One Giantly Massive Update (or...I am really not so good at this blogging thing, am I?)

Once again I turn to my poor neglected blog.

Poor thing. Ignored like the ugly stepchild, forgotten, half remembered as I am dragging myself to bed at 2 am. I'll do it tomorrow, I think. Then tomorrow turns into next week, next month, next year...

I can tell looking at my blog list which of my friends have had babies in the past year, for they who once posted like clockwork now are haphazard. Not that I blame them. I don't know what it is about adding one extra small human to the mix that seems to suck the time right out of your day. You would think having one more added to the chaos wouldn't be that overwhelming, but it is! I have discovered (to my dismay) that there are never enough hours in the day, never enough food that everyone sitting at my table likes, or enough puzzles, toys, color books or hands to make the day any easier. Bedtime is still my favorite time of the day.


So here it goes, a quick snapshot of everything our family has done from last August to December...enjoy!





August 2010


In the early hours of the new morning on August 1, 2010, my dear grandmother slipped from this life into eternity. While not completely unexpected, her passing effected us greatly. I found myself trying to explain concepts of death and dying to my young children, I spent a few precious moments at my grandmother's bedside with my mother and aunts and cousins. Her wishes were simple and followed carefully by her children. We said goodbye to her at Sunset on August 2nd, a beautiful evening filled with memories and music that forever are in my heart. I think she would have been surprised at the outpouring of love and devotion expressed by the multitude that attended her graveside. Now I have a few things once hers gracing my home, things that help comfort me, for I still find myself thinking of her every day.



The next day, we took the children to the Copper Mine after a visit to the gravesite. (We did not have them attend the services due to their age, the heat and the solemnity of the event...and Jake in a cemetery with a pond full of ducks to torment...NOT a good idea.)



Sam started kindergarten at Oqirrh Mountain Charter School, he was so excited!



September 2010

Craig celebrated his birthday (just a few more years before the big 4-0, world!), and Jake started his Pre-K year at Reach Preschool.


October 2010

Sam celebrated his 6th birthday (we went to Boondocks). The kids were so excited for Halloween, and what a Halloween we had with two trunk or treats, a Halloween party, trick or treating and a couple of friends' birthday parties thrown into the mix!




November 2010


We celebrated Thanksgiving with Grammy and Poppy in their beautifully remodeled kitchen and main floor, and we welcomed baby CARTER!

December 2010


Sam participated in his kindergarten play about the pilgrims, a school holiday music concert(with no holiday music, go fig.). Jake had his Preschool Music program, I celebrated my birthday and we had a wonderful Christmas!



I will post further updates SOON, I promise! It's too much for one big blog post, for our lives are NEVER boring!

Our Little Miracle

Here he is!
Our little miracle...

Carter Benjamin Ford

Carter arrived November 30, 2010. He was 7 pounds, 2 ounces and 20 inches long.
Truly a miracle from heaven, he is healthy, growing well and no signs of any of the problems that we were worried about in the pregnancy.

His pediatrician says he is "perfect!" --and we couldn't agree more!

Gone Fishin!

Last Saturday Craig took the boys fishing with his brother and his son, Tanner. They went to a trout farm in North Ogden. Craig said it was really cool, because they had the poles and equipment right there. You don't need a license!

There were three different fishing ponds with different sizes of fish. The fish are hand fed so they all swam right to the side of the pond when they walked close. The boys had a really good time--they were able to catch fish fairly quickly and didn't lose interest like they would trying to catch wild trout.
Each of the boys caught two pan size fish. The trout farm cleaned and filleted them for 35 cents! They were so excited to bring them home to show Miley and Mom!-

Yesterday I fried the trout up for lunch. Boy they were good! There was no fishy flavor or odor at all! The farm told Craig that they hand feed the fish a special diet so the fish won't have that typical trout taste. They were yummy!

We are definately going to be taking the kids fishing a few more times this summer! If you want more information on a fun family activity, visit www.coldspringstroutfarm.com.

Summertime Fun and updates

Summer is finally here! Here are some updates from the Ford house!
Sam and Jake are taking a introductory sport class through the city recreation program where they are learning skills for playing different sports. Craig took them to their first class and they had a ton of fun!

The kids made chocolate chip cookies one day with Daddy one afternoon while Mom was at work.

