Forgotten Pictures

Yes, Christmas is now over and I still haven't even blogged about Thanksgiving. But, today, I thought I'd throw up a few pictures that haven't been blogged about yet because they needed to be scanned.  First of all, the kiddos school pictures for the year.  First, Connor--our 5th grader...

And, Aiden--our 2nd grader...

And, Cohen's preschool class picture...

Also, I realized that when I wrote my fall soccer post, I never included the official pictures from the season.  Here's Connor's.  Not sure what's going on with his hair...

And Aiden's...

So, there's a few forgotten pictures which have finally been included.  Up next, Thanksgiving and all our Christmas festivities.  Hopefully, I can get those posted by March.  --Lindsay

Aiden's First Cub Scout Badge

Aiden received his Bobcat badge back in November. He started working on it as soon as he entered Cub Scouts in September and had all the requirements finished by October, but there was a problem with his scout paperwork I guess, because when our scout leaders went to get the badge in October, they didn't have any record of Aiden being a scout, so they weren't able to get it for his then.  So, we worked on getting that all sorted out so that he could receive it in November.  He was really excited for November's pack meeting, so that he could finally get his Bobcat.  When we went up for his award, I asked one of my friends to take a picture for us--but my camera started giving her fits & this lovely, awkward photo was the only one she got...

Haha!  Don't we all look so thrilled?!?  So, Aiden, I'm sorry this is the only picture of your first merit badge.  We'll try harder when you get your Wolf.

Aiden is loving scouts so far!  He has great scout leaders and is always doing something fun or learning something new.  The scouting program in our ward is pretty darn amazing, and we are lucky that our boys get to be a part of it.  --Lindsay

Mike's New Gig

This guy started a new job the beginning of November!  Mike is now working at Vivint.  For those of you not familiar with the company, they are mainly a home automation & security company, but they have recently branched out into other areas--like solar panels & wireless internet.  Which is the reason Mike was brought on.  He is now heading up the engineering department in their new wireless internet division.  And, loving every second of it!  I don't know if he's ever loved a job quite so much.  We are extremely grateful for this opportunity Mike has been given.

But, getting to this point has not been an easy process.  It actually started back in January!  Yep, January.  Way back then, Mike started feeling like it might be time for him to move on to a new job.  Then, he started hearing rumors at L-3 that layoffs were going to happen.  And, we're not talking a few layoffs.  We're talking 20% of the company being cut by the end of the year.  L-3 is a military defense company, and the deep government budget cuts that occurred this past year hit the company hard.  This new information reaffirmed to Mike that it was time to start sending out a few resumes.

He started applying and instantly started getting interviews at multiple companies.  Those interviews were followed up by second interviews & even third interviews in some situations.  They all ended up not working out.

Then he got a few more interviews, which turned into second interviews, third interviews & even lunch interviews.  None of them worked out either.

And more interviews and more interviews and more interviews.  None of them ended up working out.

All in all, Mike was a final candidate in eight--yes eight--jobs.  None of them panned out.  How, you're asking, can someone be a top two or three candidate in multiple jobs and not get any of them?  Well, Mike's entire career has been based in military defense.  All the jobs he was applying for were private industry jobs.  Even though what Mike did in military defense was fairly similar to the work he'd be doing in these other jobs, he was still kind of looked at as "the guy trying to change fields" in a tough job market.  He heard that time and time again.  They all really liked Mike & felt he was very capable of doing the job, but he was always up against someone who had the exact experience the company was looking for.  Overall, I think it's pretty impressive that "the guy trying to change fields" was actually very competitive, even against people who had the exact experience these companies were looking for.

While all this was going on, layoffs were happening at L-3.  There was one round in April.  Then the company started furloughing some people in August.  Next they offered huge severance packages to anyone who would voluntarily leave.  And, finally, they did another round of layoffs in September.  Mike made it through every round, but it was a little nerve-racking each time.

