Procrastination

The countdown has begun... approximately one hour until the new year.  Time to post those last few memories of 2011.  

The Christmas celebrations included...

William's first visit with Santa!  No tears!

The gingerbread house contest between the girls... 

(notice the fabulous fondant roof!)

and the boys!

(Notice the details that artist Larry is putting on the house!)

Christmas Day began with opening stockings before our 9:00 church meetings.  William enjoyed eating his presents more than playing with them!  Larry and Taylor went to church to enjoy the beautiful, spiritual Christmas choir program while I stayed home and took care of three sick kids.  Miranda, Ethan and Sarah all had Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease - No church for them!

After church, we opened presents and had a wonderful Christmas brunch.

Miranda loved opening her Kindle cover, gift card for the grocery store (so she can eat at school), and George Foreman grill.

Ethan enjoyed his Nintendo 3DS games, Wii points card, and new slippers!

Sarah opened her Kindle, a loom to make hats, and lots of new clothes!

Taylor was thrilled with his new ipod, grill, and warm hat for Logan!

As we enter a new year, I cannot help but be grateful for the blessings that I have been offered this past year.  It is so easy to be negative and forget how much we truly are blessed with.  Today, Larry and I attended the memorial service for a man that Larry has worked with over the past five years.  His vice-principal at South Hills Middle School passed away on Christmas Day from brain cancer.  I have spent a great deal of time reflecting on my life and what I have accomplished.  What would people say about me upon my death?  This upcoming year, I will be striving to become more Christlike, focusing less on the negative and having a more positive attitude.  I want to be focused enough throughout the week to have all of my school work finished by the close of the day on Friday so that I can focus on my family over the weekend.  I always create a list of goals that is much too long to truly accomplish, so I am keeping it short this year.  If I have other accomplishments throughout the year, then kudos for me!  I want to feel the success of truly improving myself and giving of myself to others.  A dear friend of mine once shared a book with me titled Try Giving Yourself Away.  That is the goal of my heart this year.  Perhaps I won't be so wrapped up in my own troubles when I focus on giving to others.  

Happy New Year!

United States Bound

The day arrived to welcome home Elder Taylor Moore.  On December 3, 2011, the Moore Family (Larry, Staci, Miranda, Ethan, Sarah, and William) as well as Grandpa and Grandma Hansen, awaited the arrival of American Airlines flight 689 from Dallas Ft. Worth at 12:00 p.m.  Here we are taking pictures of the flight arrival board.  Elder Moore's flight had just arrived.  

The excitement began to mount!

The welcome banner was in place!

Staci's first glimpse of her missionary son returning from Argentina!  The picture is a little blurry, but it is a keepsake.  The woman behind Elder Moore is from Chile and rode with him all the way from Buenos Aires.  Elder Moore helped her with English in Dallas when she was having difficulty.  She was so grateful and even gave him a hug when they arrived.  It was so touching!

Elder Moore greeted his mom first, then his dad, and quickly followed with an introduction to his new baby brother, William.  It was so fun to see their first meeting.  It was an emotional time, and I had a distinct confirmation that they had known each other previous to this life on earth.  William was a bit confused at first upon seeing his brother (he had only seen him in video and pictures), but he quickly warmed up and became Taylor's best friend!

Elder Moore looked so good (although he did need a new pair of dress shoes...the brown pair that he was wearing were the better of the two pair that he took to Argentina)!  

After a requested lunch at the Pie Pizzeria in South Jordan, we headed home to see the "treasures" that Elder Moore had brought home.  His gaucho outfit was a fitting reminder of the customs in Argentina.  

It has been so much fun reuniting with our son who grew physically, mentally as well as spiritually on his mission.  The lessons he has learned and the stories he has to tell are priceless and will strengthen him throughout his adulthood.  The blessings of having a missionary are too many to count; there are days when we say to Taylor, "Are you sure you don't want to go back to Argentina?"  Reality is, however, it is so good to have him home!

