Outnumbered

We aren't in Kansas anymore.

2011-06-03T07:45:00.000-07:00

As a child, I watched the Wizard of Oz and was in awe when Dorothy's house was picked up by a tornado. I have had nightmares about tornados, but honestly, never once have I thought that I would experience one so very close to me.

On Wednesday at about 4:30pm, an hour after I picked up the boys from the bus stop, we started hearing some rain and it quickly turned to hail and the hail just kept getting bigger and bigger. Honestly, some were almost the size of golf balls. I had been in a really bad hail storm in Idaho, so I wasn't very worried. When I was a kid, we used to sit on the porch and watch and listen to the thunder and rain storms. I loved it! At 4:45, Aaron started asking how our weather was. He proceeded to tell me that a tornado touched down right near his work. He said that a co-worker could not even open the door to get out because of the strength of the wind. After the wind and storm had calmed there, another co-worker told him that the tornado was headed for our community of Wilbraham. He then told everyone that he was leaving and told me to take the boys to the basement away from windows. At home, I calmly told the children that we were going to go downstairs because of the storm. The power went out in the middle of all that. My phone battery was low and I couldn't recharge it. I was so worried about Aaron getting home and that I would not be able to talk to him. My fears came to pass. As we hid ourselves in the most central lowest part of the basement, away from the windows, I silently prayed. We huddled up close to eachother and listened to a crank radio, as Sterling cranked. I tried to charge my phone on the battery that was left from the laptop. My phone would come on for a minute or two and I would get a message or two from Aaron, and then I would lose power again. He told me that he couldn't get home, and that there were lots of trees down and roads blocked. He then said that he was headed for Boston Rd. Then I lost him. As we listened to the radio, they said that the tornado was headed for Boston Rd. I cannot even begin to describe the utter panic that welled up inside of me. I tried to control my emotions as much as I could for the boys, but it was too late. So, the boys were beginning to understand the seriousness of the situation from the radio and from me and they cried. I asked Damian to pray. Amazingly calm in that moment, he uttered a simply and faithful prayer to Heavenly Father for our dad and husband. He always is our little spiritual rock in our home. He has great faith in God. After the prayer, my words to them were very optimistic and hopeful, but I couldn't help thinking about all the worst case scenarios. However, I think that my external optimism helped my internal fears subside. At some point I received a message from my phone when it came on briefly saying that Aaron was walking home. That was scary too. He told me that he was down the hill from us and needed me to come get him. That message was sent at 7:40. I got it at 8:40. I got the kids out of their sleeping bags (the tornado warning from the radio was until 9). We ran out the door in the rain to get Aaron. As we drove down the road from our home, there were power lines down and trees down blocking our path. The rain was coming down uncontrollably and I had to turn around. As soon as we got home, I got the kids back down in the basement and started charging my phone in the van. I called my mom and Aaron's mom to see if either of them had heard from him. I assumed though, that his phone battery was dead too. After about 15 or 20 minutes, I saw headlights come up our road. It wasn't our car, but I knew it was him. It was quite the emotional and scary experience. He had been walking about 3 miles, part of which was uphill and climbing over big trees to get home. He hitched a ride with a couple of passerbys. I was so happy to see him.

Our community had a lot of big trees go down and a lot of power lines. There was also a pretty good amount of structural damage. We lost power for a little over 24 hours and didn't have running water either, but we are very grateful to be alive. It was much worse for so many in Springfield and in our community and surrounding communities. I learned a lot of valuable lessons about being prepared. We had some things, but definitely not all the things we needed. I will be making a list of things we thought of having after. I will be posting this soon on our blog, so watch for it.

Here are some photos of during the storm and after:

This is a picture of the Connecticut River being picked up by the tornado. Aaron's office is really close to the river and he saw it go by the Basketball Fame building where he works.

This is a church in Monson. We live on the border of Wilbraham and Monson.

These pictures don't even begin to paint a picture of the devastation in Springfield and the surrounding areas. We are grateful for support from family and friends and pray for those less fortunate than us.

Noel and Joe

2011-05-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

Aren't these two a great looking couple?!

One little two little three little indians

2011-03-03T06:43:00.001-08:00

This is what I found on my couch. I didn't encourage this. This was his idea.

Birthday # 8. Wow!