About two weeks after the final round of layoffs, Mike started interviewing with a company called Property Solutions.  They make software for people who manage rental and vacation properties.  The best part was their headquarters are right down at the base of the mountain we live on.  His commute would have only been four minutes!  Can you beat that?!?  After a couple interviews, they offered Mike a job!  He was going to be a Senior Product Manager.  The weird part?  He would be managing an engineering team in India!!  That would mean he'd have to work a slightly different schedule.  He would work in the office from noon to 5:00 pm.  Then, later that evening (when it was morning in India), he'd get on a conference call from our home office with his team from 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm or midnight.  Weird, huh?  I was a little hesitant about the schedule.  In some ways, it would have been great!  Having Mike home in the mornings would have been awesome!  He could help get the kids ready for school, help around the house, run errands for me, etc.  I was so excited making my list!  But, the downside was that evening conference call.  It was nice that he'd be able to do it from home, but I could see it interfering with various aspects of our life.  Oh, and one other thing I wasn't thrilled about--he'd have to travel to India for three weeks every year.  Three weeks!!!!!!  I don't do well when he's out of town for three days and they want him to leave for three weeks?!?  I was a little nervous, to say the least.

But, in the end, we decided to accept the job.  With layoffs happening every couple of months at L-3, we decided any job--regardless of how weird the hours were--was better than the possibility of no job.  Plus, it would give Mike private sector experience, which was what he really needed on his resume.  We decided we would give it a try for a year.  If, at that point, we had figured out we didn't like it, Mike would start applying for other jobs.  Hopefully, with a little private sector experience on his resume, he'd get another job pretty quickly.  He signed his acceptance letter & was scheduled to start November 1st.

But, a few days later, Vivint came calling.  A friend in our neighborhood is Director of New Initiatives there, and he said he had an position that he thought Mike would be perfect for--heading up the engineering department in their new wireless IT division.  Mike told him he had just accepted a new job.  Our neighbor asked when he was scheduled to start.  Mike told him, and our neighbor said, "Just come interview.  We need to hire this position quickly, so we're on a tight deadline too.  We can have a decision for you before you're scheduled to start your new job."  Mike submitted his resume & interviews were scheduled.

The guys he interviewed with loved him.  Another couple of interviews were scheduled just a few days later.  And, a few days after that (about two weeks after Mike had accepted the job at Property Solutions) Vivint gave Mike an offer.  It was an offer he couldn't refuse.

We felt bad letting Property Solutions down after just accepting from them a few weeks earlier, but this position was exactly the kind of position Mike had been hoping for from the beginning of his job search.  He loved the company, the culture there, and all the fun little perks (like free catered lunch) they give their employees.  It fit him perfectly!  So, he made that awkward phone call to Property Solutions.  Thankfully, they were very understanding.  They couldn't match Vivint's offer, position or schedule.  They said they were sad to lose Mike, but that they understood.

Mike started with Vivint on November 4th.  He's now been there for a little over 5 weeks, and is truly loving every minute of it.  He has a lot on his plate to pull off this new wireless division, but Mike does so well in situations like that.  I think he thrives off of it.  He has been busy building his team of engineers and getting things started.  He's working some crazy long hours--around 55 per week--but that's not very different from L-3 where he was working at least 47 hours most weeks.  Once the division is off the ground, hopefully in about six months, he'll probably be able to go back to a more regular 40 hour per week schedule.  I don't even know what that would be like!?!

We feel so grateful for this job & really feel like Heavenly Father had been preparing Mike for it for months.  Mike learned so much in the 10 months he was interviewing for various jobs.  That knowledge he learned helped him get this job at Vivint.  It just reinforced to us that the Lord is constantly aware of everything going on in our lives & is always leading us where we need to go.  Sometimes it isn't always the smoothest path.  It takes twists & turns that you'd never expect and sometimes lasts a little (or a lot) longer than you'd like--but always leads you to the places you need to go & the things you need to do.  We are so grateful for the path we were lead on this past year & for all we learned and gained through it.  --Lindsay

Aiden's Baptism

This little munchkin was baptized back on November 2nd...

