New Sleds!

Well we were able to find the last two sleds for sale in Idaho Falls just before Christmas so the kids were so excited to try them out. We took them to Freeman Park near the airport and let them have at it. It was SO cold but there were lots of people there.

Jake and Riley Leonard and Miranda Grandpa and Kaydra Kanyon walking up the hill Brooke and Kaydra Riley all bundled up Brooke with Kaydra and Kanyon

I managed to try out my new video camera and made a short movie about the event that I am hoping will upload -- we'll see.

It has been fun using it for the short time that I have been able to. I took it to the cabin with full intention of using it there but we were outside most of the day and I never managed to pull it out. There was so much snow up there and we were just having too much fun to take pictures! I did manage to leave my video camera and digital camera in the diaper bag which I left on the fireplace. Ron was gracious enough to bring it to Idaho Falls with him on his way back but he got in a car accident (I am told that everyone is fine) and he forgot to leave it a Grandma's so my camera took a trip to Utah and then back to me via UPS! THANKS RON!! Really, you didn't have to do that and I am SO glad that you are okay. Thanks for mailing it back to me.

We have had a good break so far. Mostly playing in the snow. Len has had a few days off now so we have played several new games together as a family. The kids have LOVED it. This may very well be my last post of the year. It seems that I have averaged about 6 posts per month. A little better than once per week. Hopefully I will do better next year but I must say that this is the most journal-writing that I have ever done in one year in my entire life. Thank you for sharing it with me and encouraging me with your comments. The comments really keep you writing sometimes. And to those of you who just read and never comment - I know you are out there! - Send me a comment! It's easy and it really makes my day! See you next year!

Christmas Day!

Merry Christmas to Everyone! We had a great day. I am really tired and can't believe what a disaster my house is. I thought we were doing so well throwing away stuff as we opened but the packaging with all the gifts is extensive! We had a good year. The kids (Kaydra and Kanyon) both got sleds from us and they put them to good use today in Mom's backyard sledding down the huge fort that Uncle Dan made. It is so fun to have uncles that like to build in the snow. I kid you not -- they were in the snow for three plus hours today. It was snowing nearly the entire time they were outside and they came in SOAKING wet. BUT SO HAPPY!! I think it truly was the best part of their day.

They were a fun group to have this morning around the tree. Miranda was unfazed by everything going on around her. She just jumped right in ripping paper and showing us the gifts. The first present she opened (with help from Kaydra) was a set of p.j.'s on Christmas Eve. She pulled them out of the wrapping and held the shirt in one hand, the pants in the other and showed them to me with a big smile on her face. Like she'd opened presents a thousand times before -- Crazy! Kaydra was really happy with her new jewlery set from Santa until she realized that she lost the WHITE watch with the WHITE face somewhere in the 2 feet of snow in Grandma's backyard. There were many tears shed but she seems to have come to terms with it now. Kanyon played the most with a Lego police car that he got in his stocking that I put together with him. He drove that thing all over the house this morning! I was extremely pleased with all of my new Christmas dishes which I think completes my set. They are perfect!

Leonard got a new memory card for his phone so he can put something like 500 songs on it and use it as an Mp3 player. I know that we are behind the times in this area but he has never had one and is excited to be able to use it when he runs.

We also got a new little video camera from my parents. It is called a Flip Video and is super tiny. It records about an hour of video and then uploads right to your computer which in my mind is absolutely perfect -- especially for blogging. It is a much better picture then our "still" camera that I have been using to take video. I am uploading our first video that I took which was of Miranda. She has learned to "dance" and I was surprised that I caught her in action with the first try -- maybe it means the camera is good luck!

Thank you to all of our friends and family. We loved and appreciated all of the gifts and cards that everyone sent. We love all of you and hope you all had a magical Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas

Most of you should have received your Christmas card from us. Thought I would post it for those of you that I missed. If you didn't get one and you think you should have - send me your address and I'll send it in the mail -- or you can just enjoy the one on the blog! Merry Christmas to you all! We love our friends and family ~ Love, The FitzSimmons

‘Tis the story of FitzSimmons’ in two-thousand eight
We are pleased to report that the year’s turned out great.
It started off slow with mom pregnant and a grump,
We just couldn’t wait to see what was under that lump.

February 17 brought a new baby’s cry,
Miranda May came and made all our hearts fly.
With big brown eyes and long lashes to lure,
We knew she’d fit into our family, for sure.

She’s happy, and healthy but also quite loud.
Her scream gets attention, for that she is proud.
She’s crawling and creeping and standing so tall.
She giggles and laughs when things drop and they fall.

Kanyon’s in preschool for two days each week,
He’s learning the letters and how each one can speak.
Riding a bike with only two wheels was his goal,
He did it! Without wrapping it once ‘round a pole!

