony, no a donkey to ride.

Mckay was a Darth Vader/Witch. Not sure where that role comes in the Bible, but he did sit very quietly around baby Jesus when it was time.

(Take Special Note of The Shepards in the Fields, and the Vikings in the Fields, and the Darth Vaders in the Fields, tending their flocks by night.)

I have two scruffy dogs

2010-01-26T15:50:00.002-07:00

Mckay was very excited to show Grandma Lisa that he had two Scruffy dogs. The clip is a little disjointed, but the end will guarantee a laugh. Enjoy!

Christmas Morning

2010-01-26T15:14:00.006-07:00

GOOD MORNING!

Well, at least Cassidy woke up on the right side of the bed.

Mckay became happy and alert when he saw that Santa found our house.
The milk, cookies, carrots and lettuce were gone. Mckay asked, "How come Santa didn't drink all the milk?" I guess next year Santa will have to drink every last drop.
As the kids rounded the corner on Christmas morning they had sensory over load. They scanned the tree and the pile of presents. They just stood staring. Mckay was the first to notice that Santa had come. He showed Cassidy where her gift was and just stood there. We had to show him where his gift was.

Santa also brought a large playhouse, but the kids didn't even see it. I finally had to ask them, "Do you see anything else in the room. Something where the chair used to be?" Then the kids saw it. They ran to it yelling, "We have a club house!" Cassidy said, "Mckay you can go in first. You are shorter." For several minutes stockings and presents were forgotten and the kids just played. It was lots of fun!!!

After playing for a while we thought it was time to start opening gifts. We made small piles for the kids as Cassidy said, "Aren't we going to say a prayer before we open our gifts?" I had previously told her of the tradition I had growing up. Taylor and I were proud of her for thinking about Christ and being grateful for the material things that we have been blessed with.

Mckay already had one scruffy dog. Santa brought one more.

Cassidy got a princess, keyboard vanity for Christmas.

Waiting his turn.

Mckay and his dragon castle.

"I Love Dad!"

The club house!

Christmas Eve

2010-01-26T11:18:00.006-07:00

Christmas break is always filled with fun, fun, fun. This year was no exception. Taylor only worked half a day on Christmas Eve. We spent the evening with his family. I realize that I have posted more pictures than the average person will care about, but this blog is for my family, a way to keep a journal and a place for us to share our life. So scroll fast or skip the post if it is too much for you!

I was the rude mom that made the kids stop having fun with their aunts and uncles for a family photo. I am glad I was rude, I think it is a great photo of us.
Driving to Grandma Lisa's house the kids both fell asleep. It is just what mom and dad ordered to make it through a long night.

My mother-in-law always has her house decorated so pretty and the table set fancy. It really feels like a special occasion when we sit at their table.

Papa Eric cutting the meat. Scruffy dog waiting for some to fall off.

Hunter, Grant, Jill, Tanner, Michelle and Camille

Camille sneaking appetizers before dinner starts

Camille made ice cream pies for dessert. I made the Oreo cookies. Yum.

Mckay really believes that Taylor put his finger through his ears

Every year we play the dice game. If you get doubles, or the sum of the two dice adds up to 7 you get to take a prize from the pile, or a neighbor. This year my little Mckay hit the jackpot. Ten times in a row he had doubles or his sum was 7. He thought it was the greatest game ever. He even started choosing prizes for his sister. Uncle Hunter really wanted the blue ball. When Mckay picked it, he wanted to steal it, but he chose to let Mckay keep it. I can't believe how grown up Camille and Hunter are considering I met them when they were 1 year old and 3 years old.

Mckay filtering through his options of prizes

Game On

Cassidy finally got doubles!!!!

Mckay and Uncle Hunter

Baby Owen wishing he could have stolen Grant and Jill's twix bar

Opening some gifts. We gave Hunter an orange hunting jacket. The color was strategically chosen!!!

Cassidy and Mckay giving Grandma and Grandpa their gift. A calendar with pictures of them. Mckay is really only interested in the ball he won in the dice game. You throw it and it comes back, just like a yo-yo.

Grandma Pat and Grandpa Sid stopped by. Cassidy performed her speaking part from her pre-school program.

Hunter performed some Taekwondo

Camille did some Irish Dancing

Pat and Sid

When we got home from our party the kids left milk and cookies for Santa and lettuce and carrots for the reindeer.

Christmas Dinners

2010-01-26T11:03:00.004-07:00

Every year after Christmas my parents, my sisters and our spouses have a childless dinner at The Roof in downtown Salt Lake. The discussion at the table generally consists of the people we feel blessed to have in our lives. After a great meal, the couples always get their photos taken with the Salt Lake Temple in the background. This year was especially fun because we got to eat in the Library Room. (This is a private room with a large round table so we can all see and talk to each other.)

