james-andrea-kids

Welcome Ashlyn Jayne

2012-02-16T15:16:00.000-08:00

February 4, 2012, was the birth date of our newest family member, Ashlyn Jayne. After nearly 14 hours in labor, Ashlyn finally joined us. The minute she was put into my arms I felt such love for this beautiful little girl. She was born at 1:20 pm. She weighed 7 lbs 1 oz and was 22 inches long.

Her brothers and sisters were very happy to see her. They kept fighting at the hospital who got to hold her the longest. Later that night, Matthew came to the hospital with James for some one on one time. He was so cute with her. I was worried how he would react to the new baby but he has been nothing but sweet. He loves being a big brother and sings to the baby all the time.

A few days after having Ashlyn home, she started with johndis. She was on a beli blanket first (it's a light blanket that she had to lay on at all times. This didn't bring her blood count down fast enough so they brought in the bank of lights. It looked like she was laying in a miniature tanning bed. After two day and nights of laying in the lights, her count went down. I was grateful and I'm sure Ashlyn was happy to not have to have her foot pricked again.

Ashlyn is a sweet little baby. She still sleeps most of the time which makes the kids disappointed because they want to have her awake and hold her. The kids have all been a great help with duties around the house and taking care of the baby. I have been proud of all of them. We are also grateful to everyone in the neighborhood and family who have helped out and wished us well.

Heather

2012-02-16T15:00:00.000-08:00

Heather had a pretty exciting week the first week of February. Her school started a new show choir. Heather decided to try out for the show choir. She was quite nervous but she did a great job and made the choir. They've already had one performance. They auditioned to sing at the Davis School District Gala. The choir got word that they were accepted and get to perform at the gala. Heather has to go to choir practice three mornings a week before school. She has done a great job getting up and getting herself ready in time for practice.

Heather also had the science fair this week. Heather's project was determining which sugar releases the most carbon dioxide when mixed with yeast. We were fortunate enough to have the girls off track for a few weeks before the science fair so Heather was able to get it all done in plenty of time. I was proud of her for doing it on her own. She won first place in her grade and that made it all worth it for her. Good job Heather!

Violin Recital

2012-02-16T14:49:00.000-08:00

The three girls had their annual violin recital. Each one graduated to the next level. I was very proud of them. It takes a lot of work to get the graduation song to a level that it passes. They have to memorize and play the song perfectly. They also have to record the song and have it reviewed by other teachers. I think I was as relieved as they were to finally pass off their songs.

Lindsey set the goal in her Young Women's to graduate. She did a great job. She had to practice on her own and motivate herself. I was proud of her for accomplishing the goal.

New Pictures

2012-01-15T07:21:00.000-08:00

These are updated pictures of the kids for 2011

Luke, 14 years old

Lindsey, 12 years old

Heather, 10 years old

Savannah, 8 years old

Matthew, 5 years old

Christmas at Temple Square

2012-01-14T19:52:00.000-08:00

We always spend time at Temple Square at Christmastime. It is a magical place and we always feel the Spirit. With singing performances and violin performances we get to feel Christmas spirit at Temple Square in so many ways. What a blessing it is to live this close to the temples.

Gingerbread Kids 2011

2012-01-14T19:41:00.000-08:00

We had three of the kids participate in Grandma's singing group this year. Heather, Savannah and Matthew joined the Gingerbread Kids for the Christmas season. They had fun performing at the various venues. Heather had her biggest solo this year and did a fabulous job. Savannah and Heather got to sing together a couple of times and Savannah had a solo part in one song. Matthew got to sing a line or two at the microphone. It's always fun to watch the littlest ones perform because they do funny things. Matthew was pretty comfortable on stage, in fact, a couple of times he seemed to fall asleep but the girl behind him would always direct him in what he should be doing. Heather and Savannah were next to each other on the back row and had a lot of fun dancing and performing. It was a good season.

