2010 Christmas Letter

We wish you a very Happy Christmas and hope that 2011 brings joy to your family! 2010 was so fun as Tom and I watched our children grow. Here are some quick highlights...

Emma: 11 years old, has decided her passion is Theater...is currently is "Annie" at our local high school and this fall performed down in Houston for the Texas School Administrators Conference; also has decided she loves volleyball and hates softball.

Ashlyn: 8 years old, was baptized to follow Jesus Christ in June, loves volleyball and soccer, is a great friend.
Evi: 5 years old, loves kindergarten, playing with friends, dance class, dressing up and makeup!

Isaac: 4 years old, attends preschool and loves outside play time the best, played t-ball and especially enjoyed playing in the dirt in between the bases, and will try soccer next season.

Tom and I have been married for 14 years and are enjoying this season of our lives where we get to watch our kids experience the "growing up" years. We both volunteer in our city, church and school district. Our life is full and blessed with the love of God and our family. We are so thankful for the first Christmas gift that was given over 2000 years ago by Heavenly Father. That gift that was given to everyone was God's son, Jesus Christ. Because of HIM we have joy, hope, peace and love.

Merry Christmas! Love Tom, Kate, Ems, Ash, Evi and Isaac

Mutton Bustin'!

The following is a sad tale with a giant belly laugh and an as-yet uncertain ending. It is the giant belly laugh that I want to remember.
Background: Our family adopted two baby bunnies 6 months ago. Emma named her baby girl "Sparkle" and Ashlyn named her baby girl "Bella". These girls quickly have become members of our family. We all love them so much because they are the perfect pets for us.
Two days ago: I went out to their hutch to give them some exercise time and set the girls on the ground and noticed that Ashlyn's bunny, Bella, did not move...in fact, her back legs were dirty and just laying there sideways. When I looked closer I noticed a dark swollen spot on her back which looked like a puncture wound of some kind. I thought a cat or a bird had somehow poked her with a claw or beak. I researched and made phone calls and worried all day and kept cleaning out her wounds (I found another one on her leg) and putting antibiotic ointment on them. When Emma and Ashlyn came home the wailing and sobbing at our house reached fever pitch so we decided to take a trip to the "Exotic Veterinarian" (normal vets don't see bunnies) to see what was wrong.
The gross surprise: We were disgusted to find out that they were not puncture wounds...they were air holes for the parasite "bot fly larvae" to breathe and eventually emerge from. Yes, Bella had breathed in bot fly eggs that crawl through the inside of an animals body under the skin, make a breathing hole and grow there until they are ready to come out. Bella had 3 of these gross things in her. The Dr. removed them through surgery...and $190.00 later, we brought her home.
The sad and uncertain ending part: Bella seems to be paralyzed. She cannot use her back legs. She is eating but not drinking well. This will be the subject of our thoughts, time and money all the Thanksgiving break, I am sure.
The confused part: This morning (the first day home after the surgery) I put both bunnies on the ground, Bella kept dragging her lower body and trying to move. Suddenly Sparkle (Emma's girl bunny) comes up behind her and climbs on her back and starts licking her face like crazy and then shaking on top of her. Bella is trying to get away and then gives up and just lays on the ground for a few seconds and then tries to pull herself along by her front paws with Sparkle still giving her hugs and kisses on her back. I stood there staring and confused...
The giant belly laugh part: Isaac and Tom open the door and Isaac yells in surprised delight, "They're Mutton Bustin'! Look, they're Mutton Bustin'!" (To understand this you need to know that Isaac just competed in a Mutton Bustin competition at our local rodeo where the little kids hang on bareback to a sheep while the sheep runs all around the arena.) That was quite hilarious to Tom and I and we both had a good belly laugh until...
The shocking truth: I picked Sparkle off of Bella and saw a worm-like thing protruding from her underside. Only it wasn't a worm...it it was a penis. Yes, our girl Sparkle is actually a boy!
The Complications: We can't let Bella (the sick one) be around her sister at all anymore because her sister is actually a brother. So, now we have a sick, paralyzed and possibly pregnant girl bunny and a "wanting to mate" boy bunny.
Uncertainty and Decisions: Now comes the hard part...breaking the news to Emma and Ashlyn. They will be arriving home from school in the next couple of hours and I will have to share with them the shocking news about Sparkle being a boy, and the hard realization that the bunnies can't be together anymore (unless we fork out more money for additional surgery to "fix" them), and the sad news that Bella seems to be paralyzed.

