Swimming

A few months ago we started swim lessons. Thank you Kay! The first day Riley hopped right in the pool and was excited to learn. Today, the second to last swim lesson was a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT STORY. I don't know why he can't just go with the flow ~ It's swimming how much more fun can you get ~ but today Mr. Riley really tried my pateince. Kay and I have no idea what set him off, and I'm so sad it happed, but he melted. Not just a little whimper here and there I mean a complete and utter kicking and screaming melt down. All he would say was he was tired so I got him out of the pool, brought him home, bathed him, and put him to bed.

The blogs I read are covered in stories of happiness, good times, excitement... :( today I just want to cry. Do you blog about that? I guess today I am. I know it's just swim lessons but I guess I am looking at a bigger picture. The picture of parents only wanting whats best for their kids, sacrificing money and time to give them something more. The kids not wanting to listen and making their own decisions and who knows maybe years later resenting the parents for not giving/doing more. If only they (we) knew...

I'm grateful Riley has had this opportunity and I will absolutely continue to work with with him and help him to see that being able to swim is a blessing and that it's also just so much fun!

Ok, ok you mom's with older swimming kids stop laughing at me. Today this was my trial so let me have it! LOL.

**Pics from the first swim lesson**

Christmas 2008

I promised to Blog so I went the posts I had already started and figured I might as well start somewhere so Christmas 2008 it is. As raw as it is here are some pics from Christmas in CA and then a trip that Riley, Sean, Karlie, my mom and I took to San Francisco.


Ghiradelli at night.







Sean, Riley and I on the trolley.

Karlie on BART.

Just a little shout out to the Gap. Thank you for being so nice to us nursing moms. They were so great to open up this special fitting room in the maternity section so I could nurse Karlie. THEY WERE SO NICE! Thank you.



Riley...on the trolley. I'm sure you never would have figured this one out.

Sean and Karlie on BART.

DARN CUTE KIDS!!! Sadly no new location...BART.

What a good uncle. Let him have it Ri.

Would you believe...still on BART.

*sigh* I have no new words but couldn't resist the faces.

Headed to Church. The good old days when Karlie would keep her bows in.

LEAVES. I love leaves. Real leaves, the kind that fall off the trees during Fall (or winter in CA) and make fun piles to jump in. Riley obviously likes them too. Thanks papa Kevin for doing all the raking.

Nothing better than cousin time. Maddie, George, and Riley hanging in the hot tub with Grandma Jo.

George. So Sweet! LOVE HIS LASHES.

Papa Kevin. Always a good sport. Thanks for walking Riley around the court on his new scooter.

Maddie. The first cousin on my side and the best friend and example a kid could ever want. Thank you Maddie for always making time spent together enjoyable.

Some Christmas pictures.

Maddie and Karlie. The oldest and youngest cousins (as of now ~ Nate and Sean's kids will change that). GIRLS RULE!

Christmas Eve in our penguin PJs.

On the plane actually going to CA.

Bad mom moment. I can't remember, I don't think it is, if this is Karlie's first flight or not. It's a good thing it's documented just in case.

Thank Heaven For Little Boys...and Girls

“Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by [a woman].”
President McKay

Sometimes I'm not sure I feel this way. However, today...today was such a great day. We were sitting in sacrament meeting listening to all the kids bare their testimonies. Riley heard someone say they loved their mom and dad. He looked at me and said, "Hey. I love my mom and dad!" I said, "you do?" He said, "Yeah. I need to go say that up there." So he and Lyn went up to the pulpit. I thought for sure he would chicken out...HE DIDN'T. My little boy, who at times makes me question my sanity, touched my heart in a way I didn't know possible. I always hope and pray Lyn and I are doing what is best for our kids...who knows if we are but today just making sure Riley was at church to hear the other testimonies, and feel the spirit, and of course bare his own for the very first time is something, and we'll take it.

I'm so happy to be a mom!

Happy New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

The Gibsons have just returned from a week and a half in California celebrating Christmas and the New Year!

We had a great time and are happy/sad to be home. I'll post more about our adventure later.

Stacie and Jo Lynn celebrating 2009.

Kevin, Sean and Cheyenne with the poppers.

Riley! He just couldn't last, this is him @ 11:45.

Stacie and Sean.

Sean and "Nate."

The story goes like this. Every year we do matching pajamas for Christmas which is one of my favorite traditions that we've done for as long as I can remember. This year with Nathan serving his mission in the Californians equivalent of the Arctic, Minneapolis, Minnesota, my mom themed everything around PENGUINS since they live in the cold. The picture of Sean and the penguin is the character we had this year to stand in as uncle Nate. My mom...pretty creative. It was great to have "Uncle Nate" with us this holiday season.

This is a picture of Mom and Kevin with the grandkids...in the matching pajamas.

Wishing You and Yours

A Very Merry Christmas

For my Mom

Mom, yesterday we had a conversation about you not knowing how to look at my blog. Hopefully you figured it out because here is your granddaughter wearing my dress, yes the pink dress that I wore as a baby. This actually isn't the first time she wore it but it very well may be the last so I figured I would get a picture for you.

I love you!

Memory Card Dump

So much time has passed...here are a few things that have been happening in our neck of the woods.

The Air Show ~ 11/8/08 (I think)

Lyn and Riley in front of an F16 Falcon


Lyn and Riley in front of a WWII Bi-plane.

Riley in front of one of the 32 landing gears on a C5.

Riley and Jack in front of part of the fire suppression system on a C5.

**Thanks Papa family for letting us know about the air show, the boys had a great time!**