Well, the kids start up school next week, and we have mixed emotions in our house about it. Ariel & Tori (the teenagers) look forward to seeing their friends again, but are not looking forward to classes and homework (mostly homework). DJ is sort of excited, but I think he's been enjoying the 'freedom' of summer break. Jr, who starts KINDERGARTEN, is quietly excited. She's getting better about not being so shy, and I am certain that she's going to do just great. DJ will help Jr find her classroom when they get off of the bus, and they will sit together on the bus, so it will be an easier transition for her.
Don and Tracy just took a whirlwind trip down to Alabama last week. Don had an emergency trip (we left 17 hours after he found out that he had to go), and we managed to make arrangements with Don's sister to keep the kids so that Tracy could go with. We got to visit with a few of our friends from Alabama, and it was SO nice to see them again! Tracy got to see more of them as Don had business each day, but it was absolutely enjoyable to be with our friends again! We even got to have a double date with Jessica and Paul, we had so much fun! The drive was long, but we made the best of that too, stopping in Nashville at a mall and getting some gifts for the kids.
We're changing our house around (bedrooms and office) again...we do that a lot, but it's part of who we are I guess! We all enjoy redecorating and making the most of the space that we have. We will finally have a bedroom for each child (yes, we're going to build the wall for a bedroom at last!), and this is the start to getting a bathroom put in downstairs (along with those 'escape' window thingies). We feel so lucky to have the space to make it comfortable for every one of us! We actually would like to build onto the house at some point, but this is a good start (getting a bedroom for each child, that is). This means painting rooms, pulling up (old, yucky) carpet, and moving furniture. It's always a GREAT way to get rid of clutter too!
I'll be taking pictures of the kids before school starts, so look for them to be posted in a couple of weeks!
Sunday, August 10
Monday, July 21
Catching up
WOW! I didn't realize it had been so long since I'd been here! Our family visits were SO much fun, and then we got involved with birthdays (DJ & Ariel), and Ariel's best friend moved to Pennsylvania (a sad time for all of us). Then there was the 4th of July with friends and family. We spent around 6 hours at the HS grounds for pre-fireworks games and food, and then the fireworks. It was a lot of fun! DJ did get a nasty sunburn this summer. He used his birthday money to buy a water slide, and spent about 5 hours using it without mom realizing that the water slide was in the direct sunlight the entire time. He woke up every night for 4 nights in a row due to pain. Guess if mom felt horribly guilty and didn't complain at getting up with him?!
Ariel has a new calling at church; she is now the Ward Chorister! It's so much fun to see her using her musical abilities, and she does look very pretty standing up there in front of everyone on Sundays (we get plenty of complements!). Tracy has a new calling as well. Having been released as the Enrichment Night Leader, she was called as the 2nd counselor in the new Relief Society presidency! Out of the frying pan and into the fire! LOL
The summer is going by far too fast for us, it's hard to believe that July is 2/3's over! School will start on August 20th here. Tori has spent the summer in northern New York with Tracy's parents. She's had a good time for the most part. She did get more homesick this year than she has in the past when she's spent time with them. She will be going to Girls' Camp with their Stake, and it's being held in Sharon, Vermont! The birth place of the prophet, Joseph Smith! What a wonderful experience for her!! Ariel managed half of Girls' Camp here. It was incredibly hot and humid, and her asthma just did NOT like that. She did finish her level, and that makes 4 years for her already! Ariel had the opportunity to have her best friend (the one who moved) come to our house the weekend before Girls' Camp so that she could attend camp with our Stake. A nice treat for her (and us, we love Jessica!).
There isn't much else to update y'all on, it's just day-to-day stuff, mostly.
Oh, Tracy has taken up a new hobby and LOVES it very much! However, the house is sort of being over run by the jewelery she's making! LOL Look for a website posting here to see her creations available for purchase online in the next month or so!
Ariel has a new calling at church; she is now the Ward Chorister! It's so much fun to see her using her musical abilities, and she does look very pretty standing up there in front of everyone on Sundays (we get plenty of complements!). Tracy has a new calling as well. Having been released as the Enrichment Night Leader, she was called as the 2nd counselor in the new Relief Society presidency! Out of the frying pan and into the fire! LOL
The summer is going by far too fast for us, it's hard to believe that July is 2/3's over! School will start on August 20th here. Tori has spent the summer in northern New York with Tracy's parents. She's had a good time for the most part. She did get more homesick this year than she has in the past when she's spent time with them. She will be going to Girls' Camp with their Stake, and it's being held in Sharon, Vermont! The birth place of the prophet, Joseph Smith! What a wonderful experience for her!! Ariel managed half of Girls' Camp here. It was incredibly hot and humid, and her asthma just did NOT like that. She did finish her level, and that makes 4 years for her already! Ariel had the opportunity to have her best friend (the one who moved) come to our house the weekend before Girls' Camp so that she could attend camp with our Stake. A nice treat for her (and us, we love Jessica!).
