Another one bites the dust! 2009 is over!!! YAY!!! I'm jumping on the couch with excitement! (Don't tell the kids, we're not supposed to jump on the furniture!)
The year began with all sorts of excitement...ok, well, maybe not. Before the end of 2008 I was called to be the 1st counselor in the Primary. Well, I served a year and they released me at the beginning of December 2009. I'm still waiting for a new calling, but I'm happy being a Visiting Teacher..it fits my schedule better!
Jon has gone from being an Elder's Quorum teacher, to a teacher of the EQ teachers (whatever that means). It fits his schedule better too since he can only make it to church twice a month.
In March, Ethan Taylar turned 1. Wow! What a whopper of a birthday that was! I also started back at school working on another Associate's Degree. This one is with The University of Phoenix and I'm majoring in Health Care Administration. It's a lot of hard work, but on June 20, 2010 I will wrap up my last day and have my degree.
April took us to Wennatchee, Washington where Jon ran in his first ever half-marathon. He did really well and I was glad that the kids and I decided to go and see him run! We had a lot of fun on our weekend up there!
That weekend was also Jon's grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary! What a great example they are to us!
May brought Jacob's 3rd birthday! I can't believe how big my little 10 pounder is getting!
Then month of June, the kids and I went to Texas. We went to the zoo and the aquarium in Galveston and saw a Dinosaur exhibit there also! It was a lot of hours in the van, but I am super proud of how well they did!
In July Megan turned 6! We celebrated by driving to Portland, OR to see the zoo and have lunch at the mall. She picked that instead of a party and we had a lot of fun!
In August, Jon turned 30 something and we celebrated 9 years of marriage! It's been a great 9 years with ups and downs and lots of learning, but we are closer than ever and can't wait for the next adventure life will throw at us! (Hopefully it will be fun and not terrifying!)
September the girls started school again. Megan is a first grader and Kyra is a second grader. YAY they are both in school all day long! The boys miss them, but enjoy getting more mommy time. I also started my own business with Scentsy Wickless Candles. I love the products and the freedom it gives me to earn money when I want/need to.
In October, Kyra tuned 8. She was baptized on Halloween by Jon. She was also able to get her ears pierced. Yep, it hurt and she cried and Megan decided she'd wait til she was 15. It was a great end to October!
In November I turned 29 and will forever be celebrating that birthday..although I could probably stand being 30 forever...we'll see how I feel. Thanksgiving we went to Montana and mom, Becky and I hit the sales on Black Friday. It wasn't nearly as adventurous or as exciting as previous years, but we still had fun!
That brings us to this month. Christmas came and is now passed. The kids have their reminders from Santa to be good and so far we haven't had too many bad days. **side note: it's only been a week...we'll see how the next 51 go**
I hope that 2010 is a great year for all of you! I know that through adversity we are made stronger and we are able to learn things and grow. I am thankful for my relationships I have with my family and the love that we share! I pray that we will be firm in our beliefs and steadfast on the journey of life. May you all have a happy and healthy 2010!
Love,
Pamela
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Peace in the Shaw household...
Out of the 360 days of 2009 that we have had so far, one day stands out as the most peaceful of days. That was Christmas Day. Yep, that's right. Well-mannered and well-behaved children filled our house. They were good when we (Jon and I) decided to sleep in and make them wait until 9 am to open gifts, they were good when we opened gifts, they were good when we visited with friends and family. It was absolutely amazing!
There was something that filled the air with love and compassion. There was sharing and consideration. It was truly a Christmas miracle!
Back to real life.
We have had many arguments and knock-out fights today as the girls were asked to clean their room, the boys weren't exactly on the same page with each other when it came to sharing with new toys also.
I can't say that I blame them too much. There were a lot of great gifts this year. Grandma and Grandpa Anderson spoiled us again and we are grateful! Santa was good too and brought a Wii and several accessories and movies and jewelry and transformers and toy tool sets. The kids had fun shopping for each other this year and really put good thought into what they wanted to get each other. I was thrilled with the excitement that came with opening each gift that their sibling picked out for them. I hope they were reminded of the lesson that giving is better than receiving, even though receiving is kinda nice too. They were very thankful this year and made sure to tell everyone who sent/gave them gifts a thank-you.
It is also important to remember why we are celebrating and to keep our Savior in our minds continually. I have had many experiences this year where I know that my Savior loves me and knows who I am and knows my trials. He constantly cares for us and blesses us as we make decisions in our lives. Life would not have meaning if it weren't for our Heavenly Father's plan and the gift of His son, Jesus Christ.
I am thankful for my family. Everyone of them! I am thankful for the examples they are to me. I am thankful for the love and forgiveness that they extend. Life would be so hard if we didn't have family.
