HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOEY!

I can't believe that 5 years ago at this hour, I was playing with my sister (so glad she's my sis!), without any contractions, feeling great, and 7 hours from now I had a baby that had to stay in the hospital. That was totaly a run-on sentence! How grateful I am that Joey was able to come to our family, and all that he has taught us and brought us...
1. He taught me faith
2. He taught me that Heavenly Father is in charge
3. He taught me to love my hubby more and emphasized the power of the priesthood
4. He daily teaches me to laugh and love
5. He brought a completeness to our family
6. He brings sweet smiles with dimples every day
7. He brings a spirit so different from the others, and yet, so much a part of our whole
8. He taught me that I can do more than I thought I could

There is so much more, but that encompasses a lot of it. Happy Birthday, my boy-we-thought-was-a-girl! I'm so glad you are who you are!!!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Happy Holidays to all my friends! It has been a crazy year, and with the addition of forced Facebook (thanks Sara and Luke), PTA, Reflections, SOCCER and more soccer and more soccer and supporting my "team", I kinda didn't keep up on the blog! (as if you can't tell!!!)

My early resolution is to be more consistant with the blog. It is good for me and fun for those loved ones who follow us through it (thanks, Birds!). I am SO grateful for family, friends and all that I am able to do. I am blessed beyond measure, and hope that I can remember that gratitude in all that I do. I am especially grateful for my Savior, whose birth we celebrate today by giving to others.

The kids are all doing well as growing by leaps and bounds. Todd is at a charter school and has grown so much (physically, mentally, educationally, and spiritually). I am so grateful we followed the promptings to get him there. Aaron is my friend to everyone, and so happy-go-lucky. He plays the violin and rocks at soccer. Audrey is an amazing girl at everything she does, which is wonderful. She was recently in the school choir, a play at the ward party, her class art committee, and, of course, soccer. She is excelling in school, and becoming quite a young lady. Lance is rockin' in first grade and loves school, his friends, and having home lunch at school. He and Joey recently played indoor soccer and LOVED it! Joey is home with mom, and very sweet most of the time. He is getting tall and becoming a social kid!! He sure can stand up to his siblings.

Thao is still running, teaching Sunday School and struggling with our little Vietnamese group. He is Todd's Soccer coach, and assistant on Audrey's team. He keeps VERY busy, so we take advantage of the time we have when we are not at soccer! I am doing PTA (much to Thao's dismay at times), Family History Consultant for the ward, managing the soccer coach and schedules, and helping whenever I'm asked because I'm like my mom and can't say no. I do what I can for the Viet. group and offer my house for activities. Right now I am working on PTA Reflections for the Council level, which includes judging and awards for 9 schools. It's fun but chaotic!

All in all, we are happy and healthy and grateful for all we have! It's a WONDERFUL life!

...FOUR DOWN!!!

Yippee! All four of my kids are in school all day! I had so much I was going to do, and so much I wanted to do, and did I do it? HAH! I watched a friend's little boy, and read a book. I wasn't even a good mommy to my only child left home. Oh well, it has only just started! Tomorrow I'm getting a massage - so I DO know how to enjoy......

Yea, school!

Watch for pictures soon!

WEDNESDAY

...three down...

TUESDAY

...two down...

MONDAY

one down...

SITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION.....

The mom has so much to do with children starting school on Monday (Todd), Tuesday (Aaron) and Wednesday (Audrey and Lance), that additions to this blog are temporarily put on HOLD...

...check with me in about a week and a half!

Family trip

Mid July, we shoved the 7 of us and a nephew into the vehicle and drove 2500 miles to Crater Lake, Oregon, over to the Coast, down through the Redwoods to San Fransisco, over to Lake Tahoe and home. We tented except in San Fran. It was a blast (tons of fun and dirt), the kids were really good (surprisingly), and we made some awesome memories (like cliff jumping - ahhhhh). When I can get the camera back from Thao, I will put pictures up!

On the last day, during the drive home, I had the kids write down their 10 favorite things. It truly helped me to keep it all in perspective.

JOEY (age 4): The castle and beach at Lake Tahoe
Jumping off the dock

LANCE (age 6): swimming, crab fishing, tipool (tide pool), cratelake (Crater Lake), chasig chipmos (chasing chipmunks), chocelet, DS, seals and sea lions, rosting mashmeos (roasting marshmellows), going home

AUDREY (age 9): Cliff jumping, watching the stars, tidal pools, roasting 'mellows and dogs, the fresh air, exploring with friends, the smell of a campfire, the Silver Man dancing, hiking to Emerald Bay, seeing pictures in the clouds

AARON (age 12): jumping off the dock, jumping into Crater Lake, crab fishing,tide pools, adventuring, souvenir shopping, swimming, playing the DS, seeing animals, getting chocolate (at Ghirardelli)

TODD (turned 14 on the trip): Sleeping in a bed, jumping of the cliff

Where did the summer go?

What? Where did the last 2 months go? What happened to all that free time? And all those fun things we were going to do? Oh, yeah, summer happened...

Scout Camp
Lagoon
Friend's houses
Rearranging bedrooms
Summer homework
Fishing
Fishing some more
Soccer tryouts
Soccer practices
Cleaning house
Yard Sale
Haircuts
Giant, Huge, Way Fun Family Vacation!!!

It's been fun and busy. So now I know what happened... maybe!

School's out, Scream and Shout

Welcome, summer. Goodbye to school. Thank you, Mrs. Bailey, Mrs. Miller, and Mrs. Hargrove, as well as the teachers at the middle school. Audrey is sad, mom is glad, boys are screaming and shouting (at each other, at the homework mom gives them, at having to do chores, etc.). Time for adventures!

Introducing Supergirl!