Our Little Ham

Our cute friend, Katie Bachman, took some fun pictures of our adorable little William for his first birthday. I have to post some of my favorites. These pictures really show Will's personality. He is a ham. He is goofy and so much fun! The sad part about this photo shoot is that while we were having so much fun taking pictures outside, Will decided to take a nose dive on the driveway, and the photo shoot was over. I am absolutely in love with Mr. Willigans!

The "I am so cute" pose!

(Although, what is up with the infatuation with hair brushes?)

Jokester Will

(I love his scrunched up face!)

Thoughtful Will

(He spends a great deal of time in deep thought, pondering the mysteries of the universe. Actually, he is usually trying to figure out how to open something, how something works, or plotting to wreak havoc!)

The "Oh, So Grown-Up" Will

(With so many older siblings, it is hard not to want to be grown-up. I am loving his moose hat!)

It is so hard to see my baby grow up! He has been such a blessing in our lives.

Three Months Behind...

Three months ago I blogged. I promised myself that I would stay current on our blog. Well, life happens and I am now twelve hours away from my darling missionary son's return. I must blog.

Three months worth of major happenings:

September, 2011

William learned to walk

October, 2011

Our family prepared to move... William was a BIG help!

October, 2011

Ethan performed his final show for the season with the Marching Mustangs.

October, 2011

Halloween...Our referee, vampire and little froggie.

This was Ethan's last hurrah with trick-or-treating.

November 16, 2011

William turned one! He was fascinated by his birthday cake. The only problem was that he had a reaction to the frosting. He woke up covered with a rash where the frosting had been.

November 28, 2011

The kids' final message to their missionary brother.

Two more noteworthy happenings... Miranda was called in September as the Relief Society President in her college ward. She is overwhelmed but so blessed with this calling. She is preparing for finals in a week at Utah State University. Larry was called in October to serve as the first counselor in the bishopric. With tithing settlement upon us, it is rare that we see him for more than a few minutes before he rushes off to the church. I feel so blessed to have these two righteous loved ones in my life! Tomorrow, I will share pictures of another of our Heavenly Father's righteous children after his return home from a two-year mission in Argentina.

One in a Hundred

Our favorite phlebotomist, Brandon, at Primary Children's Hospital in Riverton! William adores him ~ Will barely squealed when Brandon inserted the needle for his blood draw. See how intently William is watching what is going on?

The day arrived to see our metabolic specialist again. It had been over three months since we had last visited with Dr. Warnock. We had never gone that long between appointments, and I was a little bit nervous about William's methylmalonic acid levels. He wasn't acting any differently, but I had always had the security of knowing what his levels were every month until now. The last time that we visited Dr. Warnock, she did a skin biopsy on William and sent the sample away to a lab in Canada for testing. At this appointment, we would get the results!

The results...inconclusive! My first thought was, "Of course it is inconclusive. We have wanted answers, and the results were inconclusive!" Dr. Warnock reassured us that it was actually good news because the testing revealed there is definitely a problem with William's cobalamin production. We have been treating his condition correctly.

So, now we move forward on a grand adventure. The research lab that grew out William's cells now wants to do further research on his genes. Do you remember the Human Genome Project? It cost millions of dollars over ten years to map out, or sequence, a human's genes. Over the years, it has become less costly and more time efficient to sequence a human's genes, so the research company wants to map out William's genes. They want to see if they can locate the flaw that is causing his MMA. It does not cost us a penny. That is not all...they want to sequence all five of our kids' genes! That means that our children will be one in a hundred...actually, five in a hundred. Less than one hundred people in the world have ever had their genes mapped. So, William does not need to give blood and urine samples because the lab already has his tissue. Ethan and Sarah will give their samples at Riverton's Primary Children's Hospital. Miranda will go to the lab in Logan. Taylor will give samples when he arrives home in November. Crazy, huh? The research lab will know everything about our children ~ what they will be predisposed to in the future. We will only receive the results for those things that directly relate to William's condition. The scientists want to see if any of our other children have the same condition as William but have not exhibited any symptoms to this point. So, our five children will be donating themselves to science. Miranda and Ethan are thrilled!

New Beginnings

Saturday, August 20, 2011... A new beginning for Miranda.

