Happy Birthday to me!

We got an awesome deal! The kids won't let me play it much yet without them adding in their two cents. I had a piano tuner come and found out that he is blind. It was really interesting to watch him work on it!

A little bit more of Christmas

We did a little bit of this...

and a little bit of that....

Cheap entertainment! Again, why do we buy toys?
Makenzie playing with her play make-up, so she doesn't play with Mommy's anymore!

Making Memories....

We started out our vacay in sunny California!! The first day we were able to go in short sleeve shirts. The second day we all needed jackets, but it still beats the freezing temperatures we were use to! We are so glad to have had Tyler's family and my dad there with us.

We went to Disneyland for two days and Sea World for one. I got in free to Disneyland because it was my birthday and the whole fam got in for free at Sea World because Tyler is in the military.

We got a vacation condo rental for the stay and it was perfect.

This was Gavin's preferred way of traveling.

This was Jordan's preferred way of traveling.

Why does Tyler get all the fun?

We did a lot of waiting in line! We only lost one kid....once.... and it was Jordan. We were all excited to see the Haunted Mansion with our "Fast Passes." We were all just weaving through the lines and when it finally stopped, the back of our crew asked the front if we had Jordan. No Jordan! We immediately ran back to our strollers and luckily we found our little guy there-- crying, but trying to be comforted by a teenage girl. We are lucky that we noticed he wasn't with us so soon and that he stayed put! The thought of losing him in Disneyland is sickening.
We, of course, still had to ride the carousel even though we can ride carousels anywhere outside of Disneyland.

Splash Mountain!! Makenzie loved it! I wish we would have taken her on Space Mountain, but we saved that ride for the "Adult Only" evening we did.


We waited 2 hours for these two little princesses (and one handsome prince) to meet their idols.
Jordan ended up with the BEST deal of the whole thing....

Of course, what is Sea World famous for???

Most of the family sat in the soak zone and here they are getting wet!

These guys put on a great show! They imitated many popular television shows.


All-in-all it was a great trip!! A very exhausting trip by the end, but it was great making a lifetime of memories with our family!

Tis the Season!

Oh the joys of the Christmas season with children! It was so much fun to see the excitement in my children's eyes as they saw the Christmas lights adorn the homes in the area, having Christmas presents under the tree, reading stories and watching Christmas movies!

Jordan carried this singing snowman around the house all the time and sung "Frosty the Snowman" along with it at the top of his lungs!

Santa made an early pit-stop in the Detroit area to deliver a train set and a few presents before we headed out west. Don't worry, Santa must have forgotten about it, and delivered AGAIN big time while we were in Utah. (Thanks to the Grandma's!)

Santa even stopped by Makenzie's preschool. She told Santa she wanted a horse, a real one!

Oh, the weather outside is.....

FRIGHTFUL!
It is snowing several inches outside right now and this is what my daughter is running around in.

I have become a SNEAKY chef!

Our wonderful Christmas vacation has come and gone! I wish we had more time to visit everyone, but that's why we have blogs, so we can pretend to stay in touch! I'm waiting on some pictures before I document everything, so here is something else to entertain you with until then.

About 2 months ago, I was introduced to a new way of cooking. By using the cookbooks "The Sneaky Chef" and "Deceptively Delicious," I am pureeing many vegetables and fruits and hiding them in the normal foods my kids eat. WHY DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS EARLIER? Jordan is the WORST eater and I just laugh thinking about this new action plan of mine. Here are pictures of my kids eating brownies full of spinach and blueberries.... HA HA HA!!

They taste great! Now I don't feel guilty eating a whole pan of brownies myself!

It's about time!

Yes, I know, it's about time for another update, but also I would like to let you know that it is now time for this blog to go private. All who want to keep up on the Sherman scoop need to let me know! I want to revamp some stuff and it will happen at the beginning of the year.

So here is the update on all the family: (Consider this our Christmas card too!)

Tyler:
He continues to do what medical students do.... study and rotate in the different medical specialties. It's interesting to see the broad range of schedules and duties that each specialty brings. Right now Tyler is on a psychiatric rotation which only requires him to be at the hospital for a couple hours in the morning. That's it. It's lovely. But then it is short-lived and in 4 weeks another rotation and specialty will take over. Last month he had trauma surgery at a Detroit hospital. He had to be there at 5am, plus a 40 minute commute. He had to stay at the hospital overnight every 4 days for call duty. Whenever he came home, all he did was eat and sleep. He saw a lot and learned a lot and actually got to do a lot too. He is finding many missionary opportunities when people learn that he from Utah and married with 3 kids! One guy mentioned that he screams "Mormon" because of those stats.

Next year will bring a lot of travel with out-rotations and testing. There will also be many decisions that need to be made involving what he wants to specialize in and where to live. We are still keeping our options open for now. We soak up as much time as we can get with Tyler. He turns into Mr. Mom at times and helps out with the house and kids. His I-phone can always be seen in his hand as that gadget allows him to do anything.Jen:

I'm living my dream of being a mom and homemaker. Some days are a nightmare, I admit, but for the most part I love it! I find myself so blessed to be able to do this. I put getting a masters degree on hold until my children aren't so dependent on me. It is nice to feel needed, right? I'm able to workout in the mornings at the YMCA where they have child care. I'm hoping to compete in a triathlon or something next summer. I'm making the most of our stay here in Michigan. I admit that it hasn't been easy. Homesickness has hit me hard at times. Getting to know more people and making friends is making it a lot better. Tyler and I are primary teachers together, which we love. It's been a great calling and I find that the lessons have been very beneficial for me as well.I love our mantel and being able to decorate it as the holidays pass by.

Makenzie:
Makenzie continues to enjoy preschool and is really picking up on a lot. Makenzie is my carefree and independent child. She explores everything which has allowed her middle name to become "Mess-maker." She has a love for life and is often in her own imaginary world. She is very artistic and also loves books. She also loves chocolate (what girl doesn't?) Makenzie is a great big sister and a very good helper.

Yes, she is playing in the mud, in a dress, in December!

Jordan:
Jordan is the class clown of the family. He is always playing around and wanting to tickle everyone. He has a contagious smile and laugh. Jordan continues to master the computer and all other electronical gadgets. He is Makenzie's little shadow and loves playing with her. He is becoming very independent and wants to do many things on his own.

Who said you had to eat lima beans? They are great and cheap entertainment!

Gavin:
Gavin just turned 4 months. He is a typical baby doing all the typical baby things that only parents can get excited about. He is full of smiles and giggles unless he is hungry. He already eats like a teenager and is hungry all the time!

Finding his toes!

Rolling over now too!

Blessing Day: November 29
(I made his outfit!)