Goals from 2010 and Goals for 2011

One of my big goals of 2010 was to do at least one race a month up to the St. George Marathon in October. I did accomplish my goal and I got Kade to do many of them with me, which is way more fun than doing it alone.

January:
*Painter's Half Marathon, (Kelli) 13.1 miles.
February:
*Tuacahn Duathlon.
Kade's Sprint: 1.5 mile run, 12 mile bike & 1.5 mile run
Kelli's Olympic: 5 K run, 24 mile bike & 5 K run
March:
*Lake to Lake Team Relay
Kelli's distance running: 10.91 miles
Kade's distance driving: 50 miles
*Spectrum 10K (Kelli unofficially ran it.)
April:
*SHAC Triathlon
Kelli's Sprint: 400 m swim, 10 mile bike, 5 K run
*Hurricane Half Marathon (Kelli) 13.1 miles
May:
*Hell Hole 5K/10K in Washington
Kade - 5K
Kelli - 10K with two of the kids in the bike trailer.
June:
*Tour de Cure
Kade - 35 mile bike ride
Kelli - 100 mile bike ride
July:
*Carnival Cruise Half Marathon (unofficial)
Kelli - 13.2 mile run
August:
*Pine Valley 5K/15 Miler
Kade - 5K
Kelli - 15 Miler
*A heck of a lot of other 15 milers every weekend to train for the St. George Marathon. (What happened to MODERATION in all things? Oh, I am learning about the Word of Wisdom, a Marathon may be against the Word of Wisdom for me.)
September:
*Cedar Canyon Half Marathon
Kelli - ahhhhhh, the St. George Marathon is in two weeks!
October
*St. George MARATHON!!!!!!!
Kelli - 26.2 miles in 5:06.57 Hooray!
November
*Snow Canyon Half Marathon
Kelli - 13.1 miles


Goals for 2011:
I won't be paying to run a race each month this year, it is just too expensive. I will do the St. George Marathon with my brothers again. I will still run regularly and the goal is to be healthy and not get hurt. I have decided that being healthy and enjoying it is the most important so I can do what I want when I want with my body and have a lot of fun! That means I could go on a big bike ride or go hiking or play tag with my kids and just enjoy being healthy. Sleep is key for me now. I'm not sure if it is because I am almost 32, or if it is stress from work, but I am more dysfunctional without sleep, more so than any other time in my life.
So, I must get a good amount of sleep, exercise - both cardio and weight bearing, and eat healthy food, not just give it to my family.
I do want to write another Murder Mystery Dinner - Renaissance theme. I want to make another memory book for our family from this blog, and digitize all the other scrapbooks that I have done.
I want to have us go camping a lot and do lots of biking and hiking and just enjoy and love being outdoors. I don't want to be toooooooo busy though. We need days that are occationally not planned that we can recuperate from our busy lives. With camping I would love to visit the Grand Escalante Staircase with the Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce Canyon. Maybe we can get going on that with the Grand Canyon in Spring Break, we will see.
I also want to enjoy my children and my hubby more, just going on dates and taking time to remind them often of how special they are and how much I love them and having them in my life.
I am enjoying black hair because of my fair skin, but wouldn't mind going lighter in the spring. The reason for the black hair is because of our little 4 1/2 year old Kya. She and I have really had some terrible struggles for a few years now, but the day Kade dyed my hair dark her attitude toward me changed. She said I looked beautiful, like Snow White and we have not had any big fights since then and that was almost 3 months ago. If dark hair is what is needed to have peace between us then I will have dark hair forever. I have a feeling though, that she may be growing up enough that I might be accepted as just being me, and not Snow White. We will see in the spring.
Kade wants to get his truck finished and paint all the cars again this year. We will do the Tour de Cure again in June. I think he would like to do more things with his brothers and with his Uncle (although he is more like a brother) Ryan Rasmusson. Kade also wants to stay healthy. We both want to increase our savings and enjoy each other as much as possible.

