That's the Story of Life

Friday Flashback...Red cheeks!

2012-02-03T07:26:00.000-08:00

This Friday Flashback takes us back 10 years when I was living with my husband and children in Indiana. It just so happened to be my 30th birthday.

My good friend Molly suggested that we all get together to celebrate the big 3-0. She offered to have us all meet at her apartment, and John volunteered to stop and by a birthday cake.

Before the get together at Shae and Molly's, John and I went out to dinner. When we were done eating we drove to Baskin Robbin's to pick up a cake before we headed over to the party.

When we pulled into the parking lot of Baskin Robbin's, I told John to just drop me off and I would run in and grab a cake.

I quickly picked out a cake and went up to pay for it. The guy behind the counter asked me if I wanted him to write something on the top of the cake. He assured me that there would be no charge and that it would just take a second. Without giving it much thought I told him to go ahead and write on the cake.

When he asked me what I wanted him to write, I was a bit flustered and answered with red, warm cheeks, "Happy Birthday, Heidi."

As I WROTE out a check, SIGNING my NAME (which just so happened to be ON THE CAKE), and the sale associate watching me writing "Heidi"...I almost broke out laughing. I am quite certain the sheepish look on my face gave me away. I couldn't even look him in the eyes!! I couldn't even pretend that this cake was NOT for me....but for my "friend" Heidi.

It was very apparent from the worker's reaction that he thought I was going to go home and eat the entire cake myself. It was almost as if his eyes were saying, "You poor pitiful girl."

As I exited the store, before I was even all the way out the door, I busted out laughing. What the heck did I just do??? I just picked out a cake and had a special message written to ME from ME. John and I laughed all the way to Shae and Molly's about the situation. Everyone at the party had a good laugh about it too. In fact, we all still laugh about it to this day.

Looking back on it now, I wish I would have had him write something juicy on the cake like...

"Happy Birthday to ME! The world has been blessed by my presence!"

You can see my red cheeks in this picture! (Also, look at cute little Riley and Brynn off to the side.)

Cinderella goes to the ball....

2012-02-01T08:58:00.000-08:00

Riley just finished her Freshman year of basketball. I have mixed emotions about being done. I'm glad they are done because it was a lot of chasing around town...driving to and from practice, driving to and from games, juggling schedules. But, at the same time, I'm a little sad...she is fun to watch play. She was also exercising and doing something productive everyday.

They ended the season with only 6 girls on the team! It was always a little scary when someone would foul out or get hurt. Riley struggled with a bad knee most of the season. She had to have her knee wrapped for every game and she would also wear a brace over the top of the wrap. Her knee has a tendency to pop out of place. When that happens, she has a hard time walking for a couple of days and she can't put much weight on it.

Our school district (because of budget cuts) did not have sports last year in the Junior High Schools. It was a little unfortunate for the girls that age, because it put them an entire year behind other schools. Riley's team had a pretty good season in spite of that fact. They played hard, and improved each game!

Littlest Mostest

2012-01-17T07:51:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago while fixing Haley's hair for school she was in the bathroom comparing things on the counter top. I love to listen to kids at that age and how they phrase things. After she finished her comparisons, I had to go in the kitchen and write down what she said. It just made me laugh. It went something like this...

The first one has the most.

The second one has the second mostest.

The third one has the littlest mostest.

Oh Haley, I'm gonna miss it when you grow up! You always make me smile!

Do you have your ticket to the GUN show?

2012-01-11T10:25:00.000-08:00

Yet another FUNNY spelling sentence, thanks to my cute little Jace. I read through his spelling sentences weekly, and want to laugh out loud. If only I could climb inside his head for a day to see what makes this kid tick. He is just too funny. The following sentence was in last weeks spelling homework assignment. Notice the smiley face the teacher wrote next to his sentence...

I just had to post this picture. This was taken in October of 2008...although he doesn't look a whole lot different today.

Girls, doesn't it just about make you faint?

Surprise Birthday Party

2012-01-07T10:20:00.000-08:00

My mom is turning 70 years old next week. Several weeks ago we decided to plan a surprise birthday party for her. We chose to have the party before her birthday on December 30th, (because more of her children would be in town for the Christmas holiday). She normally works in the temple on Friday nights, so we asked her to arrange for a substitute. We "told her" that we were singing at an "after Christmas party" at my sisters ward. She didn't think much of it, (aside from the fact that the ward was a little crazy for planning a party between Christmas and New Years), so she called a substitute.

The party was held at my sister Monica's church. We invited all of my mom's siblings and their children, all of my dad's siblings and their children. (On a side note--I should mention that my mom has 12 siblings and my dad has 5 siblings. So, yes, there were several people at the party.)

We all arrived at the church 1/2 hour early. We explained to everyone why my mom thought she was coming to the church. When my mom arrived with my sister Lisa and her family, they drove her to an entrance at the rear of the church where we were waiting. My mom wanted my brother-in-law Bob, to drop her off at the front and he just kept driving. She told us later that she was thinking, "What the crap!"

When mom got into the church, we told her we needed to run through a song before we sang. As we practiced in one of the rooms, we all could hardly keep from smiling and laughing. Monica's husband poked his head into the room and told us they were ready for us to sing. We left the room in a hurry, went down the hall to the gym, and made sure my mom was the last one to walk in. She was all business when she was walking in the gym...head down...heading straight for the piano. It was beyond HILARIOUS when everyone yelled "Surprise!" She was so completely confused for a few minutes. Then she turned to all of us girls and said, "Did you guys know about this?" We all just started laughing.

I wish I could post ALL the pictures that I took that night...but there are just TOO many. Here are a few...

The Family Tree
(Included Doug and Deanna's children, their spouses and children)

After everyone had a chance to visit for awhile, we had a program planned. It was...

The Lifetime Over Achiever Award

Kory wrote a song for my mom. The tune is "Grandma's Feather Bed". The words are below.

Tears of laughter at Kory's song

After the party...still hanging out and visiting.

Congratulations on your award Mom!

The Lifetime Over Achiever Award

My sister Heather put together a video that we showed that night. It just makes me laugh. It is an interview of all the grand kids. It is posted below.

ALSO...

It was my assignment to create a slide show for the program. After MANY MANY hours of scanning and working, I was able to complete it...anything for my mom.

If you are interested in watching it, it is posted below.

Don't forget to pause the music off to the right before you press play.

Grandma's Birthday

2012-01-07T10:16:00.000-08:00

Is this kid for real?

2012-01-01T19:48:00.000-08:00

This little card was attached to a Christmas present that Jace gave to John and I this year. Sometimes I just can't get over this kid. I know that I have to savor this stage in his life. Soon he will be annoyed and embarrassed by us. He will spend time not talking to us and not wanting to be around us. For now, I'm going to bask in the sweetness of this 10 year old boy.

My Ensign Article

2011-12-21T08:46:00.000-08:00

Awhile back I wrote an article that was just published in the January 2012 Ensign. You can read the article by clicking this link or see it below.

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Mom taught all of her 13 children to play the piano, but I never made it easy for her. I remember lying on the piano bench whining, insisting it was too hard. I learned, but to say that I played well would be an overstatement.

Years passed. I married and my husband was accepted to dental school. As we prepared to move to Indiana, I felt frequent impressions to practice the piano. I feared it was because our new ward did not have enough pianists.

Sure enough, shortly after we settled into the ward, the bishop extended to me a calling to be the Relief Society pianist. My heart sank. I told him I didn’t play very well but I would try. I fought tears as I left his office and cried all the way home.

After several sleepless nights, I concluded that I would simply tell the bishop that I had reconsidered. Even though my parents had taught me to always accept callings, I just couldn’t do this.

Before calling the bishop, however, I talked it over with my husband, who encouraged me to at least try. He reminded me that I had yearned to play better and that this could be an opportunity to do so. I decided he was right.

I prayed fervently and asked for Heavenly Father’s help. The words of Proverbs 3:5–6 came to my mind: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” With those words in mind, I put my trust in Him.

The only hymns I could play were those without any sharps or flats. Unfortunately, those would get me through only a few weeks. When I talked to the former Relief Society pianist about my situation, she kindly offered to substitute for a month while I practiced. Another friend offered to watch my children so that I could focus on practicing.

The first week I played in Relief Society, I made so many mistakes that I could barely see through my tears. When I finished, I didn’t want to come out from behind the piano. But the sisters in the ward were so encouraging that I kept trying.

As I continued to practice the piano—sometimes for more than two hours a day—I slowly began to improve. I’m still not an excellent pianist, but now I feel confident enough to volunteer when needed.

I’m thankful my loving parents taught me to accept callings. I was the Relief Society pianist for less than a year, but my testimony of and love for my Heavenly Father grew more than I ever could have imagined. I know that when we trust in Him, He will direct our paths, and we can see His hand in all things.

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More about this calling: The lady that was the chorister for Relief Society was hearing impaired. She would put her hand on the piano to feel the vibrations to know how to lead (what tempo). The only problem was that I was playing slow and making many mistakes, so I was hard to follow. We were quite a pair trying to make it through the hymns each week! (This was also a testimony to me that she agreed to the calling to be chorister. She could have offered the best excuse of all for not being able to do it. Yet she did it.)

On one occasion, she called me on a Saturday afternoon through a TDD service for hearing impaired. They were able to relay a message to me. I was told by the person relaying the message that she had given me the wrong practice hymn. When I was told the correct practice hymn and was off the phone, I immediately ran downstairs to my hymn book and opened to the hymn. My heart sank when I saw that the hymn had 3 flats and I would be unable to play it (especially without all the time that I needed to practice it). I had to call a substitute for the practice hymn. I'm sure people were confused that Sunday when they announced the practice hymn (and that I was the pianist) only to have someone else get up and play the hymn instead.

I think the older I get, the more I realize that I can laugh at myself and not take things so seriously. I can be content with who I am and who I am trying to become.

Congratulations!

2011-12-15T11:01:00.000-08:00

Congratulations...

You have Plantar Fasciitis!

It was funny going to the doctor yesterday and having him do an ultrasound on my heels. He gave me a printout of each. When he gave it to me I said, "Oh darling!" Not quite as cute as seeing a baby on an ultrasound. A few cortisone shots and feet wrapped later, I was out the door and on my way. I have been dealing with this dang, double dang plantar fasciitis for quite awhile now. My sweet husband has been willing to rub my feet for me and that always seemed to help. Hopefully I can nip it in the bud this time (and maybe John will be able to retire for a day or two--hee hee). I have been doing VERY LITTLE exercising for a long time now. When I do, I can barely walk the next morning--my heels hurt so bad. If you have ever dealt with it, you know EXACTLY what I am talking about. Needless to say, I get winded just carrying my laundry upstairs to fold. Holy-out-of-shape Batman! It's crazy how quickly a person can get out of shape. What a bugger.

I'm not going to lie, it would be nice to be getting a baby ultrasound. John and I have been trying to have another baby for about 4 years now. Up until now, I have kept this relatively quiet. I didn't really want the entire world to be cheering me on and asking me all the personal questions about "When are you ovulating? Can I come cheer outside your bedroom window?" I said that previous statement to my mom and she just laughed. I don't think much shocks my mom when it comes to her dear sweet daughter Heidi.

For the last several years, when we kneel down for family prayer I have felt like someone is missing. Weird feeling. As luck would NOT have it...it has not happened for us. A few years ago I had my dad give John and I a blessing. Shortly after that I went and had surgery. It was basically a laperoscopy with lazer stand-by. They were checking for blocked tubes or endometriosis. During surgery the doctor did not see anything wrong. I have also taken fertility pills to see if that would help. After the surgery I must have been put on some mailing list that I just had a baby. I have been receiving coupons for diapers, baby formula, free cans of Enfamil with congratulation letters enclosed. Why thank you for pouring salt on my wounds! :) The diaper coupons aren't even helpful as we no longer have anyone in the house in diapers. Maybe if it were coupons for adult diapers, now that might be helpful. Sneeze = pee, Jump = pee. Good times.

Two weeks before my dad passed away, he gave each of his children one more VERY SPECIAL fathers blessing. I just about cry thinking about it. I'm grateful that I recorded it and typed it up. He once again blessed me that I would have another child. The day before he passed away, I gave him two specific instructions...

NUMBER ONE---When he sees my brother Brian--give him one hard punch in the arm. (He would occasionally give me a numb arm punch and I felt like one good hard one from dad might get him back). Hee hee.

AND NUMBER TWO---Find the cutest little boy up there and send him down to me. (Is that too much to ask?)

A couple of weeks ago I turned the big nasty 4-0. Now I am feeling like I may have to change my tune and be patient for grand kids in several years. Also, Haley (my youngest) is 6 and that is quite a space. This may be too much information, but sometimes I say... "You know you are too old to be having more kids when...

#1---You are too dang tired to try

#2---You can't get any dang privacy

(I'm extremely sorry Riley and Brynn if you are reading this. You may need counseling later). :)

Sometimes I get frustrated watching all my siblings getting pregnant without even trying. It's like they think it is time to have another one and they are already several weeks along. I often tell myself, "Quit being such a whiner "Nancy" you have 4 beautiful, wonderful children...some people can't have ANY!" Sometimes it is hard to realize that you don't have any control over something and you just need to learn to deal with it.