There isn't much else to update y'all on, it's just day-to-day stuff, mostly.
Oh, Tracy has taken up a new hobby and LOVES it very much! However, the house is sort of being over run by the jewelery she's making! LOL Look for a website posting here to see her creations available for purchase online in the next month or so!
Friday, June 6
Tracy's Family Reunion
Well, we've nearly finished with family visits for the summer! Tracy's 2 sisters (with their children who aren't married) arrived on Tuesday, May 27th. It's SO cool to see family again! Friday night, we picked up Tracy's little sister's husband from the airport while her brother arrived at the house with his family in tow (4 kids and a wife). Saturday, Tracy's parents joined us for the day, and we enjoyed visiting and having fun together all day! We had dinner together, and that was quite the situation! 20 people per meal!! Tracy's little sister planned everything, and did an excellent job figuring out what would be popular for eating and how much of everything we'd need (and that's a LOT of food!). Everyone finally got to bed Saturday night, after much fun and entertainment. Sunday, Tracy's brother and family left Sunday morning while the rest of the crew attended church. How much fun it is to introduce so many people for a visit!! After church, Tracy's aunt and 2 cousins (with their spouses and any children, 6 total) along with Don's sister and her family (6 total) joined us for dinner! If you can imagine, that was 26 people for one meal!! It worked out far better than we could have imagined!! We all had a GREAT time, though had hoped Tracy's brother and family could have stayed for the day as well.
I'll update more later.
I'll update more later.
Monday, May 5
May is here
Well, we see how busy it's been with the Wilsons when we look at the date of my last post! Don's mom came to visit us for 2 weeks to meet and enjoy the new twins at the Banta household (Don's sister's family). As of right now, I have just under 3 weeks to get my house in order for my family to arrive for our family reunion. The reunion, itself, isn't 'til the very last day of May (and into June), but I have my 2 sisters and their children arriving early. So much to do with the house, yard, etc!
Ariel made high Honor roll for her 2nd trimester, and received an award at an 'Honors Banquet' (which we never received her invitation to for some reason and we missed out on). Her test in AP World History is in 11 days (this is for college credit!), keep her in your prayers, please.
Tori made the honor roll last semester, and we are very proud of her! She is continuing to do very well in her art class and plans to continue taking art classes.
DJ is doing SO well in school! It's wonderful to see his enthusiasm for learning. He can't wait to get into 2nd grade, and his reading is far above grade level at this point. We'll find out later this month if he's going to be included in the 'pre-gifted & talented' group that the school has for K-3 at this time. After 3rd grade, they have the 'real' gifted & talented program that will help him stretch himself with learning. We love the GT teacher at his school, she is still one of Ariel's very favorite teachers!
Jr went to kindergarten open house with me last week. She's quite shy still, but was warming up to the atmosphere as we were finishing up seeing all of the classrooms. She was disappointed to find out that she wasn't going to learn anything while we were touring the kindergarten rooms, so I really hope she has a great time once she gets started. She's very lucky to have DJ to help her get on the bus and to the right classroom, I think that will help her out a lot (I expect some tears, and possibly even a phone call from school the first day or two...or more. She's quite the 'mommy's girl having been home with me alone for 2 school years).
The house continues to see improvements as it is my favorite thing to do! Tori has moved (mostly) into a new bedroom, so I get to help her paint that room! A bright lime green and a lighter shade of almost neon pink (if that makes sense), and lots of accessories in bright, bold colors (a girl after my own heart!). We spent 2 days getting the yard mowed, swept, raked and picked up. but no progress on the garden as time hasn't allowed. This week will see me painting Tori's room and her shelves, getting paint for the entry/hall way, cleaning out the basement family room for new flooring, and helping Don (FINALLY) put a shower in the master bathroom! We've rearranged and updated the living room somewhat, and cleaned out the garage (mainly, seems we always find a way to clutter it back up pretty fast!). All in preparation for my family reunion (ok, mostly for that). With luck, I'll post successes and more progress for next week!
Ariel made high Honor roll for her 2nd trimester, and received an award at an 'Honors Banquet' (which we never received her invitation to for some reason and we missed out on). Her test in AP World History is in 11 days (this is for college credit!), keep her in your prayers, please.
