Here's one for Les!!!!!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1457935458

Check it out!!!!

I elfed us!!!! Well, except for Les because there wasn't a space for him, but Les I still love you :)

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1441950589

Parker and his "Barking" (coughing)

So, last night at about 12:30am Parker woke up with a horrible cough which was more like a bark. He was very upset and crying really hard so we tried to help calm him down. Well, then I noticed that he was really struggling for breath. Of course this totally freaked me out. We tried to get him to take slower breaths, but we just couldn't do it. I started debating about wether we should take him to the ER or not. When his breathing was just too difficult and then he started touching his chest and saying that it hurt I knew that it was time.
I had Les take him just in case he would need to get X-rays on his chest, I didn't want him to have to go in the room by himself. So, I stayed home with the other two boys and just waited. Let me tell you, I was so worried. I had a hard time keeping myself calm. After a couple hours went by (and it was now 3am) I was really wondering why Les hadn't called me yet. When I was just about to panic even more I heard them at the door. When I asked why he hadn't called me he said that he figured that I had gone back to sleep. Yeah right, like I could sleep with my baby at the hospital. The doctors said that he had Croup and they gave him some steriods and a breathing treatment.
Of course, when Parker walked in the door he was as happy as can be. He said that he had the best time ever. I guess that he was feeling better :) He was happy to show me his hospital bracelet. I, was so relieved that everything was ok with his breathing. If he hadn't been struggling so badly with his breath I wouldn't have been so worried. But, at least everything was ok. And today he acted perfectly fine. I think that he coughed once this morning and that was it. I guess we will see how tonight goes!!!

OH Christmas Tree!!!!!!

Today we finally put up our Christmas tree. Les had a class tonight, so he wasn't going to be home until after 7:30. So, the boys and I put up the tree this afternoon. I must admit, it was very tiring moving everything around and getting things set up. But, we did it!!! I was tired after just putting up the tree so, we decided to wait until Les got home to actually decorate it. Not to mention, I knew that he would want to be part of this magically experience. It was so cute watching the boys, they were so excited and they did such a great job. Les and I will only have to move a few bulbs around (due to major clustering). They were very creative with the ornaments and just plain had a blast. It was a great short family night.

Our little master decoraters. Aren't they adorable!!!!!!

Everytime I took the picture, Logan was always looking at Bradyn with a huge smile on his face. Finally I got one of him looking at the camera (1st picture above).

Very late Thanksgiving Post

This year we had Thanksgiving Dinner with just our sweet little family. After we ate, we took the kids to see the Bee Movie. The day was actually quite nice and relaxing.

Les and the Boys getting ready for Thanksgiving Lunch/Dinner.
Me and my beautiful boys. Man, did I have a lot to be thankful for or what :)
Parker took this picture of us on Thanksgiving. Didn't he do such a good job?!

Weekend Trip

Well, I just got back from a 4 day trip out west. Friday I flew out to Salt Lake City (by myself, Les stayed home with the boys and had a guys weekend) and was picked up by my wonderful sister-in-law Hannah who goes to BYU. She brought me back to her apartment and I stayed there that night. On Saturday I went to the wedding of one of my cousins. It was so nice and they looked so happy. Another plus of the weekend was that my parents were also there and so I got to see them. Most of Saturday was spent on wedding stuff and Hannah was able to come with us to the reception. It was so great to be able to spend time with her.
On Sunday me and the parents (mine that is) drove up to Idaho so that we could see my dads brothers and sisters. It had been 7 years since I had been out West, so I haven't seen most of these relatives since then. I am so glad that I was able to go and visit with them. I just wish that Les and the boys could have come too. But of course, we could not afford to buy 5 plane tickets. I will just have to have everyone meet them another time. Hopefully it won't take another 7 years.
Les survived the long weekend and everyone was pretty happy when I got into the car at the airport (me included, I missed my guys). I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband who had absolutely no problem with me going away for 4 days. He has the week off this week and this is why I was able to go. He is such a great dad and never complains if you needs to stay with the kids. How great is he?!!!!!!!

50's Day

Today at Bradyn's school it is the 50th day of school. So to celebrate the kids are suppose to dress in 50's style clothes. Let me just say the Bradyn is too adorable!

