'The HILLS are alive with...

A Great Read

2012-01-30T16:09:00.003-07:00

Our family has always had the focus of reading the Book of Mormon. When the kids were little Nate and I would read out loud while they played on the floor. I would also read to them out of the Book of Mormon stories book. As our family has grown and grown up, kids have been able to start reading out loud with us. This has usually started in 1st grade. It is still hard for them to follow along at this age, but they are able to read their assigned verses. Jordan for along time as just sat with me and listened while others read. I always think that his mind is wandering but he is just like MyLeigh and constantly stopping us and asking questions. The last couple of weeks he has finally agreed to read out loud and he is doing so good! The other night he even managed to read a full column. I do shrug off some of the reactions my kids have to the things that keep them interested in this book and try to teach them that "there is more to it than that". But man, who doesn't want to read about arms getting cut off, someone getting scalped, the Lord TELLING Nephi to kill Laban, a 16 year old commanding an Army, a people that bury their weapons and choose NOT to fight, prison walls falling down around missionaries and Samuel, who doesn't get hit by an arrow? We have gone these rounds over the last couple of years with our reading. And the kids want to be the one "who reads that part". Something that hasn't come up until this go around is some of the names, to be exact....Nimrod and Moron. Please forgive my children for their giggles. They are just kids. I myself am loving reading the end of the Book of Mormon with my family as I am also starting over with the Sunday School reading.

Spinach anyone?

2012-01-22T14:13:00.003-07:00

Friday morning I took off for Utah with some friends. It was a great day. The whole point of going was that Robyn Openshaw was speaking in Layton that night. We were in the Layton area and went from store to store to store. Browsing, trying clothes on, buying, visiting, laughing and of course eating. It was nice to go with the attitude of "What do you want to do next?" We all got done what we wanted to and we had time to kill before the Seminar started. Lunch was awesome. I have a hard time eating someplace new and this place had me frozen right when I walked in the door. It was not a sit down look and the menu and order. It was walk in, order and sit with your food. We went to Zupas and I am thinking I want to go back for more soup! It was so yummy! We had plans for dinner, but lunch was so good, we were stuffed and totally skipped dinner..well except for some new fruit and veggie bars we tried at the seminar, oh yeah and a couple reeses peanut butter hearts(its valentines) on the way home. So who is Robyn Openshaw? Check her site out here. She is the "green smoothie girl". I listened to some very thought provoking ideas from her. I started doing green smoothies in October and started making them for my family in November. To be honest, not everyone likes them, but they have all been great sports about them. I love the way that I feel. I sleep better and wake up refreshed, among other things. I learned some other things that can be incorporated into our family that I will be doing slowly. I am just not ready to give up my Reeses! So, what goes in our Smoothies? Spinach. Lots of Spinach. Then carrots, khale, apple, orange, kiwi, strawberries, mixed berries, flaxseed and soon, bee pollen. Sometimes some pinapple and honeydew. We started eating sprouts last week and I plan on doing broccoli, alfalfa, and chia sprouts myself. Just as soon as I get everything ordered. Don't think I am crazy. I just feel that a lot of these things make sense. What did people eat 100 years ago? The Lord put certain things on the earth for us our resource and for the benefit of our health. But like I said, I will still be eating my Reeses! Thanks Cami and Claudette, it was a great day and I look forward to doing it again!

Visiting Teachers

2012-01-17T16:08:00.003-07:00

Visiting Teachers. I am a little down about mine right now. They come every month. They share the thought. But that is all, in and out. I even found myself almost telling them over the phone that I was fine and they didn't need to come by. But I stopped myself. I will keep trying. They have only been coming a couple of months. I miss my "old" Visiting Teachers. I was comfortable with them. They loved my kids, and my kids loved them. They would come, visit, share the message, we would feel the spirit, sometimes there was tears, and they probably always stayed longer than they should have. They NEVER left without a hug. I am sure more often then not, kids where waiting for their Mom. But I didn't ever feel like an inconvience. They were surely sisters I could call in the middle of the night. They were wonderful examples of Visiting Teaching and I hope they know how much I love them. I should probably look at the flip side of the coin. I had the best Visiting Teachers during the most difficult time of my life. (up to this point) It is time to move on. They were probably needed in another home other than mine. I guess I am just feeling BLAH. This is the 3rd straight week of Nate being gone. Well, not straight weeks. He was gone for 2 weeks, home last weekend and gone again this week. I really am used to this. Some weeks are just harder than others. As I read through this, I am tempted to not post it. I don't like my blog to be negative. But I think too, it is life and life isn't always peachy king. Some days are harder than others and we get through them. When we get through them, we become stronger, learn more and become closer to who Heavenly Father wants us to be. On a happy note, in about 2 weeks I will hopefully (fingers crossed) reach a goal that I have been working towards the last couple of months. It is a major milestone for me and I am pretty excited about it. I haven't decided if I will post about it or not. It would be shining some attention on myself and I don't know if I want that. I have also been working on some Pinterest projects. I told myself that if I am going to be pinning things, I have to do some. My goals is 3 a week. This weekend MyLeigh is turning 9. We have a special day planned for her. I am also going to spend Friday with one of my most favorite longtime friends, Cami. I am so looking forward to it! Here is also a little insight into my life. I am a scaredy cat. I monitor very carefully what I watch on TV. My imagination gets the better of me sometimes. I can build on one little thought that then keeps me up all night. We really enjoy the show "Castle". Well, I haven't watched it for a long time. The shows just keep piling up on the DVR. Sunday night, we decided we better start catching up on them. So, the first one on the list was the week before Halloween. 10 minutes into it I had my hands over my ears and humming to myself to not hear what was going on. I managed through the show, but with a couple more moments of humming. Then they had to show the tri pod move! There are a lot of things that scare me, but first on the list would be the grouping of spirits, ghosts, unexplained happenings. Honestly, I am just thankful I have slept soundly alone for 2 nights. I am sure Nate is too, I don't think he likes getting phone calls in the middle of the night.

Cause for frustration...

2012-01-06T15:10:00.001-07:00

I was going through my phone and remembered I had taken these pictures for a blog post. This is what Mady's room can look like after an hour of playing. ( these are taken on 3 different days) I have tried everything I can think of to get her to clean up after herself. I have not had any of the other kids make messes like she does. There are days when I will get her dressed and she will put her pajamas back on and then go through 4 more pairs of pajamas. (Cause they are comfy. I must admit she is right)
As of right now there is a big tote in the top of her closet with her toys in it. She has to ask for something and I get it down. She has to clean that up before I will get something else down for her.
There are honestly some mornings where I just have to shut the door and not look at the mess cause it truly makes me feel that my day is ruined knowing how messy her room is and that even if I clean it, it doesn't last.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

Puzzle time

2012-01-06T14:45:00.001-07:00

Cannon lives down the street and since the kids went back to school he has been coming to play. He comes and asks to play with Jaxon,but quickly he starts playing with Mady. He is almost 5 months older than her and is certainly not going to let her boss him around. They have been doing puzzles over and over. Mady even changes her clothes for him and then asks him over and over if she looks cute. Boy, he is NOT going to answer that question! I think that I have caught him rolling his eyes at her once or twice. Buy hey, I'm not complaining, she gets out of her pajamas when he comes.

Lunch with J

2012-01-05T13:46:00.001-07:00

I go in and help with J's 1st grade class on Thursdays. Every morning that I am going in, he asks if I will stay and eat lunch with him. I always worry about doing it cause the girls are already left at home for an hour and a half by the time I am done helping. Today I decided to stay with him. He was pretty quite as we sat in the lunch room, him eating his lunch and me eating my apple. I made conversation with the girls he sat with. Then they started telling jokes and J piped up with some that he knows. When lunch was over, he gave me a hug and told me thanks for staying. It was the best lunch date I've had in a long time and something I should try to do more often.

Christmas Break

2012-01-04T14:12:00.002-07:00

While we have enjoyed being together as a family the last couple of weeks, I am on the fence about getting back into the "old routine". It has been really nice to not have to leave my house every 10 minutes to take a kid here or there. Jaxon and MyLeigh got a 3 week break (they are on their last week as we speak). Jordan went back to school yesterday. The first week the kids were all home we were preparing for Christmas. One day I took MyLeigh and the 2 of us went to Idaho Falls for the day. It was a fun girls day. She helped me with some things and then had to be sworn to secrecy. We sang Christmas songs as we drove and talked and told stories. I wish I would have taken a picture of our girls day. One day was spend doing some heavy duty cleaning. The things I hate, yes HATE to do, but will do them with my kids, so that I can tell myself that I am teaching them to do. We cleaned out the fridge, laundry room, some closets, some drawers and a toy box. The day before Christmas Eve, Nate took the kids to Utah. I stayed home and finished up errands and preparations for the next day. Nate got to work from home last week, which is nice and hard. He also was able to take the boys shooting one morning, and on New Years Eve he went with some friends and took Jordan Ice fishing. They were gone most of the day and by the end, I think that Jaxon was sad that he chose to not go. We even managed to squeeze in a couple of dates. Some friends of ours came up for New Years weekend to see her family so we got together one night. We went to Lava and out to dinner. Then we also celebrated our 13th Wedding Anniversary with dinner and a movie. With the weather being "nice" for December, Jaxon and MyLeigh have been out riding Roller Blades and the Ripstick. But not before I had them clean out the Pantry! They took everything out and wiped down all the shelves. Then we re-organized it.

New Year's Day

2012-01-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

It must be going to be a great year. Church is now at 9:00. I really didn't mind 1:00. Now we are back to quick breakfasts and scurring to get out the door. No more sleeping in, reading the newspaper in bed or having kids come snuggle with us and listening to them chit chat. Now sunday clothes need to be ready by Saturday night with shoes found and ready to go. Mady just might have to learn to sleep with socks in her hair! But it is going to be a GREAT year.... The kids sat quietly through sacrament meeting, with the exception of Nate whacking his foot on the pew, we didn't draw attention to ourselves. Well, maybe they were all so good because they were up till 1:00 the night before and maybe there was a child or 2 who fell asleep. (I think they were faking) Sunday January 1, 2012 gives me reason to hope for a GREAT year. Why? Because Jordan combed his hair for Church!!!!

Christmas Day

2011-12-30T21:30:00.001-07:00

After a wonderful "go at our own pace" Christmas morning, we had church at 1:00. It was perfect. We weren't rushed and even had time for pictures before we left. Nate and Jaxon sang in the Ward Choir. Jaxon has been going with Nate to choir practice for awhile now. He is finally starting to sing the sacrament songs loud enough that I can hear him, and he sits next to me. After church we headed up to Grandma and Grandpa Anderson's house. They hadn't gotten home from church yet. Everyone carried something into the house and the kids immediately started looking at the gifts under the tree. MyLeigh saw an M&M nutcracker thing that dispenses M&Ms. She showed Mady how it worked and gave her 3. She turned to me and gave me some. The moment I looked at them I realized these were not milk chocolate M&Ms, at that same moment Mady starts SCREAMING, "These taste like peanut butter!". I scooped her up and ran to the kitchen. She was spitting them out the second she realized what she had in her mouth. While I was headed to the kitchen, MyLeigh and Jordan flew out the front door crying and yelling for Nate, who was bringing in some things from the car. I went out the back door with Mady in my arms and Nate went in the front door with the kids. He came back out and we hurried home for the Epi-pen. It turns out that we gave her some benadryl and watched her CLOSELY. We didn't have to give her the Epi-pen. I'm guessing that she didn't swallow any of them and I swiped her mouth pretty good. I didn't give her a drink so that what was in her mouth didn't go down. Her hands and eyes swelled up to a point that I get nervous. But that was all. So, I had been wondering if Mady was outgrowing her peanut allergy. Guess I got my answer. While all the kids are fully aware of Mady's allergy, they take extra care to be careful when she is around. What I realized from this, is that they know what Peanut M&M's are, but had no idea of the peanut butter kind. MyLeigh just assumed they were milk chocolate. Had it been something the kids were unfamiliar with, they would have asked me what it was. Had my parents been there, the candy would have probably been put away when we got there. Later I asked my Mom why she even bought those, cause they aren't "our M&M's of choice". She said they had been a gift from some friends.

After we got these pictures done with the kids, we realized Jaxon wasn't completely dressed. The stinker didn't want to wear the sweater that he was given. But we made him put it on for the rest of the pictures.

ChRIStMAs 2011

2011-12-30T16:45:00.002-07:00

Christmas Morning....Can we pause that too? This is my most favorite tradition. Mrs. Clause accompanies Santa Clausesto our house. She busyes herself with setting our table and writing the kids a letter. She also leaves pumpkin waffle batter, buttermilk syrup and breakfast casserole in our fridge, along with juice, already for us to cook and eat. I told Nate that next year, I want to eat first and open presents last. The kids have wanted Yoyos FOREVER! Santa remember and left them one in their stockings.

MyLeigh loves her lifesaver storybook

MyLeigh has patiently waited for new Roller Blades. She wasn't sure if she wanted them for Christmas or her Brithday. I'd say she is pretty excited!

This is about as excited as Mady gets!

MyLeigh added to her collection of "Little house on the Prairie". I don't think Mady is excited about this. She is probably hoping she isn't the next to get a book.

Nope, but Jaxon is!

The boys with their Fishing poles. They also got fishing vests from Grandma and Grandpa Anderson.

This was the best surprise of them all. So, we ask Jaxon, "what do you think it is?"His response, "a snow board!". Pretty funny since we don't do any skiing in our family.Turns out Santa left him a 20 gauge shotgun!

We have been waiting for a new WII for almost a Year. Ours broke last January, thanks Santa! Oh, and no...there was no new Piano! Whew.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-29T15:01:00.000-07:00

Christmas Eve....It never lasts long enough. I always tell Nate that I wish time would stand still on this night. Around 8 pm would be great. Dinner is over and cleaned up, everyone is visiting and enjoying each others company. It is my most favorite time. This year we had dinner at my Parents house. Grandpa Hogg, Lorraine, Trent and his family, Adele and her family where there. It was great. We came home around 9 to find that Elmer had gotten out the Christmas Eve presents and added one of his own....new pillows. I was so surprised that I didn't get pictures, But of course we have Pics of our new PJs.

While I was up helping get dinner ready at my Mom's, Nate was home with the kids doing some last minute wrapping. When we got home that night, this is one of the presents that I found. The picture doesn't do it justice. One on the kids wrapped it with scraps of wrapping paper. For the longest time, I thought 2 presents were there, stacked on top of each other. Oh, and then there was one side that was taped from top to bottom with ONE piece of tape, 5 times over! And for some reason, the kids wanted to leave Santa's treat of Oreos under the tree this year. I insisted that the milk be left on the table. They love to see the oreo crumbs in the bottom of the glass in the morning. And Santa does not dissapoint in that area!

After Pjs were put on, we sat and talked of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Thoughts were shared by each of us. After Family prayer, the stockings were put out and kids went to bed. Jaxon, MyLeigh and Jordan slep in MyLeigh's room. I was amazed at how quickly they went to sleep. My Dad came to get my Mom's present and stayed and visited for awhile. Then realized he forgot something we needed, he went home and returned again. I think he left sometime around 1 am. Around 3 J came upstairs to ask for ice for MyLeigh. Apparently they were awake and jumping around and MyLeigh hit her head on the dresser. They were up a couple more times, but never asked to open presents. ( I was just happy to know there is a little of me in my kids and they were awake in the night!) They came in our room at 7:30 and layed in bed with us while Jax and Mady kept sleeping. At 8 Nate went down to wake Jax up. His first questions was if we opened presents without him!