I know that Heavenly Father is in control and He sees the big picture and knows what is best for us. How grateful I am for that!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-14T08:55:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas From Our House to Yours!

What a wonderful time of year! As I have been busy shopping, etc. I have reflected on why we get so busy and hurried this time of year. It seems to me that we have Christmas so backwards now days. It is Christ's birthday that we are celebrating and we are worried about what we are getting or what we are giving to someone else. I have had a song running through my head the last couple of days. It is one of my favorite Christmas songs. To me, it says it all...

What shall we give to the babe in the manger?

“There is no better time than now, this very Christmas season, for all of us to rededicate ourselves to the principles taught by Jesus Christ,” President Monson said. He spoke of witnessing the annual commercialization of Christmas, of seeing Christmas become less about Christ and more about sales, parties, and presents.

And yet, President Monson said, “Christmas is what we make of it. Despite all the distractions, we can see to it that Christ is at the center of our celebration. If we have not already done so, we can establish Christmas traditions for ourselves and for our families which will help us capture and keep the spirit of Christ.”

I am beyond grateful for my Savior and for the many blessings he gives me daily.

Such a sweet little guy

2011-12-12T08:02:00.000-08:00

I just love reading things my kids write in school. Jace is a very thoughtful and considerate boy.

For cryin' in a big fat bucket!

2011-12-01T13:18:00.000-08:00

Well, it's here. I'm officially 40! Good grief! Can this really be true?? I don't feel 40! But alas, I look in the mirror and my reflection reminds me that it IS in fact true.

Age spots, sagging in various locations, wrinkles, thinning hair, tired looking eyes. My mom always reminds me that life begins at 40.

Did she, perhaps, leave something out of her sentence..."Life begins to sag at 40"....or something to that effect?

When I was a kid, I SO remember my parents in their 40's. And I remember thinking that they were so old! I can only imagine what my kids think of me.

I was awake at 11:59 pm and watched the clock change to 12:00 am. I almost said to myself out loud, "How in the crap is it that I am now 40?!"

I don't really feel "40 and fabulous"...more like "40 and farty".

Just a great kid

2011-11-15T08:42:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken the morning of their Primary Program.

I have been thinking the last couple of weeks how great Jace is. He is really developing some great habits that I hope he will continue to do.

When I wake up in the morning he is already up. He has already showered, dressed, eaten breakfast, brushed his teeth, and he has his coat and backpack ready. So now, I am having him clean his room and make his bed before he heads off to school. I think he likes being up when no one else is up and he also likes to have some free time before he goes to school. His mornings are not rushed and crazy like all of his sisters.

Lately, when he gets home from school is goes right in and finishes most, if not all, of his homework.

Jace is 99.9% of the time happy and willing to do anything I ask him to do! What a great kid!!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-04T13:04:00.000-07:00

Another Halloween has come and gone...hard to believe. Once again, we had our annual family Halloween party. This year we went to my mom's house for the party. We always eat soup and my mom's delicious homemade bread. My mom doesn't mess around---she makes some mean homemade bread. I could just about eat an entire loaf.

Most everyone dressed up for the occasion.

This year, John and I dress up as Johnny Lingo and Mahana. If you don't know who that is, I would suggest watching the movie. I was Johnny Lingo and HE was Mahana. Ugly? Absolutely. Funny? You-betcha! I shant be posting any pictures this year of the two of us. It may leave some lasting irreparable damage on the viewer. Let's just say that I had a short boy hair wig with big bushy eyebrows. John was wearing a long black wig. We DID look something like this...

My costumes are usually ugly. I'm good with that. Any "lady" costumes in the store are all short, low, and a little too sexy for this gal. I'm not sure why Halloween costumes have evolved into ladies dressing like "ladies of the evening". It's a bit of a head scratcher. Who wants to see a grown woman dressed as a sexy kitty, red riding hood, or wonder woman. Especially a grown woman that has had a few kids.

Here are a few pictures from the party...

This is only some of the grand kids. There were a lot more scattered all over the house.

I could baste her and eat her for Thanksgiving. She's a dolly.

For one that didn't want her picture taken, she posed for me pretty well.

I think a good time was had by all!

Little Miss First Grader

2011-10-11T11:54:00.000-07:00

I SO love it when Haley comes home from school with something she has written. It always puts a smile on my face. It is so awesome to witness a child learning to read and write. Haley came home from school a couple days ago with this...

I love the ending when she says, "I like school and you." It's always nice when your kid likes school!

My cute little lady

Last night while John and I were at Parent/Teacher Conferences, someone called and left a message on the answering machine. Haley took the message down on paper. You read it from bottom left...Dad sum wun kold 573. (Dad someone called...and then she wrote the last 3 digits of the number). She was so proud of herself for taking the message. She is just so darn cute and becoming such a little smarty pants. I love these little priceless notes!

Birthday Rewind

2011-09-24T19:26:00.000-07:00

Due to the "summer crazies", I was not able to post anything about Riley's 15th birthday. First of all 15...what the holy crap! I am so not a fan of her getting closer to "dating age 16". It almost causes a physical nauseous reaction in the pit of my belly. I certainly hope the boys she dates next year don't mind a long lengthy interrogation from BOTH John and I. Especially since (no offence men), BOYS ARE SUCH IDIOTS sometimes.

I already can stand waiting up for her to get back from stake dances. Not to mention watching the boys watch her when I drop her off at the high school for volleyball practice. I'm like, "HELLLLLO eyes off please"! So off my soap box and onto my post..

Riley and Hayden (a boy in the ward) have a birthday on the same day. They were born on the same day in the same hospital. A couple of years ago, Riley and Hayden celebrated their birthday together and had a joint party. This year, they decided to do a joint party again. The each invited several friends to a swimming/pizza party. They had a great time swimming, playing keep away, eating pizza, and just hanging out. I was so entertained by just watching them all interact.

Birthday Buddies

Hayden and the ladies

Riley with the guys

A CRAZY bunch!

Promptings of the Spirit

2011-09-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, John purchased some kayaks for the family. It was a nice warm day, so we decided to load the kayaks on the top of the van and head to the lake. John took all the seats out of the van except the front two seats, so he could put an already inflated raft inside. He then left with one of the kids, and I took the rest in his car.

We had a great time at the lake, and we were there for several hours. By late afternoon, Riley and I were completely ready to go home. We had been out in the sun all day, and it was getting close to dinner time. I kept trying to convince John and the kids that we needed to head home. They were not ready to go, so we continued to wait. This went on and on for quite awhile---me convincing them we needed to go...they not wanting to go.

John kept telling me to take his car and head home with Riley...and I kept telling him that, that idea would not work because there were no seats for the Brynn, Jace, and Haley in the van. He tried to convince me that they would be fine sitting in the back of the van inside the raft. (I always make my kids wear their seat belts...and John well, let's just say that he doesn't care about seat belts as much).

Eventually, I grew tired of the coaxing, so Riley and I jumped in John's car and headed for home. I left the lake, even though I didn't feel good about it. We had only been in the car for a couple of minutes when Riley turned the radio down and started to cry saying, "We need to go back". I asked her if she forgot something to which she replied, "No, I just feel like we need to go back". I didn't question her another second, and we turned around and headed back to the lake.

When we got back to the lake, everything was fine and I was a little more content to wait until the kids were done playing. I'm not sure what would have happened that day if Riley wouldn't have spoken up. She said she too didn't feel right about it when we left, and didn't want to say anything. After a few minutes in the car, she knew that she needed to listen to the promptings of the spirit and say something to me. I am grateful that I didn't question Riley, and also that I too felt like we needed to go back.

When we knelt down for family prayer that night, we thanked Heavenly Father for his guidance and protection that day. We truly felt that He had watched over and protected us.

One year ago...

2011-09-12T14:11:00.000-07:00

One year ago today, my dad lost his long, hard, battle with cancer. (You can read more about it here and here). I just can't believe how quickly the year flew by. To me, it seemed like the first couple of months would never end, and I always had the song, "Wake me up when September ends" running through my mind.  Right at first, it seemed like time was going at a snails pace.  Soon after, it seemed like time was shoved into fast speed and stopped with a jolt one year later.

One day, when my dad had only been gone a month or so, my mom called me to ask for some help with a few things at her house. I only live about a mile from my mom's house, and gladly went over to help her. When I got to her house she told me that she wasn't able to get one of the garage door openers to work (it needed to be programmed correctly). She was also concerned with the light not going on (on the garage door motor). She didn't like coming home late at night to a dark garage. She was planning on calling a garage door repair man, because she had changed the light bulb before and it still wasn't working. I was able to get both things working for her, and they were both easy fixes. I could barely get through helping her without bawling my eyes out.  For those of you that know my mom, you know that she is able to accomplish and fix just about anything.  It was painful thinking that the safety net (meaning my dad) was moved and no longer there. My dad would fix things that absolute minute he found out that they weren't working. He was ALWAYS "johnny on the spot" when anything needed to be done. It almost absolutely had to be done that day. (Now I know where I get that from).

When I got in the car and left my mom's house, I had myself a good cry. I cried all the way to the mall where I was heading to return some pants. I had to sit out in the car for several minutes to gain my composure. When I thought I finally had it all together, I went into Macy's. I was hoping to dash in, (not see anyone I knew), and dash out again. As luck would have it, I bumped into my friend Michelle.  Of course I wasn't able to keep it together there and had myself another good cry right there in Macy's. There is nothing better then making yourself a spectacle in the middle of the store...ugly cry and all.

The older I get the more I realize that time picks up speed every year. Sometimes when you really stop and think about things it really puts life into perspective.

From the hymn---Improve the Shinning Moments (vs. 2)

Time flies on wings of lightning;
We cannot call it back.
It comes, then passes forward
Along its onward track.
And if we are not mindful,
The chance will fade away,
For life is quick in passing.
’Tis as a single day.

Not a day goes by that I don't think of my dad....even one year later. I love and miss you dad!

This is an old picture but puts the biggest smile on my face! The look on my dad's face is priceless!

Back to the 80's

2011-09-05T11:18:00.000-07:00

Recently, when I have been shopping with Riley for school clothes, I have noticed the back-to-the-80's styles hanging on the racks. The cut off sleeved sweatshirts, florescent shirts, colorful sunglasses, suspenders, etc. Exhibit A.

I also see kids wearing their hair in the AWFUL mullet...."business in the front, party in the back style" (sorta gives me the shivers).

It's just like a blast from the past! It is so surreal shopping with my teenager for clothes that I wore when I was her age. I just kind of walk around laughing. I think it would be more fun browsing with an old friend, reminiscing about all the old styles and good times. When you talk about it with your teen, they just think you are weird. I wish I had more pictures when I was in Junior High so I could show my kids just how the styles have returned.

The one thing that has not quite made a comeback yet (and hopefully never will) is the big, huge, out of control, hair sprayed hair. Oh so painful to look at!

I recently came across this picture of me, my sister Pauline, and our friend Cresta. I made me completely laugh out loud. I think this is the first day of school, and I don't remember what year....just sometime in the 80's. I cannot believe how our hair literally had a shape. I couldn't resist photoshopping a little shape on the front of our shirts that resembled our "hair shape" (not that it wasn't COMPLETELY obvious). Good stuff!

Addition to the Back to School Photos..

2011-09-02T12:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally managed to get Riley's back to school picture taken this morning before school....only 5 days late. I guess it is better then not having a picture at all. Of course she was not ready for school and I had to write her a note for being late. She spent extra time getting ready this morning because she had school pictures (as well as my 30 second photo session out in front of the house). John cannot stand all the time she takes when she curls her hair. He would like her to slap it up in a pony tail and call it a day.

I recall curling my long hair in 7th grade and it took FOREVER. I guess looking beautiful is the ONLY important thing when you are a young girl. (Riley looks just as beautiful when she does slap-it-up in a pony tail). I suppose you don't learn the tricks of getting ready quick until you are married with kids of your own. Either that or you just don't give a crap. Here is my slightly painful 7th grade picture. I just have to say that those bangs are very sad. I guess that's how the "final look" turns out when your curling iron is about as big-a-round as a pencil. It makes a nice little "weenie roll", and no that is not the look I was going for. Don't judge.

Funny Kid

2011-09-01T08:05:00.000-07:00

We have been in school for just a couple of days now. This week Jace has been working on spelling sentences. I must say that several of his sentences crack me up and I have to share them. I'm sure that his teacher will think they are funny too. I put an arrow next to the ones that Riley and I thought were very entertaining. Jace thought that he was hillarious when he wrote #13. I didn't make him change anything. Afterall, I'm sure that Mrs. C. could use some interesting sentences to read. #18 made me laugh, and I have no idea how he came up with that one. I think it would be fun to be in his head and see how he thinks. He is just a funny kid!! Thanks Jace for adding such spice to our life!

Back to School 2011

2011-08-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

Well, the kids are finally back to school and it is WAY beyond time to clean up this messy house. I'm pretty sure it will take me about 2 weeks to dig out! I am excited that they have the chance to get back to school to learn and grow. The summer schedule was starting to get to me, and no one was being ultra productive. That is a huge beef with me! I like to see things getting done. Don't get me wrong I love having my kids here and just "playing things by ear" around the house. But, I also love it when things are being accomplished.

