catching up

I have been the most craptastic blogger lately. Ok, if I am being honest, I have been pretty craptastic at most things these days -motherhood, wifeyness, exercise, spiritual things. But that's the beautiful thing about life, right? You can try again the next day to be a better person. With that in mind I thought it was high time I got this blog up-to-date. You may want to settle in with some popcorn and a drink-this could be a long account of our goings-on for the past little while!
The family in general: At the end of March, my entire family (except my dad) came to visit. We had dinner here on that Sunday and it was so much fun to have so many babies and little kids running around. Lots of laughing, and the first time we have all been together since all 3 of my siblings have joined the "procreation" club. I think there are 13 grandkids now on the Young side of the family. On March 17, my sister had a baby boy. She was staying with us at the time, and my kids were in heaven having a brand-new tiny baby in the house. On April 15, Joseph's sister had a baby girl. They haven't seen that new cousin yet, but they can't wait. Joseph's brother, Jeremy, got married on March 27th. It was really beautiful and his new wife is very sweet and, I think, a perfect match for him. The overall theme of the wedding was, well really that is was more like a funeral than a wedding. Ok, anyone who just read that and knows what I'm talking about-don't get mad! Come on, I had to say it! We got a new puppy in March. We haven't found Scout and we miss him, especially since his offspring is a terror. The kids named him Thunderkleez-after a favorite cartoon character. If you are reading this and have heard of that character and can tell me which show he hails from-you are my new best friend! HAHA! We had a lot of fun over spring break; going swimming, to Chuch E Cheese, to the aquarium. The kids taught me how to play the wii fit. Kaydin and Trevin have both gotten really into the "Fablehaven" series ( I recommend them), and we went to the realease of the 4th book, the author was there and they had a cool program. Hilarious.
Now for a rundown of each, individual family member:
EWAN - Our little man is talking a lot more. He is a handful, and as a result of my frustration, he will now answer to the name "Damien" Ok, not really. He is just much more impulsive and high-energy than any of my previous babies. But he is hilarious and smiley and we love his guts.I can't believe he will be TWO in a few weeks!
KELLYN - She has entered that stage of life where there is a stream of non-stop chatter and questions coming from her. From the moment she wakes up until she falls asleep. Love it. She is learning her letters and loves to read books and play with play-doh and color and draw and paint the entire bathroom with nail polish and all those regular 4-year old activities. Ok, maybe not that last one. She makes me want to have another little girl.
RYLYNN - Rylynn is still singing and dancing all the time. She has decided that when she grows up, she will be a pop star. Never mind the fact that when you put her in front of a group of people to "perform" she can barely move for all her shyness. But it the the sweetest thing in the world to watch her, unaware that you are there, singing and dancing her little heart out. She is well ahead of grade level as she nears the end of 1st grade and has made soooo many friends! She is just about the most beautiful little girl you will ever see! And that's not just a mother's bias, that's scientific fact.
TREVIN - This kid is my saving grace in motherhood. He is such a sweet-natured, sensitive kid who never lets a day go by without saying " I love you, mom" and "You're the best mom in the world" at least 50 times. He reminds me of how "worth it" all the hard work parenting is. He is finishing up the 3rd grade, again, well ahead of grade level. He loves the Wii (a little too much) and has started to display a real passion for drawing.
TRISTAN - Tristan is READING!!!!! I never thought that would ever, ever happen! I am so proud of him. He has worked hard in school this year and has made a ton of progress. He got one of those "how to draw" books, all about drawing Spiderman, and has used up hundreds of sheets of paper drawing, with surprising aptitude I might add, all the Spiderman characters. He and Trevin are both nine and looking forward to summer vacation.
KAYDIN - Kaydin continues to astound us with his academics. He is so advanced, we are hardly surprised anymore by anything he does. Still extremely proud, but not surprised. The other day, Joseph said to me "sweetie, I think Kaydin has a bigger vocabulary than I do". This is probably true. He also has better grammar than most adults. He is like a mini-adult in a lot of ways. We are going to try contact lenses this summer, and he is excited for those. He has also become Joseph's basketball buddy and is picking up the game pretty well. Pretty soon, he will be able to give Joseph a run.
MARYN - We are now experiencing the indescribable joys of the schizophrenia that is adolescence with Maryn. One minute she is sweet and sunny and helpful, the next she is sullen and pouty. Wow. She has struggled somewhat in school this year, but I think part of that has been the adjustment of being at a new school, with new rules and curriculum. She is a super-helper and has also made lots of friends at school. She plays sports alongside the boys, but still loves all things girly. She turned 11 in March, and we had a mani/pedi/facial/karaoke party with a few of her friends. Lots of fun!
FABIOLA - Fabiola has been at Job Corps for 2 months now. For those of you not familiar with the program, it would take too long to explain here (just google it, if you are really that curious). She seems to be doing well, although the initial novelty has worn off and she doesn't enjoy having to do the actual work. She is now working toward a GED, and should start driver's ed soon. She is also taking classes in culinary arts. She only comes home every other weekend, and the kids really miss having her around. She still loves Joseph more than anyone in the world, and I am happy to see that they have such a close relationship.
JOSEPH - Joseph is still working in Park City. He loves this house he is building right now and I am so happy that he is able to make a living doing something he loves. Of course, at church they put him in charge of basketball. So he ran that and played in 2 city leagues (one is still ongoing). He says it feels weird to be playing with "old guys", because he still feels 17. He still plays like a teenager too, by the way. I would pay money if I could bottle that energy to take as needed.
KENDRA - I entered a stage of deep mourning upon my discovery that the only remaining tickets to see "Wicked" were over $300 a piece. So sad. This depression was tempered, somewhat, my being able to get tickets (for my birthday) to the FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS concert! Yeah, baby!!!! If you have never heard of flight of the conchords, you need to look them up. Seriously. The funniest thing ever. I'm still working at my ultra-glamorous job, still tired. I took the weekend off to spend with the kids when they had spring break, and it was hard to go back to work after all that time off. But, hate work as I may, we are fortunate that Joseph and I both have jobs and I have met some really good friends at work. Still looking forward to the day I can quit, though.

So, there's the up-to-date rundown on our family. We are a busy, crazy bunch, but we have a lot of fun. I can't waith for SUMMER!!! Below are pictures of some of the above mentioned activities. Enjoy, and please, be generous with the leaving of comments. I need to feel some love, people!