Another year over.....

so 2010 is coming to a close. i have mixed feelings about this year, it's been a good one, we got a squishy, beautiful baby, but i feel it's been an emotional year as well. i think you always feel that way after having a baby, it's such a HUGE recovery and adjustment. emotionally, mentally and especially for me, physically---but enough about all that, maybe sometime i will find another extra 15 minutes and blog more details but for now, let's focus on the events of 2010 in the gatherum family...here are some of the highlights {for me}

*this is the first year that our house and yard really came together, we have been working NON-STOP for FIVE long years on it and i felt that it was really awesome this year--JUST in time to put it on the market---maybe we are just crazy-who knows!

*we had our 20 week ultrasound and found out that our 4th baby was healthy, thriving and growing right on track, we also decided we weren't going to find out the sex--the funny thing is, the ultrasound tech told us that the baby was being VERY generous-so we totally could have found out, for some reason, her saying that made neal and i think we were having a boy...it just added that much more to our EXTREME surprise in july!

*we commemorated the 4th anniversary of nathaniel's death and the 5th of my moms...funny how i can now put these days on the lists of "highlights" from the year-it's taken many, many years of healing and grief to be able to list these days as anything but sad, so that to me is major progress, thus making it a highlight of my year!

*we switched the kids rooms around in anticipation for #4, painted, redecorated and made them all really cute.

*we started in the hellish i mean exciting CRAZY world of competitive soccer--holy cow, i NEVER knew something could be SO time consuming. jury is still out as to whether we are going to continue with that for the time being or hold off a few years---i am STILL recovering and it starts up again in less than THREE months---the kids did great though and they improved and learned a lot!

*boe turned SIX!

*neal and i celebrated NINE years of being married! holy cow-time FLIES by, in another 9 years, gage will be SEVENTEEN!

*neal got a sweet promotion at work--i am so proud of him!

*we got the BIGGEST surprise of our lives, when on july 15th, we had a baby GIRL! i kept asking my doctor if it was really a girl and he asked me if i knew the difference between boys and girls!

*ryder turned TWO!

*neal turned 34-OLD MAN-with the GRAY hair to prove it!

*we blessed lucy

*we went to bryce canyon for a week and lake powell for another

*kaylee got MARRIED--my littlest sissie is now a married woman, it was THE most beautiful day ever!

*neal got himself neutered-i KNOW this is TMI but most of the three peeps that still read this blog are family or very close friends and they already know and they know that neal and i have a very inappropriate sense of humor...so sorry if you are a random reader and this offends you---it is AWESOME to know that we are done--LOVE having babies and LOVE my kiddos but SO happy to move onto the next chapter of our lives.

*gage turned EIGHT!

*gage was baptized!

*we celebrated lucy's first halloween {she was the CUTEST lil pumpkin you ever did see along with a perfect harry potter, a "NICE" lion and a rad hip hoppin' michael jackson}, first thanksgiving and first christmas. she pretty much slept through it all!

*i turned 33!!! the jury is still out on how i feel about that one!

and here we are on the last day of the old year. there is something about this time of year that gets me sentimental. reflecting back on events and happenings. evaluating situations and thinking about how i could have done things differently or better. all in all, i feel this was a year of self exploration, of many, many realizations and reflection. i have made many goals for the new year. sure i have the old stand-by of "getting back into shape" i have discovered that no matter how thin {or not} that i am, i ALWAYS have this goal, so it doesn't really count. i want to focus on the inside this year (although, i feel that i need to be honest and give full disclosure for a moment--i am planning on getting a rockin' bod back AND getting breast augmentation {read: boob job} this year, so i am not going to pretend to be completely... um, pure? ;) continuing on, i really want to focus on being a better person, being more patient and kind and empathetic and less judgemental. everyone has a story and sometimes finding out those stories can change perspective and opinions. speaking of opinions, i am going to try to be less opinionated too---i know this one is a STRETCH, but i'm gonna try. i said T.R.Y! i have realized that while i am trying i can always TRY harder, so i am going to. i think my number one goal for 2011 is going to be to try to live in the moment. i have a hard time with this. i have a tendency to look ahead and always plan for the next big thing, i am going to try to enjoy the little moments of life that make it real and that truly matter. i am going to try to live everyday so that if something were to happen tomorrow, i WOUlDN'T have a regret from yesterday. i hope that each one of you has a happy new year, that you look back and reflect on another year over, and a new one just begun!