I'll keep ya posted.

Slumber Party at Disneyland!

I just got back 2 hours ago from my "Twisted Sisters" reunion at Disneyland with 5 of my oldest friends. These 5 girls and I have been friends since we were all in diapers in Snohomish, Washington. In the group there are 3 sets of sisters...the Christensen sisters (Becky and I), the Fawcett sisters (Kristal and Bridget) and the Countryman sisters (Cathy and Jeri.) After high school we all went our own separate ways and we now live in 4 different states. However, every 5 years the 6 of us get together and take a trip together. 10 years ago we all went to Vegas. 5 years ago we went on a cruise to the Bahamas. And this year we spent 5 days in Disneyland and California Adventure. These trips are always just the girls (no husbands or kids). They are rejuvenating and refreshing and fill me up with good intentions. This morning when I left California, I vowed to come home a happier and kinder and funner mom. I had to silently remind myself of that when I found the chocolate (no, wait...what is that stuff????????!!!) all over my walls and carpets. I said my vow out loud when the kids would not stay in their own beds and stood crying and screaming and banging on my bedroom door tonight wanting to sleep in our room. (Did I mention today is our 14th wedding anniversary?) And I forgot all about my vow as I found myself pulling apart fights, disciplining mischievous children and catching up on dirty dishes all within the first hour of me arriving home. Ah well, this is what life is made of. And as for my good intentions and "awesome mom" vow.... they may have to wait for their fulfillment to come after our next "Twisted Sister" reunion in 2015 in Hawaii!

Isaac's (Late) Birthday!

Isaac had a wonderful birthday!

Ashlyn's Part in her Concert

Ashlyn was selected out of many in her grade to do a speaking part. She also sang with the group! Way to go Ash!

Ashlyn's Talent

She was great! Ashlyn rocked the house!

Evi's School Performance 3

Evi's School Performance 2

Evi's School Performance

Evi had her preschool performance a couple of weeks ago. She was great! She loved her teachers and had a great time!

Back in time to Old Nauvoo

For Spring Break we took a trip to Nauvoo, Illinois. The night before we left on our 12 hour drive to get there, Tom asked me how long I guessed it would be before someone asked, "Are we there yet?" I guessed 2 hours. The next morning, 10 minutes into our drive, Evi asked, "Are we there yet?" So, you can guess our drive was LOOOOONG! But, the trip was fantastic. Nauvoo is such a wonderful place to learn about life 170 years ago. We took a carriage ride, a wagon ride and saw a musical. We toured historic sites and walked in Emma Smith's home (one of the people I respect the most). Tom and I went to the Nauvoo Temple, and we took pictures in the same places that I took newborn baby Isaac exactly 4 years ago after he was born in Illinois. Emma and I loved the musical the most and Ems also loved rope-making, Ashlyn loved watching the blacksmith make a horseshoe (we got to keep it and it's now Ash's souvenir.) Evi and Isaac were fascinated by Carthage Jail. Tom loved the temple and touring the historic areas...standing in the places where people of great faith once stood. We were surprised to find out that we were standing in the top of the Red Brick Store where the Relief Society was first organized on March 17, exactly 168 years to the day we were there. It was a great family destination and we are grateful we were able to go.

Also, Thursday was Isaac's 4th birthday. He was so excited to open his presents. He loves his "Olympic Gloves" and was excited to wake up this morning, on the first day of Spring, and see 6 inches of snow on the ground...needless to say, he put his new gloves to good use. He got a kid pressure washer from Grandma Kathleen and a hoppity ball to burn off some of his energy in the house.

Ash is playing piano and soccer and loving it. Ems has started her first season of softball and is hating it (with a black and blue bruise on her side from getting hit with the ball to prove it.) Evi is loving her dance class and has her recital next month. And Isaac has started gymnastics and can't wait for his lesson each week. We're getting a little busy here...but we are having fun watching the kids grow and learn and experience new things. I love being a mom! (I should probably put a qualifier on that statement...because motherhood definitely has it's un-fun moments...but the good ones, through the grace and love of Jesus Christ, far outweigh the bad ones.)