Katelyn

Katelyn is so funny. She is just like a little mother and she can be a little worrier. She was at a birthday party tonight and I had to go to a choir concert of Alexa's. Landon and Hayden were home, but they were downstairs playing a game. Katelyn came home from the party and didn't look too hard to see if anyone else was home. She started calling me and I could not answer because I was in the concert. I kept texting Landon telling him to go tell her to stop calling me. I noticed she had left a message, so I listened to it to make sure everything was ok.
She had left 3 messages and I listened to the first two where she was asking where I was and told me to call her. I erased the first two, but I kept the third one because it made me laugh. It probably won't be as funny written out, but it is hilarious to listen to.
"Hey mom, it's me once more time. Where are you, you promised me we would make the gingerbread men and gingerbread house tonight. Please... come on... you need to get home. Please, I am worried about you and you are not answering your phone. It is 2011, December 7...it's Wednesday...you just need to remember to answer your phone when I'm calling. I'm scared so goodbye. Please call me back when you find out that you've got this message."
Tracy went out and called her and she already knew she wasn't alone. It all ended up fine and we did get the gingerbread men made. So funny!

Notes

The good, the bad and the ugly!
I received a wonderful letter in the mail from Alexa's school the other day. She was given a student of the month award. She was nominated by her English Teacher and I love how she said Alexa is kind. It is wonderful that my kids are great students, but I'm extra proud that they are kind, good people. I don't have a certificate right now, but Hayden was student of the week at his elementary school too. He is doing so much better and has grown by leaps and bounds this year.

 

This is a note from sweet Whitney when she was young. I need to get better at putting dates on them. I'm sure there will be many more of these as I continue cleaning the house in preparation for the move. I'm not sure if she was contemplating changing rooms or what. I love how she ends with "why would I want to follow rules anyway", that sums up kids sometimes.

 

This one would be sad if it weren't so funny. Hayden just adores Landon, but sometimes Landon gets teasing too much--as all brothers do. This must have been a particularly frustrating day for Hayden. This is what the note says--in case you can't decipher it: "I hate Landon and leave me alone ok ok OK give back when it is signed here___name, last name and one sister _____." Whitney was kind enough to help Landon out by signing it.

 

I love these kids! They are so funny and fun.

Cute Ross kids 2011

My neighbor took these darling photos of my kids for a project we did for Super Saturday. I thought they were so cute that I had her e-mail them to me and I am using them on my Christmas cards too. She does an awesome job with candid shots.

 

 

 

 

 

Mission calls and changes

Lanny and Kathy received their mission call last night. They leave January 16, 2012 for Philadelphia Pennsylvania. They will serve for 18 months. This comes as the beginning of many changes in our lives.
We have sold our home. The bank is in the process of finalizing the offer. We sold it to some neighbors who are willing to let us rent the home back for the remainder of the school year. We will be moved out to Roosevelt by June 15, 2012. Lanny and Kathy have been gracious enough to let us stay in their home while they are gone so we can do the upkeep on it and keep it nice until they get back.
I have such mixed emotions about all of this. We've lived in Utah County for over 21 years--over 22 by the time we move and we will have lived in this home for 10 of those years. We love it here. We have many memories here. Sometimes in our lives, we don't get to choose and we just have to trust that the Lord knows where he needs us to be. With the way that everything has just fallen into place, we know that this is the right move and we are excited for new adventures and to be back together with Tracy. Sadly, our kids are growing up. Whitney will be staying out here and we will miss her dearly. Landon will be heading down to SUU in the Fall and have one year of college before he heads out on a mission. We will basically leave the home and valley we love and go from five to three kids at home. Life changes.
We are excited that a majority of Tracy's family is now back in Roosevelt and we will be able to build relationships with them. We are grateful for Tracy's wonderful job. We are looking forward to new experiences and new memories.

Sid and Whitney

This is Sid. He is not usually so scruffy, but of course you have to have facial hair for the hunt. Whitney LOVES the outdoors, hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, horse back riding. She found someone who loves all those things too. She looks happy, right.

 

Baptism

It's great to be 8! On September 16, 2011, my sweet Katie bug turned 8. She was baptized by her wonderful dad on September 24, 2011.
What can we say about sweet Katelyn. She snuck into our lives unexpectedly and we are grateful every day. She helps keep everyone else, especially Hayden, in line. She is super smart. She is outgoing and friendly. She loves life and most of all her family. It's hard to believe that our baby is 8 already. We are so happy that she chose to be baptized. We love you Katie bug.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to School 2011-2012

In August, the kids started back to school. Landon is a Senior this year at Springville High and he is taking a Medical Assistant course at MATC. He will graduate in May from high school and after finishing his internship, he will be a Certified Medical Assistant. That will give him a good job to be able to put himself through college with. He plans to be a Physical Therapist.
Alexa is a Freshman at Mapleton Jr. High. She is enjoying her last year there and doing great.
Hayden is in third grade at Hobble Creek Elementary. He has an excellent teacher named Mrs. Andrews. She has really taken him under her wing and he has already progressed tremendously this year. This should be his best year yet!
Katelyn is in second grade at Hobble Creek Elementary. Her teacher is Mrs. Fry. This is the second year she had had Mrs. Fry. Last year she was Miss Robison and she got married over the Thanksgiving Holiday. She moved up with her class and kept most of the kids. Katie is doing well and is learning a lot.

 

 

 

Moonlight Half Marathon

So proud of Whitney. She had set a goal to run a marathon. We found the perfect opportunity with the Mapleton Moonlight Half. This race is more for fun than anything. You can start whenever you want in order to cross the finish line at what you believe is midnight. The winner is the first person to cross the line after midnight and no timing devices are allowed. You dress up in glow in the dark attire and lights and start your journey up right fork of Hobble Creek Canyon. The race ends with a big fireworks display and party at Ira Allen Park in Mapleton. Whitney didn't finish the first one after midnight, but she did finish in good time and she had a ton of fun. Way to go Whitney!

We had Morgan, Elise and Ashlyn with us, so we had our own built in cheering section. I forgot to mention that it was a full moon. Hayden and I volunteered to help direct the runners up the canyon. Hayden was so cute looking like he was directing airplanes. I think it would be a really fun race to run with my kids next year--I guess if that is going to happen, I need to get in better shape.

 

 

 

 

McQuivey family pictures

Angie and Doug brought their girls out for a few weeks this Summer and baptized Ashlyn while they were here. While we were able to have everyone here, we got together and had family pictures. Here are some of the candid snapshots that we got before. We sure do love each other--that makes me so happy.

 

My grandmother is 89 years young. She still looks so great. She has been such a big influence on our lives. She lives her life with such grace. My Uncle Jay had come up with Grandma and he brought his dog. The little kids were infatuated with the dog and in a couple of these pictures, they are almost completely covering Jay in order to get to the dog.
Nothing in the world means as much to us as family. We love being together and seeing each family grow. This day was a little piece of Heaven.

 

 

 

 

One of our favorite things about this picture is Kael giving the "I Love You" sign.

Summer camping

During the Summers, we love to camp with our families. I am, as always, not good at remembering our camera or taking pictures. I will have to round up some Ross family pictures. I have Mike and Misty to thank for the pictures of the McQuivey family camping. When we go with the McQuivey family, we are trying to go every Memorial day. We go up to the "pop-a-tee" in Bryce Woodlands. We have an amazingly fun time. We go hiking, four wheeling, play around at the property and just enjoy each other. This year, there was a big BYU game on at the same time, and we couldn't miss it. Ryan rigged up a satellite and we sat around the fire pit and watched the game. We love our family and the fun we have together.