Happy Birthday Peyton!

Our baby...well I guess he's not a baby....turned 5 on January 15th! It seems like just yesterday that he was a brand new baby, or a little toddler finding his way around the house. Now he is finding his independence and growing up. He is incredibly proud to be so big. He talks about his big muscles and how smart he is. For example, he got the juice out of the refrigerator the other day, and poured himself a cup. When I saw the juice out, I asked him if he poured it himself. He said, "yeah, are you so proud of me? I'm so big now, cuz I'm 5!" It's amazing the mental changes that go through a child when they think they are suddenly older. We won't go into the whole "you are only a day older than you were yesterday" thing! He thinks his birthday made him a big boy, and we are going to let him believe that! Of course he's still his cuddly old self, and is still a Mama's boy (which makes me happy)! He's an amazing little man. We love you sooooo much Peyton!

Peyton in January, 2004. Only 5 hours old, and already loved so much!

Peyton had an incredible birthday. We had our smaller family party on his birthday, and had a slightly bigger party at our house the following Saturday with his friends. He was more than happy to have 2 birthday parties. He was like, "It's my birthday again!" We had just a few friends from the neighborhood over, ate some pizza, opened presents, played a few games and had cake and ice cream. It was a dream party for a 5 year old. It really was a lot of fun! One really funny part was watching Jared play duck duck goose with the kids. Let's just say he had a much harder time getting off the floor than those little guys! (haha, sorry Jared!)



Limbo




Musical chairs





The infamous duck, duck, goose




Present opening




Peyton with his brand new bed set...and his juice mustache!

Yep I'm 28

A couple of weeks ago I turned 28. Yes, 28, and I hope some people are keeping track because after 30, I'm done aging! I will simply stop and be 30 forever! We didn't do a lot for my birthday, but we did go to dinner and opened a couple gifts. As a Mom birthdays are much different than they are as a kid...and I kind of messed everything up by having my baby the day after my birthday! I spend most of my day trying to get everything ready for my son's big day. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't the slightest bit disappointed on my birthday. I had a wonderful time with my family, and that is what matters to me the most! It was sort of a reflective kind of birthday for me. I just got to thinking about how much my life has changed in the last 10 years. A measly 10 years!

In the last 10 years:

1. I graduated from high school, and college.

2. I moved to Utah, and have moved 5 times since then.

3. I changed from party girl, to homebody!

4. I married the love of my life.

5. I received my CNA certificate, then my RN license (after a lot of hard work).

6. We've bought 3 different homes (all of which we still own).

7. I had a beautiful baby boy, and gained two more wonderful kids.

8. I've grown as a person, inside and out.

9. I've learned that growing up wasn't all it was cracked up to be....and that it has turned out better than I planned.

10. I came to an understanding that deep down I'll always be that little girl with big dreams!

Letting go of 2008

I like to send out a newsletter with my Christmas card, but this year, I didn't have the time, the patience or the energy to even get a card out, let alone a newsletter. Since we are already a month into 2009, I guess it's a good time to go over how 2008 was for us as a family. This isn't going to be near as cheerful or as inventive as I could have or would have done. Last year I wrote "The Night Before Christmas" story about our family. Yep, not this year. Just an overview this time!


What a year! Yep that sums it up. There were good and bad things for us this last year, but for some reason, the bad always stick out first. We lost a few very dear family members and friends this last year. It gets really hard, especially close to the holidays. We also suffered a miscarriage in July. This really took its toll on our family for a couple months, but we managed through it. Our experience did come in handy when Catrina's sister Tabytha miscarried only 4 months later. We were able to help out in an emotional sense. The other hard part of this last year has been the upsets on selling our home in Enoch. We finally took it off of the market a few months ago, in hopes that we could refinance to get a lower payment every month. The house has to be off the market for a while, or this won't happen. We are kind of stuck. Our options now are selling for less than we owe, or renting the property out. We are debating the pros and cons of both and will hopefully have a plan soon. Paying 3 mortgages every month wasn't our plan, and we wouldn't recommend it! Anyone want to buy a house?!

On a good note! We have done very well during the last year. How many people could say that they are making 3 house payments and still have food to feed their 3 kids? We are making it happen, and we know how blessed we are to be able to do this! We were able to buy a beautiful new home this last May! We live in a smaller area, in a good neighborhood. The kids are close to their school and have made many new friends. It's a longer drive to work for us, but it's worth it. Just being out of that tiny 2 bedroom apartment makes life so much easier. We finally have room to breathe! The kids are growing like weeds. We are reminded on a daily basis how lucky we are to have beautiful, healthy and happy children in our lives.

Jared has had quite the year! He's been working 3 jobs regularly. Two of these jobs he actually gets paid for....and the other is a work in progress! He and a couple friends started their own business and have been working feverishly into the wee hours of the morning to get things done. We will hopefully see a return on his time investment in the future. Besides all the work, Jared is currently an assistant boy scout leader. Of course he loves this! He loves anything that involves being a man and doing manly type things! He spends a lot of time at the kids' sports practices and games. He got very involved in helping coach Josh's football team in the fall. On top of all of that, he's a wonderful husband and father. He does his best to be at home when we need him to be.