A Yardley Thanksgiving

2012-01-14T19:22:00.000-08:00

We had a real treat this year for Thanksgiving. It is a rare occasion that we have all of my siblings together for Thanksgiving, and this year we got to do that. It all started with the Lawrences heading to England over the Christmas holiday. This meant that they would be coming to Utah for Thanksgiving instead of their annual Christmas trip. Because our home was finally finished, I invited everyone here for the big day. I was talking to Nicole on the phone and told her everyone was coming here and said she should come too. I was surprised when she answered that maybe they would. Schedules were checked, tickets were bought, plans were made, and we were able to pull it off--getting everyone together for Thanksgiving.

It was a fun filled week for the cousins. In fact, it seems I hardly saw the kids because they were always playing or heading out for some activity. At nights the kids found a bed, a couch, or a spot on the floor to sleep. It really was a lot of fun watching them interact with each other.

My sisters, mom and I had fun planning the menu, shopping, cooking and hanging out together. We had to do the Black Friday sales which I have decided are not worth it. Around 3:00 am I think I started to lose my sanity and promised myself I was done with Black Friday. It was definitely a memorable experience but I'm not sure I want to repeat it. Of course, no trip is complete with my dad without a trip to Smith and Edwards. That's how I convince him to come up here and see us. There's always a treasure to find in that massive store, it just takes a while to dig through the junk to get to it. It's always an adventure going there with my dad.

With everyone together, we made an attempt at a family picture. It's not easy getting everyone together and coordinated and cooperating but we were able to pull off a portrait for the wall, a rememberance of this holiday that we got to share.

Savannah Gets Baptized

2012-01-08T14:23:00.000-08:00

The first part of November started out with Savannah's baptism. It is always a special day when there is a baptism. Savannah was so excited. She had had her interview with the bishop and was ready to go.

We showed up at the stake center with just a few minutes to spare, only to find out we had been told the wrong time for our ward baptisms. I was grateful we were actually early instead of late. Instead of having a few minutes to spare, we had half an hour to spare. The time mixup actually worked to our advantage as we had the first snowfall of the season that morning which made the roads hard to travel on. Everyone who thought they were late because of the weather actually made it on time.

We had a lot of family and friends join us for this day. We were grateful to share this day with them. I know it meant a lot to Savannah to have so many cousins there. We all headed back to our home to visit and have brunch. Spending time together with everyone definitely makes the day more memorable.

The next day, Savannah was invited to go to the front of the congregation during Sacrament Meeting to be welcomed into the ward. When she had had her interview with James he had asked her to share an Article of Faith when she was welcomed. Savannah picked Article of Faith number 4. She practiced it for two weeks-- everyday she would want to recite it to me to make sure she had it just right. When she went to the front, she was welcomed by a new member of the bishopric who was more nervous than she was because it was his first time conducting. He forgot to invite her to share the Article of Faith. Savannah came back, sat down, and burst into tears. She had so badly wanted to share the Article of Faith. As I comforted her, I couldn't help think how most people get nervous and dread talking in Sacrament Meeting but Savannah was upset that she didn't get to speak. I hope she never loses that enthusiasm and I'm sure she'll always remember the 4th Article of Faith.

Halloween

2012-01-08T13:49:00.000-08:00

Halloween is different as your kids get older. We had fewer trick-or-treaters going out from our family. Luke and Lindsey had plans with their friends so it was just Heather, Savannah, Matthew and I. We were lucky to have great weather that night. In fact, I don't remember a Halloween night that was so mild. Heather was a spider witch with spider webs in her hair and her face painted white with spider webs. Savannah was a dead witch princess and Matthew was a knight. We bought Matthew some pajamas in England that look like a knight costume and he wore that so essentially he was trick-or-treating in his pajamas. I can't think of a more comfortable way to do it.

The kids were determined to do the whole three blocks of our neighborhood. We always set out to get all the houses around us but we never do because there are too many and the kids get tired. We made it further than we have before but still haven't done the whole neighborhood.

