Goal, Set, Done!

We have talked a lot about goals in our family lately.  Emma is a master goal setter/maker!  She set a goal for herself to move up to the top Math group at school (she was in the 3rd... 2nd grade was bad with a teacher that refused to teach math and a Mom that can't) and she is in the top of the 2nd right now and will hopefully be in the top by the end of the year. She has improved so much this year in so many things.  In the fall she did a speed reading test and scored 119 words per minute with no mistakes.  She wanted to do better so she set a goal of 130 words per minute with no mistakes and she did FAR better than that with a score 226 words per minute... the highest the tester has ever seen.  I am NOT saying that to brag, I am just thrilled that Emma is learning the joy of setting goals and that hard work does pay off! 
She also set a goal at her Basketball shoot a thon to do better than her first try (19 baskets in a minute) and the next time she got 31! 
I have been working really hard at setting goals for myself too!  I work really hard at being healthy in my eating so that I am not as sick and am a good Mommy. 
I also am trying to keep the house in better order (a tall order when we are in the middle of construction and all the winter sicknesses).
  I have been working really hard on being grateful for where we are and the time we do get to spend together.  The past few years were kind of rough with me in YW and Jonathan the Elders Quorum Pres, but we got the hang of it and were loving life.... and I got released.... It was really bittersweet.  I am excited to focus more on my family, support Jonathan in his calling better, and make a few friends my age. :)  I will really really REALLY miss my YW so much though!  I learned so much from them and love every single one so much! 
There are many other goals in progress at our house right now, one being getting the addition done!  Can't wait for that!  So many miracles have been associated with that project and we are so grateful and amazed!
I also set a goal to get caught up on blogging before the end of Feb and I did it!  Hooray!  I feel bad, my sweet Parents -in -law are on a mission in Germany and this is my main way of keeping up with them, and I kind of have been a stinker at it with all that was going on... but I will be better now!  I sure hope they now how very very VERY much I love them and how proud we are of them!
Life is good! 

These little chicka dees love to take baths!  They will play in here for hours!

 Elise watching for the kids to come home from school....

 Elise was pretty much done being potty trained before Christmas!!!  Then..... I held baby Maddie a lot and she told me, "NO, I am the baby" and has been fighting it ever since!  I kind of just let her stop until she us ready because I don't like fighting about it - and when she is ready she will do it easily:)  So... maybe I am just lazy?  I don't know.  Either way we are on a little break (although all her little friends are now patty trained so I am a little frustrated).

The kids were really excited when they came out valentines morning to this....

They had fruit and nut oatmeal, eggs, bacon, and doughnuts.

 The girls got butterfly valentines...

 While Dad and Russell got Superhero ones!

 For dinner we had a Roast with potatoes and gravy, roasted broccoli, Sauteed asparagus with bearnaise sauce, alfredo noodles, rolls, carrots with peas and onions, and red 7up:)  The kids loved the cupcakes too!  It was so yummy and I can't believe I forgot to take a picture!!!  I was cookin all day but it was so worth it. 

Awwwwwwwww... what a guy

My sweet hubby came home one day with tulips!  I have to say I didn't know why at first - but it was the 10 year anniversary of the day we met!  So so so SWEET!  I am a lucky lady indeed!!

Hannah got (stole from Elise) this sweet little piggie and she  LOVES it!  She takes it everywhere and treats it like a baby.  It may have something to do with the fact that we were reading Charlottes Web at the time...

Adding on...

Most of these pics are pretty self explanatory! 

 The Trusses going on was really exciting!

 The kids love having stairs!

 Cutie pies!  They love playing on the stairs  - which scares me to death!  Obviously they are still VERY open on the sides...

I need to take more pics, the electrical is done and hopefully the insulation will be done by the end of the week and they will start on drywall!  Hooray!

Basketball!!!

We had so much fun playing Upwards basketball this year!  Jonathan got to be assistant coach for Russells team. 

The kids have never played a sport before, so it was awesome to see how much the imporoved and grew to love it!  They are both excited to play again next year!

I loved that they called out the kids names as they ran out onto the court.  This is Russ's good friend Dayton, who was luckily on his team!

 Russ running through the tunnel.

 Action shots;)

 I wish I had gotten pics of other games, but I forgo my camera every week.... what a Mom!  He played against some good friends which was always pretty funny!
Here is Emma in her pregame lineup...

 She got to be a pretty good player and is excited to head outside every day in the summer and practice!

I got this idea from Pinterest and it has been great for us!  I put a plain peice of paper in a frame and we write love notes to eachother.  Mostly it is me writing notes, but one afternoon I saw this one and my heart melted!

Daddy's helpers!

We are adding on to our house... since we can't sell right now (we are in a flood district, even though flood never touched our property) and it just makes sense to increase the value of our home before we try to move anyhow!  Well, with the addition we may end up loving it so much we never leave anyway!

Russ LOVES helping his Dad!

 He is also thrilled about the equipment that comes into our yard!  And that he has a sister that is excited as he is! 

Christmas 2011

We had a fantastic dinner and dessert!  We had so much fun visiting and playing games... yet the only thing I remembered to take pics of were the presents the kids got.  I NEED to bring out my camera more often!

 Pretty luggage with names on front!!!!!!

 What?  Grandma opened the box and suitcase and put a present inside?  My kids still talk about this!  What a smart Grandmaa!  No extra packaging to deal with - everything was ready to play!

 The little girls love their Cinderella and Ariel dolls so much!

 Russ LOVES his new truck and camping set!

 LOVE!

 Emma got the Leven Thumps book which she started reading immediatly and loves!