What's Keeping US Busy..........

Jody's picture is on here first, so we will start with him. Although he has been finished with his masters degree for awhile, his graduation is in a few weeks, and we are all so excited for him. It was a lot of work for him to go to school on the weekends for 2 years, and he had to sacrifice a lot to do it, but he stuck with it, and in the mean time taught me and my children all about hard work. I love you Jody, and am so proud of you. Last weekend Jody and I took Kaden's ball team, (minus 2 of them) to Boise for a tournament. We all had a lot of fun, and although we played some VERY big teams, our 6 little guys did great. We won our last game against Twin Falls, and were very happy about it.

Next up is the only picture I got of the crew on Easter morning. I had an early meeting, so I was not home to take a picture of them in their Sunday best, but this will do. It tells a little more of the truth about how holiday mornings are at our house anyway.

I thought since it had been so long since I last posted, I would just get a recent pic of the kids, and say a few words about what they're each up to.

Tyce is Hungry for Spring, but staying focused in school. His AR reading goal this year was 100 points, and he told me yesterday, that he could possibly reach 200 before schools out. So proud of him.

Kaden not only did the bball tourn. in Boise, but he is also doing track this year. He LOVES the high jump, and is also running the 200m. However at his 1st track meet after clearing his highest in the high jump, he hit the bar with his back, and hurt it bad enough to not be able to run his races. Tomorrow is another track meet, so hopefully I will get to see him run!

Paige is focused on the clogging competition coming up in May at Lagoon. We are all excited to go watch the girls perform and have a fun family day on the rides. She also LOVES spending every other Friday at activity days. She sure loves her leaders, and loves the time with friends.

What can I say about what Danica has been up to? She is still my little sidekick, but I think the best words to describe Danica right now came from my mom last time we were visiting. She said, "how does a 15 year old fit in such a little body?" That truly is Danica. She's a tease, bossy, stubborn, giggly, wants it her way, demanding, and precious! Couldn't live without her!

Ali surprised me this last weekend. While Jody, Kaden, and I were in Boise for 2 days, she wanted to take care of the kids. She did ALL the cooking, cleaning, tending, bedtimes, chores, without any help. (except from her sidekick Paige). Grandpa and Grandma were on call, and checked on them frequently, but Ali always had it under control. She took the whole thing very seriously, and has proved to me just how responsible she is. SO PROUD of her!

I have just been doing all the things that mothers do. We are so excited for Linda to be able to come for Jody's graduation in May. She will be here to see the girls dance at Lagoon too, and spend the day with us there. We always look forward to visits with her. I think that brings us back up to speed, thanks to a new camera! WA HOO!

A few Mexico pictures

This is definately NOT my favorite picture of me, but I have very little to work with because half way through our trip, my bag which held the camera fell and now the camera does not work. Therefore, Jody's phone has the rest of the Mexico pictures as well as my oldest 2 kids birthdays and all other important events. When he remembers to email them to me, I will finally be able to truly update the blog.........anyway...............this is us standing by the pool that looks out toward the ocean. It was early in the morning, so not alot of activity yet, but very pretty to sit and watch the sun come up.I love this picture of Jody. We were shopping at the markets, and the guys all found these hats. We took their pictures and then left the hats there. Not really something Jody could wear to farm in......Right!

This is our first night there, and in the restaurant we ate at, they had a mechanical bull. Well, I was not going to let this opportunity pass me by. I was the only one that tried it, and all I have to say, is at least I got on the thing without a struggle, because one lady had a lot of trouble. I, However, was falling off in just less than half a turn. Jody barely got this picture. I'm blaming it on my slick capris, and inexperience. I know if given another chance, I could really ride this thing!

Last but not least, this is in the lobby of our hotel on the first night. We had a great time, and loved the warm sunshine and many adventures. I can't wait for the next vacation!

Promised Pictures

This is my boy Tyce playing basketball for the first time. He's getting the hang of it, because in this game he made 2 shots, and his team won 40-4! WaHoo!

Paige is the one shooting. She also made 2 baskets at her last game, and I of course missed them because I had to hurry and run Ali to her game. I'm sad about missing them, but sure proud of her.

Finally, with all the kids getting some spotlight blog time for basketball, I figured Danica needed a post too. This is her today, in her very cute outfit that only someone so cute could get away with. Sure love this crazy girl!

That's it for now! Jo and I are off to Cancun this weekend, so next post will be all about Fun and Sun!

Look close.......

Look close, and you will see some great defense going on in the middle of the picture! Kaden has been a lot of fun to watch this year, and is getting to be a great ball player.Look close, and you will see #14 who is the girl who was high scorer in their last ball game. They won 8 to 6, and she had 4 of their 8 points! She is a great ball player too, and I have loved watching her learn sooo much this year!

Look close, and you will see many elk on the hill behind our house. Once in awhile the big herd that lives around here will come into view, and it's always fun when they do!

I am still working on getting pictures of Paige and Tyce playing ball, but I'm hoping to remember my camera this weekend, and post some before Jo and I leave for Cancun next weekend. So.............keep looking for those!

Christmas 2011

Christmas with the Shumway's 2011

Christmas was lots of fun for us this year. We celebrated with parties and activities most of the month of December, and Loved It! We of course started the season off by decorating the Christmas Tree.