Gage's Baptism

i woke up very emotional-i just couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that my oldest boy was EIGHT! *the above photos were taken by my uber talented friend janelle-she is awesome
after the baptism we came back to our house for lunch. we did it OUTSIDE in our backyard-on the SIXTH of november-amazing! this weather can stick around as long as it wants to! we had so many family and friends there to support gage. it was such a great day. neal did an amazing job and i felt the spirit so strongly--it reaffirmed to me that this is what it is all about, this is why we are here on earth. it was awesome to think that gage had taken his first step to returning to Heavenly Father. the only regret i have is i didnt gt a pic of gage in his suit on his actual baptism day. oh well. a soon as we pulled into the garage he was up in his room changing inyo comfortable clothes--boy takes after his mom--i took off my high heeled boots in exchange for flip flops as soon as i could!

Halloween 2010

this was the first year i let the kids choose what they wanted to be. usually my OCD self likes to have a THEME to halloween. since this is the year of letting things go, i told them to have at it! this is what we got: Micheal Jackson, Harry Potter, a (NICE) lion (because he is PETRIFIED of lions and would only be one if he could be a NICE one) and a lil' pumpkin.



the kids got to wear their costumes to school on friday. it was fun to get lots of use out of them. this is a picture of our little friends brock and parker who looked AWESOME! parker was the best lil' pirate i've seen and brock looked C.L.A.S.S.I.C as brett micheals. hahaha, i was dying when i saw him!me, ryder and lucy went with my dad and kim to the parade friday morning and then we stayed and helped out with the class parties. it was a fun-filled sugary day! saturday we got a TON done around the house and yard and that night my dad and kim came over for the traditional chilli diner before trick-or-treating. it was rainy and cold but the kids had a great time. it was ryder's first real year of going door to door and he loved it. i am SOOO glad that the candy has officially run out-with ALOT of help from me ;) i LOVE halloween--such a great, fun time of year.

it's great to be eight

gage's birthday this year has stretched over a two week period. poor boe-boe. he is green with envy and is SO glad that after yesterday(gage's baptism-more to come) it is FINALLY over! gage woke up on his actual birthday to the greatest surprise ever(as far as he is concerned)...gage as mentioned previously is OB.SESS.ED with MJ. LOVES him. LISTENS to his music OB.SESS.IVE.LY. gage is also spoiled rotten and has every toy/game known to mankind. gage's parents are SICK OF TOYS. gage's mom had a fantastic idea to take gage somewhere fun and amazing for his 8th birthday. after said mom heard the ad for THRILLER at kingsbury hall, the deal was sealed. here is gage's mini cake that he woke up to on October 25, 2010:
it says(in case you can't read it) "gage is going to THRILLER"
here is gage's face when he saw his cake on his bday morning:

he was WAY excited---me, neal, gage and boe went the next day(October 26th) and it was AWESOME! neither neal or myself could believe that we had lived here our whole lives and had never seen it--it was amazing. i would DEFINITELY recommend it to everyone. gage said over and over that this was the BEST birthday he has ever had. he is already asking when we can go again. mission accomplished :)

To my boy...

dear gage,
what can i say to describe how i feel right now? i cannot...CANNOT believe that EIGHT years have gone by since you made me a mommy for the first time. i remember it like it was YESTERDAY. i was so.scared. SO.SCARED. to give birth. so scared to have a baby-so didn't know WHAT i was doing--i felt so unprepared to become a mom. my labor was awesome and eight hours later after 10 minutes of pushing, you were born. all 5 pounds 10 ounces of you. you came out rearing and ready to go. your eyes were open and bright, you looked like you were ready to take on the world. from the moment you were born you have never stopped. you got your first tooth at four months, crawled at five months, walked at ten months, CLIMBED out of your crib at eleven months, talked FULL sentences by the time you were one and actually TOLD me what kind of party you wanted for your second birthday. you are energetic and full of life. you are smart and funny. you are compassionate and empathetic and tolerant of others, especially me. you tell me all the time that you love me and that i am beautiful...even when i am nine months pregnan and huge or first thing in the morning---you are a sweet, sweet boy and i am so proud to be your mom. you are quick to forgive and are easily talked out of a bad mood. you want SO badly to choose the right and make good choices. i love you--always, no matter what. thank you for being my son, for teaching me SO MUCH in your short little life and for loving me no matter what.

i love you.
mommy

Gage's 8th Birthday Party

my boy turned EIGHT this year. what?! EIGHT YEARS have gone by?!?!?! gage is REALLY into michael jackson right now, i mean OBSESSED with him. at first my creative juices started flowing...i had grandiose ideas for an A-MAZING micheal jackson themed party. then reality set in. i REEEAAALLLYYY didn't want ten million kids at my house for three hours. i know that's rude. i know that is NOT a FUN-MOM thing to say, but it is so true. as stated in other posts, i have been SO OVERWELMED, pathetic as it is, it's the truth. so my SMART juices started flowing and i suggested that gage invite his BEST friends to do something like a movie or incredible pizza or boondocks, really anything, just as long as it WASN'T AT MY HOUSE! gage decided to take his best buddies to Toy Story 3. GREAT idea. we had the kids come over and do presents/cake and ice-cream--because of the AMAZING weather, we did it OUTSIDE!!! outside on OCTOBER 22--go figure. kim helped me out a TON by coming with us--we had 11 kids and 2 adults. it was AWESOME! the kids were great. they sat back, enjoyed their treat bags, popcorn and drinks and watched the movie. we got back a little after six p.m. the kids were all gone by six thirty. the best part? my house looked EXACTLY the same after the kids were gone as it did before they got there! AWESOME! SO. WORTH. THE. MONEY!