MyLeigh's 1st Basketball Season

2011-12-18T19:31:00.001-07:00

MyLeigh wanted to try Basketball this year. She was so excited. Pretty quick she figured out it wasn't what she expected. She had a very hard time with having others girls in her "bubble". So, she quickly learned that she didn't want the ball at anytime. After the 2nd game she was ready to quit. In true Hill fashion, she was given the talk by her Dad that you don't quit. Yes, you aren't enjoying it, but you committed to a team, and you finish out your season. Slowly she began to get used to the game. The last week of ball, I had to do some things at the church for Young Women's during the week. I told MyLeigh that if she got her schoolwork done, she was more that welcome to come with me and shoot some hoops. When we got there, Bro. Edlefsen was there, shooting baskets. He invited MyLeigh to come play with him. She loved it. The following Saturday was her last game. On the was there, Nate told her that if she made a basket, he would give her $10 and take her to lunch. ***I really wanted to know what happened to offering a $1 when you wanted to bribe your children. Most games we are really trailing behind in the score. This game was pretty close. in the second quarter, MyLeigh stole the ball and hightailed it down court. No one was around her and I grabbed Nate's knee. She shot the ball and made her first basket in a game. I let out a sigh of relief and looked at Nate to see his eyes water up. MyLeigh had ran back down the court and had the biggest smile on her face. I have NEVER seen a bigger smile. She couldn't wait to tell Bro. Edlefsen about her game in church. As soon as sacrament meeting was over away she was to go find him. Way to go, MyLeigh. I am proud of you for sticking out something that you weren't to excited to do. I hope you remember the things you learned from following through on your committments!

Christmas Piano Recital

2011-12-17T22:46:00.000-07:00

Today MyLeigh had her Christmas Recital. She did a wonderful job. She played "Joy to the World" and "Rudolph". She has been practicing these songs for so long, that she can zip right through them. I kept reminding her that she needed to play them at the right Tempo. She was a little nervous, but did a great job! Her recital was held in a room at the Piano Gallery. So afterwards, we wandered through the Pianos and Grand Pianos for sale. I do have a new Piano on my list, way down low after all the "needs" are taken care of. Nate called me over to look at one Grand Piano. The price tag was $48,000! GULP. I said, how about this one, and pointed to one that was a quarter of the price he was looking at. To be honest, I am a little nervous that I singled out a Piano to Nate. I wouldn't put anything past him with Christmas so near.

Elmer the Elf and Pics of SANTA!

2011-12-13T16:02:00.005-07:00

Our family has had the opportunity to have Elmer the Elf assigned to our house since Jaxon was a baby. The kids have grown up with him. He has visited with them on the phone here and there, left them notes and watched over them carefully through the years. When "Elf on a Shelf" appeared a couple of years ago, the kids quickly caught that bug and wanted "that" Elf. It was hard explaining that we already had an Elf and I wasn't about to change our little tradition of doing things. Jordan has really come up with some questions this year. We are doing our best to keep up with his ideas. First, all the sudden, my handwritting looks like Elmers. Hum. Don't know what to say to that cause Elmer writes in all Caps, not me! He has been writing letters like crazy asking all sorts of questions. He wants to know what Elmer looks like, what Santa likes to eat, how old the Reindeer are and on and on. Elmer decided Jordan needed some reassurance of Santa, so he left Jordan some pictures of Santa at our house on Christmas Eve last year. He also told Jordan that if he told him what he looked like, he would lose his magic.

Notice that there are no presents under the tree? That's cause I was the WORST snoop growing up. My parents learned quickly that nothing went under the tree till we were all in bed on Christmas Eve. I don't think I have snoops, but I don't chance it. I do kinda feel bad that I have kids that sleep all night and don't get up too early. It makes for a boring night, I think. Ask my brother, I use to keep him up all night long. Don't my kids know they are missing out on some fun memories?

I love the Magic of Christmas. I love that Santa and the Savior represent the same things. Both teach us of giving, love, selflessness and peace. Not all the time do either one of them receive that thanks and gratitude they deserve, but they still love us no matter what and continue to give.

Compliment

2011-12-04T21:03:00.007-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I listened to Emily Watts give a great talk. One think that has stuck in my mind is that we can't judge others because we don't know the whole story. She told how her little girl one Sunday morning was upset because she had eaten all her pancakes and wanted her Mom's as well. Well, Sis. Watts had made everyone pancakes and then just made one big one for herself with the batter that was left, instead of making 2 little pancakes. This little sunbeam came into the room upset because she wanted a big pancake. After church, the Sunbeam teacher had heard all about how Sis. Watts wouldn't share her breakfast. She went on to say that nobody gives you credit for getting everyone ready for church and making breakfast, they just hear the part that you where selfish and didn't share your breakfast. I have thought about this alot. I sometimes think people see Jordan and wonder what I do as a Mom. Why his hair isn't combed before church or his shirt isn't tucked in. Or why he is wearing the shirt to school that he wore 2 days ago, or why his hair gets longer and longer. What they don't know is just how grateful I am that he came to church or actually got on the school bus. I choose to pick my battles carefully with Jordan. The fact that he is in sacrament meeting to take the sacrament is more important to me than the fact that he didn't wear a dress shirt to church. They also don't know the fights that ensue when its time for a hair cut. Ask the hairdresser about the time he walked out on her, in the snow with no shoes or coat cause he didn't want his hair cut. I am doing the best I can. Which is why I so appreciated this encouter.... In Jordan's 1st grade class, they have been working on earning Compliments. Each compliment they earn, they get a letter to help spell the word. When they spell the word Compliment, they get to have donuts. So, I wanted to share this Compliment with Jordan Last night, Nate and I were in the grocery store,and as we were bagging groceries, Jordan's teacher approached us. I love Ms. Sanders to death. She let me know that Jordan is doing great in class. She told me that he is so polite, kind and helps everyone. I was really surprised. That probably sounds awful for a Mom to say. She also reminded me that if your kids can go out into the world and know how to behave, then you as a parent are doing your job. It was so nice to be reminded that I am doing my job. I just wish that I could be a fly on the wall at school to see J open the door for people and say "thank you" to everything. I am glad others are reaping the benifits of the sweat and tears I put into him! When I got into the car, I wanted to cry. I was grateful to have learned that about Jordan, and I am glad Ms. Sanders took the time to tell me. At dinner we started talking about Ms. Sanders and 1st grade, since the other 2 kids have also been in her class, they are aware of her rules and routines. They started talking about how often each of them had to "turn a card". Turning a card means that you have had a warning, turning your card after that adds up to not so fun consequences. Everyday you start over (from what I understand) Jaxon admitted to turning a card 4 times in his 1st grade career. MyLeigh turned hers 3 times (little Miss Social). Jordan proudly exclaimed that he has yet to turn his card. This really surprised me. I almost choked on my dinner. I would have guessed that Jaxon never turned a card. I am thinking that I need to implement the card system in our home.

Christmas in the Night Time Sky

2011-11-29T15:42:00.000-07:00

This year my sister was with uis for Thanksgiving. She has been in Philadelphia for the past 2 years while her husband was in PA school. She was some different habits than me, which I didn't think about when I said, "sure come stay at our house". They stayed with us Friday and Saturday night and I was exhausted. Starting movies at 11pm..with the kids.(I know what you are thinking, Yes, ME, I, let my kids stay up and do that??) The next night was almost the same thing. My eyes feel like there is sand in them. I will admit, I am old. I NEED my sleep. Trent and Danielle had taken their kids to Boise, so we missed them for the fireworks, but we managed.

Marla, Brady, Rachel and Bailee

Christmas Traditions

2011-11-20T17:23:00.004-07:00

I love this time of year. I love the traditions, music, snow, planning, memories and peacefulness that the Holiday season brings. As a little girl, we would always have Christmas Eve dinner at my Grandma Hogg's house. Of course the record player was playing Christmas music, and this was the album that I loved listening to at my Grandma's, Roger Whitaker (ok kids, records/albums were what was played before tapes, which were before CDs, which came before Ipods.) When I was around 7 years old, my Mom, Grandma, and Aunts started dipping chocolates. We had a neighbor who was a professional candy dipper. She would come for 3 straight days and dip. I don't know how many thousands of chocolates she did in those 3 days, but it was amazing. We would come home from school and sit across from Lola and stir the chocolate and visit with her. It was mesmerizing to watch her swift hand movements and the way she got the chocolate to mold the way she wanted it to. After she flipped the chocolate onto the wax paper board, she would make the marking on top to let us know what flavor it was. The prep work for these 3 days was just as much a tradition in our house....making the fondant. The hot candy mixture was poured out on a marble slab and left to cool. Then we would stir air into it with a spatula, until it turned creamy. It was always a contest to see who could turn a batch the quickest. We dipped chocolates every year until the year I got married. That was the last year that Lola dipped them for us. We have made some meager attempts at dipping, but they will never look the way Lola did them. Another tradition that I remember was with my Dad's family. We would do a christmas progressive dinner. We would go to Aunts and Uncles houses and at one point, Santa would show up. 10 years ago, we started this Tradition with my brothers and sisters. Some traditions that I have started for my family are simple, yet something that I look forward to more and more each year. I have struck a deal with Mrs. Clause, and she does christmas morning breakfast for us. She sets the table, down to a christmas center piece, leaves pumpkin waffle batter in the fridge, along with buttermilk syrup (yummy), breakfast casserole and juice all make up. Last of all, she leaves the kids a letter expressing her love and adoration for them. Another tradition we have come to love is "Christmas in the Nighttime Sky". The Saturday after Thanksgiving, after the christmas tree is decorated, we bundle up and watch the fireworks on the deck. Then we have hot chocolate and a treat. One more tradition that I have carried on? Roger Whitaker is still my all time favorite Christmas CD. I love that my kids have started to sing along with the songs. It makes me feel close to my Grandma. It makes me feel that somehow there is a connection to my children and Grandma, even though they have never met in this life. My hope is that when my childen are grown and someone askes them their favorite part of Christmas, they will say "Pumpkin Waffles". Because it is so much more than Pumpkin Waffles. "Such beautiful keepsakes remind us of loved ones now gone and turn our minds to loved ones unborn. They form a bridge between family past and family future." Elder Dennis B. Neuenschwander "These eternal keepsakes also form a bridge between past and future and bind generations together in ways that no other keepsake can."

Jaxon Turns 11...

2011-11-07T21:59:00.000-07:00

My thoughts focused a lot on Jaxon today. Thoughts of giving birth to my first child, thoughts of when he was a baby, his first Christmas,the challenges we faced when he was a toddler. I also found myself thinking of the future. Next year he will be ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood, passing the sacrament, and in the blink of an eye, he could be sending in Mission Papers. When did I get so old? Jaxon is such a remarkable Young Man. He is most the time easy going, never complains about homework, eats whatever is put in front of him, loves to read and loves hanging out with his friends. He still is particular about his clothes, but we have learned to deal with that.

Once again, jaxon wanted Chocolate pie, for his dessert. Thank goodness, I am getting better and better with the pie crusts.

MyLeigh's Poems

2011-11-06T17:55:00.006-07:00

MyLeigh has been working on Poems in school the last 2 weeks. She had to right a couple of them and I thought that I would share. A Leaf A leaf so green,

will hear the songs

of a bird up above, so high in the trees.

Cat Oh flit, oh flat.

I've lost my cat! She is really fat

She might be under the mat, or she might be under that hat.

DRAT, where is my Cat?

Creative writing was not my favorite thing in school, from elementary clear up through High School. MyLeigh was always loved to write. She is always working on a book of some kings. I have lost count how many reams of paper she can go through, but whatever it takes for her to know that I will support her in all good things, I will do it.

FUN RUN

2011-11-04T19:33:00.001-06:00

Today was the 2nd annual Syringa Fun Run. The PTA does a great job with this. The kids were so excited to participate this year. I don't think J slept 4 hrs the night before. Nate took a lunch break and came to cheer the kids on. When the horn blew for J's class, he took off right to the front of the pack. Well, I waited and waited for him to come around again, but couldn't find him. I began to think I missed his 2nd lap. Then I saw Jill bringing him to me and he was in tears. His stomach hurt and he said he was going to throw up. I don't know if that was really the whole problem or if he started getting past and gave up. No matter what the problem was, it was a great learning experience and there is always another race. MyLeigh couldn't hardly wait for her chance to run. She was so excited! She said it was hard to run in the cold. She pushed through it and ended up taking 3rd place. She was also the 1st girl to come across the finish line.

These Ladys heard through Facebook that there was a fun run, so they dressed up

and came to cheer the kids on!

MyLeigh, coming to the finishline

Having a moment with her "Coach". The 2 of them have

decided to run the "Turkey Trot" on Thanksgiving Day.

The Academy

2011-11-04T13:51:00.000-06:00

Jaxon started The Acaemy at Roosevelt Centert on Oct 15. We found out 2 weeks before he started that he got in. They were starting their Fall break so he had some time to get use to the idea. The first day, he was of course nervous. I took him in to meet his new teacher and he immediately was introduced to 2 boys that showed him where to put his things. I left with a hug good-bye. All day long I felt like I was going through the 1st day of Kindergarten with Jaxon all over again. My thoughts turned to him frequently throughout the day. I wondered how he was doing, if he was making friends, if someone sat with him at lunch, how his teacher was treating him. The only thing that was different than from Kindergarten, is I didn't leave him at the school screaming for me not to leave him. I went to pick him up, and as I was waiting in the line of cars, I caught a glimpse of him. My heart sank. There he stood, with his head down, hands in his pockets, all by himself. When he got in the car, he burst into tears. He told me he hated it and wanted to go back to Syringa. I let him vent all the way home. He told me how dumb the school was. It had small bathrooms, no upstairs and not a big enough plan area to play football at recess. When we got home, he went to his room to change his clothes. He came back with his clothes in his hands and headed out the door. I asked where he was going and he said he was throwing the clothes away. (at the academy, they have a dress code. They wear navy blue, while, tan and maroon) His crying started again. I began to wonder how I could have felt so right about something that was causing such termoil inside of him. I honestly don't remember EVER seeing him so upset, even when he knew we were moving. I didn't know what to say to him. I just put my arms around him and hugged him. By the time Nate got home that night he was doing much better and not even mentioning school. He showed Nate his Spanish and told him all about his day. The next morning he was fine till we almost got to the school. I ended up stopping a block before we got to school to wait for him to stop crying. My heart hurt for him, but the reasons that he gave for not liking it wasn't enough for us to say, Nevermind. Picking him up from school went a little better then the day before. By Wednesday afternoon when I went to get him, I saw Jaxon back to his old self. He was standing there with a bunch of kids laughing and talking. When I asked him how his day was, he responded "Great". That was the end of that and we haven't looked back since. I got an email from Jaxon's teacher on his 2nd day of school that helped me to know that he would be alright. She said that he was doing very well and that she had never had a student blend into a class as quickly and easily as Jaxon had. So, having completed 3 weeks in a new school, Jaxon is loving it. (Mom and Dad are too) He loves the science experiements, learning Spanish, and working in Computer lab. He came home the other day and showed me all he had learned about Excel, he could even put a spreadsheet together! I know change isn't easy, but I am so proud of you Jaxon for not giving up and quickly turning this situation around. But then again, you are the kind of person that attracts people. No one can resist your smile and personality. Just remember, that we don't give up. When things are hard, if you know they are right, you don't give up.