It wasn't an easy process getting this one baptized!  It had to be postponed twice!!  His initial baptism was scheduled for his birthday, September 7th, but that was also the day of LOTOJA.  Mike & my dad were already scheduled to race (but, as you all know, Mike didn't end up racing because of his shoulder injury), so we decided just to push it back to October 12th.  Well, little did we know that this kiddo would hit his finger wrong on the ground--leading to surgery a week and a half before that date.  Aiden couldn't get his hand wet for a month after surgery while the pins were still in, so--alas--the baptism was postponed for yet another month.  We were just waiting to see what would happen in October that might cause us to push it back even more, but luckily it ended up being a pretty quiet month, and Aiden was finally able to be baptized on November 2nd.

Here are a few pictures from Aiden's baptism photo shoot.  A huge thank you to my sister, Kristin, for taking all these pictures & dealing with a boy that has way too much energy for his own good...

Love this one!  It's the one we used on the table at his baptism...

Sitting with his legs crossed.  A trait he gets from his Poppy who always sits this way as well.  Connor does the same thing.  Must be a strong gene...

He looks like he's really into whatever scripture he's reading...

Future missionary shot...

Are-we-done-yet shot...

Super cheesy shot...

GQ missionary shot...

Let-me-look-excited-to-be-standing-next-to-a-bunch-of-weeds shot...

Oh-good-a-dead-tree-to-lean-against shot...

And finally the shot we ended up using for his invitations...

Here it is, except with some generic addresses.  I love doing invites like these.  So easy!  Take a picture, slap some words on it, and you're done...

Finally the long-awaited day arrived.  We wanted to get a family picture, but as you've seen from this blog, that is no easy task for this family.  You either get one where almost everyone is smiling, but only one kid is looking the right direction...

Or one where they are all looking, but most are not smiling.  Oh well!  We tried...

Here's some other fun shots from the day.  Apparently boys who are getting baptized can use younger siblings as arm rests???

Dad and son dressed in white for the big occasion...

We got pictures with both sides of the family, but the picture with Mike's family must be on someone else's phone because neither Mike or I can find it on any of our cameras.  Here's the picture of my side of the family--at least those who could make it.  Dan was at school and Greg stayed home with Gavin who was sick with strep throat.  No fun...

The baptism service was beautiful!  So many people came from our families and ward to support Aiden on his big day.  Nana & Grandma gave the prayers, Poppy gave a talk on baptism and Grandpa gave a talk on the Holy Ghost.  Right after Aiden was baptized, while we were waiting for him and Mike to get out of their wet clothes, the primary presidency in our ward handed out note cards to everyone that was waiting, so that we could write our testimonies on them.  The presidency then made them into a little book to give to Aiden.  He loves it, and I hope it's always a special thing for him to keep & read often.  The entire baptismal service was awesome!  The spirit was strong, and I think it was a neat experience for everyone who was there.

After the service was over, we all went back to our house for a little luncheon...

Kristin made this beautiful cake, complete with a darling banner...

And I made the same "8" cookies that I made for Connor's baptism--which I thought were cute until Kristin showed up with her show-stealing cake and sign.  Haha...

Aiden was given lots of gifts for his baptism.  Mike & I gave him his own set of scriptures...

Nana & Poppy gave him a case for his scriptures and pencils to mark them...

And Grandpa and Grandma gave him a remembrance book about his baptism...

It was a great day all around!  I am so proud of Aiden and his choice to be baptized!  He had such a strong desire to get baptized, which he showed through all the set backs.  I'm so proud of him for making this first important decision in his life that will lead him back to our Heavenly Father & our Savior, Jesus Christ.  --Lindsay

Halloween Fun

Okay, let's talk Halloween now that it's Christmas time, shall we?  It was so much fun this year.  I think my kiddos are at perfect ages for Halloween right now.  A) They love everything about it.  B) No one is really into the bloody, gory stuff yet.  C) They are all stinkin' cute in their costumes.  D) They share all their candy with me (whether they voluntarily do it or not really doesn't matter).  Here are a few of the fun things we did this year.