Family Home Evening

Last night for Family Home Evening we talked about being Thankful. The boys did so great about saying what they are thankful for. It made me so happy. After the lesson the boys helped daddy make Chocolate Chip Cookies. They just love making cookies with him.

HALLOWEEN

Tonight we took the boys to a random neighborhood and did a little trick or treating. Bradyn said, "This is the best Halloween ever". It was pretty cute. The other two had a great time also. I mean, what is better than getting awesome candy. After, we went to the ward of our friends the Boyds and enjoyed their little carnival.

Fun Fest

Tonight at Bradyn's school it was their annual Fun Fest. OF course we didn't bring our camera, so we don't have any pictures. However, the kids had a blast. For the first hour I volunteered at one of the booths, so it was just Daddy and the boys. They had a "Train without tracks" ride. It was a bunch of painted metal garbage cans on there sides with wheels on them. They were all being pulled by a little tractor. Just Bradyn and Parker rode it and boy did they have fun. This is when I wished that we had our camera because Parkers face was just pure glee. It was adorable.

I was really glad that we were able to go because Bradyn had been talking about it for days. He just loves school and wants to do everything possible.

Family Fun

Ok, so this is actually from a month and a half ago, but it is still super cute. I forgot that I had these pictures. The weekend before school started we had a family fun day on that saturday. We took the kids to the dollar show and just had a great time. Believe it or not, my kids actually do pretty well at the movies even Logan. And from the pictures I think that you will see why.

Life With Kids

So, I am taking a shower today and Parker busts into the bathroom to tell me that Logan is naked. Our bedroom has a bathroom in it so I look out the door (while still in the shower) and sure enough, Logan is jumping on our bed free as a bird. Let me tell you, it is not easy putting a diaper back on a child while you are still in the shower.

Fair Day!

Today, not only was it Columbus Day but it was also Fair Day here in the Dallas area. So, Les and Bradyn got the day off of school. They give all the students a ticket to the state fair. We did not go, we feared it would be way to crowded. Of course, Les had the day off, but I did not. I only work a couple of days a week and today was one of them. So, I left the kids at home and went to work by myself. I must admit that it was pretty nice not to have to worry about them while I was there. However, I am still so grateful to have found a job where I am able to bring my wonderful cuties with me. What a blessing!!!!!!!!

Bradyn and School

Well, we are now a month into school. Wow, I can't believe that it has already been a month. Bradyn really loves school and he is eager to go every morning. It is funny though because he also really likes the weekends. He says it is because he can play with his toys all day and that he doesn't have to eat breakfast right away. It was a struggle at first to get Bradyn to eat before school. Now he eats with no problems.

It is so nice because at his school we are allowed to go and have lunch with him whenever we can. So, last week me and Parker and Logan were having lunch with Bradyn and his teacher happened to be in the lunchroom too. She went on to tell me how happy she was to have Bradyn in her class. She said that he was such a sweet boy and how well we have done raising him. It is so wonderful to hear that he has a teacher who loves having him in her class. It really brings comfort to my heart.

Another First Day

Well, I had my first day of work today and it went pretty well. They were refinishing the gym floor in the child center, so they had the child care in one of their upstairs rooms. It was a small room with hardly any toys, so Parker got pretty bored really quick. Having a 5 hour shift was hard on him. However, I know that when we go in on Monday he will have a lot more fun. The child center is pretty much kid heaven. There are so many toys and a really fun maze like they have at McDonald play places, only this one is way bigger. So, I think that they will like it. Logan did very well and if I ever had to leave the room he just came with me. Seeing as I only ever left to take my break (during which I was able to give my kids the snack that I brought them) or take Parker to the bathroom or for Logan's poopy diaper, it really wasn't a problem.

The people that work there all seem really great, so I think that I too will enjoy going there. All in all, first day was A OK!!!

New Job

Well, tomorrow I enter back into the working force. I got a job at Lifetime Fitness in the child care department. I am happy for this job because I can bring my kids with me to work for no charge. As of right now I will be working 2 days a week, with 5 hour shifts. I am excited to see how everything goes. I am a little worried about how Logan will do. For those of you who know him, you know why. He freaks out if I ever leave him. Luckily I will always be there, I just hope he doesn't expect me to be by his side the whole time. The child center is one big play place so, I am hoping they just have a blast. I'll post later to tell how it went.