Mady's BirthDay

2011-11-03T13:22:00.001-06:00

I have been asking Mady for a long time if she would stay 3 years old for me. She was all for it, till someone told her that she couldn't have a Birthday if she was staying 3. So, begrudgingly I let Mady turn 4. We celebrated her Birthday 2 days early because Nate needed to be gone. She asked for a "Tangled Chocolate Cake." I don't know why, cause she doesn't eat cake. She was pretty funny the day after her Birthday, she went and put on her her Halloween costume and stomped her foot as she told me that "I'm NOT bigger yet, how come I'm not bigger?" Her goal is to be able to climb the shelves in her closet and get to the toys that I keep putting up there, when she doesn't pick up after herself.

I'm turning 4!

HaLLoWeEn

2011-11-01T12:53:00.000-06:00

Halloween came and went. MyLeigh changed constumes on me 3 times. First, her and J were going to be bank robbers. They had been talking about it since summer. Then she chose to be a vampire, then 2 days before the Big Day, she decided to be a distance runner. She chose that after her Dad took her to see the Big Sky Cross Country Championships. J was thrown for a loop when he lost his co-robber. Jaxon made a big change this year and went out on a limb and changed from baseball to football. He is a Patriots fan. I must say, I think Mady made the CUTEST Strawberry Shortcake EVER!

We had fun this year not having to push a stroller or carrying a kid. Nate thought he would be carrying Mady for most the night, but she kept right up with the kids. She even started telling people to give her candy without peanuts. If they gave her something she couldn't eat, she gave it right back to them. So, I was a little dissappointed with the lack of reeses peanut butter cups in her bag :)

Smoker's Cough

2011-10-28T15:34:00.002-06:00

Jaxon informed me that he has been coughing all night and all day at school. Funny how he doesn't cough in the afternoon or evening when he is around the family. He then tells me what he thinks of this cough. "Mom, there isn't a reason I should have a cough like this. (I'm thinking, it's getting cold out and you won't wear a coat). Smokers have a cough like this cause they smoke all the time." I am wondering where he is taking this. "Mom, I think the only thing that makes sense is that in the middle of the night, I am sleep walking and going out and smoking." I asked him if he is hiding cigarettes somewhere that I should know about. He responded, " I don't think so". Jaxon, I am sticking to the reason that the weather has changed and everyone in this house refuses to dress for the weather. I do love your imagination!

Ahhh, Reading!

2011-10-18T13:56:00.003-06:00

The other night Mady wanted a story read to her. MyLeigh had helped her pick this book up at the library and told her she would read it to her. Mady also wanted Daddy to read too. Between MyLeigh and Nate, they had a pretty good story going. They each took a part and both of them did the voices that went along with it. Jordan even got his 20 mins of reading done so he could listen to the funny story. Have I mentioned that my kids love to read? I am glad it is not something that is a "chore" for them. It is never a fight to get them to read, or for me to read them a story. Actually, it is a fight to get them to turn their lamps off at night and stop reading! Jordan is frustrated with being in the 1st grade and having to learn to read. He doesn't seem to realize that the 2 older kids had to learn to. He just remembers them being able to read. He gets frustrated when he has to sound a word out and looses his patients when I don't tell him the word. But I know before to long, he too, will be drowning himself in a good book.

I hope you all remember how important reading is. It will open up so many avenues for you. It is a basis for your schoolwork. Having a love of reading will carry you far. "knowledge is power" and knowledge can come from many ways, one of them being reading and studying a certain subject. Knowledge is one thing we get to take with us when we leave this life and I hope you take every opportunity given to you to gain all you can!

JD is 7!

2011-10-14T14:11:00.000-06:00

J starts asking,"how many more days till my Birthday" around the beginning of the school year. I tell him the more he asks and counts, the longer it will take. Maybe it is jucst wishful thinking, cause his Birthday comes way to quickly for me. On my kids' Birthdays I find myself reliving the events of their birth throughout the day. I awoke on J's big day thinking to myself, "uh, 7 years ago at this time, I had been up ALL night walking the halls of the hospital. My water had broke at midnight, we arrived at the hospital around 2am and he was born at 12:30pm, no I didn't sleep. I kept watching the contractions on the monitor. Here he is, 7 years later....

J loves legos, the problem is that once he builds something, he doesn't take it apart...EVER.

YES, books! Sportin his new batting helmet

His own Basketball

Once again, he wanted cupcakes for his cake. Just. like. this. Nothing fancy. Just with letters. (good. cause I don't have a clue how to do fancy things) But, there is custard inside of them.

J took donuts to school to share with his classmates and got to pick what was for dinner. He chose Tony's pizza. Yes! cardboard box pizza. Not Papa Murphy's, Pizza Hut, Dominoes. TONY'S?!?. Well, whatever makes you happy. And it was pretty easy.

Older and Wiser? Probably not!

2011-10-09T14:45:00.004-06:00

When I was a little girl, I LOVED my Birthday. I would tell anyone who would listen how many days it was before my birthday. Yep, even when I was turning 19-no kidding. Growing up, we were never taken out to dinner for our big day, or sent balloons at school or given really lavish gifts. I just always felt like it was "my day". My best friend growing up, lived just up the street from me and as we got older, we got very creative with our gifts. Sometimes we would wrap a little present over and over, in a bigger and bigger box. I still have the pillow case she made for me when we were seniors, and Yes, I remember what all the little symbols mean :) I have always loved Birthdays.

This year was one to celebrate because there wasn't a flower delivery van to bring me flowers, Nate delivered them himself. Flowers are a hard pill for me to swallow. I could think of other things to do with $75...that wouldn't die :) But, with not having a husband around for the last 2 birthdays, I came to appreciate the flowers that showed up at the door. No matter the distance, I knew I was thought of. And for a week or so, I had a visual reminder that someone loved me.

I love the excitement my kids have in watching someone open a gift, they have gifted. MyLeigh was so concerned all day that she didn't have a card for me. I had to run to the grocery store and told her she was welcome to come along and see what she could find. I promptly took her to the card aisle and showed her where to look. Then I told her that when she was done, she needed to walk to the end of the aisle and across the rest so she could find me. I honestly thought she would be there awhile and I would have to go back to get her. About 3 minutes later she was at my side with the biggest grin on her face. She was so excited about the card she found. She kept it pressed firmly to her chest through the rest of the store, let the checker swip it, and kept it covered till she got it home.

Reading MyLeigh's card

This is why she was so excited. I have been reading a TON of books since summer and it really bugs her that I don't use a bookmark. She always asks if I want to borrow one of hers. Well, now I have my own!

Mady was excited all day to give me her present. She practically pulled it out of the bag for me.

A Mini Pillow Pet, just like hers! She proudly told me that "now they can play together!"

Then the others had to get theirs for a group picture

I looked and looked for the cheese cake that I wanted, and ended up picking a Turtle Ice Cream cake. It wasn't too bad. Everyone ate it and no leftovers. Thank goodness cause this is the time of year that I feel like we eat some cake, throw it out, get another cake and repeat.

1600's?

2011-09-30T18:26:00.004-06:00

After reading the previous post, you will understand, that now I don't feel so bad. MyLeigh: "Mom, what year was Grandma Myrna born? Me: " 1956" MyLeigh: "Oh,(said with much disappointment) I thought she was from the 1600's. WAIT, you mean she knows about Black and Grey TV? Me: "MyLeigh, it's called black and white TV". MyLeigh: "whatever it is, can she tell me about it?" Will someone please tell this girl about black and white TV? Better yet, I wish she could watch it and see its not all she has imagined. Happy thought of the day: I'm not from the 1600's. Whew!

1900's

2011-09-29T17:12:00.001-06:00

I took MyLeigh to the library today. She has to gather information from 3 sources on an animal subject of her choice. On the way there I suddenly felt VERY old. The conversation went as follows:

MyLeigh: "Mom, were you alive in the 1900's?"
Me:"Yes"
MyLeigh: "So you grew up with black and grey TV?"
She said this with such enthusiasm, like she thought she would never find someone who knew about black and white TV. I hated to burst her bubble and tell her that I was not that old. She wld have to ask her grandpa.

Mormon Cricket

2011-09-25T21:53:00.003-06:00

So, this is a "Mormon" cricket. I didn't know that they weren't black and much bigger than normal crickets.

Yesterday J was helping Nate clean out the garage. While sweeping everything into a pile, J notice a bug in the middle of all of it. Nate pointed out that it was a cricket and a Mormon cricket at that. To which J replied:

"A Mormon Cricket, what's that?

Not waiting for a response from his Dad, he answered his own question.

"A cricket that goes to church!"

Lake Powell

2011-09-19T19:51:00.000-06:00

I must admit, on the evening of Labor Day when Nate found out that we were invited to Lake Powell for the following week, I wasn't excited. There was a couple of reasons, that I felt were very valid. 1) we just started school 2) Jax had been telling us for a year that he was not going to miss school in 5th grade. He wanted perfect attendance to get a bike. 3) my back 4) a house boat with people that I don't know??? Up until thursday morning, we were thinking that Nate was just going to go and take MyLeigh and Jordan. by that evening, we were all going. We left Sunday morning and drove to St. George. Then drove to Antelope marina on Monday morning. I shouldn't say that I didn't know anyone that was going to be there. We went with a group from Nate's work, so that meant that our neighbors, the Weirs were with us. We were also able to meet the Owner of TUR and his family and the Jensons from Vernal UT and Misty came along too. I met her in the first couple of weeks that Nate started working with this company. I have always really liked her. So, 28 people on a house boat for a week? I wasn't to sure how this was going to be. Within an hour of being there, I had a good feeling that it was going to be a great week. This picture was at the end of the week, when were are docking and loaded up to go back to the cars. This guy really didn't want to have to make another trip back down. He loaded us ALL in. What you can't see is all the luggage,blankets,pillows and food that is in the cart behind us.

Mady loved playing on the beach and stayed far away from her Dad, who might get her into the water.

I didn't see much of the kids during the week. They had their swimming suits on before breakfast and were in the water before their last bite was swallowed. Speaking of kids, they all got along so well and made wonderful new friends. This is J with Grant.

I LOVE this Picture!

While I spent most of my days, on the top deck of the boat with a book in my hands, or visiting with some fabelous women, these guys were out proving that they can play as hard as they work. Let me tell you, they work HARD.

This is Mike telling Nate that he better not bail off when they start going. The truth is, Mike had already thrown Nate off a jet ski and Nate was hurting. He is still babying a Rib.

I can't help but wonder, why in all the pictures I have of these guys on the tube, Mike is the only one ever smiling. Trust me, I have lots of pictures.

I asked MyLeigh when she came in from her ride if she was scared. She told me no. I think this picturse tells us otherwise.

MyLeigh, Meg and Madison

On Thursday, I got brave and went on the boat. We were going to Rainbow bridge. I felt bad cause I knew some of the kids were wanting to jump the wakes of other boats, but because I was there, Spencer was trying to be careful. Here group our is, eating lunch at the dock. There was lots of carp swimming around. Some of the kids were tempting the fish to nibble their toes. Gross!

Mady screamed and screamed on the boat, she finally feel asleep. Thank goodness.

"Aunt Misty" took Mady on the way back and she did much better.

Morgan, doing her best to help us get through the 500, yes 500 otter pops that Nate brought with us.

Jax, about to jump from the second level deck

When dinners were over, depending on the weather, the kids headed back to the water. Most the adults would shower and clean up. We would play games, visit or just hang out. I loved that you weren't made to feel bad with whatever you chose to do. We had a blast playing the "name game" and....oh goodness, I forgot what it was called! It was the funniest game ever. uh oh. But I will never hear an owl the same way again! :) Ok, the game was called Snorta. It is Hilariouos! (we googled :adult game that requires animal sounds...brave, I know.)

Nate and Clay

Nicole and Sushelle

What else did we do? EAT! We ate 3 big meals everyday. What I also loved? You were in charge of a meal. Which meant, you prepared, served and cleaned it up. 3 meals for the whole week. I was so impressed that it didn't matter if it was your turn or not, someone extra was always helping. Everyone was willing to help everyone else. I really enjoyed watching the husbands pitching in to help.

Ally and her Root Beer Float

This kid cracked me up! Everytime there were Tomatoes out he wanted a big plate of them with salt and pepper. His name is Jaxon too, J referred to him as "Little Bro"

Pulling up to Rainbow Bridge

A couple of years ago, I sat on my front step in tears. My world had just been turned upside down. I remember being on the phone with my Mom and her telling me, "It just means there is something better out there for Nate". Those words echo in my head alot. I am so thankful Nate has a job that he loves. A job that allows him to rub shoulders with some very wonderful men. Men who have high expectation, men who have high standards, men who treat their wives with the upmost respect and love their children with their whole hearts and men who know how to have fun. I witnessed that this last week. I was grateful I was able to witness them in their everyday lives and see how blessed we are to be surrounded by them.

I can't begin to express how glad I am that we went on this trip. It was so relaxing and enjoyable. We got on the boat with strangers and left the boat with wonderful, amazing friends. I was so amazed how everyone melded together and got along. I have already told Nate that I hope we have the opportunity to go again one day. Just cause I really want to go and have the opportunity to Play!

Scenery pictures never look as good as in real life. But it helps you remember!

