Student of the Quarter!

Lindsey received the "Student of the Quarter" award this past week. It is where she had behaved and was the most helpful and doing the best, for grades K-4, all quarter. I believe each teacher placed a name in from their class and Lindsey's name was drawn. She went to the school board meeting and was presented a metal from the school board. Her teacher was there to tell about how she earned student of the quarter. We are so proud of her. She is really starting to grow up and be so helpful.

Lindsey getting the spotlight from her teacher.

The presentation of the metal.

Proud owner of a "Student of the Quarter" metal.

A cute picture of Sierra, Megan and their friend Madison up skiing.

New Year Resolutions

Originally at the beginning of the year I made a silent resolution that we would stay clear of the hospital this year. Unfortunately little Gage broke my resolution yesterday. He has acquired RSV again and it hit him a little hard. He was having to really work hard at breathing and the breathing treatments we were giving him at home weren't working. We took him into the ER and they admitted to the hospital.

Luckily, he did a great job of keeping his oxygen saturation up so he didn't need oxygen. As the day went on he was doing better and better. We were able to go home at 4:00 pm yesterday making it a 14 hour admission to the hospital. Probably one of our shortest stays. I will take that. He is doing better today, a little miserable, but has no problem keeping up with his siblings.

We haven't had much to update. Jason and the girls basketball season ended Thursday with their last game, unfortunately, a loss. Megan is already planning on a better season next year and is practicing out in the shop daily with our new basketball hoop. Sierra on the other hand is fine not touching a basketball until next season.

Two more weeks of skiing and the girls are really getting fun to ski with. They are loving it! Hunter is his funny self and Lindsey Lou is starting to grow up. How I wish I could stop time!

Happy Belated Valentines Day!!

Hunter loves his hair spiked up, especially for church. It is one of those battles I have to chose whether or not to fight.

Lindsey in her typical position. Looking at herself in the mirror and admiring the view. We 3-barrelled her hair the other day. She came home from school all ecstatic because a girl told her she looked like Taylor Swift.

Having Fun and Staying Healthy!

January has been a fun and busy month for us. However, we are proud to say that we ended this month without anyone being in the hospital. We were reminiscing this past week of what we were doing a year ago. When our little Gage decided to surprise our lives with another medical miracle. We are so glad he is here with us today!

On a more positive note, Megan qualified to attend the Baker City Hoop Shoot. All the elementary schools in the area hold hoop shoots. Whoever gets the most baskets qualify to go to Baker to compete, then on to districts and state. Megan took 2nd but we are really proud of her and her love for basketball.

Jason is coaching Sierra and Megan's basketball team. He is a great coach! They have 3 more games left to learn Jason's favorite, the "double pick" and the "pick and role." Sierra had a check up in California Thursday. We received an all clear on her. The doctor's are very pleased with how she is looking and we will return in March for her next biopsy.

And finally, it is ski season. Sierra and Megan are doing the ski program in school. A bus takes them up to the local ski resort here and they get lessons and ski for half the day. They LOVE it!! Parents that want to volunteer their time can go and help and ski for free. It has been 12 1/2 years since I have been on skis but I decided to go ahead and attempt it. We had a blast, and it is a lot like riding a bike. You never forget! Thanks for checking on us. Bye for now!

Gage a year ago in the Boise, ID PICU.

Megan at the Baker Hoop shoot.

There was a change in coaches at the last minute before the season started. Jason ended up with purple shirts. So, if you can't beat em, join em. Thus, the purple bandanna

Megan very intense in the basketball game.

One of the very few times you will see Sierra with her tongue in her mouth. She is fun to watch. She dribble with her tongue out and defends with her tongue out. What would she do without that thing!

My running buddies, Garrity and Ronda. Ran a 5k last week. The red cheeks are when we found out it was actually 4 miles not 3.2. We still finished!

Sierra waiting to see the doctor's in the heart clinic. So artistic!

Sierra, Megan and I hitting the slopes at Anthony Lakes.

New Years Eve in St. George, UT

Finally I am to 2010! A belated Happy New Year to everyone. We were a little crazy and left at 6:00 am on the morning of the 30th to go to St. George for New Years. My mom had reserved some condos down there for my whole family to go and spend the week of New Years. We left thinking we would get there at about 7 or 8 that evening. A storm came in that night and made the roads very slick from our place to Jerome, ID. Then everything was great and the roads cleared. Until, just after Spanish Fork, UT. We would pass all the signs that said speed limit 80 mph, and there we sat going 40-45mph. Luckily, our kids did awesome, and we made it there safely at 10 pm. We were never so glad to get somewhere.