The night before Halloween we had a spooky Halloween dinner with pumpkin stew. Of course, it was candlelight. It seems that whenever you turn out the lights and eat by candlelight the kids think everything is so much better. That was probably my favorite part of Halloween this year was sitting around the table laughing together.

We also renewed our annual neighborhood Halloween party this year. We had to take a break last year because of construction but we were excited to host again this year. It didn't seem quite as crowded as it usually is. There were some who couldn't come but I realized it was actually because we have quite a bit more space for everyone to spread out in. We look forward to doing it again next year.

This year, I got a real treat for Halloween. There is a home we would drive by on the way to dance the last few years. This home always had the best yard decorations. Lindsey and I were driving somewhere at the end of September and saw signs for a yard art sale. I thought it must be this house as it was the only place I knew that had yard art. We took a detour and sure enough it was this home. The artist is Val Bagley (he does a lot of illustrated childrens' church books.) He was selling his stuff because he wanted to do more for his yard. We browsed his selection and picked out a few items. I saw a cartoon he had drawn in his garage. I mentioned that I thought it would be cool to have that done life-size for my yard. He told me he had always wanted to do that picture and he would do it for me for a good price. I quickly took him up on the offer. I was surprised when he told me he could have it done in a few days. I was expecting at least a month. The witches turned out even better than I expected.

Matthew turns 5

2012-01-06T10:56:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Matthew! This was the first year Matthew really got into his birthday. Having Savannah's birthday a few days before his set the tone. In fact, he had reached the age where he was kind of sulky during Savannah's birthday because he wanted it to be his birthday. I think all of my kids have done that at some point. The anticipation for his birthday was really building for him this year. This was also the first year he got to have a party with his friends.

Matthew started the morning with a pumpkin pancake, inspired by IHOP. He quickly ate and it was on to presents. His favorite present was the same as Savannah's-- a pillow pet. He also got a family of dinosaurs that he really liked. He wasn't too thrilled about the clothes but he needed them because he has grown a few inches.

Matthew's party was also a costume party but was much smaller than Savannah's. He only invited six friends which was great. Matthew had picked out what kind of cake he wanted. He saw a picture online of a bubbling brew cake. I had found some chocolate balls wrapped in foil eyeballs at the grocery story. As I was putting on the finishing touches to his cake, he saw the eyeballs and was not impressed. He informed me that those eyeballs were not the same as he had seen in the picture of the cake he wanted. He wanted bigger eyeballs. I was surprised he was so upset and particular. Wanting to make the birthday boy happy, I quickly ran to the store in search of bigger eyeballs. The best I could come up with was ping pong balls that we colored on. Five minutes before guests were arriving we were putting eyeballs on the cake. I look forward to when he is older and I can tease him about being so particular.

The highlight of his party was the pinata. I don't know what it is about whacking some cardboard but kids love it! I was grateful we had nice weather so we could do it outside. We had one mishap when the youngest guest didn't quite understand the rules and picked up the bat and started swinging while kids were trying to gather candy. As you can guess, one guest was hit in the face. It put a damper on things but he recovered when I told everyone they could go downstairs and play video games.

I kept telling Matthew that he couldn't turn five, that he had to stay four forever. As his birthday got closer he would ask me if he could please turn five so he could have a birthday and then he would stay five forever. He is so sweet. I know that we can't keep them little, we just have to enjoy them and we sure enjoy Matthew

Savannah's 8th Birthday

2012-01-06T10:36:00.000-08:00

Savannah had a special birthday this year because she turned 8! She was very excited for her birthday. She started the day with breakfast in bed-- well on her bedroom floor. She has been sleeping in Heather's room so she decided she would sleep with Heather and then have breakfast in her own room. She opened gifts from us. I'd like to say her favorite gift was her scriptures but I actually think it was the pillow pet. I'm sure she'll come to appreciate the value of the scriptures as she studies them and applies them to her life, and after the stuffing falls out of the pillow pet and we take it to the DI!

