Letter to Santa

At Camri's parent-teacher conference, the teacher told me Camri, my second grader, is a great writer. It must run in the family. My Grandma wrote stories, plays and poems; my dad's a great story and poem writer; my sister Diedre wrote an awesome book and is working on getting it published; my sister Jeni is an English teacher; and I, of course, can't write worth beans. Friday, Camri brought home a letter she wrote to Santa. It is super cute and I wanted to share it with everyone. It goes as follows:

Dear Saint Nicholas,

I have seen lots of movies about you because you are famous. Well, that is what I think. How are you doing? Do you have stuff like in the movies in your sleigh? I hope kids are being good this year. Santa, can you tell the elves I said "Hi"? I have found a new friend. Her name is Carsen. I go to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. My teacher's name is Mr. Lugo. I like him. When I was in the first grade I had Ms. Moreno and Ms. Hollenbeck. Santa, you wouldn't mind if you dropped off some presents? Oh, and Santa, can you bring some hot cocoa? We really need it for winter. Santa, some kids might change, so keep watch.

Your Christmas Friend,

Camri

Isn't that fun? What a letter to Santa, like they're best friends. She doesn't even ask for anything specifically. This letter will be a keeper. Have a Merry Christmas everyone.

More Birthday

I thought I should actually post birthday pictures.

Baby Boy's Birthday Story

Two years ago today, 12-3-2006 Cody Ross Iverson joined the family. Cody is the youngest of the five and was planned. I was sitting in fast and testimony meeting and felt we needed to have another baby boy. When I told my husband, he said he'd been thinking the same thing. Needless to say, we found out in April we were expecting. I remember at the first ultrasound thinking, "If this is a girl, I'm in trouble." The technician gave us the exciting news, another boy on the way.

After the ultrasound, we waited for our doctor appointment and I told Jory this was a silly appointment, because I never have complications. When the doctor came in, she said the baby was fine, but...I'd never had a "but" before. I had partial placenta previa. She explained it would probably correct itself as the uterus grew, hopefully moving the placenta away from the cervix. They gave instructions, no heavy lifting, no strenuous exercise and no intercourse. My husband wasn't too pleased. I followed directions, especially the no exercise. Six weeks later and another ultrasound, nothing had changed. However, I was feeling great and never had any preterm labor with the other kids so I tried not to worry.

Finally at 35 weeks, my doctor gave in and said no chance for a natural delivery. He was more upset than me. With my history of great deliveries without even a stitch and fast recoveries, he didn't want to do surgery. I was all for it, no labor! Boy was I wrong! C-sections are no fun at all. We scheduled for Dec. 4th.

On Dec. 2nd, my husband and kids went to Spokane to pick up my mom from the airport. I took the opportunity to climb up into the attic, pull out all the Christmas presents, wrap them up and then haul them back up. That night I started having pains, but decided to just go to bed. At 2 a.m. the pain woke me up. I figured a shower would make me feel better and I needed to shave my legs anyway. The pain didn't get better. I woke up Jory and told him we better go, I might be in labor. He got dressed, took my bag I just packed that day out to the car and my mom came in to sleep in my bed. As she walked in, I felt the gush. "Oh no!" I said and my mom about passed out as I pulled my pants down and saw the blood. I ran in the bathroom and put on a pad, while my mom screamed "Go!" She ran down the stairs and yelled at Jory to get me to the hospital. I hobbled down behind her feeling dreadful. She asked where the number was to the hospital and I couldn't remember or find anything. We left and Jory sped to the hospital.

I couldn't think as he raced down George WA way going 50+ miles and hour. We arrived at the hospital and they were waiting. My mom had called. They rushed me up stairs. A nurse handed me a gown and I went to change in the bathroom. I bled all over the place. All I could think of was I lost him. As I came out apologizing, they reassured me and helped me up on the table, slapping on the fetal monitor. There was a steady heartbeat. I was elated. At 3:37 a.m. Cody entered the world at 8 lbs., 20 1/2 inches long. I couldn't see him and had to ask Jory to move the screen. He looked puffy. Jory went with the baby and I got stitched up.

When I got to the room, the nurses were hovering around Cody. They rushed him to me and set him on my chest. His oxygen blood levels were low. My body heat didn't help, so off he went to NICU where he stayed for three days. When I finally went to see him, I got sick and threw up. I didn't get to see him for a while, but once I was feeling better, I was in the NICU more than I should have been. The nurses kept telling me to sleep, but I insisted they wake me up to feed him. We were able to come home together, but he ended up with Jaundice and had to have the lights on him for a week. However, we had an in home nurse come and help us with the lights at home.