 

The kids' elementary school did their annual Fall Festival.  We didn't take very many pictures, but I did manage to get this shot of Cohen while we were waiting in line for the "Spook Alley" which I guess was technically more of a "Spook Hallway."  Cohen was really cute.  As we were standing in line, he said to me, "Mom, don't be scared in here.  Everything is fake.  But, you can hold my hand and I'll protect you."  He then proceeded to jump 3 feet off the ground anytime something jumped out at us.  I love having a Ninja Turtle to look after me...

 

They also had a cake walk, a costume contest and a bunch of other fun things to do.  I just didn't take pictures of any of it.  Too busy having fun, I suppose.

The night before Halloween, we carved pumpkins...

 

We haven't ever carved pumpkins much in this family.  I'm actually allergic to the inside of pumpkins.  Weird, I know.  If I touch the inside of a pumpkin, I break out on hives everywhere.  I can *eat* pumpkin just fine (thankfully--I'd probably die if I couldn't eat pumpkin cookies or pumpkin pie), but my skin does not like it for whatever reason.  But, I decided this year, we were going to carve pumpkins.  My allergy allowed me to do the "supervising" while Mike & the older boys did the manual labor--which also included cleaning up.  Hey, I didn't want to take any chances!  Hehe!!  All the boys designed their own pumpkins, and Connor & Aiden did all the carving on theirs as well!  Here's the final products!  From left to right, we have Connor's zombie pumpkin (complete with an eye falling out of its socket), Aiden's mean pumpkin, Cohen's silly pumpkin, and Vivvie's cute pumpkin.  I thought they turned out great!!

The next day was Halloween!  Everyone got dressed up for school, which meant Viv thought she needed to be dressed up all day as well.  Here she is dressed as a lovely princess (who won't look at the camera).  She actually had a cute little tiara to wear as well, but she broke it that morning.  Oh well...

That picture was taken at the boys' school while we were waiting for the Halloween Parade to start.  Connor & Aiden decided to go with a group costume this year.  They were Mario...

And Luigi.  And, yes, that was the best picture I could get of both of them as they walked past...

And, of course, we can't forget Leonardo & Princess Picking Her Nose...

That night, we got ready to welcome Trick or Treaters.  Mike turned fun Halloween music on our outdoor speakers & we lit our pumpkins.  They looked so cute...

Here's all four...I mean five...of my trick-or-treaters.  Mike actually decided to do a make-shift Darth Vader costume using the helmet & light saber that Nana & Poppy gave Connor for his birthday...

Trick-or-treating this year was a little different than other years.  Connor & Aiden both went trick-or-treating with friends instead of with our family.  That was a first for us--one that hurt my heart a little, I'll be honest.  They are growing up...much to my dismay!  Mike took Cohen & Viv for awhile until they were both cold & tired, then he brought them back & had fun hiding on the porch & scaring teenagers when they came to the door.  He turned off all the outdoor lights & then hid in the dark until the kids got close to the front door.  Then he turned on his light saber & went at them.  It was kind of humorous.

So that was Halloween 2013!  We loved it, and got a lot of great candy out of the deal as well!  Happy Halloween, about a month late!  --Lindsay

Connor's Birthday

Connor turned 11-years-old back on October 28th.  Yes, I realize I'm now *over* a month behind with my posts.  I really do have great intentions of getting caught up--but now that we're in the midst of the holidays, that probably won't happen anytime soon.  Anyway, Connor wanted to have a sleepover with some of his closest friends for his birthday party.  Sounds good to me.  Connor is constantly having sleepovers here--probably at least one a month--so why not have a sleepover & call it a birthday party?  That's killing two birds with one stone, in my book!

