Update

With all the recent events, it's been hard to domuch of anything but catch up at work. So, here goes:
Oct. 6: Chad's B-Day! We had dinner with family on the 5th and I took him to The Olive Garden for dinner. It was a nice relaxed evening.
Oct. 7: Ian passed away. It was an emotional day. I don't remember much other than the phone calls from my mom and sister.
Oct. 8-9: Again, not much there. It was hard to focus on teaching...
Oct. 10-14: I decided to give up on trying to be at school since I wasn't productive and I wanted so badly to be with Mandi, so I went up to SLC to be with family. The funeral was on the 14th. Ian was a perfect little tiny baby and I am grateful to have the belief that he will be a part of my family for eternity. My sister and brother-in-law spoke at the service and my nephews and niece sang the song that Pam (a most wonderful gift from our Heavenly Father) was singing to Ian when he died. Throughout it all, I feel that Mandi and Ryan held up very well.
Oct. 15: We came back to Hurricane to teach the last day of the quarter and to enter our grades before our trip to Disneyland. This had been planned since August and i was a bit unsure about going, but we decided to stick with the plans and go. We left at 5 p.m... Originally it was to me Chad, me, Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa. Unfortunately my grandpa had a gallbladder attack and they were unable to go. My parents invited Mandi to come with us and she and Ryan decided it was a good plan for her to take Alex and Darek too!
Oct. 16-19: Disneyland. It was so fun and really relaxing to be there. It was so fun going with tiny little Darek. Chad held him most of the time with the exception of after water rides. It is very sweet for me to see that interaction him and our nieces and nephews. Alex was great, he is such a crack up! And it's always nice to be with family in a place like Disneyland! We took everyone on a tour of Disneyland, wich was a cool expereince, even for people like us who go ALL THE TIME! My favorite thing about the trip was that we had to buy mickey ears at Build-A-Bear for Darek! We also found his Halloween costume there- a Stitch (from Lilo and Stitch) outift! Needless to say- he is adorable in it! I'll post pics of all the nieces and nephews after Halloween.
Oct. 20-25: Back to real life and responsibility! This was a difficult week. I had lots of behavior problems and felt like I was an underpaid babysitter (which sometimes I believe that's what teachers are.... thats a different story for another time). But at the end of yesterday, I felt much better about my situation as a teacher. We had a lot of catch up to do at school and finally took the time today to unpack from our away time! The best news though is that its a Saturday night at 10:00 and my husband is at home! NO MORE LES MIS!! Its really nice that he can be home in the evenings again!
That brings me to current again! WOO HOO! We've got Halloween plans and a wedding for Chad's friend in Vegas next weekend, so it'll be a good one!

Yep, I'm a princess...

You Are Ariel!

Headstrong and fiesty. You have a mind of your own that's full of romantic dreams about the world around you. Exploring exotic places is your ultimate dream, and although you can be a little naive you'll realize that there is something to be gained from your family's wisdom.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

A Heavy Heart

Life is precious. I realize tonight (as I have in the past on such occasions as this) that life is not to be wasted on such trivial things as broken TVs and the "hardships" of work. But to be spent on forgiveness and love, gratitude and service, prioritizing. Unfortunately, it is true hardship, trial, and sorrow that brings this realization.

Ian Jacob Wood was born on July 3, 2008, 15 weeks early. He suffered some trauma during birth which caused him to be in the NICU. He fought to stay alive and was a miracle just because he was alive. Ian lost the fight this afternoon. Ian was a sweet baby and brought so much excitement and joy into his family's life. Few of us ever met him, but we all had an unconditional love for Ian and his brother the moment we were told that they would join our family. My heart is heavy as I try to imagine the pains my sister and her family are experiencing right now- Ian Jacob has left a hole in all our hearts. We will miss him very much.

Please keep Mandi, Ryan, Alex, and Darek in your thoughts and prayers during this heartbreaking time.

TV

We finally got cable set up at our house after 3 years of being without TV. Its been a little overwhelming- we're not used to the noise and all the stuff associated with TV. We were pretty excited because for the first time in 3 years, we'd be able to watch conference. Well on Wednesday, our TV started looking like we need 3-D glasses to watch TV. We have had to watch movies on our 19" TV for the past little while...bummer... So hopefully dad will be able to fix the TV when he comes, or else we'll have to get a new one. And after having a 51" TV, it will be EXPENSIVE...

1st Quarter

The end of the 1st quarter of school is only 8 school days away (thats 10 total days)!!! After the end of each quarter, Washington County School District (WCSD) is kind enough to give us a vacation. At the end of this quarter we get two days off. Well, back in March, Chad's department won teacher team of the year for WCSD and each member got a free 3-day, 2-night trip to Disneyland for 2 people. SO, my parents called us and asked if we were able to go to Disneyland in October and we said yes! On October 15th, we will be heading to Disneyland! My parents and grandparents (how cool is that?!) will be going with us. Anyway, I am very excited. Yea for a vacation! Oh and only 4 showings of Les Miserables until we go- Chad (and I) is (am) very excited that the show will be done!!