Here's to a Happy New Year!

Well, we didn't send Christmas cards. It just couldn't happen this year, but I love the New Year and here is a Biron Family "Happy New Year" to everyone!!!! I can't help but think of all the wonderful people who touch our lives. You all mean so much to us and I'm not just saying that. This was one of those years where we (well, probably more me) have learned a lot about service, a lot about patience, a lot about the Lords' timing, a lot about faith, and how blessings come in the most unexpected ways.

So here is to a New Year as we look forward to all of the blessings that we have in store.

As always Joey has kept busy, busy, busy. He was finally released as the Scout Master after 5+ years and then was called to be the Young Men's President. I guess this is the Lord's way of giving Joey some sons. He began his 7th year of teaching High School and still enjoys it. He is coaching the Freshman basketball team this year in hopes that he can be home a little more...maybe? He also is involved in the "We the People Team" at the high school. He mostly enjoys being a dad and loves to cook his Italian dinners whenever he can and even cleans up afterward.

Olivia turned 6 and started first grade. I am so impressed with the little girl she is becoming. She is very loving and sweet to her sisters and is getting to be a big helper. She has been such a wonderful little companion to me. One of my favoirite parts of the day is when I drop her off at school and she skips through the gate then turns around, gives me a big smile, and signs "I love you." She played soccer this year, is becoming quite the reader, and is definitely a leader.

Samantha, oh Sammie. She has been a 3 year old this year and is determined to test us in many ways. We love her spunk and energy. She blesses our home with her sense of humor and she is so sweet with her baby sister. She loves to say, "I'm big and I'm little. I'm in the middle." She is doing preschool this year and always surprises me with her competative spirit. She is always trying to keep up with Olivia.

Abigail joined our family in May and we just love her to pieces. She is such a happy little baby. She just turned 7 months and is already a proficient crawler and getting into things. She is growing so fast. She has also started to say the sounds, "ma-ma" and "da-da." I can tell she has a sweet little personality and loves to watch her sisters. She gets very excited when they come around.

This summer we spent a lot of time with family and enjoyed a vacation on the Northern coast of California. We can never get enough relaxation.

And Me? Well, this has been an interesting year. Pregnancy, to new baby, to recovering from a c-section have been challenges for me but I find joy in all of these experiences. I love being a mom and I love my little family. They are everything to me. I love to just sit back and watch my kids and see the wonderful people they are. I feel so blessed to have these spirits from my Heavenly Father in my home. These last few months have been a big challenge as I have been sick with Valley Fever...long story. Much of our lives have been put on hold as I have been recovering. I am doing better, but not 100% yet. I would not be making it through this difficult time if it weren't for amazing family and friends to help us out. I've been focusing on the positive by recognizing how this challenge has really brought our family closer together and I've become a better mother because of it. Hopefully in the next few months I can return to doing all of the things that I love to do.

Happy New Year to everyone...it's going to be a good one!

7 Months Old...and crawling!

Abby just turned 7 months and also decided that she is ready to crawl and I'm NOT ready for her to crawl. She is already getting into things. She is my furst baby to just start crawlling without scooting or army crawling first. She's up on her hands and knees. Left Right Left Right. Oh dear.

8 years ago...

I was sitting in my apartment in Provo with my best roommate dolling up my hair and my sister was putting on my makeup. I had butterflies in my stomach because the "man of my dreams" was about to show up at my door and whisk me away. He picked me up like we were going on a date. We arrived at the Mt. Timpanogos Temple and it was freezing, but I didn't care. Snow covered the ground and everything was white. We were married for "time and all eternity." We were so young, but everything was so perfect. So far, it's been a great date going on for 8 years now. I wouldn't change a thing.

I love this age!

Always happy and content with the world.

It Happened This Morning

She lost her first tooth. It sort of just popped out on its own. No pain. No tears. No drama. Just surprise. Here is the the beginning of the toothless grin.

I love it when...

they ask me to put on "ballerina" music...

and they get dressed in their swimming suits and tutus...

and they pose and they twirl...

and they laugh...

and they think they are the most beautiful dancers in the world...

and I agree.

They must have known I needed some cheering up this morning.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

What Smart People Win

Olivia has deemed herself "smart" because she can read in her head and I won't argue with her. (That's not the only thing that makes her smart.) Well she is proving it to other people too. She received an award at school for reading achievement. She scored the highest in her class on the reading benchmark and was honored with an award at an assembly a couple of weeks ago. Way to go Smartie Pants :)

She Sits!

And she makes funny faces too.

My Little Artist Wonders

"Daddy Jump Roping" Sammie Age 3

"Ariel When She is a Human" Sammie's Art Age 3

My little girls never cease to amaze me with their artistic abilities. They LOVE to draw and will sit forever at the table creating these make believe worlds. Then they cut everything out and play with it. Sammie is getting really good now. Just a few months ago she would say, "I don't draw. I only scribble," and she would happily scribble away. She never pretended that her scribbles were in fact a real image. If you would ask what her picture was of she would respond, "It's just scribbles." Sammie has always had her older sister to look up to when it came to art and she could tell that her pictures definitely weren't resembling anything. So one day just a few months ago I showed her how to draw a person. Now she draws and draws and attempts other things as well. Yesterday she drew a really cute looking house. She still gets frustrated because she knows her pictures don't look as good as her older sisters even though I tell her that I don't know of any 3 year old that draws as well as her. Poor little girl will always be playing catch up.