Tori made the honor roll last semester, and we are very proud of her! She is continuing to do very well in her art class and plans to continue taking art classes.
DJ is doing SO well in school! It's wonderful to see his enthusiasm for learning. He can't wait to get into 2nd grade, and his reading is far above grade level at this point. We'll find out later this month if he's going to be included in the 'pre-gifted & talented' group that the school has for K-3 at this time. After 3rd grade, they have the 'real' gifted & talented program that will help him stretch himself with learning. We love the GT teacher at his school, she is still one of Ariel's very favorite teachers!
Jr went to kindergarten open house with me last week. She's quite shy still, but was warming up to the atmosphere as we were finishing up seeing all of the classrooms. She was disappointed to find out that she wasn't going to learn anything while we were touring the kindergarten rooms, so I really hope she has a great time once she gets started. She's very lucky to have DJ to help her get on the bus and to the right classroom, I think that will help her out a lot (I expect some tears, and possibly even a phone call from school the first day or two...or more. She's quite the 'mommy's girl having been home with me alone for 2 school years).
The house continues to see improvements as it is my favorite thing to do! Tori has moved (mostly) into a new bedroom, so I get to help her paint that room! A bright lime green and a lighter shade of almost neon pink (if that makes sense), and lots of accessories in bright, bold colors (a girl after my own heart!). We spent 2 days getting the yard mowed, swept, raked and picked up. but no progress on the garden as time hasn't allowed. This week will see me painting Tori's room and her shelves, getting paint for the entry/hall way, cleaning out the basement family room for new flooring, and helping Don (FINALLY) put a shower in the master bathroom! We've rearranged and updated the living room somewhat, and cleaned out the garage (mainly, seems we always find a way to clutter it back up pretty fast!). All in preparation for my family reunion (ok, mostly for that). With luck, I'll post successes and more progress for next week!
Monday, April 14
Post Spring Break Update
We've been busy traveling around lately! We drove to nothern New York to visit my parents the weekend of April 5th for part of the kids' Spring Break. We got to see my parents and my grandmother. Unfortunately, my grandmother wasn't up for much visiting while we were there. It turns out that my mom's 'hypoallergenic' dog caused problems for Ariel. Her eyes started to puff up and swell shut the first night there. Thankfully there is one room that the dog doesn't get to go into, and Ariel stayed there most of the time. When she wasn't there (or eating with the rest of us), she was in the pool! Yes, the kids got to go swimming over Spring Break! My father installed an above ground pool in the 2nd stall of his garage. It's insulated and heated, so the kids had a BLAST! We all enjoyed being able to have a pool available for Spring Break...especially since it barely got up to 50 degrees the whole time we were there!
We got to see old friends from NY (where I grew up), and attended General Conference at the Church building. It just so happened that the organist for Music & the Spoken Word Sunday morning was an old friend of mine! He also assisted with the organ during that 1st Sunday session. The whole Branch there in NY felt excitement as he's a 'native', having been our Ward organist at age 14. We came home and enjoyed a couple of days of quiet and cleaning up before Don and I drove to Chicago to get his mom from the airport for her 2 week visit to see our new nephews (twin boys, not quite 2 months old). These next two weeks will be full of household clean ups and visiting with family.
All is well with the kids, and they all enjoyed lots of fun and free time over vacation. Now, back to the grindstone for 6 more weeks!
We got to see old friends from NY (where I grew up), and attended General Conference at the Church building. It just so happened that the organist for Music & the Spoken Word Sunday morning was an old friend of mine! He also assisted with the organ during that 1st Sunday session. The whole Branch there in NY felt excitement as he's a 'native', having been our Ward organist at age 14. We came home and enjoyed a couple of days of quiet and cleaning up before Don and I drove to Chicago to get his mom from the airport for her 2 week visit to see our new nephews (twin boys, not quite 2 months old). These next two weeks will be full of household clean ups and visiting with family.
All is well with the kids, and they all enjoyed lots of fun and free time over vacation. Now, back to the grindstone for 6 more weeks!
Thursday, April 3
Project complete!
Well, I can update on the household projects today. Last night Don and I (ok, mostly Don this time) put up crown molding in the dining room/living room areas! It hides some imperfections in the painting at the top of the walls, and it looks just GREAT! I have yet to fill in the nail holes and 'gaps', and then I'll paint it the same white as the ceiling (it's just a little bit off). I'm SO thrilled with how it looks! I also purchased a couple of things to make the shelf on top of the large mirror look wonderful! I'm SO proud of this work! Now, just to finish the floors! I can't wait 'til next week as I will be starting in on the main bathroom until Don's office is fully moved upstairs. Once he's done moving, I'll help Tori paint her 'new' bedroom (she wants pastel pink and purple...with pastel sort-of-lime-green somewhere). Once her room is complete, the main bathroom will be finished with a very cute paint job to accentuate my dolphin theme in there.