Savannah had a party later that day with her friends. It was a costume party which will probably generally be the case because her birthday is so close to Halloween. She and her friends played quite a few games, did some crafts, and had cake and ice cream. It was a fun party with a lot of screaming girls. It sure is nice having Heather and Lindsey around to help with the parties. We love Savannah and we're grateful to have her in our family.

40th Birthday Trip to England (and Italy)

2012-01-04T11:55:00.000-08:00

For my 40th birthday (that's right, I am now the big 4-0)James took me to London to celebrate. I must admit I wasn't as excited about the idea as he was. Those who know me know that flying is not my favorite thing and flying across the ocean is probably my least favorite. It's always a challenge to get the kids' schedules organized and worked out with a babysitter. However, it all came together and we had a great time. I'm grateful James drags me on these trips because I always have a good time once I get there.

We spent most of our time in London. We toured various castles, including the London Tower which is probably the most famous. There is so much history that it is hard to keep it all straight. I thought how grateful I was to live in a fairly young country that hasn't had royal families that I had to learn about in history class. Of course, a lot of their history is our history too as that is where some of our ancestors descend from.

It was amazing to learn how their civilization progressed through the dark ages and developed to a point that common people were able to be educated and read which led to the eventual translation of the Bible which then led to people gaining their own testimonies and understanding of God which then led to the discovery of America and the eventual coming forth of the Book of Mormon. It is fascinating to see God's hand in the various events that led to the founding and birth of our nation. Not coming from a country that stakes claim to royal blood lines, James and I really enjoyed learning about the various kings and queens and the succession of power amongst the families. I know one of James' favorite adventures was viewing the crown jewels and reading about their significance and ties to Christianity. He has researched some of the ideas he learned there since we've been home. He was really interested in the symbolism of the coronation ceremony.

We also learned how brutal some of those times were. James knows I love Halloween so he scheduled some tours of the London Dungeon and under the London Bridge. Both tours are designed to scare you with tales of torture and spookiness. We also took a walking tour of Jack the Ripper's escapades during the night time. They were all interesting but the best one was the London Bridge. At the end of the tour, you are invited to walk through a type of haunted house area. They had people dressed up chasing us with knives and chainsaws and the likes. James was at the end of the line and was really freaked out when the mock chain saw actually touched him. It was quite entertaining.
In the evenings we caught a couple of plays. I would call them Broadway but that is in New York. They do have a theatre district similar to Broadway in London. We also sampled the local cuisine which I've decided isn't much different than American food-- except for the famous fish and chips. James liked those much better than I did. Towards the end of the week, I couldn't care if I never had fish and chips again.

We did take a few trips out of the city. We visited Windsor Castle, Oxford, the Cliffs of Dover, and Stonehedge. The countryside was very beautful and was what I pictured England to look like. Oxford was probably my favorite. It is a quaint little town full of students. The actual campus of Oxford was interesting to see. The author of Harry Potter took some of her ideas in describing Hogwarts from Oxford campus and it is easy to see where she got her ideas. Oxford has a unique history in Christianity. They have statues of martyred men who were killed because of their faith and the translator for the first English Bible was educated there. I was most surprised to learn that tuition at Oxford is around $2,000.00 a semester! That is cheaper than BYU! Apparently it is a state school and they aren't allowed to raise tuition without parliament approval.

Stonehedge was basically rocks in a field. You don't get to walk very close to them and from what we learned, no one is quite sure why they are there and what they mean. There is plenty of speculation but no clear answers. I figure we'll all find out in the next life and probably not be that impressed with the answer.

After six days in England, we headed down to Florence, Italy. James was invited to attend a dental conference there. We have been to Florence before so we didn't schedule much time there for ourselves. It was fun to go back and see some new sights we hadn't seen before. James was in dental workshops most of the day and the wives got to take cooking classes. The cooking classes were probably my favorite part. The lady who taught us was great! We learned how to make pastas, sauces, breads, and pizzas. My family is grateful I took those classes too. They love the lasagne that I make entirely from scratch. I reminds me of my Uncle Dale who always made it for us on New Year's.