For further on in the future we would love, someday, to take all our kids to somewhere in Central or South America on a service trip. This will be when all the kids can speak Spanish and we would go do a service project in a Spanish speaking country and our kids will get to see real poverty, real needs, and what life is like where people are not nearly as privelaged as we are here. Kade and I feel that an experience like that will help our children appreciate all the wonderful things we have here. We don't have the very best of all, but we have it so good and we have so much. We would really like our kids to apprciate that and we feel that will change their perspective of life as they become adults and make their priorities for their lives and their own families. Of course I would love all my kids to get to serve a mission, but that may not be their choice. Experiences like a service trip would give them great learning and growing experiences as they see the world and give of themselves in service and maybe even sharing the gospel. So much of life is learning by experience and doing. This would be a wonderful family adventure! Adventure is out there! Let's get busy having our adventures!

Kerchek - our new puppy!

For Christmas we gave the kids a new puppy. Kolden is just crazy in love with dogs and puppies and is so inamored by them that we decided it was time to go ahead and get a dog. We did some research and decided we would want a miniture weener dog. I went to the skin doctor and the esthetician lazering my facial hair said her X-mom-in-law breeds them and sells them. She happened to have one extra that didn't sell and she was going to be having surgery and wanted to get him sold. We got her number and called her up to see the dog. On our way to go see the dog we decided to just check by Sue's Pet Castle to see some of the little dogs there. It gave us some ideas of what we wanted to be looking for in our dog.
We got to the lady's home and as soon as she opened the door and we saw this little red haired miniture weener dog Kade fell madly in love and so did Kolden. He was very cute and we soon realized we had surprizingly found our dog.
We left him there that night so we could buy a kenel and dog food. We bought the puppy for $150.00. We showed him to our kids and they were overjoyed to get to have our own dog! We named him Kerchek - like the dad Gorilla on Tarzan. Our Kerchek is not big or fierce, but he does protect the kids. If anyone gets near them while they are sleeping he will growl at them. Kerchek love the kids and I think he thinks I am his momma and Kade is his daddy. He sleeps in either Kiera or Kya's bed at night and they love it.
It is hard to have a new puppy because he is having trouble potty training. Great things have come from having our puppy though. Kolden runs now. He will run and play with the puppy. They tease each other and run around throwing and fetching balls. Kolden with get laughing fits while playing with the dog.
Kiera finally started pooping in the potty. She has never pooped in the potty and then she started helping to clean up after Kerchek's poop messes and she started pooping in the potty for herself and has done so ever since. It is great!
Ther are some frustrations with our little Kerchek, like him chewing up shoes and my bra, but we are having to keep the house picked up better so the dog can't get our stuff and ruin it. We love his companionship and will be excited for him to get to join us camping this spring and summer. Welcome to the family Kerchek!

Christmas Photos

This was our Christmas p.j. photo. We were ready for Christmas Eve. Our kids are so darn cute. I love it!
This was our Christmas Letter:
Merry Christmas to all our family and friends! We hope you have had a wonderful 2010. *I love getting Christmas cards from family and friends so we can put your family pictures up on our fridge to enjoy all year long! This is what has happened for us this year…
KADE: He finished a big truck project in the spring and when he has a spare moment he is now working on his own truck that he has named, Fuego (fire). Kade is always making new custom ideas for our cars and it is fun to see his creativity. He will complete ten years working at the Wal-Mart D.C. in February. Kade has done a lot of work with our camper this year and we have really enjoyed many camping adventures. We take our bikes with us and enjoy a ride to help stay healthy. Kade is awesome at taking care of the kids in the day, driving in Kari’s elementary carpool, Kya’s Preschool carpool and taking the girls to dance. He tries to take all the kids and Kelli individually on a date each month.
KELLI: I accomplished my goal of running a big race each month, including a 100 mile bike race and finally the St. George Marathon. I did physical things I never thought I could do and it was a great experience. I also wrote another Murder Mystery Dinner about the Civil War and we had a blast playing it with many family and friends. The costumes were so much fun to wear! I got behind on the blog since the middle of October because work became crazy with new extra responsibilities. I am back to my focus on trying to become balanced in life. I am still loving my adult tap class I am taking this school year, but my most favorite thing is to go on adventures with my family! Kade is my favorite person to be with and our kids are very entertaining. I am so blessed!
KARINYA: She is loving First Grade at Dixie Sun Elementary and her Spanish is improving all the time. I love her accent, it is so pretty! She won reflections again this year in dance performance. Kari is taking a Musical Theatre class and she is such a ham in it! The girls all just had their Christmas Dance Recital and it was so much fun to see how they have progressed. Kari is very talented and seems to love dance. She is taking more responsibility at home and tries to help with the cooking. She is our Jell-o Chef!
KYANDRA: She is having a ball in her second year at Watch Me Grow Preschool. She is trying so hard to read and be like Kari. Kya is great with her colors and numbers. Kya is the little Mama of the house, always trying to take care of everyone, especially her little brother. Kya is definitely the fashionista of the family and gives her two bits about your clothes and hair. She changes her clothes and re-does her hair many times a day. Kya is the residing artist of the family and is drawing, coloring or painting in any spare moment she has.
KIERANA: Hooray! Kiera is finally completely potty trained and has become quite the little lady since then. Kiera is our Nightengale. She is humming or singing all through the house and in the car. She is so excited to be in a children’s choir with her sisters for Christmas. She can’t wait to start Primary next month! Kiera aspires to be like her big sisters and be the best big sister she can be for Kolden. Kierana is also a very enthusiastic dancer and practices tap with me all the time. Kiera loves to have friends over with her sisters for dress-up tea parties.
KOLDEN: He is very busy being a boy. Kolden is such a darling boy full of loves and kisses! He has charmed me and I enjoy him being a mama’s boy. Kolden loves anything to do with a ‘vroom-vroom’, ball, tool of any kind and the puppy. Our Christmas present this year is a new miniature wiener dog named Kerchek. Our puppy is like Kolden’s brother because they tease each other with balls and chase each other. Kolden is learning new words all the time and is in the garage as much as possible with Kade. It is so fun to watch Kade and Kolden together!
We wish you the very best this Christmas season and in the coming new year of 2011! I hope you get to enjoy the simple joys of life as we celebrate our Savior’s birth! May God bless you all! With love, The Cheesman’s.