He got his teeth fixed, they were pretty bad
Had to be put to sleep – mom was so sad.
Now all of his teeth are shiny and new,
If you ask, you can bet he’ll show them to you.

Kaydra turned seven this year don’t you know,
Mom’s starting to ask, “Where’d all the time go?”
She’s sweet and polite and always a treat,
I am sure she’s the best help on the street.

She likes to clean up if you’ll give her a mop,
And reading so many books, she won’t stop!
She is taking lessons on piano each week,
Likes playing with Kanyon and Dad hide-and-seek.

Leonard shot a bull elk which was no surprise here,
Our freezer‘s now stocked clear up ‘till next year.
He works mighty hard on all the night shifts,
Then gives mom a break when she sure needs a lift.

Brooke’s working part-time, and I’m sure you’ll agree,
As a mom, she finds that is the best place to be.
It’s fun to be home with the kids most the time,
Then off to work for a few hours to unwind. :)

We hope all finds you well and you’ve had a great year
Merry Christmas to all who we love and hold dear!

Love, The FitzSimmons Family

Christmas Tree

We decorated our tree and house about a week ago but the wedding last weekend has delayed me in posting about it! We got our tree from the farm in Coeur d'Alene again. I love fresh cut trees. They aren't as full as the ones you buy from a lot but they have a little bit of Coeur d'Alene in them and the kids feel proud that the tree was cut from Grandma and Grandpa's house. You'll notice that Miranda is missing from the picutres. We put her to bed before we got the decorations out. It was easier that way. We are such bad parents - her first Christmas and she slept through the tree decorating! Maybe next year!

On a side note we had Scott and Traci's wedding last weekend. Everything turned out beautiful. We are so happy to have Traci in our family. It was very cold but a very pretty snow came just for the pictures :) I don't have any pictures right now - I will post some later. We love you both Scott and Traci!

One more post - Thanksgiving - lots of pics!

This year for Thanksgiving we went to Coeur d'Alene again. We realized that now that we have kids in school that the best time to go there is over the Holidays. We planned to meet Kelly (Len's brother) and the Stephans from Boise at Len's parents house. We were SO surprised to see Jodi's car in the drive as we pulled in. I had just talked to her a couple weeks before and found out that they would be staying in California for Thanksgiving. They decided to surprise EVERYONE by driving to be with all of us. The kids were SO excited to see each other! We were so happy that they were there too. It was the first time in a long time that we have all been together. I think the last time was when I was pregnant with Miranda. I am really glad that they surprised us. I don't think that we would have ever planned it that way because it seemed like it would be too crowded to be in one house for five days but it actually was really fun and because Kay was inspired to borrow a motor home for more room, we all had plenty of space. We were so glad to be able to see everyone. We even got to meet a friend of Kelly's, Garity, who was brave enough to venture into our houseful and get to know everyone. We had a great time eating, playing games, eating, reading books, eating, doing crafts, eating, shopping, and of course, EATING! It was a lot of fun. The kids found the hay bales outside the first day we were there and they were the highlight of the outside activity. On Thanksgiving day the dads and Grandpa took the kids out to the woods to find a Christmas Tree. They all piled on some hay in a trailer and were pulled by the four-wheeler to the woods to hunt. It was cold but they seemed to have a good time. On Friday night we went to town to watch the Thanksgiving parade and the fireworks which were followed by the lighting of millions of lights in downtown Coeur d'Alene. We watched the parade, then we sat down and had some hot chocolate and cookies, then we walked to the park to watch the fireworks. It's a pretty big production in Coeur d'Alene and we were glad to be part of it. Then we went to Wendy's for dinner. It was a good night. The kids were really good, especially considering that it was really cold and raining most of the night. They were troopers.

The whole trip was really fun, the only thing I would change (besides the small detail that all of the children except mine were sick at one time or another!) would be the weather. Not a blue sky to be seen the whole time we were there. But it wasn't always raining, just overcast. It was fun to get together with everyone! We even managed to get a family picture. I think it's pretty good considering it was taken at the end of the weekend when we were all tired and ready to go home! Here are a bunch of random pics from the weekend.Happy Thanksgiving!

Miranda

So my baby girl is now nine months old. I can't believe it. I had hoped to be skinnier. Seems like the weight of a third baby takes much longer to lose. Especially in the tummy area. I never really understood "muffin top" until now! It's a good thing that she is so cute and totally worth anything I had to go through to get her here! She is growing up and becoming so much more like a toddler. She isn't walking yet - thankfully - but she is crawling everywhere. She used to cry if I left her in a room by herself but now she just follows me around the house. It's pretty funny. She is starting to get on a good schedule for sleeping as long as we are at our own house. She doesn't like to sleep anywhere else. Sorry to everyone that has baby sat and realized that she won't sleep. It used to be better but I think it is getting worse. She also won't sleep in my arms. She wants to be put into her bed with her blanket and pacifier and then she goes to sleep almost immediately. This is great if I am at home. Today at church - or any day at church - it is a problem because she was SO tired and yet she won't sleep. She was awake from 8 until 2 and she gets pretty grumpy when she is tired. Last Friday Lisa watched her and Kanyon for me while I worked and Len slept. She stayed awake for Lisa all day too -- Lucky Lisa! She was awake from 7 until 4 on that day. Crazy girl. I think that when she is in a new place she is just so stimulated by her surroundings that she can't sleep. As soon as she is in her bed in a familiar place, she crashes.

