Happy 6th Birthday, Jackson!! (Happy New Year, too!)

Jackson had a great birthday! 

(Since his birthday falls on a holiday and in the middle of friends' vacations and travels, we usually have a "friend party" the weekend after his actual birth day. However, this year he has to wait a few extra weeks because his Aunt Megan is getting married.) 

Aunt Heather and Uncle Steven were visiting from the east coast and his friend, Weston came over to play for most of the day. He requested waffles for breakfast and the train restaurant for lunch... then pizza for dinner and confetti cupcakes for dessert. Grandmas and cousins sent gifts and he had fun opening them throughout the day again this year.

Happy Birthday, Bud! We are so grateful that you are part of our family and for the example you set in our family. I love your desire to learn and to understand Heavenly Father's plan. Daddy & I are so proud of you. We love you, Jackson!

That night we went up to the church gym to hang out with the youth at their new years eve party. The kids had so much fun and loved being with a few friends their age and a whole bunch of big kids. There were two bounce houses set up, in addition to games and karaoke.

McKenna, Kate, Lucy, Jackson

At about 10:30pm, I heard Jackson from inside one of the bounce houses. It wasn't a normal cry. It was a panicked, scared/hurt cry. Normally, I wait for them to come to me because we often have dramatic tears and not serious tears. But this cry was different. He was holding his arm and wouldn't calm down. Long story a little shorter, I was so grateful Heather and Steven were here, so we could drop them and the two girls at home to get into bed... while we took Jackson to Dr. Richards house.

Dr. Richards is also Brother Richards in our ward (top notch guy!) who works at the ER, but wasn't working that night. I called to see if he would look at it to possibly avoid the drama of the ER. After a good look at Jackson's already swollen arm/elbow, he apologetically sent us to the hospital.

They took an x-ray of Jackson's arm and found nothing. He was asleep on the hospital bed when we finally signed release forms and were on our way back home around 1:15am. {Story to be continued...}

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

 Our Christmas was perfect! Just being together as a family. It doesn't get much better than that. The kids loved their new gifts too.

 They woke up about 7:30am (which is early for them these days) and we took the traditional picture before going out to the family room. These pictures are always so funny. Everyone is excited, but still trying to wake up.

 The kids drew each other's names and exchanged gifts. That was one of the best parts of the morning, for me.

 And there were lots of fun gifts from Grandma's and Grandpa's.

 My Grandma Schwitters made these cute princess nightgowns for all of the little girls. I can't imagine how long that must have taken... there are a lot of girls! And our girls LOVED them!

 ...more fun presents and enjoying our time together with Daddy!

 Lucy was lucky enough to get her own Leap Pad this year, so now they all have their own. These are especially valuable on car trips.

 I always cringe watching them eat chocolate in the morning. They didn't get much candy this year for that very reason. Sadly, Lucy ended up finding and eating ALL of the candy in each stocking, so Jackson and Kate were left with none. It was kind of funny to Parker and I. Only a little funny to Jackson and Katie.

 More sibling gift exchanges. They did such a good job shopping for each other at the store!

 These scooters from Grandma and Grandpa were a huge hit!

The rest of the day was spent playing and reading and cooking and eating and remembering the reason we were celebrating in the first place. It was an awesome, relaxing family day! The perfect Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!

We had a wonderful Christmas! I enjoy being able to relax and be together for the whole day, just us, on Christmas. But this year, I think I may have looked forward to Christmas day even more, as Daddy has become very busy with his Church responsibilities. He was given Monday off (sometimes it does pay to be a federal employee) and obviously Christmas day. He decided to take Dec. 26th off as well and just be at home. What a fabulous few days it has been! Besides being together, my second favorite part of this time is how little the phone rings. So nice! I'm so grateful for Christmas and for this time of year. I will post pictures and more details of our holiday later. I'm off to bed now.

{ Christmas Card & Letter 2012 }

(Due to our printer breaking down just before it was time to print the Christmas letter, this is the only place you will see it. And due to a lack of time and my determination not to pay 45 cents per stamp to deliver in town, some of our dear friends have yet to receive our Christmas card. Even those who did receive the Christmas card --which takes forever because I have to take the pictures, edit them, design the Christmas card, etc, etc, etc-- Costco did a poor job of printing it. The final outcome did not reflect the "preview" on the computer screen. This is how the border should have printed. I apologize. Even as a novice, I'm pleased with how it turned out. Life happens and I am proud of myself for accomplishing as much as I did, with everything we had to keep up with, especially during this busy time of year. We love you all!)

 
Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas!!

We have had an incredibly busy, productive and delightful year full of family, friends and fun.

Here are a few Ussery Family updates:

Lucy (2 years, 10 mos) is still sweet, spunky and LOUD. She is a busy bee trying to keep up with Jackson and Kate. Lucy talks non-stop (apparently, it’s hereditary). She wants nothing more than to be “big” like her big brother and sister—she absolutely adores them! Lucy is a fast learner, already memorizing songs and scripture verses. She loves to sing, dance, read, read, read, do gymnastics, sign language, color & write, and to tell jokes – anything to make someone laugh. She loves her Nursery class at Church! Lucy is a very smiley and very snuggly little girl—love that in the mornings!! It’s weird to think our baby will soon be three!

