Grandpa--Part 1

For those of my friends still out there blogging, good for you! I'll be honest and say I use Facebook as my main outlet for journaling and recording memories now. I wish I had more time to make lengthy blog posts as I did in the past, but *sigh*, oh well.

Today I make an exception, because I write this in memory of my grandfather, Grandpa Dawson, who passed away this morning. Feelings are too raw for me to feel comfortable plastering this all over Facebook. A personal journal would be the best avenue to go for something like this, but seeing as I don't have one currently, I figured this is the best way to go right now. So, I apologize if you came to this post excited to see me back with a lighthearted update on the antics here at the Lealaogata household (haha--yeah, right!), I am sorry to disappoint.

First off--I have a confession to make. I suck as a granddaughter. I did not go visit my grandpa as often as I should have (and even wanted to) the last several years. I used the usual lame excuse that life is just too busy (it's hard enough to make time for visiting my own parents and even close friends). And because of his failing health, he was essentially homebound (meaning: he got out every once in awhile, but it was definitely easier for me to go visit him than for him to come visit me). I probably saw him on average 5-6 times a year, if that. And that was before we moved away from Utah. In the last two years since we've been in Arizona, I think I have seen him maybe 3 times. That's sad. I truly hope he forgives me and checks in on us now more than we ever checked in on him before.

With that said, I would like to honor him with a series of posts outlining some of my most prominent memories of him. And, of course, if I can track down some photos of him (I don't have any recent photos?!? Again, worst granddaughter of the year award!), I will post them as well.

Monsters, Nightmares, and Ghosts, Oh My!

So as I put my kids to bed, someone (usually Jasmyn or Tai) always asks to sleep in my bed because their room is too scary. I can usually talk them into staying in their room, but one night a few weeks ago Jayda brought up that she had a nightmare the night before and she wanted to sleep in our bed or have me or Lehi stay in the room with her.

A little bell went off in my head and I thought "teaching moment!". So we talked about how when you get scared or if you have nightmares you can always say a prayer and Heavenly Father will help you sleep better.

"How does he help you sleep better?" one child asked.

My intelligently phrased answer: "He sends the Holy Ghost and he can sleep next to you until you feel better"

It took me a moment to realize that though Jayda has a working understanding of the Holy Ghost and what he does, to the younger kids it is possible that I just suggested that if they are afraid of monsters and nightmares then they can pray and a creepy ghost man will come and sleep with them...and this is supposed to make them feel better?!? 

I back-tracked a little bit and explained in more detail the workings of the Holy Ghost and left it at that.  The subject did not come up again until tonight as I was putting the kids to bed again. Tai said that he had a nightmare last night and wanted to sleep in my bed. Jasmyn got excited and exclaimed "I won't be scared, the Holy Ghost will sleep next to me!!"  Well, if nothing else, she gets the basic concept.

Spotlight

Jayda has had plenty of "spotlight" opportunities, so now it is Tai's and Jasmyn's turn.

Tai takes a Bounce class (a trampoline class) and Jasmyn takes gymnastics. They both had a Show-Off Meet (like a recital) and of course we took lots of pictures and video.

January 2013

This is what has been happening in our lives. I even have some pics!!

 We celebrated Tai's birthday by going laser tagging and hanging out at Hollywood Connection.

 We went to Las Vegas for a gymnastics competition for Jayda. This was her last level 5 competition (off-season). She got 1st place on Vault and Bars, and 2nd place all-around. She got her highest bar score ever with a 9.325

 We also went to an aquarium where we saw lots of fish and stingrays, and also a mermaid!!

 We ate with Jayda's team mates at the Rainforest Cafe in the MGM Grand. So fun!!

We also saw some celebrities: A couple of transformers and an M&M  :)

It was so nice to get away from the snow for a few days. We had so much fun on our little trip.

I stand corrected

I just had a conversation with Jasmyn that went something like this:

Jasmyn: Look Mom, I found a penny!

Me: Wow, you're rich!

Jasmyn: *giving me a funny look*   I'm not a witch, I'm Jasmyn. *walks away*

Why yes you are.

Currently Untitled

I sorely need to update this blog, but I want to post little tidbits on here more often so here is a little taste of what is to come :).

Sometimes I am a little concerned about Jayda's self motivation in some aspects of her life (ie homework, chores, and lately even gymnastics), but I often catch her looking through the Friend magazine and looking up scriptures and listening to primary music all on her own. So I guess she is self motivated where it counts right now in her life (I mean, when you really think about it, what 8 year old is self motivated in chores, right?)