I took her to her 9 month check-up. She wasn't supposed to get any shots for this appointment but we decided to give her the flu shot. The doctor said that she is doing great. She had extreme stranger anxiety at the doctors office. We sat and talked to the doctor with her on my lap for about 5 minutes then I sat her on the table for him to examine her. She just about jumped off the table trying to get back into my arms. She did not want that guy close to her. She is my first baby to have this issue. My other kids would go to anyone and always had a smile ready. This one's takes some time to warm up. In some ways it's kinda nice to feel so loved! ;) For the record she weighs 18 lbs 2 oz and 30 inches long. She is still off the charts for height. The doctor says she is "the tallest kid in her class". I am having trouble with pants for her. They are either too short or too big in the waist. Seems like it runs in the family. All my other kids have the same problem.

The other day Miranda's bottom was sore and I didn't really feel like I had time to give her a full bath before bed. I was tired and the other kids were ready for bed too. So I filled the sink. She quite liked it and she looked so cute I couldn't resist taking a picture!

Miranda really is a joy to have in our home. She loves to play with her brother and sister and she loves her daddy. It is fun to see how she recognizes those of us that she sees every day. I love her so much and am so glad she is in our family.

Catch up!

I haven't posted forever! Even my husband is asking me when I am going to update the blog. We have had a busy month (November) and I know that it will only be busier this month so I better catch up now so that I can try to keep up this month. In the middle of November we had a Saturday free (Amazing!) so we decided to take the kids to Craters of the Moon. I hadn't been there since I was a kid and Len didn't remember ever being there. I remembered a cave that we walked through that wasn't too dark and they let you walk all the way through the cave to the end and then there was a hole at the other end that you could climb through. For some reason this really stuck with me and I thought my kids would like it. The cave is actually called Indian Tunnel and they did like it. The caves are actually lava tubes where the lava used to flow. The place is pretty desolate but it was still pretty interesting and the kids loved looking down into volcanoes (inactive ones of course!) Plus, it's a national landmark and so close to us so we had to try it out. We were only there about 3 hours and that was just about right. It was good to spend time with each other. Kanyon continues to have trouble "walking". Not really -- he just doesn't like it. It's funny because Kaydra could walk or hike all day but as soon as we were about 100 yards from the truck Kanyon started complaining that it was too far and that his legs were tired. Honestly, we could still see the truck and the walk (on paved sidewalk) was only 1/2 mile total. How did my husband have a kid like that? I guess he takes after me more than him. Leonard told him that he won't be able to go hunting with him unless he learns to walk farther. I don't think Kanyon cares at this point. Maybe when his legs get a little longer. We'll see.

I can't believe it happened to me!

So I know that I have not posted for awhile. I even have some pictures to post but I have picked up a few extra shifts lately and it is amazing how one more shift a week can really throw off our schedule. I again feel like I am just keeping my head above water some days and just living day to day. I am only working extra for about six weeks while another girl is out for surgery, so not too much longer. I had to work today and I am just about ready for bed. We are leaving for Coeur d'Alene tomorrow to spend Thanksgiving with Len's family. The kids are so excited. They love to go to CDA. They are pretty much packed and ready to go. Len is also packed - I haven't started yet - maybe later tonight. I have been doing laundry almost continuously when I am home though. Although I am not looking forward to the drive, I am looking forward to spending some time with my husband. It is the end of his six nights in a row and I have worked a few when he was off so I feel like I haven't really spent time with him for about two weeks. Last Saturday (November 15) we took the kids to Craters of the Moon. That was the last time we actually spent more than about two hours together in the same room. Seems like we have just been passing off kids to each other lately. I am looking forward to spending some time with him. One funny story before I check out for tonight:
Yesterday after church was over Kanyon was in the hall waiting for me and Len. When I got to him he said, "I can't believe that just happened to me!" I said, "What happened Kanyon?" He said, "A girl said, 'I love you' to me!" I started to laugh and then I said, "Did you like it?" He looked at me and said, "I don't know?!" That kid cracks me up! He is in a sunbeam class of five boys but for the next few weeks there is a little girl that is visiting her grandma that is in his class. She apparently has a little crush on my boy. I guess we will see what the next Sunday brings!

p.s. For the record, Kanyon does NOT like to be teased that he "has a girlfriend." He does not like that at all! :) He says that mom told him that he is not old enough to have a girlfriend. That's my little man!