Kate (4 years, 4 mos) is sweet as pie and will randomly tell us (or any family member) how much she loves us, usually with accompanying affection. Kate continues to be passionate in all that she does or feels. This is usually a positive thing. Kate still LOVES pink, babies, dolls, small animals and anything soft or cuddly. She has a fantastic imagination and is a pro at recruiting her brother and sister to play along. She is our little bookworm, spending lots of time in front of the bookshelf with piles and piles of books. This little preschooler is very bright, learning everything with little effort. Kate is also compassionate, taking care of those in need in our home. 

Jackson (6 years old – Dec. 31) is the world’s greatest big brother! He is also our kindergartner and is diligent in completing his schoolwork—especially math. He is extremely inquisitive about everything and loves to learn, becoming a stronger reader every day. Jackson played soccer and t-ball this past year and excelled in both. He is such a helper and loves to contribute to any project around the house or in the yard, especially if it means being a special helper to Mommy or Daddy. He is the first to help tidy up, cleans his room like a champ and makes his bed like no kid I’ve seen. Jackson prefers to be outside and loves sports, cars, puzzles, legos, reading, sprinting, wrestling, and riding his bike. He is Daddy’s shadow, but also a Mama’s boy. He may love Christmas decorations and traditions even more than Dad does. Jackson is witty, fun, silly and sweet.

Parker (29) just celebrated another birthday. He excels in everything he does, giving 110%. Parker is an attentive and affectionate husband and father. He continues to actively serve at church, now serving as the Bishop of our Ward. I think of him of “the rookie”. He is still enjoying his job and the great people he works with. He has accomplished so much this year. We are very proud of him and the incredible balancing act that he performs.  

Brooklynn (30) works hard to be a doting wife and mother. With a little bigger gap between children this time, I am finally finding some time to develop forgotten talents and hobbies, including playing the piano, photography and creative cooking. I am still serving in the Primary presidency at church and just love working with so many great friends! I still prefer to do anything with my sweet husband and adorable children.

Our Christmas letter has often highlighted a new addition to our growing family or announced a soon-to-be new addition. This year is no exception. Baby Girl is scheduled to arrive May 2nd and all 5 of us are just delighted and thrilled to meet our tiny little angel. It has been such a fun experience for Parker and I to see and hear the kids' excitement and curiosity with this new baby. 

We are so grateful for our Savior and for this time of year when it seems so much easier to focus on and remember Him daily. We are grateful for His Life, His Atonement, and His Resurrection that enables us to be a Forever Family and to return to live with our Heavenly Father someday. We are grateful for opportunities to serve and to serve with so many wonderful people. We are also grateful for family and friends who have influenced our lives for good—we count you as some of our greatest blessings!

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

Love, The Ussery Family 
Parker, Brooklynn, Jackson, Kate & Lucy (…and Baby Girl, in May)

She's a GIRL!!

We are so excited to know so we can plan... for example, time to brainstorm Baby's name (girls are so difficult for me/us!!) The kids were all convinced it was a boy because that would even the numbers in our family (3 boys + 3 girls). When the technician pointed out what we were seeing on the screen (always a little more difficult to decipher when it's a girl because there's not much to detect), Jackson let out a little groan. The girls were thrilled, especially Kate. After some thought, Jackson told us it was okay for this baby to be a girl. But the next 2 babies have to be boys. We were trying our best not to laugh at his innocent thought process. I just told him, we'll see what we can do about that.

So, now we know! Baby #4, Girl #3 should be arriving within days of May 2nd. She looked perfect on the ultrasound and measured just right. So, about 19 more weeks and we'll officially be a family of 6!

Picture time (again)

We needed some pictures for our Christmas cards... I was pretty sure we didn't have a single picture that would be suitable by the time we finished our little adventure in the backyard. The more kids we add and the more active they become, the more difficult it is to get a good picture of everyone at the same time. I wish I knew how to use photoshop to move people around or swap heads on someone. Seriously, it would be amazing. I could have created such a GREAT family picture with our results.

All in all, not too bad. Considering we're in our backyard, during lunchtime, and these are taken using a tripod and camera remote, I think we did okay.

The kids were being sweet and silly... I love this picture! It totally describes their relationship!

Jackson - our (almost) 6 year old!

Kate - 4 1/2

Lucy - 2 5/6 years old   ;-)

The Three Muskateers

(I designed and created our Christmas cards and sent them off to Costco. We're going to the Temple on Saturday and will pick them up while we're in Boise. So, they should be in the mail early next week. Hopefully, everyone gets them BEFORE Christmas.)

Happy 29th Birthday, DADDY!!

 We celebrated Parker's birthday before he ran off to his evening meetings. I am so grateful for my sweet husband, who gives more of himself than I even think possible. He works so hard at home, at church, at work (and at play, when he has the chance). We have had some really sweet and tender moments lately as a family. I love the times when we are all together, just the 5 of us. Parker requests enchiladas every year for his birthday, so that's what we had. (I made mexican rice too... that was yummy!) And his favorite, sprinkle/confetti cupcakes. I love that the kids were able to sign their own names on his card!

Happy Birthday, Daddy! We love you to the moon and back!!