my three little guys...and the big one too!

here i am playing catch-up AGAIN!!! oh well, better late then never i suppose. i decided that instead of going backwards, i am just going to move forward...birthdays, christmas, new years and everything else before, after and in-between will just not get blogged this year...
my kids are all at such fun ages, there are so many things i don't want to forget about them RIGHT NOW so i thought i'd do a bit of catch-up on each of them...

GAGE----
at 7 1/2...he is in the 1st grade, has mrs. durrant whom he LOVES, is doing amazing at reading and math and generally loves school. he has lots of friends both boys and girls, though based on the love letters that get sent home to our house, i think the girls have a different idea about their friendships with gage then he does! gage started soccer up again and did AWESOME! we had him try out for a competition team and he made it! he will soon start the U8 academy with USA soccer. they will have practice twice a week for the whole summer and will then play as a team this coming fall season. it is SO fun to watch his games and he has become a very good, very aggressive (in a good way) offensive player. gage LOVES to watch tv and play video games, therefore we have to put time restrictions on these activities, otherwise, he would do them both ALL DAY LONG!!! gage loves to play outside with friends, ride bikes, run around, jump on the tramp and play on the swings. he also L.O.V.E.S. to read and will ask to stay up late reading in his bed. we recently switched the rooms up in preparation for the baby and gage now has his own room which he is very excited about. i honestly can't believe that he is almost EIGHT years old-it blows my mind. gage is a great eater and will pretty much eat anything except tomatoes. his favorite foods are pizza, cereal and sandwiches and anything i cook ;) he is learning to play chess and recently participated in a multi-school chess tournament. he would like to start tumbling lessons so he can learn to do back handsprings and flips on the tramp. the trait i most appreciate in gage is his ability to examine a situation and act accordingly. he is very sensitive to others feelings and cares about his friends and family.

Boe----
at six. boe is still my most energetic kid. he is ALWAYS happy--he is ALWAYS willing to help out and he loves to please. boe is in kindergarten and has mrs. winegar whom he loves. he has made lots of new little friends and LOVES to have playdates. he is reading so well and is working on his handwriting (poor kid got his mom and dad's genes and is LEFT-HANDED). boe has been taking violin lessons for the past 4 months and is doing awesome! i have to say, it is sometimes a challenge to teach my own child, but for the most part we get along and it works. boe has also been playing soccer again and did great this year. we signed him up for the pre-competitive academy (you have to be seven to be on the comp team) and he hopes to make the comp team next year. boe is determined and aggressive and LOVES to win. he has become an excellent dribbler this past season and loves to make break aways during games. boe is a TERRIBLE eater, something we have been working on since he was about six months old. he is getting a *little* bit better but unless dinner is VERY basic, it is a fight to get him to eat. his favorite foods are grilled cheese sandwiches, tacos, spaghetti and cereal. boe is an awesome big brother to ryder and they are best little friends. in the recent room switch, boe and ryder became roommates. they LOVE it and i often find ryder in boe's bed or vice versa in the morning. ryder is going to have withdrawals next year when boe is in school full-time. the trait i most admire in boe is his ability to ALWAYS be happy. he looks for the positive in every situation and it takes a lot to get him down. he is mine and neal's little buddy and loves to shadow us throughout the day.

Ryder----
at 23 months...holy cow!!! where does the time go??? i SWEAR i was just pregnant with this little guy and now he is walking, talking AND potty-training himself! ryder is so much fun. he is easy-going and for the most part extremely LOW matinience. he loves to play and cuddle and be held. we have affectionately referred to him as silent bob because until lately, he hasn't talked much. he does know a bunch of sign but as far as verbal skills, he was kind of lacking. the last couple of weeks however, he has become a talking machine. he says mommy, daddy, neal (which i think is hilarious), gage, boe, ellie (our dog), zep (our other dog), papa (grandpa for my dad), melmo (elmo), baby, baba, no, uh-oh, side(outside), milk, yes, see ya, bye bye, out, tub (bath-tub) and probably a few more that i can't think of. he can also sign most of these words which has been great to be able to communicate with him. neal is still ryder's most FAVORITE person in the world, he LOVES kitties and has the cutest meow ever. he loves animals and LOVES to be outside as much as possible. i cannot believe that we are just 1 month away from celebrating his SECOND birthday! i have so enjoyed having a baby in our house again. they are so loving and accepting and forgiving. i love the presence that follow ryder wherever he goes.