Blog Worthy?

I haven't had much news that I thought blog worthy but a few things have happened that I want to remember so I thought I would write them down here. First of all, Miranda has been SO sick the past few days. I thought something was wrong on Wednesday when she woke up at 7:30 a.m. only to nurse and then go back to sleep. That's not too unusual but she slept until around 10:00 which is pretty long. I got her up and fed her some rice cereal, got her dressed and played a little bit and by 11:00 she was ready to go to sleep again. She slept until 12:30 when we took her and Kanyon to Courtney's house to play so that Len and I could go to lunch (Thanks Court!). While there, she fell asleep again! We got back home around 2:00pm after running some errands and she fell asleep in the car, stayed asleep while I laid her down and then woke up around 4:00 with a BURNING fever. I checked it and it was 104! I gave her some tylenol which brought it down to 101 and since then she has been getting tylenol around the clock every 5-6 hours. That first day I think she was only awake for about 4 hours all day! A couple other times she spiked back up to 104. I have to admit that I was quite worried about her and was set to take her in today but she seems to be getting better. Today her temp has been around 100 and then better when the tylenol kicks in. I hate it when my kids are sick! I am not even sure what is wrong with her. She has no other symptoms except some congestion when she tries to eat. No runny nose, vomitting, swollen gums. The worst part is that I had to work last night. Some of my coworkers said that they would have called in sick. It's kinda hard to play that card when my husband is a nurse too and I know that he will take just as good of care of her. He did get the bad end of the deal, however, because she ended up awake from 3-5:00 a.m. not wanting pacifier, bottle, held, swing, ect. He finally got her to sleep by turning on the television until she zoned out and crashed! I think she has turned the corner this evening however so hopefully she will be back to her normal self soon.

Another thing I wanted to remember is much more entertaining. Miranda woke up about a week ago in the middle of the night when Len was at work. I was nursing her when I heard Kanyon wake up crying. I couldn't get to him because I was in the middle of feeding the baby so I finished with her and then went to his room. By the time I got there he had stopped crying but was sitting up in his bed with his arms folded and a pout across his face. I said, "What's wrong, Kanyon?" He said, "I had a dream." I said, "What was the dream about?" He then turned and looked at me with all the anger he could muster and said, "YOU (with an accusing finger pointing my way) wouldn't let me plant the garden!" He was obviously still furious with me so I said, "That sounds like a silly dream, why don't you go back to sleep." He layed back down and went back to sleep. The next day he told me that he wanted to plant some fruit in the garden and I wouldn't let him so it made him really mad. To him the dream was quite real until I came to see him and he realized it was night time. Funny kids!
Hope you all have a good week. I am still in the Primary presidency in our ward and our primary program is this Sunday -- wish us luck! (I think we need it!)

Full Circle

So last night we carved pumpkins. One of the first posts that I posted to this blog was of us carving pumpkins. It has been a full year of blogging for me. I am grateful for the memories that are now written down. I had all of last years entries published into a book. It is so fun to look at them. Plus, I get to brag that I am a published author. I will do the same with this year's entries. Then I delete the previous years stuff to minimize the trauma my kids will experience when they realize that their friends can read about them on the internet! I have never been very good about journaling so this has blessed me in many ways. Thank you to everyone who reads and keeps up with our lives. I love reading your comments and knowing that you are interested. I read all the blogs that I have listed on my sidebar (if yours isn't there and you think I might like it or if you are related -- send me the link.) I love staying connected to everyone. It seems like our lives get so busy that it is hard to stay connected to everyone outside our immediate family. I feel that through blogs, I can get to know you and your kids a little bit better so that when we do meet up, we won't feel like complete strangers. I love it!

Anyway, back to carving pumpkins.The kids had a great time. They each designed their own and couldn't believe that we let them use sharp objects by themselves to create their Jack-o-Lanterns. They are getting so big! Notice how Miranda is sitting in the high chair and crying. She wants to have her own pumpkin to play in. We tried a little bit but everything ends up in her mouth. I even had to fish a small piece of pumpkin out of her mouth! Happy Halloween to everyone. Have a safe day and be careful tonight if you are out and about.

Halloween Preview

Last night we had our ward Halloween Party. It was a chilli cook-off. They served cornbread and dessert as well. It was surprisingly good with an enormous amount of chilli to sample. The kids had games to play after dinner which they loved. That was followed by a Trunk-or-Treat. The kids trick or treat from car to car in the parking lot. I went through two LARGE bags of candy in about 15 minutes. There were tons of kids and quite a few "trunks" to trick or treat. They had a good time and came home with their pumpkins full. They seemed to have a great time. Here are some pics of thier costumes this year. I don't know if I will remember to take pictures on the actual night so this may be all you get!