For three weeks he didn't gain weight and I worried. When we blessed him on the 31st, I prayed Jory would bless him with health. The spirit listened and Jory gave a wonderful blessing. It seemed from that day on, he gained weight and hasn't had any health problems. He is now a healthy and busy two year old. Cody is loved by all and spoiled by all. We love him and know he was a gift from our Heavenly Father.

We've had a very busy month. Jory Taylor had braces put on (there goes Christmas;). We had parent teacher conferences and my children are brilliant. JT needs to not be so talkative, but still pulling good grades. I survived my first Book Fair at the elementary school. I finally have a full Young Women's presidency again and am super excited to be working with such great women, but will miss the ones I lost. JT played his first bball game and made a steal and rebound. Kylie made the 9th grade bball A team. We finally took a family picture (thanks Debbie:) And the funniest thing all month was getting locked out of the house.

To expand this story, I have to say my Heavenly Father sure does bless and watch out for me and my family. As I left the house last Wednesday to take Kylie to the orthodontist, I felt I should grab the car keys with the house key on it. My husband was on a business trip and I had locked every window and door in the house the night before. However, I still grabbed the wrong keys and left. Kylie didn't want to go back to school after her appointment and I was fine with that, so we went to Costco and then home. Needless to say, when we got home, the door was locked. However, I had the key, right? Wrong! No key, no first story open window, no garage door opener and no husband. I almost panicked, but didn't. Kylie was smart and started checking the upstairs windows. We found an unlocked window! I suggested we turn the trampoline on its side and she could climb up it and through the window. I received a dirty look for that. But then, I spotted the monkey bars Jory has been threatening to cement into the ground. Luckily, he never got around to it. Kylie and I dragged it over and up she went. As she struggled getting up on top of the bars, I started laughing. She said, "This used to be a lot easier." The joys of growing up and getting curves. She couldn't get the screen off, so ripped it to shreds with the car keys. Then she realized she had to step up to the top bar in order to jump through. It took courage, but I assured her it was better if she did it. I could at least stop her fall a little, but if she tried to stop my fall, I'd smash her. She made it with me laughing the whole time. It was so funny, when I got in the house, I grabbed the camera and made her do it again! I'm thankful Heavenly Father sent me such a daring girl and a sense of humor.

Halloween

I think I like Halloween more than the kids. I love to walk around with them and see how many houses we can hit and how much candy we can get. Then, we bring it home and I wonder, "What was I thinking?" We had lots of fun though, and Cody was a trooper. Everyone loved seeing the little cowboy (he was actually supposed to look like a rodeo clown) push his way to their door and put his bag out for a treat.

And yes, we are still eating our candy, but most of the chocolate is gone.

Pumpkins

Last night we went to Haywire Farms to get pumpkins. Kylie had too much homework, or so she said. We got lost in the maze, took a hay ride and froze. The most fun was cutting the pumpkins. Even Cody gave it a shot. Once the gooey stuff was being pulled out, he ditched the carving and dad finished. I don't remember carving pumpkins as a kid, so we have tried to make it a tradition. It's so much more fun now that almost everyone can do it themselves. I didn't have to run back and forth between kids to help. I got to watch and enjoy. At least until it was time to clean up. Happy Halloween everyone!

Happy Halloween

Who knew it could be so fun to dress up as a biker? Jory and I had a fun time at the Ashton's Halloween party. The most fun was seeing everyone's outfits. People are so creative. One person suggested we go out on the town and eat. I thought that would be super funny seeing all these bikers climbing out of their minivans. I had a little too much fun playing Rock Band. Thanks for the great night.

Clarification

After talking to a few people, I realized my husband made a common mistake. I was so furious at him that night, but a few of you have said, "Sounds like something my husband would do." One of you even said, "I'd probably do that, while my husband would think to go to the stadium." Funny! He's a great guy for even trying (one of his acts of service).
Another thing, I didn't realize I only had two points for physical touch on my love chart. Don't get me wrong. Physical touch is great. Don't leave home without it. I'm just more willing to instigate it if I find my husband unloading the dishwasher:)
For those of you who are confused, refer to the last post. Have a great week.

I feel loved when...

The Five Love Languages

My Primary Love Language is Acts of Service

My Detailed Results:
Acts of Service:	11
Words of Affirmation:	8
Quality Time:	6
Receiving Gifts:	3
Physical Touch:	2

About this quiz

Unhappiness in relationships is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. It can be helpful to know what language you speak and what language those around you speak.