My Friend Christina's Niece

These are the Words of my dear friend Christina......

My niece
My niece has been missing for 12 days now (I believe, could be more). Her parents (my sister and brother-in-law) believe that she ran away. I hope that they don't mind me airing out our "dirty laundry" for all to see, but I think that the more exposed this is, the faster she can be found.



These are from Oct. of last year.

Ashley (left) Chelsea (right)




Her name is Ashley Marie Pace (Zimmerman). She is 16 and was last seen in Rigby Idaho. She was out of the 5-C (Juvenal hall) on probation. Obviously, she has been having some issues lately. We are all trying to figure out where she might have gone to. There are a few possibilities, but nothing conclusive. She left without her things, only what she had on her back. She didn't even pick up her paycheck before skipping town.

We are all very concerned. It makes it extra difficult not to be in Idaho with my family during this. I would appreciate anyone who reads this, to pass along this information. In 12 days, you could hitch practically anywhere. I will post when I have more information.

Parker's Preschool

So, last week we had a lot of first days. Not only did Bradyn and Les start school, but Parker also started preschool. Due to the way expensiveness of preschools, I joined a mom's preschool group with 4 other women in my church ward. The kids are going to meet every Tues. and Thurs. for a couple of hours. I will only need to take my turn teaching about every 8 weeks or so.
Parker was so excited to start school and today, the mom who taught said that he did the best at the little worksheet they did. Of course, Parker is at least 6 months older than most of the kids. But, oh well he has been enjoying it. Logan was pretty sad the first day that he didn't get to stay too. He insisted on wearing a little back pack too.

Records Read!!!

Well, today we finally became offical members of the Flower Mound 3rd Ward. After a month of anxiously waiting and making sure to actually be on time for church, our records were finally read in today. I guess now we don't have to worry about being on time any more :) No no I am just kidding. We are so lucky because even though church is at a horrific 8:30am we only have to travel about 2 minutes to get to our building. I feel so blessed for that also, there are so many members here. In the city of Flower Mound alone, there are 5 wards. I almost feel like we are living in Utah :)

Logan actually stayed in Nursery (without mom or dad with him) for all of the 3rd hour. We were able to reunite him and Parker into the same class again. I hope that continues to help. I continue to meet really wonderful sisters in our ward and I hope to become good friends with all of them. Have a wonderful Sunday!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA SUE!!!!!

Today is my wonderful and fabulous mothers Birthday. Today she is a very young young woman. We just wanted to give her a shout out and say how much WE LOVE YOU and miss you. She is going to be having a really special birthday because she gets to spend it with my sister Lisa and her family in Virginia. Love you guys too!!!

Les' First day of school (work)

Not only was Monday Bradyn's first day of school, but it was also Les' first day as a REAL teacher at Lewisville High School. He is now a Fighting Farmer (that is their mascot isn't it so funny). I think he was nervous, but he is just so awesome that I knew he would do a great job :) Things have been going really well and he is jumping right into things. He is teaching 3 blocks of Spanish I. In the Lewisville ISD they have block scheduling so he only teachs 3 90 minute classes. I think that he fits in real well and gets along really great with the other teachers. I have met the principal a couple of times and he seems like a great guy. Les is hoping to become an assistant Wrestling coach so I will keep you all posted on that development.

Last night we went to our first Fighting Farmers football game and had a lot of fun. The boys really enjoyed themselves. We only stayed to halftime due to the hour, but we still had a blast. I forgot how crazy high school football can be.

More pictures from first day of school

Bradyn's table



End of his first day

First Week of School

Well, I decided that I don't want to wait any longer to post about Bradyn's first week of school. I was waiting to put pictures with this post, but I still have no idea where our camera cord is. I am sure it is in some mystery box stuffed into one of our many closets :)

Anyway, the whole family was able to take Bradyn for his first day of school. I was so happy that Les was able to come with us too. It is really nice because here, the elementary school starts 45 minutes before the High School does. This way, if needed, Les will be able to drop Bradyn off at school before he heads off to work. The High school is only about 5 minutes from our apartment so Les has no commute time (which of course I love). Back to the first day.... Bradyn was excited to start school, but he told me that he was a little scared. He walked right into his classroom and we found his table. As we left he watched us the whole way out the door, but he didn't cry or anything, he just watched us. Amazing, I felt really good about leaving him there. I had been soooooo nervous about sending him for the last week, so I prayed very hard for strength. Gratefully my prayers where answered and I felt really good about the whole thing. Here, kindergarten is all day so Bradyn was able to bring is lunch in his new lunch box. We live really close to the school, so when it was time to get him me and the other two boys walked to pick Bradyn up. It was so funny because when he came outside he was so upset that I didn't drive to pick him up. He was so tired and it was 100 degrees outside. I told him that I would drive the next day.

