Family Pictures

Yes, it is true. After 10 years of marriage Chris and I finally got our family pictures taken. It is a miracle. There's nothing we both hate more (sorry about my language). So here's the result!

Halloween

My girls just left to go trick or treating. I wanted their grandmas and grandpas to see pictures of them so here they are. Emma is a vampire, Ella is tinkerbell and Kate is a lady bug.

This is at the pumpkin patch.

Kate loved to carve pumpkins with us. She tried to cut the pumpkins with a pretend knife and throw crayons into the pumpkins.

Right before it was time to go trick or treating Kate decided to grab "something" out of her diaper and spread it all over her body and crib. What a treat for mom!

Sam the fighter

I had to post this picture of Sam. I can't believe how far this little guy has come! I can't also believe what this boy has gone through to survive. He is such a fighter. When I feel like I am having a bad day I look at him and realize my problems are pretty small.

Soccer, Harp, and Birthdays

I have to be honest, there has not been anything real exciting to blog about in our family. Lately, no news is good news. Our entire family, except for myself and Ella has strep throat this weekend. That is as exciting as it gets. Somehow we always seem to catch what is going around. I am just waiting for my throat to start hurting.

Ella turned four. She could not understand why she couldn't have a friend's birthday party this year. She did get to go to kangaroo zoo, Cheesecake Factory with Stella and Lara, and have a family party. She had a Mermaid cake. She's already planned her next birthday.

Emma had her Book 1 Harp Recital on Sep. 13th. She did such a great job. She practiced so hard to be able to play her songs in front of her family. We were so proud of her. The hardest part was picking the dress. We went to three different stores, and every dress had something wrong with it. My mom started to laugh because I used to be the same way when it came to clothes. That night I called my mom and apologized for every single time I gave her a hard time about clothes. I guess what goes around comes around!

Soccer has ended. I can't believe how busy soccer can make your life. We tried once again to get Ella into soccer. Her favorite part was to run really fast with her arms while smiling at the crowd. We did get one or two kicks out of her this season. It makes me smile, while testing Chris' patience. Emma has found her passion. She loves soccer. She had to play against 3rd graders, which was a challenge. She arose to the challenge. She stuck with them the whole season. For some reason Emma is totally different on the soccer field than at home. She can get smacked in the face with the ball and it doesn't phase her. I wish it could be like this at home:)

Chris' new office finally got started after 9 months of a nightmare. It will be so nice to have it done.

Ella started harp lessons. It has been so much fun, but a challenge for mom to practice with 2 girls. It takes all of my patience to do this. Ella is all about the treats and prizes. A little bribery never hurts!

Kate is now standing and taking 1 step. She still prefers to crawl. She LOVES animals, especially dogs. She calls them boo woo's. I am amazed how many times she can watch Baby Einstein animals and not get sick of it. She went on her first boating trip and amazingly did okay with the suffocating life jacket.

School Has Started!

This week Emma started 1st Grade and Ella started her 2nd of 3 years of pre-school. It has been an emotional week for us all (except for Ella, who was just "dying" to go to pre-school). It has been hard for mom to have Emma gone all day. I miss having her around. Emma is still trying to get used to school lunch and being at school all day. She loves her teachers and having 2 recesses. I've learned that life never stays the same!

Ella and her boyfriend, Boston. They got married the other day.

Emma and her friend showed up in the same outfit.

No Time to Blog

It is crazy how fast time goes by without thinking about blogging. Hailey keeps reminding me that it has been a long time since I've updated my blog. This has been the strangest, hardest, most exhausting summer. Summer is my most favorite time of year, but for some reason I just want it to end and for a new season to come. Chris and I have been just fine, but others around us have had the most trying summers. From Sam being diagnosed with leukemia, my sister Meg having several collapsed lungs and surger, my brother David having surgery on his kidneys, my other brother moving to California, it has flipped our lives upside down. My mom kept saying, nothing else could possibly happen this summer, and then it does! I think we have jinxed ourselves. The thing I've learned from this summer is first, it is family that helps us get through anything; it is the way Heavenly Father reaches out and strengthens us. I've also learned that it is the small and simple things that makes life sweet, and might be the only sweet things to enjoy. I have had a few "sweet moments" the last month that have kept me going. Here they are:

Nothing makes me happier than kids dressing up. These kids always put a smaile on my face.

My dad being with Kate. He is magic with kids.

Another sweet day was one we got to leave the city and drive up Farmington Canyon with our little family. We had such a great time eating subways, making a fire, roasting marshmellows, and just talking. It was one of our favorite memories this summer.
Chris tried to teach Emma how to build a fire.

Emma and Ella are best buddies. Some day they will realize just how lucky they are to have each other.
Pickles are such a blessing. Kate was so fussy this day because of her teeth. The pickle did the trick to sooth her. I've never been so grateful for a pickle!

We went to the county fair. The only thing Ella wanted to do is ride this really fun baby train. You would of thought she had died and gone to heaven!

It was fun to be able to have their cousin, Ethan come with us to the fair. My girls had to dress up like cowgirls. They spent all day finding a cowgirl outfit, even if it meant wearing cowboy boot 2 sizes too small.

Some of our sweetest days are when Emma and I get to go be with Sam. Sam loves Emma. She just sits and plays with him for hours. I think he kind of has a crush on her. It makes Emma feel good.

We went with all our favorite friends for a sleepover at the cabin. They got to make hats, play outside, watch shoes, and of course, not sleep.