At our annual ward party, the primary did the manger scene and sang some songs. Ali was Mary, Paige is behind her as an angel, and Tyce is way over on the right in the blue as a shepherd. They all looked so cute!

Then of course there is Christmas morning. This is Tyce loving his new art kit from Santa.

Kaden's expression is funny, but he's waited a long time for this 22, and it was a surprise to him to get it for Christmas!

This picture is because I LOVE it! Right before I took this, Danica put her little arms around both her sisters. SO CUTE! They got cute hats, and had put some of Danica's dolls hair clips in their hair. Sure love these girls.

Christmas was lots of fun. We have finally got it put away now for one more year. We spent a lot of the break painting the girls rooms, and enjoying watching Kaden play some b-ball. Now we are on to a new year, with new goals of family unity in mind, and hoping for only great things for all of our family and friends! We love you all!

Picture Update

I thought I would finally post some pictures that went along with the last post. This first one is just one shot of Kaden's eagle project with Kaden, his dad, and his grandpa all in the picture. This is Tyce's 7th birthday. He had a great day, as you can tell by the smile on his face!

This is my cute little halloween bunch. (minus Kaden, who thinks he's too big to dress up, and was outside hunting pheasants) Tyce - Vampire, Paige - An old man, Ali - Devil, and Danica - Princess.

This last picture is a family shot with Jody's mom Linda on her last visit in November. I can't believe how big my kids are getting.

That's that! More to follow soon! (hopefully).

Let it Snow Let it Snow Let it Snow!

I am So EXCITED for the Holidays! I LOVE this time of year, because it's just such a happy-Everybody Get Along- time of year. I'm looking forward to time with my kids, my family, and Jo's family. All things I treasure!

I thought I better update everyone on the craziness that has been our lives for the past 2 months. Kaden finished up soccer with an undefeated season! WAHOO! just in time to try out for the school Basketball team. After a little concern...........HE MADE IT! We are super excited about it. I know it adds to my things to do list, but I love to watch my children do the things they love. He also completed his eagle project, and now needs to do all the paper work and Thank you cards. I'm super proud of him! Now when he turns 14 in January, he can just enjoy his time as a teacher, and not feel stressed that he's got too much to do! He's doing great in the 8th grade, and showing lots of responsibility. He has just about caught up to me in heighth, and that's been a little tough for me to take. Sure do LOVE the big guy!

Ali will soon be starting her duet clogging, but in the meantime, she has been ever so busy with her friends and parties, and just growing up. Even her Uncle Matt told me the other day that she was becoming quite a young woman. Ali has a wonderful personality that draws people in. She has lots of good friends, and is looking forward to going into YW in February. She also signed up for Basketball which will be starting pretty soon. She has adjusted well to being in the Jr. High, although it took a little time with some teachers. At PTC all of her teachers adored her, and one even asked me if they could CLONE her! haha funny teacher. Ali keeps me guessing, and I LOVE her for it!

Paige has been loving clogging. She clogs just about everywhere she goes. She had a Christmas performance the other day, and did great, but she sure looked nervous. Maybe now with the 1st one down, she won't be so worried. She's doing great in school too. She loves her teacher, and so do I. She really looks at each child, and makes sure to keep them on track. I love teachers that really care about our kids! Paige decided to play Basketball again this year too, so we are excited to watch both girls play. Paige is a huge help to me, and I LOVE her tons too!

Tyce is my little perfectionist. He cried for 20 minutes one day because he got a 98% on a test. This quality can be both good and bad. Crying about an A was not one of the good moments. His teacher had only fabulous things to say about him as well. Tyce also, is going to play Basketball this year. Preston does not start them until 3rd grade, but a cousin of Jody's asked if we would sign him up in Smithfield so they could get a Preston team together, and be able to practice here. I was VERY hesitant on this one, because 1st grade is SO YOUNG, but Tyce is so excited about it, why not I guess. He's a good boy who also keeps me on my toes, and I LOVE him too.

Danica is my constant shadow. We still coupon shop every Tuesday, and she's not so sure that couponing is her favorite, but she's a trooper. She told Jody the other day that she was a 15 OLD GIRL! I truly believe she thinks that too. Sure LOVE the sassy little woman!

Jody now officially has his Masters! So proud of him. We love having him around more, and he loves that there's less things to stress about. To celebrate, we have decided to go to Cancun again this year with our friends. It may be the last trip to Mexico for awhile because the kids are getting so involved in things, so we are SUPER EXCITED to go! With 4 kids playing ball this year it will be interesting to see if we can handle it all. The good thing is, I think Kaden will be done before the girls start, and I think they will be half way done when Tyce starts. Wish us Luck!

We also recently enjoyed a WONDERFUL visit from Linda and her friend Sue. We love being able to see her when ever we can, and although this was a short visit, we loved having them both, and enjoyed every minute.

The last month has been a little more difficult than the whole 1st year was for me as a RS President. I've seen too much saddness going on in our ward, and I feel a little like I just don't know what to do for people. Thank goodness it is the Holiday season, and hopefully SOME of the joy I feel about the Savior's birth will rub off on the people I associate with. I can't think of a better reason to celebrate! HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU ALL!