Utah State University... Logan, Utah

While Miranda, Sarah and I went to the student building for check-in, Larry fed William his lunch on the lawn of the Student Living Center. Miranda received her room key and paperwork, and we did a thorough check of her room for damage and things that need to be fixed. Then, we started moving her into her apartment.

Miranda will be living in Jones' Hall for the next year.

She is rooming with one of her soccer pals, Jeanne.

Finding a place for everything is a difficult task for our girl!

We took a trip to Wal-Mart to buy some storage items to make the task a little bit easier.

Larry hooked up Miranda's laptop and printer and registered the internet.

After eight hours in Logan, it was time for goodbyes. What an emotional time! Larry and I discussed how it paralleled the day that we dropped Taylor off at the MTC.

Miranda gives Sarah a hug.

Ethan's turn.

William kept smiling at Mandy and giving her kisses.

Miranda in front of her apartment.

The happy smiles quickly turned to emotional overload.

Hugs and tears for Mom.

(I stayed composed until we walked out of the building.)

Loves and tears for Dad.

(He stayed composed until we got in the car.)

We know that this will be a wonderful experience for our oldest daughter. It does not make it any easier. She will probably never live full time in our home again, and the choices are now hers to make. We are here as her cheerleaders, confidants, and family. As we were driving out of Logan, Sarah said it the very best..."My heart hurts!" I know that the hurt will lessen, and we will be so excited every time we have the chance to see Miranda. Good luck, Sweet Princess Aranda!

First Day of School

First day of fifth grade!

Sarah is growing up so fast.

Sarah's favorite part of her new outfit...her shoes!

Staci and Sarah leaving for school.

The two-block walk to school is our "Mommy/Daughter" time!

Time

time |tīm|

noun1 the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole
Past:

Larry received the outstanding teacher award from Riverton City.

May 3, 2011

William had his first skin biopsy to determine which enzyme is not working properly.

May 12, 2011

Miranda graduated from Bingham High School.

June 1, 2011

Ethan finished middle school with a bang, receiving the majority of the top awards.

June 1, 2011

Miranda and Ethan participated in our stake trek. What a wonderful experience for them!

June 22-25, 2011

Sarah finished fourth grade. She loved having Miss Grant as her teacher!

July 1, 2011

Sarah had her 10th birthday on July 3rd. She celebrated at the pool with a few friends.

July 6, 2011

William had his sixth, seventh, and eighth-month birthdays!

May 16, June 16, and July 16, 2011

We visited Grandma and Grandpa Moore in Ephraim, Utah.

July 16-18, 2011

Present:

Elder Moore is currently serving in Formosa, which happens to be the area where he began his mission in Argentina. It is winter in Argentina right now, and he is very cold.

Elder Moore sadly said goodbye to his wonderful mission president, President delCastillo in June. His new mission president, President Heyman, is from Arizona.

Sarah has been enjoying her friends, summertime at the lake and...

keeping her baby brother out of mischief!

Miranda has been soaking up all the family time she can get,

enjoying the fun summertime activities (like taking Will on his first waterslide),

and ordering her first textbooks for college!

Miranda leaves for Utah State on August 20th.

Ethan (when he is not in marching band) has been enjoying the neighborhood amenities,

hiking to Bloomington Lake in Idaho,

and learning all about how to care for a little brother since big sister will be off to college soon.

Little Brother (a.k.a. Will) has been enjoying the outdoors (hiking, swimming, taking walks),

working on his first two teeth (he is chewing on an ice cube),

and learning how to crawl, pull up to the furniture, and climb. He is fascinated by this new thing that blocks the stairs. Now for outlet covers, cupboard locks, and stove knob covers!

This kid is Mr. Exploration!

Future:

Many changes will be occurring for the Moore Family over the next few months. Staci and Sarah start a new school year on August 15th. Miranda moves into her apartment at Utah State University on August 20th. Ethan begins high school at Herriman High School on August 29th. He will be busy on band council and section leader for the marching band. Larry begins another school year at South Hills Middle school on August 24th. William will turn one in November, about the time that big brother Taylor returns home from Argentina.

Time? Where has all of the time gone?