New beds

Now that Mark is done with school (hallelujah) he has been able to get to several projects that have been put on hold. One of these was to put together beds that have been sitting in our garage for the past year. None of us were thrilled with the idea of bunk beds, but we were just running out of space, so for the time being they will have to do. The girls do enjoy them thankfully. We'll have to figure out where grandma can sleep when she visits though because that futon mattress is very uncomfortable, but don't tell that to Dani. Sam finally got his big boy race car bed. We acquired this for free off of freecycle. He's doing fairly well. He sure gets excited when he walks out to find you because he's no longer trapped inside the crib. We do have to encourage him to actually fall asleep there, however. Before long Joseph will be sleeping through the night (we can only hope) and then the crib will once again be occupied. Now that we've experienced having Mark out of school, it's going to be difficult the next few weeks while he studies for his test. Back to studying. I'm beginning to wonder if it ever ends. I hear him mention something about a doctorate, but so far I've put my foot down. We want our husband and Daddy!

Add on: I'm adding this section on after Sam's second night in his big boy bed. I'm absolutely amazed at the transition. Tonight I told Sam to say good night to Joseph as I was putting the baby to bed. He took the initiative to go and tell everyone else goodnight as well. I then proceeded to put the girls in to bed figuring I would be awhile with Sam. As I was heading to their room, expecting Sam to be right behind me, I couldn't find him anywhere. A quick search led me to his closed door where behind it I found Sam snug in bed with covers on, the light off, and his space heater turned on. That was amazing enough that he put himself to bed, but then he didn't get up even once. I hope this is a good sign that sticks.

Relatives on Christmas

We were able to enjoy lots of family on Christmas day. We spent time with Stacey's dad's family and then with Mark's parents. Pictures include: Mark's dad, Grandpa's wife Sheri, step-cousin Hannah, Aunt Kari, and Mark's mom.

Our family on Christmas

Santa brought Sam a basketball hoop which he immediately came out and started playing with. He did pretty good too until he decided he needed to slam dumk the ball in which case he had to get a stool and still couldn't reach.

Christmas Letter

Dear Family and Friends,

This past year has been fun and exciting for our family. We were thrilled to enjoy a trip to Walt Disney World and had a wonderful time while in Orlando. We also welcomed a new member into our family, Joseph Alan, Last of all – Mark finished school!
Taylor started Kindergarten this year and absolutely loves it. She easily excels in most areas and as a result, has been a little bored at times. She enjoys reading and has even started writing stories. She’s very creative and loves to draw, scrapbook, sew, and dress up. Despite all of this growing up she’s done in the past year, she still remains our little princess regularly donning her dress, cape, crown, and genuine plastic jewels.
Dani loves preschool and can’t wait for Kindergarten next year. She continues to be a loving young lady who enjoys helping, playing with, and caring for her brothers and sister. She misses Taylor when she is away at school, but loves to entertain Sam. Dani keeps her parents on their toes with her creative yet mischievous antics. Dani has discovered a new talent this year. She has been creating masterful works of art using media such as crayons, markers, pencil, and pen on sheets, furniture, walls, and even the floor. We’re just hoping the remaining art work (those pieces Mom couldn’t clean up) will one day be worth something, Until then, Mom will have a hard time appreciating Dani’s new talent.
Sam is growing into a fun little boy. He loves his Daddy and loves to horseplay. Sam is starting to talk, although his “words” are more like grunts and pointing at what he wants, he generally gets his point across. If not…he screams until Mom and Dad catch on. So far this method seems to suit him just fine. He began attending the nursery at church and loves it. He has become a lot more vocal and loves to chase after his big sisters and do exactly what they’re doing. He still has his great smile that no one can seem to get enough of. He has been dubbed “smiley” by friends at church. He’s just a happy little guy.
Joseph (Joey) arrived into our family on December 2nd at 8 lbs 7 oz. His siblings absolutely adore him and we’re excited to have him be a part of our family. As you might have guessed, his favorite things to do are eat, sleep, and fill his diaper. Maybe before too long, Dani can get him into art.
Stacey keeps busy with all the children and their schedules. She is currently the 2nd counselor in the Primary Presidency. Stacey was worried about taking care of 4 children, but as long as the baby sleeps most of the day, she does pretty well.
Mark is excited to move on in his career. He just finished grad school, finally. Mark has been working as a manager at Intermountain Hospital offering assistance to those in need of psychiatric care. He is working on getting a new job as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner as well as a Clinical Nurse Specialist. We look forward to this new phase in our lives. He has most recently been serving as the 2nd counselor in the Elder’s Quorum Presidency.
We hope the holiday season finds you well. We love you and wish you the merriest Christmas,

Mark, Stacey, Taylor, Dani, Sam, & Joseph

Stocking Stuffers

Grandma brought a huge stocking and couldn't refuse to put her grandchildren into it.

Time with Grandma

We've spent the past week fitting in all the Grandma time we could. Thanks grandma for keeping us all entertained.

Santa

We went to a family party where Santa appeared. Sam was terrified at first running toward mom and wanting to be held. When he saw Santa giving other children candy, he had no problem going to sit on his lap so he could get one too. Dani was forced onto Santa's lap, but once there told him what she wanted for Christmas. Taylor (knowing it was really her mom's uncle) threw a little fit and was very rude to "Santa." Luckily Joseph woke up at the right time so he could get a picture with Santa too.

My brother

Sam and Dani didn't get to visit in the hospital so they were excited to finally get to hold him. All the kids love Joseph and ask to hold him all the time.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

We celebrated Daddy's birthday this week. Thanks to grandma for having dinner and cake upon our return from the hospital. Mark was only slightly disappointed the baby didn't wait for two more days to share a birthday with him.

Joseph (Joey) Alan

He's here and we're all doing well. We went in early Tuesday morning and had him around 8:00pm that night. Longer than I wanted to be in labor, but grateful to have him. He came in at 8lb 7oz which is much better than the 10lbs where he could have possibly been had we waited for my due date. We are back home now trying to get back into the normalcy of life. Thanks for all the love and support. Enjoy some pictures.