This year Haley is at all day school. She is starting the 1st grade and is very excited that she gets to be a big girl eating lunch at the school. She was very happy to be heading to school this morning.

So yes, I am all alone here at the house. Let's just say I'm not sitting here with tears in my eyes. I am sitting here in the quiet....blogging...and listening to the hum of the dryer.

Jace is starting 5th grade this year. It is also his first year to play football with pads. I'm not sure if he will stick with it or not. Being from a family of all girls, he has never learned to really tackle somebody. I think you learn that when you are living with a brother. But, he is fast! So I guess we will see what he decides next year. Recently Jace has had the major desire to start working out. He is always doing push ups, sit ups, pull ups...etc. A couple of days ago, he decided to do sit ups all throughout the day. By the end of the day he had done around 610 or so. The next morning his abs were so sore! This morning I saw him working out a little before school. After all he is sitting between to of the cutest girls in the class!

Brynn is now over at the Junior High. She was excited for her first day of 7th grade. It seemed to me that she was A LOT less nervous then Riley was when she started 7th grade. I was glad that Brynn was able to hop out of the car with confidence and not look back with a petrified look on her face (like Riley did).

Riley was not ready for school when it was time to take pictures. She didn't have her makeup on and the finishing touches done on her hair. She wouldn't let me take her picture and told me that I would have to do it after school. I think that she forgot that she has volleyball practice after school and that a sweaty picture is not the look I'm going for. I hope that this is not a sign of the school year to come. She was able to finish getting ready in the car and get to school on time. I will just have to get a picture tomorrow morning on the 2nd day of school.

I love my kids and hope they have a great year!!

Ridiculous!

2011-07-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

It is just RIDICULOUS how behind I am on my blog. This summer has been just. plain. CrAzY! I guess for journaling (is that even a word) sake, I will try and rewind back to the early part of the summer.

The end of June--my mom, brothers and sisters, and all the grand kids went to Downata Hotsprings to camp and swim for a couple of days. The pool was so nice and warm, and we spent A LOT of time swimming and riding the water slides. All of my siblings and most of their spouses were able to go. It was a lot of fun to just hang out with everybody. This was the first summer family reunion that we were missing my dad. It felt very different not having him there.

Of course I took my camera, but only took it out about 1 time. We were too busy swimming! I took a couple pictures of the adults, but because we were camping and swimming I will not post those on here. (You're welcome.) I am however posting some pictures of some of the kids. I should have organized everyone together for one group shot. Maybe next time.

I wanted to chew on those cheeks!

"Emily's spa"

I could seriously eat all the babies that were there with us! They are all just so beautiful! I could just take them all home with me.

I simply could not resist! That is a cute little bum!

Haley was so good at this!

Schools Out

2011-06-08T14:12:00.000-07:00

Today is day three of school out for summer break. It has started off as a very cold summer break. It's a bit frustrating because the kids just seem to hang out in the house and bug each other.

My oldest is kind of the "noise police chief" in our house. She doesn't appreciate humming, singing, whistling, tapping, loud chewing, loud breathing, a lot of talking, etc, etc, etc. It is kind of hysterical. If I had a crystal ball and could see into the future, I would probably see her as a mom with a bunch of loud children. It might actually put a little smile on my face to visit her house (when she is a mom) and see her try and referee the children that are annoyed with each other. Luckily for her, she will probably master the skill of the "tune out". I think only a parent truly knows how to turn out all noises around them. She has definitely NOT learned this art yet.

There are times when I think this is going to be a long couple of months. I'm sure I will feel different when it starts to warm up and I can send their little tooshies outside.

I think my blogging posts will be few and far between this summer, but I would like to at least try and stay caught up.

Brynn graduated from 6th grade this year and is SO VERY excited to go to Junior High. I will have 2 kids in the Junior High and 2 kids in the grade school.

Memorial Weekend

2011-05-31T09:45:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day was sure different this year. Last year we went and visited several different graves with my dad, and this year we were visiting his grave. It still just doesn't seem real! There are so many times that I am visiting my mom and just expect my dad to come walking through the door. So often I will see someone that looks like my dad, and I will do a double take. I always feel like dad is always "peeking in" on us, maybe that is why I still feel like he is around.

I took this picture the day they placed the headstone. (Good thing they finally got it in the RIGHT spot). It was taken before they placed the beautiful vases on the sides. To read more about this post click here.

We went to several different cemeteries on Sunday, so that we could enjoy some family time on Monday. As usual, it was a chilly visit to the cemetery. We are most definitely still dealing with cold spring weather, sure doesn't feel very "spring like". The good thing is we knew it was going to be cold, so we dressed appropriately....winter coats, hats, etc.

Monday we went to my mom's house for a pot luck. We ate and played the game "Say Anything". We had a blast playing that game and were laughing hysterically at times. The grand kids played hard both inside and outside. A few pictures from the day.........

Monday was also John and I's anniversary. We have been married for 19 years. He has had to put up with this opinionated, ornery old woman for that long! He deserves a medal! We celebrated our anniversary on Saturday night by going out to dinner. We knew that it would be a busy Monday, so we took advantage of our Saturday night. I must say that I am very lucky to be married to such a great guy. I feel very blessed!

Now that is one PUFFED sleeve!

Busy day...

2011-05-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, Brynn participated in the 6th grade track meet. Her school competed against several other schools in the area. The events she took part in were softball throw and the shot put. She cut her toe a couple of days ago and it is still healing, so she didn't do any of the running events. It was fun to go watch her and it was such. a. nice. day! We don't get many days like that in the Spring. I could have sat out in the sun all day...just felt so good!

Brynn and her best friend Whitney

After the track meet I went to take treats to Jace's class for his birthday. He was excited to see me come. I think he enjoyed being the "star of the show". It was cute to see how embarrassed he was when they sang to him. Look at that red face below!

I love Jace's expression! Can you say excited? I also have to mention that
he has the BEST teacher this year! We LOVE her!

Later in the evening we went to Riley's choir concert. It was the last concert of the year and they sounded great.

Our friend Caleb played for a girl to sing. He was amazing!

Riley's cousin Parker was also in the concert

Cute Riley and her cute friend Terrica

After the concert we zipped home to continue on with the birthday celebration. Needless to say, we all got to bed pretty late that night. Busy, but fun day!

10 years old

2011-05-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

How can it be that this kid turns 10 years old today?

10 years ago today I was sitting at my friend Emily's house celebrating her birthday with her. John, Riley, and Brynn were with me, and we were having a barbecue with Emily and all of her family. It was Memorial weekend and my parents and some of my siblings were heading off to go camping. They had invited us to come along, but since I was big, fat, pregnant, and having sporadic contractions---I decided that we would pass.

We hadn't been at Emily's house for very long when the contractions started to become more frequent and more painful. I didn't want to be "side show Bob" at Emily's party--having everyone timing the contractions with me, so I decided to say nothing about it. The only person privy to that information was John. We sat and ate (I had a great big juicy hamburger and lots of other foods). It soon came to the point that I had to walk around to see if I could "walk off" the contractions.

I went into the other room and was in so much pain that I couldn't move to go find John. Riley and Brynn came and found me and told me it was time to sing Happy Birthday to Emily. I told them to hurry and go get dad. I knew that we needed to leave before Emily was delivering MY baby on HER birthday. Now THAT would be a party to remember! I'm sure that wouldn't be awkward at all for all the other guests at the party. I realized that we needed to get out of there fast. We had just enough time to drop Riley and Brynn off at my sisters (about 2 blocks away). After basically tossing them out of the car, we headed straight for the hospital. We knew that we did not have time to go home and get my "pre-packed bag".

On the way to the hospital, the contractions just came to a screeching halt. I was starting to second guess myself....that is until I had a WHOPPER of a contraction as we pulled into the hospital parking lot. I was gripping the door handle so tight, I could have probably removed the door from off the car.

Still, I was confused...was I truly in full blown labor? We walked into labor and deliver and I told them that I thought that I was in labor. They asked me if it was my first baby, because I sounded so unsure. They then sent me to "gown up" for the big event, and they would come and check to see if I was dilated. Sure enough, I was at an 8!

From that point on it was CRAZY in the room. I certainly didn't give them much time to prepare. Very shortly after that, Jace entered our lives. What a great kid and what a blessing!! Every nurse that took care of me in the hospital would come in the room and always say, "So you're the lady that almost had her baby in the car." Yes, I would dare say that it was a close call.

----------------------------------------------------

Jace is TRULY...

So KIND and THOUGHTFUL
Happy....ALL the time
Full of energy
So cute
Obedient...he just wants to make his mom and dad happy
Easy going - especially since he has to put up with 3 sisters that want to boss him around all the time.

We COULD NOT ask for a better kid! Love you Jacey Boy!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Windin' Down

2011-05-23T14:48:00.000-07:00

Another school year is winding down. How in the world can that be? I swear that we just started about 3 months ago! To be right honest, I'm not quite ready for my kids to be out of school. I guess I'm not ready for the lazy kids and dirty house more then anything. I DO like having my kids at home, just not "plugged in" to the electronics (T.V., computer, Wii, Nintendo, etc). So, I guess I better get off my soap box and just get the darn thing figured out.

A couple of days ago, Brynn had her end of year Orchestra program. I'm a little frustrated that Brynn will not be taking the violin next year. She has been dying to take a sewing and cooking class and will be doing those things next year for her Junior High electives. She has such a LOVE for cooking, sewing, and making things. She is not just taking those classes to "mess around". She really does want to learn and become better at both of them. I hope we will be happy with that decision.

To me, it seems that Brynn has some natural ability with the violin. I need to get my violin in good working order and keep her playing on it!

Hopefully this is not all we will see of Brynn playing the violin.

Today, Haley had her end of year class music program. I kept asking her to move over to the side so I could get a good picture of her without any kids blocking the shot. She was funny and didn't want to move because she thought she might get into trouble. The program was short and sweet.

Haley and her best friend.

Love this little miss!

Haley and her Grandma A.

Headstone

2011-05-05T13:00:00.000-07:00

This morning I went with my mom and some of my sisters to the cemetery, where my dad is buried, to watch them place the headstone. When the company finished making the headstone (several months ago), winter had set in and we had to wait until all the snow melted and it warmed up outside before they could set it.

When we got to the cemetery, they were in the middle of placing a headstone in a different location. After several minutes a lady walked over to talk to us. She told us that they were placing her husbands headstone. In the process, she noticed that it had the Logan Temple on it. She told the workers that she didn't get married in the Logan Temple. She read the name on headstone and it had my dad's name on it. They were placing his headstone on the wrong grave. Right last name...wrong first name. Oops! Good thing we were all out there to keep them straight.

After several minutes they came to where my dad is buried, with the right headstone. My mom had agreed to play the piano at a funeral this morning, and was not able to stay while they placed dad's headstone (due to the time lost in the mix up). My 4 sisters and I stayed there to "oversee" that everything was done to our liking. Those 2 poor guys were being bossed around by 5 women that wanted things done PERFECTLY. They were good sports and put up with all of our bossing around.

Brian's grave

They took the time to dig all around my brothers grave and reposition his headstone. Over the years it had managed to sink in the ground quite a bit and had a lot of grass growing up where it shouldn't be.

They told us that they were going to clean it up and make it look good. It has a lot of dirt on it in this picture because they had cut all around it.

Getting things ready for the headstone placement.

It was such a beautiful morning to be out at the cemetery. The sun was shining and it felt nice and warm, which is a rare thing here during the Spring time.

It seemed so weird out there watching them place the headstone. It still just doesn't seem real. It is hard to explain...I feel like I haven't seen my dad in such a long time, but at the same time, it seems like his funeral was just yesterday.

Some of the grand kids that were out there with us.

We had several "little helpers" with us out at the cemetery. They had a great time exploring and walking all around. This is a picture of 5 of the little boys that were with us.

We also had 3 sweet little girl helpers with us. The cousins always love to spend time with each other. It is so cute!

This is the front of the headstone. I took this picture before they had
placed the two vases that will go on the sides.

The back of the headstone.

On a side note: My dad hired a guy to make this bridge for their yard. It seemed like the bridge was NEVER going to get done. My dad would call him often to check on the progress of the bridge. He was good at putting the hurt on people when he wanted something to get done. As my dad got sicker and sicker we knew that he would never get a chance to enjoy his bridge. He got to see it when it was almost completed. Dad even told the guy that he would like to walk over the bridge at least once before he died. (See what I mean about the "hurt".) Dad passed away before the bridge was ever finished and delivered. Recently, we started calling the guy and telling him that it HAD to be done before my dad's birthday. They delivered the bridge on dad's 70th birthday. I just wish that he was here to be able to enjoy it.

We had them put this on the bridge.

Happy Birthday Dad

2011-04-29T07:36:00.000-07:00

Today would have been my dad's 70th birthday. This year however, he is not here to celebrate it. He passed away a little over 7 months ago. There is not a day that goes by that we don't think of him, or are reminded of him in some way. His wife, 12 kids, sons and daughters-in-law, and 58 grand kids miss him like crazy.

For Christmas this last year, my sister Lori and her husband Clay sent Christmas cards with bracelets for EVERY family member. I loved the idea. There was a scripture included with the bands....

Helamen 5: 6-7
6--Behold, my sons, I desire that ye should remember to keep the commandments of God; and I would that ye should declare unto the people these words. Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were good.

