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!

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.

Ryder Roo Turn(ed) Two!

so WAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY back on July 27th, my littlest guy turned TWO! i can't believe it---the last two years have FLOWN by. this kid is HI-LARIOUS. he keeps me laughing everyday. he LOVES his dad. i mean he LOOOOAAAHHHVVVEEESSS his dad. he loves his mama but his dad is his VERY favorite person on the earth. he is still the EASIEST kid ever. for the most part you tell him to do something, he listens and follows directions. we have come into some fun terrible two temper tantrums, but for the most part he is a chill, mellow kid. he loves trucks and balls and guns and riding scooters and elmo and all the other typical things that little two year old boys love. he is learning his ABC's and colors and i think he will love going to preschool two days a week next year. ryder had a tough go with lucy at first, he was SUPER jealous and kind of acted out for a few weeks but he is back to being his happy, sweet and super funny self. we sure love him and couldn't imagine life without him. since i had had a baby 12 days before his birthday (i know, what the H@$%@! was i thinking?!?!?!)we decided to celebrate his birthday with neal's (very appropriate). so on august 7th, we had the fam over and did cake and ice-cream and presents. ryder loves animals and the zoo and farms so we did a farm/cow theme. it was cute and a fun time was had (hopefully) by all. we love you ryds!

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!!!

can it REALLY be...

that 365 days have gone by and my little ryder roo is ONE???first thing in the morning-two of his fav things-the phone and ELMO jammies!mcdonalds birthday lunch-loving the happy meal toyfun elmo cake and cupcakeslook at ALL those gifts-such great friends and family!
he was seriously overwelmed! didn't quite "get" the whole gift opening thing...just wait till next year! cute grandpa kent...
bringing out the cake...he tries a bite of his cupcake... "YUM" i think he likes it?
we finally got him clean after a good "hose-off"he was soooo tired-it was a BIG day for the birthday boy...

the day after we got back from starvation, ryder turned ONE! we had a fun, busy day before having everyone over for cake and ice-cream. we went to mcdonald's for lunch and rydes got his FIRST happy meal-and of course LOVED it!
usually i choose the theme for my kids FIRST birthdays. with ryder though, i couldn't have chosen anything BUT elmo! he LOVES him! when sesame street is on ryder stands by the TV with his arms outstretched trying to get him, he lugs his elmo doll all over the place and when he sees ANYTHING elmo related he SQUEALS with pure JOY!
here are a few things about our ryder roo at ONE:
*he doesn't just walk-he RUNS EVERYWHERE (he officially started walking at about 10 months)
*he can SAY: da-da, ma-ma, ba-ba, kitty, hi, bye, no, meow
*he can SIGN: no, yes, more, bottle, milk, food, please and thank-you
*he LOVES elmo
*he LOVES his brothers
*his FAVORITE person on this planet is his dad (i think he is his dad's favorite person as well ;)
*he loves to "talk" on the phone
*he loves to sing-loves ANY kind of music
*he LOVES to swim
*he LOVES cats and can say MEOW-it's seriously the cutest thing ever
*he is still the sweetest, most easy-going, BEST baby on the earth-LOVE him SOOOOO much!
hope your day was SPECTACULAR ryder! We LOVE YOU!!!

A loose tooth, "I wanna be brave", A whole lotta baseball and three months away from turning ONE!! In other words, a long catch-up post...

Holy cow! It's been WAAAAYYYYY too long since I last blogged. I have a lot to catch up on, thought I'd give an update on the kiddos and then go from there. First off, I have decided to hold off on going private for a bit. I haven't had the unwanted comments for a while, we'll see how that goes. Thanks for all of your emails, I'll hold onto them in case I do decide to go private.

