Merry Christmas 2009!

We are slightly belated in our Christmas cards this year ... but, we did manage to put together a slide show of our 2009. Trey has been growing in leaps and bounds ... now 'running', playing with his brothers and sister, and actually started to sign so we can communicate (not to mention this cute little head nod that he does to indicate his agreement for something he wants.) Hunter has started preschool and loves anything Star Wars. He loves his little cousin Mia (who you will see in the photos) and they have good times fighting the bad guys. Collin is still our sports extraordinare and loves soccer, football and baseball. He is playing on an indoor league right now. Oh, and did I mention he loves everything BYU as well (although I did get him to root for Utah against Cal last night :) Savannah turned 8 this year and was baptized. She is on a competition tumbling team and Jessy coached her soccer team. Kelli is holding the fort as Mom with 4 munchkins running around. She is the activity days leader for the ward girls. She also finished her first triathlon this year and did a 5K. Jessy started a new job at a communications defense company in Salt Lake, accomplished his goal of a 100-mile bike ride and started a Fit Butt Fun family fitness club. He also did a week-long fishing trip with the scouts up in the Wind Rivers. We also made a family vacation to Disneyland, Sea World, San Diego Zoo and Universal Studios. On a sad note, Grandma (Dorothy) Jones passed away in November this year and we miss her tons but look forward to seeing her again.

We are all happy and healthy and wishing you a Merry Christmas and prosperous upcoming 2010. Paste the link in your browser and enjoy the show.
http://smilebox.com/playEmail/4d544d324e54517a
4e544a384d5449334
e4463324f54453d0d0a&sb=1

December Update!

We haven't been too good about keeping up the blog. I think Kelli mainly uses facebook and I just haven't been very good about getting things updated since returning back from Australia. I do miss documenting all the little things that happen, and now that we heaps of snow outside I have the only excuse I need not to work out in the yard! I'd like to say that life is settling down a bit, but that would reason for things to go crazy once again.

Since our last post quite a bit has happened. We took the kids down to southern California and did the Disneyland, Sea World, Universal Studios tour. Great times were had by all as we traveled with Kelli's sister Angie and her husband Robert and son Colton. We didn't go to the beach because the kids didn't want to get 'sand in their swimsuits' ... I guess that's what Savannah gets for rolling around in the surf the last few years down under.





The sad news from the past 2 months is that our Grandma Jones past away. Her and Grandpa Jones have been the lifeline of our family and it has been extremely hard to come to terms with the fact that she isn't with us in this life anymore. She always had a way of making people laugh and had a passion for her family. Things happened so fast as she struggled with gout and then a short month or two after being diagnosed with bone cancer she passed away. We all know she is free from her physical pains, but the hole she left in our lives will take a lot of time to heal; and even then something will always be missing. I guess, though, it just goes to show how much we all think of her.



I left my job at ATK over a month ago and started as a program manager at a different defense company local here to Salt Lake. We really like where we live so I don't see us moving any time soon, but the commute of ~50 minutes is a bear and a half. It's ok though - iPOD and talk shows are wonderful things :) Things are crazy at the new job, but it's a good crazy. I really like the people I work with and the technology is pretty darn amazing.

We just had our first big snow storm of the year last night and today. I finally got to break out my new snowblower, and it was a good thing we had it, too. The snow was about a foot and half deep and it was very, very wet. It took a long time with a snowblower and don't even want to think about how long it would have been without. Trey had his first opportunity to frolic the eskimo way and he didn't waste anytime. The kid is so darn stinkin' cute.






We ventured down to Provo for the Utah/BYU game. It was an awesome game, but unfortunately the Utes lost. I was somewhat torn because Collin stayed with his Uncle Chris the night before and met some of the BYU players in Chris' dorm. They said he could come down the locker room if things 'went well'. Since they won Collin got to go down on the field and mingle with the players. He was smiling from ear to ear :)




We also had some good friends over for a Christmas party. A shout out to our Aussie friends -- we introduced our friends to a bona fide Aussie quiz night. It was a good time and another huge benefit of being close to home is spending time with long-lost friends.

I am going to murder

my camera. And bury it. And then nibble on Trey because he is so

d e l i c i o u s
with his two new teeth, dirty knees, slobbery kisses and his newly-cut chicky fluff.
credit to Jenny for the photo as our camera is indisposed.

Pictures that have been missing from the past few posts ...

Summer of Fun!!

We've had plenty of fun this summer … unfortunately it looks like we've turned into once-a-month bloggers so our updates are few and far between. Nonetheless, let me bring you up to speed on what's been going on this past month. As Kelli mentioned, we were getting ready for 4^th of July festivities with the family. My brother and his family (Jacob, Robyn, Anna, Mia, Rya) came up and spent the weekend. We had tons of fun with water fights and the like. We spent the 4^th of July morning down in Kaysville where we watched a parade with the Jones family. The kids thoroughly enjoyed … the candy and free handouts … and it wasn't just laffy taffy either! Don't know what the world is coming to, but they were getting stuffed animals, necklaces … and Hunter even came away with a full-size basketball (granted WNBA, but who is complaining?) Then it was home to our house where we did a BBQ, set off some fireworks of our own and then watched the local fireworks from the backyard. It was a grand time and good opportunity to reflect on our freedoms and how much we have to be grateful for in this country of ours. It doesn't get much better than hamburgers, hot dogs, family and fireworks.

