Same old, same old!

Well, there is nothing new here in Houghton, MI. We have been watching as the temperature stays low and the snow falls often, but that's what it is like up here. Tevin is back at school after his two week break. He is very happy to be back and as new things to tell us every day.

Zoya, is doing good. She loves to do puzzles and has in fact mastered them! We have some peg puzzles tat she can do like a pro! She is in love with animals and babies. If we have them, we are a hit with her.

Austin is plugging along at school. He has two more weeks left in this semester. I can hardly wait till he is done!!! YEAH! I know he is excited too!

I am doing the mommy, wife, sister, daughter, Primary president thing. Normal. I finished painting the set for our Nativity program for our Christmas party - which was moved to this Saturday because of a blizzard warning. Lovely. Our lives are going great. Yeah! Hopefully we will have something exciting to post soon!!!

Fun in Marquette!!!

Well, our weekend was awesome. We ended up going to Marquette - which is two hours SE. We went to the children's museum there and it was awesome!!! The kids ran all over and Tevin even got to hold a snake! Austin took me to Fashion bug and bought me a bunch of new clothes, and I was so happy! I even tried them on again once we got home. He's so wonderful. Also, I put up pictures of the kids playing in the snow! Yeah!!!

Snow is falling all around!

Well, it finally snowed a big snow. We have really been lucky... at least I think so. It's already four or five inches out there and it's got more to go. Tomorrow I am hoping to take the kids out to play in it, and maybe take a few pictures!!! Yeah!!

Tevin is out of school for two weeks and I have to keep explaining to him WHY! lol It's not that big of a deal, I just don't want him to feel like I am punishing him by making him stay home. Today we learned how to make a paper chain and Tevin was so excited when we hung it up over out window!

Zoya is doing well. She learned how to turn the light switch on and off so she has been up on a chair every spare moment. We painted today and she LOVES it! We use those bingo marker paints. The dot-a-dots. After they were done, Tevin and Zoya both helped me put them up all around our front door. It's just so colorful in our house! lol

I will be cleaning up and doing a video walkthrough of our house so everyone can pretend like they're with us! Yeah.

Austin has been super busy. He's preparing for the Thanksgiving break next week so of course that means a TON of things to turn in, tests to take, and so forth. Tonight he is down working on a computer program, but should be home before dawn. Poor guy. Hopefully he can catch a break. Next semester he is really excited because he got signed up for skiing - as a class! Can you believe that? He is so happy, and that makes me happy. The guy needs so much physical activity it's ridiculous! lol

Other than that, we are very quiet here. Life is good - normal. We have truly been blessed.

School Pictures

Here are the new pictures of the kids! We got them taken at Tevin's preschool.

Tag!?

I was reading Nikki's blog when I noticed I was tagged! lol

So, I have to name everyone in my family and then name five good things about them... including myself.


Ok.....

Zoya

1. Very loving - she loves to give hugs and kisses and loves for you to give her loves!
2. Very happy - most of the time - we are blessed to have an optimist.
3. Nurturing - She loves her babies and we can already tell she'll be a good mommy!
4. Great Dancer! She loves to boogie to a good song. Our current favorite is the Popcorn Popping song from the Singles Ward Soundtrack.
5. Sense of Humor - I think both our kids have this. She loves to laugh and have a good time. This will keep her sane in this world. : )

Tevin

1. He is Energetic. He runs up and down and all around and loves to play outside. He's so excited to move his body.
2. He's a geek like his daddy. He loves Star Wars and video games and light sabers and computers. He's a mini daddy.
3. He's forgiving. He easily forgives when his feelings are hurt.
4. He knows what he wants. Of course this is not always a positive trait : )
5. He loves to Learn. He loves preschool and loves to do projects. I hope it continues.

Austin

1. He's creative. He can come up with interesting solutions to the problems we face.
2. He's persistent. He never stops until he solves a problem.
3. He's incredibly forgiving. He loves me and forgives me when I am hormonal and upset and complaining.
4. He's willing to help. He's always trying to pitch in to help me out.
5. He's got a good funny bone. He knows what to do to make me feel better and laugh.

Me - Trisha - Unfortunately I have to include myself.

1. Over-achiever. I enjoy going above and beyond the normal expectations.
2. Loving... I think.. I put my family first.
3. Have the spirit of Elijah! I love Genealogy!
4. Fun. I love to play games and have fun with my family.
5. Homey. I love being home more than other places : )


I think I did this right. So, I will tag...I don't know who even reads our blog... only a few people. lol So I'll have to let it go for now. : )

Austin has been busy doing school. We see him less and less but I know that Heavenly Father is blessing us big time, because I have gotten more patience than ever! This too shall pass.