All of the Cheesman's that could went to the Visitor Center. It was wonderful to be there and for the kids to see the baby Jesus and Nativity as well as the Christus. The feeling at the temple is so wonderful.

Christmas Eve we had our traditional Shephard's dinner and I found a Nativity script that was kid friendly. The kids such a cute job playing the different parts of the Nativity.

Kolden must be the cuttest little Wiseman ever. He will pose with that darling cheesey smile all the time lately and we love it! He is such a charming boy!

Grandma Creta bought cute Santa outfits for the little grandkids. Kolden and Livy look so cute in their outfits. I like thie photo because they are looking at each other.

Livy smiles and Kole is a bit distracted.

There is Kolden's charming smile!

We had a bit too much good cheer and Kolden needs a nap.

It was a lovely Christmas! Santa brought the girls pillow pets, as they so politely asked him. He also brought Kolden some cars.

The best Christmas present for me was that my sister, Karla, got her endowments out and all of my siblings and my mom were finally together in the temple. My dad, Sid, was there and we all felt his presence. I loved it! That is how is should be - we are an eternal family! I was surprised because I did not feel as complete as I thought I would, we were missing a few people, like Karla's husband Sam and whoever Chad finds to marry. My heart cannot describe the immense joy I felt with my family together in the temple.

To add to my joy, the following Tuesday my brother Clint married his sweetheart Kathryn in the Temple. I think it was my favorite wedding since my own. The spirit was so strong during the ceremony and I couldn't help but cry out of joy. I know our dad is so proud of Clint and his new Eternal Family, just like we are. I could feel so much love in the room, like from all our grandparents that have passed on. It was so special! When you looked at Clint and Kathryn you could see how happy they are and that they will be so good to each other. I couldn't be happier for them!

Just so I remember them, some of the things the Sealer said were that if we want our children to end up going to the temple and to be married in the temple then we must set the example of going to the temple often. Make it priority that they see. We should take them with us to the Temple, to the Visitor Center, to read scriptures on the Temple grounds and let them feel the spirit at the Temple. I think this is so important to me because I have waited to feel the reality of my Eternal Family ever since my father died. When he died I gained a much stronger testimony of Eternal Families and I know that someday we will be together forever. On my mission I taught and testified of this and looked forward to feeling my family together again. In the Temple when my sister got her endowments out and at my brother's sealing I felt what I had been waiting so long to feel. It was no long just having faith that my family would be together again, but knowing and feeling and experiencing us together so literally that it was nearly as good as my father physically being there, in my opinion. Our physical bodies truly just a vessel for our spirits to be housed in during this life. Our spirits were reunited in the Temple and that is just the best feeling! I must do all I can to help my children get to the Temple so my little family can experience that too someday in the future when the time is right.

