Changes......Again!

It seems as though we go through a lot of changes at once. Here's an update on what has been happening recently: Travis received a job offer we couldn't refuse from CHG Healthcare. The way the job came about was pretty amazing. We decided we should do Real Estate on the side and started job searching. We had always been blessed to find employment through friends and family previously, but we had to start from scratch this time. Initially, we had no idea which companies would be good, so I Googled it! I looked through Forbe's list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For and there was only one company located in Utah, CHG Healthcare at #27. I clicked on their link, clicked on Careers and saw they had posted a job for a Business Analyst the previous day that fit Travis's qualifications exactly. We applied online and received a phone call the next day to set up a phone interview. Travis had two phone interviews and two in-person interviews before he was offered the job - all within a two-week timeframe. He did a fantastic job in the interviews and they were very impressed with his skills and personality (who wouldn't be?). Then he started the following Monday. The more we learn about this company the happier we are with the job. They are very employee-oriented with a lot of fun things going on in addition to being cutting edge with technology and open to change. The only downside is the long commute - one hour each way. Hence, the next question......To move, or not to move? Spring is attempting to blossom around here. I say attempting because it will be warm one day with the flower bulbs peeking their heads out of the soil and the next day it snows! We started soccer practices and games this last week. The first practice was on Friday where it snowed most of the day but melted just before practice. Then the girls had their games on Saturday morning. Tyla's game was quite chilly and all the girls were pretty lethargic from their winter break. Alayan and Tiana had a fun game and played like 'super-fast dolphins'. Their team is the Blue Dolphins. I love their age group because it's all about having fun and cheering (even when they score in the wrong goal) and laughing. We have a great time. I'm a little taxed, though with being the coach of three different soccer teams. I coach Tiana and Alayna's AYSO team, Tyla's AYSO team, and Tyla's All-Star team. That makes for a lot of soccer. Good thing I love soccer! Mason will start in the fall so we'll see how that goes.... Alayna and Tiana were so excited this week when I announced that they are now old enough to have their own library cards. I purchased small totes for them to use for library books and they had a fantastic time picking out their books and checking them out with their brand-new library cards. They're getting to be good little readers and are also enjoying listening to chapter books on CD like 'The Magic Tree House' and 'Geronimo Stilton'. We spend a lot of time in the van driving back and forth from school and I've discovered this is the secret to quiet van rides! Ragen just cut her second tooth, is a great sitter, and loves her family! I'm always so grateful when al the kids are home because I don't have to entertain her all the time or keep Mason from bugging her. The older girls just love to carry her around and play with her. And she sure loves the attention! As soon as she learned to sit she decided she didn't need to move anymore. So she sits on the counter while I cook, sits on the floor while I do hair, and sits in her booster seat at the table. We're working on reating real food and she is 50/50 about it. Some days she'll scarf it down and others she doesn't want anything to do with it. The only foods she good about eating are rice and oatmeal cereal. She doesn't know what to do with fruits and veggies yet. We love to make her laugh and smile and her favorite thing in the world right now (besides nursing with Mom) is taking a bath. She gets so excited and splashes like crazy!

Birthday Girls!

Aack!! I can't believe my girls are now 6!! The time goes by way too fast. Every year they break my heart a little more. I love these girls so much! It's so fun when it is birthday time for them. We get to have two cakes, two dinners, and a big party! Tiana chose frozen burritos for dinner (I did make them from scratch this time, but that is her favorite food right now with ranch on top, of course) and Alayna wanted egg sandwiches (made with boiled eggs mashed up with miracle whip and mustard).

I attempted my best to make their cakes (Melissa, don't look!).

Alayna blowing out her candles.

Princess Tiana and her cake!

Swimming fun at the wave pool!

Alayna wanted a monkey cake and after searching online (and a little nudging from Mom), she chose this simple monkey face.

Tiana fell in love with this princess cake she saw online. I did my best to replicate it and even watched some tutorials on how to frost cakes. Of course, I cheated and put a plastic tiara on top. The one we saw online was made from frosting.

Christmas and Family

We had so much fun with our cousins over the holidays. Kevin and Laura came to stay with their two kids, Sierra and Trent. We played tons of games with Sierra and had a great time playing MarioKart on Kevin's Wii. We hosted the New Year's Eve party and the kids were esctatic about staying up until "the middle of the night", that is until the next day when they were cranky from being tired!!

Thanks for coming to play at our house, Sierra! We love you!!

This picture is so sweet of Alayna and Tiana holding Trent and Ragen. Super-cute Kids!

Random Pics

Sorry, I'm a little behind so here are a bunch of pics of our family lately......

Our budding virtuoso! We put her at the piano for the first time and she went to town playing.

Look at those chubby thighs! I love squeezing them!

Alayna wanted to use the sewing machine. I taught her how, set her loose, and she loved it!

Our beautiful Ragen Bree in her blessing dress.

The shirt says it all.....

First Snow!

The snow came early this year......at least it felt that way! I spent the whole summer whining because I was hot and pregnant, and now I'm whining because I'm cold! However, my kids don't think it's too cold. What is it with kids and not wanting to wear their coats? I wear mine even when I'm in the house!

Hooray for snow! The kids were so excited to make a snowman.

Mason still wanted to jump on the trampoline with the snow.

The ferocious batman! He loves to wear the cape and mask (much better than the princess dress-ups, don't you think?)

Sigh.....he found the scissors and took matters into his own hands.

Poor girl has to put up with her big brother......"Save me, Mom!"

Halloween Haunting

Even Ragen got into the spirit! She was just a Halloween baby.
My fearless Batman! Ok, he was actually crying during the photoshoot.

Tyla was a mummy. We ripped up sheets and tried pinning them on her.

Then we had the bat girls! This is Alayna.

And here's Tiana. They had so much fun!

Halloween is always really fun, but also really tiring! We went to the ward trunk-or-treat the week before Halloween and the kids scored with the treats! Of course, Mason had his all eaten by the end of next week! That kid can sure go through the treats. He just shovels them in! For the regular trick-or-treating we went up to Teryl's house in Perry and went out with the cousins. That was a blast! Then we had dinner-in-a-pumpkin at Teryl's house afterward.

I don't know about you, but Halloween always makes my stomach turn. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy eating a treat here and there, but just seeing the mountain of candy the kids bring home makes me too ill to even taste one. Tyla was so cute with her candy. She decided to chart it. She grabbed a pencil and paper and proceeded to document all of her treats and her total. She is my child that is not into treats as much. She only ate one after the trunk-or-treat and has since only eaten one or two per day. Of course, that poses a problem for Mason who ate all of his and is now sad that he doesn't have any candy and Tyla does! Silly boy! :)

Precious Smiles!

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Oh, I love it when they get big enough to start smiling! And I actually caught it on camera! She's starting to fill out a little and is so cute when she gets quiet, stares at you, then does a half-second grin!


Poor girl hates her carseat! She's getting better - about 50/50 now.

Ooohh, what's that flash, Mom?

I always forget how huge the carseats are until you put a brand-new infant in them! She's being drowned!

This is the laundry basket she slept in for the first month of her life.