Sept 11, 2001 - 10 years later

2011-09-11T22:38:00.005-06:00

As our Family drove to St. George today, we were reminded that it was the 10th anniversary of 9-11. Nate and I decided that we wanted to write down what we remembered of that day and our feelings. 9-11-01 was a Tuesday morning. I went to work at the shop at 6 am. I worked with my sister, Michelle that day. Most of my work was done and I was just doing some clean up when I heard a some gasps from the coffee drinkers and mall walkers. I stuck my head over the counter as Michelle heard the news on the radio in the back. I was confused at first. I saw one of the towers on fire and smoke everywhere. The morning news team seemed confused too(it was the morning news from New York) All the sudden I realized I was watching live TV, then a plane crashed into the second tower. I thought "what it that pilot doing?" All this happened in a matter of seconds. Work became a daze as I tried to listen to the news and understand what was happening. When I got home and realized the full extent of what had happened, I became scared and nervous. I remember standing in the hall of our little apartment looking at Jaxon who was not yet 1 and wondering what these events would do in the shaping of his life. Nate was laying on the flooring stretching after a run and looked me in the eye and told me that if our Country asked for volunteers in a war, he would go. I had never heard the name Bin Laden before and suddenly I wondered why I had never payed attention to current events before. That day I was going to Hagerman with my Grandpa and we listened to the news all the way there. Stories of Heros where coming to light, as well as the tragedies. Later that night, Pres. George W. Bush addressed the country. I was driving home and remember the peace I felt listening to him on the radio.I was also grateful for the Living Prophet that we have to guide and direct us. In the coming days ther was nothing else on TV, but images from New York. I tried to not dwell on them and go about my daily activities, but my heart and thoughts were with all those who had lost loved ones. All I could do was pray for them, and pray and I did. Instead of cowaring to our enemy, we stood strong. I remember being so proud of our Pres. when he threw the first pitch in the World Seried. Again, a couple months later was the Olympics started, there he sat in the opening ceremonies. He gave us all the message of go on, keep living, don't be afraid. Lots has changed in our world in the last 10 years. Mostly in the security and the way we travel. To be honest, that change has really not effected the way I live my life. The events of that day, did strengthen my desire to be prepared, to follow the counsel of our prophet and the things that he asks us to do. I was also grateful for the words of Pres. Hinckley in Conference the following month. His talk along with Pres. Bush's are following Nate's thoughts. As this year marks the 10 year anniversary of 9-11 I thought it would be appropriate for me to document how I felt that day. I had just started working at Convergys and was working 2-11 pm. I had gotten up at 7 am to go for a morning run. MyrLynn was gone to work and Jaxon was still asleep in his crib. I went for a sweet 6 miles and made my way home. I had to be back soon cause the cable guy was coming to install the cable as we had just moved into a new apartment, and of course cause Jaxon was still asleep. As I got home the phone was ringing. It was MyrLynn calling to tell me that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. I remember thinking it wasn’t that big of a deal probably some crack head that accidentally flew his Cessna into the building. At about the same time the cable guy showed up. It wasn’t two minutes later after he got it working that we both witnessed the second airliner slamming into the second building. I could not believe what I was seeing. I remember the day being a blur. I remember being at work trying to focus on the new material that was being presented to me. After that moment there are three things that I remember more than anything about that time. One was that evening when I got home. I was watching the news channels of all the footage of the disaster and they were showing shots of people that were looking for loved one. They scanned by a small child holding a picture and a sign saying “have you seen my daddy” I cannot express the feelings that came over this new father. Knowing that there were now hundreds of thousand without their daddies, I went through so many emotions at that moment anger, rage, sorrow, fear, but the feeling I had not truly felt was the desire to defend this great country. I did not know if it was the beginning of the 3rd World War but I was ready and willing to fight for my country and for the freedoms of my family. The second moment that resonates was that moment when President Bush was standing in the ruble with the workers and told them that he heard them and that the country hears them and the world hears them and that the people that brought down the towers would hear from all of us. I remember a sense of pride that we would not cower to these individuals that we would stand up and fight and defend the honor of those that were slaughtered. And finally everyone that knows me knows how big of a Baseball fan I am. That moment when President Bush took the mound at the World Series to through that first pitch is something that I will never forget. In fact whenever we talk about that horrific incident I remember how America moved on and continued her path. We could have easily put down our bats and balls and called off the series for the year to show respect for those that died, but in my opinion there was no better way to honor them then to have their Commander and Chief through that pitch. Fearless, determined, longsuffering in the path that is Freedom. Thank you to all those that have died defending this great country, and to my wonderful Grandfather that served us in the WW2 thank you for the freedoms that you have preserved for my family. Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley, General Conference October 2001, morning session: My beloved brethren and sisters, I accept this opportunity in humility. I pray that I may be guided by the Spirit of the Lord in that which I say. I have just been handed a note that says that a U.S. missile attack is under way. I need not remind you that we live in perilous times. I desire to speak concerning these times and our circumstances as members of this Church. You are acutely aware of the events of September 11, less than a month ago. Out of that vicious and ugly attack we are plunged into a state of war. It is the first war of the 21st century. The last century has been described as the most war-torn in human history. Now we are off on another dangerous undertaking, the unfolding of which and the end thereof we do not know. For the first time since we became a nation, the United States has been seriously attacked on its mainland soil. But this was not an attack on the United States alone. It was an attack on men and nations of goodwill everywhere. It was well planned, boldly executed, and the results were disastrous. It is estimated that more than 5,000 innocent people died. Among these were many from other nations. It was cruel and cunning, an act of consummate evil. Recently, in company with a few national religious leaders, I was invited to the White House to meet with the president. In talking to us he was frank and straightforward. That same evening he spoke to the Congress and the nation in unmistakable language concerning the resolve of America and its friends to hunt down the terrorists who were responsible for the planning of this terrible thing and any who harbored such. Now we are at war. Great forces have been mobilized and will continue to be. Political alliances are being forged. We do not know how long this conflict will last. We do not know what it will cost in lives and treasure. We do not know the manner in which it will be carried out. It could impact the work of the Church in various ways. Our national economy has been made to suffer. It was already in trouble, and this has compounded the problem. Many are losing their employment. Among our own people, this could affect welfare needs and also the tithing of the Church. It could affect our missionary program. We are now a global organization. We have members in more than 150 nations. Administering this vast worldwide program could conceivably become more difficult. Those of us who are American citizens stand solidly with the president of our nation. The terrible forces of evil must be confronted and held accountable for their actions. This is not a matter of Christian against Muslim. I am pleased that food is being dropped to the hungry people of a targeted nation. We value our Muslim neighbors across the world and hope that those who live by the tenets of their faith will not suffer. I ask particularly that our own people do not become a party in any way to the persecution of the innocent. Rather, let us be friendly and helpful, protective and supportive. It is the terrorist organizations that must be ferreted out and brought down. We of this Church know something of such groups. The Book of Mormon speaks of the Gadianton robbers, a vicious, oath-bound, and secret organization bent on evil and destruction. In their day they did all in their power, by whatever means available, to bring down the Church, to woo the people with sophistry, and to take control of the society. We see the same thing in the present situation. We are people of peace. We are followers of the Christ who was and is the Prince of Peace. But there are times when we must stand up for right and decency, for freedom and civilization, just as Moroni rallied his people in his day to the defense of their wives, their children, and the cause of liberty (see Alma 48:10). On the Larry King television broadcast the other night, I was asked what I think of those who, in the name of their religion, carry out such infamous activities. I replied, "Religion offers no shield for wickedness, for evil, for those kinds of things. The God in whom I believe does not foster this kind of action. He is a God of mercy. He is a God of love. He is a God of peace and reassurance, and I look to Him in times such as this as a comfort and a source of strength." Members of the Church in this and other nations are now involved with many others in a great international undertaking. On television we see those of the military leaving their loved ones, knowing not whether they will return. It is affecting the homes of our people. Unitedly, as a Church, we must get on our knees and invoke the powers of the Almighty in behalf of those who will carry the burdens of this campaign. No one knows how long it will last. No one knows precisely where it will be fought. No one knows what it may entail before it is over. We have launched an undertaking the size and nature of which we cannot see at this time. Occasions of this kind pull us up sharply to a realization that life is fragile, peace is fragile, civilization itself is fragile. The economy is particularly vulnerable. We have been counseled again and again concerning self-reliance, concerning debt, concerning thrift. So many of our people are heavily in debt for things that are not entirely necessary. When I was a young man, my father counseled me to build a modest home, sufficient for the needs of my family, and make it beautiful and attractive and pleasant and secure. He counseled me to pay off the mortgage as quickly as I could so that, come what may, there would be a roof over the heads of my wife and children. I was reared on that kind of doctrine. I urge you as members of this Church to get free of debt where possible and to have a little laid aside against a rainy day. We cannot provide against every contingency. But we can provide against many contingencies. Let the present situation remind us that this we should do. As we have been continuously counseled for more than 60 years, let us have some food set aside that would sustain us for a time in case of need. But let us not panic nor go to extremes. Let us be prudent in every respect. And, above all, my brothers and sisters, let us move forward with faith in the Living God and His Beloved Son. Great are the promises concerning this land of America. We are told unequivocally that it "is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ" (Ether 2:12). This is the crux of the entire matter—obedience to the commandments of God. The Constitution under which we live, and which has not only blessed us but has become a model for other constitutions, is our God-inspired national safeguard ensuring freedom and liberty, justice and equality before the law. I do not know what the future holds. I do not wish to sound negative, but I wish to remind you of the warnings of scripture and the teachings of the prophets which we have had constantly before us. I cannot forget the great lesson of Pharaoh's dream of the fat and lean kine and of the full and withered stalks of corn. I cannot dismiss from my mind the grim warnings of the Lord as set forth in the 24th chapter of Matthew. I am familiar, as are you, with the declarations of modern revelation that the time will come when the earth will be cleansed and there will be indescribable distress, with weeping and mourning and lamentation (see D&C 112:24). Now, I do not wish to be an alarmist. I do not wish to be a prophet of doom. I am optimistic. I do not believe the time is here when an all-consuming calamity will overtake us. I earnestly pray that it may not. There is so much of the Lord's work yet to be done. We, and our children after us, must do it. I can assure you that we who are responsible for the management of the affairs of the Church will be prudent and careful as we have tried to be in the past. The tithes of the Church are sacred. They are appropriated in the manner set forth by the Lord Himself. We have become a very large and complex organization. We carry on many extensive and costly programs. But I can assure you that we will not exceed our income. We will not place the Church in debt. We will tailor what we do to the resources that are available. How grateful I am for the law of tithing. It is the Lord's law of finance. It is set forth in a few words in the 119th section of the Doctrine and Covenants. It comes of His wisdom. To every man and woman, to every boy and girl, to every child in this Church who pays an honest tithing, be it large or small, I express gratitude for the faith that is in your hearts. I remind you, and those who do not pay tithing but who should, that the Lord has promised marvelous blessings (see Mal. 3:10–12). He has also promised that "he that is tithed shall not be burned at his coming" (D&C 64:23). I express appreciation to those who pay a fast offering. This costs the giver nothing other than going without two meals a month. It becomes the backbone of our welfare program, designed to assist those in distress. Now, all of us know that war, contention, hatred, suffering of the worst kind are not new. The conflict we see today is but another expression of the conflict that began with the War in Heaven. I quote from the book of Revelation: "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, "And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ" (Rev. 12:7–10). That must have been a terrible conflict. The forces of evil were pitted against the forces of good. The great deceiver, the son of the morning, was defeated and banished, and took with him a third of the hosts of heaven. The book of Moses and the book of Abraham shed further light concerning this great contest. Satan would have taken from man his agency and taken unto himself all credit and honor and glory. Opposed to this was the plan of the Father which the Son said He would fulfill, under which He came to earth and gave His life to atone for the sins of mankind. From the day of Cain to the present, the adversary has been the great mastermind of the terrible conflicts that have brought so much suffering. Treachery and terrorism began with him. And they will continue until the Son of God returns to rule and reign with peace and righteousness among the sons and daughters of God. Through centuries of time, men and women, so very, very many, have lived and died. Some may die in the conflict that lies ahead. To us, and we bear solemn testimony of this, death will not be the end. There is life beyond this as surely as there is life here. Through the great plan which became the very essence of the War in Heaven, men shall go on living. Job asked, "If a man die, shall he live again?" (Job 14:14). He replied: "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: "And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: "Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another" (Job 19:25–27). Now, brothers and sisters, we must do our duty, whatever that duty might be. Peace may be denied for a season. Some of our liberties may be curtailed. We may be inconvenienced. We may even be called on to suffer in one way or another. But God our Eternal Father will watch over this nation and all of the civilized world who look to Him. He has declared, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" (Ps. 33:12). Our safety lies in repentance. Our strength comes of obedience to the commandments of God. Let us be prayerful. Let us pray for righteousness. Let us pray for the forces of good. Let us reach out to help men and women of goodwill, whatever their religious persuasion and wherever they live. Let us stand firm against evil, both at home and abroad. Let us live worthy of the blessings of heaven, reforming our lives where necessary and looking to Him, the Father of us all. He has said, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10). Are these perilous times? They are. But there is no need to fear. We can have peace in our hearts and peace in our homes. We can be an influence for good in this world, every one of us. May the God of heaven, the Almighty, bless us, help us, as we walk our various ways in the uncertain days that lie ahead. May we look to Him with unfailing faith. May we worthily place our reliance on His Beloved Son who is our great Redeemer, whether it be in life or in death, is my prayer in His holy name, even the name of Jesus Christ, amen. Pre. George W. Bush, evening ofSept 11, 2001, from the Oval Office Good evening. Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were in airplanes or in their offices: secretaries, business men and women, military and federal workers, moms and dads, friends and neighbors. Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge -- huge structures collapsing have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness, and a quiet, unyielding anger. These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed. Our country is strong. A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve. America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining. Today, our nation saw evil -- the very worst of human nature -- and we responded with the best of America. With the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and neighbors who came to give blood and help in any way they could. Immediately following the first attack, I implemented our government's emergency response plans. Our military is powerful, and it's prepared. Our emergency teams are working in New York City and Washington D.C. to help with local rescue efforts. Our first priority is to get help to those who have been injured, and to take every precaution to protect our citizens at home and around the world from further attacks. The functions of our government continue without interruption. Federal agencies in Washington which had to be evacuated today are reopening for essential personnel tonight and will be open for business tomorrow. Our financial institutions remain strong, and the American economy will be open for business as well. The search is underway for those who were behind these evil acts. I have directed the full resources of our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and to bring them to justice. We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them. I appreciate so very much the members of Congress who have joined me in strongly condemning these attacks. And on behalf of the American people, I thank the many world leaders who have called to offer their condolences and assistance. America and our friends and allies join with all those who want peace and security in the world, and we stand together to win the war against terrorism. Tonight, I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a Power greater than any of us, spoken through the ages in Psalm 23: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for you are with me. This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world. Thank you. Good night. And God bless America.

The End of Summer

2011-09-06T17:59:00.001-06:00

We have had a great summer. I am so happy that it wasn't spend "waiting" like the last 2 summers. We were able to make plans and not let things hold us back. It has been wonderful. Unfortunately, summer didn't end so great for me. This is what I am sporting for the next 4-6 weeks. The good news? 1 week down. So, this is a Lumbar cast, used for herniated dics. I have 2 of them in my lower back. This is the 3rd time I have been in one of these. The last time was almost 4 yrs ago, after Mady was born. The kicker to this is that you usually don't even know what you do to injury yourself. I went to church and as I sat in sacrament meeting, I started to hurt. I came home and stretched, went visiting teaching and felt better. Monday morning I felf fine so I ran 3 miles and went on with my day. By the afternoon, I couldn not even walk. I have spent all week laying on the couch. I am so bored and going stir crazy. Nate took the kids to Utah Friday night and came home Saturday night. The only thing I did while he was gone was shower, sleep, eat, watch TV and sleep some more. This morning I shopped on line for new running shoes. Yeah, I was told no more of that cause of the jarring, but I bought some and crossed my fingers that I will be able to use them...one day. There have been times over the last couple of years when I get a little baby hungery. I wonder to myself if we made the right decision of not having any more kids. That choice was made because of the back complications I had after Mady was born. I haven't had any major problems since then and sometimes I wonder if I could have handled it. After this week, I know the answer once again. Through this week there has been one thing I have been grateful for, and that is the fact that there isn't a little baby that I feel I am neglecting. It was so hard with Mady. I couldn't hardly sit to hold her let alone carry her around with me. I would just cringe when it was time to nurse her because it hurt so bad to sit. I wasn't able to enjoy her as a baby and I feel awful about that. I am so glad this time around the kids are a little older to help and take care of themselves to some extent. MyLeigh has been wonderful. She gets her school work done, plays with Mady, she is always asking if there is something I need, she picks things up for me. Nate told me Sunday night that she fasted for me to feel better. She has always been a wonderful daughter, she is now beginning to blossom and become so much more. I love the time I get to spend with her and the relationship we have.

Back to School

2011-09-01T17:05:00.001-06:00

School started today. Hummmm, it feels weird. I will admit, I am missing my kids, for some reason, especially J. on the other hand, the house is so nice. and clean. and quiet. NICE. Jaxon is in the 5th grade and his teacher is Mrs. Morris. MyLeigh is starting 3rd grade and is doing home school. She didn't quite get into the academy, but she is keeping her fingers crossed. Jordan in in the 1st grade and has Ms. Sanders. I am crossing my fingers for him.

MyLeigh woke up while the boys were eating breakfast. She bounced up the stairs fully dressed, including her shoes and a BIG smile spread across her face. She was in a great mood. After Family Prayer, she rode her bike down to the bus stop and hung out with the kids till the bus ca

me. She came right home and started her school work and was excited to be done with everything by lunchtime. (I wish every school day was like that)

Our school tried something different this year. We had back to school night, the night before school started. I liked that the kids got to drop off their school supplies and meet their teacher, see their desk/spot and it was a relaxed enviroment. It really made things easy this morning when I didn't have to take kids to school for the 1st day. I still can't believe that I didn't walk my 1st grader to his classroom this morning.

