2013 year in review

I started a cool tradition on January 1^st of 2013. {I think I saw it on pinterest, so yay for me for actually doing something I pinned!} I put a jar full of strips of blank paper on my kitchen counter where I would hopefully see it and be reminded to add to it regularly. Every time something funny, cool, or memorable happened, I wrote it down on the strip of paper. Then, on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day of the next year, you read the contents of the jar as a family! I know I probably forgot to write a bunch of important things, but hopefully I’ll get better each year!

Here is our 2013!

{In no particular order}

Kyle started working out and “lifting” daily. His body has changed DRAMATICALLY!  I was worried at first, because I am super NOT into guys with big muscles…but it turns out that I really like him. {Even with big muscles… maybe even especially with big muscles. Who knew?!}

“Bubbuh ate a diaper, but he is not to die”: Our dear, sweet Bubbuh Boy gave us a HUGE scare right at the beginning of the year. He made off with one of Tennyson’s diapers and ate the entire thing - which is DEADLY to dogs. The absorption pellets swell up HUGE in their colon and intestines and basically shut everything down. He stopped being able to go #2, and soon began throwing up everything he ate {cause it couldn’t pass through the other way}. We noticed he was acting funny, went to the back yard to investigate, and found the very few remains of one of Ten’s diapers and realized what must have happened. We called our vet {Who was on the other side of the continent at that exact moment} and he said that surgery was possible, but pretty traumatic and not guaranteed to be successful. He suggested we give him Metamucil {mixed with water} as we had seen online. The Metamucil has been found to grab onto the diaper beads and help pull them through the colon. It was worth a shot! Laura spent the rest of the day out on the front driveway forcing Metamucil down Bubbuh’s throat with a funnel and holding his mouth closed and pointed to the sky to try to keep him from vomiting it back up.  Every time he threw up, Laura would cry and hug him, then she would mix up another batch of Metamucil and start again. By evening, they were both covered in orange gunk, vomit, and tears…but late that night, a very tired Bubbuh made his way out into the backyard and had his first bowel movement. Kyle and Laura watched from their bedroom window {to give him adequate privacy} then, when he appeared to be finished,  they ran out {flashlight in hand} to investigate. They found a big pile of orange diaper chunks…and proceeded to jump and cheer and hug…next to a steaming pile of orange diaper excrement. This is what marriage all about – at least, I’m pretty sure… Bubbuh is still with us. Healthy and happy – going on 5 years!

Jordan started her SENIOR year of high school! Where has the time gone? We can’t believe it has already been two years since she came to live with us, and we REALLY can’t believe that she will be starting college next year.  She will graduate from Maple Mountain High School in May of 2014.

Laura threw her back out in March. It was horrendous, and it took months to even get back to a state where she could function. Kyle was a great “Mr. Mom” as usual.

Kortland changed schools! We were really nervous about taking this leap, but it has turned out to be one of the best things we have done! His confidence is soaring, he’s made a bunch of new friends, and we cannot BELIEVE the vocab we are hearing out of this kid. Did I mention he can recite Lewis Carrol and Robert Frost upon request? This is fun. American Preparatory Academy has literally changed his whole trajectory. He went from having a terrible scholastic self esteem to feeling great about his abilities. And for the first time ever, I’m not sick to my stomach going into parent teacher conferences – afraid of what I might hear.  His teacher says he is a delight and one of the best students in her class.

Mom spent ALL of Halloween day making a “Little Stormy Rain Cloud” costume for Tennyson. {It was kind of amazing...} She finished just in time to get him dressed and head to the trunk or treat. As she got him into the harness that held the rain cloud hovering 2 feet above his head, he panicked and didn’t want it on. He started crying and and screaming "Out! Out! Off? Off?!?!" As mom started cutting him loose from the harness, she accidently cut through his expensive church sweater too. She threw the costume down onto the landing and she and tens had a good cry. Lesson learned. Mom is getting him this next year and calling it good:

Jordan’s best friend in the whole wide world went on a mission to South Carolina! This has been so bittersweet for Jo! Sadie is an amazing example, and Jordan is so proud of her, but she misses her best friend dearly. They had a very tearful goodbye before Sadie left. They write every week and exchanged Christmas presents through the mail. The boy’s have even had fun making artwork to send to her. Tennyson scribbled yellow crayon all over a white paper, pointed to it, and said “Saturday!” I’m sure she’ll be both thrilled and confused when she receives that one in the mail!

Kortland got first place for his solo @ his Hip Hop competition in St. George. He got a trophy and a “King” crown. He was SO excited. It was so much fun to watch him at his very first competition! His dance “crew” got 1^st place for their hip hop number as well.

We thought it would be “fun” to stay in a hotel in St. George the weekend of Kort’s competition. We were wrong. The hotel was HORRIBLE. They lost our reservation and didn’t have a room for us…but they were oh so gracious to offer us a different room – that was way more expensive. {Bumholes.} My mom and dad {who were accompanying us} offered to foot the bill…mostly because they are just incredibly wonderful, but also because I think my mom suspected I might burn that mother down if SOMEONE didn’t make it better.  Then, in the middle of the night, Tennyson woke up and started crying and would NOT go back to sleep. I was still jacked up from my back injury, so Kyle hopped up and took him outside before he woke the whole family up. Kyle thought he would go back to sleep if he drove around for a bit, but NOPE! Kyle drove till HE was going to fall asleep, realized THAT wasn’t safe, and went to WalMart with a still VERY awake Tennyson! They ate powdered doughnuts and marshmallows, shopped for random crap, and spent an hour looking at the fish tanks.  They got ZERO sleep. Kyle came back at 8:00 a.m. looking like a zombie and laughing about the insanity of it all. What I learned: #1 I won the husband lottery, I will proclaim it till the day I die. I already knew this – but it was SURE reiterated through this experience. #2 We will NEVER stay in a 1 bedroom hotel room again! We are “house spoiled” for sure. Ain’t happenin’! That was crap!