2011-03-03T06:35:00.000-08:00

These are just a few silly pictures of the 8 year old, Zachary, on his big day! We are super excited for him to get baptized in a couple of weeks. What a handsome boy!

Snow Days

2011-01-21T12:51:00.000-08:00

Four snow days in the last two weeks are not necessarily good for my morale. That is bad to say, isn't it?

Scary!

2011-01-20T06:01:00.000-08:00

Leaf blower, courtesy of the Yeager family. Yeah, thanks Yeagers! We had to suffer from Aarons fascination of blowing leaves this past fall. I think someone moved here just for the New England fall and to play in the leaves with the leaf blower. I should have gotten him one for his birthday.

Pumpkin Carving and Halloween! Booooooooo!

2011-01-20T05:40:00.000-08:00

The boys had fun carving pumpkins while my family was here, with the exception of Sterling. He decided not to carve his and instead he played in his room (for those of you who know him, it shouldn't be a surprise.)

I would just like to say that Zachary started out with the knife, I believe. In this picture, the right person has it :) Actually, I think Zach did a pretty good job with some supervision by his grandpa Virtue. His expression says it all!

A little pumkin for a little boy. This is his fake smile. Gotta love it!

Tomy and Grandma make a great team. Grandma looks a bit intense. Pumpkin surgery is serious.

Halloween this year was so fun because my boys, for the most part were very creative in choosing their costumes. Left to right: Hippie (Tomy), Ninja (Zach), Frodo (Sterling), and Santa (Damian). Zach was going to be an army soldier and I think that would have made it an even more interesting mix. I had some fun pulling costumes together this year, even though it is slightly stressful. Hopefully next Halloween we can live up to the standard of last.

The Virtues visit New England (sounds like a book title)

2011-01-20T05:05:00.000-08:00

It is always joyous when I get to see my family because I do not get to see them very often now that we are Easterners (bleh). This visit was especially exciting because Michelle and my mom and dad came over my birthday in October (still playing catch up. Remember?) Anyway, we had such a good time and they got to see the house and stay with us. I thought it was fun to have them stay in our home. Not sure how they felt about it deep down, but they at least seemed like they enjoyed staying:)

You know the song in Mary Poppins that goes:
It's a jolly holiday with Mary?

Well, when Mickey comes, it's a jolly holiday with Mickey! She is magical with not only the kids, but with me:) I love her.

Mary and I posing for a close up. We look alike, huh? I love her sooooo much!

My mom says that she knew Damian in the preexistence. I believe her. He is so blessed to have such good grandmas.

I think my boys love my dad (I think he loves them too) and I am grateful that they do because he is such a good man and good example for them. He sure knows how to have a good time with them too! He took each of them on walks and hiked a bit near our house (I think he took the hike to see a nearby monster of a house.) He also rolled around in the leaves and carved pumpkins. What a guy!

Damian's First Day of School with his brothers

2011-01-14T16:31:00.000-08:00

*Just so you all know, I am playing catch up and when I tried to do one big long post earlier today, I lost all of it. I worked hard on it too. Tears are falling down my cheek as I type this.

This is Damian's first day of kindergarten. He loved to get on the bus with his brothers! Doesn't he look sharp?

Lewis Family Pictures

2010-12-16T18:35:00.000-08:00

Relocated

2010-10-07T06:26:00.000-07:00

I was frightened to go through a summer with just me and four boys. It would be a first for me. And now I miss summer. We had a good time. Not to say there wasn't rough times, but we conquered summer and had fun doing so. Here are some highlights.

Aaron's Parents came and we went to the beach with Kathy and Pete. And yes, my children like to give me bunny ears.

We went to the Springfield Museum for the Art of Brick. The boys loved it! I think Aaron's mom and dad loved it too:)

We also went peach picking with our friends the Yeagers.

Oh, and did I forgot to mention that we bought a home and moved? We love our new home. We have been very busy furnishing it and painting and working on a table that I got a great deal on at a antique fair. It arrived at our house with some help from some of our friends, the Ackermans. We have been blessed with great friends. Look for some before and after pics of this project. Aaron and I should make our own show.

Potato chips bring boys and men together

2010-05-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

I found this picture on my sister Michelle's blog and had to smile because I would like to go to that place again where all of this happened and be with all the people I love.

What we did on our vacation away from blogging

2010-05-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

We have made lots of new friends.

The boys had a winter break where we traveled to the Armory. I have to face reality. Most boys like guns. So I embraced it. Here is Sterling next to the gun that he thought was the coolest.

