Year-End Update...

So I have a lot of blogging to catch up on, but for now, I figured I would post our Christmas Letter. Here is a shorter, sweeter version of what we've been up to!

December 2008

Dearest Family & Friends,

I can’t believe another year has come and gone! This year has gone by quicker than any other. I imagine time will just continue to fly right by me. With more time behind us, we have more grey hairs and more battle wounds, but we also have many more blessings and memories to be grateful for. I recently made a decorative tile with the saying, “Grant me patience to deal with my blessings”. Isn’t that the truth? Though things get tough at times, we all have many blessings (big & small), and for that I truly am thankful!

It’s been a year of ups and downs. Ok, mostly down in terms of business, but the upside is that we still have one! Last year we were going through growing pains, this year, it’s shrinking pains. Ouch! We are hopeful that things will begin to turn around soon. We’ve got some good projects in the pipeline for early next year, so we are feeling positive. We try to keep our glasses “half full”, it’s almost mandatory to keep sane! We are in the process of giving our website a facelift, but for those who are interested in seeing what we do…our work can be viewed at www.concretexpressions.com. The new site should be up and running within the first few weeks of the year!

Scott has done a great job managing our business under the immense stress that comes along with a down economy. I am so thankful for him and his many talents! He is such a wonderful Daddy and Husband…I wouldn’t want to walk through this life without him by my side. Besides keeping busy with work, he takes time out to play football when he can. He just recently had a tryout for a semi-pro team that plays hear locally (AIFA). He made the team and is excited for the opportunity to play again this coming season! Gooooooooo Scottie!!! I guess I still have a little cheerleader left in me, who knew?

Me, I have been busy with our growing family. We added two new members this year! Jace was born on January 4th, so he is just days away from his first birthday. Max joined our family just a few months ago. He is a purebred boxer, and when we saw his sweet little face, we couldn’t turn him away. He needed a loving home! Puppy business is a lot of work, sheesh! I don’t really know what we were thinking. Outside of doing the Mom thing, I do my best to help Scott out with the business. I don’t do as much as either of us would like, but I’m taking baby steps.

Shayn is only a few months away from turning 6. I can’t believe it! It’s been fun to watch him this year…he’s really growing up. He enjoys being a big brother and is quite cute with Jace (when he wants to be). It’s sometimes hard for him to give up all the attention…he did have the spotlight for nearly 5 years! He is in Kindergarten now and is doing really well. He enjoys his class and his friends. He is looking forward to being in the 1st grade, so that he can eat lunch at school. He’s becoming quite independent. I will be sad to have him gone more, though I think I’ll be a little more productive! He has kept us busy with all of his extracurricular activities. He played soccer again this year and was a star player! He really enjoys it. He has also been doing karate since January and is just about to earn his green belt. It’s been really good for him! He is interested in so many things – he wants to try gymnastics and hip-hop dance next. We have another busy year ahead of us I’m sure!

Jace is such a cool little guy, we’ve really enjoyed him! He is much busier than Shayn was at this age, so we’re a little nervous about what’s to come. He loves hanging with the boys; he thinks Dad and Shayn are very cool! When it comes down to it, he’s still a Mama’s boy. I’m sure it won’t last forever, so I’ve gotta enjoy it now! He also enjoys the dogs, though he’s not always nice to them...we are working on that. He’s a bit mischievous (imagine that), and he thinks he’s quite comical. He loves to chatter and get his groove on. He’s very close to walking, so I’m in for even more trouble in the near future!

Jazzi and Max (the fur kids) are doing really well. Jazzi has enjoyed having a playmate, though she does get a little “bugged” at times. She’s still got a lot of energy, but not the same “puppy” energy that Max has. She likes to sleep in like her Mama, but Max doesn’t really allow it. We’re both out of luck in that department! The kids don’t sleep in either…how dare they!

Well, that’s it! A little peak into our world for 2008. We hope that this year has been good to each of you. We’re so grateful for wonderful friends and family. We are also thankful for the true spirit of Christmas. We hope that each of you will take time out to remember Christ during this special Holiday Season. We are so thankful for the faith and knowledge that we have of our Heavenly Father and for the comfort that He brings to us each and every day. We send our thoughts and prayers your way and wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Warm Wishes (and Hugs & Kisses),