i am 36 weeks (and counting!!!!!) along---can't believe that my last pregnancy is almost over---while i can't say it has gone by particularly fast, i can say that i have *tried* to enjoy it---i don't know how successful i have been, this has not been an easy pregnancy, but i am so grateful for the opportunity to have children---since i have been feeling better the last few months, i have started to really look forward to having this baby. secretly i think it *might* be a girl, but then i just don't think that is really possible so i am planning on a boy and i have to say that i am totally happy with that if that is indeed the final outcome. i mean, come on, four cute little boys who LOVE their mommy---what more could i want or ask for---we have an induction date set for July 15th so we are just 4 SHORT weeks away from finding out what this little person is. we have a cute boy name but we are EMPTY in the girl name department...

neal is still super busy--i have no idea how he handles all the balls he has up in the air at any given time, but somehow he always does and always ends up doing amazing at everything--he is my hero. he was recently promoted at work and now holds the title of SALES MANAGER for the LAMAR office in Salt Lake! this is a huge opportunity for him and he is doing great at it. with the promotion comes a lot of added time and stress, but i don't know anyone else who can handle stress as well as him. he NEVER (well, RARELY) takes it out on me and the kids, he leaves work at work and comes home to us and is the biggest help to me. there is no way i could have made it through the first 4 months of this pregnancy without him. he picked up all of my slack and then some and helped keep everything running smoothly. he's the best. he recently went through a mid-life crisis and bought himself a motorcycle. i am still on the fence on this one. i have been SO against it for so long, but he has wanted one for FOREVER and you know, who am i to squash his dreams--so after much um debating and discussion, we were able to come to a compromise that we were both happy with and voila! neal is now the *PROUD* owner of a Suzuki Boulevard. ask him about it next time you see him, he is practically GIDDY and for a fairly emotion free guy, that's saying A LOT!!! today is our NINE year anniversary! can't believe how the time flies by. we have had our ups and downs, some of them caused by circumstances out of our control and some caused by mistakes that we have made, i hope that at the end of it all, these hills and valleys have made us stronger then we were when we started out on this journey. i KNOW that there isn't anyone else i would rather be on this trip with. love ya sweetcakes.

well, now that this sounds like a chrismas card letter or something, i feel pretty caught up on our lives. i am very happy where we are. i am LOVING life in my thirties and i can't wait to see what the next THIRTY TWO years have in store for us---BRING IT ON!!!

i have a SEVEN year old!!!

happy happy birthday to my little gage! i can't believe it's been SEVEN years, they have gone by so fast. i remember October 25, 2002 like it was yesterday. one of the best days of my life because it's the day i became a MOM! i love you so much gage and am so proud of you. i hope you have a FANTASTIC day---love, mom

here are SEVEN things i LOVE about GAGE:

*he is kind
*he is smart
*he is a great big brother to boe and ryder
*he tells me he loves me and gives me hugs and kisses ALL the time
*he has good manners
*he tries to make good choices and do what is right
*he is a super helper around the house

gage got a NINTENDO DS from us and lot's of great gifts from his aunts, uncles and grandparents. we had a SPOOKY halloween themed party last night for our family (i am mean and only do friend party every other year once they turn 6) it was a great night and we had a good time celebrating gage. we love you buddy!

All I Want For Christmas Is...

Okay, this isn't REALLY a post about Christmas in June...it's actually a post about Gage losing his FIRST TOOTH! He decided it would be a great idea to pull it out on Mother's Day in the middle of primary! He came into the RS room with blood running down his face and a big ol' smile holding his teeny tiny tooth! We quickly went into the bathroom and cleaned up and I held onto the tooth for safe keeping until we could get home and put it under his pillow.

When I was little, my dad used to try to scare us by telling us the tooth fairy was a big, hairy, scary ogre who would clomp into our house and throw us in the air and take our teeth. It used to scare the bajeebies out of us, I tried to tell the same grand tale to Gage, but he didn't buy it! He couldn't wait to put his tooth under his pillow.
The next morning he came RUNNING into our room holding his FIVE DOLLAR BILL! I don't think he has spent it yet! He is holding onto it until he finds something REALLY amazing to buy!

He is SUPER proud of his missing tooth, I believe he has another 4 teeth loose right now! We told him that the five dollars was probably just for losing his FIRST tooth, and to not get overly excited or expect that much with each tooth!