The mall had a sandbox during winter break that some women in the ward told me about. The boys love to dig. I'm happy as long as they aren't digging up the backyard.

Tomy recently got some glasses. I think he looks stylish and handsome. He doesn't really wanna hear that. He wants to hear that he looks "cool".

Damian, "the baby" turned five. There were tears. We can't believe he is so old. He is hilarious. Such a little man now.

Zachary had some of his friends from school and church for his 7th birthday. And yes, there were girls. Are you surprised? We aren't. They like him because he is such a little gentleman. He likes them too.

Here is the man who has the biggest smile ever.

Last but not least, we are buying a home. Stayed tuned for pictures of the house. We are pretty excited.

9 months is a long time...

2010-05-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

Contemplation

2010-03-07T11:14:00.000-08:00

The last couple weeks have made me think a lot about the Atonement and how we deal with tragedy in our lives. We have lived in MA for about 8 months now and have made a lot of new friends. About 2 weeks ago, one of our new friends lost both her parents. Almost the same day, another couple, also friends(and our Bishop) lost their 7 day old baby girl. Last Sunday while we sang the Sacrament hymn, my thoughts were brought to think about the Savior and his Atonement. As I have for quite some time known, but was very much reminded of by the spirit during that song, the Atonement does not only apply to a forgiveness of sins. Christ suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane in order to also take away our sorrow and pain from tribulation. Today, the Bishop was conducting and therefore had the opportunity to bear his testimony. He and his wife are amazing people. They are very much in tune with the Spirit and know our Father's plan for us. While the Bishop was bearing his testimony, sharing that even though they are sad for their loss, he and his wife also know that their little girl is with our Father in Heaven. He expressed his comfort in knowing that his family will be reunited some day and that thought brought him joy. As he spoke I couldn't help but think about Nephi's Psalm found in 2 Nephi chapter 4. At this time in Nephi's life he has just lost his father and mother, his brothers basically hate him and he is feeling weighed down by the hardships in his life. As he talks of these feelings, he realizes the goodness and love and mercy God has for us and it brings him out of his despair to in verse 30 proclaim "Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation." Just like Nephi, our Bishop and his wife, our dear friends, rejoice in the Lord and know that he has done all for us so that we may once again live as families for eternity.

Visitors

2010-02-10T18:27:00.001-08:00

I thoughtlessly forgot to mention the best part of our lives here in MA. Last Nov, the 12th thru the 18th to be exact. We had 3 special visitors. Their names are Mike, Mary Lou and Mickey. We had a lot of fun and got to do lots of fun things.

Then on Jan 21st we got another visitor. Her name is Pataroo. Again we had a great time and we went and visited the Dr Seuss garden. It was a blast.

Sorry to our very special visitors for not mentioning you earlier. We miss all of you as well as those who could not come. We love you.

Finally an Update

2009-12-25T16:26:00.000-08:00

Well a lot has happened since we last updated our blog. We have not been as diligent because since our last post, Damian, the little bug, stood on the laptop and ruined the screen. It is not difficult but rather inconvenient to go upstairs and use the desktop pc.

First we had October. In October, Kimberly took the boys to a pumpkin patch. They had a great time and got to bring back a bunch of gourds and small pumpkins.

Of course Halloween is in October as well. Sterling unfortunately had a bout with the flu on Halloween so he stayed home and did not dress up, but the other 3 had a ball and Tomy even took a bag around to all the houses so that Sterling would get candy too. What a good Brother.

In November we celebrated Tomy's birthday with a big party bash. He had cake and ice cream and lots of fun.

In early December we got our first real New England snow storm. It dumped about 4 inches of snow and they shut down the schools. Go figure.
On the 23rd of December we made a trip down to see Aunt Kathy...

and go into The Big Apple. We had a great time in New York City too. We visited an amazing toy store, FAO Swartz. The same toy store that "Big" was filmed in.

This statue of Chewbacka is made entirely out of Legos. Pretty darn cool.

Of course Mommy had to have her picture taken with all the animals...

And so did Daddy.

Nothing like standing next to a life sized bear and deer. This store is cool.

We saw a pretty cool big Christmas tree...

and the Plaza hotel. A must see location for any "Home Alone" enthusiast.

And what would a trip to New York be without visiting the world famous Rockefeller Center and see the magnificent Christmas tree there.