Here is J writing his name on his box

The funnest part about "Back to School Night"? DAD!!!

Our First Harvest

2011-08-28T21:33:00.003-06:00

I know it isn't much, but this is the first pickings of our first garden...EVER. This is all there will be this year. Tomatoes. I might have tomatoes coming out of my ears by the end of the season, but that will be alright. The fact that I actually planted something and didn't kill it is a miracle all by itself. We don't have much garden space, so I planted 15 tomato plants and lost 3 the first 2 weeks. The goal is to be able to can spaghetti sauce with them all. Depending on how it goes, we will see what we plant next year. Who knows, this might be a huge success and I will just keep doing it every year. I had 2 tomatoes at dinner tonight and they were so good! If anyone has any suggestions or a spaghetti sauce recipe they like, please share. Any advice would be welcome!

Arrow Of Light

2011-08-25T22:52:00.001-06:00

Tonight Jaxon received his Arrow Of Light. I can't believe he is almost done with Cub Scouts. I remember being the cubmaster before he was even in scouts. We were having a meeting one night and talking about the boys coming in, Jax was on the list, but wasn't due to be in for 7 more months. Now he is almost 11. CRAZY. He earned his Webelos tonight as well.

Here they are getting ready to do the watermelon cheer. It is Jaxon's favorite.

After receiving his Webelos, he was asked to give his Mom a salute. He went a little brain dead and forgot what that was.

LOOK! Nate was here! Nate hasn't been to a pack meeting for over 2 yrs. We were so glad he was able to be here for this award.

The Arrow of Light ceremony was a great one. I am so grateful to the Holts and the effort they put into the Pack Meetings. I think it was something the boys won't forget. I am also grateful for the wonderful leaders that Jax has been blessed with the last 3 years. They have been organized, on the ball, helpful, caring and loving to the boys in their dens. I know it isn't the calling that everyone wants, so I am grateful they served with their whole hearts.

The 3 boys were given a pouch to keep reminders of the 12 Cub Scout virtues

Aren't they so excited to be there? Myleigh and Jordan don"t care about Pack Meeting, but we informed them, this is one they go to and support their Brother.

At least Mady knows how to get them to smile!

Jaxon,

I just want you to know how proud I am of you and all that you have accomplished in Scouts. To be honest, it seemed very intimidating to me in the beginning, but we got through it together. Thank you for all your hard work and willingness to go to your den meetings and other things that were asked of you. I am so grateful this is something you enjoy and hope your love of scouts continues as you grow. I hope you always remember the importance of setting goals and accomplishing them. Remember the feelings of accomplishment and a job well done, for those are feelings that you want to have repeated throughout your life. You can do anything you want with a little hard work and determination. Always know I am here to help and I love you.

Love,

Mom

Home for GOOD!

2011-08-23T14:33:00.002-06:00

This has become a regular scene at our house the last 2 years. Dad gets bombarded right when he walks in the door. Even if he gets home late, somehow he is heard and kids end up in our bed to say hello. Friday night was the last of these regular scenes. Nate is now home for good. No more Colorado. No more leaving at 4 am on a Monday morning. No more being gone 2 weeks at a time. Then again, no more evening to myself. I think I can handle that!

Happy 60th!

2011-08-23T13:50:00.005-06:00

We had a surprise 60th brithday party for my Dad on Saturday night. His birthday was while we were in Island Park. The weather got a little scary for a couple of mins, but it turned out to be a great evening.

I don't know how excited he was, but it was a great surprise. Trent, Devin and Nate had taken him golfing for the afternoon. The hard part was trying to get him to come around the side of the house instead of going through the garage. The grandkids thought it was great and did a great job keeping everything a secret.

This is Harold and Ellen Turvey. They were our neighbers in Blackfoot, when I was a little girl. I haven't seen them for years and years, until last August. At a very meaningful Temple trip, I walked out of the Celestial Room, straight into Bro. Turvey. I recognized him at once and told him who I was. He gave me a big hug. I have been very grateful for the conversation I was able to have with him that day. Since then, I have run into them around town every so often.

Nate kept busy running the snow cone maker

Island Park

2011-08-15T12:16:00.000-06:00

This year, we headed up to Buffalo camp ground on Sunday morning. We just couldn't wait to start our 8 days of camping! Grandma kept the kids entertained with lots of things to do. They kept busy with scavenger hunts, word searches and she taught them how to make some pretty cool bracelets.

Of course, we had to float the buffalo, even with it being a 2 1/2 hr float, we know how to make it interesting. From stopping to rope swing to keeping Xach from throwing anything and everything into the water, there wasn't a dull moment.

One day we had planned to go into the park and hike to "Fairy Falls". We had been told that it was an easy 3 mile hike and we could take strollers up till the last mile. Heck, that didn't sound too bad, so we packed up lunch and headed out. So, we start walking. I am pushing Mady in the stroller and pretty quick get way ahead of everyone else. I stop when I see a trailhead, not knowing if that is the way that we need to go. I had been walking about 30 mins, so I fugured we had at least gone 2 miles. We decide to take the trailhead, and we end up seeing some little geysers. It started to look like we were going to walk forever. Then we see some people coming towards us. We ask them if we are going the right way. The answer was yes, but we still had at least another hour to go. This was quickly not as fun as I thought it was going to be. We had been walking for almost 2 hrs and decided to stop and have lunch. There was no place to sit or anything, so we just stood out in the open and ate. On the way back, I got ahead of everyone again. Then I started to get nervous that I was going to run into an unmentionable animal. I started forming a plan in my head about what actions I would take to get me and Mady out of there safetly. At one point I even had the small cooler I was carrying, unzipped ready to be thrown so we could make a run for it. Yes, sometimes I think too much.

I love taking pictures of these 2 kids. They crack me up

Thank goodness is the only wildlife we saw!

What would camping be if there wasn't an injury? This one happens to belong to J. At least we didn't have to get stitches this year.

This picture is how I ended up the "hike". Nate and MyLeigh decided to run all the way back, once they hit the trailhead. J didn't want to, so I pushed 2 kids in the stroller through lots of gravel. It was great listening to the conversatition that took place between the 2 of them. J told Mady all about going on a mission and what you do on a mission. He also figured out how old everyone would be when Jax left and when he left. He also talked to Mady about why Xachy's hand is different than everyone elses. His explanation was perfectly simple. "Xachy's hand just didn't form right when he was in his mommy's tummy."

This is our lovely lunch spot. Isn't it beautiful?

The boys are learning to make their bracelets.

They aren't as easily entertained as they seem

Jordan with Jake

Everyone was assigned to help with cooking or cleaning up. J didn't think this was a good idea and wasn't going for it...until I taught him how to cook sausage. From then on out, he was up and helping with breakfast, even if it wasn't his turn. He also did great cleaning up. He is definetly turning into a great camper.

LUCY

2011-08-04T21:22:00.000-06:00

Today I was at the store, getting things ready to go camping. I got a call from Jaxon in hysterics. I couldn't understand anything but the word DEAD. I finally got him to calm down enough to tell me that he went outside to feed the dogs and Lucy was dead. I got home in less than 10 mins and was greeted at the door with sobbing kids. Trent got here soon after me. After lots of crying, we were able to get her buried. Once it was decided where she was going, J manned right up. He got the shovel and went to work with tears running down his face I did fine with everything till they put her in the ground. Lucy was brought into our home when J was almost 6 mths old. I quickly learned I was CRAZY for having an infant and puppy at one time. They were both teething and chewing on everything. J wanted on the floor to move around and Lucy loved licking and chewing on his toes. She was so tiny, she could walk under the cabinets in the kitchen without a problem. We had to put a bell on her cause she loved to hide. She was the prettiest little puppy. I miss her blue eyes and freckled white nose.

SwIM CaMP

2011-08-01T14:40:00.006-06:00

The week of July 18th, I took the kids to Green Canyon Hot Springs for a "Swim Camp". I met my friend, Rachelle there and we stayed all week without our husbands. I guess it gets called that cause lots of people end up camping there for the week while their kids have 2 hrs of swimming lessons a day. Green Canyon is about an hour and forty five minutes from Pocatello. I have never been there before and was pleasantly surprised. The camping reminded me alot of Indian Hot Springs when I was a little girl. It was a big grass field in the middle and the camping spots were along the outside. I was very pleased with the swimming lessons and how much the kids learned. There was only 5-6 kids in each class, so they had a lot of 1 on 1 time with their teachers. They also had to pass off certain First Aid requirements that went along with their class level.

MyLeigh is wearing a swim cap casue there is a LOT of chlorine in the pool. To be honest, she was sick of it by the end of the week, but it saved her hair. Mady loved wearing hers and had it on all the time, except when I had my camera. She was pretty cute in it.

Jaxon had no problems diving. He took to it pretty well. I just never got a really good picture. There is no diving board cause of liability issues :( Jaxon was also able to complete his requirements for his aquanant pin for webelos!

Mady pretending to be alseep in the floor in the Trailer.

After lessons, we would head back to the trailer for lunch and some down time. We played lots of Mexican horseshoes. After a little break, we would head back to the pool for free swim. We were usually there another 4 hrs. Then back for dinner and a couple of nights the kids headed back for MORE swimming!

We even got the kids to do a little reading while there

While in Evanston, Roy taught J how to start a fire, he was very quick to be in charge of the fire here, cause there was no Dads to do it. He coulnd't wait to show Bryson what to do. I must say, he remembered really well the making of a good fire.

What fire is complete without SMORES???

I am so glad that I can know make a smore without burning it. No wonder I didn't like them as a kid. Oh, and probably cause they didn't make strawberry marshmellows back them. That really makes a smore.

Mady got impatient waiting for her turn for a roasting stick, so she found the next best thing.... a real stick. She couldn't have been prouder.

Of course that one burned, so she had to have one not cooked!

3 Forever

2011-07-27T11:32:00.001-06:00

I have been asking Mady for quite sometime if I can give her a shot and keep her 3 forever. She keeps telling me "no way". Today she came to me and said she would stay 3 forever. I asked her if she would always be my baby and she said yes cause then I could always hold her. Unfortunately, Mady can't stay 3 forever, she has to grow up. I find my mind taking way too many pictures of her...the baby of the family, the last 3 year old I will have on this earth. Love you Chica!

Stitches

2011-07-25T20:07:00.004-06:00

The day before we left for Swim Camp and an hour before we were to be at a Family Reunion, Mady decided to go potty by herself. This is a big feat for her. She just doesn't do it. She wants me in the bathroom with her, all the TIME! As soon as she ran in the bathroom I heard screaming. She came out with blood everywhere, but I couldn't tell where it was coming from. I finally figured it out. A trip to the Urgent Care and 2 1/2 hrs later, she had 4 stitches. I'm no Doc or anything, but I have seen a better job at sewing kids up. I wasn't too impressed with the PA that did it. Oh well, at least the scar won't be too visible.

TIGERBALL

2011-07-15T19:57:00.000-06:00

I was excited when I went to sign the kids up for ball, that MyLeigh and Jordan would be able to play on the same team this year. The age divisions had been changed, so J got to play up this year. I was relived that I could kill 2 birds with 1 stone and not have 2 different ball schedules this summer. I even got brave and helped coach with a long time friend from High School. Alison was a great coach and I learned alot from her. So much so, that I agreed to coach hopefully this same team next year. Some of the kids will be moving on, but J will still play. MyLeigh will be playing softball, which she is really excited for.

Evanston WY

2011-07-11T19:17:00.000-06:00

The weekend after the 4th of July we headed to Evanston, Wyoming for a weekend to see a bunch of college friends/neighbors/running teammates. It was better than any class reunion anytime. Since that weekend I have thought alot about things from the first couple of years that we were married that I hadn't thought of for a long time. These families we got to see, we haven't seen for 11 + years. We had our first children together,attended each others weddings, cried together when dear friends lost their baby, took sunday walks together,laughed at who wasn't the best house keeper, traveled to meets together, and played games and become one anothers families. I am indebted to Kim for all these pictures. My camera sat completely charged, safe at home on the kitchen table.

There was so much for the kids to do at the Ranch. They fed lambs and calves, rode horses and 4 wheelers, played badmitton, football and played in the creek.

It was so nice that all the kids had someone to play with and everyone got along.

MyLeigh and Taelor become quick friends. Taelor was great to share her horse and to give MyLeigh riding lessons.

With all those people, we had some great meals and LOTS of food to eat!

Ty is the oldest of the kids and celebrated his 11th birthday while we were together.

All of the kids together. What a Crew!

The Davies- Wes, Kim, Ty, Tate and Taelor

Christiansens- Hugh,Colleen, Chase, Jess, Hayden and Gentry...and baby boy on the way!Everybody's kids were so cute, but I think these kids take the cake!

Barkers-Roy, Amber, Jamen, Stacia, Ky, and Cassie

Talleys-Corbin, Stephanie, Ashlynn and Savannah

The funniest story is probably only funny to us cause of the background of these guys. Runners. We were sitting around taking and telling stories and Wes says that he NEVERs runs. EVER. All the sudden a kid runs to us, telling us someone flipped the 4 wheeler. We all book it out of our seats. Wes, Bob and Roy take off running. Nate is slow to start and then decides he needs to catch up. All of us Moms are wondering which of our sons is hurt. The guys keep running cause apparnetly the boys are out on the main road. (if you can call it that) The girls get on the 4 wheelers to head out. I look up and see that Nate is climbing out of a dried up ditch. He keeps slipping and can't get his footing. We see the guys out on the road and some of them are still running. We can't imagine how far away the wreck took place. When we finally catch up, I learn that Bob got there first, Nate 2nd and then Roy. Wes is laying at the side of the road dry heaving. Thanks goodness someone brought a car cause he is the one needing a ride back. The wreck consisted of an injured go-cart and nothing more. Thank goodness. It was some great excitement for teh afternoon and gave us all a good laugh, when all was said and done.

4th of July

2011-07-11T15:50:00.000-06:00

Here Mady, Xach and Nate are ready for the parade to begin. We were so happy that this year we FINALLY had nice, warm weather for the Holiday. Well, we did end up eating dinner in the house cause we had a rainstorm interrupt the BBQ. But all was good by the time we were ready for fireworks.

Grandpa Hogg and Lorraine

Mady is waving to the horses

Thanks Auntie Adele for once again letting us bombard your house for the best candy parade around!

When I was a little girl, the way fireworks were done went something like this:
We ALL (kids and moms) sat on the grass along the driveway at my Grandma's house, while the Dads and Grandpa lit the fireworks. NO KIDS were allowed to touch them. We all sat on blankets in awe of the show.

Somehow things have changed, take a look at this:

There isn't even a Dad to supervise??? This year Nate took the kids to the firework stand and they bought their own fireworks, I guess cause they buy them themselves, they get to lite them too? I don't sit back and ooh and ahh over these fireworks I sit back waiting for an accident.

We LOVE being able to watch the "Biggest show in Idaho" from our backyard. I couldn't help as I watched the fireworks this year reflecting on our lives this time a year ago. I had just returned from CO and we were making an offer on a home in Montrose. I shed a few tears as I watched fireworks last year, believing we would soon be gone and wondering what we would be doing next year. Never in a million years did I expect to be in the same house, having the opportunity to stay here.

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!!!