Olivia's pictures are getting so detailed. Olivia's Art age 6 "Ariel, Aurora, Belle Mulan"

Happy 1/2 Birthday!

She is 6 months today! How about a little rice cereal and pears?

Wedding Day Thoughts

This morning Olivia was happily drawing wedding pictures. Pictures of Sammie's wedding, Abigail's wedding, and her own wedding. On her own picture she drew a jubilant groom who was jumping in the air.
"Look mom, the groom is jumping. He's just really happy," Olivia showed me.
"He looks really happy. He should be if he is getting married," I said.
She went on, "Well actually, he's just really excited to kiss alot."

I had a REALLY hard time keeping a straight face for that one. Well, she got that right for sure.

I'm envious

of these beautiful dark lashes and all those darling little freckles. I love my Sammie.

Ouch!

If I was only wearing one it would look like I had some kind of injury on my ankle, but it's both ankles and so it looks like I am trying to make a horrible fashion statement. Especially with the completely worn and dirty running shoes. I have tendonitis in both of my ankles. Word to the wise: Don't walk around all day in flip flops at Disneyland.

Olivia and Sammie were arguing this morning. They made up fairly quickly after this sign was posted by one of the two. I won't name any names, but only one knows how to write. Everyone has been on edge lately. It is mostly my own fault because I have been on edge the past couple of weeks. I did something to my knees and ankles and I'm in a lot of pain. I ignored the initial pain which was a bad idea and it has just gotten worse. I've been to the doctor and we are waiting on some tests though my x-ray was normal. I just really don't like not feeling well and it's been a challenge trying to care for everyone and trying to rest, therefore the house is a disaster. Frustrating. I'm hoping for some relief, but I'm trying my best to be patient so that I can heal properly.

What smart People Do

Olivia came into my room early one morning and she had a chapter book. She had it opened and said,

"I'm just reading this in my head. That's what smart people do. They don't say the words. I'm just really smart so I can read in my head."

Olivia had her parent/teacher conference yesterday and she is doing so great. I'm really proud of her. I asked her teacher how her behavior was because she had quite a bumpy road the first few months of kindergarten. Her teacher's eyes got really big and she gasped, "No! Olivia is a model student. I just can't believe that she would ever have trouble in school! I can always count on her and point her out as doing what everyone should be doing." Phew. I really love Olivia's teacher this year. She is so positive all the time and sees the good in each child. Olivia has really started to blossom as a student and loves school now. She has a great class of kids too. It has been great to watch Olivia mature and gain confidence. She is so thoughtful and she has so many things about her that I wish I were better at. I love this girl!

She seemed lonely...

so I gave her a friend to sleep with. She plays with her and cuddles her and then falls asleep. Yawn...

"Trick-or-treat. Smell my feet..."

Olivia learned the "smell my feet" thing at school from one of her friends. She sang it all month long. I wonder how long that song has been around. It gets passed along each year to new ears and they think that no one has heard it before and so they sing and sing and sing and laugh and laugh and laugh while we've all heard it before. The girls got waaay too much candy on their trick-or-treat spree, (and from the trunk0or-treat too) but had so much fun doing it. Sammie was able to keep up much better this year. I laughed as she held up her Snow White dress when she ran across everyone's lawns. So princess like :) Last year I remember her holding onto her witch hat while running from house to house. When the bag got too heavy she just ran up and got the candy and then put it into the bag that I was now carrying. I saw one family that had a wagon for all of the candy when the bags got too heavy. Great idea...wait!!! If I ever get to the point where I need a wagon for all of the sweet stuff, I think we will just head home instead. We tried to just head home and the kids couldn't resist "just one more house" and so the candy bags filled and filled and now it is everywhere!

Olivia looked so pretty in her costume. I got some really cute pictures of Abby and Sammie in their costumes, but Olivia wasn't in the mood at the time. Too bad...she looked adorable. My kids were exhausted when we got home and they still fought going to sleep, except for Abby. Happy Halloween! We should be able to make an awesome gingerbread house with all of this candy.

Just a Note

In the post below Sammie is wearing a shirt that says, "Miss Giggle." I picked this one out just for her because I don't know of any other saying in the whole world that would suit her better. This little shirt draws lots of attention. "Oh, you must be Miss Giggle," people will say. Sammie always responds, "No, my shirt just says 'Miss Giggle,' but for reals I am Sammie."

