Happy Highlights

As I wrote in the comments of my last post, I usually only put things that make me happy on my blog since I have to dwell on the more unpleasant parts of life all the rest of the time. So here is an update on new things happening with each of us here at the Ross house.

Brett

• Brett is in the final stages before he graduates from BSU; which should have happened last Spring but BSU sucks and I'm so glad I never have to work with them again! But I shouldn't have written that because that goes under the category of "things that are unpleasant." I'm so proud of him. He has always provided for all our needs and many of our wants, worked 10 hour work days, gone to school, and still comes home happy, energetic and ready to play! His amazing optimism is contagious, you can't help but feel happy just being around him. Once he bags his final A, we'll be taking pictures of him decked out in his graduation robes.

Cheri

• I recently acquired a poor little orphaned hatchling ducky who now lives with us in a bin with a heat lamp. We are imprinting and will be getting the little he/she/it ready to go back into the wild. Pictures will come. I'm such a sucker for cuteness!
• I also am getting ready to take a few classes each semester at the Collage of Western Idaho. I'm really looking forward to it and hope to get my Associates of Science in biology by the time Tyler starts kindergarten. Slow but steady.
• I've also got 11 pounds to go until I hit my pre-Tyler weight. I love my classes at the gym and I'm now able to run four 9-10 minute miles. I'm rather proud of that so don't make fun of me for being slow.
• I'm also running in the Susan G. Koman race on May 8th. A friend from my ward at church is a survivor and is getting a team together so I said I would join in. It should be fun and if you want to donate to our team, HERE is the link. Thanks Mom and Dad and Grandma for your help!

Ethan

• We just had his parent/teacher conference. He got all A's! His teacher says that his handwriting is the best in the class and that he's at the top of the 1st grade for reading! I couldn't be more pleased with him.
• Oh, he also just lost his top front tooth and has almost lost the other one. He's so cute, but kids teeth make me want to vomit.
• I give him $25 for all A's. I'm not going to debate whether this is good or bad, it's just what I do. He got to pay tithing for the first time and it was so cool! He kept his tithing receipt. He also kept almost all his money from his last report card and it's been in his room in his wallet since then. He spent $1 on a bouncy ball and just spent another $8 on a paper airplane folding book at his school's book fair. So cute!

Lauren

• Lauren is getting so big! Figuratively that is, I don't know that she's grown physically at all for the last year. She's tiny! But she is reading all Ethan's Kindergarten books, and we just started into a couple of his 1st grade books. I can't believe how well she's doing. One of her favorite things to do while we drive is go through the alphabet and figure out words that start and end with the different letters.
• Next month I get to sign her up for kindergarten, and I can't believe it's already here! She's ready though. Every day she asks me how many more months until she gets to start school.
• Other Lauren news is that she achieved 40 stars on her chore chart for the week and got to pick a special activity. She chose to go to The Princess and the Frog at the dollar theatre with me. We now own it because it is so cute! I loved it! A bit dark in parts, but still, loved it. I'm not an anti-Disney princess nazi, haha. Admittedly they are a bit annoying, but if my baby girls love them, I don't care.

Lily

• Lily has learned all her shapes, draws adorable little circles and we are working on colors. She loves to sort shapes and is getting quite organized. She also counts to 10 now and it's the cutest thing ever.
• She is such a funny eater. My dad says he loves to watch her eat because she is so particular. Not about what she's eating, but how she eats it. She really is quite meticulous for a 2 year old and hates to get food on herself. Except for those times when ALL she wants to do is get all her food on her. But that's more because she isn't hungry and wants to play.
• Lily is very musical. She is always singing little songs from church or movies. It isn't uncommon for her to suddenly break out in a rendition of "Super Trouper." The really cute part is she is only a two year old baby so her words are adorable. If you're not me, you probably can't understand what's she's saying very well, but the tune is unmistakable. I think that she must just walk around all day with little songs in her head. I love when she decides to share.
• She has picked up on my disdain for our little rat dog Tukey. She commonly yells out, "Get down, Tukey!" whenever Tuke jumps up on the couch by her. I find this amusing every single time it happens.

Tyler

• Tyler makes me happy just thinking about him. Next week on Ethan's birthday he will turn 6 months old exactly. I think it's awesome that my boys are exactly 6 months apart. And according to Ethan, they are the best buddies ever.
• He is crawling! I'm both super excited and horribly upset by this. It rips my heart out a bit every time I see him crawl. I really can't stand the thought of him growing up!
• The most common remark I get about him is how how happy and content he is. The ladies in Relief Society say he's a pleasure to have in there because he's so quiet and smiley all the time.
• He's a nursing champ, doing his part to help Mommy loose her muffin top forever!

Tuke

• is annoying. That's about it.

Slick the duck

• Got a name just because Brett said we couldn't name it.