The next day was New Years Eve. It was really fun! We hiked, played kickball at the park, had a picnic and ate and swam a lot. By 8 o'clock that night, most of the adults were ready to go to bed. However, we toughed it out and made it to midnight to ring in the New Year and watch fire works.

We left Saturday, and drove on clear roads to Idaho Falls where we got to visit our favorite Yeck family. We also were able to see Josh and Tara and their family. We really enjoyed our visit with them. On with the New Year!!!

A hot air balloon right outside our hotel room balcony.

Broadee, Keaton, Sierra, Lindsey, Megan and Stetson watching the balloon land.

Lindsey and Hunter on our hike. As you can see, coats were required. The weather was chilly. Not exactly the "St. George" weather I had envisioned.

Keaton, Megan, Brindee, Stetson, Haylee, Sierra and Broadee striking a pose after their exploring.

Megan, Broadee, Lindsey and Haylee in a hole in a rock. Lindsey is crying because she really didn't want to go up there but her daddy shoved her in there anyway.

A cute picture of Brindee and Sierra.

A look from afar of the holes in the rock they were playing in.

Hunter yelling at his cousins to come see the hole he found.

More fun holes to climb into at "Dixie rock."

A cute picture of Stetson and Broadee.

Jason, I and Hunter and Lindsey overlooking St. George.

Lindsey, Haylee and Jason. (Notice the arm in the glasses)

New Year Eve, so far everyone is awake and doing well.

Everyone preparing to play another game.

Sierra attempting to stay awake with a sugar high.

10 o'clock and they are starting to drop.

The few remaining, "must stay awake!"

Lindsey's #6 Birthday

December 29th was Lindsey's birthday. What can I say about our little fireball Lindsey Lou. She is a lot of fun! She loves to run around, wrestle, "whistle" and tease her little brother Hunter. She loves kindergarten and learning. When she wants to be helpful, she is really helpful. She loves and admires her older sisters and wants to be like them when she gets bigger. She is very helpful with Gage and loves to play with him. We are so lucky to have her in our family. It would be very boring without her.

On the Sunday before Christmas, all the Bingham's were asked to do a musical number in sacrament meeting. Wendy played her violin and Megan and I played our cello's while everyone else sang. Once the musical number was started I found that my cello had gotten tapped while I was picking it up and went badly out of tune. The "G" string unraveled, making it impossible to play. After sacrament meeting was over I was explaining to Megan that all the cello we heard was her, because my "G" string didn't work. Lindsey overheard the conversation and took Hunter to nursery. She told the leaders in there that, "her mom couldn't play because her "G" string broke." I am the primary chorister in our ward. I go into the nursery to sing with the nursery kids. When I went in there I got all kinds of questions about my "G" string. They all got quite the laugh out of it. I am always leery when someone comes up to me and says, "Did you hear what Lindsey said." Like I said, it would be very boring around here without her.

Lindsey's birthday breakfast, her favorite, waffles.

The cake she requested. A princess castle. She had this cake when she turned 3. It was not easy then and it still wasn't easy or fun at 6. Good thing we just needed it long enough to sing and blow out candles!

Lindsey blowing out her birthday candles.

Our friends crochet her this adorable hat. Megan wanted to take the pictures. So, unfortunately you get to see the bottom half of it.

Hunter and Lindsey's friend Dallon giving her her birthday presents. Dallon has a birthday 3 days before Lindsey's.

Lindsey sporting her presents. The next morning after her birthday party, we left for St. George, Utah for New Years Eve.

Christmas 2009

Finally I have gotten to Christmas. So, then I can continue on with the new year. Christmas Eve sledding was a blast. Unfortunately I had to work the night before so I stayed home to sleep while Jason took the oldest four kids. Lindsey, Sierra and Megan were troopers and Hunter was for maybe once down the hill. Then he was pretty much done. Justin and Emily we can hardly wait for you guys to be there next year.

We had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed being home and around family. Until next blog, thanks for checking on us. Blog ya later!

Lindsey the mountain Queen of sledding. She just kept going and going.

The bottom of the hill and a look at "the jump."

Hunter thinking he was done 15 minutes after he got there.

The infamous train.

Megan relieved she survived another run.

Some of the gang roasting hot dogs at the bottom of the hill.

The girls Christmas morning.

Hunter and his new "rocket" bike. When he went to bed Christmas night he said, "the girls scooters are beautiful, but my bike is awesome." Too cute.

Gage just loving the wrapping paper and boxes.