I am so proud of my daughter. She is well rounded, beautiful, smart (way, way, smart), she is a great helper, and she thinks of others. The last week of school, she decided to cut her hair and donate it to Locks of Love. So, mom kinda sniffled as the scissors snipped away, but it is SO cute and fun and check out the curl in the back! It will be great for summer, it wil help a little girl who is losing her hair, and it has taught us all about serving others. I am so proud to be her mom... (sniffle, sniffle)

What a week...

What a fun and crazy week last week! Soccer games were exciting and stressful, teacher appreciation was appreciated, Joe's Crab Shack was yummy and fun, mom and daughter activity day was attended without mom, and mom was sick. Then I got sicker. And even sicker. Isn't there a rule that says mom's can't get sick? Or is that just the family rule? Oh, well... at least I'm finally getting better!

More awesome teachers...

From the kids...

Thank you to Mrs. Pincock, Mrs. Harrison, Mr. Davidson, Mrs. Melton, Mr. Kelley, Ms. Yawn, Mrs. Bohman, Mrs. Haines, Mrs. Bailey, Mrs. Mickelsen, Ms. Miller, Mrs. Hargrove. Thank you for helping us become what we are!

It's Teacher Appreciation Week

As a sucker mom for PTA, I have the opportunity to help with Teacher Appreciation Week this week at our school. So, to all you parents out there, PLEASE take the opportunity to thank those teachers who positively influence our children's lives and our lives. They do so much with very little thanks and a whole lot of complaints. Let us teach our children to appreciate the effort that others take in teaching them!!!!

Thank you to: Mrs. Wirthlin (3rd grade), Rita Yarbrough who believed I could DO math, Claudia Wright, Alan Parrish, Bob Rasmussen, a college history teacher whose I can't remember but who taught me to think outside the box. Briana Zenger, Brent Cox, Sara Saxey, Heather Cook, Hanh Auduong, Hoa Kim Duncan, my husband and my children. We all teach is many ways.

I was once told, "a teacher is a teacher as long as someone remembers them that way."

A Star is Born!

Audrey is a star! She participated in the Fourth Grade play and did a fantastic job as the goddess Timpanogas. Wish I had better pictures, but alas, the lighting in the school gym is not conducive to great pictures. I was so proud of her, though! She did a great job, as Mrs. Witt-Roper, Ms. Yawn and Mrs. Bailey all agreed! Way to go, my star!

Fun Pictures

Fun pictures of spring, Carson surrounded by kids, pretty ladies, crazy kids, and our Easter Egg Hunt!

Good luck, Minh and Cami!

Our good friends, Minh (Nathan) and Cami are moving back to Kentucky for a new job. Congrats to them, but we will miss tham (as will her mom!). We know they will be a blessing to the people back there, but they leave a hole in our little Viet group! We love you guys!

Happy Birthday, Lance!

Lance is a lucky little tyke! He got 2 birthday parties - one with family, squeezed in between soccer games, and one with friends during the time a soccer game got cancelled!!!! Lucky kid. He really raked in the presents, and got 2 yummy cakes (one of which dad took him to the store on mom's order and picked the yummiest chocolate cake! mmmmm). He is now six, sweet, sassy and smart. (Or smart - aleck?!?). He likes to build things (legos, Bionicles, tinker-toys), his favorite color is ORANGE, he loves his friends, bacon, watermelon, ice cream, wrestling with dad, playing the Wii, dogs and his pet rat. I'm glad he is part of our family, because it sure wouldn't be the same without him! Love you, Lancey-pants!

Hello...is anybody home???

OK so we've been busy the last couple months. Here's a brief recap...

Over President's Day in February, we went down to St. George for a soccer tournament. Todd's team did well, it was beautiful weather, we had a great time, and we got to see Hoover Dam where part of Transformers was filmed!!!!

I had the pleasure (?) of speaking in church about family history.

We had the great honor of welcoming home Staff Sergeant Matt Brooks from Afghanistan. It was our pleasure to be there with their family as he came home! May God bless this country and those soldiers who sacrifice for our freedom...

Thao's mom got married!!! Congrats to her and Quy! What a fun thing to experience.

My crocuses bloomed, then it snowed, then the daffodils bloomed, then it snowed, then the trees bloomed and it snowed...can we see a pattern here?

Lance lost his first tooth! Then his second!

We went to Moab in mid-March for Thao and Todd to run the Canyonlands race. Thao ran the half-marathon, Todd ran the 5-mile. They both did great, especially Todd! (sorry, honey). We explored the Price Dinosaur Museum, Nine Mile Canyon, and hiked to new places in Moab. It was beautiful and very, very nice!

Audrey was accepted into the Advanced Learning Placement Program for school next year. She will be attending Westland Elementary instead of Heartland. We will be sad to not be with Heartland next year but this is a great opportunity for Miss Smarty Pants!!!!

General Conference came and went and we celebrated it downtown again. Have you ever noticed that it usually is bad weather on Saturday, but rarely on Sunday?

The Tran family got to sing "I Feel My Savior's Love" on Easter Sunday in sacrament meeting. Lance, especially, was AWESOME!

Annual Easter Egg Hunt in the backyard was a blast. It amazes me that after 40 minutes of hiding eggs, and who knows how many hours of filling eggs, 400 of said eggs can be picked up in 14 minutes...

Whew! Now we are caught up!

Puppetering ROCKS!

Audrey and the Activity day girls in our ward decided to put on a puppet show for our ward. They began making their puppets and creating a script for the army of Helaman and Samuel the Lamanite. Todd was asked to be Samuel, both the real person and the puppet. Aaron was asked to help with the army of Helaman. They performed their show on Saturday and it ROCKED!!!!! I wish I could have recorded it, but all you get to see are pictures. What a fun experience for them and a fun way to expand their talents!!!!