Twelve?

Dear Yakko,

How is it that you're twelve already? You are such a joy to be around!

My top 12 favorite things about you are:
1. Your happy smile! You light up a room and make everyone happy like you.
2. You are so very smart. I know you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.
3. You are multi-talented! You are a great singer/actor/dancer.
4. You are so kind.
5. You are a great friend!
6. You love your family so much!
7. You have a great sense of humor.
8. You are a creative thinker who comes up with amazing solutions to problems.
9. You have a great sense of right and wrong; I trust you so much!
10. You are fun to be around. Whether we're playing a game, reading something, or just hanging out, I love to be around you!
11. You are a charming gentleman. I love how you treat ladies!
12. You are mine; I am forever thankful to have the honor of being your mama!

I love you!

School's Out Today...

...so we're lazy... for us.

The boys decided to move Wakko from downstairs to upstairs. This would be great, except it means that my craft room is no more. Oh, well! At least fights should be reduced... right? Yakko's just as happy as Wakko is; let's hope this works!

Dot's still doing make-up homework. Twenty three assignments done (this weekend) and only seven to go!

Mindy's trying the potty-training thing again today. Not bad for being 20 months old!

I am working on organizing and creating outlines for this week's business and watching baking shows.

Lazy!

Our Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas 2010:

A Year in Review!

January:

Our house was for sale (again).

My Sweetheart didn’t have school anymore! Congrats, Bachelor Degree Holder!

February:

We had an awesome vacation to Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana where we visited family, enjoyed a bunch of cool sites, and had a blast!

March:

I joined a gym and got a personal trainer.

April:

We sold our house in West Jordan.

May:

Mindy turned one and began walking.

We moved to our house in Sandy.

The house remodeling began.

I had a hysterectomy.

Did we mention we now have a swimming pool?

June:

We met Aunt Cathy and Cousin Porsia.

Dot turned 14.

Our kitchen was remodeled.

Mindy began talking more.

July:

Yakko turned 11.

We decided to open our performing arts studio: the Learning Circle.

Our family enjoyed a whole lot of barbeques, swimming days, and more work on the house remodel.

August:

Wakko turned 9.

The Chatterton side of the family welcomed Wesley.

We opened The Learning Circle Performing Arts Studio in Sandy, UT.

The three big kids returned to public school: Dot started 9^th grade, Yakko started 6^th grade, and

Wakko started 4^th grade.

September:

Our student enrollment grew.

All four of our children began many dance/performing arts classes.

Bubba and Cleo become escape artists.

October:

Mindy talks up a storm.

Our family went to Lagoon Theme Park.

Grandpa Bear stayed at our house for about five weeks.

November:

My Sweetheart had a birthday.

We spent Thanksgiving in Hurricane with the M extended family.

December:

My Sweetheart has been at Royce Industries for three years!

Mindy has names for her siblings:

Ki-Ki, Malmoe, and Guppy.

Winter Showcase at The Learning Circle is a huge success.

Thank you for being such a special part of our lives and for your patience this year!

Love, Us

Hello? Anyone Post Here?

Hello? Is there anyone out there? I really wouldn't be surprised if you've given up on me....

Life has been ridiculously busy. Not complaining, just reporting.

Here's the low down:

1. The kids are really enjoying being back in public school. I miss them terribly, but know they're where they need to be for now. Dot is super focused on her grades and is setting high goals for herself. I know she's going to be successful. Yakko is rocking his grades, too. He thinks school is awesome! Wakko is making friends like crazy and has become a very popular kid at school.

2. Mindy is changing every day! She talks up a storm and loves to be understood. Her favorite words are "puppy", "happy", "daddy", "Bubba", "milk", "snack", and "mommy!!!!!!". She knows several words in sign language and points to things all the time. She loves to dance, but only at home. She adores babies and everything to do with them. Her favorite time is bath time and she will eat nearly anything if it's in a little ziploc bag.

3. My sweetheart is amazing. He takes care of dinner at least 4 times a week, cleans the house, helps kids with homework, and runs kids all over kingdom-come... and that's after working all day at his full time job! Just this weekend, he fixed weather strips, winterized our yard and front door, and hung our stove vent. I'm one lucky lady!

4. I am teaching six days a week and loving it! Last week I taught 27 hours. The studio has expanded it's programs to include group and private voice lessons. We now offer yoga and Zumba as well! I love my students, my teachers, and my career! The best part; my kids can take all the lessons they want!

5. We have spent a lot of time with Grandpa Bear lately. I know him better now than ever before; three weeks with someone can be amazing!

