Thanksgiving 2014

Evelyn Turns Nine

One year older! Happy Birthday 9 year old!!

This year we celebrated with our family at Grandma's house. Everyone came over for cake and ice cream and presents. Evelyn decorated her Frozen cake all by herself and got ice skates and a harmonica!

Birthday girl

Birthday morning

Surprised with balloons after school!

November 2014

Hogle Zoo

Same face as the giraffe!

The littles and their mommy's

Leopard

My little chef making peach cobbler

Night sledding on the first snow of the year

Halloween 2014

Waiting for the bus to the Pumpkin Walk (someone is excited)

On the bus

Elliot and Adam gearing up

Max and Ashley with the littles

Evelyn just finished reading Charlotte's Web and was excited for it's exhibit

Getting the job done

Concentrating

At the Ward's Trunk or Treat

At the Ward's Halloween Party

Fairy Princess (because her Cheshire Cat costume was too hot) & Belle

Beautiful night for Trick or Treating

Sorting the goods

Yummy!

October 2014

Autumn has arrived and a brisk, Sunday afternoon is the perfect time to head up to Spring Hollow for a walk. We walked up to the spring and found our favorite leaves and collected some for Aaron.

Crunching in the fallen leaves

Spring Hollow

At the spring

When you are part of the Kirschman Clan attendance is mandatory at theater productions. We decided to all get tickets to see Jekyll and Hyde at the Centerpoint Theater and it was incredible.

Mom - Hillary & Adam - Max & Ashley - Emily & Russell - Me

All of the sudden I blinked and Sophia is so big! This girl has had a wiggly tooth for weeks, maybe even months and she finally decided it had gone on long enough and pulled it right out (it was literally hanging by a thread) She was SO excited! My baby lost her first tooth....this is big stuff.

Fall Break California Trip

I have to say that my favorite part of this trip was missing my flight home....

Monday afternoon as we drove to the airport we figured we had a few minutes to spare and decided to drive to the ocean. As we tried to find a road leading there we realized that time was running out and we ended our search and headed back toward the airport. What we hadn't anticipated were the lines. As I approached the counter to check my bag I was told that I was too late and that if I wanted to make my flight at all I would have to leave my luggage and run to the gate. I called Aaron to come back and frantically downsized my suitcase into a carry-on size. Aaron drove the car back around and I threw my bag in the car and rushed toward security. The serpentine line hardly moved and by the time I reached the checkpoint the man in front of me decided that it was a good idea to send his laptop through the x-ray...well, it wasn't.... By this time I was beginning to accept the inevitable, but I ran toward the gate anyway. My fate was sealed as I approached the closing door and watched the stairs slowly move away from the aircraft I was supposed to be on.

What now?

I had never imagined actually missing a flight by seconds. That is something that only happens in the movies right? Wrong!

I stood there, dumbfounded at what had just occurred and unable to know exactly what to do next. Apparently missing flights happens a lot and they just put you on standby for the next flight going to your destination. Okay. That sounds alright. One minor problem...the next flight to Salt Lake wasn't leaving until 8:00 AM the following morning - Aaron lives 2 hours away and works at the hospital in the morning , I work in the morning, I need to take the girls to school in the morning, Emily is picking me up at the airport tonight! Ahhhh!

Well, before I sorted through the myriad of problems this created I first had to call Aaron back a second time to not only rescue my luggage but to rescue me. He graciously saved me and as we drove away I began making phone calls to sort out the mess I had created. My mom agreed to keep the girls and get them to school, I easily found a substitute, Emily agreed to pick me up the next day and Aaron's dad agreed to wake up at the crack of dawn and drive me back to the airport with plenty of time to wait in any blasted lines. I was so wrapped up in the emotion of it all that I almost missed the ocean....my knight in shining armor had brought me to the ocean and I was immediately calm.

This trip was a desert-only trip. Aaron was in the midst of his forth, and final, semester of nursing. He had homework and class and study group and practice tests. I had brought my Cleopatra biography and Maze Runner. We watched the Twilight Zone together and made food and studied. But in the end I got to see my ocean.

Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

"Come, listen to a prophet's voice,

And hear the words of God...

Then heed the words of truth and light

That flow from fountains pure

Yea, keep His law with all thy might"

My daughters were examples of this during this Conference and I was one proud mama.

They took notes in little homemade notebooks during all four sessions and they will remain a treasure of the truth and light that they received at the feet of a living prophet.