7--Therefore, my sons, I would that ye should do that which is good, that it may be said of you, and also written, even as it has been said and written of them.

Hopefully, we are doing just that! We all want to remember dad and make him proud. Happy Birthday Dad! We love and miss you!

Friday Flashback...the chicken in the bed

2011-04-22T08:52:00.000-07:00

This Friday Flashback takes us back to when John and I had only been married about 6 months. We were living in a ladies house (her name was Annabelle) while she was serving a mission for the church. (I've posted in the past about living there.) For more...click here.

The house was very old and quite often I felt terrified at night. I wish I had the words to adequately describe this house. The wall colors, drapes, and carpet were all dark. The house was very poorly lit. Most the rooms in the house did not have overhead lighting, instead they were lit with lamps. The dark colors in the room seemed to swallow up all the light.

The house was full of different kinds of clocks--cuckoo clocks, mantel clocks, pendulum clocks, that had to be wound regularly. There was a kind of "cadence" from the clocks that almost caused me to have an adrenaline rush, especially when the pitch of the chimes were slightly off key.

Annabelle had many beautiful old antique statues and decorations. Before leaving on her mission, she put many of them in a bedroom and locked the door so they would be kept safe, to which I was very glad---one less thing for me to worry about.

The only bathroom in the house had one window in it. One morning when I walked into the bathroom, I noticed that the window was up. I asked John if he had opened it, and he told me that he hadn't. A few days later I was standing in the bathroom and I watched the window as it slowly went up, yet there was no one there. So, I learned that the window would just go up by itself, because it was spring loaded and very old. I have to say that it was quite creepy seeing the window go up by itself...especially at night. The old spring loaded window made a screeching sound as the window slowly slid up the track.

One night, after recently moving in, we kept hearing a knocking noise. I asked John to do some investigating to find out where it was coming from. He climbed out of bed and walked to the closet where the sound was coming from. He opened the closet door and observed that the knocking sound was coming from the other side of the wall (which just so happened to be the room that was locked). We were both totally freaked out. I told John that I was petrified, and he told me that he was nervous too. I was thinking Oh GREAT! I went to bed paralyzed. For some reason, if you hold completely still in bed you are safe...ya right! I don't think we slept much that night, because we still hadn't figured out where the knocking was coming from.

The next day John solved the mystery. He went outside and found a meter box located near where the closet would be. The metal box had a lock on it that would tap against it when the wind blew. At least that was the story he told me. From that point on, at night when I needed to go "potty" I would wake John up and make him walk me to the bathroom on the other side of the house. Poor John was awakened frequently to walk his big chicken-of-a-wife to the bathroom. Oh, and did I mention, we lived there for 1 YEAR. What a lucky guy!

Bed and Breakfast...you make both

2011-04-18T08:39:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like you are raising lazy kids? Are there any moms out there that dread Monday mornings as much as I do? This morning I got up and as usual, went downstairs to wake my girls for school. I always feel instantly grouchy when I walk into their mess-of-a-mess-of-a-bedroom. Grrrrrrrrr. After going into their room, I enter the basement family room to find....blankets on the floor, a large bowl of popcorn, cups, markers, papers everywhere, jackets, candy, candy wrappers, the list goes on. Grrrrrrr. Why am I not teaching these dang kids!!??

Recently, I noticed that my friend posted pictures of his daughters messy bedroom on Facebook. Another friend has decided to pick her daughter up from school if she leaves the house without unloading the dishwasher. She will pick her up, have her come home and do her chores, and then return to school. I think I need to come up with some new strategies.

Occasionally on Sunday night, I will remember to have the kids do a "20 minute tidy". It always makes for a better Monday morning when the house is clean and somewhat organized.

When I was growing up my parents owned several apartment buildings. When tenants moved out, my parents would go in and clean the apartment. The apartments were always disgusting and filthy. My mom would lecture and beg her kids to NOT grow up and live like that.

I think that sometimes I just do the job that I should be having my kids do, because they do such a crappy job. My bad. I know that is the way they learn.

What do you do when it comes to kids cleaning???

Amazing Experience

2011-04-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

The last couple of days I have felt a little frustrated with a few things. More or less a inner struggle. Today, while I was home alone, I decided to talk out loud to my Heavenly Father. It wasn't necessarily a "formal" prayer, more like telling him what was on my mind and asking for his help. I was standing at the top of my stairs while I spoke, and immediately went and got into my car to pick my kids up from school.

On the way to the school, it was quiet in the van and I turned on the radio and proceeded to flip through the radio stations. It wasn't like I was even listening to what was on. My mind was too busy, and so I continued to skip through to the next station.

Suddenly, I heard my dad's voice in the car. As many of you know, my dad passed away 7 months ago after a long battle with cancer. I instantly got the chills and realized that I was in fact hearing my dad's voice.

Last year, my dad spoke at a BYU-I devotional and they were re-playing his talk on the radio. I turned the radio up nice and loud and listened to his wise counsel and the tears began to flow. Many of the things he was saying, were just what I needed to hear.

My Heavenly Father has blessed me on several occasions to feel close to my dad and still receive counsel from him.

The talk was titled, "The Precious Commodity We Call Time". If you would like to read it, click here.

First Tooth

2011-04-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

Haley lost her first tooth the other day during school. It had been loose for several days and she just wasn't quite ready to have it yanked out. She may have had flashbacks to this post (the pictures totally crack me up), and decided she would wait it out a little longer. She was in her Kindergarten class when she managed to wiggle it out. I asked her what her teacher said, and she told me that she just smiled really big. I'm sure that kids are always losing teeth during class.

Now, her voice sounds a little different. She's got a little whistle when she talks. I have to say that it is quite cute. I'm not ready for the LARGE horse teeth that come in after the cute baby teeth fall out. Haley is growing up and I don't think that I am ready for it. Love this Little Miss!!

Piano Lessons & Drama Queens

2011-04-09T19:16:00.000-07:00

Riley has been taking piano lesson for several years. I started teaching her how to play the piano when she was in Kindergarten. Anyone that has ever attempted to teach their own child to play the piano knows the amount of swearing, er, patience that is required. Sometimes it is a battle to the death, or at least it feels like it is.

In about the third grade I finally decided it would be worth EVERY penny to pay someone else to do the teaching. I knew that Riley would never say to her piano teacher how much she hated the song that she wanted her to play, or how the song was just too hard. (All those lame excuses that you hear). It must be a "kid thing". I remember laying down across the piano bench complaining to my mom. I recall being a total pain-in-the-butt to her. I also remember my mom teaching me how to play a song, and I ALWAYS played it wrong because I thought it sounded better that way. My mom would always try and correct me, but I knew better, as kids think they always do! Needless to say, I don't play the piano well today and I VERY MUCH regret it. I would like to spare my kids that regret when they are older. That is why I lovingly force them to take piano lessons.

Every week when I drive Riley to piano, she spends the time in the car on the way there letting me know how much she hates taking piano lessons. Recently she told me that she would rather be home throwing up, then go to piano lessons. Holy DRAMA QUEEN! I wanted to tell her that I would rather be throwing up then hear the same complaint! This has nothing to do with her wonderful piano teacher. She likes her! To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure what the big deal is! I always tell her that I don't give a crap, and this is the one thing that she has no agency on. She knows that all the griping and complaining will get her no where with her stubborn determined mother. I let her know that she will thank me later. Yes Riley, you WILL thank me later.

(One of these days, I will record her while she is practicing and post in on here. It will of course have to be without her knowing or she will try and veto it.)

Spring Break

2011-04-04T12:48:00.000-07:00

Well, the good ole' Spring Break has come to a close, and we have been thrown back into the "real world" with full force.

Last week we took our kids out of school (on Friday) and headed to St. George Utah for some much needed R and R. We rented a condo with John's family (to share for a few days). We had planned on going hiking, in Zion National Park, with them while we were there. The morning of the hike it was raining and a little on the cool side. John and his sister Julie, and Julie's husband Doug, were the only ones that ended up going on the hike that day. I like to hike, but I am not so die hard that I want to do it in the rain.

The rain didn't stop my kids. They spent a huge chunk of the day in the outdoor heated swimming pool. They loved swimming in the rain. When it comes to our family vacations....they consist of A LOT of swimming. In my kids eyes, it isn't a vacation unless there is a swimming pool involved.

We were only with John's family for 1 day and they had to go back home because their spring break was over. After they left we had the condo to ourselves---3 bedrooms, 3 baths, large kitchen and living room. It was a nice condo with a nice pool.

My sister Lynette, brother-in-law Kory, and their kids were also down in St. George visiting his family. His sister Nicole was my roommate in college (and she lives in St. George). We were all invited to Nic's house for Sunday dinner. It was fun to visit with my long lost wonderful friend Nicole.

While in St. George we spent time--relaxing, swimming, miniature golfing, hiking, swimming at the indoor rec center pool, EATING, etc. It was great to get away from the cold and just play for a few days, without a care in the world. Here are a few pictures from the trip...

A VERY IMPORTANT Lesson Well Learned!

2011-03-22T09:36:00.000-07:00

Riley had a friend over last weekend and when it came time to drive her home Riley wanted to drive. She got her permit a couple weeks ago. I (John) rode shotgun as Riley drove her friend home. After dropping her friend off, I asked Riley to take the long way home. She felt a little uncomfortable with the new route because it was nighttime and she couldn't see real well since our roads in Idaho are all dirty from the winters muck. Anyways, she was changing her speed quite a bit and drifting in and out of some imaginary lanes that were supposed to be on the road. About 5 minutes into our ride, bright lights lit up our car and Riley looked behind us and said, "Is that a cop? What is he doing? Oh my gosh, I think he's pulling me over!" Sure enough, Riley got pulled over. I'm writing this because I think what the officer told Riley is funny.

Riley, needless to say, was freaking out as the officer walked up. He looked in the window and with a big smile asked how things were going. We told him she just got her permit and was doing her best. He smiled and said, "I pulled you over because when I saw your driving I thought to myself, this is either a drunk or a really bad driver." He attempted to smooth over and qualify his statement by saying, "That's not to say you're a really bad driver though!" We laughed and he let us go with a vote of encouragement. I thought about his statement and turned to Riley and said, "Well, I guess he thinks you're drunk then".

Riley's first experience with a cop just taught her that cute girls can get away with anything...even drunk driving on a learners permit. I'm not complaining though, I want her to get out of every ticket. It was a good lesson...one I'm sure she wasn't taught in Driver's Ed. It now occurs to me why girls fuss with their hair so much in the car.

Biggest Loser Competition FINAL RESULTS....

2011-03-18T14:28:00.000-07:00

This morning I went for the FINAL FINAL FINAL weigh-in for the Biggest Loser Competition. Can I just say that I am very releived that it is all over. Toward the end, I knew that I was in the running but was feeling a lot of pressure (from myself only) to finish with guns-a-blazing! I'm an all or nothing kinda girl. For 10 weeks I drank NO soda, and I think I had maybe one dessert. I stuck to the plan of exercising 6 days a week and counting EVERY...LAST....calorie that I ate - EVERY morsel. I think you have to be dedicated when you need/want to see big results. At first I will have to say that it was a bit torturesome at times....I'm not gonna lie. But, after learning about foods and their calories it became second nature. I could eat! When you are eating the right things....you can eat lots of it!! I would exercise, so I could eat more. But, I would also exercise because I felt so good afterwards.

All together I have lost a total of 29.2 pounds and am still on track to continue in my weight loss journey. I want to lose a lot more. I will lose more. I must lose more, because I am still sporting my B.I.F. What the heck is a BIF? It is a "butt-in-front". I think I was blessed by the "A" side of the family. My sweet Grandma Vea had a bit of a BIF and she passed it on to me. Thanks Grandma! Yes, I have been asked when my baby is due when I am not pregnant. Can you say "kill"? I guess you can also have a BIF after you have had children. Sometimes that belly just doesn't want to cooperate. Several years ago when Riley and Brynn were very little one of them asked me why I had my pants on backwards. I looked at them puzzled and told them that they were on right. She came back with, "Then why is the big part in the front"? Yes, that would be the ol' BIF.

So, back to the competition....the results of the weigh-in were VERY CLOSE, but I WON (by the skin of my teeth)!!!!
The top 3 standings for total % weight loss were....

1st place – Me – 14.51%

2nd place – *** – 14.22%

3rd place – *** – 13.78%

So, you can see that it was a really close race. The prize money for the winner was $272.00, which I will be spending on ME! I could certainly use some new clothes, but don't want to buy any yet.

I guess you could say that I am the Biggest Loser/Winner! I lost and I WON!

Pinewood Derby

2011-03-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

We just recently had the annual Pinewood Derby in our ward. I remember going to the Pinewood Derby as a kid with my brother Brian. My dad always spent a lot of time getting his car tuned up just so.

Jace picked out what he wanted his car to look like and was "helper" to John. John was in charge of the Pinewood Derby this year and had to weigh in cars and set up the track.

After several races and when it was all said and done, Jace's car took 1st place. He was quite pleased with the outcome. I could see his anxiety when they were announcing the finals. He could hardly even sit still. The look on his face was priceless. Jace would have been happy with any outcome, but it was nice to have him win this year and give him a boost of confidence. He is a great kid!

