Where to Start?

WOW!!  I don't even know where to start.....I am so far behind and so many changes in our little life in the last couple of months.  We have been really busy.
The week before Thanksgiving I heard of a job that I thought might be good for us to be able to pay off some debt, save some money and eventually get into a home of our own in a couple of years, so I put in my resume.  I prayed and I prayed that whatever was best for our family would happen and Zach prayed and prayed and the Tuesday before Thanksgiving I interviewed for the position.  There were 15 applicants, some a lot more qualified than me.  I really didn't know what I WANTED to happen, so I spent some more time praying that Heavenly Father's will would be done.  I was really scared!!  I LOVE staying at home with my kids and being with them every minute of the day-they are my WHOLE life!!  I have always thought that I would sacrifice anything to be able to do that but sometimes that isn't enough. If I have to work this job was going to be GREAT!  The Monday after Thanksgiving I got the job offer, they wanted me to start on Wednesday, the day before Skylar was to get her tonsils out.  I told them that I needed to have a few days off to be with her and they agreed that would be fine.  I got off the phone and I was sooo EXCITED and I was soo SCARED.  Not only was I going to be WORKING but we had to MOVE!!  I am the On Site property Manager of the Townhome community, Sunset Ridge Village.  The nice thing is (I think) my office is hooked to my home. 
December 1 Start a job
December 2 Skylar has surgery
December 5 start working everyday
December17 the kids are out for Christmas Vacation
and I have not purchased 1 Christmas present yet
December 18 go to SLC for family pictures (they turned out cute, maybe I should post some)
December 24 Christmas Eve
December 25 CHRISTMAS!!  ALL I can think about is everything we have to do so I move some of the girls stuff to our new home.  We had to be completely out of our 4 bedroom home and moved into a 3 bedroom home by December 31.  Oh yea and now I work and Zach works full time and all 4 of our children are out of school and wanting to help.  Everyday it was just crazy!  We went to DI with truckloads of stuff.  We gave away couches, love seats, entertainment centers, clothes, toys, TVs, washer and dryer, junk and more junk.
December 30 I get off work at 1:00 and think I will go and clean my old house for awhile while my mom has the kids and I get to my old house and the door bell rings and here comes 4 ANGELS from my ward. We all cleaned non-stop for 4 hours!!  I would of never been able to do it all myself!!  They helped me finish packing everything and got my house all done.

January 1, 2011: It is a new year and we live in a new home, I have a new job and we have a lot of new goals, We have a new ward that is very different from our old ward and things are so far so good and we hope that it continues that way.  The kids have adjusted  to the smaller home.  My mom (SO THANKFUL TO HER) tends Ridge most days and the other kids are in school while I work 9-1. We are starting to feel at home in our new home.Things have slowed down a little.

Skylar's such a trooper!

This morning at 7:00, we woke Skylar up to take her to the hospital to have her tonsils removed.  She has been so nervous about it but I think she just wanted to get it over with, she has had strep throat 3 times in the past 4 months.  She got to the hospital and changed into the hospital gown, she sat in the bed like such a brave little girl.  It reminded us so much of when she broke her femur.  After about an hour she said, Hello everybody in the hospital I am ready to get my tonsils out, let's get this over with.  She is such a cutie with so much personality.  They took her in and 25 long minutes later, Dr. Pearson came in and told us that she had done well.  They took her tonsils, her adenoids, and her front tooth that was loose.  They also cut her gum where it was connected to her lip too tight.  I think it was a little more than what we were expecting but I guess they figured do it while she is asleep.

She is doing so well.  She has not slept at all since we have been home and she wants to eat ice cream and Popsicles all day so I guess that is a good sign.  That was what she was looking forward to most was Ice Cream from breakfast.  On the way home from the hospital she said Now I get my Ice Cream for Breakfast and I told her it was almost lunch time and she said let's start with breakfast and then we will have Ice Cream for lunch.  We are so lucky to have her bright smile in our life!!  We love you Skylar and hope for a quick recovery!! 

Halloween 2010

We had quite the variety for Halloween this year!!  Ryder told everyone for weeks that he was going to be a ninja for Halloween.  I don't know where he got the idea but there was no changing his mind.  I gave in and bought him the costume that he had begged for.  He looked pretty scary.

Saydee Bug the Lady bug
Saydee wanted to be a lady bug this year

 Watch out here comes Miss Skylar as "Sharpay Evans"  she played the part perfect!!

 Ridge was not crazy about his costume this year but it did keep him warm on the chilly night of trick or treating.

I think he is mad at me.  Poor little guy!

I can WALK!!

 This picture was taken on October 5, 2010.  Ridge really started to take off walking about this time.  I was trying to get a picture of him and he just kept walking right for me.  He is into everything and so busy.  It was weird how fast he started to walk everywhere, one day he was at my feet and the next day he was at my knees.  He is such a sweet boy!!!

Yay Ridge!!

The Westenskow Family: A Thought

The Westenskow Family: A Thought: "'As we pass through the trials of life, let us keep an eternal perspective, let us not complain, let us become even more prayerful, let us serve others, and let us forgive one another. As we do this, 'all things [will] work together for good to [us] that love God' (Romans 8:28).'
-James B. Martino"