He said that his first day was really good and that he had Spanish class that day. I asked him how recess was and he said that it wasn't that fun because it was hot and he was soooooooo sweaty. If he know Bradyn, you know how sweaty he gets :) All and all I think he really had a good first day.

The rest of the week went just as well. He has a special class everyday wether it be Spanish, Art, Music or Gym. He said that music was fun (he had that on Wednesday) and that they danced. I think that he is starting to make friends because he is actually talking about specific kids now. The only problem I have had is with the cafeteria. Thursday there was a invoice in Bradyn's folder saying that I owed for a bought lunch. I asked Bradyn if he bought lunch one day and he confidently told me NO. So, I called the cafeteria and told them that he brought his lunch everyday. In there records they had him buying on the first day, which I know didn't happen because the teacher asked that first day if he brought his lunch. Anyway they took off the charge and apparently there is a Braylin in his class, so maybe this child bought lunch instead. I just hope that this doesn't happen again. One really cool thing about this school district is that Me, Parker and Logan can go and have lunch with Bradyn when we can. We were going to go on Friday, but something came up and we weren't able too. Thankfully I never told Bradyn that we were going to come. Also, he teacher seems really great and she has been teaching awhile so that is nice.

Well I found the cord so I guess I can put pictures after all.

STAY TUNED!!!!!

Ok, so I know that I have not posted about the first day of school yet and I promise that I am going to do so. I am going to try and do it later today, but I have to find the card to my camera first. Stay tuned for the exciting description later today :)

Starting School

Yesterday, we were able to meet Bradyn's teacher Mrs. Staten. It was very nice to see the school and Bradyn's classroom. He was able to sit at his table and meet the little girl who is going to be sitting next to him. As the first time mother of a Kindergartener I am VERY nervous about this. I worry about him being there ALL day. Luckily he is very excited and I am sure that he will do great. I will try to be very good about posting regularily about his school experiences.

Life in Texas

So, tonight I saw my first Tumbleweed while living here in Texas. Well, actually I only saw it out of the corner of my eye. But I still think that it is hilarious. You know, it just really makes me feel like I am truely not in Michigan anymore. I was just telling Les today that when you look around it doesn't feel like we are in another state. And then here came THE TUMBLEWEED :)

My Two Graduates!!

Not only did Bradyn graduate from preschool, but Les also graduated from Eastern Michigan University with his teaching degree in Secondary Education. We are so proud of all the hard work he did to finish is degree.

Bradyn's Preschool Graduation

I know that this is something that happened a few months ago, but I didn't have a blog then so I will post it now. Back in May Bradyn graduated from preschool. He went to Churchill High Schools preschool for two years. Though I wasn't happy with a few things about it, he truely loved it. He was always so excited to go to school and always had a great time. He was lucky to be able to go with his cousin Jackson and his very wonderful friends Nolan and Nathan. What a blessing it was for him to have this experience with people he cared so much about. Graduation was a great morning and it was enjoyed by all.

We are here!!!!

For those family and friends who may not know, us Hicks have taken our adventures to the great state of Texas. Have have left all of our wonderful family and great friends behind :( But we know that this was right for us right now. My parents, me and the boys all arrived on Sunday August 5th, while Les and his dad arrived the day before with our truck load of stuff. It was so nice to have everything unloaded before me and the boys arrived.

My dad stayed with us until Tuesday the 7th and then my mom was able to stay with us until Friday the 10th. What a blessing that was to have my parents with us to help us get settled and also for Les' dad to drive down with him the truck. We wouldn't have been able to do it without them. I am going to try to be very good about posting the different adventures we come across in our new home. This is the first time we will be so far from home, so I hope that this blog becomes very useful. Love ya all