Cael turned 7!

Happy Birthday Cael!
7 reasons why I love you:
1. You are such an awesome older brother to your siblings. You know how dad and I are always joking with you to start babysitting Will and Ava? Well, I honestly think you could do it. Don't worry, we won't REALLY start until you're 8. :)
2. You are such a righteous example. I love how you refuse to take a bite of a meal, until the blessing has been said, and you won't ever go to sleep at night with out saying your prayers. Thanks for being our "prayer reminder". Thanks for all of the spiritual thoughts you've shared at home evening, and for the sweet testimony you already have of our Savior.
3. I love you for always blowing me a kiss before you go into school each morning.
4. I love you for being so conscious of others feelings, and are so quick to say you're sorry if you know you've done something wrong.
5. I love how you look forward to things, and always want to check the calendar to see how many days we have left until: Disneyland, or summer, or a birthday/holiday.
6. I love how your little mind thinks. I love all of the drawings of inventions you want to make, and for the "rough-drafts" of stories you want to publish someday. You are such a smart guy.
7. I love that you are one of my best friends in the whole world, and I can't imagine my life without you in it. Thanks for coming to live with me seven years ago.

Disneyland

Will, William, Willy, Willard

This little guy is always keeping us laughing. He is so much fun to have around. He wakes up everyday at 6:30 on the dot, ready to go, asking for cereal and wanting to play "baka-ball". He loves riding bikes, and playing cars. When Cael leaves for school each day, Will loves to go in and snoop around his room. You hardly ever see him without a pair of shoes on, and it doesn't matter who's they are...he loves Ava's church shoes, moon boots, high heels, and Andy's running shoes. Uncle Jeff gave him a box of "Toy Story" books, which he carries around with him, and takes to bed to read. He's our little trouble maker, always finding something to spill, write-on, or break. We love you, Will!

Our First Broken Bone

January 19, 2010
9:15 p.m.-Ava falls off the back of the couch (she said she was sitting on it like a pony) landing on her right arm. I run in to see why she is crying so hard, and it is totally apparent her arm is broken. I yell for Andy to come help me. My dad was staying with us, and so we were able to leave Will and Cael home with him.
9:20-Driving to the ER. It was hard to even look down at her arm, and all she wanted me to do was hold her elbow "tight". It was making me sick, all the while she was being so tough.
9:40-Got to Utah Valley, and walk into the ER only to see it COMPLETELY packed. We could barely find a place where we 3 could sit together. Andy checks us in, and then we just sit and wait, and wait.
10:45-Get called back to a small room where there is a nurse assessing our situation. X-rays are taken. We are given an ice pack for her arm, and told to go back out and wait until our name is called. Ava at this point has stopped crying, and was just falling in and out of sleep.
12:00 a.m.-Taken back to a room. Doctors come in and tell us that it is "a pretty good break" (which means pretty bad), and that we may need to go up to Primary Children's.
12:15-Doctors come back in and tell us that they got hold of an Orthopedic Surgeon who said he would treat it...but not until the following morning. It will need to have pins placed in the elbow joint.
12:30-An ER tech puts a temporary cast on her arm, and they give her some pain medication (finally), and get her ready to go up to her room.
12:45-I leave to go home with the other kids, Andy stays the night with her.
January 20 (Andy's birthday)
10:00 a.m.-Ava's rolled into surgery. She was SO brave through everything. All we had talked about to her was how when she got out she was going to have the coolest pink cast on that everybody could sign.
11:00-Surgery is over, and everything went perfectly.
11:30-She comes out of recovery with a WHITE cast on, apparently we didn't tell the right person about the color. Oh well.
12:00 to 3:00-She continues to sleep with her good arm wrapped up around her eyes, so she doesn't have to look at anyone. Every time I try to talk to her or touch her she gets mad. I can't figure out if it's just the drugs she's on, or was she really mad that I didn't stay the night with her...the only person she wants is Andy. It makes me so sad.
2:00-She finally starts crying for me to hold her, and so I jump in bed with her and finally get to hold my brave little girl.
5:00-Get discharged and drive home.
6:00-My mom has dinner/party ready for us and Andy.
7:00-Shelly & Lele and girls show up with gifts for Ave's and a cake for Andy.
8:30-Bedtime. SO happy to have Ava home with us.

All she ever talks about is how SHE got presents on Daddy's birthday. She is healing well, and the only problem we ever deal with is how to stop those nagging little itchy spots under her cast. She's even learned to use it as a weapon on her brothers and has caused a few tears with it.

Ringing in 2010

Andy and I had so much fun hanging out with the kids for New Year's Eve. We'd never gone to Provo's First Night, but had heard there were a lot of fun things to do for kids and adults. It didn't disappoint. We had a great time!

CHRISTMAS 2009

I don't have many pictures of Christmas morning (which I'm a little bummed about), but I did take a lot of video, so I guess it's okay. We did Christmas morning at our house with my dad. Cael: X-Box, walkie-talkies, remote control dinosaur, transformer head. Ava: new doll, stroller, Barbies, purse. Will: Basketball hoops, lawn mower, balls. Then we headed up to Star Valley to spend a few days with Grandma and Grandpa Hokanson, and a few others that were able to go home. We had a wonderful Christmas.

Buddy the Elf made a surprise appearance at our ward party. For my kids, it was as good, if not better than having Santa there. Cael quotes that movie all the time, so he thought that was the coolest thing ever!



Temple Square

Sundaes & Movie Night



Since Will is such a climber, Grandma Hokanson will tie him to the barstool with a ribbon, so he won't try to climb out. It always makes me laugh.

Ava's 4th Birthday

Ava turned four! For her breakfast in bed, she wanted to have Trix and toast. She had two fun parties, one at Chuck-e-cheese with Gramma, and then a "Fairy Princess" party with all of her girl cousins. Gramma treated Ava and I to a girls night out, and we went to see Disney Princesses on Ice (we had the greatest seats). She was in heaven the entire show. We are so blessed to have Ava in our family. She truly is a little miss sunshine, brightening up our lives with her smile and cute personality. She is the peacemaker of the family, and would do anything for Cael and Will if it would make them happy. Some of her favorite things right now are: anything Hannah Montana, Disney princesses, dance, playing with her brothers and friends, bubble tape, riding bikes, snow tubing, make-up (lip gloss and nail polish), "babysitting" Will. She is still our night owl. She loves staying up as late as we'll let her, and in the middle of the night, she often will get out of bed and go climb in with either Cael or mom and dad. She is still loving dance, and is excited for pre-school in the fall, even though she would love to skip this next year and go straight to kindergarten, so she could ride the bus with Cael. Happy Birthday, sweet girl!







One of Ava's birthday presents was a completed scrapbook which Gramma put together all by herself. She loves looking at it. It is actually more of a present for me, because I have been meaning to catch Ava's up for the longest time. And now it's done!