Tevin is doing great in school. He loves it!! He's so excited to go all of the time.

Zoya is doing well, although the terrible twos have already kind of started. She is a lot more emotional than she used to be, but I guess that's just a girl thing.

Other than that... we are just doing out thing. We say that it is supposed to snow soon. Next week in fact. Hopefully, it decides not to. : )

The Battle of Wills

So this is actually the third post in a row that I have done, so no it's not messed up, I actually did it this way. Here's Tevin on his new bike from Grandma and Grandpa Belitz.
What a big boy! More than once a week we have a battle before bed. At a rummage sale, we found a green light saber so now we have two (we gave Tev a red one for his birthday). The battle of wills.....



So I think I am finally updated. WHEW!!! Hopefully I won't slack off too much!

Mustard... lol Part 2

Well, if anyone got the Ketchup and Mustard thing then welcome to my weird sense of humor. Tevin has decided he wants to be Darth Vader for Halloween. He's been pretending for a while now.
We went to Walmart and bought those little pumpkins in the mesh bags and decided to paint some, so I set the kids up with big paint shirts and a plate full of paint. Tevin mixed colors and loved it when his pumpkin turned out black.... he likes black... Zoya, was very picky about dipping her brush in each color and then putting it on the pumpkin. Interesting. Afterwards, when they dried, she picked it up and called it her baby. lol There's a picture of her cradling it in her arm. She is such a girl. Loves anything and everything baby and girly.

Ketchup! Ha ha! Part One!

So I have a ton of pictures I wanted to post and I haven't done it so now I am going to post a HUGE amount. Oh well.... First, here are pictures of Tevin's birthday on September 20th. We had so much fun and Tevin LOVED it. It turned out to be one great day, plus my parents were visiting so that was awesome too.

All of the kids got their own R2-D2 cakes and the adults ate one big R2-D2 cake (all thanks to my wonderful MOM!!). The kids all got a "light saber" to take home along with prizes in their moon rocks (toys covered in tin foil). It was very cool. I was very happy with how everything turned out even though during that time Austin was helping unplug the basement of our building because roots had clogged the drains. Lovely. Anyways, now my big boy is four and I can't believe it's been four years. Wow! My other baby is 18 months! AGH! Zoya enjoyed the cake and we also had a board I made and had the kids stick their heads in and they got to take the photo home in a frame . Some of them really turned out hilarious!!!! Next.... after my parents left Sunday afternoon we were sitting in the living room and all of the sudden THIS THING ran out and just SAT THERE!! And yes, that is a mouse. The kids were totally oblivious why daddy and mommy were running around the house with bowls and picking up the couch and throwing toys. It was incredible and my super hunk of a husband caught it! lol Gross, but incredible. We've seen evidence of this little bugger for months, but no sight of him. AGH! Yuck! I think I will split up this blog so something bad doesn't happen. lol You know, murphy's law. : )

What a weekend!

Well, not too much has gone on! lol We went to Green Bay, WI this weekend for our Stake Conference and it basically turned into a disaster! We got there around 10 in the morning and we went to this primary activity which wasn't great by any standards (although we did later find out that the stake had put the ward in charge of it a week before - so it's reasonable) and then we went to meetings and the adult session, which was great. We then went to a family's house who graciously put us up for the weekend and had dinner and went to sleep. Well, that was when the fun started. First, Zoya threw up. It was terrible. All over the play pen they had let us borrow. The dad even came out and helped us. After it was all over, we finally cleaned up everything and got Zoya to go back to sleep. YEAH!!! Then, I threw up! Hooray! Not. I ended up throwing up twice that night and my body hurt and it was a nightmare.

So as you can imagine it was a great weekend already! lol We ended up leaving early because the kids were spazing and I was so sick I could only sleep! I ended up throwing up on the way home and I feel sorry for my husband. Ya know, it's real love when your husband can help you strip down and change clothes on the side of the road (trying to cover yourself) because you threw up! Man, am I lucky! lol Well, it seems to have passed so that is good.

Tevin's birthday is this weekend and we have lots of things planned. Tevin is in love with Star Wars so I thought it was ok for him to invite some friends. We are going to throw a big Star Wars party with lightsabers and everything!!! We are definitely excited and my mother is making an R2-D2 cake so I will definitely post pictures of the party.