Scott, Kelli, Shayn, Jace, Jazzi, and Max

Halloween Fun

Halloween was an eventful day! Shayn had a costume parade at his school in the morning and then a party in his classroom. It was fun to watch all the kiddos parading around to "Thriller" and the "Monster Mash". I stayed to help out with the party, which was a bit chaotic, but it was still fun. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so I had to make due with my phone, which really doesn't do a great job. Plus, I have no way to download them at the moment! After school, we came home and made a very important call to Grandma Tenna to sing her Happy Birthday! After a short break, we headed to one of our cute neighbor friends' house. She planned a small party for the kids. They played a few games and decorated cookies. They had a great time! Thanks Kimber!! After that, we had to make a run to the store to buy some more candy (since Mom ate most of the chocolate over the past few weeks). It's a good thing we did b/c the candy sure went fast! Once we returned, it was time to get ready for Trick-or-Treating!! First we went to our church for "Trunk-or-treat"...everyone (at least those that are up to it) decorate their cars and park at the church with their candy stash. The kids make their way around to all the trunks. It makes for really safe and easy Trick-or-Treating! After that we went to see family and did a little more Trick-or-Treating. We had a fun night. Shayn said it was his best Halloween ever!!

Hee Haw

Yesterday we took the opportunity to enjoy a family day out since there are so many fun Fall activities going on. We decided to go to Hee Haw Farms! Yee Haw!! It wasn't exactly our typical place to hang out, but it was pretty fun. The kids enjoyed themselves.

First we hit the welcome sign, where Scott posed as a sheep and Shayn as a horse. Jace and I skipped this photo opp!

Next the boys hit the bumpy slide. As tempting as it was, I skipped this one too. In fact, I skipped most of the adventure. Someone had to be the photographer, right?!

Our next stop was the corn box (as opposed to the sand box). Pretty cute! Scott and Shayn got into a corn throwing match, so we didn't last long there.

Then we entered the first corn maze. It was fun! We got in and out pretty quick and we got a few nice photos.

Next, all the boys tried out the big hay slide. Shayn was a bit scared at first, but after the first few tries, he didn't want to do anything else! I don't think Jace really enjoyed it, but he was a trooper and put up with it a couple of times.
Once we got Shayn pulled away from the slide, we stopped at the petting zoo. There were a few cows, goats, piglets, and chickens. They were so well behaved and so sweet. I can't imagine it's all that fun for them to have kids touching them all day long. Shayn even fed one of the goats, it was cute.

After we visited all of the animals, we headed to the Animal Train, powered by none other than a tractor! Scott and Shayn grabbed the last seats, so Jace and I just watched. It was funny watching Scott try to fit...I think they are built more for kids. Oh wait, the folks at the farm couldn't tell he's a grown up either. Haha! Love you babe. =oP

There were even more fun things to do. We chose a few last things, and called it a day...except our day turned into night while we attempted to make our way through the second corn maze. Not quite as easy as the first!! It took us much longer than expected and it began to get a bit chilly...and I really needed to use the 'lil girls room...and Jace hadn't eaten for a really long time. We never did find our way out, we just found the way in, again! I did get some pretty pics at least. Overall, it was a great day. It was sure nice to get home to a warm place and some grub!

Tagged

I've been tagged, thanks Ash!! Now I must share six quirks about myself. Hmmmm...

1. I can't swim...I can side stroke, kinda. That's about it!
2. I get really embarassed to dance, which seems strange to a lot of people since I was a cheerleader. What can I say, I've always been a shy person. I'm pretty awkward unless I'm really comfortable with my surroundings.
3. I do this head twitch thing when I'm nervous or uncomfortable. Thankfully Scott thinks it's cute!
4. I can't stand to be tickled, I'd almost rather be pinched.
5. I tend to organize things in public that seem out of place. I also semi-bus our own tables when we eat out. I don't like to leave a huge mess behind!
6. I can't kill anything living, not even a fly or a mouse. When we had a "vole" problem in our neighborhood, we would catch them in live traps and release them up in the mountains behind our home. In fact, that big hairy spider below is also a resident of those mountains! I made Scott handle that one though.

I did it! I am a quirky girl I guess!! Now it's someone else's turn...now I tag six MORE people:

Michelle Coltrin
Tenna Herman
Christine Larson
Keri Lawson
Wendy Thomsen
Julie Trevino

RANDOM...

Just wanted to share a few photos that I intended on attaching in past posts but forgot to in the process!

Here is a cute pic of Jace with his two bottom teeth:

Here are a few pics of our pretty view...from our newly built deck, woohoo!

Here is a huge, hairy, creepy spider that I nearly stepped on!

Ghosts, Goblins, & Jedis

Halloween is ALMOST here!! Not soon enough according to Shayn. He keeps trying to convince me that Halloween is this weekend. Their costumes finally arrived in the mail today. We've been tracking the package, so we were expecting it today. Shayn woke up bright and early just to check the mail. He asked me about every 5 minutes when it was going to arrive...until it did sometime after lunch! Sheesh!! Oh, to be a kid again. It would be kinda nice to have that much energy and excitement about everything!