In other news Craig was promoted to House Supervisor at SDCH.. He is now my companion in arms and in life and love! We are excited for the change.

In baby news we had a scare a few weeks ago. One of the blood tests I had done came back abnormal (which screens for high risk of neural tube defects and chormosomal abnormalities) so we had to meet with a perinatologist who performed an intensive level 2 ultrasound. He said that the ultrasound looked normal! There is still a slightly increased risk that this baby may have Down's syndrome, but the ultrasound showed no obvious abnormalities. We have another one in a few weeks to check growth and development. We decided against amniocentesis at this point, but may consider it if recommended later on, closer to delivery. Craig and I have prayed a lot about it and feel that Heavenly Father is looking out for us and we will put our trust in Him. We are ok if this is a special spirit that may require a little extra care. We are just extremely grateful that there wasn't any devestating anomalies found. We continue to pray that this baby will be happy and healthy. Oh, and it's....a BOY!

We had a great 4th and enjoyed each other's company and the fireworks! Happy Summer Everyone!

Turning 2...and one more!

Miley turned 2 this month! (I can't believe how big she is!) To celebrate the day we took the kids to Hogle Zoo. The day was cool, a little overcast with some sprinkles...which I guess is what the animals prefer because it was the first time in a long time we saw the animals awake, moving about and interacting with their environment. All the big cats were awake! The elephants were playing, the rhinos walking around! Wow! We were able to see the animals and have lunch.

We were really excited to see the zoo preparing to redo an area in preparation for polar bears, seals and otters! It looks very exciting! The boys were a little upset when we left when the rain began because the zoo shut down the train in the bad weather. Oh well, maybe next time.

We had birthday pizza with Grandma and GB (Robintino's-yum!) and then went home to open presents and have cake and ice cream. After the party we shared the news that we are expecting another little one in December--way exciting!

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

GRADUATION!

Sam and Jake graduated from preschool the last week of May! Oh what fun it was! They put on a short program and sang some songs for the parents. They were so proud to get their certificates of completion!

All the kids were so cute! I can't believe how grown up they are getting! They got to bring home the alphabet books that they worked on all year in school. Both of them did such a great job! (Of course Sam's was all red, his favorite color!)

This fall Sam starts at Oquirrh Mountain Charter school in Kaysville. He is super excited to be a great big kindergartener! Jake will go back to Rainbow Preschool in the Pre-K class! He is excited to be in the big kid class and see his favorite teachers-Miss Miriam and Miss Kim.

Miss Kim and Jake

Miss Miriam and Sam and Jake

They have come far this year and are super smart! Way to go guys! We are so proud of you!

Love of an Elect Lady

This year my wonderful, darling grandmother turned 95!

She has been an amazing influence on my life, from the time I was small and she would watch me during the day while my mom worked, to now that I am grown. I find myself thinking often of her and the memories she created for me.

I learned all the old lullabies rocking with her in her blue easy chair, read beloved stories whose tattered pages and worn bindings I pull lovingly from my own children's bookshelf at night to read to them. I would sit at her side as she practiced the hymns on piano and go with her some Sundays to the "old folks' home" where she played for their sacrament services for many years. She made me banana shakes in the summer, peanut butter and honey sandwiches for lunch on her own homemade bread and have picnics under the cherry tree in her yard. I would play for hours in her raspberry patch while she weeded and worked in the yard. As a small girl I would accompany her to the Capitol building in Salt Lake where she worked in the mail room and later answered phones. We would take trips to Millville, where she grew up, and she would tell stories of the pandemic flu, her family, and memories of all her brothers and sisters in the house by the cemetary.

I spent summers in Utah with her when my family lived out of state. I had birthdays at her house during the winter. My eighth birthday was at her house and she came when I was baptized in the font in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. I went to Sweden with her when I was eighteen and she ran circles around me! She was my escort the day I went to the temple, and escorted me, along with my mother when I married the man of my dreams. She has held and sang lullabies to each of my children.

I am continually amazed at the people who know her and love her. She has hosted five exchange students from Sweden, Denmark and Poland who keep in contact with her. She has friends the world over--Australia, Japan, England.

Though now the years are starting to show, her gait is slow, her stanima short, her hearing a little difficult, I am amazed by her. She has written a book and now anxiously awaits to see it published. She continues to go to the temple. She lives her life to the fullest.