ANYWHO...Let's start with Numero Uno. Gage has his FIRST LOOSE TOOTH!! He is sooo very excited, he's probably one of the only kids left in his class who hasn't lost a tooth and he couldn't be more happy about it! He says at LEAST 10 times a day, "mom, I cannot believe I have a loose tooth!" And, "mooo-om, did you forget I have a loose tooth?!?!?" So cute, can't wait for the tooth fairy to make her first appearance in our house. He is almost done with KINDERGARTEN!!! I cannot believe it. He is SUCH a great reader and LOVES math and is pretty much obsessed with Legos. He is playing baseball again and is doing really well.

Onto CRAZY number two. No, really he is (crazy) I mean. Boe is soooo excited for Kindergarten. He went to Kindergarten Orientation with Neal and had a lot of fun. They went to McDonald's for lunch and then got to go to the school and take a tour and get a treat in the lunchroom. He thought it was great. He knows his letters and sounds and I am hoping to get him on his way with reading before school starts in August. Boe dressed up as clown for circus day at school and today he dressed up as a fireman for "What I want to be When I Grow up Day" because, "I wanna be brave mom, brave like a FIREFIGHTER and save people, or maybe save ducks..." Um, okay Bobes, we sure do love you you little nut job! Boe is so fun and always sarcastic and except for the few times when he drives me NUTS for not listening and keeping on task, I have so much fun with him. He is doing AWESOME in t-ball and can't wait to play coaches pitch next year and he too is totally into legos. I have legos EVERYWHERE in my house.

Ryder turned NINE MONTHS on Monday April 27! Time FLIES when you aren't pregnant I tell you...He had his well-child check-up yesterday and is in the 7% in weight and 43% in height. He is crawling like crazy, cruising around furniture, standing on his own and I'd bet he'll be walking in the next month or so. He says "Da-da" "ba-ba", he knows yes, more and no in sign language and he waves bye-bye. He has THREE bottom teeth and although he is into EVERYTHING, he is still so pleasant and happy. He LOVES his brothers and enjoys "playing" legos with them-they enjoy it as well :) He LOVES table food, I think his favorite is spaghetti and meatballs, but he will pretty much eat anything we give him. We are enjoying his immensely.

Phew! I am glad to get caught up. I will post about Mexico, the half-marathon, Easter and other random activities in the next couple of days or so. I know you are ALL on pins and needles waiting!

Eight Months...Are you KIDDING me?!?!?

Pictures to come...
Ryder is 8 months old! I can't believe it! He is SUCH a big boy. Not physically by any means, but, he has TWO bottom teeth that FINALLY broke all the way through this past week, he can stand up on ANYTHING and he wants to walk SOOO-O bad. He will let go with one hand and then lose his balance and fall. He has some perma bruises on his forehead that he has been sporting for the last couple of weeks. He still LOVES to eat, he is starting to really enjoy toys and LOVES his little reading chair and Leapfrog learning table. He loves ELMO! Both Gage and Boe loved Elmo so we have a bunch of toys from them, Ryder LOVES him too. Everytime he sees an elmo toy, he gets really excited and just goes for it. He is a great sleeper and is on an awesome schedule. Two naps in the day (LONG naps :) and sleeping through the night from about 8:00 on. We sure do love our little Ryder-Roo. I sure do wish I could freeze time, but so far haven't been able to figure that one out!

He's Seven Months-With an ATTITUDE!

WOW!!! I have been REEEEAAAALLLYYY bad at blogging...I am trying to do better, in fact I have about 6 blog post topics to do, it's honestly just been CRAZY busy. Anyways, I am going to make a commitment to keep up on my blog.
Ryder is seven months old today! I can't believe it. He is crawling, sitting up, PULLING himself up to a standing position on the couch and has developed an attitude to boot. He SCREAMS when he wants something, a loud, screeching purely obnoxious sound, but can I just say that we all love the sound of it? Crazy but we do! He loves to eat (still!!!) but I have to say that he doesn't like the meals in a can, ie the "Chicken Noodle Dinner" or the "Beef and Vegetables Dinner" he pukes horribly after eating it (not that I can blame him, just SMELLING the stuff makes me want to vomit). Soooo, we are sticking to pure veggies and fruit and he is loving all of them. He sleeps through the night, only cries (and SCREECHES!!) when he needs something, he gives us slobbery loves and kisses and he is becoming a MAJOR daddies boy. Did I mention that we are just EATING him up and can't get enough??? Love him!