I knew acts of service were probably my love language. My husband's wonderful sister LeAnn came with her family for a few days. She and her husband cooked a fabulous dinner last night. I was in such a good mood sitting around while they cooked. I was relaxed and happy. After attending my stake meeting, I came home to find dishes not done. I just glared at my husband. I figured he'd step up and do dishes or at least rinse them. No such luck. I wasn't expecting my in-laws to do it. They have three little kids, one of them only two months old who I got to hold and cuddle while they cooked. I did expect my husband to do something, especially after his first mistake.

The first mistake happened when, after my uplifting meeting, Kylie called me sobbing. She was the only one left at the football stadium, besides the janitor. No father in sight. I frantically jumped in my car and headed to the rescue. I called my husband and he's sitting at PHS waiting for her to come out of the school. Since when do they play football indoors? Anyway, I gave him directions to the stadium, which he has been to before, and he got there before me. Maybe that's why the dishes not being done added to the problem.

My brother-in-law saved the day, when he made yummy banana topping for ice-cream as I did the dishes (he likes to cook). My mood immediately changed. I was laughing and dishing ice-cream the rest of the night. Maybe I just need to tell my husband to cook more:)

Remembering

Jory and I went back to college later in life. As a summer job, he began running a mechanical bull at fairs around the country. Our first summer, I loaded up my three children at the time, Kylie, Jory, and Dallin, and we went on our first bull chasing trip. Jory had left ahead of me, so I drove all the way to Fargo, North Dakota to meet up with him. We had a great time. The kids and I stopped at the largest cow in the world, a dinosaur museum and a few other fun places. When we met up with Jory, we continued up to Manitoba Canada and spent two weeks in Winnipeg. It was the beginning of a fun summer. We traveled to Ohio and met up with my sister for a country jam. We got to visit Indiana, where Jory served his mission and meet some of the members there. We explored Carthage Jail and Nauvoo. Then we traveled over to California and played in the ocean, went to Six Flags and visited our good friends. It was a summer never to forget. My children became expert bull riders and were even featured on the front page of a newspaper.

The following summer, Camri had arrived and we stayed with grandma while Jory worked. But the next summer, we traveled all over California and met some great people. However, I think the first summer tops it all. Traveling over 10,000 miles in one summer with three children was the funnest challenge I've ever experienced. I hope to never forget it.

My first Tag

Seven weird or random things about me. Hum....Where do I begin.

1. I used to put a ruler flat against my nose and chin to see if my chin really did stick out further than my nose.

2. I loved playing army in our yard. I would dress up and climb all over the shed and fences, trying not to be detected as I fulfilled my mission. I think it's still in me a little, because I love to watch women kick you-know-what in the movies.

3. I had a major crush on my fifth grade teacher Mr. Armstrong. He could do back flips and lived up to his name.

4. I still do a pretty good Grover imitation. I used to do it in high school all the time for people and performed it once at Girls' State to introduce a candidate. I also like to do beaker from the muppets. My kids think I'm hilarious.

5. I was really into sports in high school. When I competed for Jr. Miss, I bought three inch heels. My mom had a fit and said I better practice. I'd prance around in those shoes at home as much as I could. It was worth it when I won Presence and Composure. I think the whole town about died of shock when the jocks name was called! I probably also had the cheapest dress on. My mom made it for $28 dollars and it was awesome!

6. The day of graduation from high school, my buddy and I went skiing all day. I forgot sunscreen and fried. Luckily my dress was pink, because my nylons looked pink as well. I also had to speak and looked like I was blushing through the whole thing. It was worth it though.

7. I've experienced all kind of baby deliveries. I had Kylie and Jory at home on purpose. I had a midwife because I had such a fear of hospitals (As a kid I burned my hand and had seven operations. Didn't have very fond memories of hospitals. It made me a good left handed basketball shooter though). Dallin and Camri I had in the hospital because after Jory I didn't get much sleep. I also decided I needed drugs. The drugs helped a little. I had a C-section with Cody because I had placenta previa. The C-section was the worst. Recovery stunk. After the other kids, I could walk and get back to life pretty fast. Not the last one. They were all worth it.

Now I'm supposed to tag people. I haven't checked out many blogs lately, so if your already tagged, don't worry. Here goes, Molly, Jodi, Amy, Debie, Elizabeth, Kenley and Tiffani, my wonderful sister who started blogging. Have a great week.

Finally, It's Friday!

Homework! Homework! Homework! That's all I seem to hear anymore. We had open house at the elementary school yesterday, so I asked Kylie if she could make dinner. "I have too much homework." As I pick up kids from football and volleyball I yell, "Bring your homework." As we get ready for bed I ask, "Did you finish all your homework?" We are getting it done, but I'm going to have to come up with a better system. Shouldn't kids come home from school and have some play time? If we do homework right after school, some times it takes too long and they don't get to play. After dinner their brains seem to be in shut off mode. Mine is too. It was so nice to hear Dallin say as he came through the door on this wonderful Friday, "I don't have any homework!"

