Pound it!

Thursday, May 1, 2014

January

*I actually wrote this in the month of January can you believe that? It has a different feel than the other posts. I guess that’s what happens when you aren’t playing catch up all the time!*

This new year has been awesome so far. Andrew has been working on his thesis. The kids have been treating each other so well and I”m getting to stuff I haven’t for ages but everything hasn’t been perfect. The other night Andrew and I were goofing around and Andrew pushed me out of the bed but I had a good hold of him so he fell on top of me…. Hard! I felt every one of my vertebrae pop. It hurt bad and felt bad.

Another thing is my kids have been sick a lot! I feel we have been sick for 4 weeks straight. I’ve decided that if someone must get sick than all of us should get it at the same time. Sure that makes it lousy, but none of this one person gets it and then some one else and so on.

Some fun things Austin has been drawing really well. He had to stay with me at church since he had a cough. I let him draw on the back of a handout. Some of the deacons were drawing as well so he tried to copy them. Here is what we did:

Gavin has the BEST hairdos. Best of all he does them himself. He wets his hair. I put a little bit of gel in it and he styles it. Here are some of the outcomes:

I love it! I should prob. cut his hair, but I’ll miss the Mohawks, really, I Will!

Jordan has become a book nerd! Finally! I worried that I wasn’t doing my job in that category and had already told Andrew that if he didn’t like books it was all my fault! Thank goodness, I won’t have to carry around that guilt.

We made it the new years party at Great grandma Pounds and here is the snowman Austin built with Andrew and Grandpa Pound. Austin was so proud. I’m happy I took the picture of it since Gavin knocked it down 30 seconds after this picture was done. I think he was jealous of it but he didn’t want to be outside so it was his loss. Don’t worry we had a talk about how it was wrong to destroy what others made. Funny enough when Andrew started to tell Austin what Gavin did he said “Did Gavin knock it over? He didn’t like it did he?” It threw us off Gavin hasn’t done that before so I have no idea how he knew!

Story time! We just finished having dinner and there was a funny smell. It made me think of when the furnace turns on the first time in the season, but stronger. I looked right in our bedroom and there was smoke coming off our lamp. I immediately turned off the lamp and used a stool to see what caused the potential fire in our house. Here is what I found…a plastic frog now fused to the bulb!

Long trip to and from Austin’s preschool. Gavin conked out and continued to sleep out there for another 15 minutes.

OH no Jordan has pink eye! No. Wait, this one looks man made :)

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

The Pounds-2013 Christmas letter

This year has been full of fun adventures and even a new family member.

That’s right a new family member. We had Jordan Evan Pound on February 13th. He has been so much fun to watch to learn to sit up, crawl and start playing with his older siblings. He is such a happy baby and we love him so much! His big brothers are so good to look out for him and make sure he is happy.

Gavin has been adjusting to become a great big brother. He is good at making Jordan laugh and LOVES playing with his big brother, Austin. He has made some good friends that he loves to play with and is excited to go into primary as a sunbeam in a couple of weeks.

Austin has been having lots of fun learning at Preschool. Gavin can’t wait for his turn with all the fun papers and stories Austin comes home with. He was been making lot of friends as well even if he doesn’t know their names.

Debra has been working on her crafts, making freezer meals and does a child exchange every Tuesday with one of her friends in Smithfield. That means for 3 hours she has 6 kids and then 3 hours with none. It has been awesome for her to have that time to herself and get projects done. She has just been put in as the Beehive advisor in the ward and has really enjoyed being back with her girls. (she was activity days leader for the 10 and 11 year olds prior to this calling.)

(Busch gardens: ride with mom)

Andrew has been school or work at all times with a little church and family on the side. He is still working on his thesis. He is planning on getting it done by new years or by latest the end of the next semester. It is in Electrical engineering and then on to the doctorate. Andrew also took a full time job with Space Dynamics Lab which keeps him busy from 7 to 5. Taking this job also makes it so we will be staying in Smithfield longer but we should be able to graduate with no student loans debt!

(Jordan with Daddy)

As for our adventures this year we got to go out to Virginia for the extended Pound and immediate Pound reunions. Debra’s oldest sister came along to help. We went to Busch Gardens amusement park, Williamsburg, Virginia Beach, Washington D.C, and New York City. We even got to go on a passenger train from Washington D.C to New York. Austin was in heaven even if it was 4 am. He was pointing out everything. Jordan was strapped to Debra and slept everywhere as we went and Austin and Gavin had fun running all over the place, seeing family and falling asleep in the double stroller as mom and dad ran around from place to place.

( Austin is being carried away in the current)

2013 was a great year and we look forward to 2014. See you there!

Love,

Andrew, Debra, Austin, Gavin and Jordan Pound

December

I”m so excited to get this post done! Once I get this done I will have finally finished up the 2013 year! Sure its the end of April right now but hey better late than never right? :)

Austin’s B-day. We told him to go and see his wrapped present under the Christmas tree. (Presents under the tree is my tradition. I always loved having my bday presents under the tree. It was the only perk of being born in the month of December. I wanted to make the effort for Austin to always have that tree up for him too. His birthday is the 1st.) Well he came running in with this…..I guess we didn’t tell him he couldn’t open it yet. Our bad. At least he loved them.

Left picture: Boys decided to put on the stockings as stockings. So cute! Right picture: Jordan had a blow out at the ward party there were no pants in the diaper bag. No worries. Andrew found these beauties.

Eating sushi for my birthday. I’m so predictable. Nothing is better than sushi. They give free ice cream on you b day too.

Jordan had been crying so much, refusing to go to sleep. I finally gave in and found that he just conked out, like this. Folded in half.

Lee Christmas party: Santa and Mrs. Claus included.

Gavin had thrown up in the car on our way there. Oddly enough no one sitting next to him knew he had. Chad was even back there with them. Poor kid. He didn’t get to enjoy the party. He basically just slept in the foyer.

Jordan on his way to help daddy with the gifts.

Grandpa Pound

Us getting our gift

Jordan’s first time with Santa.

Stockdale’s Christmas Eve party. First up Christmas Bingo.

And then Time bomb. I really wonder how this became one of the games. Originally we played this game with an actual time bomb game. It was a black ball with a red portion on top that you twisted to start the timer. So yes a bomb. That says Christmas Spirit all over it right? Nothing like blowing up your family Russian roulette style. The Timebomb has now died so we use a hot potato now.