A Parakeet named Fred

2011-06-20T16:58:00.001-06:00

Jordan decided he needed to earn a Parakeet. This after he begged and begged for a Yellow Lab named Jade. He decided he was going to sleep in his own bed for 45 days and then he was going to get a Parakeet. Well, he did it and I must say, the 45 days went awfully quick. But I'm trying to figure out how come when he got the Parakeet he started sleeping in my bed again? Doesn't it take 14 days to establish a habit? Surely the habit was engraved by 45 days??? We have had Fred for 3 wks and he is barely starting to make noise. We definitely got lucky and picked ourselves a quiet one. Now he thinks if Fred lives 2 yrs, he gets his dog named Jade becuase it proves he is responsible. Along with picking a quiet bird, I hope we didn't pick one that will live 2 yrs!

The Game of All Games!

2011-06-20T16:13:00.001-06:00

One of the big reasons for our trip was that the Angels were Playing the Braves! This doesn't happen often and we had been waiting. I grew up a huge Braves fan and married an even bigger Angels fan. I have been torn who to cheer for, where to get seats, etc. We decided to get seats on the 3rd base line, behind the Angels dugout. This worked great cause Chipper plays 3rd base. So everyone sould see who they wanted. Well, till Chipper got hurt and was only the Designated Hitter :(

Everyone decked out, sporting their favorite team. I had gotten an Angels shirt, and right before we left the Hotel, I found a big hole in the side of it. Dang it!

Every Friday night Home game there is a fireworks show...Pretty Cool!

A Family Picture

2011-06-20T15:49:00.001-06:00

I think I got this figured out...

Take a Picture with one... cross your fingers it works,

Add another.....

And another....

Until it is complete!

Take a couple extra for good measure...

It worked once, hopefully it will work again!

Beach

2011-06-20T15:44:00.001-06:00

We attempted the Piers one day, but we picked a WINDY day. We didn't even make it half way down the pier and turned back around. The kids had fun playing on the beach though. We weren't planning on getting wet, so there were no towels to dry off with and plenty of sand that ended up in the car. Yuck.

Next time at the Beach was a little warmer. We were asked to be very careful in the water because they were experiencing "abnormally high waves". This made J nervous. Remember, he doesn't like windy beaches. It took him a little longer to get into the water and he kept a close watch on everyone else.

Xoey got a little hungry....Yum Yum!

DISNEYLAND...Favorites part 2

2011-06-20T15:35:00.001-06:00

Here are the rest of the Princesses that didn't fit on the last post.

Somehow, MyLeigh and Jordan convinced Uncle Trent and Dad to give them Shoulder rides. How they had the energy to do it, I'll never know.

Get us out of these strollers! Mady and Xach got along so well together. They did great at keeping one another entertained.

DISNEYLAND>>>My Favorite

2011-06-20T15:28:00.001-06:00

This is how Mady started each day...loving to be pushed around! Too bad it didn't last this way :)

Goofy was the first Character we saw. Someone is missing in some character photos, they thought it was "dumb".

I loved wathing the Princesses with the girls. MyLeigh is a liitle grown up for it, but she still got excited for Mady to see them. Mady was just star struck. She just stared at them in Awe.

After spending a couple of days watching stroller and kids while the Adults went on rides, I got brave and ventured with Mady. We wanted to see some Princesses! When We got here, they said the wait was 45 min. I thought no problem I've been waiting 90 minutes with 3 and 4 kids, this will be a snap. 2 hrs later, we finally got to see 4 princesses. Plus Belle walked by us to say hi, she was BEAUTIFUL. This little girl with Mady is Naomi. She and Mady became fast friends in line and entertained each other while her Mom and I visited.

DISNEYLAND: Rides and a show

2011-06-20T15:15:00.001-06:00

These are some pictures of the rides I was able to take pictures of. By the time our week was up, Nate had Jaxon and MyLeigh on "California screamin". MyLeigh did it once, while Jax kept going back for more. Mady never got use to the rides. She cried during "Its a small world", most the bug life rides and bumper cars. I talked J into riding "Thunder Mountain" with me, REMEMBERING that it wasn't too bad when I went on it 6 yrs ago. Ok, I was crying to get off 45 seconds into it. I had to be brave cause I was sitting with J. He was screaming at me the whole time calling me a liar, that I said it wasn't scary. Funny thing was, he ended up riding it 3 more times by the time the week was through. Everyone loved the rapid ride in California Adventure. One morning it was the first ride they all went on, then the kids grabbed me and pushed me through the line. It was pretty fun, but I really don't like walking around in wet sandals for 3 hours. The ride I really felt bad about was Pirates of the Caribbean. I DON"T remember the falls at the beginning and we really traumatized Mady with that. After that, anytime we went anywhere she kept saying, "no more rides".

Here we are getting ready to watch "Playhouse Disney" See Mady, she is worried that this is some sort of scary ride. Not till she saw Mickey was she able to sit and enjoy the show. We also saw Aladdin, which was GREAT. I highly recommend what if you have the chance, you see it. IT was totally worth the wait in line. We also got fast passes for "A World of Color". We all agreed it was better than any fireworks show...EVER. It was a water show with scenes from Disney movies and well, it was just amazing.

DISNEYLAND...Face Painting

2011-06-20T14:38:00.001-06:00

Day 1 of Disneyland was spent riding rides. Jordan and Mady weren't quite sure of some on the rides, so they hung out with me. After waiting for the big kids/adults for about an hour, we found something to do.

Then of course, MyLeigh wanted her face painted after she got off the ride. It was fun for the kids and lasted all day long....until someone figured out the paint wiped off, uh, smeared with water.

2 days of Sea World

2011-06-07T14:24:00.010-06:00

We left Vegas after a great Breakfast and I got a 30 minute run in. Not much exciting happened along the way. More of this....

Mady had been having difficulties with her Asthma earlier in the week and had seemed to be doing better, but the closer to California we got, the harder it got for her to breath. Thank goodness Nate has the ""traveling equipment" (I call it that cause I don't know what it is called) We were able to plug in her nebulizer and give her breathing treatments to get her some relief. Once in San Diego we made a phone call and got her a steroid. Thank goodness for friends! Just beware if you ever have to go to Walmart in Chula Vista CA. Don't say you haven't been warned. The pharmacist reminded me of Mel from "Alice". Anyone know that show?

We arrived in San Diego in time to let the kids have a good swim and wear them out for bed. Then us adults snuck off to Dennys, (only cause it was in the parking lot of the hotel) and had dessert.

Saturday Morning we headed for Sea World. I love this place and was so excited for the kids to see the neat things it had to offer. Here is Captain Nate planning the day and where we were heading off too. I should have known better and Trent and Danielle will not soon forget, Don't let Nate be in charge! He was mock 8 from here to there. 20 steps ahead of the rest of us. All day we had to keep reminding him to slow down. just stop and smell the roses! Good Heavens, we were going to be there for 2 days. Surely there was enough time to see everything. It is funny to me cause Nate is only like this on vacation and when he is at an airport. I really should do an airport post about Nate, you would die laughing.

Here he is ....Planning our day

I think whoever took this picture, needs to get about 10 more feet away from us. :)

The polar beer!

One of the Beluga Whales and her baby. This is how the baby swam with her, all the time

Waiting for the dolphin show to start

Jax and Xander thought it would be great to sit in the 1st row of the soak zone.

They ended up running to our seats after the first big splash

See what MyLeigh is holding? Nate is getting her trained in his ways. She knew the map by heart by the end of the day and was telling us which direction to go. She loved knowing right where we were and had to keep showing me

I love the dolphins. I noticed when the boys came back to sit with us that there was something going on in the front around the pool area. Soon there was group of 5-6 that stood up and had a HUGE banner that said something about animals and entertainment. The crowd started booing and security quickly handled them. We took some time getting back to the stroller and when we did, a security guard was still there and I asked him how often that happens. He said they have protesters outside all the time and they are fine with that, but they hadn't had this happen for over 5 years.

The SHARKS! I could go through this exhibit over and over. There is just something about it.

The Seals begging for fish. These guys have got to be so over fed.

Mady checking out those LOUD Seals!

Shipwreck Rapids.....Before

....After!

Checking out the StarFish...

No matter how many times you told him, J REALLY wanted to take them out of the water

A fish :)

Cotton Candy while waiting for Shamu

Mady with her "Penny" the Penguin

Dad and J going on a ride

You can't tell here, but Mady is SOAKED. She didn't like the rides but she found the little water park in the sesame street area. She had a Blast!

See, I was there!

The picture, Only after 20 minutes of trying

This pic only took 10 seconds. What?

We loved, almost :), every minute of Sea World and look forward to doing it again. Now off to Disneyland for the next 6 days!

...and we're off!

2011-06-02T18:53:00.008-06:00

After Months of waiting, May 12th finally arrived. After barely 3 hours of sleep, Nate and I awoke at 3:30 am and prepared ourselves for the days to come. One by one, kids where awaken, told to go to the bathroom and then some were carried to the car. The plan was, that they would all promptly fall back to sleep. What were we thinking? According to these pics, they were all bright eyed and bushy tailed...ready to go.

Mady is the only one that slept on the way to Vegas. She managed to stay awake till after Provo.

Our pit stop in St. George. People probably thought we were weird, still in our PJs.

Who's excited to go to Disneyland?

We made good time and were in Las Vegas by 1:00. We checked into the hotel, had lunch, got dressed and headed for the Strip. What an experience. This was my first time to Vegas and I am in no hurry to go back. Especially with my kids. Not that anything horrific happened, but I am in no hurry to have my "parental radar" be on such high alert again. I was so worried that my Boys were going to see something inappropriate that I didn't really think about MyLeigh. That is until we walked over some "cards" on the sidewalk and she looked down at them. When she looked up and her eyes met my, I felt awful. I don't know what exactly she saw, but I will never forget the look in her eyes, followed by all the questions. I did my best to answer them. Nate and I both talked to her and told her that we hope she will always have respect for herself and know without a doubt who she is and what she stands for.

The kids were complaining that it was hot. What do you expect going from snow and rain to sunny weather? I thought it was perfect and really enjoyed the sun. I would have happy as a lark to have stayed at the hotel and relaxed at the pool. Because it was "so hot" we could barely talk the kids into going to M&M world.

We took the kids to eat at the Rain Forest Cafe. They thought it was fun. J loved when the animals started going crazy. It scared Mady a little, then she got use to it. This restaurant was also in Downtown Disney. It looked much cooler there.

One day down, 10 to go! Tomorrow we are on our way to San Diego!

J's Kindergarten Graduation

2011-06-01T16:48:00.000-06:00

J made it to Kindergarten Graduation! As Nate and I sat there watching everything his teacher did to make the night special and all the wonderful things he got to participate in throughout the year, we were dumbfounded as to why he gave us such a hard time about going to school. All the kids were dressed in "their personal best". I thought I was going to have a fight on my hands getting this accomplished, but J knew what was expected of him. Obviously his teacher talked to all of her students about this.

Mrs. Spiker and Jordan. I wish every child had the opportunity to have this dedicated, loving, caring, enthusiactic, patient, gifted Lady be their teacher.

I missed pictures of the actual graduation cause I was talking pictures for another Mom whose child was just in front of Jordan. (didn't think that one through) But Mrs. Spiker got pics and they are safe in his Kindergarten Keepsake Book. Yeah, you should see this book. It is CRAZY good and means the world to the kids.

Way to go J! (This was the easy Part!)

Piano Recital

2011-06-01T16:19:00.001-06:00

MyLeigh had her first Piano Recital. It was a crazy night with both piano and Gymanstic going on at the same time. She went second in Piano, then changed in the car as we headed to Gymnastics. Next time I will know that we don't have to hurry so fast. She was so nervous, but did a great job. I love that she is so eager to learn and I don't have to get after her to practice. She gets it done on her own and that is such a help!

Reflecting on Tithing

2011-05-17T15:59:00.003-06:00

Last week I was asked to substitute teach in Relief Society. I jump at the chance quickly, excited for a week in RS and a little break from nursery. My excited soon turned to a bundle of nerves as I thought about all the new Sisters that would be there that I didn't know. I worked diligently on my lesson all week. I was teaching on the persecution of Joseph Smith. The lesson came together alright, but it didn't feel "flowing and put together right" I had ideas, but wasn't sure that they needed to be used or if that's the direction the Lord wanted the lesson to go. On Saturday I was visiting with a friend, who told me about a site that gave ideas to get discussions going in lessons. Around 9pm Saturday night I started to look at the site. I was a bit confused. The lesson was on Tithing. After about 10 minutes of trying to figure out what was going on, I called a counselor in the RS. Come to find out, I prepared lesson #32 in the wrong book. I don't do well with crunch time, so I said a little prayer and started a new lesson. This new topic was easier for me anyway. Within the hour, I had a new lesson prepared. Since Saturday night I have been reflecting on Tithing and wanted to put some feeling down, but like everything else, when it comes out of my head it sounds all jumbled. First off, let me say this. Yes, I do not have a problem paying my Tithing. It has never been a hard thing to do. BUT, that doesn't NOT mean that everything else in the Gospel is easy for me. There are definelty things that I struggle with. Because Tithing has never been a struggle, I have often wondered if I really received blessings from paying a full tithe, because it wasn't a stretch for me. I have really been reflecting on the last 3 years and the things our Family has dealt with. I remember the day Nate lost his job. I sat on the porch and cried to my Mom on the phone. I was so scared. I don't remember all that was said, but I do remember her saying this, "There must be something out there better for you (Nate). That seemed like such a long shot. How were we going to find it? Those words echoed in my head so many times, especially on days when things got REALLY hard. I look back a see that yes, things got hard mentally, financially and sometimes physically, but never spiritually. I also see that they could have been A LOT worse. Something that I have NEVER breathed a word of.... In May before Nate started working for Aarons, I knew money wasn't going to last much longer. It made me panic and get physically sick to my stomach. One of the worse days was when I was in charge of the RS birthday dinner that night. I dind't know how I was going to make it through without tears and a break down. We had been looking and applying for jobs the whole time we were running the shop, but nothing was happening. Shortly after that night Nate finally got an interview with Aarons. It made me sick to think about moving, but I knew that it was coming at the right time. I also know that had that oppotunity come 3 mths earlier, we would have passed it up. By the time Nate was hired and we had a start date, money was going to be pretty much gone. Having kept in close contact with the Bishop about our situation, it came time that we had to ask for help. The middle of April we took out our 401k, but it wouldn't be here in time for the house payment. That took a lot to go and ask for help. But I knew that the Lord had been watching out for us. We had made it a year without a stable income and because we had followed council before losing our job and following the commandments that had been given to us, I knew that we were being blessed. Last year, when it seemed our world was falling apart, I came across this little metaphor. We all know the scripture in Malachi 3:10 about the Lord opening the windows of heaven and pouring out his blessings upon us and not having room to receive them. Right? in Genesis 7:11 the Lord talks again about opening the windows of heaven, only this time it is when he will flood the earth. Go back to Malachi 3:10 and use the word flood. What if the Lord meant that he would pour out a FLOOD of blessings, a TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR of BLESSINGS, so great you would not have room to receive it. When I read that I year ago, I couldn't phathom the blessings the Lord had in store for our Family. I don't really even mean that we were given the opportunity to stay and not move. I firmly believe that we would have been happy in Colorado and we would have thrived and been great assets to the small community and branch in Montrose. I do however, look back and see the MANY answers to prayers, the sustaining through really difficult days and nights, the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. There were times that I felt him linked around my arm getting me through each and every day. I also look back at finances and now really see that the only way we got through all that on the budget we had, was because we paid our tithing. It is that simple. We did it and the Lord was bound. Paying our tithing doesn't just mean that you will somehow be blessed financially. Paying our tithing means that there are many blessing that can come our way. Whether they be material, physical, spiritual blessing that are given to us. As I write this we have been given a time line that Nate will be back home with us around the beginning of July. I try so hard to not dwell on that. Since finding out in October that we were going to be able to stay here, there have been other people hired to replace Nate in Colorado, but it hasn't worked out. I remember taking Nate 2 yrs ago to Richfield and leaving him there at the KOA. I remember the drive home and the plan that was in my head. Get home, list the house, it would sell in a month or so and we would be gone in 6-8 wks. The Kids would be in Richfield for school to start. Wow. Here I sit 25 months later and shake my head at the ride we have been on. When we found out that Nate would be transfered to Colorado. I knew thats why we hadn't moved. But then the house still didn't sell. The house selling last summer was such an answer to our prayers....FINALLY. We truly felt like we were finally on our way. Things were looking up. Ha. You know that saying, " If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans"? I knew my Heavenly Father wasn't laughing at me, but the sell falling through was a VERY tough pill to swallow. The kids had been counting the days to be with their Dad and my heart broke for them. During that time THIS is one of the things that got me through. I wrote it on my bathroom mirror and listened to it over and over. Sometime around the end of August I went to the Temple and walked out with my head held high. I KNEW that Heavenly Father had a plan for me. When I talked to Nate on the way home I know he thought I was crazy. Actually, I think he just didn't want me to get my hopes up. It was ok, he wasn't in the Temple with me. He didn't know what I knew. What did I know? Nothing specific. I did know that there was a plan for us and our Father's plans are always best. If the Lord allowed for our sell to fall through, and for us to not be together as a family, he has something better in mind. I did say outloud to Nate that if we couldn't move to Colorado right now and follow through on the purchase agreement we had made on a home in Montrose, then maybe we weren't moving at all. In October we finally come to see the Lord's plan. Nate was offered the Regional position back here. It was the BEST birthday present in the world. Not finding out we weren't moving, but knowing there was an end. (I didn't know we wouldn still be waiting for the the end, but knowing it was out there was a relief) Calling my dear friend over to tell her the news and the hugging, screaming, jumping up and down and tears I won't have wanted to share with anyone else. "God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, he will bring you through it."