Making the Goal

This summer I decided to join a gym. My goal was to get in shape for the Indian Summer Run held at Columbia Point Park. I wanted to loose weight as well, but we won't go into that. I have run in this race two times before. The first time, I was in great shape and ran the 5K in 29:32. This was the first time I had ever ran under 30 minutes for a 5K. The second time I ran it was last year with some friends. We had all had babies and were motivating each other to get in shape. I ran it in 32 minutes and something. So this year, I wanted to get under 30 minutes again. I've been working out like crazy and was finally seeing some results. Then, my children ruined everything and went back to school. How was I supposed to go to the gym? Anyway, I continued to work out as best as I could. The week of the race approached and I decided I would register that morning. Thursday night Kylie had a volleyball game and I had to pick her up at midnight. Friday I let her go to the PHS kickoff and again picked her up at midnight. Saturday morning I woke up and thought, "NO WAY! I'm sleeping in." My husband had other plans though and began waking up a few of the kids to go with him to work. They were making so much noise, I dragged myself out of bed and went to the race. I was nervous. As the race started, it was hard to get going with all the people. Finally as I got my stride, I tried to focus on running well. As I came around the half way point, I was feeling pretty good. But the last mile, I didn't think I could keep up the pace. I focused on not letting the woman behind me pass. I was feeling pretty whipped, when I finally came around the last corner. There at the finish line was a big clock that read 28 minutes. I kicked it into gear and sprinted the last leg. I finished in 29:04, my best time yet! I was thrilled that all my hard work had paid off.

School's in Session

Today was the first day back to school. Camri worried Cody would be lonely without them. I told her he would be just fine. When Cody woke up, he came to find me. After that, he went climbing up on Camri's bunk bed to wake her up. He's been doing it all summer. I guess Camri was right. He will be lonely without his brothers and sisters home all day to entertain him.

Day With The Kids

Last Monday my husband wasn't feeling top notch. He was still going to go to work. Being the sympathetic wife I am, I asked if he'd take the baby with him so I could take the older kids to Silverwood. We had two free tickets and I wanted to use them before school started. Jory agreed, surprisingly, and off we went. I was in too big a hurry to grab a camera and too excited I would get to ride rides instead of try to keep a 20 month old entertained. Needless to say, we had a great time. Camri was a good sport and went on one roller coaster. She chickened out on two others, but we'd send two of us first and then she would wait with them while I rode. I've decided that the older I get, the scarier the rides are. Kylie said it was funny riding with me because I was such a pansy. The panic plunge was the worst. The free fall about did me in. I think I'll have to stick to the pumper boats which my kids loved drenching me on. But the funnest part was just running with my kids, trying to get on as many rides as we could before the park closed. I asked the kids at the end of the day if I had won the coolest mom award. They readily agreed!

Kylie's Big Adventure

Last week Kylie attended OYA, Outdoor Youth Adventures, in Badger Creek, Id. It is put on by BYU Idaho. I was so nervous for her to go. We didn't send her with any friends and I worried she'd be nervous and shy. My mom and dad were great enough to take her to Rexburg and put her on the bus. They said she didn't look back. When I asked her today how she did that so bravely, she said she walked on the bus, asked a girl to if she could sit next to her and they hit it off immediately. She has so much confidence and spunk. I knew this adventure would be right up her alley. They did a few different ropes courses, rock climbing, white water rafting and an overnight trek. She said the ropes course was the best and she did strengthen her testimony a little more as well.

So I don't forget...

Yes, I'm finally going to blog. I'm only doing this so I can comment on all the blogs I read. Actually, I love the idea of journaling. For years I have wanted to start a journal on my computer, but never have done it. Now, hopefully, I will keep up with what's happening in life and catch up on what already took place. With that...

Cody, my 20 month old, loves to watch Toy Story. When it first came out over ten years ago, my sister bought a Woody doll. Her children didn't play with it, so she gave it to Jory Taylor (I have to call my son this because his dad is Jory as well and it's too confusing to family when I talk about Jory without distinguishing the two). I still have the Woody doll. I can't get rid of him because he looks so much like the movie Woody. I'm afraid he'd find his way back home if I ever threw him out. I'm glad I kept him. Last night when I put Toy Story on for Cody, he ran to his toy box and grabbed Woody. He bounced him around on the furniture just like the movie. It was adorable.

Now I probably would have forgotten such a cute story, but instead took a picture and decided to put it on my blog.