Going back a bit, we also had a party for Collin's soccer team. The local soccer league doesn't give out trophies, so we had the parents pitch in to get them some. After all, you can't have little boys going without trophies. Their faces say just how important it for them.

The kids also went to the Christmas Carol train (waited in line for 3 hours, but apparently it was worth it.) Savannah ran into her little friend from back in Albuquerque (Emma – who now lives in Morgan, about ½ hour away.)

 

We did a camping trip with the Whetstone family up at Monte Christo campground. Awesome area and very nice. The only downer occurred after we got back – we found out a couple weeks later that they are having bear problems around that same campground. Kelli is now determined to not go tent camping --- only if we get some sort of hard-wall trailer!

We also did the 1^st annual Jones family reunion at a campground resort near East Canyon reservoir. Robyn's family hooked us up and we had a good time doing dutch oven dinners, playing miniature golf, shuffleboard, tennis, and swimming. We also sneaked a little fishing and had some fun boating on the reservoir.

I spent a week up at scout camp with the scouts. We hiked them in about 7 miles up into the Wind Rivers. We had 11 boys and 4 leaders and it was a blast. The fishing was awesome (ever seen River Runs Through It – it was just about that.) We caught fish in about every way possible – of course fly fishing was the best.

Savannah can't wait for school to start again – she's very excited for her birthday in less than a week and can't wait to get baptized (which won't happen until October because of scheduling conflicts.) She's also excited to get her ears pierced which Mom said she could do once she turned 8. We'll see how that goes.

Collin plays as much as he can with Carson, his little neighborhood friend. Sports and Wii … 'nuff said. We've spent a couple summer nights at the local minor league ballpark. Pretty nice setting with the temple and mountains sitting just behind the centerfield fence.

Hunter is having a lot of fun just being Hunter. He is my little helper out in the yard pulling weeds, picking up worms to feed the frog and loves to ride in the play jeep and ride his bike. He likes it when Mom is his nursery teacher, but as soon as someone else comes in to teach --- watch out because it's not going to be pretty.

Trey is into everything and starting to teeth. He has skipped the entire mushy baby food phase and moved straight to steak and potatoes. Oh, and did I mention he loves ice cream (can blame Mom on that one.)

Kelli is keeping busy with the kids and teaching her 2 nights at the local community college. She's getting ready for a 5K race the middle of this month. I am busy with work, scouts and the kids. Excited to start coaching Savannah's soccer team this fall (Collin is playing with Carson's team and Carson's dad is going to coach them while I get neighborhood 8-year old girls …) Nathan (my brother) and I did our own triathlon at Pineview reservoir and he beat me by 30 seconds or so … that darn 4-minute lead on the swim was too much! There's also the 100-mile bike ride the beginning of September to look forward to.

So that wraps us up for the month of July. Hope everyone out there is doing well!

 

Our Second Vacuum aka Trey

**No photos...yet. Our camera had a sleepover (actually 3 nights) on the basketball court. Guess it wanted to see what all the fuss was about over a new pad of cement. Luckily, I don't think it rained.

We have had lots going on lately--busy summers are the best because they go by so quickly!!
We took the kids on their first Lagoon trip--SO MUCH FUN!! We got there before the rides had opened, so the kids staked out what they wanted to do first (the boys were eyeing Kiddieland and Savannah wanted the Terroride). The boys warmed up after their first ride on Speedway Jr. and from then on were running from ride to ride and so excited. At the end of the Terroride, for those who haven't been, there is a flash of bright lights and a loud honk to scare you. Savannah got off and said, "I passed away!" I think she meant she almost passed out with the honk. Then we took the kids on the Tidal Wave (amazingly, they were all tall enough. Trey was at Grandma's house). We had to sit in the middle, so it wasn't like we were totally scaring them, but Collin hated that flip your stomach does when you get to the highest point. He told me it was "hurting his feelings." It was an overcast day, but that kept the crowds away for the morning and early afternoon and let us go twice on favorites like the Log Ride, Rattlesnake Rapids, and Colossus. It stopped raining just as it opened and didn't rain again until 7:30 or so. We saw the clouds roll in and Hunter began declaring, "Oh. My. Gosh. We're in trouble guys." He kept saying it over and over. And he was right. We packed up our stuff, threw away our dinner garbage, and headed to get the kids their promised treats. Just as we got them, we ducked under some eaves for protection and it began to POUR!! Then came the hail, lightning, and thunder. The temperature dropped as the rain continued. We were about done anyway, but that convinced the kids that they were, in fact, done for the day. They immediately began asking when we were going to Lagoon again.