A Little Prayer for Stephen

2011-05-04T14:07:00.004-06:00

2 Months ago, I had this picture on the blog from a little family reunion we had. Stephen was just getting ready to send in his mission papers and was attending BYU. He got his call to Argentine! On April 14th, he had an accident and crushed his C4 vertebrae and was paralyzed from the shoulders down. After being in ICU in Provo, he has been able to be moved to Phoenix to be closer to home and work on therapy. He has little movement now and is working very hard everyday to recover. You can follow his story HERE. The last couple of days he is having trouble with his lungs. We fasted for Stephen on Sunday and continue to remember him in our daily prayers.

We love you, Stephen

BaseBALL update and a DOuBLE HeADeR

2011-05-04T13:14:00.002-06:00

Last week game 4 was cancelled due to the Spring Snowstorm we had. Game 5 was played thursday night and was a pretty UGLy one. Both teams played well, but serioulsy the game was messed up due to the umps. They had no idea what was going on. The strike zone was ALL OVER the place. Someitmes the batters needed a golf club to hit the strike that was called on them. At least those calls were messed up for both teams. We ended up losing by 2. Jaxon's pitching is getting better and better. He is relaxing on the mound and learning what needs to be done. Last night we played a Double Header to make up for the snowed out game. We played the #1 team from last season. Jaxon was the starting pitcher. In his first inning he walked 2, hit 1 and struck out 3. In the 2nd inning he walked 1, struck out 2 and made a play at 1st for the 3rd out. The rest of the game he played short stop. In all his at bats he walked. We won the game 5-3. The 2nd game was great. The boys were excited from their win and they were warmed up ready to play. Jaxon started again. In the 1st inning he walked 1, struck out 2 and made another play at 1st for the 3rd out. In the second inning he struck out all 3 batters! He was then again moved to short stop. In his at bats he struck out and singled. This was a fast game, we won 14-2 and because of the 10 run rule, only had to play 4 innings, which was good because although the sun was out, the wind was blowing and it was COLD! The White Sox record is now 3-3!

EaSTer

2011-04-28T12:51:00.000-06:00

Its the annual Easter Egg Coloring. I am getting quite good at getting all the newspsper down everywhere. I lost count of how many eggs we did, but the kids sure enjoyed eating hard boiled eggs for a couple of days. They wouldn't even let me devil any.

Every Saturday afternoon before Easter, I realize that I promised myself last year that I was going to do Easter Baskets on Saturday morning. Maybe one year I will get it right. J was up at 6 am looking for his basket. This year the Easter Bunny didn't come till after 8:00. The kids had to stay in their beds or downstairs until she got here. Dad had received a call saying the Easter Bunny was late cause of bad weather somewhere.

I was thinking that since church wasn't till 1:00, that we would be already to have some pictures taken. Yeah, I should learn to just not think. Most of us were willing and ready for pictures, well, we were all ready for pictures, one just wouldn't cooperate.

2011-04-27T18:48:00.001-06:00

This is what J has been telling me every Monday and Wednesday night. The last little while he has really been giving me fits about going to school. Some mornings his outbursts only allow him about 10 minutes to get ready. I am surprised he hasn't missed the bus yet. Once he gets to school he is fine...unless there is a sub. It's just the getting there that is difficult. Hopefully everything will be forgotten this summer and I won't have to deal with this every morning next year. Cause Oh Heaven help me if I do!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

Mady's new trick

2011-04-26T12:47:00.001-06:00

Lately Mady has been giving me attitude about going to bed at night. She yells me she isn't tired and "I don't want to go to bed". She says this with a stomp of her foot while she storms out of her room. I wouldn't be tired for bed either if I was caught taking a nap at 5:30 at night. She just goes and gets her blanket and crawls in my bed. I am learning quickly when Mady gets quiet she might be asleep. I don't mind a nap here or there, buy when it messes with MY bedtime, then its a problem!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

Peanut Butter..I think we like it

2011-04-20T18:48:00.001-06:00

Nate thought I was crazy the other day when I bought 4 of these jars of peanut butter."You already have 5 in the storage room" was his reply. These babies are $8.39 for 2 at Costco and right now there is a $2 off coupon. That is just over $3 for 48 oz of peanut butter. (if you know of a better deal don't burst my bubble) Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I was wondering just how fast we go through a jar of this stuff. So on this day...3-31-11 I opened a jar. Today, 4-20-11 we finished it. According to my calculation, we need 17 jars of peanut butter for the year. That means I am short by 8. Looks like I will be heading to Costco one more time.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

It can only get better :)

2011-04-20T16:15:00.003-06:00

* If you haven't read the post "White Sox" you may want to read it first Last night was Jaxon's 3rd game. We were praying it would be better than the 2nd. We were home team and let the Braves get a 7-0 lead on us right off the bat. We slowly battled our way back. Jaxon pitched the 5th and 6th innings. At least this game I was keeping the book and it helped give me something else to concentrate on. I don't know who knows how to read what this pictures says or if you can even see it, but in the 5th innings Jax struck out all 3 batters. While we were batting, I kept looking at him in the dugout and he was grinning ear to ear. I wish I could have gotten a picture, but I was busy keeping that book! In the top of the 6th inning Jaxon struck out the 1st batter, hit the next and struck out the next 2!!!! We won 8-11. Jax walked his 3 at bats. It amazes me what a patient batter he is. It was a much needed confidence boost for him. All the way home he kept saying, "that was so fun, I can't wait to do it again". He couldn't wait to call his Dad and Derek to tell them how he did. So, last night I was LOVING baseball again!

It's Dad's rule

2011-04-20T15:45:00.004-06:00

Sunday night things got a little tense at our house. They could have gotten a lot worse had there not been a knock at the door. I will admit as I was walking through the house that night I was getting pretty frustrated. Frustrated that I TRY so hard to keep a clean house. I work hard on Friday so we don't have to do many chores on Saturday and enjoy time together. But by Sunday night it is a MESS and I get to start all over on Monday by myself. Ugh. Don't get me wrong, the kids do chores and are great at them its just the other things. So Nate sat the kids down and we talked. We decided to bringing back the "buy back box". If the kids leave something laying around and I pick it up, that's where it goes and the kids have to pay to get it back. So, someone PROMISED me that this stuff would not be left by the back door. They said it would be moved by Sunday night. Well, here it is Wednesday and it is still sitting by the back door. Since the unnamed person isn't here for the week, I am going to have to clean up the mess cause I have an open house tomorrow night and this is in plain site. I am just warning you...these items are going to cost a pretty penny to get back!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

WHITE SOX

2011-04-19T13:36:00.001-06:00

Last week we started the Baseball season off in true Idaho fashion....winter coats, gloves, umbrellas, blankets and hot chocolate. Jaxon is playing for the White Sox this year. He has 2 other players on his team that he played with last year. He has gone from playing 3rd base to playing Short Stop and Pitcher. His first game was last Monday night. He pitched the 5th and 6th innings and didn't do too bad. He was so nervous. He would close his eyes and take a deep breath and blow it out long and hard before every pitch. The piture below shows how he started every pitch. Nate and I got a pretty good laugh when one time we saw him nod at the catcher like he had just been given a sign :) YES...I did say Nate. He was home last week and got to be here for the first 2 games! After 2 years, he has finally been able to watch Jaxon play in a baseball game! We were losing this game 2-10 and came up a little short in the 6th inning, we lost 8-10, but it was a great effort by all. The story of the 2nd game continues after the pictures...

Game 2 was just as cold as game 1, we did however trade the rain in for the wind. Jaxon pitched the 3rd and 4th innings. He started the 3rd inning off with a 0-6 lead. It was a LONG inning and one as a MOM was VERY hard to watch. We finished the 3rd inning 5-6. I thought for sure Jaxon would not continue pitching. He threw ALOT of balls in the 3rd, but he pitched again this time with a score of 5-9. The 4th inning ended up LONGER than the 3rd. The batters had figured out not to swing at all and the ump was making Jax work for EVERY strike. No kidding, it was a tight strike zone. The coach FINALLY took Jax out with 1 out and a score of 11-9. We ended up losing with a score of 19-9 in the 4th inning. Thank goodness for the 10 run rule to put us out of our misery. And I'm talking about the game and the weather.

Jax rode home with Nate and told him he never wanted to pitch again. It broke my heart. He has been so excited about it. He was very nervous for practice last night, thinking he was going to be in some trouble. I am grateful for how the Coach handled it. He told Jaxon that in Baseball you just forget about it and move on.

My Take? Baseball may not be as fun for me this year. I have grown up watching brothers play ball and as a young mom would haul 2 little kids to watch games all over the state to cheer on Devin as he played. I loved watching him Pitch and wanted him to know how much I supported him. I was just there to cheer him on, I never worried about how he would play, I would just get "excited nervous" for him. Jaxon? Whole different story. When Jordan started wrestling, Jill told me that all the Moms would be crying, the kids would be crying, that it was pretty emotional, watching your son be out on the mat like that, especially when they were losing. I did ok with that. But what she explained to me is what I felt about Jaxon out there on the mound. I wanted to cry for him. I wanted magical powers that could somehow just will that ball straight down the strike zone. I wanted to be out there on the mound with him, to give him a hug and tell him it's going to be ok. I wanted to YELL at the other coach for telling his batters to not swing the bat. Mostly I just wanted to protect him from the disappointment he was feeing in himself, from the knowledge he had that because of his walks, he allowed 11 runs, that turned the game around.

So, what can we learn? Well, REALLY it can only get better from here, right? Last night Jaxon and I talked about not giving up and trying our hardest. At the end of the day, if you've done your best, that is all that matters. If we want something bad enough, we can't just want it, we have to work and pratice for it. We have to make time to get better and make a plan. We don't just give up because something seems hard. EVERYTHING is hard when we start. His assignment this week it to make a "baseball" goal and have 3 steps to accomplish it and a plan written out for me.

I remember hearing a story about one of our prophets, who as a young boy would throw his baseball through a tire against the barn (or something like that) If anyone knows who it is, I would like the story. I'm having a hard time finding it.

Trent

2011-04-06T10:29:00.003-06:00

This is the workout my Brother, Trent and I have been doing. We are on week 6 and I am exhausted. Trent asked me to do this with him and I didn't really think about what I was getting myself into. For starters, I REALLY thought he wasn't going to follow through. I also didn't think about the other routines I have for myself and that I wasn't about to let those go. AND I didn't think about his work schedule, which means we don't workout together till the afternoons. I have really had to do some juggling to get everything in, but I'm doing it and I LOVE it. I did this 2 years ago by myself. This time around, it is completely different experience. Trent and I push each other and encourage each other when it gets hard. It is interesting to me to see our different strengths and weaknesses. Being a guy, I thought he would totally smoke me in all areas, but there are even things I can do that he can't. But I must say, he ROCKS yoga. He is amazing. You can laugh all you want at that, but if you haven't done THIS yoga, you don't even know what yoga is. The only thing that would be better in this whole experience is if I started to see results! It's not all about that, I like just being able to say that I accomplished something. So, Trent I just wanted you to know how much I have enjoyed doing this with you. I love our talks, jokes and competitive natures. Thanks for pushing me and encouraging me. Sorry about being the "Workout Nazi", but I know you love it! Most importantly, thanks for being my Brother and loving me!

Conference

2011-04-06T10:08:00.002-06:00

Oh how I LOVE Conference weekend. It was a great weekend! I did tone things down a bit with our Menu on Sunday. I love to make yummy food, which we stuff ourselves with all day on Sunday, and I hate myself on Monday, so this year I tried something a little different. We started the morning off with Coffee cake and a BIG bowl of fresh fruit. We had strawberries, watermelon, honeydew and grapes. During conference, I usually have treats for the kids. This time, I limited it to pack of cheese crackers for each of them that they got during the rest hymn. During lunch time the kids ran off some energy in the back yard and I got dinner ready. It was my very first attempt at Cordon Bleu. I didn't get a picture, but I must say, It turned out amazing, and EVERYONE liked it. This next part I was so excited about. I don't like pineapple, but last weekend Nate bought a big fresh pineapple. We let it sit out all week. I told him the only way I would eat it is if we grilled it. The one time I did like pineapple was when we ate at Tucanos in Provo. So, we got online a found a recipe. It was SO DELICIOUS and a perfect treat for the afternoon session. After cutting the Pineapple, I glazed it with the following (warning, you are gonna get sticky!) 3-4 Tbsp Honey 1-2 tsp Brown suger 1 tsp lime or lemon juice brush on the wedges and grill on each side till there are grill marks in the pineapple around 4-5 mins on each side.

There were so many talks that I loved hearing. I'm not good about remembering who gave them. I did enjoy Elder Robbins or whoever talked on patience with children. During that talk J said to me, "yep, that's what you need to be Mom, a PERFECT parent".

83rd Birthday

2011-04-06T10:01:00.002-06:00

On March 27th, we celebrated Grandpa Hogg's 83rd Brithday. Auntie made his favorite Chocolate cake with raisins, and Mom made brownies for the rest of us. :). The kids love to gather around when there are candle to be blown out. They had all been warned to not blow them out, cause thats bad luck for you. As soon as we were done singing "Happy Birthday" J blew them all out. He laughed and laughed. As I look back on the pictures, I can tell he had it planned the whole time.