Each night, we met with the conference goers and had the full blown Italain meal-- six or seven courses, depending on where we ate. It was good food but I will never understand why Italians like to eat so late at night. They begin their meals at lik 9:00 and go to midnight. For us Westerners, it can be very exhausting! Of course, Italy has a lot of interesting history. They are most proud of the artists that descend from the area and the huge cathedrals and sculptures. James and I had seen most of the ones that are in Florence when we were there before but it was fun to walk around the little streets and see the shops. One of our favorite things to do in Italy is try the different flavors of gelato. Most of the Italian experience for me this time around seemed to be the food. James really enjoyed his dental conference and what he learned there and the contacts he made. It was a fun trip and great way to spend my 40th birthday.

When we got home, Lindsey had organized a surprise party for me. She is so sweet. She called all my friends and invited them and coordinated with James to have some food there. It didn't go exactly as she had envisioned because James didn't quite do his part of having me out of the house, but the gesture was a huge surprise in itself. I am grateful to have such a considerate daughter and will always remember her efforts on my behalf.

Luke Finishes Flag Football

2011-11-09T18:37:00.000-08:00

Luke finished up his flag football season. The team that he was on last year disbanded somewhat as most of the boys were too old to play. This meant that his coach quit coaching because his son wasn't playing anymore. Luke got a new team and a new coach. We realized the season would be interesting when, at the first practice, the coach asked the kids who wanted to play to win and who wanted to play to have fun. Luke and one other raised their hand in the affirmative of winning. Because most of the kids wanted to "just have fun," the coach took a relaxed attitude in coaching and let the kids play whatever positions they felt like. Luke did get an opportunity to play quarterback which was fun to watch. He also scored a few touchdowns through the season. Despite these highlights, his team lost nearly every game. I think he has decided to give tackle football a try next year.

Luke Turns 14

2011-10-24T13:54:00.000-07:00

Luke celebrated his fourteenth birthday. I can't believe he is another year older! Time sure flies. He didn't actually get his regular breakfast in bed this year because he has become accustomed to waking up at 5:30 am and I don't wake up that early. (He insists that he feels more refreshed and enjoys the early morning time to himself.) Due to this early morning habit, it was necessary for him to wait until I woke up to make him his birthday breakfast. After breakfast, he opened his presents. His favorite gifts were a Kindle and a Lego Set (those were about his only gifts as the kids' tastes get more expensive as they get older.)When we hit the weekend, Luke had a birthday party with his friends. They came over and hung out, playing games, eating pizza, and watching movies. I've decided that I enjoyed these parties more when they were younger and I could keep track of everyone. Now that all of his friends are teenagers, they like playing night games and running around the neighborhood. I felt like I was continually doing a head count and making sure no one got lost. I shouldn't worry so much as most of them have cell phones and I'm sure could get home if they had to. I just feel responsible when they are here. It's a whole new ballgame at this age, I can only imagine when they are all old enough to drive.The Sunday after his birthday, Luke was ordained to be a Teacher at church. It was a neat experience. They invite the Teacher Advisors and the Teacher Quorum presidency to attend. They are all invited to share some thoughts. I was very impressed that the young men shared their testimonies as they welcomed Luke into the Teachers Quorum. They did this without being asked or prompted to do so. They did a beautiful job inviting the Spirit and getting Luke excited to advance into this new Quorum. Our young men's program has done a great job implementing the Duty to God program. Each week the boys share what they have learned and studied. This gives the boys many opportunities to share their testimonies. Their implementation of this program has come to the attention of the General Young Mens' Presidency who have been in contact with our ward leaders to discuss how they have done it. As I watched these young men so easily share their testimonies with Luke, I knew that their experiences with Duty to God had prepared them for these types of experiences. What a great blessing to experience.