Jordan spoke in church…not once, but twice! She’s not even a technically Mormon – haha! She did an amazing job, totally brought the spirit {translation: I was bawling…probably to an embarrassing degree} and spoke with such confidence and conviction. The ward talked about it for weeks!  She is an great example to us.

Kortland’s  “Reflections” entry made it all the way to the district level where he received an “Award of Merit” He LOVED getting a trophy and getting his picture taken!

We decided to sign up with doTERRA in June. We LOVE it! My friend Allyse contacted me and said that this was something I NEEDED to be doing {knowing that I am a doula and VERY inclined toward natural healthcare} and though I was hesitant, and it took a couple months of talking about it, we finally got a very clear confirmation that this was to be part of our path in life. Patrick and Allyse Sedivy, and Natalie Harris have been INCREDIBLE mentors and have blessed our lives so much, and we have a team full of some of our best friends. It is so much fun, and also a lot of hard work.  We have traveled to California, Colorado, Arizona, Idaho, and Oregon to teach classes and train other teachers. It has been hectic, but very fulfilling. We feel blessed to be part of this company.

Kortland won the Veterans Day Essay contest at his school, and had the honor of reading his essay at American Preparatory's Veterans Day Assembly. The fact that his Grandpa, a veteran of the Korean War, was in the audience, and honored in his essay and also honored at the assembly was an added blessing! This assembly was remarkable – and Kyle and I agree that we do not take adequate pause to honor our Veterans both on Veterans Day, and throughout the year. We are going to change that! Teaching our children to value and look forward to celebrating Veterans Day is going to be a top priority in our home and in our lives from now on. Without our Veterans, our entire way of life would not be possible. The kids sang wonderful songs, and I cried through the whole thing. All of APA’s campuses {Draper, Salem, SLC, West Valley} do a Veterans day assembly every year. Any and all Veterans are invited to attend. Whether or not your kids go to APA, if you know a Veteran, please make it a priority to invite and escort them to this assembly next year. It gives them the thanks and recognition they truly deserve, and EVERY veteran should experience it at least once – if not every year! Kort did a great job delivering his essay. He was glowing and so excited! He got interviewed for a local paper and was thrilled about that as well. He is so proud of his Grandpa Jim, and so lucky that he could be at the assembly.

Jordan learned how to sew and she is a natural! She is so good at everything she tries, and very artistically inclined. She made SUCH a beautiful skirt! I love her classic style. She’s also been in a sculpting/pottery class and made really great pieces! I am wishing she could get more time in the workshop so she could make me a set of six mugs. She made 2 super-artsy funky mugs, and I want a full set!

2 days before I {Laura} flew to Portland on a business trip, {Dec 8} I got a little sore on my lower lip. I went to see a doctor about it the day before I flew out, and he diagnosed me with my first case of HSV1. {Cold sores – or Herpes of the face…fun!} He prescribed Valtrex and sent me home. My friend, Carrie, warned me that the “initial infection” could get pretty severe, and that it was a lot like chicken pox where, the older you are, the harder it kicks your booty! Well… It turns out that 33 is old enough! I had no idea just how bad it would get! My lips ballooned to the point of splitting for a few days, then the infection spread to my entire face, finally swelling so badly that it closed my right eye.  {Luckily, the worst of it hit the day after I flew home. I was able to teach several classes in Portland, but it was miserable and I had crippling anxiety as her condition worsened.}  I couldn’t sleep because the pain was too intense. Nothing touched it. Not narcotics, not anything!  Doctors finally gave me a huge prednisone shot to try to knock out the swelling. It did the trick. 24 hours later, my eye was open again, but it took several days for the swelling and redness to leave my face. Then after 2 days of feeling better, the redness and itchiness returned. It is really uncomfortable, but nothing compared to the most extreme point.  I have been down and out for the ENITRE Christmas season, which has been so hard, but I have tried to count my blessings and be grateful for tender mercies. I’m still not better. Doctors think I have a thyroid problem as well as an autoimmune issue where the HSV1 virus is under control, but my immune system is overreacting and now attacking healthy tissue in my face. {No, not scary at all…} I get test result back on January 2^nd.

Kortland practiced hard for his choir recital at APA. They sang a mix of Christmas songs and classics. Mom especially loved that they learned “Danny Boy.” {One of my favorites of all time!!}  Kortland now sings “Danny Boy” to help lull Tens to sleep, and there is nothing that makes a mother’s heart more full! That 7 year gap is paying off BIG TIME . Kortland is a loving, mature, protective big brother to Tentens. Mom was too sick to attend his performance, but loved seeing him on the video that super-dad took.

Kortland did a great job with his hip hop crew at his Christmas recital! Again, mom was still too sick to be there, but super-dad , Tennyson, and  Mahma +Grandpa Jim represented, and, again, mom enjoyed watching the video! Kort is a born performer. He gives it his all and performs with so much energy!

Tennyson is potty trained! He learned SO FAST. It was great. My friend told me that if you just leave them completely naked, it is a breeze – she was right! The only time he had an accident was ONCE when we put underwear on him! After 3 days, he “got it” and graduated to “hunderwears” and we left the house for the first time in a few days. It stuck. He is even staying dry through the night – which we did not expect just yet!  If you are potty training – we highly recommend the nakey-method!