Team Sampson

This has been THE summer of all summers. It has been one of the most trying summers in my family's life.

It all started as we found out the terrible, most awful news about our nephew and cousin, Sampson. As he reached his 1 year birthday he was diagnosed with Leukemia. We were all in shock, and devestated to say the least. Somehow he fought his way into this earth, coming 10 weeks early. I remember the summer days last year wondering if he was going to pull through, and of course he did! The months that followed we all fell in love with little Sammers. From his snort to his endless energy, he stole our hearts completely. As the news came, we new he had a new fight to fight, and he would do it, once again, with that sweet, brave spirit that he has always had. It has been a rollercoaster of a ride the last 4 weeks, and our faith has been tried, as well as lessons have been learned. First of all, Sam has the most resilient and amazing spirit. As I saw him in the hospital hooked up to 11 cords (yes 11) and with a fever of over 103, he would look up with his half smile, the kind of smile that said that everything would be okay. No matter what was hooked up to him he would struggle to keep playing and have fun, no matter what the circumstances are. I truly felt the presence of angels surrounding him, and undoubtedly I felt the presence of heaven so near him. It was such an unusual experience to be in; to be in such a place of suffering and pain, yet to feel heaven so close. The second lesson I've learned, comes from Sam's dad, "It is what it is." What incredible words these are. Nick and Hailey are such amazing examples to me. How easy it would have been for them to say, Why me, I can't believe this is happening to me. Instead they have looked to the future, not to the past; excepted the experience that has been given them, and have decided to fight. I will always look to those words as such words of wisdom. The last lesson learned so far... The only place to turn, is up. Heavenly Father and Christ are the only answers. The reoccuring thought keeps coming to me, God is all powerful and all knowing. He has all the power in the univers to help us. And Christ has suffered this experience as well as all experiences so he can succor us. I have felt like it is so important to try to keep a soft heart through all of this, even though it is not easy, then the Savior can bear our burdens. (I didn't want this to turn into a church talk, but my feelings are so on the surface.)

Through this whole experience my family has come together for one reason, and that is to love, support, and try to sustain Hailey, Nick and Sam. Meg formed our newest team, team Sampson. And that is truly what we are.

Meg and I found a UCLA store near the UCLA Hospital. We got all the cousins team hats and shirts. (The store owner loved us:)

The resilient Sam, still determined as ever to play. I knew those baby legs had a purpose!

My dad has been incredible. The day Sam started chemo and was so sick, he kept Sam asleep all day and pulled him through his fever. He definitely has the magic touch.

This is an unusual picture of Sam, holding still. I loved every minute of holding him.

Sam loved to play with his food (not especially eat it). This night we learned that he definitely hates jello!

We love you Sampson!

More Fourth of July

I had to get a picture of Parker since he had fun snapping pictures of me on the boat:) I feel bad that at this moment Ella is getting Parker sick. I also had to get a picture of the the "bomb" that they created.

Special Invitation

I wanted to specially invite my most favorite sister-in-law (on my side of the family), Merilee to join my blog. I would be honored if she will accept my invitation. I am sorry that it has taken me so long. I love you, Merilee!

Fourth of July

This year marked our Family's 10th Fourth of July in Richfield. There is no where in the world like Richfield on the Fourth of July. We were especially excited to go to Richfield because we hadn't seen grandma and grandpa in awhile. They just finished the remodeling of their house, and it looks gorgeous. We started with an annual trip to the lake. Chris and I were itching to go water skiing. It had been way too long. We wanted to prove to ourselves that we are still young (which is getting harder and harder to do). It was hard to follow Parker, Michael, and Kaitlin, but we managed. This was the first time ever I was able to get up on a wake board (pretty sad). The girls had a blast tubing. Ella wouldn't get off the tube. The next day we started with Emma's 1 mile run. She did awesome, even with a side ache that "hurt so bad". We are proud of her for even trying. She crossed the finish line with her cousin, David. Chris and I tried to do the 5K. I still don't understand how I can run 3 to 4 times a week and Chris runs 3 to 4 times a year and he kills me. I don't get it. I was determined to stay with him. We finished in our record time, which I'd rather not publish:) We rushed to the parade, which was once again filled with lots and lots of candy and advertisements. The kids still love it. We did our annual Christensen shoe shopping (thanks to Tristan). Lara and I are always faced with the problem of finding our size. It pays to have small feet. Our fireworks were pretty grand (no thanks to my whippy fireworks). The brothers, I mean little boys, tried to blow things up again, not to much avail. We tried our snakes again, which Ella loved. I still can't get over how huge the fireworks are in Richfield. you can sit on your front porch and see a real firework show on every street. Unfortuneately we all got the flu the next day, which we are still trying to get over. Ella still thinks that the fireworks made her sick. Some of our greatest memories as a family happen in the small town of Richfield!

I had to post this picture of Ella. I had to see her usual smile today because I have not seen it in five days. She has been "house ridden" for4 days now because of the flu. Her eyes have looked so sick this week. I have missed the mischevious, "I want to have fun" eyes that we see each day. She can't understand why she can't sneak out and go play with Mason or why she can't giggle in Kate's face. I have come to realize how much her smile means to me, and how her love of life keeps me going, not matter how I feel. I hope that tomorrow will bring back more "Ella smiles". (Tonight Ella prayed for everyone she could think of that is sick, but somehow she forgot to bless that she would get better. Kids are the best!)