Captain Jack Sparrow!

One of the hi-lights from our Disneyland trip was meeting Captain Jack Sparrow! We had just gotten off the pirates of the caribbean ride and were trying to find our stroller, when we were shocked to see Jack Sparrow! And the line was way short! So we got in line to meet him and man, he looks just like him! He never talked, but he would look at you funny and do some random things. The boys thought he was hilarious and the adults couldn't believe that it wasn't the real Johnny Depp!

DISNEYLAND!!!

For Spring Break week, we had the privilege of going to Disneyland. It wasn't as crowded as it was for UEA, but it was more crowded than we thought. We left Saturday and stayed in Vegas to let the kids swim. The drive from Vegas to Anaheim on Sunday afternoon was the worst....6-7 hours, stop and go! But we made it and it was definitely worth it!

My parents flew in Monday morning so we spent Mon-Thursday at both parks. It actually got hot on Monday and Tuesday, high 70's and we were hot enough to go on the river rafting ride so that was fun. The first group hardly got wet, but the second group (Ryan and Riley) got soaked!!! We were able to do everything that the boys wanted. Brock loved it and did really well in his stroller. He had a hard time standing in the 50 minute Toy Story wait (which we did everyday cause that is our favorite ride!). In the afternoon we would let him walk and he would only go one direction, so when you would get him and take him back, he would venture off in the exact same direction dodging in and out of crowds! He loved to see all the characters and loved PlayHouse Disney even though he wouldn't sit still! Got a great picture of Riley holding him!

Riley was such a big help which made things easy. In fact, all the boys behaved and it was a ton of fun and not as stressful as it was over UEA. (Lesson learned: don't go to Disneyland over UEA! The joke is it stands for Utah enters Anaheim, and yep, I think that's true!) We just love Disneyland so much! In June 3 new rides are opening up: the Little Mermaid, Goofy's Sky School and the redone Star Tours. Then somtime next year, the new cars land opens up so I guess we will have to wait until all this is open before we go back again, which will be hard for us to do!
Below are some fun pictures!







Jedi Training was anothe hilight of the trip. 2 years ago when we went and Riley found out about it, we had to wait through 3 or 4 shows and finally on the last show, he was one of the kids picked! Well this time around Tyler wanted to be picked, but guess who got picked for the first show...Riley! So thank goodness Tyler didn't want to wait through another show, so we only had to do this once! But we would have gladly tried for Tyler. Even Riley was a big helper trying to get Tyler picked!


The boys loved every ride and the rider switch is the way to go with a baby so we could do everything in 2 groups. Riley especially loved this cause he usually got to ride both times! World of Color was fun to watch again as well. It's just so much fun to go and you definitely feel like a kid again!
We took the boys to Downtown Disney and they each got a Lego and a Build-a-Bear. Even Sheree got one! It's the downtown Disney bear and has mickey ears...so cute! Sheree's parents were a big help as well and hopefully they still had fun! We are definitely looking forward to going to Orlando with them in October!! We sure feel lucky to be able to do all this and love our family vacations!

I Wish...

I wish I could have a baby girl!
I wish our basement was finished so we could move Riley downstairs and let Tyler have Riley's room so he wasn't sleeping on the couch anymore (or in our bed!)
I wish I could stay home and not work anymore.
I wish I had perfect kids!
I wish I was a better mom (so I guess this is why I don't have perfect kids!)
I wish all my kids slept through the night...there hasn't been one night in the last month, and probably year, where both Ryan and I got a full night of sleep without one of the boys waking us up! Guess I should be thankful that I have kids though.
I wish I wasn't so negative, but I know that I am the one who can change this.
I wish it was spring break and we were on our way to Disneyland (9 days to go!)
I wish I had a clean, organized, decorated house! Well clean and organized would suffice! I wish I had the motivation to clean and organize and cook and do laundry!
I wish it was Spring outside with 70 degree weather where we could all go outside and play.
I wish I could do my hair as cute as Shari does it when she cuts it!
I wish...there will always be something to wish for!

Service Opportunity

So an old neighbor is in need of some help to collect recipes to create a cookbook for a fundraiser for her disabled daughter. The recipes need to be submitted by March 17. Please go to her blog, www.theselittlemiracles.blogspot.com to click on the link to submit a recipe! It will just take you 5 minutes! Also, if you'd like to pass the info on to others, she would greatly appreciate it!

The Latest Happenings

January was a tough month...very long, cold and not a lot of sunshine.

*Riley struggled at school - had more bad days than good days both at home and at school. We have put him back on a strict behavior chart and since that was implemented we have had 6 good days in a row. Hopefully it continues until he goes off track at the end of this month! He's done really well playing basketball and has really enjoyed that! He loves to read and is currently reading the Fudgemania series and Harry Potter.