It is so unbelievably amazing. Words cannot describe what it is like to go to New York and experience that.

And of course, December culminates in Christmas day itself. Here are the crazy boys, standing next to our tree, all wearing their brand new sweaters. They all look so handsome.

Well that is the last 3 months is a very small nutshell. It has been a very good time and we really enjoyed it but it would simply take too long to share every little detail lol.

Our Labor Day weekend trip to Boston

2009-09-10T06:07:00.001-07:00

Before getting to Boston, we stopped in Cambridge in hopes that we might spark some desires in some people we know to go to a school there.

Here is a man that is hoping that all four of his boys will go to Harvard.

They don't look like serious students, do they?

Zach and I sitting on the steps of the library at Harvard pondering the meaning of life.

Off to Boston

We walked on the freedom trail. We went as far as we could on it until the boys started getting tired. Some lady got her feet in my picture.

This is the picture I took when we got off the T (the subway). Downtown Boston. Very cool.

This cemetery is in downtown Boston. Many of the signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried here like Samuel Adams and John Hancock. Some of the headstones looked like they were sinking into the ground.

Our day in Boston was so exciting, we think we will go back for more. Stay tuned for our future adventures in Boston. We'll scope it out so we can take all our family and friends when the come and visit soon (Hint hint)

Sights on the way to MA

2009-09-10T05:33:00.000-07:00

Damian and Zach wanted to pose by the Sinclair dinosaur at the gas station in the middle of all the corn fields on the way to MA.

Me and the boys at the Kirtland temple.

Aaron and I at the Kirtland temple. I think we look like our eyes are glazed over. At this point we are very tired of hearing "Are we there yet?"

The boys and Aaron's first time at Niagra Falls. It was beautiful, just like I remembered it. The boys were distracted by sticks and dirt. Boys are so weird. Oh well.

I don't know how that boy on the bottom got into the picture. Must be someone else's kid.

Aaron almost jumped. Who could blame him? He's got a few nuts on his hands.

Newest bikers

2009-09-08T19:32:00.000-07:00

About 4 weeks ago, Aaron's sister, Kathy came and we had so much fun! Kathy is a delight. She makes the boys smile and she makes me smile. We really love her. We played board games, went for a walk, went to dinner, and two of the four Lewis boys learned how to ride their bikes in one day. It was so nice to have another female in our home. Here are a few pics from our exciting weekend with our Aunt Kathy.

This is Zach throwing away his training wheels. He is quite the mover on the bike!

The First Day of School

2009-08-31T16:51:00.001-07:00

Well today was the first day of school. Sterling, Tomy and Zachary all got to start the new year off in a new school in a new city. Unfortunately my camera sucks now and the picture has terrible color but you can see how handsome all four of the boys were for the first day of school. Even Damian got new clothes. The older were so excited to start school and Damian was so sad that they were all going to be gone most of the day. Kimberly told me that he cried for his daddy and brothers for quite a while this morning. He loves his brothers very much.

Tonight at the dinner table we learned how the boys did at school. They are starting the year off good. Learning math, science, and art right away. They are so excited. They are going to do a good job I am sure of it.

2009-08-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

I went to a Dunkin Donuts for the first time today with Kathy, my super fun sister in law.

Summer in an East Coast Minute

2009-08-12T16:21:00.000-07:00

I know that summer is not over, but I just found out yesterday that school starts in 2 1/2 weeks and I don't know where our summer went. I started summer in Utah and now that it's almost over, I'm in Massachusetts. Many things have happened. Some fun and exciting things have happened. Aaron got a promotion with the company he is with contingent upon us moving to MA. We swam at our pool in Utah, we went to baseball games, we had sleepovers, we spent lots of time with family, and then we took a very long road trip to western Mass where we now reside in a community called Wilbraham. Sterling will miss his friends and family but is excited about our house we're in now. Tomy will miss his friends, family, and his school but is excited about his new school and the house. Zach will miss his family (especially his aunt Michelle) and his friends and our home, but he is excited about the parks here and making new friends at church and first grade. Damian will miss his little friend Brindy (She is 8. He likes older women), his family, and the pool, but he is excited that he still has his bike and glad his cousin Jensen is taking care of his old bike in Utah. Aaron will miss our box spring that we had to get rid of because it wouldn't fit up the stairs in our new place. He'll also miss the mountains, but he is excited about going fishing on the Connecticut river and being close to his sister Kathy. I will miss my family. I think about them all the time. I'll also miss the BYU barbershop and my friends and customers there, but I am excited about the beautiful fall here and to make new friends and to grow and learn more spiritually. Here are some pics of our summer

We have arrived

2009-07-31T19:30:00.000-07:00

Well we have arrived in MA finally. We had a fun five days of packing loading and driving. Saw some cool stuff. More info and pictures will follow.