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Dinner with the Weavers

On December 15th we had the first annual "Ensign married-sibling Christmas Dinner." We all met up at Tepanyaki in Lehi. Taft & Amy, Tanner & Michelle, and Grant & Jill all had to battle a terrible snow storm to get there. Luckily, Taylor and I joined up with Mckay and Molly for our quick 5 minute drive.

I had a goal to take a picture of all the couples...
I failed miserably.
I ended up with two photos of Grant & Jill and no other photos.
Not even a picture with Taylor and me.

It is a great photo of Grant and Jill though!

Life is an adventure

2010-01-11T14:12:00.004-07:00

Monday, December 21, 2009

Christmas Carols in Energy Solutions Arena

and a free ride on trax

This year Taylor and I thought we would try something new. The Larry H. Miller family was hosting their annual Christmas Sing-Along and sponsoring a night of free singing, free hot dogs, free popcorn, and free trax rides. I am always up for something free. We decided to load up the kids and take them downtown to sing Christmas Carols at Energy Solutions arena, aka, princess on ice place or where the Jazz play. Taylor works in Holladay so when he got off we met at the 90th South trax station. We hopped on the train, that was already pretty crowded. Little did we know that it would get even worse. Half way down town we were packed like a can of sardines. Luckily I was able to grab a chair and hold one of the kids on my lap. Poor Taylor had to stand the whole way smashed together with a bunch of strangers. It got very hot, and very up close and personal. Our train was so full, that on several of the last stops people could not get onto the train. Several kids were left crying, waiting for the next train to come in hopes there would be more room on the next train. Mckay kept asking why it was so squishy.

We finally made it downtown, with the thousands of other people that showed up for this free event. By the time that we finally got in, the lower bowl was full, the free hot dogs and popcorn were gone, as well as the free Jazz and Bees tickets. We were determined to stick it out, at least for a few songs. We took the kids upstairs and found some seats. As soon as we sat down Mckay needed to use the restroom, of coarse. After a couple of songs we decided that we had better head out so we didn't catch the rush for trax.

The ride home was much more cozy. We had a whole little bench for our family. Mckay and Cassidy enjoyed looking out the window and reading a map of all the stops.

When we got back to our cars we were all starving, due to the shortage of free hot dogs and popcorn. We made a quick stop at Chickfila for dinner. The kids ate great, like they always do if you starve them, and got to play for a few minutes. Taylor and I enjoyed a few minutes to ourselves just to talk. We decided that this night was quite an adventure. Nothing really went how we planned. We won't ever ride trax again when it is free for all riders, but we would go downtown again to sing carols. We just would make sure we ate dinner first, and we would drive our own car! So in short, life is an adventure. You never really know what is coming your way. I am just glad that I have an awesome husband and adventurous kids to share it with. No matter what goes wrong, it is fun just to be together.

Cassidy waiting to get inside in the warm building
Thousands of people singing "Jingle Bells"

The fun ride home

Mckay and his maps

Sharing the popcorn we had to buy. Anything to tide us over to dinner time!

Cassidy's Christmas Program

2010-01-11T13:09:00.004-07:00

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Cassidy performing in her preschool program

Cassidy has been attending Polka Dot Preschool this year. She has a large class of 14. Her teacher is Ms. Jen. This year her program was at an LDS church building. The room was not big enough for all the family and friends coming to the program. We sat in the back, on the opposite corner from Cassidy. Unless we stood on our chairs we couldn't even see Cassidy. She did a great job singing all the songs and she nailed her speaking part. She was one of a few that actually had her part memorized. I spent most of the program standing in the hall near Cassidy so I could get some pictures. Cassidy was excited to wear her wedding clothes again and even painted her nails red for the occasion. Good Job Cassidy. Mom and Dad are proud of you. We love you!
Taylor and Mckay waiting for the performance to begin.

The program combined Cassidy's and one other class. 28 kids in total. Can you say chaos???

Dashing through the snow.....

Cassidy and Mckay at the end of the program. I think Mckay was excited to congratulate Cassidy, or he may have just been stoked that it was over becuase he couldn't even see his sister.

Grandma and Granpa Weaver came to the performance.

Grandma Lisa and Grandpa Eric were sad to miss is. Grandma's calling kept her busy at a special needs mutal Christmas activity that prevented them from coming.

The Fam

I love this picture because it shows how Mckay always gives me hugs and snuggles. He loves putting his arm around your head so you can be cheek to cheek.

Below is a very low quality film of Cassidy giving her speaking part, but at least you can hear what she says:

"Yugoslavian children plant wheat on a plate and let it grow until Christmas Eve."

I Love Dad!

2010-01-06T10:58:00.004-07:00

Four years ago I was at work and saw a great gift idea, so I stole the idea. A Deaf co-worker had pictures on his wall of his daughter signing, "I love Dad." I decided that I would give Taylor the same thing for Christmas, and now it has just become tradition. This year we painted our house, and put some of our pictures in the basement, then Cassidy flooded it, and the pictures from the past years, as well as the frame were ruined. So I thought I would try and mix it up and put both of my kids in the same photo. I shot the pictures below and then could not find a new frame with four openings for a 4x6 photo. I ended up purchasing a square frame with 12 4x6 photos and adding pictures of the kids signing individually. I thought I would put one picture of them together, however all the individual pictures were vertical and the duo was horizontal. The two of them together didn't make the cut for the Christmas gift this year. I think that they are still cute enough to go some where, so here they are....