I hope everyone has a great start to 2010 and may the Spirit of our Heavenly Father fill our homes and hearts!
There was something that filled the air with love and compassion. There was sharing and consideration. It was truly a Christmas miracle!
Back to real life.
We have had many arguments and knock-out fights today as the girls were asked to clean their room, the boys weren't exactly on the same page with each other when it came to sharing with new toys also.
I can't say that I blame them too much. There were a lot of great gifts this year. Grandma and Grandpa Anderson spoiled us again and we are grateful! Santa was good too and brought a Wii and several accessories and movies and jewelry and transformers and toy tool sets. The kids had fun shopping for each other this year and really put good thought into what they wanted to get each other. I was thrilled with the excitement that came with opening each gift that their sibling picked out for them. I hope they were reminded of the lesson that giving is better than receiving, even though receiving is kinda nice too. They were very thankful this year and made sure to tell everyone who sent/gave them gifts a thank-you.
It is also important to remember why we are celebrating and to keep our Savior in our minds continually. I have had many experiences this year where I know that my Savior loves me and knows who I am and knows my trials. He constantly cares for us and blesses us as we make decisions in our lives. Life would not have meaning if it weren't for our Heavenly Father's plan and the gift of His son, Jesus Christ.
I am thankful for my family. Everyone of them! I am thankful for the examples they are to me. I am thankful for the love and forgiveness that they extend. Life would be so hard if we didn't have family.
I hope everyone has a great start to 2010 and may the Spirit of our Heavenly Father fill our homes and hearts!
Monday, December 21, 2009
"You better watch out, you better not cry..."
Santa is coming to town! It's that time of year again when the kids try to be good but miserably fail. Ok, not miserably, but you get the drift. This year I have had it. I needed an intervention to try to get the kids to understand that when mom and dad ask them to do something, we mean it. It's not a negotiation or up to them to do it when they feel up to it or anything of the sort. I am the parent and they are the kids and that's that. Well....here's what happened.
It was one of those days that I was ready to leave them on a curb somewhere and on my facebook status I said that one of Santa's elves was in need of some coal...cheap! Santa, a.k.a my aunt Diane, read my status and came to the rescue! She had some coal that she used for an activity and together we schemed a little plan. I told her what I would like Santa to tell the kids and what I felt were adequate warnings and such and left the rest up to her. Santa was going to mail the coal and letters from one of his many shipping depots and send it early as a warning.
Today, Santa's package arrived! It was addressed to the kids, from Santa and inside were 4 neatly packaged baggies of coal with sealed envelopes addressed to each child. In the letters Santa told them that he and his elves had been watching all year and pointed out some of the "naughty list" behaviors they had witnessed. He encouraged them to try harder next year and to help each other out more. If things do not improve, Santa is not bringing gifts for Christmas 2010.
There were a few tears and a few "I hate coal" statements, but Jon and I told the kids to put their coal on their shelves in their rooms as a reminder to be better. So far, we have had a lot more peace and happiness in the Shaw household. Which is good because Santa is going to be very generous to our family this year!
I hope this works. I really need a lot of help from the kids since I will be finishing up my Associate's degree and starting my Bachelor's degree in June/July. It's going to be pretty busy!
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and can feel the Spirit of our Savior as we celebrate His birth and His life! I truly and grateful for my family and for the love we have and for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and all the blessings that I receive!
Merry Christmas!
It was one of those days that I was ready to leave them on a curb somewhere and on my facebook status I said that one of Santa's elves was in need of some coal...cheap! Santa, a.k.a my aunt Diane, read my status and came to the rescue! She had some coal that she used for an activity and together we schemed a little plan. I told her what I would like Santa to tell the kids and what I felt were adequate warnings and such and left the rest up to her. Santa was going to mail the coal and letters from one of his many shipping depots and send it early as a warning.
Today, Santa's package arrived! It was addressed to the kids, from Santa and inside were 4 neatly packaged baggies of coal with sealed envelopes addressed to each child. In the letters Santa told them that he and his elves had been watching all year and pointed out some of the "naughty list" behaviors they had witnessed. He encouraged them to try harder next year and to help each other out more. If things do not improve, Santa is not bringing gifts for Christmas 2010.
There were a few tears and a few "I hate coal" statements, but Jon and I told the kids to put their coal on their shelves in their rooms as a reminder to be better. So far, we have had a lot more peace and happiness in the Shaw household. Which is good because Santa is going to be very generous to our family this year!
I hope this works. I really need a lot of help from the kids since I will be finishing up my Associate's degree and starting my Bachelor's degree in June/July. It's going to be pretty busy!
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and can feel the Spirit of our Savior as we celebrate His birth and His life! I truly and grateful for my family and for the love we have and for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and all the blessings that I receive!
Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
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