Catrina is still working at the hospital...doing the nurse thing! She is still part time and is glad for that. She has spent a lot of time at home going through boxes and trying to help the family get settled. This has taken a lot of effort, considering we've had some boxes in storage for the last 4 years. One day she plans to put some pictures up on her walls! She has kept herself busy being a mom when at home. Making sure people are fed, helping with homework, and keeping the house picked up. Sounds a little boring....but really, it's more than enough work.

Josh has had a blast this year trying out new sports and meeting new friends. He found out that he has a love for football and can't wait for it to start again in the fall. He is currently in basketball and liking that too. He has really enjoyed scouts and recently had the chance to go ice fishing! It was so much fun for him. He is doing well in school and has an amazing teacher this year!

Caile had a great year. She played soccer in the fall and found out that she is great at defense! She has done very well in school and is making good friends. Of course there is always that 5th grade girl drama that we get to hear all about! She has been reading a lot, writing stories of her own, and drawing pictures. Maybe we have a writer or artist on our hands?! She is always so willing to help out at home, and does it with a smile!

Peyton is growing so fast...it's hard to believe he's the baby of the family! He had the chance to play soccer this year too. Even though he got bored easily, and never really quite understood the rules, he was so fun to watch! He's been in the preschool program at his daycare, and goes twice a week. He is learning so much! He is unbelievably smart and we sometimes wonder how he knows the things he knows. I guess kids pick up on more than we give them credit for! He still loves his trains and trucks and just being a boy.

We are praying for a great 2009. We know that even with all the disappointments over the last year, we are a blessed family. We couldn't ask for more than we have right now.

Wishing a wonderful 2009 for all of our family and friends!

Love,
The Egbert Family

Christmas 2008

Since my husband works all the time, and I've pretty much decided that I may never get our Christmas pictures off of his computer; I thought I'd write a little about how our Christmas was. Maybe down the road I'll add a picture or two!

So our Christmas was extraordinary this year. It was so calm and relaxing (not words I normally use to describe Christmas). Frankly, I loved it! The kids got waaaaayyy too many gifts, despite our efforts to "downsize" this year. Things didn't really work out as planned. It's really super hard to not give your kids every possible thing you can give to them. I think one of the problems was that we forgot about a couple gifts, and realized how much they were actually getting as we wrapped everything on Christmas Eve.

Christmas morning was wonderful...we all slept in! So, we made our way down to the Christmas tree around 9 a.m. I was afraid of that 5 a.m. wake up call, so sleeping until 9 was heaven! We opened gifts....which was fun and exciting. The best part of Christmas is watching the faces of your loved ones when they receive something they've been hoping for. We had a wonderful breakfast made by my great husband and played with some toys. Then we took a nap! How incredibly fantastic! To have a nap on Christmas day....there was no one at our house to entertain, and we weren't somewhere that we would feel uncomfortable taking a nap. After some refreshing sleep, we played games, got dinner started, then we all went out to sled. (Thank you Paul and Sara for the new sled, we used it well!) As many of you know, we got plenty of snow on Christmas day...it was a beautiful white Christmas. I guess it was the perfect day for sledding (or sitting inside drinking hot chocolate). We had a couple fun filled hours of sliding down a gigantic hill, in the perfect weather. Peyton had the privilege of being hit by an out of control sled. He flew in the air, did a flip and landed face first in the snow. He survived, thankfully, and only cried for a minute or two. Other than that we avoided accidents! When it got too dark, we headed home and had a wonderful dinner. No pressure getting everything done in time...we just got it done and ate. No turkey this year, just ham. I think it saved us a lot of time and hassle....not to mention, it was delicious! We played some more games as a family, and probably stayed up way too late. It was such a wonderful day to just be a family and enjoy each other. We realize how blessed we are, and we are truly thankful for Jesus who gave us such a wonderful day to celebrate.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was great this year. Usually we are frantically trying to get to someone else's house, and I guess we just get plain overwhelmed with the chaos of family. Don't get me wrong....we love our families and we love spending time with them! It was just a nice break, or I guess just a good change to be at home this year. Just our little family. We could bond and enjoy each other and the holiday, without all the distractions. We were able to bake cookies for Santa. Of course we cheated and used the breakable, ready to cook kind! We opened our traditional Christmas Eve PJs. We played a board game as a family. The kids went to sleep relatively early (so nice), while Jared and I stayed up to wrap presents. It was probably the most calm Christmas Eve I've ever had. I loved every minute of that time we spent together. The whole experience made Christmas Day that much more special for us.

Baking cookies was fun....even though we cheated. The kids don't really care anyway. The best part is putting the cookies on the pan! Actually the best part is getting to taste them when they are done. We wouldn't want Santa to eat bad cookies!