Austin is back to the grind going to school and work. He's been a real strength to us and I am trying my best to be a good wife and not moan and groan when he wants to do stuff. I have found that he is just the kind of guy who needs to have guy friends and do things with them. I actually found that when I was happy to let him go out with his friends, he was happier to do things with us. So, I guess it's good. Life is good for us....until our next trial. : )

I'm not heavy, I'm fluffy.

So....completely depressed now. I went to the dietitian and guess what? I eat HEALTHY! yeah! Good side. Bad side.....why can't I lose the weight?? I have cried a lot in the last two days and it's rough. I have an appointment Tuesday to see a doctor to find out if there is anything wrong with me. AGH! It's been rough and poor Austin has done everything he possibly can to make me feel better. Tevin was very upset today when he saw me crying. He said the water was coming out of my head and I needed to put it back. It was all very light hearted and made me feel better. This too shall pass. 

May the Force be with you!

Tevin and his backpack for school. It's a hologram that shows Anakin and Obi Wan fighting and then Darth Vader's head. He's very happy with it.

Schooooooooools Back For The Winter!!

Wow! It's been too long since I have blogged. Oh well. We were so excited to hear about so many women in our family having babies!!! I told Austin I was jealous but that didn't seem to bother him : ) !!! We are very busy now. The school year has started and Austin is already busy. I won't be seeing much of him, but I am determined to spend this time bettering myself... and hopefully I will win out. Austin is really happy withhis classes... so far. He is determined to have a positive year and enjoy the time. He is getting closer to being done. It is so scary to think about all of the things we need to do in the next two years before he is finally done. I don't want to think about it.

Tevin is doing great. He is starting his first day of preschool tomorrow (the 3rd). He is in the four year old class in the afternoons (12:30 - 3:30) and they love that Zoya is there so I can volunteer a lot! He is super excited and even bought a Darth Vader Star Wars backpack. Apparently it was to be because we searched Walmart and that was THE ONLY Star Wars backpack in the place. I will post a picture of him with it. He is also excited about his birthday coming up here in a couple weeks on the 20th. He is having a Star Wars party with an R2D2 cake!!! We are going to make lite sabers and have lots of fun. He has a few friends that we are letting him invite. It will be his first friend birthday party!!!!

Zoya is doing awesome! Learning new words every day! She now says "thank you", which is awesome! She is also accident prone we have noticed. She got hit on the back of the head with the swing, and bled a bunch. Then, she fell out of a window - complete freak accident - and scraped her forehead. Plus, about a million tiny things. She's good though and has a high pain tolerance, which is great!!!! She is an onry one though. When Tevin pushes her around, she pushes right back twice as hard.

So, in other words, we are doing good. Soon, I will be released from one of my callings and I will be either Relief Society President or Primary President... and not both. YEAH! I am so happy. I have had some trouble with my weight so I am also seeing a dietitian tomorrow and maybe a doctor. It is good, even though I do not want to do it. I am willing to do anything to make myself healthy. I would love to see my children grow up - without all of the health problems that come from being obese.

Well.... all is well and I know that it will probably be another month before we update this and I don't even know who reads it, but it's good. We love you. Call us when you can, we love to hear how you are doing.

A long time going!!

Well, it's been a long time since we have blogged and it seems like TOO much has gone on. We had a good rest of June, although it was pretty hectic to get ready for our long trip. LONG it was! But, everyone had fun. We ended up going to the emergency room in North Dakota and it turned out that Zoya had a tonsil infection. No big deal, give her motrin. Ok?! Then we got to Idaho and boy were the kids ecstatic to see the pool! Just like their daddy, they are fishies through and through. Jarrett and Heidi's wedding was wonderful! It was just beautiful. They looked really happy and we felt like it was definitely a good thing that we got to go.

We also got to see Shattuck get set apart for his mission so now he is Elder Kuzmic! Wow! I have actually never been part of having someone from in my family go on a mission. It was kinda like my own brother was going. It was definitely an awesome experience. Anyways, it was sad though because he couldn't swim after that and we felt bad that he couldn't swim anymore.

After a while we had to say goodbye and pack into the car and take a detour to Utah, because our dear Aunt Kathy accidentally swiped our camera! : ) It was funny and she felt bad, but it was a good ride. Then we got to my parent's house in Newport, Michigan. We stayed a few days and the Austin and I left to go home while our kids stayed with Grandma and Grandpa for a couple weeks. Now, I am down here at my parent's getting the kids while poor Austin has to stay at home and work. We will go home soon and then our family will be together again. Maybe slow down a bit. : ) Nah... I doubt it.

Here are some videos of Tevin and Zoya that I loaded onto the computer. The first is Tevin dancing while he is playing the Wii and the second is Zoya and her Yeehaw!!!