*Tyler had an ongoing ear infection that still hasn't gone away. In fact we went to the ENT yesterday and they tested his hearing and he's not even hearing out of his left ear! So on Feb. 18, he will have tubes put in. He went back to Sheree's schools daycare and has loved being back in that familiar territory. He knows how to spell his name and can't wait until he's 5 when he can finally go to Riley's school! I'm hoping that when that time comes a year and a half from now, that he'll still want to go to Kindergarten! He's looking forward to his Valentine's party on Monday. And he has pink eye for the 3rd time in 2 months! Noone else in our family has gotten it...just Tyler!

*Then Brock got really sick with what we thought was just an ear infection, but in fact had pnemonia on his birthday! A week later he was majorly fussy until his first tooth came in! He is also now at Sheree's schools daycare and that was an adjustment. I really think he missed his other daycare. He loves to push things around to help him walk but he will rarely stand on his own and doesn't care to walk without pushing things. He's still not sleeping through the night and that is really frustrating Ryan and I.

*Ryan tries to get out each Saturday to ride his bike. The crits start in March and he's hoping to be able to do those on a weekly basis. Hopefully I'll be nice and let him! We did get some exciting news from my parents to start training Ryan to run the accounting part of my dad's business. It's funny cause it came after Riley had a really tough week and said he didn't like his school and wanted to move, so I said okay it's time for a change, lets move. Then that week my mom mentioned it in a phone call and I'm thinking ok, let's move. Well now Riley doesn't want to move, but only time will tell what comes of everything. The older our kids get, the harder it is to have us both working. Like I said before, it's hard being a parent. Seriously wonder if I would have done all this if I would have known how hard it was going to be. Here's to hoping February has more good days than bad! So far we're off to a good start!

Riley's basketball game

So last Friday was Riley's first basketball game and it was AMAZING!!! Very nerve racking to watch as a parent but also entertaining to watch boys and girls learn to play the game. Riley made the first basket for his team! He did great running up and down the court, inbounding, rebounding, and passing to his teammates. He scored a second time as well! But the best part of all....NOT ONE INCIDENT WITH HIS ANGER! There were a few times that he collided with a boy from the other team but got up up and kept playing the game. He was so excited after...they didn't keep score but his coach said that they won by 2 points! He said that he can't wait until next Friday! We're hoping that we finally found a sport that he can be successful in! Here are some fun pictures from his game!
(He's number 25)





And poor Brocky...this day also happened to be his FIRST birthday and he doesn't look like he's feeling too good. He slept all night long and woke up with a 102.7 degree fever so we took him to the doctor and he has a double ear infection and pneumonia in one lung. Poor little guy! After several days of medicine he is doing much better!

Blessings in disguise

Riley decided he wanted to play basketball this season so Ryan and I reluctantly signed him up. You see Riley has not done well at sports at all...he can play the sports and is athletic, but he has anger management issues. It is embarrassing and disappointing as a parent to watch. It was during Riley's second season of soccer that we knew Riley needed help because somehow he could not process his emotions. So we quit soccer and went to therapy on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Salt Lake. The therapy did wonders for Ryan and I and Riley. So the next Spring we tried baseball which was okay. He had 2 incidences that I can remember so we tried baseball again the following spring and it was a complete disaster! So we didn't play baseball this past spring.
So now we're trying basketball. So far the practices have gone well, until this past Friday night when they had pictures after practice and Riley had to line up with his team. Well lines are just not good for Riley at all, and we don't know exactly what happened, but his coach brought him to us stating that Riley punched another boy. Why the heck can he not keep his hands to himself!? He had a really rough week at school too and I don't know if its cause he was off track for 5 weeks and had a hard time adjusting but I am sick and tired of the physical violence this kid does and am so frustrated by it! Well his coach is a seminary teacher and a stake high councilman and his son is in Riley's 2nd grade class. So we talked to him and told him Rileys situation and that the coach needs to be the one to discipline him during a game if anything happens, etc. So after pictures, the coach took Riley aside and talked to him for a long time and Riley listened. We asked him what he said and he told us that he needs to say his prayers every night to Heavenly Father and ask for help controlling his anger when he gets mad and that if Riley can do this and not have any issues during a game, then the coach will have a treat for him. Bribery does wonders for Riley and I think he liked the attention his coach gave him. Well today at church we ran into the coach and he asked Riley if he remembered what they talked about and if he has followed through. It really is nice to have a coach that cares for my child and who took a few minutes to try to help. Ryan and I have been very frustrated all week with Riley's behavior and this was an answer to our prayers! It was also a nice reminder that we can't give up and to keep praying for help and that answers will come! It has been amazing to see Riley's progress since we first started having problems 3 1/2 years ago. It isn't cured yet but it's tons better than it once was and I can't give up as a mom even though there are problem days and things happen at school that are out of my control. We also can't forget those simple things that we need to do on a daily basis like read our scriptures as a family and have family and individual prayers. I know that my Father in Heaven loves me and cares about me and my family and our needs physically and emotionally. Being a parent isn't easy and I can't give up!
Riley's first actual basketball game is this Friday and I'm sure a few prayers on his behalf to be a good sport and control his anger would really help!