 

We started off the night with pizza...and an impromptu dance party!  Mike had Pandora playing through the speakers & all the kids just started to rock out.  Including Miss Vivienne--who was shaking her booty like you wouldn't believe!  I posted a video of it on Facebook, but here's a still shot.  As I was taking pictures & video of her, she kept saying, "Mom!  Shake yo' bum!  Shake yo' bum, Mom!"  It was so stinkin' cute...

 

After dinner and dancing, it was time for presents...

His friends spoiled him...

Then it was on to cake...except that Connor isn't a huge cake fan.  How I gave birth to someone who is not a fan of cake is one of life's great mysteries!  He decided he wanted doughnuts instead--and not just regular doughnuts--Banbury Cross doughnuts.  Banbury Cross is a bakery in downtown Salt Lake City, if you're not familiar with it.  They really *do* have the best doughnuts in the world.  I'm drooling just thinking about them.  Here's Connor & his great group of friends--Josh, Zach, Hayden & Caden...

Blowing out the candles...

After that, they all got in their sleeping bags and watched "The Hobbit."  Then, surprisingly, they were all asleep by 11:00 or so.

I was considering myself a lucky mama!  Not only did I get off easy on a birthday party, but all the kids had gone to sleep without complaint when we asked them to.  Yep, this was the best birthday party ever...until about 5:30 am when Connor started throwing up.  {{Sigh}} Connor felt great after he threw up, so we hoped it was because of all the junk food he'd eaten the night before, and let his friends stay.  Well, around 7:00 am, he threw up again.  At this point, we were 98.8% sure it was stomach flu.  We quickly fed his friends breakfast & took them home.  Can I just tell you how fun it is to tell parents that their child was most likely exposed to the stomach flu while sleeping over at your house?  {{Again...sigh}}  All the parents were really great & understanding about it, but I still felt horrible.  Connor felt pretty crappy the rest of the day, & couldn't keep anything down until afternoon.  Luckily, none of his friends actually ended up coming down with the stomach flu (neither did anyone else in our family!) which was a great relief for me.

The following Sunday, we held Connor's family birthday party.  We started with dinner & then--you guessed it--presents...

Spoiled again...

Connor was so excited to get some Real Salt Lake gear (our pro soccer team in town)!  He's become a huge fan this past year after going to several games with Poppy...

And the spoiling continued...

Connor got an iPod Touch from Mike & me.  It was the only thing he wanted from us.  He loves listening to music on it while he mows the lawn or shovels snow, which makes chores like that a little easier.  It has drastically cut down on the whining.  It hasn't completely ended it, but it's helped a lot...

Then Nana & Poppy whipped out two surprise presents...

A Darth Vader helmet, made from the original mold used in the movie...

And a light saber that glows & makes sound when you move it or hit something with it...

Here's Poppy showing off what it can do...

And then Cohen had to show us his best Jedi poses...

Both are very cool!  They both look great in Connor's Star-Wars-themed bedroom.  The helmet sits on his dresser & the light saber will hang on his wall about his closet (whenever Mike & I get 2 seconds to actually hang it up).

Then it was time for cake, uh Banbury Cross doughnuts again...

Since Mike's birthday is just a few days behind Connor's, we included him & gave him doughnuts with candles as well.  There are 38 candles right there...

And he got *almost* all of them out...

So there's the rundown on the good, bad & ugly parts of Connor's 11th birthday!

I can't believe he is the big double 1s!  It doesn't seem like I've been a mama for that long!  It really is true when they say, "the days are long, but the years are short."  He'll receive the Aaronic Priesthood next year, be a teenager in two years & be driving & dating in five years!  FIVE years, people!!  I can't believe it.  I don't want to believe it!!

Connor is growing into a great young man!  He is hard working, driven & kind to those around him (well, except a certain little brother...and me when I tell him it's time to do homework).  He is also a perfectionist--which can be both a good & bad thing.  He is smart & witty, and always keeps us laughing.  Love him to pieces, and wouldn't change a thing about him!  Well, except the fact that he's 11!  We could turn that back a few years & I'd be just fine with it.  --Lindsay