So it's been a terribly long time since we have posted anything, so now I have to recap a couple weeks. We were way excited to hear about Jarrett getting married! Yes, we have decided to go out to Idaho. We are a bit worried that we will run into the areas that have flooded, but we are trying to find out where those areas are and if they are in our path, how best to avoid them. Anyways, the kids are doing great. Zoya is learning how to throw tantrums, and Tevin is perfecting his willful disobedience! : ) I love my children. We have been doing normal things. Daddy goes to work while mommy, Tevin and Zoya stay home and play. We have had some crummy weather lately so we have been stuck inside. Last Friday we went over to another family's house and had s'mores and lit off fireworks. Tevin was in heaven and so was Austin. He and the other dad lit off roman candles and were trying to add one more each time they blew them off. Aw! Austin found a firework buddy! I am been so glad because I just don't do it for him like Kerrick, Shattuck and Jarrett (and Tausha) do.
We only have a week and a half left until we leave for Idaho and I am totally stressed! lol Today I was sustained and set apart as the Primary president! Yeah!!! I am ALSO currently the Relief Society president. NOT COOL! I don't know why, but I guess they said they needed it to be that way for a while. AGH! Austin is afraid that he will be called to be Elder's Quorum president. lol Then he will actually have to work! Just kidding he does a lot of work as clerk.
This week we have a food storage day for our branch, we're helping a lady move, we have a baptism, I have to pack, I have to clean, piano lessons.... agh! too much to do!! This is good therapy, I love it more already! Here's a video of Zoya. The last few seconds are priceless!!!

Finally Spring?

Well, Memorial Day went well. Early in the morning we went to Walmart and Austin went to the church to fix it's internet connection. After Walmart I took the kids back to the church so they could run around until Daddy was done! I cleaned out the Relief Society closet because HEAVEN KNOWS it needed it!!! Afterwards, we finally got on our way to Marquette (a bigger city a little less than 2 hours south east of us). We had fun! i went into Michaels with Zoya and Austin went into Gamespot with Tevin. They had Mario cart set up so Tevin was in love! When I went into Michaels it was SENSORY OVERLOAD! I haven't been in a craft store for such a long time. I felt like standing there in awe! I was happy to be there though! I kept saying "wow" and I guess I did it a lot because Zoya would say it too! After all of our shopping and getting the kids new shoes, we headed home after a nice day. When we got home it was freezing! Come to find out we had a frost warning! I am so sick of it!!! Five days till June and it's still close to FREEZING! Agh! Sometimes I dream of tropical beaches. lol : )
I finally got off my duff today and did some housework. It's nice, but it would be nicer to snap my fingers and take a spoon full of sugar. : ) Austin has his three month review today! Hopefully he can get a raise and then we will actually have enough money to SAVE! It's a miracle! : ) We're definitely blessed already, I know. But Austin is always happier when we are "comfortable." He's so funny! Tonight we are roasting marshmallows and cooking hot dogs while we plant our garden! YEAH! I'm glad Austin and I love to garden and work outside so much. It will definitely be something our family will continue to enjoy, especially if there are worms! Then EVERYONE is happy! : ) Hope this nicer weather sticks around. I don't think I can take much more of the color gray!

Talk, Talk, Talk!

Well today was fabulous! We had to give talks in sacrament meeting and I thought it went great. Austin talked on Prayer. He said it wasn't good but I learned something! : ) I gave a talk on your Calling and Election made sure. It was great!!! I was just excited to teach a little meat for once! Anyways, I thought it all went well. Tevin loves his primary teacher and she's always doing fun things in primary. He's the only little kid and there are two other boys (8 & 11). Today was a little sad because Tevin's new fish "Nemo" died. Austin said we couldn't just replace him so I guess we will have to just try again later. But what do you expect from a $0.28 fish from Walmart. Not a lot! An older couple in our branch had a bike with training wheels and they let Tevin borrow it, so now he has to ride it NON-STOP!! Austin rides his bike back and forth to the park with him and is getting a ton of exercise. Tomorrow Austin is taking us to Marquette for a fun Memorial Day!!!! He's so sweet! Hopefully we'll be able to find some fun things to do. I know I'll have fun. Austin promised to take me to the craft store! I knew I loved him! : )

Four to beam up!!

When we saw the blog the Sara-Lynn posted we thought, "WHAT A GREAT IDEA!" So, we thought we would start one too! It's so nice to go on and see what everyone's doing and since we are so far away from everyone, it will be perfect! We will work hard to update it and get pictures on it so you can see! We love you!