Our first sleep over

2009-07-08T16:36:00.001-07:00

Zach and Damian got to have their first sleepover a week or so ago. Just so happens that our good friends, the Rappleyea family, happen to have two boys that are the same age as Zachy and Damian. Dalyn is Zachy's best friend and Logan is Damian's best friend. We decided it would be fun for them to stay the night. So we turned on a kids movie, popped some popcorn and the boys just can't help but create picture opportunities. As you can see they had a good time and are itching for the next time they get to have a sleepover. Turns out, they are going to Dalyn and Logan's house for a sleep over tomorrow night so they didn't have to wait for long. Lucky boys.

The big number 10

2009-07-08T16:30:00.001-07:00

Well on June 29 we had a big day, at least Sterling thought so. He turned 10. Aaron kinda took it a little hard knowing that his first baby boy is now 10 years old. He is in double digits. Sterling loves the army so Kimberly made a very yummy chocolate cake with an army scene on top. Sterling loved it. Of course Sterling is happy with all the awesome presents he got and almost immediately went to town playing with all his new toys and wearing his new clothes. We had a lot of fun watching him open presents as well as going to Boondocks that night to play the video games and ride the go karts and bumper boats.

By Aaron

Tomy playin baseball

2009-07-08T16:11:00.000-07:00

Tomy decided that he wanted to play baseball again this year. You can also see how focused he is when at bat. Tomy hit the ball everytime he stepped up to the plate including at least 2 long hits, to the outfield. He also had an awesome fly ball catch that he made. He played so very well. He loves sports.

Sterling's race

2009-05-31T13:42:00.000-07:00

About a week and a half ago, Mount Mahogany Elementary had their field day. This year they had a .8 mile race at 8 a.m. It was difficult to wake him up but it wasn't long before he hit the ground running. He didn't get the blue ribbon, but you wouldn't expect it for his first race. I have a feeling he'll be a track star. This picture is of him finishing. It is not the best quality picture as it is so blurry and Aaron took it with his duddy camera, but I think it still shows Sterling's sheer determination to cross the finish line. Go Sterling!

Tiny Tomy (that will be his nickname in the NBA)

2009-05-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

Everyone is saying how Tomy looks so good. When we went to Idaho last weekend, Tomy shot some hoops quite a bit with Aaron and I and his brothers. I think I caught him on camera in a moment where he truly looked so handsome and soooo cool.

Like father like son

2009-05-31T13:21:00.000-07:00

We got Aaron this wilderness book not too long ago. He wanted it for camping. A week or two ago I discovered Damian with it in the bathroom. All I can say is the title of this post says it all.

New Bikes

2009-05-31T13:17:00.000-07:00

Kindergarten Graduates and pool fun

2009-05-31T12:53:00.000-07:00

Zachy had his Kindergarten graduation this past week. Honestly, I teared up because it was so precious and Zach looked so handsome. The day before he and his friends Madison and Camden had a pre graduation pool party. I miss those days when life was so simple. Congratulations Zachary!

Getting ready for Summer

2009-04-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

We are getting geared up for summer. To be honest, I'm scared. It is my first summer with kids. I bought some shorts for the boys yesterday and it hit me. I'm going to need to get them involved in activities like reading, baseball, cooking, music, and swimming. Don't worry, I'm not going into this willie nillie. I have been researching the local rec center with all of it's activities and I know where the best park in town is. That's not to say that it's going to go off without a hitch. Any words of wisdom?

The baby turns 4!

2009-04-24T07:56:00.000-07:00

Grandma Virtue knows Damian loves BYU.

Grandma Lewis knows Damian likes Sponge Bob.

Both shirts were worn on his "Big Day".