Kickin' it at Disneyland

My parents drove down last week so that they could take the girls to Disneyland...and me too. We haven't been since Olivia was almost 3 years old. It's been a while. We had so much fun! I was a little nervous about how it would go with all 3 kids, especially the baby, but everyone was great. Sammie had a difficult time with the concept of waiting in line and tried to escape from us to the front of the line a few times. Abby did not like Pirates of the Caribbean. I really needed the pacifier on that one, but left it in the stroller which was cozily parked outside. She loved "It's a Small World" though and even dozed off to sleep. After riding on the Matterhorn once, Sammie chastised me for putting her in the front and agreed to ride it again if she wasn't in the front. Olivia and I got soaked on Splash Mountain which Olivia DID NOT LIKE. She enjoyed the rest of the ride though. She felt like a big girls because she is tall enough for all the rides now, but she didn't want to try all of them out just yet. Olivia and Sammie loved meeting the fairies and the princesses and they seemed a little confused, but wanted to believe that they are the real deal. I think they know that they are not. I'll let them figure it out.

I loved watching my girls and how they just took everything in and loved all of the details and noticed so many things going on around them. Fun times and stright to bed when we got home. I think that I'm ready to go again : )

She's a "RED ROCK STAR!"

The "Red Rock Stars" is the name of her team. At the start of the season when Olivia cried at her first soccer practice because she didn't like the ball getting taken away from her, I thought we were in for a long season. I also didn't really have any expectations because I knew that this might not be her thing, but we were just going to try it out. Olivia has been getting so much better and even thinks it is fun. She complains that her uniform is too big (though she seems to have grown into it this past month) and the number makes her itch, and the shin guards are sweaty, but she has some really great moments during the game where she is focused and trying...often she likes to dance or scratch her back or look at the sky and misses the ball that rolls right in front of her. It was fun to watch her on Saturday. She was getting into it at the end of the game and I could see a potential soccer player. Going to her games has been an enjoyable family activity and it has been sort of fun being a "soccer mom." I don't think I will pin that soccer picture button on my shirt though. That might be pushing it. This has definitely been a learning experience for her and I'm so proud of her!

Daddy Dogpile!

I have a wonderful husband. He loves his little girls and oh, how they LOVE him. Time with Daddy is a treasure to them....so may little sweet moments. They know they are loved.

5 months

Here is the monthly update of our little Abby. She is 5 months now and is starting to "play" with the girls more. Sammie doesn't like it when I put Abby down for a nap. "Well, Olivia is at school and Abby needs to be awake so she can play with me," she says. It is so sweet to see them interacting with their baby sister. Abby loves to scream. Not a crying scream, just a playful scream while she is hanging out on the floor. She also does it when she should be napping. I guess she just loves to hear herself. She loves to walk around in her walker and can actually get across the room in it. I love her chubby cheeks and she just always seems pretty happy. She is such a smiley baby. I love it! Abby loves to watch her big sisters and it is fun to imagine all three of them running around together...oh, little girls.

What's the haps?

October has been...BUSY! The baby is in the room with the computer and so I never get to update the blog. I feel like we have just been in a whirlwind around here. Olivia has been playing soccer and is starting to enjoy it more now. Her little sister Sammie REALLY LOVES soccer after watching her big sister and we may have a little soccer player in this family. I think Olivia would rather be dancing and twirling, but I'm trying to introduce her to things that don't have sparkles and frills--we still love sparkles and frills though. They do wear really cute bows and I'll have to get some pictures from her next game.

I made a Halloween wreath. I can't decide if I like it. The grapvine wreath was only $2 and I spray painted it black. The letters were on sale for 40 cents a piece. I've had the spiders for a couple of years. I just gave them a dusting with green glitter. Some glue gunning, an orange ribbon and there you have it, a Halloween wreath.

In September our playgroup went and picked apples. I love the little trees there that are just right for tiny arms.

Sammie started preschool. I taught the first month. This group of kids are a dream. They are so good and we moms who are teaching are so lucky. They are excited about everything and get along great! I was helping one of the kids in the bathroom and told the rest of the kids to wait on the rug...not expecting them to stay AT ALL. When we came back, there they were, on the rug talking about their outfits.

Olivia is doing great this year in school so far. She loves to go and comes home so happy, except for the first few minutes. She definitely needs her quiet alone time to unwind. After that--Happy Child. She is getting to be quite the reader and loves trying to read signs, lines of the newspaper, and labels.

I took the girls to see Disney Princess on Ice. Joey decided to sit this one out. Disney really knows how to put on a show. The girls were entertained and starry-eyed the entire time. I will never forget the excited look on Sammie's face as the princesses skated around or how Olivia just longed to be out there with them. Folding stadium seats are not 3 year old friendly.

We are gearing up for another basketball season. I think pre-conditioning started today. Joey will be coaching the Freshman team this year in hopes that he will be able to be home more instead of having an entire week go by and not getting to see the girls.

I can never seem to get the house organized enough or clean enough, but that's life. Where one mess ends, another begins and plenty of the messes are my own so I have no one to blame. We still have so much more this month with Disneyland and Halloween coming up. I love this time of year!