More Wrestling

2011-04-06T09:52:00.003-06:00

Wrestling ended 2 weeks ago. J saiys he will do it again next year as long as he NEVER has to wear a singlet. I really enjoyed cheering J on and having the time with him as we drove to tournaments. Sometimes he was quiet and other times we had some great conversations.

J and Porter celebrating their wins in Soda Springs with Milkshakes. They both wanted big shakes and promised that they would eat them all. They both ended up throwing half of them away.

BORED

2011-03-31T17:27:00.001-06:00

Spring Break has ended. We didn't really do much. We had plans here and there and finished up with wrestling. Of course the word "Bored" is heard way too often around here. Jaxon even asked if he could mow the lawn the other day. Yes, it was freezing cold and threatening to snow, but he is ready to be earning his lawn mowing money. Yesterday afternoon the bordem ended. Just when I was starting to think the day was dragging and never going to end, there came a shrill from the basement. Realizing it was J I didn't get too excited about the screaming and crying (since he does over react). By the time he got to the top of the stairs, blood was everywhere. J was holding his forehead and blood was down the front of him and coming between his fingers. I layed him on the floor and the blood started going down the back of his head. I finally found the source of the blood. It never fails to amaze me how much blood can come from a head wound. Because J was screaming so much, I kinda went into a panic and had Jill drive me to the ER. Then I felt stupid cause once other people were around J got brave and stopped crying, so I really could have taken him on my own. Derek then gave him 4 stitches. Come to find out J is the 3rd boy in the neighborhood to have gotten stitches in the last little bit.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Our Tooth Fairy STINKS!

2011-03-15T18:59:00.001-06:00

MyLeigh went back to the dentist last Friday to have 2 more teeth pulled. I was just informed tonight that the Tooth Fairy STILL has not come. Its been 4 nights and she still hasn't come. I will admit our Fairy usually does miss the first night more often than not. But 4 nights? Geesh, what's up with that? We need to find the one I had when I was growing up, now that fairy was on top of it. I told her the Tooth Fairy must be very busy right now. (that is the truth) So tonight I suggested she write a letter to put on the front door to remind her to stop. Hopefully I don't lock the doors too early and the note gets that dang Fairy's attention.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

A Small Family Reunion

2011-03-14T13:02:00.002-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, we learned that my Dad's older sister was coming from Ill. We haven't seen her since my Grandpa past away about 8 yrs ago. So, arrangements were made for a small family get together. Dee and Sharon came from West Jordan, along with 2 of their daughters and families. Aunt Karen and her son Chris came. Karla and George brought their last of 9 children with them. That would be Daniel, who is attending BYU. He had a friend with him, who's name was Stephen. It took us a minute and then we realized that Stephen is Karla's oldest Grandson (Daniel's nephew). He is turning mission papers in this week and is attending BYU also. We had a GREAT Breakfast. It was SOOO GOOD. There was LOTS to catch up on and it was nice to visit with everyone that was able to come. I thought I got more pictures than I really did. Mady wanted a picture with her and the little puppy she found. I put labels on the pics but I don't think you will be able to read them. The one picture I really missed was one of Uncle Dee. He snapped his fork while cutting something and sprayed syrup and whipped cream all over his shirt. It was also figured out that theri are now 51 great grand kids in the family, but I don't know if that was counting to ones that are expecting.

Wrestling Tournament #2

2011-03-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

Last night we made our way to Preston for J's wrestling tournament. Jaxon and MyLeigh came with us. Nate and our neighbor, Cole, got there just before it started. J was determined to get a gold medal. He is so funny as he sits there watching the kids. This first picture is actually from his first meet. This is his first match of the night. He doesn't like it when the kid's go for his head. (they shouldn't be anyway, they are just learning) J ended up pinning this kid.

On to the 2nd match. This one was going to be harder. This kid had a couple of inches on J and we watched him wrestle just before. Cole called J over and talked quietly to him for a minute. J nodded his head and out he went. It took a little longer, but J got this kid pinned too! A Gold medal for J. We celebrated with milkshakes at Artic Circle.

He is still giving me fits about practice. According to him, it is "boring". I am grateful to all those who have encouraged him and asked how his matches have gone. It gives him a sense of accomplishment and puts a sparkle in his eye.

Ken Thomasma

2011-03-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

I was so excited a couple of weeks ago, when I heard that the author, Ken Thomasma, was coming to speak at the Libraries and our school this week. When I was in 3rd or 4th grade Mr. Thomasma came and spoke to my elementary school. I loved his books growing up and I remember thinking how cool it was that I got to listen to an author speak. The times that he was speaking at the libraries didn't work with our schedule and things we had going on that day, so I took MyLeigh and Jordan to the school Monday morning to listen to his presentation. He did a fantastic job telling the story of "Naya Nuki". This was absolutely my favorite book when I was little. She was the girl who was taken with Sacajawea and sold. We know what happened to Sacajawea, this book tells of Naya Nuki's escaped and traveled over a 1,000 miles all the way home to her people. I got the kids some book and they were pretty excited that they were able to get them autographed. I always want my children to value books and the importance of them. I hope they continue to grow in their love of reading and the many things they can learn from doing so.

Nightly Music

2011-03-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

This old CD player has been a part of our nightly routine for 10 1/2 years. We purchased it to go in Jaxon's room when he was born. It has played classical music every night since then. It has just been passed from one child to the next. Most days it doesn't even get turned off. It is just on continuous play. So I guess after spinning a CD for so long it was bound to go out sooner than later. :( I need to get one soon, Mady is having a tough time getting to sleep at night without her music. I guess we will retire this to the garage, after all, the radio still works. This time I think I will see if I can find a cute little pink one.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Because I love you

2011-03-06T21:56:00.000-07:00

After dinner tonight Nate got it in his head that he needed pumpkin cookies. Somehow I got roped into making a double batch...after I made the comment about having to open a large can of pumpkin. Its ok babe, just because I love you! Hope you enjoy 'em
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

This Sunday...

2011-03-06T21:12:00.000-07:00

Today was fast Sunday. Jaxon is not one to get up and bear his testimony, so Nate bribed him to do it. He told him he would do his dishes tonight if he got up. Jax made his dad pinky swear, then sat and thought about it for awhile. Finally he got up and did it. When he sat down he said "that is a heart pounder"
Mady loves her primary teacher, Sis.Behrend. She looks for her during sacrament meeting then heads straight for her after, to go to primary with her. Today she brought home daisies from class. She had someone put them in a mason jar with water and has carried them around all day. She told me that she is getting married tomorrow. I asked her who she was going to marry and she responded, "Jordy". J isn't going for it.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Patience: Lesson #1,450...and some wrestling

2011-03-06T19:10:00.005-07:00

Sometimes it's hard to believe what hides behind this smile. Sometimes it's hard to believe how many tears have been shed and prayers have been said in this little boys behalf. We began to realize that we had a strong-willed child by the time Jordan was 3 weeks old. He has always been the "hard" one. When he was barely 2 I remember being so overwhelmed with him. I didn't know what to do with him or me. After one day of what seemed like constant crying from Jordan, I shrank in the recliner at my parents house (where we were living at the time) and joined him in crying. I was scared to death that I wasn't going to be able to handle another baby, because he had been so difficult. I cried that something was wrong with me, that I had messed up somewhere along the line and "made" him like this. Jordan causes me to reflect on things quite often. All the parenting skills I think I have, go out the window with J. You really have to change your thinking with him. About 18 mths ago he started seeing a counselor once a week. At the time we were dealing with some very strong "anger issues". The counselor was great with Jordan and also spent some time in our home with him. Right before Christmas Jordan had a blow up with him and has refused to see him again. Because of the sensitivity of the situation, it has to be Jordan's choice to see Shawn again. I was thinking things were going alright until a couple of weeks ago. J decided he wanted to try out Wrestling program offered through the Highschool after he brought a flyer home from school. I wasn't sure about this. Did I really need this kid learning real wrestling moves? Sometimes I can barely get him to his room. After careful consideration, we decided this could be a good thing for Jordan. The night before his first practice he was so excited, he barely slept. The first week of practices went great. Then it pretty much fell apart. The next week I could barely get J to go to school. Come to think of it, the last 2 weeks in church had been a struggle to go to primary. Something was up. We only made it through 10 min of practice and J was in tears to come home. He wouldn't leave my side and I could see the fear in him. Fear is not something you see in Jordan. When I got him home he was very quite and sat on the couch. Finally he came and grabbed my hand and walked me to his room to talk to him. The flood gates opened. Now I was dealing with a scared little boy who had thought up a bunch of "what ifs" in his head. He was terrified that I was going to get shot if he stayed at the school for practice. It was all coming together for me. He didn't want to leave my side. Hence the problems with going to school and primary. The next day getting him to school was even harder. I got him there and 10 min later had a call to come get him. I ended up talking to the school counselor. In the end, I couldn't get him to go to class, so I went in his class for a moment and went out the other door. I left him crying with the counselor. But we both knew that if I took him home, he would push harder next time to get his way. I got to the car and sat there and cried. I felt awful knowing that J was in the school crying and I left him there. We are guessing this anxiety has surfaced from the shooting that happened in Arizona. Nate and Jaxon had been talking about it and J must have overheard. Since J is my child, I am sure I have passed on some of my anxiety issues.(A post for another time would be about Gadahfi and how I had to learn about him in the 3rd grade. I would come home from school and hide in the corner of the living room scared that we were going to get bombed.) He doesn't want me out of his site. If i go somewhere he has to come. We had a Blue and Gold Banquet that was just for parents and their scout. I ended up taking J to my Mom's. He cried and cried as I left, scared he wasn't going to see me again. Nate has been home this week and helped get Jordan through this ordeal. We have talked to him that once you make a commitment you have to follow through. I am so grateful that Nate has been able to give Jordan a blessing when he was needed it and the comfort that has been brought to Jordan from the Priesthood. This week was still a little crazy. Tuesday nights practice, I enlisted the help of our neighbor who wrestles for Highland. He ended up carrying J over his shoulder to the car to get him to practice. It got a little hairy, but he made it. He also made it through his first Tournament. He wrestled twice. He won the first by a pin and lost the 2nd by decision. Below are the only 2 pictures that I got of him. They are before he wrestled. I gave the camera to Nate to take pics while I used the video camera, but he forgot to take any pictures!

LOVING SUNDAYS

2011-03-06T18:45:00.005-07:00

In January our Church time changed to 1:00. We haven't had this time slot for many years. To be quite honest, I wasn't looking forward to it. BUT, we have found a great routine and I am LOVING Sundays. (when Nate is here, of course) We started having a Big, Nice Sunday Breakfast. We have had Breakfast Casserole, Carmel rolls, Pumpkin waffles, and french Toast to name a few things. Last week Nate did Breakfast all by himself. he made Hashbrowns, Coffee Cake and Scrambled eggs. He got his wonderful creations from the Hale's. (his 2nd family in Richfield). They do hashbrowns out of Tatertots and add some onion. The Coffee Cake was so yummy. He wasn't thrilled with it cause it didn't compare to Jeanette's, but we all thought it was delicious. After Breakfast everyone helps clean up and the table is set for dinner. We have been eating on the China and the kids love it.(for dinner, not breakfast) I didn't realize how much the kids were loving all this till this morning. When the cold cereal was brought out for breakfast/lunch there were moans and groans. Hey, It's fast Sunday.

Our Blog Book

2011-02-22T16:29:00.000-07:00

After much anticipation, our blog book has arrived. I am so excited. For me, it shows that I am actually doing a bit of journaling. I was disappointed in myself when I was writing MyLeigh's spotlight for her baptism and couldn't hardly remember anything. So I went to my journal and well, it wasn't much help either. I used blog2print and it was so easy. I don't think the price was to bad either. For under $60, I did a hardback book with 110 pages. I have spend the afternoon reading over the last 2 years. The plan is now to just do a book every year. I also know I need to be better with keeping a record for my family. I have really been trying hard the last couple of weeks and hopefully I will keep it up.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Pulling teeth

2011-02-18T16:45:00.000-07:00

MyLeigh had me up all night last night. She was complaining of her tooth hurting. I've never been kept awake by this problem before. I had started giving her Tylenol for it right after dinner, but it was giving her no relief. She was crying most of the morning too. Thankfully I was able to get her into the dentist this afternoon. I knew her problem was that her teeth were crowding each other. I didn't expect to hear that she needed to get to an orthodontist in the next 3 months. So she had 2 teeth pulled today and 2 more will be pulled in a couple of weeks. She was scared to death but did great once she had some happy gas. Oh and Dr. McWhorter was awesome.... If anyone is looking for a pediatric dentist.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Inventory

2011-02-17T12:38:00.003-07:00

Yesterday just before 4:30 in the afternoon the lights went out. They flickered a couple of times then were out for good. The older 3 kids were in the basement on the computer. Mady was in my room watching TV. I was on the couch trying to fight the body aches and cold I could feel coming on. Everyone came running for me. They had no idea what was going on. Honestly, I tried to remember the last time we had a power outage. I can't remember one happening in this house. For the record, we have been here 4 yrs and 1 day. So, pretty much that means My kids don't know about the lights going out. We all sat together for awhile. Then they decided to see what would work. Jax even asked if he could flush the toilet. They were wondering why my cell phone was working. There really was too many questions to recall. I had already planned on grilling for dinner, yep, before I even knew there was a snow storm outside. When I got the kids settled down I headed to the store to get buns for dinner. I had been putting that off all day. Well, guess what? The garage door wouldn't go up. Not till my friend told me what the red cord was for. Glad I learned something. Actually I learned alot in the hour + that the lights were out. I realized that there really wasn't going to be many choices for dinner, I did have the option of the grill. I was grateful that the propane tank was full and made a mental note the the 3 empty ones in the garage need to be filled. Why am I waiting for the 4th to go empty? While I have a GREAT stash of flashlights, lots were missing batteries and flashlights weren't a great source of light as the sun was going down. I made another note that we need some other light sources for our home. Another thing that I thought of was heat. Our house got a little chilly in that hour. What if this would have gone on through the night? Thank goodness we have lots of blankets. I'm sure kids would have ended up sleeping together bundled under blankets. While that would have worked for now....I will also be looking into an alternative heat source. Well, I guess I could have put everyone in the trailer and turned the heat on. So that would lead me to the question...are the propane tanks on the trailer filled? Well, I didn't tell you that 1 is hooked on the grill. :) My Most favorite question of the day came from Mady when she saw it snowing outside. She ran to me and said, "Mom, it's snowing snowing snowing. Can we put up the Christmas Tree?"

VaLENtiNe CookIES

2011-02-17T11:19:00.003-07:00

We decorated Valentine Cookies on Sunday so that we could do them with Dad. Looking at this first picture, I'm thinking maybe it would have been easier to do it without Dad. You can't see it very well, but Dad put white frosting all over Jaxon's face. Nice.

MyLeigh was begging and begging to eat a cookie. I can't remember what she did that constituted her eating this cookie, but she thought it was pretty funny.

Strange, I don't remember J being mad while we were having fun. Must just be a bad picture. He was pretty excited to eat a cookie.

I think I need to show Mady how to hold a knife while frosting.

Is that frosting looking a little wet to you? Yep, Mady likes to frost a cookie then lick it

and frost some more. I think she kept the same cookie the whole time.

"But it's so good, Mom"

See, in every picture, there are 3 cookies stacked next to her. She isn't going to

let any frosting go to waste. I think we have a picture similiar to this one from last year.

And this project is done again....till next year!