Birthday Girl

2011-03-11T19:56:00.000-08:00

Little Miss Hay-hay turned the big 6 today! We spent a good portion of the day at a pizza place where they have a play area, arcade, and lazer tag. We went there with 5 of my sisters and their kids. We occasionally go there for family parties. It's great because the kids are off playing hard while the adults visit and relax for a bit. (If you can call that place relaxing). On the way to the pizza place, Haley asked me a funny little question. She said, "Mom, how did you pick the day that we would celebrate my birthday?" I just had to smile, laugh, and explain to her that she picked the day. It was the day that she came out of my tummy. I just love that cute little girl.

After lunch and playing we went to Toys R Us to let Haley browse. She just kept dropping things in the cart. It was pretty funny. We finally told her to go out to the car with Riley and we would pick a few things and surprise her.

When we got home, she opened her presents and seemed very happy with her "loot".

I just cannot believe that she is now 6!! That means that we have been out of school for 6 years because I had that little sweet "Hoosier Baby" right before we left Indiana. What a great little blessing she is in our lives.

2 week weigh in....getting close to the finale

2011-03-04T12:52:00.000-08:00

I was very very nervous to go to my 2 week weigh in today for the Biggest Loser competition. I actually dreamt last night that I went to the store and bought a bag of Cheetos and a Sunkist. I was mad at myself (in my dream) for buying those things right before a weigh in. Kinda funny that I am dreaming about food. I'm surprised that the soda in my dream was a Sunkist and not a Mountain Dew (my long lost love). Anyway....

I think I am starting to hit a plateau in the weight loss department. Dang. It's fun seeing the numbers move on the scale. I guess I am just being very impatient. I just want the weight to melt off. I am doing it the right way though...losing a couple of pounds a week. Why is it soooo darn easy to put weight on and so long and hard to get it off?
So, today, I was down another 5 pounds from 2 weeks ago. That would be a total of 25 pounds thus far. For your information, an average 2 year old weighs 25 pounds. Can I just say, it's nice to get that two year old off my back!! :)

The girl that is in charge of the weigh ins and results always sends out an email (to all the participants) after they weigh in. Last week she sent not only % lost for the two weeks, but she sent total weigh loss % to date so we could see where we stand in the competition.

I actually came in 1st place last week for the 2 week weigh in (out of 31 girls). Which put me in 2nd place for the overall standing. Today I came in 2nd place for the 2 week weigh in, and she didn't post where everyone was in the overall standing. Makes me really curious! I hate not knowing, because I am a competitive little fart.

So, I've got 2 more weeks to really kick it into high gear!! I feel like I have learned a lot doing the competition! Wish me luck!!

Getting a Rise Out of Your Kids - Priceless!

2011-03-01T08:09:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday, Riley took her final "destination" drive in drivers ed. It was a big deal to Riley and she was very nervous. It was generally a moment dads live for. Heidi dropped her off and was going to head home. Riley's first "destination" was in the direction of the house and it appeared Heidi was going to follow her for a short time. The other kid in the car with Riley and the Instructor asked Riley if her Mom was going to follow her. She replied, "No, my mom wouldn't do that. My dad would, on the other hand, but he'd have a video camera with him." They thought that was funny. As it so happened, I was getting off work at that very moment and had phoned Heidi and caught her just as she was starting to follow Riley. I told Heidi I was so excited to hear that Riley was doing her drive. Heidi told me not to harrass her. YEAH RIGHT! I knew the spot Riley was heading for and raced to meet her there. I caught up with her at the entrance to "University Place".

Riley saw me at "University Place" and said "Oh my goodness, there's my dad!" and there I was...phone video in hand and filming. I love harrassing my kids.

Answering Machine

2011-02-23T08:32:00.000-08:00

(You may have to pause the music that is playing)
Sometimes I just like to listen to this....

Yet another 2 week weigh in....

2011-02-18T08:46:00.000-08:00

I had to go this morning to my 2 week weigh in for the Biggest Loser Challenge that I am currently participating in. I was a little nervous for the weigh in this morning because I have been sick with a cold. When you have a cold it makes it hard to exercise. It just seems like it is hard to get a good breath when you are fighting a cold. Not to mention the fact that you feel like you have been eating chalk because you are so thirsty. I might add that I am anxious for the cold and flu season to be GONE!

So back to the weigh in....
Two weeks ago I was down a total of 13 pounds. At today's weigh in I am down a total of

pounds.

Which is equal to one of these....

Man I'm glad that I am not carrying that thing around anymore. Only need to lose a few more of these babies to reach my goal.

The song that NEVER ends....

2011-02-17T08:16:00.000-08:00

Brynn taught Haley how to play this song on the piano. All kidding aside, she probably plays this song a hundred times a day. There are times that I just want to scream and I have to divert her attention somewhere else. I guess I better start giving her piano lessons so that she can learn a new song to bug the crap out of me. :) I am excited though, that she has an interest in the piano. Love this sweet little miss. (You may have to scroll down and pause the tunes that may already being playing).

My head is SA-wimming!

2011-02-14T19:54:00.000-08:00

***Disclaimer---This post is being typed by a EXTRA tired lady that is having a hard time seeing straight. It may not make a whole lot of sense.

A few weeks ago I received a call from the Bishop's secretary asking me if John and I could come to the Bishop's office and meet with him. I have been the Laurel's Advisor in my ward for about 3 1/2 years, and I knew that it was about time to be released. We went in to the office and found out that he was extending a new calling to me to be the Young Women's President. I just wanted to say, "Come again Bishop!!" I was a little shocked to say the least! I thought, "Wow, I have been in here for quite awhile. Those girls are probably pretty sick of me by now." I had lots of tears in my eyes as we spoke. It was quite on overwhelming feeling.

Yesterday at church they "officially" did all the sustaining and releases. I knew about this calling for 3 weeks before they sustained me (plenty of time to stew over it). Reason being...They re-did almost the entire Primary and all the Young Women's Leaders and it had quite the "trickle down" effect on all the different organizations.

WOW! My life seems so incredibly busy these days, and Riley's schedule is giving her (and myself) a HUGE run for our money. As an example--(One of the days this week Riley will be)....

Waking up at 4:45 in the FLIPPEN a.m. getting ready and heading to Drivers Ed, clllllllleeeeeaaaarrrr across town from 6-8 a.m.
Heading straight to school until 3:30
Dash home, eat a snack, decompress, and MAYBE if she is lucky, get homework started. Usually she can't stay away and falls asleep for a few minutes.
Straight to piano lessons (in her basketball clothes mind you)
Already a few minutes late for practice---bust your butt to the school for Basketball practice
Home to cram food down throat, stress over getting the rest of homework done, and more then likely falling fast asleep....again.
Go BACK to drivers ed for a 3 hour drive. She will be in the car---driving for 1 hour and then 2 hours of observing other students. I think I would DIE being in the car that long, just driving around town in circles....oh wait I do that all the time.

You have to remember that for all of these occasions, I am Riley's personal taxi, chef, alarm clock, nag--to keep her moving (not to mention my 3 other kids). It's exhausting I tell ya!!! Especially when I can't fall back to sleep after waking her at 4:45. You may be asking yourself....Why the CRAP does she go wake Riley up? Doesn't Riley have her own alarm clock? Why yes, she does. She will have it turned on FULL BLAST and will just continue to sleep right through it. Or, you may be wondering why I don't go back to bed after waking Riley and getting her out the door. I DO, but more often then not, my mind starts thinking and thinking and thinking, and I just can't fall back to sleep for a good LONG time.

So now we have crazy schedule Riley on top of crazy Young Women's President. So, if you see me in a corner sucking my thumb, you will know why. I have to keep reminding myself that this crazy drivers ed schedule will be over this month. AND that I have great ladies as counselors and advisers that will help this poor scatter-brained woman through the next couple of weeks.

I'm glad that I can serve in the Young Women's while I have 2 daughters in there. And so far, my girls don't seemed too embarrassed by me. Well, at least not all the time. :) I can be a bit of a loud, wild woman at times!!

Another 2 week weigh in....

2011-02-04T09:18:00.000-08:00

8 Pounds lost last weigh in, plus 5 more

this weigh in......

13 pounds could look something like this......

Or this.......

Still, just the tip of the iceberg!!

LOOK OUT!!!!!!

2011-02-01T08:56:00.000-08:00

Last night, Riley and I went to her first Drivers Ed meeting. She is starting Drivers Ed this week!!!! YIKES, YIKES, TRIPLE YIKES!! You have to be 14 1/2 to start and she has been bugging me about taking Drivers Ed for about a year now (at least). She will be taking private lessons from a husband and wife in my ward. Because they are private lessons, the class was able to decide how quickly to get though all the material. (They have to have 30 hours of class time). The majority of the parents and kids wanted to BUST through as quickly as they could. I on the other hand, was probably the only one NOT in a hurry. The majority won out. So, because they are trying to hurry through...some days she will have to go to class twice in a day. The BRUTAL part of it all is most of the class times are at 6:00 a.m., and it takes about 20 minutes to get to the school. OH, and did I mention that Riley is NOT a morning person? She normal gets up at 7:30 for school. They are on target to finish all the class material before the end of February. She will have LOTS of Drivers Ed homework, on top of her school homework (along with piano, Y.W., basketball games/practice, volleyball, etc). This should be one busy month!!! She will get her permit in a couple of days and be one of those dangerous drivers on the road. :)

I spent a good majority of my evening catering to Riley. We went to her Drivers Ed meeting for almost two hours, I rushed her home to change clothes for basketball practice, and drove her to basketball. When I dropped her off she informed me that I needed to run her volleyball registration over to her friends house. I was bugged to say the least. No "thanks", no "would you please"....OHHHH, sometimes kids just need a little butt kickin! Those "thanks" and "please" go a long way for a mom!! Too bad you don't learn that until you ARE a mom. Oh well, she won't get it from her kids either!

So, I drove the @#$ registration over to her friends house and visited with her mom for a second. I told her what I had been up to for the past few hours. That darn Holly told me to enjoy it because it goes by so fast. Okay, way to put it into perspective Holly. You're a good lady!

Friday Flashback...mud swimming pool

2011-01-28T15:11:00.000-08:00

When I was growing up we lived out in the country...out where there are no sidewalks, stores, you get the picture. We had a T.V., but most the time it wasn't working. When it was working we only got channels 3, 6, 8, and 10. During the hot summer days, there was nothing worth watching on T.V., especially during the "soap opera" time of day.

We had to provide our own entertainment. We would spend endless hours outside--riding bikes, floating the canal, playing kick-the-can, playing make believe, exploring the yard, taking a walk (sometimes down to the "dead calf"--another story for another time). We probably spent 90% of the day, outside. It didn't matter what we were dressed like...

Exhibit A.--Stan, Jared, Kevin, and Curtis out front in their undy-pants.
I especially love Kevin's XL pair and the fact that he is wearing shoes.
Cute little Curty is in the can.

Exhibit B.--Fashion was not a necessity when it came to playing hard.

I think just about every summer, we (some of my siblings and a few neighbor kids), would get several shovels out of the garage and head out to the backyard--to dig ourselves a mud swimming pool in a spot near the garden. It wasn't just a mud wading pool, it was a mud swimming pool. The "pool" was equipped with a slide, diving board (2x4), and a life guard (wearing a whistle). We probably spent as much time making the pool as we did swimming in it. We took our pool building very seriously. Oh how I wish we had a picture of it all.

After swimming and rolling around in the mud, we would head into the house in our swimming suits. You guessed it---muddy from head to toe. It seems like mud was in every crevasse--even our ears. Gross.

We would all pile in the bath tub and shower off together. I am quite certain that we left the bathroom and tub in a huge muddy mess, thinking nothing of it. Isn't that just a kid for ya?

My mom was always so incredibly patient with us as we used our imaginations and carried out our hair-brained ideas. What a saint! Thanks Mom!

Zombie Land

2011-01-26T14:25:00.000-08:00

Me-n-my-kids

I have been walking around the house like a zombie all day. It is like my head is in a fog. My lovely night started with me going to bed a little late, then being woke up at 1:00 a.m. by Haley with a burning fever-- 102.5 degrees. Goody-goody-gum-drops!

I woke John up to help me, because she was feeling dizzy and I was trying to get her some medicine. When she got back in bed she needed a cold rag to help cool her blazing hot back. So, I decided to lay down by Haley for a bit. She insisted that I tell her the story, "Tuffy the kitten". That is a story that my mom used to tell her kids when she was putting them to bed. There's nothing like trying to tell a bed time story in the middle of the night. After awhile, we thought she was settled and went back to bed.

2 minutes later, Haley is in my face asking if she can sleep with us. She climbed in and snuggled right up against me. Anyone that has ever slept in the same bed with a kid knows that once you are in a position, you are THERE for the duration. After about an hour, my right hip was crying out for mercy. So, I scooped up my pillow and headed for Haley's bed.

This is the part of the story that I need to apologize to Haley. "HONEY, YOUR BED IS HORRIBLE! I'M SORRY!" I would say is was more like sleeping on a rock or a cinder block. In hind sight, I should have scooped HER up instead of my pillow. A mistake that will not be made again. My hips hurt, my back hurts. It was a night of punishment.

