Waiting for Spring

 Below are pictures of things we have done in March, while we wait for Spring!

Adelynn is taking a ballet class every Saturday, 

she is overly excited about learning every ballet step. 

Reading to the kiddos

Hugs

CHEERS: 

Corey's "juicing" diet is over, after he lost 25 pounds.

Jack will miss "Dadda's juice" and the green-drink mustache!

Addy attended a garden soiree birthday party and had a blast!

Hippity-Hoppity, Easter's on it's way,

 and hopefully it brings nice weather!

Guess Who's 30?

Corey turned 30 at the beginning of March.

 I am going to be honest, he had a hard time with it.

I caught him in the mirror looking at his wrinkles and making comments about how he use to look so much younger. I truly think that of all the birthday milestones, turning 30 has got to be the hardest. It's the reality that your 20's are gone and that you have to grow up. This is a big deal for everyone, because who doesn't want to stay in their 20's forever?

 So glad Corey had his brother here to celebrate!

 We got Corey a bunch of scrub hats for the operating room. Isn't he cute!

 We ate at a new Mexican restaurant, it was a hit! 

A yummy cake!

 He almost forgot to make a wish, and then he couldn't blow all the candles out in one breath.

 It was hilarious!

 Jack was trying to count how old his Daddy is?!?

Valentine's Day: Pics of the People I Love

On Valentine's day, 

Addy and I decorated the bed with fake rose petals and waited for Dad to find his present.

He was SO excited about getting a nose trimmer (hehe),

 and lots of hugs and kisses that day.

 I have made it a tradition to buy the kids Valentine presents too,
Jack got play-doh and bubbles.

 Addy got a ballet outfit, but she was too shy to let me take a picture.

 I want to kiss the person who invented play-doh, it can entertain my kids for hours.
 LOVE it!

 I started leaving books in Jack's crib, it keeps him busy while Mom sleeps in. :)

 Jack has been doing SO well at using the potty, he got some new underwear. 

(On a side note, I got reprimanded by Corey for teaching Jack to pee sitting down.
So, Corey taught him the "right way", and now he LOVES to pee standing up, just like his Dadda!)

 Addy has always been so self-motivated, she started reading short words and stories.

 We love Baskin Robbins, especially with our friends.

Yeah for ice cream!

Love my boys!

A dream come true!

Some of you might of noticed that I'm constantly hinting at the fact that I want someone (anyone, really) to come visit us in Raleigh. I can't believe it has happened, but my Mom and Dad saved up enough money and they are going to come visit at the end of May. They will be bringing 3 of my siblings along (the unmarried siblings)! For those of you who don't know my parents, this is a BIG deal. My parents don't go on vacation, they dread driving to Salt Lake City because it is the "concrete jungle". My Dad hasn't been on an airplane since 1978, on his way home from his mission. My siblings have never been to the beach, ever! Do you know how excited I am to show them a good time!?!? I can't wait to plan out all 10 days they will be here and show them how much fun a vacation can be!

I love my family, and I'm so excited to see some of them in May!

Random Updates...

1. Corey only has 82 days until he graduates with his Master's degree from UNCG!!!
2. He has 6 months until he graduates from Raleigh School of Nurse Anesthesia.
3. There just might be a light at the end of this school tunnel we have been in for 9 years!
4. Corey has been on a juicing diet for a month now (trying to lose weight for his Army physical). Just in case any of you have been thinking about juicing, just save yourselves the time, money, and energy and become an anorexic. It's deadly, you get the idea!
5. Those of you who know Corey, you know he usually has a diet coke in his hand. He quit diet coke! This is a big deal for me, now my husband wont die from some disease caused by fake sugars. :)
6. My days have been spent planning girls camp and campouts, come to find out it's a lot of work to plan camping. Who would of thought that learning how to survive out in nature is something that takes SO much planning!
7. Adelynn, my baby girl, is officially registered for Kindergarten. She will start school on August 26th, the same day my baby sister was born (that was only 12 years ago)!
8. Our little Jack-Jack was officially diagnosed with a speech delay and has started speech therapy twice a week. His therapist is amazing! We are learning so many tricks to help him speak better.
9. I can't forget my "foster child", Casey (Corey's brother), is doing well. He has a place to live, and he's in college and studying his butt off. He is getting awesome grades, he has a part-time job, and is still looking for a lady with some Southern charm.
10. Southwest.com is having a sell on plane tickets until Monday (the 18th), so you all should buy tickets and come visit North Carolina. Just sayin'!

Snow Days/Icy Rain

We had two "snow storms" in January. The first one was late at night, but Addy insisted on staying awake. We went outside and had a snowball fight. We even saved some snow in the freezer. :-) Then, last Friday they let school out three hours early because of the threat of snow. At noon when I went to pick up Addy from preschool it was snowing. Jack was so excited to see snow, I don't think he remembers it from Utah. As I was driving home the snow turned into icy rain. It was SO cool! I had never seen anything like it, and it made for some slick driving conditions too. Addy wishes she had TONS of snow to play in, but to be honest, I'm okay with the fact that we've had at least 4 days this month above 60 degrees.

 Yummy!

 Snowball fight

 What's that?

This is how much snow we got on the ground. 

 

 Snow (I realize I'm overly excited)

Grandpa Koyle

I was scheduled to fly to Idaho/Utah on Friday, January 4th for my sister's wedding. Just two days before that my Grandpa Koyle had a massive stroke while he was sleeping. He was in the hospital when I arrived on Friday the 4th. I was able to hold his hand, tell him I love him and watch him sleep peacefully. He had many complications due to his sudden stroke; he was paralyzed on one side, couldn't speak, and couldn't eat. We had a very bitter-sweet weekend with a wedding and preparing to say good-bye to our Grandpa. By the time Sunday rolled around I was so emotionally exhausted. I drove my Grandma to the hospital Sunday morning and sat and held Grandpa's hand for several more minutes. I knew I would never see him again, in this life, and it wasn't easy to say good-bye. I also felt so blessed that I was able to be in Idaho to see him, even though I live in North Carolina. God truly works in mysterious ways. I flew home to North Carolina on Monday the 7th and shortly after I arrived home I got the call that Grandpa had passed. I missed his funeral, but I have countless memories of my Grandpa to hold on to.

 My 3 year old self with my sister and Grandpa Koyle

 Grandpa proud of my brother Ethan after he returned from his mission.

 Grandpa and Grandma

Together for almost 59 years. 

As I think back on my life and skimmed through my journals, my fondest memory of my Grandpa was that he was always around.  I was blessed to be able to live up the street from Grandma and Grandpa Koyle for 19 years of my life. Almost every day Grandpa would drive around in his old, white pick-up truck and fiddle with the sprinklers in the field, or something else on the farm. It seems like he was always outside working on something; the garden, machinery, sprinklers, or taking care of animals. He was always around on our birthdays, and Grandma and Grandpa were good about coming to say happy birthday. Us grandkids always dreaded Grandpa’s “birthday spankings”, because they hurt so bad. But, now it is one of our fondest memories. Grandpa was also around on holidays and for reunions; he made his family a priority. I will never forget our Sunday evenings gathered at Grandma and Grandpa’s house playing while the adults talked about politics and church. Us kids would play Old Maid, or spend countless hours on the teeter-totters and swings that Grandpa made for us. He was always around to help out; he would fix our toilets, our leaking pipes, irrigate our lawn, or cut my brothers’ hair.  When I have the chance to visit Idaho again it is hard to think that Grandpa won’t be up the street with his cute smile and hugs. But, I know that he is always around still, just in a different way, always looking down on us and smiling as we “work” our way through this life.