The Pajama opening.....it's an exciting time! Please ignore the stupid faces! Apparently the parents don't take this too seriously :)

Caile loves her new pajamas, especially her flip flop fuzzy slippers!

Peyton just loved the fact that he got to open a present before Christmas....but he was pretty impressed with the Incredible Hulk PJs and slippers!

We thought Josh was enjoying himself....
and he really seemed to like the pajamas. Somehow he still looks like the exorcist in his picture.

The 3 little cuties dressed and ready for bed. They are waaaayyyy too excited for Santa!

The cookies, milk and reindeer food are all ready!

The stockings are hung and waiting to be filled......

California

We had an unexpected trip to California this December, just before Christmas. Jared's grandfather, Ed Rolapp, passed away. He lived a long, happy, productive life; but he'd had some struggles with his health. We thought we might lose him last year. He fought through every trial and miraculously hung on for one more year. We were so grateful for the extra time with him. We didn't get to spend as much time as we wanted to spend with him, considering he lived in California. The time we did get was valuable, and we will have those memories forever. He will be missed deeply by all of us!

Our trip out and back was a nightmare. It dumped snow on us the morning we were suppose to leave. We hung out until the storm died down, and left that afternoon. The trip home wasn't much better. A storm blew in and we drove about 30 mph on the freeway once we hit Provo. Needless to say, it took about 13 hours both ways. Normally it's about 10 hours. Long drive with 3 kids!

Considering the circumstances, we were so glad to spend time with family. I hadn't met many of Jared's family members, and he hadn't seen most of them in years. It was almost like a mini family reunion. The funeral service was beautiful. Ed was a very loved man. This was Jared's first real loss of a family member, but he handled it well. I was glad I could be there to support him through it. There was a really nice reception at the Rolapp's home following the service. Everyone gathered to reminisce, eat, and laugh. It was a great end to the day.

We weren't planning on going anywhere for Christmas this year. We tend to travel a lot during the holidays because we have no family here. It's just become burdensome over the years. It's a nightmare to drag 3 kids and all of their presents across the states. We are packed in our car so tight, it's ridiculous. And of course the kids are whining because they can't move. We'd thought we might make a trip later....after the holidays were over. I guess Grandpa Rolapp had a different plan for us! Though we didn't stay for Christmas, we were able to do a little gift exchange and just spend time visiting. I'd say the trip was worth it!


Getting ready to leave for California. Daddy and his little helper shoveling the driveway.

Grandma Rolapp with Caile, after the funeral.

Opening some gifts at Grandma and Grandpa Egbert's house. What a mess!

Josh with his new ripstick from Grandma and Grandpa.....that thing scares me......hopefully he'll be okay on it!




Peyton with the loudest toy on the planet! Thanks again Grandma and Grandpa....he loves that thing!

A game of clue with most of the family. Jared, Josh, Barbara, Holland, Caile, Aaron, and Tom.

Joshua turned 12!

It's super hard to believe that we are one year away from having a real teenager in our home! Scary! Joshua turned 12 on November 25th....I was waiting to post all his birthday stuff until we had his real birthday party. We did his fun birthday party on December 17th, the day before leaving for Cailfornia. So as you can imagine, I haven't found the time to put all of this up! So we had a little family party on Josh's real birthday, then did a party a Boondock's with his friends. It was so much fun! The kids played hundreds of games....and I think they did laser tag approximately 1000 times! We ate pizza, had some cake, and opened presents. Josh said it was the best birthday party he's ever had! That made it all worth it! Happy birthday buddy....we love you!


At Boondock's....waiting for the pizza to come!

The whole group having fun and eating!

Jacob

So, serious....I wonder what they were discussing

Singing happy birthday




Josh blowing out his candles!




Josh opening presents.....by the way, that gun is the most annoying toy on the face of the planet!

Checking out the games

Caile and Jacob trying to figure out the jumprope game

Peyton having fun in the jump, swing, and slide area

Heading in to laser tag!

I will put our home party pictures up later....I have to get them off my husband's computer!

Sorry....

I just want to apologize to all my family and friends. I haven't blogged for a very long time. I know certain people get on here to see what's new, or just to see pictures of their grandkids...and I've been a slacker. Well, I have some excuses. As most of you know, my husband's grandfather passed away just before Christmas. We had an unexpected 13 hour drive, each way, in the snow for the funeral. We are so glad we went, it was a beautiful service. It was very draining though. We had 2 sicknesses hit us around the same time. One was a stomach bug....not too pretty. And the other was a sinus cold type thing that really kicked our butts. I'm going on a week and still have it a little. Between those ugly things and working, and kids, and a husband that works from 8 a.m. until 3 in the morning. It's just been crazy. I didn't even send out our Christmas cards this year. So if you didn't get one, don't think I just forgot about you, nobody got one! I still need to put up all of our Christmas pictures, Josh's birthday, and a couple random things on this blog. I'm so sorry....the computer is just one of the last things on my mind when things get nuts. I am planning on catching everything up in the next couple of days though. I hope you'll all forgive me!