Life is nuts, but it's good. I am thankful to be surrounded by amazing people who love and support me; that's what life's all about!

What's UP?

Since last I blogged, the big kids went back to school....

I finally downloaded a pic of Wakko smiling (it's a miracle that we got a real smile from the boy)...

Mindy's discovered she's funny....
and loves to show you she knows where her nose is.

We did take a trip this weekend to Lagoon, but the camera's battery was dead. No pics, just memories!

Oh, and my awesome SNAP team roasted me, choreography style! (They made up a dance using all my least favorite dance moves...)

"Joseph,,,"

"... how can we ever say, all that we want to about you?"

We are having a great time finishing up our production of "Joseph..." and would LOVE to have all of you (and your friends and family) come to the show! It's an upbeat, super show with one of the most amazingly talented casts I've ever seen!

Dot and Yakko as well as my dad are in the show; they'd love to have you there, too! Come enjoy a fun night with your family or friends!

Happy Birthday, Yakko!

Happy 11th, Yakko!



How do I love this boy? There are simply not enough words to express how awesome our Yakko is... but I'll try with my traditional list.

Our family's top 11 favorite things about Yakko:

1. He has a tender heart. Do not mistake this for being wimpy; he is a strong, yet sensitive little man. I think it's the perfect combination.

2. Yakko has a great smile!

3. His sense of humor is fabulous and his laugh contagious.

4. I love his talents in theatre and dance. Have you seen the boy emote on stage?

5. He is a great friend.

6. Yakko is a natural leader and takes responsibilities well.

7. He is quite a gentleman! He loves to hold the door open for ladies, be polite, and use manners.

8. His skills at anything academic are awesome!

9. I love that he is so very handsome.

10. He is thankful for everything he has and takes nothing for granted.

11. Yakko is kind and patient.

Happy 11th Birthday, Yakko!

What We've Been Up To (part 3)

The kids' rooms... be warned: they did pick their own colors!

Once again... finished projects to be posted later.

*Shout out to our friends, the G family for helping with texturing and painting!

Rocket Derby

March's Pack Meeting was the Rocket Derby. I was so proud of my cute scouts, especially those who call me Mom! Yakko won third place overall and got the "most like a breakfast cereal" award for his rocket, "Froot Loops". Wakko won the "super hero" award for his rocket, "Super Iron Man". I was especially proud of my boys since they made their rockets with very very little help. Both boys were awarded regular scouting awards, too. Wakko received another three silver arrow points, bringing his total up to 8! Yakko was awarded six pins! Both boys were also recognized for helping out with the Scouting For Food drive. Way to go!

Easter 2010

Mindy's first Easter was a lot of fun! She got the hang of picking up candy and eggs... but wasnt' quite sure she was alright with dropping them into her bucket. It was a blast watching her delight at seeing the brightly colored eggs and treats.

Yakko found the most filled eggs: and discovered his new favorite treats... he loves Three Musketeers Raspberry!

Wakko was the winner for finding the most hard boiled eggs (his favorite!) and the golden Play Doh egg.

Dot found the most Play Doh eggs and was thrilled to get a whole bunch of mini Yorks.

Mindy's favorite treat? Her box of Club Snack Sticks!

We hope your Easter was lots of fun! We had a great time with food, family, Conference, movies, and more. Although the snow storm tried to squash our plans for a good hunt, we enjoyed searching for eggs in the family room and made the most of it.

Mid-West Vacation Part 2

 

Standing outside the Louisville Slugger Museum... this giant bat is taller than a two story building!

  

This was an AWESOME museum, enjoyed by the entire family!

Yakko holding Mickey Mantel's bat

Wakko holding Mickey Mantel's bat

Dot holding David Ortiz's bat

Daddy holding Mickey Mantel's bat

Mommy holding Mickey Mantel's bat

Mindy with her souvenir bat.

...and yes, Daddy bought a personalized bat. It is really cool!

We all got stubs from bats made for the Yankees.

 

Daddy at an old soda fountain at the Schmidt Museum of Coca-Cola... another cool place to visit!

  

Our love of Coke Products was only enhanced after this neat experience.

  

The last museum we visited was the General Patton Museum at Fort Knox. This was super educational and very very cool!

 

  

  

  

 

We spent a lot of time driving and seeing the beautiful countryside as well. It was a memorable trip for everyone... except maybe this lady...

After 4 and 1/2 hours on planes to get back home, we were super grateful for a little time to recover from jet-lag...

...and Daddy and the kids were thankful to have their Wii back.

What a trip!