Someone's Eating Solids!

I had a goal to breastfeed Ryder for 6 months. I have to tell you that after a rough pregnancy and a NATURAL child birth, NOTHING was as painful and hard for me as breastfeeding. I made it to just past 5 months and then Ryder and I decided that we were done! We started him on rice cereal, formula and vegetables and so far so good. He LOVES his food, and we LOVE him!

SIX MONTHS and YES, I'm STILL ALIVE!

Ryder is SIX MONTHS old today! I cannot believe how fast time flies. I know, I know, I am SOOOO behind on blogging. I got a new camera and I am very embarrassed to tell you that I don't know how to work it. It's very high tech and I am a technical dummy, so I have about 500 pictures on it, waiting for my husband to teach me how to use it. I know, I know, I COULD just read the directions, but that is the EASY way of doing things, and hey, I'm more of a, HARD WAY type of gal! So, as soon as I figure it out, I'll catch up on blogging and add pictures. But, I wanted to document today....I know that in every post about Ryder, I talk about what an amazing baby he is. You are probably sick of hearing it, but let me assure you that it's true! He's great. He is getting so big and it makes me sad on one hand but I am enjoying him so much that it's hard to be TOO sad about it. He LOVES to eat, his fav foods are sweet potatoes, squash, prunes, beans and peas. Pretty much that's all he's been given and he loves it all. He holds his own bottle all the time now and it's so cute. He scoots and can get from one place to another but isn't yet crawling. He has discovered his voice and literally SCREAMS when the food doesn't come at him fast enough. He has a deep belly laugh and still adores his older brothers. He has also discovered the game of UHOH where he LOVES to drop things so I say "UHOH" and pick it up for him. HAPPY SIX MONTH BIRTHDAY SQUIRT. We sure do love you!

Five (That's Right!) Five Months Old!!!

My little Ryder Roo is FIVE months old today! I can't believe how fast time flies. He is such a good little baby. A dream honestly! He is rolling like crazy, back to front and front to back. He LOVES green beans and peas, probably because that's all he's had besides mush and breast milk, but that's beside the point. He gets SOOO mad when the food is gone, it's hilarious, he throws a little fit. He loves to play peek a boo and he is developing the cutest little belly laugh. He loves his bouncer and is discovering the joys of new toys. His current favorite toy is his puppy that Grandma and Grandpa Gatherum brought him from Alaska. His hair is coming back in after he went completely bald, jury is still out as to whether or not we are going to have another tow head, we shall see. He LOVES his big brothers and to my extreme liking, he is a MAJOR MOMMIES BOY!!! Well, I guess I should also mention that he is pretty fond of his daddy too. We sure do love him and can't wait to watch him continue to grow big and strong!

We start 'em off young...

Thankful for...

him and the pure love that a child brings into a home. I am thankful for all three of my kids equally, but today is this little guys' 4 month birthday! He is rolling over from back to front and LOVES his exersaucer. He loves to eat and is still a dream baby. We love HIM. Here's to wishing YOU a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving Holiday with your families!

Thankful For...

these four. I don't know what I'd do without them. In these times of economic strife, uncertainly, war, turmoil and sadness, it is easy to forget about ALL THE GOOD that still exists in our world. Love you...

Man I'm Cute...

Just had to post a couple of these pics of Ryder. What a little chubs. Love him. Ryder is sitting up pretty good on his own these days, he is laughing, talking and totally interacting with us. He also learned a new trick this week and can now hold up his own bottle-YAY Ryder! We are just L-O-V-I-N-G this little guy.