Damian had a very fun day. Dad took him to Sonic, he played with his new cars, his new tools, his new kite and we went to pick up his spiderman cake and a birthday balloon. We had pizza and cake with Aunt Michelle and by that time the newest 4 year old was pooped. Damian thanks all for the thoughtful gifts which he loves! I don't think the baby is a baby anymore :(

Easter in Denver

2009-04-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

The Easter Bunny is very generous. Pokemon is the rage at the Lewis household. There is only one dissenter. His name is Damian and he loves batman. Don't get me wrong, he is still pretty obsessed with Spiderman.

Our special thanks go out to Grandma and Grandpa Lewis and Mike for letting us crash at their house for the weekend and putting up with our craziness. We had the best time and we think Hunter did too. We look forward to seeing all of you again soon!

Getting a Babysitter

2009-04-03T21:13:00.000-07:00

We got a sitter for the first time since we've been married. We love her and she said she'd come back :) We think Tomy ate 10 pieces of pizza tonight though. At least everyone seemed happy when we came home and there was no damage to the house or the babysitter...that we know of.

4th Grade Program

2009-03-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

Sterling played the ukulele in the 4th grade program last night. Let us just say, it was impressive and he is one handsome pioneer, huh?

Best Buddies

2009-03-27T08:41:00.001-07:00

This is what we found this morning.

Dress up

2009-03-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

Aaron hates this but sometimes Damian just likes to dress up like Mommy.

New kicks for all

2009-03-25T19:50:00.000-07:00

Guess whose shoes are whose

I'm seeing stars!

2009-03-23T07:55:00.000-07:00

Aaron and I are looking for a house. It has been quite the task to find one we like that is in are price range and in a good location. In the process, I couldn't help but notice that this star is everywhere! It's on houses all over the Utah county and beyond. If anyone could tell me that it represented something cool, like the home has a family member oversees serving our country, I could really appreciate that. But if this star is a trend, then I think it's a bit over the top. If anyone that reads this blog has a star, I don't mean to offend. It's just this crazy redhead's opinion.

Moms and Muffins

2009-03-15T18:39:00.000-07:00

Sterling, Tomy, and Zach read enough each day for a week to attend their school's annual Moms and Muffins. We read together "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" and enjoyed our muffins together. It was very fun except that we didn't win the drawing and Zach's apple juice got spilled. Other than that it was pretty great. Aaron and Damian went and had Dad's and doughnuts together at Smith's while we were busy at the school. The Lewis' had a yummy morning.

Cafe Rio on Sunday

2009-03-09T07:39:00.000-07:00

Aaron really loves Cafe Rio fire roasted chicken salad. He especially loves the creamy tomatillo dressing that goes on it (I think that he could drink it). I decided to look online to see if I could find the recipes and I did. We had the pork salad though. It turned out to be really really good. I think that the boys loved it too.

Do we look happy or what?

Straight A students?

2009-03-08T14:40:00.000-07:00

We just got report cards on Friday. I have to say that being a parent makes you somewhat excited and nervous about getting report cards. I think the boys were more nervous than excited for us to get them. I think overall, we improved, but there is room for improvement. I feel pretty bad for my mom and all she did to help me in school when I was a kid. I did well because of her, until Pre-Algebra (she turned me over to my dad then). Thanks Mom and Dad. I get it now how good you were to help me. Stay tuned for the year's end progress in our school work.

The newest 6 Yr. old

2009-02-17T08:38:00.001-08:00

I remember being six years old. I loved Kindergarten. Mrs. Vaneps was my favorite teacher. Michelle and I used to played barbies in our tent trailer and our neighbor, Mrs. Briggs used to give us lemon drops, and mom bought us a lot of Popsicles in the summer time.

Flash forward 24 years and I find myself with a sweet little boy named Zachary and yesterday he turned six. He is full of smiles and thoughtfulness. Everything is exciting to him. He loves cars, Lego's, batman, care bears, and he loves hugging and loving his brothers. I'm grateful for his strength and resilience.

P.S. This is my first kid cake. What do you think? If you can't tell, it's a race track. I can't take the credit for the idea because I think that it was mostly Michelle and my mom that came up with it. I know I need to brush up on my skills.

Some pics of the boys

2008-11-24T12:49:00.000-08:00

The Uni-Bomber

2008-11-20T18:18:00.000-08:00

This morning on the way to take Sterling to school, Damian put his hood on while wearing sunglasses. I had flashbacks to the drawings of the Uni-Bomber. Only he is a lot cuter.