This morning I was having a very hard time getting out of that awful bed. I was so tired, I was just in and out of sleep. All of the sudden I heard the sound of glass shattering. That is definitely a mom's alarm clock, and I was up. Jace was in the kitchen trying to make his own breakfast and had dropped a plate that burst into several hundred pieces. I just knew it was going to be a great day!

Guess it's time to go mattress shopping!

2 week weigh in....

2011-01-24T20:13:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you have all been waiting on pins and needles, wondering about how I am doing in my "Biggest Loser" Challenge. Okay, so maybe I am full of crap and nobody gives a dang. But, I am going to post my two week weigh in results anyway. My first weigh in, I lost 8 pounds. (Just a little bit of trivia---the average human head weighs 8 pounds.) Now, I MUST mention that it is only the teeny tiny tip of the LARGE iceberg. (If you have NO flippen clue what Biggest Loser Challenge I am talking about click here.) Brynn told me tonight that my face isn't as round as it used to be. I just wanted to say, "Why thank you sweetums. Come here so mama can kick your butt!" Kids just always know what to say. Tee hee.

For the first weigh in, I came in 9th place out of 37 girls. It is a start, I guess. I don't think people really notice you have lost weight until you have lost more then 20 pounds.

The girl that is in charge of the challenge sent all the participants this email, and I thought it was pretty cool...

I just thought I would send all of you this fun fact! I thought it would be fun to keep a running total of weight loss and percentages for the men's team and the women's team. Not part of the contest....but just fun to see!

WOMEN: Lost a total of 130.2 pounds today with a percentage of 2.67%
MEN: Lost a total of 113.4 pounds today with a percentage of 3.48%

WOW....all together you lost a total of 243.6 pounds in 2 weeks!!! You are all awesome!!!

I hope I can continue on with full force! It's kinda hard when you are an old fart.

DARE graduation

2011-01-18T13:18:00.000-08:00

A few nights ago Brynn had her DARE graduation. The DARE program teaches the kids the dangers and harm that drugs can do to them and others. From the start of the school until now, they have had a DARE officer come to their school once a week and meet with them.

The kids were challenged to complete several different tasks while they were in DARE.

1- Keep their room clean

2- No soda

3- Do a good deed everyday

4-No T.V. for 2 weeks

5- Dress for success (dress up once a week for school)

Brynn worked hard and completed all 5 challenges! I think it was very hard for her to go without T.V. for 2 weeks, and at first I didn't know if she could complete the task. She DID it!! I was proud of her! During those 2 weeks she spent lots of time on her bed, reading. I think it was a good experience and taught her that there are some great books out there. I think she enjoyed her time away from the T.V. Brynn was also able to keep her room clean, which I LOVED. I should say that she was able to keep HER side of the room clean. Now, if it could just rub off on Riley. Wishful thinking.

There were only about 4 kids that completed all 5 challenges, and they were able to pick out some DARE logo gear for their hard work. Brynn came home with a new backpack.

At the end of the graduation, some of the DARE officers performed some "rock" songs on stage. (Several of the officers are in my Stake, and such great guys!) They invited all the DARE students to come down to the front while they played. It was fun to watch the kids having a great time dancing to the music. I think that they felt very grown up, like they were at a real concert.

They thought about doing away with the DARE program this year (budget cuts), and I'm glad that they didn't. I think that it was good for Brynn to learn about the dangers of drugs and also I think it taught her some responsibility---after all, it takes a village, right? We are proud of you Brynny!

Happy Birthday to my WONDERFUL mom!!

2011-01-13T07:50:00.000-08:00

Happy 69th Birthday to the most amazing woman that I have ever met! When you look up the word saint in the dictionary it says,

saint(seynt) - Deanna

–noun
1. any of certain persons of exceptional holiness of life
2. a person of great holiness, virtue, or benevolence
3. a founder, sponsor, or patron, as of a movement or organization. (She does have almost 58 grand kids you know)!!
And then it has a picture of my mom...

A few words to describe my mom...

SERVICE - that is her middle name....Ask anyone! She always says that she likes to feel needed.
KIND - She HONESTLY never ever says a bad word about ANYONE, and I don't care how bad they are!!
GIVING - She gives of her time, and love, with no thought of herself. She will most definitely take care of someone elses needs before her own. She is last on the list. That means she eats last, goes to bed last, etc. She will gladly volunteer for unwanted tasks, and do it with a glad heart and a smile.
POSITIVE - She is always saying the phrase, "It's all progress" just to make you feel good when you are running raged.
I could go on and on.....

If you know my mom, I think you will agree!! She is just one of a kind and simply amazing. This tiny woman has had 13 children and now 57 1/2 grand kids. (We call her a little pocket rocket).

All of the grand kids just flock to her like flies to syrup. I am so blessed to have her as my mom. I love you mom, and hope you have a great birthday!!

The Biggest Loser Competition

2011-01-08T19:43:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine recently posted information on Facebook about a Biggest Loser Competition in my area. The invitation went out to anyone that was interested in entering. I went back and forth in my mind as to whether I wanted to enter or not. I didn't want to even mention it to anyone until I knew if I was committed or not. First of all---YES, I NEEDED to enter but at the same time, I was very afraid of failing miserably! I am also a completely competitive person. When I play, I play to win. John thinks it is very funny to watch me compete. I'm not sure where I got such a competitive streak, but it's there in bright bold colors.

What to do what to do..........So yes, on Friday I went and paid my $25 and did my "official" weigh in. It was a bit humiliating, but done very private. Only the girl recording my weight actually got to see the BIG LARGE NUMBERssssssss staring her in the face.

When I first got there, there were several people there to be weighed in. I'm sure that I walked in the door and instantly had a puzzled look on my face. All the girls were quite thin, and really didn't look like they even had a pound to lose. I just wanted to tell them to make their $25 check out to me.

To paint a picture---I showed up to the big weigh in, in a big unflattering "puffy coat", wearing John's old sweats and yesterday's makeup. Did I mention that I was UN-showered? On a side note...my teeth were brushed...give me SOME credit! I'm sure I made quite the impression to all the girls in the house. OOOOOh boy. When we were done weighing in, I did the "walk of shame" out to my car.

I must say that it has kind of been a rough couple of days. My body is asking me why I am up and moving and not sitting down with a Mountain Dew in my hand.

Thank HEAVENS I have an app on my phone that completely helps me keep track of EVERYTHING.... calories, workout, water, etc. It does the works baby, and I don't know if I could be so diligent without it. I think it has inspired John and all the kids to be a little more active, which is a good thing for us all.

I'm not so sure that I even have a chance in this competition, but I feel like if I can keep working towards my goal, I have already won.

Wait a second...can this be right?

2011-01-07T11:13:00.000-08:00

Brynn just turned 12 last week and now is officially out of the Primary and into Young Womens. She could hardly wait!! Several weeks ago, leading up to her birthday, she would ask me if she could go to Mutual with Riley and I. Time and time again, I had to remind her that she was not old enough yet, and could go soon. I let her come with us one time several weeks ago when the Young Women made blankets, and that gave her a taste of what to expect and look forward to. Last Sunday was the big day...she said goodbye to Primary and Hello to Young Womens. I can't believe that I now have 2 daughters in Young Womens!! Ouch!

I had to laugh on Sunday...Brynn stood up to share her testimony in Young Womens and the first thing she said was, "I can't believe how nice Riley is at church". I had to laugh when I looked at Riley's red face. Brynn is kind of a say-it-like-it-is gal. Hmmmm, I wonder where she gets that from???

Brynn LOVES--

Her blanket---She still sleeps with it every night. I don't know how much longer that thing is going to hold together.
To cook---She will help you with ANYTHING that you ask her to do in the kitchen, when it comes to making food.
To do anything crafty---sew, paint, etc.
To keep things organized---her drawers are always neat and tidy. I LOVE that too!

We are very lucky to have our sweet little "Brynny" in our family.

I took this picture at my sister's house on New Years Eve.
The kids were singing Happy Birthday SO LOUD
that it was making Brynn laugh.

Do you know what I LOVE....

2011-01-04T08:01:00.000-08:00

I just love how much fun Jace and Haley have together. They are just two best little buddies. They always seem to be hanging out together and following each other around. Jace is a nice older brother to Haley. He very rarely teases her, which I find very hard to believe! That is usually the job of the other brother! Don't misunderstand this post and think that they are perfect and never fight, because that is certainly not the case. They do have times that they fight and get on each others nerves. But, more often then not you find them hanging out together and having a good time. I LOVE that, and I LOVE them!

Haley's face is a crack up in this picture!

This is hilarious...Jace was playing a video game
and Haley kept telling me that she was his seat belt! Love those two!!

Ringin' in the New Year - 2011

2011-01-03T08:44:00.000-08:00

For the past 11 years we have had the tradition of ringing in the New Year with a wild family party. This year, as most of the other years, we had the party at my sister Monica's house. I guess that is what she gets for having such a large house. Thanks Monica and Dave! I'm not even sure what the count was for the total number of people there, but I know it was a lot and I'm too lazy to count. He he!

Like usual, we had more food then we needed. Shrimp, pigs in a blanket, veggie/fruit trays, cookies, 7 layer dip, deli style sandwiches, the list goes on. Good grief, I'm hungry just thinking about it. And of course you always eat until you are about to go into a food induced coma.

We played several games. I think my most favorite was "Say Anything". That game can be so funny when you are with a group that will really just do that...Say Anything!

Every year we have a pinata for the kids. This year, my brother-in-law, Rocky made the pinata. He is an incredibly talented free lance artist. He made it nice and large and indestructible...we need it to last through allllllll those kids! It was big enough to hold LOTS of candy!

We ate, played games, ate some more, danced, broke a pinata, ate, and partied hard! Oh, and did I mention that we ate!? I think need to set some New Years resolutions after all that eating!

I am very blessed to have such a great and fun family! I love them all!!

Waiting for the pinata smashing to begin!

The pinata and Peek-a-boo Dave!

I loved Haley's face as she was hitting it. She was giving it her all!

It appears that Jace was relieving all his stress on the "bumble".

Brynn taking her best shot!

Go Riley!

Candy grab! Everyone got MORE then enough!

Conga line!

Dancing in the New Year

Shortly after midnight Haley had enough!

Friday Flashback...Toilet papering

2010-12-31T17:03:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid, quite frequently for entertainment, we would go and toilet paper somebodies yard. I know that kids also do this now days, but I don't see it as often as waaaay back when I was a youth.

As a kid, we didn't have a computer to spend countless hours on, and half the time the T.V. wasn't working. When it was working, we only got 4 channels--one being PBS which can be a real snoozer to a older kid. We didn't have video games or electronic gadgets. It seems like some of our weekend late night entertainment consisted of---

1. Toilet papering
AND
2. Prank phone calls (You could get away with it back then because caller I.D. did not exist.)

I don't think my kids would know what to do if they had to "create" some entertainment. Everything is just so "in your face" now days. I might add that the prank phone calls were completely innocent, lame, and not in the least bit funny. Although we thought we were completely hilarious.

Back in the day, our house was frequently targeted when it came to getting "toilet papered". My guess for being targeted---we lived in the country (not a lot of cars driving by), we didn't have a dog, lots of teenage girls lived in the house, and our yard had TONS of trees. One weekend a kid toilet papered our house and it seriously looked like it snowed. He used several cases of toilet paper--totalling about 112 rolls. My dad was not exactly happy with the mass amount of toilet paper that was cascading down from all the trees, although it was kind of pretty. I wish we had taken a picture of it. I think my dad got stuck cleaning up most of the mess. Now, we know that it should have been Monica out there doing the T.P. collecting.

One particular night, I was coming home late when I happened to stumble on several girls toilet papering our house. At the time, I must have been a Freshman or Sophomore in High School and had several cute younger brothers. I guess that is a way to show someone you like them...by destroying their house/yard. You don't get the fact that it is completely annoying, until you have a house and yard of your own. When they saw me pulling in the driveway, they scattered and I went in the house. I went and woke up my dad and told him that someone was out toilet papering the yard.

My dad and I decided to sneak out the back door and hide and wait for them to come back. We figured they would return, because they hadn't gotten very far in their "toilet papering job", and I just unexpectedly showed up and put the kibosh on all their fun. It was kind of exciting waiting for them to return. It was like playing a game of hide and go seek. You know the feeling when you are waiting for something and you just almost can't keep from giggling with excitement. I still remember crouching down next to my dad, on the side of the house. We were whispering and trying not to break out in laughter. It was a great little "hiding place" because of all the trees.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, they returned to finish what they had started. We let them get comfortable and then we jumped out of our hiding place. They all started to scream and run. I got a harebrained idea to chase after them, and the chase began! We all took off down the road. I was running fast enough that I caught up and was running along side the pack of them. At that point, they thought that I was one of them. They jumped in the "get away car" and were screaming at me to get in....so I did. They started to drive off and then realized that I was technically not supposed to be there. The expressions on their faces was priceless. They were nice enough to stop and let me out and not force me to jump.

My family still laughs about the time that I jumped in and rode off with the toilet paper hooligans.

I am posting this picture to give you an idea of my age at the time. I realize that this is a hideous picture filled with ugly hair and lots of make up. Don't judge.

And my dad may have looked something like this...

Another scare ball picture of me with what looks like "triangle hair".