On the homefront, Trey is growing in leaps and bounds. Not only is he getting bigger, but he has gained lots of skills. I knew it was time to move him to his crib (he'd been sleeping in the bassinet part of the playpen) when he wouldn't settle down for his nap and I went in to find he was standing up, holding onto the bars of his crib OVER the bassinet side. Hard to describe, but enough to scare me, knowing he could just climb over the side. At the beginning of June, he all at once started sitting up well (a little slow for that one), crawling (a little early on that one), and trying to pull himself up to standing on the couch, tables, etc. He's getting fast at crawling and is faster than we think most of the time. So fast, that he's had a fall off a bed already. :( He also sticks EVERYTHING in his mouth. Savannah was like that as well, but it was so much easier to control what was on the floor when there were no other kids around. Trey likes to hang out around the bar stools, where he knows Hunter will drop things like strawberries, chocolate toast, and half-eaten cherries with the pits and stems. I'm hoping he makes it out of this stage with no major choking catastrophes.

Hunter continues to be Mischief Man. I have cleaned (or tried to clean) pink nail polish (a whole bottle), smelly lotion, and ointment off the carpets. He flushes things down the toilet and learned that Barbie dolls are too big to flush, they just spin around naked in the toilet (which is apparently hilarious and worth pulling her out of the garbage can for a repeat performance). And he is the incessant tease--he takes away whatever anyone else is playing with at the moment, including Trey.

Collin started piano lessons right before he broke his arm, and has continued to play in his cast. He's actually getting pretty good, awkward as it is for him to hold up his cast to hit the keys. He is also beginning to read--which he's catching onto pretty quickly. I think it definitely helps to have older siblings with these things. He has gone to see two Ogden Raptors baseball games this past week and came home from the last one with a ball cap he loves. His best buddy has been on vacation for two days and I think will be gone for another week--I hope I survive.

Savannah is continuing with her tumbling this summer. She is getting awfully close to doing a back handspring unassisted. She can do about 10 in a row on the trampoline. She is reading--hoping to get the 1000 page superintendant's challenge award for the summer. She's also learning her times tables and division, which she is pretty good at. She likes having sales and runs quite the stands, selling everything from lettuce and strawberries to otter pops and sno cones.

We have lots coming up with the Fourth of July activities, camps (for mom and dad, ironically), family get-togethers, swimming lessons, and dentist appointments.

Drill Sargeant Collin

The words are:
I don't know but I've been told
Kindergarten is the place to go.
I've learned my numbers and ABC's
Now I'm smart as I can be.
Sound off (one, two)
Sound off (three, four)
Bring it on down!
(one, two, three, four, one, two...three, four!)

Playing catch-up

Well, Jessy wrote about Collin's arm, but here are a few other events we've neglected to post in the last 2+ months:

Collin graduated from preschool,
Savannah finished second grade,
Hunter registered for preschool,

Trey started crawling (yesterday!),

we got a giant cement pad in our backyard,
we got a cool firepit next to the giant cement pad,
the basketball pole is now installed,
we had a fun, candy-filled Easter,
our garden is mostly weeded (thanks to the extended Jones fam),
Trey loudly eats his feet,
Jessy did a 100 mile bike race (finished 70 or so miles of it--it should NOT be freezing cold and rainy in St. George in the spring),
I finished a triathlon and a 5k,
Trey has started kissing (he's very passionate),
we put mulch/bark in all our flower beds (not exciting for most, but I think our neighbors appreciate it),
Jessy and I had birthdays,
and, as of today, we have been married for 9 years.
That is our April/May/beginning of June in a nutshell.

Collin's Broken Arm :(

We experienced a slight misfortune over the weekend when Collin broke his arm playing baseball in the backyard. He was rounding third heading for home when one of the neighborhood boys got in the way and Collin ended up face planting on the patio concrete pad. One could tell it wasn't your normal 'owie' from the get-go. Soon he was in the instacare getting x-rays taken. He saw this first one and turned to Mom and said, "I saw those pictures and my arm is broken in two!"

Of course it was a picture of the two normal arms in your forearm. Yet, the side profile was a little more revealing and indeed showed a fracture of one of those forearm bones.

He was then taken to Zippes where he received his good boy ice cream and came home doped up on pain killer which made him a little happier. He slept with Dad on the couch last night and was back at it again today trying to play basketball left handed and even stepped up to the plate with his single good left arm -- batting from the left side of the plate. After smacking a few of Dad's heaters into the 'outfield' he humbly exclaimed, 'even with one arm I'm still good!' I guess it didn't take any of his confidence away :) Tomorrow he gets his cast and I'm sure all the neighborhood teenage girls will be the first to sign in. His best friend across the street even showed some sympathy by digging into their storage and putting on a sling of his own to show his support ... the next 6 weeks are going to pretty tough on the poor kid ...