Honeymoon Day 3

2008-11-12T14:53:00.000-08:00

Day 3 started out at Newport Beach walking in the sand.
Doesn't she look good with the wind in her hair.

I love the Pacific Ocean

Next we went up to Santa Monica to visit the Los Angeles Temple. That is one huge building.

Beautiful as expected. Love the grounds.

Next we drove to Hollywood.

We were really far away but looks like we were kinda close to the sign.

What does Tom have that I don't. LOL

Had to find the "Duke"

So that was our honeymoon. We had a blast. It turned out that renting a car was a blessing in disguise. Had we not rented one we would not have been able to see all that we saw.

Honeymoon Day 2

2008-11-12T14:29:00.000-08:00

Disneyland

Monday morning at 10:30 we walked into the "the happiest place on earth."

Anyone who knows me knows I hate roller coasters, but my Kimberly loves them so...

Here we are after Indiana Jones Ride. Not so bad.

Here we are after Splash Mountain. A little more white knuckled after this one.

Believe it or not this is just outside the Matterhorn. Lady taking the pic didnt want to lose her seat on the bench next to her husband. Not so freaky of a ride, just tosses you about.

Here is Pluto putting the moves on my wife. Or is it the other way around.

A very fun day filled with lots of ups, downs, sides to sides and a little motion sickness. This was caused by riding Space Mountain. Didnt feel up to taking a picture after that ride.

Honeymoon Day 1

2008-11-12T09:33:00.000-08:00

Well Kimberly and I have been home from our honeymoon for one week now so I figured it would be a good time to share some of the pictures we took and the times we had. We went to Southern California for our honeymoon and had a lot of fun.

Our first day started by driving from Pocatello, ID to Salt Lake City Airport, where we arrived four hours before our scheduled flight.

Our flight landed in John Wayne Airport in Santa Anna California at which point I called our hotel and found out that they do not have a shuttle service for that Airport. So we rented a car.

We drove to our hotel, checked in, unloaded our luggage and made our way to the Chilis in Huntington Beach. Here is what the trip did to our faces.

It took a greater toll on Kimberly's face. I am almost always that ugly.

2008-10-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

Here are the boys and their Aunt Michele at the Halloween party. They had so much fun. Even though they are scary.

The Final Countdown

2008-10-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

As of 10:30 this morning, Kimberly and I have exactly 9 days till we are sitting across from one another being sealed for time and all eternity. I cannot wait for that time to be here.

Zachy can dance too

2008-10-21T16:10:00.001-07:00

Here is a little show to let everyone know that Zachy can dance too.

Random stuff

2008-10-18T09:31:00.000-07:00

Kimberly and I just sitting and posing for Tomy.

Sterling and Hunter, Grandma's dog.

Zachy in the mountains in colorado

Tomy on the boat

Damian dancing.

My Girl

2008-10-12T08:45:00.001-07:00

This is my girl. She is the most amazing woman in the world. She has an amazing smile and absolutely gorgeous eyes. Not only is she beautiful on the outside but she is amazing on the inside too. She has an amazing kindness. Her spirit is so strong and her love of the gospel is to be desired. Her love for the boys is amazing. She wants the very best for them and wants them to succeed in all that they do. I am so lucky to be part of her life and cannot wait till we are married. I love her.

My first Balloon Creation

2008-10-11T13:34:00.001-07:00

Zachary was given a balloon sword yesterday by his Auntie Michelle. Well today it got un-tied. He came up to me, an unexperienced balloon tier, and asked me to make it into a hot dog. This is what I came up with.

Yes, Zachy ate it and it is no more. He was hungry.

Homemade Salsa

2008-10-11T13:32:00.001-07:00

This was my first attempt at making salsa. It was a little green and not quite the flavor that I was hoping for but it wasn't bad. Quite spicey.

The Ring

2008-09-29T07:54:00.000-07:00

After saying yes this is what she got. :) Its beautiful but not as beautiful as she is.

See what I mean? :)

Finally got my new bed

2008-09-18T12:54:00.000-07:00

Pretty much since the beginning of August, this has been my bed. Yes it is softer than the floor, but still not the most comfortable piece of furniture to sleep on. Simply no room.

As of tonight I get to be sleeping on this brand new plush top Serta mattress. Just laying on it for a few minutes at lunch time and I was fading away. I am so excited.

