As always, it's been a crazy few months, so here's a quick update.
Ryler turned 6 on November 10th, he wanted a new scooter after the one he had gotten for his birthday last year was stolen after only one use... yeah, I'm still a little bitter. well, his wish was granted and he was a happy camper again, and a very cute one might I add. I can't believe how big he is getting! He's such a character, half of the time he's telling me how beautiful I am and praising my mothering skills, and the other half he's tormenting his siblings and protesting my constant requests to clean up after himself, but we can't help but love him.
Aspen turned one on November 30th. At her 1 year doctors appointment she weighed in at just over 16 lbs. but has more than enough personality to compensate for her size. She is beautiful and very vocal but we love her in spite of her high level of maintenance!
The holidays were a busy blur but for the most part, went smoothly. For our big family Christmas gift, we got season passes to Lagoon and the kids are counting down until the weather is warm enough to use them!
Taevin just had a birthday on January 16th and turned nine... NINE!!! That means he's half way to being a legal adult, half of my time to teach and shape him into the man he'll become is already gone! The very thought puts a pit in my stomach, although I shouldn't be worried, after all this is Taevin we're talking about. I think all parents would agree that we love all of our children equally, but often for very different reasons.
Anyone who knows our family knows that Taevin is my easy one. He's kind hearted and generous, the peace maker in our home and a genuinely sweet kid, and here is where I prove that point.
We were out running errands about a week before his birthday and were discussing what he'd like to do for the event, after all, he'd been counting down since Christmas. Out of the blue, he says, "mom, my birthday wish for this year is to help the poor, can we go give some money to the poor people who need it?" How do you say no to a request like that? Given that he's still a bit young to explain why giving money to panhandlers by the freeway is a bad idea, I told him we'd come up with a way we could help. I was telling my dad that night about the experience and he recommended giving out blankets to the homeless, he said that while working as an EMT, they would always have to pick up homeless people who had died overnight due to the freezing temperatures. I ran the idea by Taevin and he loved it, so we got to work.
I texted a few people and put on Facebook what we were doing and asked for blanket donations. A few people were worried about the safety of just handing them out down town so I called the homeless shelter in Salt Lake and they said they were happy to take "anything warm". We gathered blankets, coats, hats and anything warm in men's sizes to donate.
We went as a family last week and it was a great experience. We gave them the donations and I told the volunteer coordinator about Taevin's birthday wish and asked if he could tell us a bit about what they do. He showed us around and explained it all to us. There were so many thing I didn't know about their program, it was really interesting.
They have a kitchen where the homeless can go for food, a chapel where they have worship service every evening, and 60 bunk beds so they can sleep 120 people. They average 200 men per night who come to sleep and they never turn people away, but clear the chapel for people to sleep there. They also have counselors on hand and employment programs for those who want to get off the streets. A lot of the men there smiled and waved at us and seemed grateful. They also seemed happy to see some kids there, there was even one guy who sat and told the kids jokes.
It was a really neat experience for all of us and I felt so lucky to have such a sweet and caring boy who just wanted to help the poor for his birthday... he also wanted a pogo stick, and he got it.
Ryler turned 6 on November 10th, he wanted a new scooter after the one he had gotten for his birthday last year was stolen after only one use... yeah, I'm still a little bitter. well, his wish was granted and he was a happy camper again, and a very cute one might I add. I can't believe how big he is getting! He's such a character, half of the time he's telling me how beautiful I am and praising my mothering skills, and the other half he's tormenting his siblings and protesting my constant requests to clean up after himself, but we can't help but love him.
Aspen turned one on November 30th. At her 1 year doctors appointment she weighed in at just over 16 lbs. but has more than enough personality to compensate for her size. She is beautiful and very vocal but we love her in spite of her high level of maintenance!
The holidays were a busy blur but for the most part, went smoothly. For our big family Christmas gift, we got season passes to Lagoon and the kids are counting down until the weather is warm enough to use them!
Taevin just had a birthday on January 16th and turned nine... NINE!!! That means he's half way to being a legal adult, half of my time to teach and shape him into the man he'll become is already gone! The very thought puts a pit in my stomach, although I shouldn't be worried, after all this is Taevin we're talking about. I think all parents would agree that we love all of our children equally, but often for very different reasons.
Anyone who knows our family knows that Taevin is my easy one. He's kind hearted and generous, the peace maker in our home and a genuinely sweet kid, and here is where I prove that point.
We were out running errands about a week before his birthday and were discussing what he'd like to do for the event, after all, he'd been counting down since Christmas. Out of the blue, he says, "mom, my birthday wish for this year is to help the poor, can we go give some money to the poor people who need it?" How do you say no to a request like that? Given that he's still a bit young to explain why giving money to panhandlers by the freeway is a bad idea, I told him we'd come up with a way we could help. I was telling my dad that night about the experience and he recommended giving out blankets to the homeless, he said that while working as an EMT, they would always have to pick up homeless people who had died overnight due to the freezing temperatures. I ran the idea by Taevin and he loved it, so we got to work.
I texted a few people and put on Facebook what we were doing and asked for blanket donations. A few people were worried about the safety of just handing them out down town so I called the homeless shelter in Salt Lake and they said they were happy to take "anything warm". We gathered blankets, coats, hats and anything warm in men's sizes to donate.
We went as a family last week and it was a great experience. We gave them the donations and I told the volunteer coordinator about Taevin's birthday wish and asked if he could tell us a bit about what they do. He showed us around and explained it all to us. There were so many thing I didn't know about their program, it was really interesting.
They have a kitchen where the homeless can go for food, a chapel where they have worship service every evening, and 60 bunk beds so they can sleep 120 people. They average 200 men per night who come to sleep and they never turn people away, but clear the chapel for people to sleep there. They also have counselors on hand and employment programs for those who want to get off the streets. A lot of the men there smiled and waved at us and seemed grateful. They also seemed happy to see some kids there, there was even one guy who sat and told the kids jokes.
It was a really neat experience for all of us and I felt so lucky to have such a sweet and caring boy who just wanted to help the poor for his birthday... he also wanted a pogo stick, and he got it.
Taevin is such an angel! That is cool that you guys went and did that as a family! Can't believe he is nine!
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