**Some other time I will have to post another funny toilet papering experience and dedicate it to my good friend Camille.

28 years ago today...

2010-12-28T11:41:00.000-08:00

I am thinking of my brother Brian, who was killed in a snowmobile accident 28 years ago today. I was reminiscing about past times with him, while I undecorated the Christmas tree today. I was taken back to Christmas Eve 1982. I remember laying on Brian's bed listening to his Chicago Album. He loved that album and had comments for each song. Brian played the trumpet, so her really liked the "Chicago" sound. Needless to say, that music with always remind me of him. A couple of years ago I went to a Peter Cetera concert and just about bawled during several of the songs.

That Christmas Eve night in 1982, Monica, Brian, and I were laying on his bed listening to "Love Me Tomorrow". He insisted that we listen to it in the dark. His bedroom had no windows and so the room was pitch black. I think he wanted us to listen to it without any distractions. He always had the music completely cranked up, so that we wouldn't miss anything. Click here for song

This year however, Brian and my dad have both been on my mind. I'm sure that they were incredibly happy to be together for Christmas this year.

This picture was taken just a couple of days before Brian was killed. It was the last family picture with him in it. Brian is in the middle row---yellow shirt with the blue jacket. To read an older post about Brian click here...http://whatacrackup.blogspot.com/2008/12/26-years-ago.html

Tis the Season

2010-12-26T19:45:00.000-08:00

Whew, what a busy last couple of weeks I have had around here! I am just now feeling like I can take a breath! Awhile back the church was offering tickets to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert with special guests--singer David Archuleta and actor Michael York. They were giving tickets away (lottery style) and I was lucky enough to receive 4 tickets. So, John and I went with Riley and Brynn. My sister Monica was sweet enough to take Jace and Haley. It was an ULTRA QUICK trip to Salt Lake City and back. We went down on Saturday the 18th and came home the next day. It was a fun, quick trip with just the "big kids". The roads on the way down were so scary that I felt like I was going to have a full blown anxiety attack. Is anyone out there quite as bad as I am in the car with slick roads and fast traffic? I KNOW that I was driving John crazy, but I just couldn't help it. There were cars sliding off the road every where. At one point the car in front of us went flying off the road. Luckily they were not hurt, but that just about did me in.

We spent our time in Utah going to the Church Museum, shopping, seeing the lights on Temple Square, eating out, swimming in the pool, and going to the concert. Can I just say that the concert was AMAZING. What a great way to start the Christmas season.

Visiting the Church Museum

Riley is posing like she is giving quite the sermon.

The size of the sleeping quarters for those that traveled to America by ship.

The picture above is of President Brigham Young. I don't quite know how to explain it, but every time I see his picture, I feel like I know him. I know that sounds completely crazy, but I feel some kind of a tie to him...almost like we are related. You are thinking, wow, this lady is nuts! I guess I will find out someday why I feel that way. I do know that my great grandpa worked closely with him helping the saints cross the plains. So, while visiting the museum I had to take a picture of him.

Love this saying!

Love this saying too!

The lights at Temple Square we just beautiful!

I can't believe how many people were at Temple Square going to view the Christus.
What a great thing to see at Christmas time.

The choir, dancers, orchestra, bells, etc were AMAZING!

President Monson came to the concert and when they announced that he was there, people gasped and stood up quietly while he walked in and sat down. I labeled the picture where he sat.

My girls had LOTS of energy. I thought the trip would be quiet and peaceful without Jace and Haley. I guess I forgot to figure in all the energy these two girls have. They were like the energizer bunnies!

We made sugar cookies on Christmas Eve day to leave out for Santa. I think that Haley had more flour on her dress then on the cupboard.

We spent Christmas Eve night at my mom's house. We sang songs, and acted out the Nativity. Due to the number of grandchildren we had SEVERAL angels, shepherds, and other participants. It was a bit loud and hectic at times, but what can you expect with that many kids! They all seemed to have a great time.

My sister Monica sat in dad's place and read Luke 2 to us.

Santa took time out of his busy schedule to pay us a visit. Most the kids were VERY excited to see him. Some of the little ones were a little frightened. I was so busy taking pictures that I didn't take the time to sit on his lap this year. He was good to me anyway on Christmas day.

Riley and some of her cousins were coming up with some crazy things to ask Santa for.
Funny girl!

We had a program that night and Riley played the piano. She didn't really want to, but her mean mom made her. Brynn played a violin song and Jace sang along with her. I didn't get a chance to take a picture of it because I was helping Jace sing. He was a bit nervous to do it alone.

Stan read one of the Christmas stories that dad usually read. It was/is a tradition.

My sister Lori and her husband sent Christmas cards with bracelets for EVERY family member. So there are 50+ people walking around with these bands on. I loved the idea. There was a scripture included with the bands....

Helamen 5: 6-7

6--Behold, my sons, I desire that ye should remember to keep the commandments of God; and I would that ye should declare unto the people these words. Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were good.

7--Therefore, my sons, I would that ye should do that which is good, that it may be said of you, and also written, even as it has been said and written of them.

It was a very different Christmas without my dad. We still carried on all of the traditions, but it just wasn't quite the same without him here. We sure miss him.

Merry Christmas From Heaven

2010-12-20T14:51:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas From Heaven

I still hear the songs.

I still see the lights.

I still feel your love,

on cold wintry nights.

I still share your hopes,

and all of your cares.

I'll even remind you

to please say your prayers.

I just want to tell you

you still make me proud.

You stand head and shoulders

above all the crowd.

Keep trying each moment

to say His grace.

I came here before you

to help set the place.

You don't have to be

perfect all of the time.

He forgives you the slip

if you continue the climb.

To my family and friends,

please be thankful today.

I'm still close beside you

in a new special way.

I love you all dearly,

now don't shed a tear,

'cause I'm spending my

Christmas with Jesus this year.

My sisters friend gave her this poem with an angel Christmas ornament. I just love it.

Busy Week

2010-12-17T15:39:00.000-08:00

It seems like I have had a busy week....and all of this on top of trying to get ready for Christmas. For some reason, I just feel a little behind this year...mostly just in the shopping. It is so hard to make sure that my kids get at least a few things they want (especially the older they get), and to also make sure that one kid doesn't get a lot more then the others.

It certainly is feeling like a different Christmas season to me--without my dad. I cannot say enough how much he loved Christmas. He sure knew how to get into the spirit of giving at Christmas time. MAN COULD HE SHOP! He liked to buzz from store to store picking things out. He loved to buy clothes for my mom. He loved the color red, so he would pick out red dresses, suits, shirts, etc for my mom. He always seemed to enter a store and have something picked out in no time flat. He wasn't so much into "shopping around" and he had no problem making a decision. This trait has not been passed to all the members of the family however. Some of my sisters crack me up when it is time to make a decision on something. It can be shear comedy watching them mull over a purchase (which is more a trait from my mom).

Riley and Brynn both had concerts this week that we attended. Brynn had her orchestra concert Wednesday night. She is playing the violin (this is her 2nd year).

I was sitting in the very back of the auditorium, so I put on my large camera lens to take this picture. It looks like she is looking right at me.

Riley's concert was a choir concert and it took place on Thursday night in the same auditorium. Riley and two of her friends tried out for a special musical number and were chosen to perform it. I was very nervous for her. I know that she was nervous and wanted to do a good job. It is a lot of pressure when you are singing in a full auditorium. Their little trio sounded great!

My sweet little mom accompanied them on the piano.

After the concert we rushed over to my sister Lynette's house to watch her son open his mission call. He was called to serve in England. There were a lot of people both there and on the many different cell phones to hear him read his call. What an exciting night!! It is so much fun to watch a missionary open the call! Congrats Austin!

Phone calls from my Dad---Christmas Caroling

2010-12-14T09:59:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I turned the big 3-9. 39 years old, wow! When my mom called to wish me a Happy Birthday, she told me that life begins at 40. So, I guess I have something to look forward to next year. My mom is always happy to turn another year older. Her older sister Shanna was killed in a airplane accident, along with her husband, when they were in their early 30's. The had 3 beautiful girls that they left behind. Since then, my mom thinks that every birthday is just a blessing. I guess it is a good way to look at it. My sister Heather just recently found a homemade card at my parents house that I had made for my dad when he turned 38. It was fun to see the card and what I had written to him. I must have been around 7 or 8 years old.

The evening of my birthday, I received many phone calls from my brothers and sisters. While I was talking on my home phone, my cell phone was ringing. I happened to miss a call from my brother Kevin. When I went to see who called, the cell phone was showing that I had 2 new messages. The first message was from my dad. For some strange reason an old message on my phone had come through as a new message. The call took place when my dad was in the hospital. He said many things, and that he was wondering what was happening at home. The next message was the new message from Kevin. I had to call my mom and tell her that dad had called me from heaven to wish me a Happy Birthday. I cannot figure out how that old message got put in with the new message, but it was a nice surprise.
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Last night we had our annual Christmas caroling hay ride. We have been doing this for many many years. My dad has almost always been the driver of the hay ride. Last year he insisted on driving, even though it was a very cold night and he wasn't feeling all that well. I thought a lot about him last night.

It was a good night to do carol because it was warm and the roads were dry. We met at my sister Lynette's house. We had a good time visiting and eating dessert before we headed out to carol. The kids were full of energy and we all had a great time.

After caroling we came home and went to bed. During the night I had a dream about my dad. I dreamt that I was standing in the kitchen and the phone rang. It was my dad on the phone calling me from heaven. As dreams are--half the time you can't remember all the details when you wake up. But, I do remember that he sounded very happy. In the dream he said to me 2 different times how wonderful the funeral was. He also said to me 3 different times in the dream, how he couldn't believe how great his legs felt. I called my mom this morning to tell her about my dream. She teased me that it wasn't fair that he called me and not her. I told her that he would probably be calling to talk to her soon.

Jib Jab

2010-11-29T20:10:00.001-08:00

Scroll down, pause music, and ENJOY!!

Jib Jab

2010-11-29T20:04:00.000-08:00

Scroll down, pause music, and enjoy these videos!!

The ALL night wrestling match

2010-11-17T08:16:00.000-08:00

Haley LOVES, LOVES, LOVES sleeping with her stuffed animals. She especially loves this big tan dog. It is so funny to go in a check on her, long after we have tucked her in for the night. It seems like more often then not, we come out of her room laughing. Sometimes she is on top of the dog, and sometimes the dog is on top of her. I wonder if she is waking up tired from her all night wresting match. We sure love our cute little Haley.

I think he is getting the best of her here. I had to take him off her sweaty head.

Two little buddies

2010-11-16T08:52:00.000-08:00

It is so cute to watch Jace and Haley play together. They sure do enjoy hanging out together. I am certainly not trying to say that they always get along, and never fight. That would be a big load of crap. But, most of the time, they are just two little buddies.

These pictures are of Jace playing his Nintendo DS and Haley watching him.

Total excitement!

Friday Flashback

2010-11-12T09:30:00.000-08:00

This flashback takes us back to when Haley was 3 years old.

One evening we were driving to my sister Monica's house. (On the drive to Monica's house, you pass several buildings that resemble the hospital here in town.) Haley asked if that was the hospital where she was born. We told her that it wasn't the hospital. Haley replied, "Well it looks like the hospital!" John said, "Haley you are very astute." After John said that, Haley yelled, "I'm not STUPID!" To Haley, the "astute" sounded like "stupid".

We all had to laugh. She has always been such a little smarty.

Pictures

2010-11-11T12:58:00.000-08:00

Recently, I took my kids pictures. I guess I got a little carried away...I think I took about 400 pictures. I just love taking pictures, especially pictures of my kids. We took pictures in my backyard, and we also went to the sand dunes. My kids ended up doing some hard core playing and rolling in the sand. Oh, and did I mention, they were in their "good clothes". Oh well, they had a great time. We were out taking pictures and playing for several hours. Time went by very quickly and before we knew it, it was getting dark and time to head home. It was kind of like one last hurrah before snow. And yes, we now have snow.

Haley is a cute little monkey. I could just eat her up.

She got so excited when the wind started blowing the leaves around.

Brynn is getting older. I think she is getting really excited to start going to Young Womens soon. She is also excited to start Junior High next year.
She sure is growing up!

This picture kind of cracks me up. Jace is just a fun kid. He is a little embarrassed about his LARGE 9 year old teeth. You know those awkward years where you had those great teeth. Well, that is where he is now. He smiled like this in a few pictures. I think he felt better about not showing his pearly whites. He looks like he is about to bust out laughing.

Riley is as tall as I am now. I would be happy if she passed me up. I always wish I was a little taller.

Haley

2010-11-03T08:16:00.000-07:00

Last night Haley accidentally jabbed her gums and they were bleeding a little. She kept asking me if she needed to go to see her dad at the office. I told her that she would be okay, and that she did not need to go. Haley kept telling me that it tasted so gross. To get her point across she said, "This tastes like old gum stuck to a pole." Oh boy, I hope she is not speaking from experience.

HuMoRoUs

2010-11-02T14:31:00.000-07:00

This morning Haley was watching me get ready for the day. I was looking in the mirror putting on makeup. She asked me why I was putting makeup on. (I'm not sure why she was asking because I do it everyday.) I told her that I was going to the school to vote and I didn't want to scare anyone. This intrigued her and she started asking questions. Are they voting for you? Why are you voting? What are you voting for?