I know, I know, this sounds more like a list of household chores and projects than a family blog, but this is what our life is about right this minute. I'm going to try to post some pictures from the kids during the school year, etc. tonight.
I know, I know, this sounds more like a list of household chores and projects than a family blog, but this is what our life is about right this minute. I'm going to try to post some pictures from the kids during the school year, etc. tonight.
Tuesday, April 1
April Fool's Day 2008
Ok, it got cold again around here. Wish Spring would 'spring' already! Last night Don and I fixed up and hung a mirror in our newly painted dining room. Our living room 'turned blue' last July (at Lowe's, it's called 'Peek-A-Boo Blue'), and we LOVED adding the color to our house! Everyone seems to enjoy the change of pace who sees it. In March, I added 'Heirloom Red' to the dining room. Again, we LOVE it! We have a beautiful mirror on one wall to break it up a bit, but this color will carry over into our kitchen as well (top half only, above counter tops) and I can keep my apple theme in there. We are using white accents and silver is the only other color (metal stuff, like the light and picture frames). For the living room, we redid an old dresser that had GREAT lines on it, and painted it glossy white to put under our picture window with the blue in the living room. I can't believe how much I truly enjoy the colors in our house! The entry way and hallway are one, and we're pretty sure it will be a beautiful shade of yellow. This will match a gorgeous painting we have on the living room wall (which is actually the dining room wall as well and one you see as soon as you walk in the front door), so it all ties together really well! My entry and hallway will have all of my wrought iron candle holders and only black picture frames for the walls. We already replaced this awful 1960's globe type hanging light over the stairs and just inside the front door with black accented lights and there's a HUGE clock/wall decoration on the wall above the stairs to tie it all together.
Home improvements are a HUGE part of our life right now as we're hosting the 1st ever 'Hoyt Family Reunion' this summer! We've put off doing much to the house due to moving and moving back again, and not having the money for most of it. Well, since I can do 90% of the work myself (I've gotten kind of confident since doing all of the improvements when Don was in Alabama and I had to have the house ready to sell), we save a bunch of money that way too!
The kids are all doing just great. I still have to figure out how to properly post a picture on our blog so that y'all can check them out (they grow up SO fast!). Ariel made high honor roll again this trimester as a Freshman, Tori's doing REALLY well in her art class and wants to continue with art in 8th grade. DJ's doing extremely well in 1st grade (one of the top readers in abilities, and he was selected to be tested toward a 'pre-gifted & talented' program for K-3rd grade. The gifted & talented classes start in 3rd grade 'for real'.), and Jr is sounding out words and trying to spell them outloud to me when ever we're in the car! My current weight lose total ('cuz I've been working on this since January 5th...my 1st 'official' weigh in day) is now 35.5lbs (and NO, I'm not about to say 'April Fools' to you!). I'm pretty excited as I'm down one pant size and these are getting baggy already! Don's lost about 17lbs himself, though he isn't being as careful with his eating as I am (I'm ok with that, men lose weight faster, and I'd just as soon he not be skinnier than I am!).
Home improvements are a HUGE part of our life right now as we're hosting the 1st ever 'Hoyt Family Reunion' this summer! We've put off doing much to the house due to moving and moving back again, and not having the money for most of it. Well, since I can do 90% of the work myself (I've gotten kind of confident since doing all of the improvements when Don was in Alabama and I had to have the house ready to sell), we save a bunch of money that way too!
The kids are all doing just great. I still have to figure out how to properly post a picture on our blog so that y'all can check them out (they grow up SO fast!). Ariel made high honor roll again this trimester as a Freshman, Tori's doing REALLY well in her art class and wants to continue with art in 8th grade. DJ's doing extremely well in 1st grade (one of the top readers in abilities, and he was selected to be tested toward a 'pre-gifted & talented' program for K-3rd grade. The gifted & talented classes start in 3rd grade 'for real'.), and Jr is sounding out words and trying to spell them outloud to me when ever we're in the car! My current weight lose total ('cuz I've been working on this since January 5th...my 1st 'official' weigh in day) is now 35.5lbs (and NO, I'm not about to say 'April Fools' to you!). I'm pretty excited as I'm down one pant size and these are getting baggy already! Don's lost about 17lbs himself, though he isn't being as careful with his eating as I am (I'm ok with that, men lose weight faster, and I'd just as soon he not be skinnier than I am!).
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