September 2014

Sometime during the middle of last school year Evelyn was feeling like she was the only one who had to go to daycare after school. While this wasn't exactly a fact it caused me to pause and reevaluate my priorities. When I switched jobs to the university I was no longer available after she got off the bus at Little Wonders for hugs and inquiries about her day. For a whole year I worked 9:30-5:30 and it began to wear on my girl. Sure my income was allowing for every necessity of life, plus extra for our Disneyland vacation, but at what expense?

In the spring I was offered a promotion... Suddenly I was faced with two options. Either I accept the promotion and continue working eight hour days with daycare picking the girls up after school or drop to 28 hours/week allowing me the freedom to both take the girls to school and pick them up. The choice weighed heavily on my mind for a few weeks and in the end it really was no choice at all. I needed to be a mom. A mom who works yes, but thankfully a working mom with the flexibility of a career that is both fullfilling and enjoyable while allowing me to meet my obligations as a mom. I have never regretted my choice.

Our new schedule allows for days like yesterday! When we got home after school Sophia dilligently completed her homework and we had a snack. Then, because I knew the girls would be tired early due to three late nights in a row, we decided to bump family home evening early and visit Zollingers. We got there right at closing time, but were still able to tour the orchards and learn about the trees and varieties of apples. It was joy - pure and simple. Walking around in the mud as we breathed the cool, crisp autumn air. Taking that first bite of juicy apple plucked right off the tree. Hearing the laughter of my children as the wind carressed our faces.
No job in the world compares.

September 26, 2014 Max & Ashley's Wedding Day

The girls were very excited to be "junior bridesmaids" for Max and Ashley's wedding!

We took the afternoon in between celebrations to visit the Beehive House. I remember going as a child and it was fun to be able to go with the girls and educate them on the early history of the church in Salt Lake, and explore the big pioneer house.

What a busy day! They girls were exhausted by the close of it.

September 26, 2014 Max & Ashley's Wedding Day

Max and Ashley's Wedding Day.

It was a warm and beautiful day and they were so happy. 

It was wonderful to be in the sealing room as they made sacred covenants binding them eternally and to see the serene smiles on their faces.
That afternoon we had a luncheon at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building after taking photographs and the reception was that evening in Farmington.

Spontaneous California Trip

The desert.

The wind blows the hot, brown dust across the brush and Joshua trees. The sun heats up the earth and coyotes cries can be heard echoing through the night. Where the brilliant expanse of stars illuminates my peripheral.

This is where Aaron calls home. This is where I come to visit during this last semester before he can add two letters behind his name. Aaron D. Jackson, RN. Sounds good huh?

When my aunt Charla called with a proposition I couldn't refuse, plans were hurriedly set into effect. Plane tickets booked, bags packed and sitters set up for the four days I'd be gone.

Charla and Jon sold their house in Simi Valley, CA and are taking up a new residence in Sugarhouse, UT and they needed a third driver on moving day.

"I have a crazy idea" Charla told me over the phone one week before. "We'll fly you out to California and then you can drive our car back to Utah!"

"Crazy is right" I reply "but I like it! Let me see if I can secure a sitter and I'll call you back"

Well, Ruth was more than willing to watch the girls and to transport them to and from school so the trip was on! I called Char back and was set to go in one week.

It proved to be the longest week ever!
Every day at work dragged and every evening seemed to move at a snail's pace until bedtime, but somehow the bell rang on Friday and after depositing the girls at the homestead in Nibley, I was off. Originally I was going to leave my car at Emily's and catch a ride to the airport, but traffic had other plans so I pulled into short-term parking and shuttled to the terminal. Security was a breeze (even with peaches) and I found myself with extra time. Aaron and I chatted as I contemplated traveling via the twin prop aircraft I saw outside the window. Lucky for me it turned out to be a slightly bigger plane and an hour and a half later I was inhaling the thick, humid air of southern California.Charla and Jon met me at the gate with the PT Cruiser I'd be driving and I headed down the I-5 leading toward Phelan. A few wrong turns later I was pulling down the long, dirt road. I was here!

We had a great time! We ate and went to the Redlands Temple and to the movies, we went to church and I hung out with his family and made treats. On Monday we browsed around the mall, the bookstore and other stores and then cuddled to a movie. The morning dawned bright and early as I left for home and he headed to the hospital.

Spontaneous adventures are exciting and I say "come what may and love it!"