Joseph Smith once called his wife Emma an "Elect Lady." That phrase describes my grandmother to the fullest. I know that time continues to move forward, and I know in my heart of hearts that the twilight has begun to fall. I do not know for how long I will have her. I feel that even when she is gone I will still expect to see her whenever I go to her house or get together with extended family. I know her love and presence will always be felt in our lives.

My children call her "grandma great". I hope that they realize just how great of a lady she is and hold those memories of precious moments with her dear.

Long time, No Blog...

Hey Everyone! Happy 2010!

Life has been pretty fast and furious around here for the past few months. You know the saying that life happens when you're making other plans? DARN straight!

In September the boys started at Rainbow Preschool. Five days a week, Mom and Dad get a two hour break where Jake and Sam go to "Miss Miriam's class" and have a ball. We are soooo glad that they enjoy school so much and always are bursting with ideas and learning when they get home. We're hoping the five day program gives them both time with other kids, a chance to get ready for kindergarten, and a little time away from parents!

Starting in October, we had a few changes. Craig, after spending COUNTLESS hours and effort at The Place Who Must Not Be Named was asked to leave in a very unkind and untimely manner. You see, we had planned our Disney vacation for MORE THAN a YEAR and they chose to drop the bomb right before we were supposed to leave. Well...

Lucky for us that Craig is the greatest guy (and one AWESOME nurse) and everyone who knows the real Craig is the one person in the world you would want to have on your team and at your back--so he had another job 15 minutes after he left The Place...(you get the picture). So we decided to "skrew'em" and we went ANYWAY! Yeah!

We had a FANTASTIC time in California! We celebrated Sam's 5th birthday in Disneyland. He was in heaven with a birthday badge, birthday wishes from all the characters and a special birthday dinner at Goofy's Kitchen. Craig and I also got to celebrate our wedding anniversary two days later while there and, thanks to the greatest sisters-in-law a girl could have, we got to have a night just the two of us. We had the best steak (honestly. The best I've EVER had!) at Steakhouse 55 and spent a few hours being a goofy couple in the happiest place on earth. None of us wanted the fun to end...but alas, the real world comes calling so we returned home and then got ready to host the annual Ford Halloween party.

We turned our house into a haunted pumpkin patch, had soup in pumpkin bread bowls and played Pumpkin games. A grand time was had by all!

Craig's new job is actually an old job, since he returned to SDCH and now works evening shifts. It does get old when one of us is always working (opposite scheduled days to accomodate child care) but we do get the mornings together. The good thing about this schedule is that we have to plan our date nights and family activities so they are all the more important. Craig is relieved to be free from stupidity, late night phone calls, and is happy to leave work at work and not have to be on call or spend countless hours doing monotonous, thankless tasks for just a straight salary. Now he is compensated for all the extra time and care he gives (which is the way it should be in any reputable company). He also spells my counterpart and one of our good and loyal friends whenever there is need in the supervisory role.

Thanksgiving and Christmas passed in a blur. We got all our "volunteer hours at the North Pole (ie-shopping) done before the rush so we spent as much time as we could as a family. The boys got their Rocky the Robot trucks (they've only asked for them since last May). Miley got a kitchen! Craig and I splurged on matching bands to wear, since, uh, neither of us can wear our wedding rings right now...but we hope to, soon! (Craig has had trouble since he broke a finger playing football, me, I've had three kids!)
January has been fun. Jake celebrated his 4th birthday this month. We took the boys to their first movie in a theater (Alvin and the Chipmunks) and then to Chuck E Cheese for pizza and games. Later that night we had cake and ice cream with Grammy and Poppy and Jake got a remote control car!
Right now as we head into February we're excited to see Uncle Wade in a few days. He's coming for a week before he deploys in March. We also are working with Jake on potty training, and as of this post, he's gone three days in Big Boy Pants! Way to Go Jake!