Shayn is going to be Anakin Skywalker and Jace is going to be R2D2. We were going to all dress up as a family...Scott-Darth Maul, Me-Princess Leia, and Jazzi-Yoda. It would have been a great photo opp, but we couldn't justify spending the money. Costumes are not cheap!! It was tough enough getting pics of the boys. Yes, we've already taken pics. Shayn had to put it on immediately! Shayn was being crazy, as that is just who he is these days. A HUGE burst of energy. Jace, on the other hand, was not excited about the costume. It didn't help that the opening for his head wasn't even large enough for a newborn! I had to cut it down the back side a bit to even make it work. Plus, he's not too hip on hats, so we'll see how it goes come Halloween.

Bumps, Bruises, Scrapes, & Ouchies...

Poor little Jace is quickly learning about getting hurt. Kinda comes with the territory of being an infant. Within a weeks period, he got his first goose-egg, his first scrape, and his first bee sting. Rough week! He was still cheerful (once he got past the initial pain). He's such a cool little guy...

Quarterly Updates

So I've now realized that monthly posts may be a little ambitious! For now, I'm going to shoot for quarterly posts. Something's better than nothing I s'pose...

I can't say that we've had too much excitement in the past few months, but a few things come to mind. Jace is getting so grown up! I don't know where this year went. He now has his two bottom teeth, they are super cute! He also started crawling, and he is into EVERYTHING!!! He is one busy boy. We are also working on solid foods, but he is only interested if he can have the spoon himself. That makes for lots of messes followed by lots of baths. He has so much personality and the most expressive eyebrows I've ever seen. He also loves to jabber, giggle, and get his groove on.

Here are a few pics of him:

Shayn is also getting very grown up. He is doing really well in school and has made strides with his reading. He is actually starting to enjoy it a little bit...it's no longer a fight! On occasion, I'll even catch him reading on his own. He is also writing very well. We're very proud of him!

Soon after school started, he was having some mouth pain, which was affecting his sleep and schooling. We ended up taking him to a Pediatric Dentist, and he got a few fillings and one tooth pulled. OUCH!! He was such a trooper...the tooth fairy took good care of him! We tried to clarify that when they fall out on their own, the reward may not be so good. We'll see how that goes.

Shayn also learned to ride his bike without training wheels recently. Go Shayn! After the 2nd or 3rd day, he broke one of the pedals off...we may have to revisit his lessons next Summer! His bike is possibly repairable, but it would cost more than the bike is worth.

All Grown Up, Sorta

Shayn started Kindergarten this week! I can't even believe we have a school-aged kid. It's a little overwhelming! PTA, Room Mom, Riding the bus, Alarm clocks...7am sure does come fast! Lots to think about...we are coping though. He did great his first day and insisted on riding the bus. Sigh! He has lots of other kiddos in the neighborhood to buddy up with, so we feel ok about it. They are growing up soooooooo fast!

Jace is, of course, still growing!!! He finally broke a tooth on Saturday at Grandma & Grandpa's place. He's working on a few more, you can see them, but can only feel the one. He's been chewing on anything and everything he can get his hands on!

Over the River & Through the Woods...

Our first full day at Grandma & Grandpa's, we took an adventurous trip to the Carson River to do a little fishing. Grandpa took us 4-Wheeling up some steep mountains and along some rocky roads. Whew! We were thankful to make it home in one piece!! Shayn had a good time with Grandpa, learning how to cast and reel in. We weren't sure if there would be any fish in the river, but he caught 4! Sure, they were all about 3 inches long, but that was good by me...that way I knew for sure we could throw them back in. Shayn even helped Grandpa gather some bait (worms) in the yard before leaving. It was fun to watch him, he was pretty impressed with himself! Jace just had a great time playing with Grandma, she's pretty neat.

Slackin...

So, I've been reminded a time or two now that I haven't updated our page recently...thanks y'all!! This one is for you, the ones that actually view our page. =o) It's true...now I've got three months worth of updating to do. Here it goes -

June was yet another busy month! Jace had a lot of firsts...plane ride, solid foods, playtime in Tahoe. Exciting stuff for sure. He traveled with me to see the folks and to attend my 10 year HS Reunion. Funny, eh? I can't believe it's been that long. It feels like just yesterday, but at the same time it feels like a lifetime ago. It was a very bizarre experience, but I'm so glad I went.

Shayn finished up with Soccer & began Tee-Ball, which Scott & I also helped coach. It was quite entertaining to watch a bunch of Preschool aged kids trying to figure out how to play the game. They definitely have their own set of rules! They are so adorable. Shayn enjoys being active, so it's great for him. He is ready to get back to school...Mom is only so fun for so long!!