Another thing I remember his saying is how to remember our temple covenants when we take the sacrament each Sunday by the markings in the G's. I won't go into detail on this, I think just writing that down will help me remember and if I need more remembering I can just listen to what is instructed at the veil.

Oh, we are SO blessed to have the Temple close and to get to remember and experience those special things that occur at the Temple. It is another testament of God's love for us, His children. I am so grateful, my heart just cannot put it into words, my heart is so full. This is a part of my testimony and I share it in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Kari's Christmas Music Concert

This was Kari's 1st grade Christmas music concert. We have been practicing many songs, especially the Spanish ones at home. Kari knows the words well and does a good job. The concert was during school so I didn't get to go, but Kade did with the other kids and Grandma Beth also went to watch and support. Kari did a great job. Kya can hardly wait to join Kari at Dixie Sun next year.

All three of the girls were in the Choir at Church singing a kid's solo. They also sang with the Primary and did a great job. We have such sweet song birds.

Christmas Dance Recital

We have been anticipating the Christmas Dance Recital for months now. We have changed dance studios and we now go to "Desert Edge Dance". I love it because the girls get to particpate in 3 dances (jazz, tap and ballet) to show off their skills. Thier costumes are interchangable for the three different dances. Kari is in a fourth dance because she takes an extra Musical Theatre class and she does a great job! She is a very animated girls and it is very enjoyable to watch.

I love watching all the girls practice and take such pride in their dancing and performances. It really has helped all of them in their grace, discipline and confidence. Dance is so worth it just for that!

Kya and Kiera are in the same dance class this year with cousin Hallie. They are such cute girls. Kiera tries so hard and is constantly practicing her "toe touch". She does it quite well. Kya is more relaxed about it, but loves it too!

It is scary how good Kari is. She is the best in her class in musicality and execution of the dance moves. She does her steps at the right time and with gusto. She is really good and seems to just take it in stride. I rather marvel at how good she is and wonder how she became so good! When she does her long reaches and toe touches she looks like her legs are gracefully a mile long. It is beautiful.

Kolden wanted to be part of the action with the girls. Grandma Beth, Grandma Creta, Grandpa Brian, Ryan, Jenn, Shaye and Braxton all came down to watch. We appreciate their love and support. Karla, Sam and his kids came and watched them dance at the Dicken's Festival the week before.

We love watching our girls dance! We can hardly wait until the next recital in the spring. I am taking an adult tap class and love it. All us girls get our tap shoes on and have 'tap time'. Kolden tries to tap along with us and it is so fun!

Our first real Gingerbread House

We have never had a real Gingerbread house before. I got a kit from the Bountiful Baskets and we decided to try it. The kids took turns putting icing on it and they each had a side of the house to decorate with glutinous candy. You can see from the pictures that we had fun!

What is the purpose of a Gingerbread House? Some may say so you can look at it all Christmas season long and enjoy how pretty it is. At our house it is to EAT! Less than 2 minutes after we agreed we were all done decorating the kids started eating it. The actual ginerbread house - the cookie was my personal favorite. It was completely gone in 4 days. Happy Holidays!

The Rosenbruch Museum and Kari's Pixie Hair

We had an adventure going to the Rosenbruch Museum. We went with Grandma Beth, Chad, Sam and his kids Nicole, Daniel and Clark.

We learned how taxadermy is done and what it takes to create this form of art.

It was cool to see the biodiversity they have placed in this unique museum.

Kolden looks really cool in his hat with his binoculers and ready to investigate different animals.

We had a good time and learned a lot at the Rosenbruch Museum. We will probably go back again sometime.

So - for the 3rd time this year Kari has cut her own hair! She put her hair in a pony tail and cut off anything that wasn't in the pony tail. She had quite the mullet. Kandice Cluff came to the rescue again and did her best to fix the catastrophy. Now Kari is sporting a pixie hair due. Many people tell her how cute it is and we tell them it is not cute because she shouldn't have cut it herself. I told Kari if she cuts her own hair again then I will buzz it off.
She does look a lot like Audrey Hepburn and it is cute, but we are trying to let her know she is beautiful, but it is NOT okay to cut her own hair.
Kari also lost another tooth and is getting a new one in.