She said Yes

2008-09-09T07:29:00.000-07:00

Well I finally got the ring and proposed to my cute girl, Kimberly. Lucky for me she said yes. I took her out for slurpies, one of her favorite things, and we went to the Mount Timpanogos Temple where I asked her the big question. I am so excited and so are the boys. They love her just like me.

Fireball by Zachy

2008-07-26T18:19:00.000-07:00

I am excited to move to utah but i will miss morgan.

qhjhdhbhggsjsg gjndhhdbhbs dsnhsvebnvwsgndwfvdgfewfgtdevrfbfgeh4gythjuyedje

qewzhi

zachy

mooving

2008-07-26T18:01:00.000-07:00

I hop I will have fun with Kimberly and Dad so my life will be free and exiding. And I wont to be spoiled be Kimberly and Dad also.

moveing

2008-07-26T17:35:00.000-07:00

I am so excitd to move because i will invit cool friends and kimberly and my family!!! by Tomy

Packing

2008-07-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

The boys standing amongst giants. This is at the bottom of Royal Gorge.

Well today I spent a good part of the early afternoon going through boxes containing years of stuff. Most of it is no longer needed. I have a total of 11 or 12 boxes sitting in the garage. These are combined from things that were being stored in the basement and in the garage. 8 of those boxes are trash. I cannot believe how much we dont need or want anymore. I did find some things I have been looking for for quite sometime. They are all packed up but I will get to look at them again in 1 week which is very exciting.

It is so crazy to think that in just 7 days we will be completely unpacked in our new place. It is creeping right up on us. Wow time flies.

School

2008-07-24T20:27:00.000-07:00

Well Kimbely Jo and I were online together in our prospective huts tonight and we found the school the boys will be going to. Mount Mahogany Elementary School in Pleasant Grove Utah. We will be busy getting Sterling, Tomy and Zachy signed up and geared up for school. Its always exciting to get the new back packs and new school clothes.

Almost moving day

2008-07-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of all of us, Kimberly included. Isnt she gorgeous.

Well here it is the middle of July and as of tonight, we have found a place to live in Utah. Not in Provo, our first choice, but it is a beautiful condo in PG. Kimberly went and looked at it and told me she loved it. Thats good enough for me. The price helps too.

We will be finishing up the house chores here in Littleton and packing up over the next couple of weeks, minus this weekend. Kimmy is coming to town for a visit. A lot yet to do before we can move on the 1st of August. Have to do some painting, refinish the banister for the stairs and clean a carpet or two. Also have to go through all of my stuff and decide what we are taking and what is staying. Lots of fun.

This is another big change for the boys and I but it is for the best. We will be able to do things the way we want to and we will have a lot of fun. Not to mention we will get to see Kimberly more than just every two weeks. Yippee. Well lots to do so until next time keep on plugging away. TaTa for now.

Well we did it

2008-05-13T21:25:00.000-07:00

Well, we decided to join the world and start our own blog. Just a little bit of introductory information about the fearsome five.

First of all, you only see the fabulous four in the picture for now.

We have the papa, thats me. I am Aaron. I have four of the most amazing boys around and I am going to say just a little about each of them. I am 31 now, whoa, getting up there. I work in the family business working on telephone equipment.

My first born boy is Sterling. He is 8 years old as of right now. He will be 9 next month, June. He is just about done with the 3rd grade. He is a very inquisitive little man. He loves to take things apart and put things together. He likes science and wants to be in the Army.

Next came Thomas. We call him Tomy, pronounced Tommy. We only use one "m" to set it apart from all the other "Tom's" out there. He is 7 1/2. He loves football. He says he wants to live with me forever. LOL I told him no so he said he would buy the house next door. What a silly sweet boy. He is a very good helper. He loves helping his little brothers.

Two years after we were blessed with Tomy, my little Zachary came along. We call him Zachy. He is recently 5 years old. He has his first little girlfriend. She is a cutie in his preschool class. He is very excited for Kindergarten. He is going to play flag football this summer and he cant wait. He loves to ice skate and hopes to one day play hockey.

Next came my baby, Damian. He is my baby bug, just ask him. He is so smart. He says the darndest things. He loves monkeys. He gets so excited whenever he gets a new plush monkey. He cant wait to grow up. I dont want him to. LOL. Oh yeah and he just turned 3 last month.

Well thats it for now. We will keep on posting things. Each of the boys will be able to add thier two cents. Until then, adieu.