Then we got back on the makeup subject. Haley told me it was a good thing that I was putting makeup on. She then attempted to imitate screams from the people if I went to vote without makeup..."She is HIDEOUS!" Thank you sweets for letting mommy know that it is important to wear makeup and not go out in public looking like Quasimodo.
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Today I went with John to lunch. During one of our different conversations we got on the topic of being liked as a person. John said to me, "Everyone likes you". He questioned me on how I am able to get everyone to like me. I joked and told him in a funny voice, "I am just a likable person". Even though I know that this statement is a bunch of cow manure. I know that not everyone likes me, and I guess frankly I don't really care. I is what I is, baby.

John then went on to compare me to a cat. He said that everyone is saying "here kitty-kitty" and everyone wants to pet me and hold me in their lap. And every once in awhile I will scratch them with my sharp claws, and they will still try and pet me and be nice to me.

Then John said, "I am just like a dang dog...jumping up on everyone, trying to get them to like me---and they are saying, "Get away stupid dog." He said that he is always trying to be nice to people and they still don't like him. (Hog wash, I tell ya--people love John).

I told John that maybe he is one of those "farting dogs"---you just can't get too close because you will asphyxiate. We both laughed about him being a farting dog.

Funny analogy sweets.
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5th Sunday Lesson

2010-11-01T11:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the 5th Sunday of the month, so they combined the Relief Society / Priesthood for a lesson. Normally I would miss this, because I would be in Young Womens. However, yesterday the bishop and his counselors were meeting with the youth so I was able to go be an "adult".

A man in the ward gave the lesson. He is a lawyer here in town, and the lesson was about Living Wills, etc. It was all good information. When he started his lesson and announced what the topic was going to be about, I thought to myself, "Good thing I am not feeling emotional today".

While he talked my mind went---I thought about meeting with my mom and dad's lawyer before and after he passed away. When he was very very sick, I went to a meeting with two of my brothers and parents. My dad was making sure that all of his affairs were in order. During the meeting, I sat and watched my dad wondering what he was feeling, wishing I could just make it all go away. I was embarrassed that I couldn't contain my tears as I sat and listened. And shortly after that meeting, meeting again with the lawyer after my dad passed away.

So much for not feeling emotional during the lesson at church....I could feel my face getting warm and tears welling up in my eyes. So many of the things that he was saying, just made the emotions flood back. I was wishing that I was sitting in the back of the room, in the corner. But no, I had chosen a seat in the front side of the room, so that I was facing the majority of the people in the "L" shaped room. Nice. Hopefully I was able to be somewhat discrete as the tears began to fall.

Good heck, I miss my dad.

Halloween Party

2010-10-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

Today we had our annual Halloween Party at my mom's house. Each year we have a party with all of my siblings and their kids. We had a great time hanging out, chatting, eating, and playing games. The kids played several different games (fishing pond, pie eating contest, bean bag toss, candy walk). Haley decided to dress up like a cheerleader this year. She wore a T-shirt that she got when she participated in a cheer clinic at the high school and one of my old cheer skirts. She was darling as usual.

Waiting in line for the fishing pond

Jace was Mario a couple of years ago, and decided that he wanted to go as Mario again this year. After all, he loves all the Mario video games. He makes a cute little Mario if I do say so myself.

Mr. Mario Wilson

John and I dressed up like Dog Bounty Hunter and his wife Beth. If for some reason you don't know who they are....

Here is our best rendition... Oh boy.......This picture doesn't even LOOK like John. I couldn't quit laughing at him in the car on the way there. I just kept doing a double take.

Some of the kids getting ready for the pie eating contest

Brynn dressed up like a funky butterfly. She looked cute and had a blast in the pie eating contest. I'm not sure who won. I think they were all too busy laughing.

Brynn during the pie eating contest

Riley was a super hero in her Superman under ware. She was being crazy on the trampoline and I had to snap a few pictures. She is such a goof.

Super Riley to the rescue!

Friday Flashback...on a Sunday. Okay, so I'm a little slow...

2010-10-17T10:32:00.000-07:00

What is a Friday Flashback, you ask? Well it is something that happened a long time ago...something that I would like to document, so I don't forget.

This Friday Flashback takes us back to 1992. John and I had only been married about 6 months or so. We had just recently moved into a lady's house, her name was Annabelle, and she was leaving for an 18 month mission for the church--we were going to house sit for her.

Annabelle's house is a completely different blog post in and of itself. (I did love Annabelle, she was a great lady! Her house was just a little spooky to a young married girl.) A few adjectives that could describe the house...chilling, creepy, eerie, horrendous, intimidating, shocking, spooky, hair-raising, horrifying, spine-chilling, unnerving--the list could go on. Sorry Annabelle, I tend to call it like it is. Did I mention that her house was VERY old. So we basically lived in a crypt for 18 months.

One evening I was preparing dinner in the old kitchen of the old house. John was on the phone, and I was at the stove attempting to make white gravy. When I say "attempting" to make gravy, I mean it. Like I already said, we had only been married a few months and I was most certainly NOT a gourmet chef. I was more of an easy-bake oven kind of gal.

I was using the "flour" that Annabelle had left in a canister to make my delicious white gravy. Try as I may, I could not get the gravy to thicken. The more I tried the more frenzied I got. After trying for SEVERAL minutes, I started to pitch a little temper-tantrum-fit. I think I may have even been stomping around the kitchen, and I hate to think of what was coming out of my mouth. You get the picture.

Eventually, John came into the kitchen and told me that I needed to take a break and come back to the "gravy" in a minute. I forcefully told him "NO...not a chance"--I was very adamant about it. Those of you that know me well, know that I am stubborn and very determined when it comes to completing something.

I continued to try to thicken the gravy, which lead to more stomping, which lead to more anger. Eventually John came to the conclusion that I needed to be removed from the kitchen. As he came to physically remove me from the kitchen, I spread my legs and anchored myself to the counter top. It became a complete WWF competition in the kitchen, and I was not going down without a fight. The harder he pulled, the tighter my grip. Ultimately, John was stronger and was able to detach me from the counter and haul me off into the living room. He sat my fuming fanny down on the couch--I don't remember if it was accompanied with a "lecture series" or not. What he probably wanted to do was turn me over his knee and spank my butt, swat my behinder, tan my hide, paddle my rump, work me over, whatever you want to call it.

I sat there in the living room and fumed for a few minutes, and then went back into the kitchen. When I was able to gather my wits and look closely at the "flour" I had been using, I discovered that it was actually powdered sugar.

The complete definition of my situation...stupid person ,blockhead, donkey, dope, dunce, fool, idiot, imbecile, jerk, nitwit, numbskull, simpleton, twit.

Just imagine how I felt as I tried to explain to John what went wrong in my "gravy making process". It wasn't the ingredients, it was the chef. And instead of wearing a chef's hat, I was wearing a dunce cap.

Good thing I am married to such a kind a patient guy. He simply let me blow my top, pitch a fit, rant on and on, and then come back to see the error of my ways. At that point I'm sure that John realized he was in for more then he bargained for, marrying this little lady.

Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege. --Unknown

Come what may, and love it

2010-10-06T14:13:00.000-07:00

For a few weeks now, I have had the saying "Come what may, and love it", running through my mind. I revisited the talk that was given by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, titled "Come what may, and love it". The following is from that talk...

When I was young I loved playing sports, and I have many fond memories of those days. But not all of them are pleasant. I remember one day after my football team lost a tough game, I came home feeling discouraged. My mother was there. She listened to my sad story. She taught her children to trust in themselves and each other, not blame others for their misfortunes, and give their best effort in everything they attempted.

When we fell down, she expected us to pick ourselves up and get going again. So the advice my mother gave to me then wasn’t altogether unexpected. It has stayed with me all my life.

“Joseph,” she said, “come what may, and love it.”

I have often reflected on that counsel.

I think she may have meant that every life has peaks and shadows and times when it seems that the birds don’t sing and bells don’t ring. Yet in spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser, and happier as a result.

There may be some who think that General Authorities rarely experience pain, suffering, or distress. If only that were true. While every man and woman on this stand today has experienced an abundant measure of joy, each also has drunk deeply from the cup of disappointment, sorrow, and loss. The Lord in His wisdom does not shield anyone from grief or sadness.

For me, the Lord has opened the windows of heaven and showered blessings upon my family beyond my ability to express. Yet like everyone else, I have had times in my life when it seemed that the heaviness of my heart might be greater than I could bear. During those times I think back to those tender days of my youth when great sorrows came at the losing end of a football game.

How little I knew then of what awaited me in later years. But whenever my steps led through seasons of sadness and sorrow, my mother’s words often came back to me: “Come what may, and love it.”

How can we love days that are filled with sorrow? We can’t—at least not in the moment. I don’t think my mother was suggesting that we suppress discouragement or deny the reality of pain. I don’t think she was suggesting that we smother unpleasant truths beneath a cloak of pretended happiness. But I do believe that the way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and successful we can be in life.

If we approach adversities wisely, our hardest times can be times of greatest growth, which in turn can lead toward times of greatest happiness.

I really appreciate that last part about approaching adversities wisely, because it CAN be the times that we grow the most. And of course when you are growing, you are happy! No one walks away from a trial in life without taking a good hard look at things. I guess it is our choice, or agency, as to what we do with the things we have learned.

Having lost my dad, it has really made me look at life differently--my perspective has changed. I want to try a little harder, be a little better, I have more empathy and love. There have been many days that I have asked myself..."What is the point?". We are here on the earth to "prove ourselves" and what exactly am I proving?

Elder L. Tom Perry said, We can’t predict all the struggles and storms in life, not even the ones just around the next corner, but as persons of faith and hope, we know beyond the shadow of any doubt that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true and the best is yet to come.

Ooooo, I love the sound of that..."the best is yet to come".

**If you want to read Elder Wirthlin's entire talk, click on the title of this post, "Come what may and love it".

Line in Heaven

2010-09-28T09:35:00.000-07:00

I feel so extremely blessed to have been "born of goodly parents". I am so very grateful that I was raised by such a great set of parents and that I have such amazing and wonderful brothers and sisters. To me, I think it is totally amazing that 12 brothers and sisters can get along so well, and love each other so much. (Not to mention all the great brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law). I must have been doing something right when I got in that line in heaven.

My sweet, incredible mom and 7 amazing sisters

My dad surrounded but all of his daughters. He was our biggest fan.
We miss him so much!

My parents and all my siblings--but one brother (Kevin).
He couldn't make it for the picture.

This picture includes almost everyone.
It is missing one family and a few missionaries.
My mom always says she has "joy and rejoicing in her posterity".

I must say that I have the greatest husband and kids.
I feel truly blessed.

Colts treat

2010-09-27T08:23:00.000-07:00

Riley likes to "trash talk" back and forth with the Austin family, in our ward, about which NFL team is best. Of course, we are big time Colts fans here at our house. We have great memories of living in Indiana. My kids ask quite often if we can go back and visit. One of these years, we will definitely have to take a vacation to Indiana. I always remind them that a lot of the friends that we had out there, no longer live there. But, we still have lots of friends that we love out there, and would love to see again.

Yesterday, the Colts were playing the Denver Broncos. (Which just so happens to be the beloved team of the Austin family). It was also the day after Sydne Austin's birthday. Riley got up early and made Sydne some brownies for her birthday and the big game day.

She is holding the pan of brownies upside down. That's okay...the Colts still won. :)

We love you Austin Family!!

Letters from Heaven

2010-09-23T13:39:00.000-07:00

Monday, I was feeling very sad and sorry for myself. I just couldn't seem to pull out of a terrible funk that I was in.

I spoke to a sweet lady at church that compared losing a loved one with the ocean. She told me that there are days that you will feel a little sad, like a small wave. There will be other days that the waves of sadness will come crashing in like a tsunami.

I recall feeling like that after my brother Brian died, only losing my dad, I also feel a little scared. He was the great big safety net for all of his kids, and my mom. He always knew what to do, and had great advice.

Back to Monday....This particular day, the waves were crashing in and rolling over the top of me. It just seemed like a black cloud was following me around that day. I knew that I needed to just get busy and do some things to take my mind off of it. I started looking for a box of thank you cards, and I thought that I may have some in the cedar chest in my bedroom. I opened the cedar chest and noticed a box that I had not opened for quite sometime. I knew that the box didn't contain my thank you cards, but was just curious as to what was inside. As I poured the contents of the box out on my bed, an envelope fell out with my name on it, in my dad's handwriting.

In the envelope there were three different letters written to me from my dad. They were written years and years ago (when I was a teenager), but the content still applies today. Each letter was several pages long. In them, my dad told me how much he loved me, how proud he was of me, and many wonderful things. He also bore testimony to me and gave me council.

He said, "I want to encourage you with all my heart to read the scriptures daily and develop a love of them, and pray daily for the Lord's spirit to strengthen you. The things and ideas of the world will end some day, but the eternal truths will last forever".

As I read through the letters, tears just began to flow. It was exactly what I needed, right then and there. It was as if my dad could see that I was having a hard time and wanted to make sure that I knew that I was loved by him. It was a message of comfort and reassurance, a very tender mercy shown to me from the Lord.