Some of my favorite Summer Pics

This summer we did a lot of playing, but of course I did not get as many pics as I could have and I still have way more than I needed. Here are some of my faves:

Grandma Suzy invited us over for slip-n-slide and kiddie pool fun

































We also went swimming at the pool in Grandma Shauna's neighborhood:




















Seriously. This little girl is such a diva sometimes. She was literally lounging in the sun while daddy pushed her around. Lounging. Like the spoiled little princess she knows she is.












Here we are watching the parade that daddy was in this summer. (Thanks Dad, Suzy, and Jeremy for coming with us to watch!)











Fun at Nana and Papa's house:












Can't have a summer without sidewalk chalk drawing.













A fun day at the park:

Back to School

Jayda is back to school as a 2nd grader this year. How time flies! It feels like yesterday that she was just a little preschooler. This is her second year in the Gifted and Talented Dual Immersion Language program. We were a little nervous starting her in it last year because we weren't sure if it would be too much for her learning Spanish and working a grade ahead, but she was up to the challenge and we are so proud of her! This year is going to be even more challenging because we started her in competitive gymnastics over the summer and she will be working out at the gym 12 hours a week on top of school. She is in love with gymnastics, though, so I cant imagine she will want to give it up anytime soon.

Tai started preschool this week. My little guy is growing up *wiping a tear* . Though I am gonna miss him at home, this kid is in desperate need of a social life--he is going to love playing with the kids in his class (and entertaining them--he is definitely the "class clown" type). We love you, Tai!

End of Year Show!

The dual immersion classes at Jayda's school
did an end of year cultural presentation. Jayda's
class danced the Merengue and sang a song in Spanish.
And they sang a few other songs with the other dual immersion classes. It was so fun to watch! We have been so proud of Jayda's progress in this class. Her teacher thought that Jayda came from a spanish-speaking family because she picked up on the language so
easily. She is also in the accelerated program in her school so she spent most of the year learning 2nd and some 3rd grade curriculum. She is smart, social, and athletic. Congratulations on doing so well in the 1st grade. We love you Jayda!







If you're looking for Jayda in the dance, she is in the back in the bright orange skirt.

A little behind...

Easter morning...




The kids had fun looking for eggs.
Even Jasmyn got the idea pretty
quickly.















































Easter outfits are
so fun! The girls are
so cute, and my guys
are handsome!








Hanging out at the Easter party at Grandma's

Love you little duck

Voltron

I realize this is a really random post, especially after not having blogged for forever but here goes:

Does anyone remember Voltron? Me neither. But Tai is obsessed with the '80s cartoon (viewed on Netflix). Lehi claims he watched it as a child as well. It reminds me a bit of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (for those of you who are more familiar with '90s television) in that the show is centered on several robotic vehicles (controlled by a team of humans) that connect together to make a mega-robot. The mega-robot's name in this series is Voltron (...Defender of the Universe!)

So here is a bit of evidence of Tai's obsession:

Every day I discover some depiction of Voltron in one medium or another. Tai has been known to use anything from blocks, to legos, to crayons, cars, and even refrigerator magnets to create his Voltrons.








































Most recently he has discovered how to turn himself into Voltron. It is sooo cute to hear him declare in his cute 3 year old talk "I'm Bo-tron 'Fender of the Umi-berse!"

Christmas

I lost my camera--not sure how, but here are some pictures my mom took with her camera on Christmas morning:

Jasmyn got lots of clothes and toys and a cute little book she really likes.






Tai got spoiled this Christmas despite my best efforts not to. He is such a boy and loves Buzz Lightyear, Iron Man, and Trains. Needless to say, he was just too easy to shop for.


















The highlight of Christmas morning was the train table. Even though we gave it to Tai, all our kids loved playing with it. Any time we had to go somewhere Tai would say "no mom. Im playin' my trains"























Jasmyn meets Santa for the first time. 'Nuff said.










Tai sat on Santa's lap but wasnt very chatty. However, he was excited for the candy cane after.





Here is a little story about Jayda. When I was a kid I remember pouring through toy catalogs so I could make extensive lists of what I wanted for Christmas. So it surprises me (and makes me a little proud) when every year Jayda only has 2 or 3 things on her mind that she wants for Christmas then she picks one to ask Santa for--and they are usually fairly reasonable items. This year it was a pillow pet. (The other items she had on her list were a zhu-zhu pet, her own vacuum or broom so she can help mommy clean, and a globe). I love that girl.