2010-01-06T10:42:00.002-07:00

AT WHAT POINT SHOULD WE WORRY??????

So lately Cassidy enjoys dressing up her brother in girls clothes, pj's, dress ups and painting his toe nails. Mckay is happy to join in the fun. This night, early in December, the kids went upstairs to play during the Jazz game. They came down to surprise us. A little princess show of singing, dancing and adjusting the costumes lasted about 5 minutes because the kids were giggling so much they couldn't keep going.

Since this night Cassidy will dress her brother up in her own shirt, skirt and panties and they will perform for us. This usually entails a version of Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer. It is typically very humorous and Taylor and I can't help but laugh. Cassidy also decided to paint her brother's toe nails red. She does an excellent job at painting and staying on the toe nails. However, she runs into a bit of a problem when she tries to dry it with a baby wipe and wipes the polish all over the rest of the toes. I think the red polish is almost all the way off, but it has been there for several weeks now.

At what point do we, as parents, become concerned that our son is dressing up as a pink princess?

Ami's Wedding

2010-01-06T10:03:00.004-07:00

December 9, 2009

James and Ami get hitched

Congratulations!

Our fun little family waiting for the newlyweds outside the Salt Lake Temple.

Cassidy wanting her picture at the top of the steps
These two are best friends. It doesn't matter where they are they will find some game to play or an adventure to go on together.

Ami and James Selfridge

Cassidy hugging Ami after she came out of the temple.

Alisa and Mckay in the bitter cold

Taylor and Cassidy

Mckay making snowballs to throw at Taylor

Mckay proud because he just got Taylor with his snowballs

Getting ready for the niece and nephew picture with Ami and James

Welcome to the family James, I hope you are ready for this!

In the parking garage, finally getting warmer.

The wedding dinner was just beautiful. It was held in one of the rooms in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. The view was incredible.

The table just for kids.

Congratulations Ami and James. We are so excited for you to be married.

We love you!

Putting up the Christmas Tree

2010-01-04T14:29:00.003-07:00

About an hour before the kids bedtime on Saturday, December 5th, we decided to put up our christmas tree. We went to the basement and pulled out our tree. It was then that we had realized that we could no longer find the box of Christmas tree ornaments. Taylor made a quick dash to the local wal-mart to purchase new ornaments and some more lights. The kids had a blast putting the ornaments on. Taylor and I talked about how we would touch up the tree after the kids went to bed. However, that never really happened. The tree stayed just how the kids decorated it. Decorating the tree really helped bring the christmas spirit to our home.

The assemblying of the tree

Pre-Decorating

Mom putting the hooks on the ornaments as fast as she could.

Cassidy hanging our star

We are done!!!

The Stitches are out

2010-01-04T14:17:00.005-07:00

Tuesday, December 8th Mckay and I ventured back to American Fork Hospital ER to remove his stitches. As soon as we got in the car he started sobbing. "I don't want to go to the hospital, I don't want to go to the hospital...." I chuckled to myself because he was so sincere and scared and I knew it wouldn't be that bad.

When we got into the ER we spent a few moments looking at the fish before they called us back. As soon as we stepped into the back rooms of the ER he started screaming. The technician quickly called for two more nurses to come and help. It took 4 of us and all of five minutes for the stitches to get removed. When we were about half way done I told Mckay, "You are almost done." His body didn't fight us any more but he kept screaming. Now he will talk about how silly it was that the doctor used tweezers to remove his stitches. He is proud that they are out. I just look forward to the hair on his eyebrow growing back to cover up the second scar on that eyebrow.

One of the nurses that helped hold Mckay down let him choose a candy cane from their treat bucket. He loved it! It had pipe cleaner antlers and googly eyes. He saved it for 5 hours before he ate it. He had to make sure that Dad saw it when he got home from work.

I am grateful for modern day medicine that helps our family be healthy, and I really hope we don't have any more trips to the ER any time soon.

No place to sled- December 12, 2009

2010-01-04T11:53:00.003-07:00

On Saturday, December 12th we celebrated Taylor's 7 year anniversary of returning home from a mission with a great snow storm. The kids wanted to go and and play, build a snow man, and go sledding. Where we live in Lehi, there are no sledding hills, so Taylor was very creative and made our own little sledding hill. He worked outside for an hour shoveling snow onto our back porch to make a "hill" for the kids to sled on. They had a blast, even after running slowly into the fence on the test runs.

The view from the top of the hill.

Mom testing it out. I didn't even run into the fence at the end.

"Ta-Dah!!! Our Snowman"

Making Snow Angels

One last ride. Thanks for making a fun sledding hill Taylor!