We are waaaaaaay over due for a family update so I figured I'd just give a recap of the past 2 years. We moved into a new home almost 1 year ago to the day and it has been great! It's only 4 minutes away from our previous home so the boys are still able to see their old friends and attend the same school which is nice. We had quite a scare last June when an accidental fire broke out near by and we were evacuated for 2 days while the fire dept got it under control. It was very scary not knowing if we were going to be homeless or not. But I have to admit it was a good reminder of what we need in case of an emergency. Aaron is still working for Educators Mutual Insurance (EMI Health) as a Computer Programmer and is doing well there. We feel very blessed every day that he is employed as many others we know have struggled to find work during these economic times. He is a wonderful husband and we try to go out at least every other weekend. He still makes me laugh to this day and I'm so thankful for his example. He is currently the Sunday School President in our ward and enjoys gaming a few times a month when he has some spare time. He's going to be running in the Ragnar this summer which will be his 4th year attending. I went with him last summer and it is an experience I will never forget. Much like childbirth. Except you get a t-shirt and a metal instead of a baby. The boys are doing awesome. They have made many new friends and are enjoying school. Jonas has become a little obsessed....well....make that A LOT obsessed with Lego's and is really good at putting his imagination to work. He's quite the engineer. He's still very sensitive and wants to please everyone. He is our little peace maker and plays so well with his friends and even his brothers. He's enjoying 1st grade and loves to read. Kaden is our big 4th grader and has taken quite an interest in skateboarding. He's always had a lot of energy and after talking to his teachers at church, school, and scout leaders...he hasn't let up one bit. But he is very social and makes friends very easily. He's a great big brother (most of the time) and I can't believe he's almost 10 years old. We came close to losing him 2 summers ago while vacationing in St. George. He was swimming at my brothers pool and fell from the top of a 9 ft slide to the concrete breaking his color bone and sustaining a skull fracture as a result. We were life flighted to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake which brought back so many memories. He was there for a few days and has made a full recovery. It was a miracle. If his shoulder had not broken the fall, he could have suffered permanent brain damage or even death. I have a suspicion that someone was looking out for him that day. Then last summer he decided it would be a good idea to go to a mountain bike park with a friend without permission, without an adult, and without a helmet. You can imagine my shock when I received a call from a stranger that Kaden had fallen and split his chin open requiring 6 stitches. Thank goodness it was only his chin. He could have cracked his head open. Needless to say, he is very active and not afraid of anything, including his parents. (Which terrifies me as he gets older.) But we take these teaching moments and pray that they learn from them. We try to instill in the boys that when we make poor choices, we don't get to choose the consequences. And although they struggle at times with this principal, they are good kids with huge hearts and we are so proud to be their parents. And little Noah, well he has brought so much joy into our family. He just turned two and is talking like crazy! He makes us laugh all of the time. I just want to eat him up. He adores his older brothers and tries to do everything they do which isn't always a good thing. He's really into cars, trucks, trains, motorcycles, pretty much anything with wheels. He's such a boy! But he also LOVES the Toy Story movies right now and has to watch one every day. I can pretty much ad lib all three movies. He is a great napper still and sleeps really well through the night for us. He is also our best eater. He can put Jonas to shame. Poor Jonas is so skinny and small. He is also a very picky eater and we keep telling him that Noah is going to out grow him if he doesn't start eating better. I mean, the toddler will eat whatever I put in front of him and Jonas is in the back round gagging. I mean come on....my cooking isn't that bad, is it? Noah will eat raw tomatoes which I still can't get Aaron to eat. We had a scare with Noah in November when he was hospitalized at Primary Children's with Kawasaki's disease. He was there for 1 week getting a treatment and has make a full recovery. I hope Jonas isn't feeling left out since he's the only one (knock on wood) that hasn't had a stay in the hospital. Thank goodness for modern medicine. If his diagnosis went untreated, he could have died. But he is back to his old self again. As for myself, I feel very blessed to be able to stay home with the kids. I love that I can be here for them to teach and nurture them as they grow. I love being available to help with homework, projects, scouts, sick days, doctor appointments, volunteering, keeping the house in order, making meals, I love it all. It really is fulfilling and I wouldn't change a thing about my life with the exception that I wish Lucas were here to join in on the chaos. I'm currently serving as the first counselor in the Relief Society and I absolutely love the women I serve with and through this calling have had many opportunities to get to know the sisters in our ward. They have been so welcoming and have embraced our family from day one. Well, I think that pretty much sums it up. I'm sure I've missed a few things here and there but that's what happens when I wait this long to update. Life is good...