Scott is still working hard. The business is starting to pick up some, so that's a blessing. We've made some good contacts and are always learning and trying to improve are product and our operations. Our latest commercial project has been kinda fun - there is a string of frozen yogurt shops called "Spoon Me"that are opening in Utah and possibly AZ & TX. We've completed a store in SE Salt Lake & one in Provo. It's all organic & "green" & delicious!! If you are in the area, you should check it out. They've got some clever slogans, it's a fun place.

We are also in the process of making some home improvements. Where is Tim Allen when you need him? He's been too busy playing Santa Claus to help us out. The nerve!! Anyhow, we've installed some new concrete sinks in our home, replaced some baseboards/molding...mainly b/c our dog likes to use the trim as scratching posts (aren't those really for cats?), and the greatest improvement has been the addition of a deck. Woohoo!!! We've got quite a view - good to know after 5 years of living here.

This is becoming a little lengthy, so I'll wrap up the rest of the summer in a nutshell. In June, Mom flew out to attend our Gilbert family reunion. It was fun to see y'all! We should do it more often...

July was another busy month. We had lots of fun on the 4th & 24th! For those of you that don't live in Utah, the 24th is Pioneer Day, which is a state holiday...parades, fairs, fireworks, etc. Scott took a trip to Wyoming and got some "real" fireworks, so we had our own light show on our block. It was pretty fun! We also got to know our neighbors a little better and enjoyed spending some time with them. Unfortunately, we got to know them a little late, they moved to PA with the Army at the end of the month! Hello to Coby, Molly, Caitlin, Jack, and Jesse! Hope you are enjoying your new home. =o)

August has also kept us on the move. I had a Birthday on the 2nd, and we enjoyed a nice day out as a family...a rareity to actually have a whole weekend together. Shayn finished up his Tee-ball Season in the morning, and then we headed to his Karate School, where he earned his purple belt. Go Shayn! We finished out the day with a little shopping and dining. Yay me!! Jace is still growing at a rapid rate, as we are now buying 18mo clothes. Yikes! He is such a happy little guy. He is so close to crawling, and so close to having a mouth full of teeth. He's been teething for at least 3 months, and still nothing has come through. The poor guy! Shayn and I have been practicing his letters/sounds and reading to review for Kindergarten. He has a testing day this Tuesday, and then starts school on Monday, the 25th. Scary!! Before then, we are taking a quick trip to NV to see the folks. Scott is attending a seminar in Sacramento to learn even more about concrete. I never knew there could be so much to something so common as concrete. It's pretty cool stuff! I also never thought I would think concrete was "cool" but here I am!

Anyhow, it's getting late, as this is the only free time I have to blog. At least without an extra set of little hands trying to help me type! So...if this blog is a little silly, please forgive me - I'm S-L-E-E-P-Y!!!

Much love to everyone!

Here are a few photos we had taken for Father's Day:







PS - I've got lots more fun photos from our Summer. I am trying to figure out a way to add a slide show on here, so I can add more pics without it making the blog look crazy. If anyone knows a better way to post pics on here, please let me know!

Busy, busy...

It's been a busy month! Let's see...Scott is working, trying to keep the business going in this not-so-lovely economy. He's also playing on an indoor football team in the AIFA league, which is a traveling team. Shayn started Spring soccer, so that keeps us busy as well, especially since Scott & I are coaching. Shayn also completed Pre-school this month and is on his way to Kindergarten in the Fall. Where does the time go? Jace is growing, growing, growing...I can't seem to keep him in clothes that fit! He's nearing 5 months, and he's already filling out 9mo clothes. We'll be buying 12mo clothes anytime now, I'm sure! He's also developing and learning new things daily. He's so much fun, but it takes a lot to keep him entertained. Jazzi is enjoying being outdoors, now that the weather is warming up. She likes to keep me on my toes as well, so she's been out exploring the neighborhood a lot, even though she knows better. She's learned to open windows (we should have named her Houdini), so when we're gone, she jumps out of our bedroom window, which is on the top floor of our home. We really need a fence! She can jump a fence, but at least it might deter her a little bit. As for me...I'm just doin' the Mom/Wife thing and all of the "other" titles that come along with the territory! We are hangin' in there, enjoying the ride as much as we can.

I haven't been so good at updating this, but eventually I'll remember...

On April 13th, Jace was blessed in our home. It was a really nice occassion. My parents were able to join us from NV, so it was extra special. Thanks to everyone who attended and helped out!

We are F-A-M-I-L-Y...

Here are a few pics of us...

Blog Away!

Ok...since I can't talk everyone into a MySpace account, I thought I'd create a blog to keep y'all updated on our fam. At least those of you that care to visit our page...

Here is our most recent family pic, which does not include our newest addition yet. In fact, I was 7 months pregnant in this photo. I guess we'd better pretty ourselves up again, so we can get a new one taken. I haven't had my hair done since before he was born...it's waaaaaaaaaaaayyy past due!