I hope no one is offended by my comments about what happened in October. I want everyone to know--even though it didn't work out, and yes, I have been angry at what I see as a slight against someone who was doing everything he was asked and more, giving up precious time and energy to truly making that particular dream of another work, that I believe everything happens for a reason. I know that there is a meaning to this, one that we may not see until much time has passed. I am working everyday to forgive and forget. I am working everyday to resolve my own feelings (what can I say? I'm a fighter. When I think someone I love is hurt I come out with claws and teeth) and to return the peace to my life. I admit that I was somewhat relieved, because Craig would've stuck it out even though he was unhappy, overused and overqualifed for what they had him doing and he would have suffered for it. This way, we can be a family again and I don't have to ask him to throw in the towel for the sake of everything we hold dear. It's things like this that teach you what is most important. Family. Faith. Love. Friendship.

So it's with that in mind that I face the new year and all the as yet unknown challenges it will present. I am returning to the basics and returning to excerising this simple and proven mantra: "With God All Things are Possible."

Summertime Rundown

Whew! We have had a couple of super busy months in the Ford household! July and August are gone and now we are heading into September and the fall season! I can't believe it, really. It seems only yesterday I was complaining about all the winter blahs and looking so forward to spring and summer! Here's the rundown on what we've done this season!

July: Started off with a fantastic celebration of Craig's Mom and Dad's 50th wedding anniversary. We had a catered dinner and a small program where all the grandkids sang. We also had some family pictures done with the WHOLE clan, and celebrated with a bite of the replica wedding cake! The 4th of July saw us visiting family and enjoying a barbeque with a small firework show. Craig and I did buy the kids some little "poppers," as Sam calls them. The biggest hit was the Explodin' Bin Laden Noggin! The older we get, though, it's harder to buy the things because it is literally watching your money burn! We made sure to get our slab of True Vine ribs at the Commons, and enjoyed them while mourning the loss of the delicious goodness for next year. Life does go on...The 24th was quiet for us. We enjoyed each other's company and took it easy.

August: Grammy celebrated her birthday at our house and BOY did we have a surprise for her! Uncle Wade drove down for a 2 week vacation and surprised her by showing up for dinner! Then we went out to Antelope Island to see what was out there (I'd never been there before) and explored the beach and the visitor's center. The boys definately remembered what the ranger said about what the sand at the Great Salt Lake was actually made of...calcified brine shrimp poop! Sam and Jake thought it was funny. What was not so funny was the swarms of brine flies and the MILES away walk down to the water through the sand. We saw a few buffalo, lots of shore birds and more Orb Spiders than you can imagine, yuk! Not a place for arachiphobia to hit! Then, we went to Hogle Zoo with Aunt BriAnne, Milan and Uncle Wade!

(BriAnne and Milan at Hogle Zoo)

We got to see the baby giraffe when it was six days old and the snow leopard cubs. We enjoyed the elephants and seeing the monkeys. (Although Sam was worried that we were going to leave him in the monkey house.) The highlight of the day was the new carousel and the train ride!


Then, we went to Lagoon for TWO days! The first day was actually the Riley family reunion (Craig's mom's side) and we got to spend time with cousins from near and far and enjoy the cooler summer day at the park. The boys had a blast in Kiddie Land. Then, we bounced back with my family for another day of fun and frolic. It made for some great memories but a very tired family! We decided to go check out Promontory Point and Golden Spike this past weekend. We had fun watching the train demonstration and walking the tracks. The boys remembered the ranger's run down of the train whistle signals and loved telling us what each and every blast meant. They thought it was great fun to mash souvenir pennies, too! (I guess we have a new thing to do at all national parks and places!) While we were out there we went 16 miles due west to Rozel point and braved the 4 wheel drive dirt roads out to the Spiral Jetty. I have always been fascinated with the descriptions of it and really wanted to see it. I don't think the kids were very impressed (they were done with dirt and rock roads after our excursion over debris, rocks, brush and sand) but I was able to see it. What impressed me was the complete solitude and total silence out there, a silence so solid you felt like you could grab it with your hands. I didn't get as close to the jetty as I wanted but plan on returning one day without cranky kids in tow.
September: We celebrated Craig's birthday this week with a trip up to Rainbow gardens and dinner with family. Of course we HAD to watch our boys in Red win on Thursday, too. Miley got into the spirit when she found Dad's tie! Next week the boys begin 5 day a week preschool and are super excited! (So is Mom!!) We also are in the process of prepping the interior of our home for a house-wide painting project and redecorating. AND my tomatoes are loaded so I need to pick and can them. So it will still be busy...is it ever NOT busy? Not my life!

GO UTES!