Field Trip to Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-24T13:42:00.000-07:00

Matthew and his preschool made their annual field trip to the pumpkin patch. Matthew and his friends had a lot of fun despite one small mishap. One child from a different class was throwing rocks and no one stopped her before she lugged a golf-size rock. We all watched it sail through the air, finding its target on the forehead of one of Matthew's friends. It was almost slow motion watching the rock fly. None of us reacted in time to move the friend and the poor kid ended up with a small gash on the top of his head. This accident didn't stop the kids from enjoying the many festivities at the pumpkin patch. They had fun going down the slides, bouncing in the bounce-house and playing in big tires. Of course, they all came home with a pumpkin.

Journey to the Temple

2011-09-18T15:14:00.000-07:00

Luke and Lindsey had the opportunity with the Young Men and Women to bike and then hike to the Bountiful Temple. The girls have been training for some time, going on regular bike rides and building up stamina. The boys just showed up and started the journey. If I understood the distances correctly. They biked close to 20 miles then hiked the 3+ miles up the hill that leads to the Bountiful temple. They started at 6:30 am and arrived at the temple around 11:30 am. Once at the temple grounds, the youth were greeted by their families. Everyone got to listen to a special speaker who did a great job tying in all the symbolism of the journey as one prepares to go to the temple. The speaker had actually made the journey a couple of days beforehand so she would know what the youth had done. Her words related well to what the youth had experienced. Luke and Lindsey both said it was a difficult journey. Lindsey ended up with two flat tires and eventually had to use a spare bike and Luke was just unprepared as were most of the young men, but it was a great experience for them. I really hope it made an impression on them and they will look back at some point with fondness at what they learned and experienced.

**As a side note-- during one of the Young Women's bike rides, Lindsey hit a curb sideways and totally wiped out. One of her leaders came to my door and told me Lindsey had had a terrible accident and was just up the street. I wasn't quite prepared for what I saw. Lindsey had banged her face into the bike and curb. The front of her face was scratched up and she was sure she had knocked out her teeth. I'm sure I had shock on my face when I saw her but, as a mother, I had to quickly hide it and begin letting her know it would be OK. Her teeth were loose but because she already has braces, nothing had to be done because they would be held back in place until the gum healed. We cleaned the wounds and started ice packs. The next day she stayed home from school because her lipe were so swollen she could barely talk. The second day she had to go back to school because she couldn't miss those classes. Being in Junior High, she was very nervous to attend school with a swollen, scratched face. She was worried others would make fun of her. I told her that wouldn't likely be the case, in fact, it would probably be the opposite with people feeling sorry for her. When I picked her up that afternoon, she got in the car with a big smile and told me I was right. She had received quite a bit of positive attention over her injuries. The scrapes and bruises have since healed and we are happy to have her bright smile around again.

Kids Start School

2011-09-18T15:06:00.000-07:00

The kids have gone back to school now. I didn't get any pictures because, unfortunately, my camera was broken. Heather and Savannah were the first to go back. Heather started the fifth grade with Mrs. Wood as her teacher. She is the third in our family to have Mrs. Wood. She was excited to see some familiar faces and Mrs. Wood was excited to have Heather in her class. Savannah started second grade. Her teacher is Mrs. Fitzgerald, a new teacher at our school. Savannah has been playing school all summer to help preserve all she learned in first grade. Her bedroom is covered in white boards, papers, and books. In the beginnin she could get Matthew to play with her but later when asked why he wouldn't participate, his response was, "Playing school with Savannah is exhausting!" She is very happy to be back in school where she can get new material to add to her bedroom schoolhouse. Luke and Lindsey started Junior High a week after the girls. We had some schedule rearranging to do to get things in order, but other than that, everything went smoothly. Luke was happy to be back with friends and no longer at the bottom of the todem pole. Lindsey has adjusted very well to having numerous teachers and opening her locker. For the first year, the junior high is offering honors classes to the 7th graders. Lindsey is enrolled in those classes. After going to Back to School Night, I decided Lindsey's schedule may be more difficult than Luke's (Luke is in Honors too but his don't seem as hard). We'll see how it works out. Finally, a couple weeks after Luke and Lindsey started, Matthew went back to preschool. He is starting at a new school this year. The curriculum at his school is very structured. The kids are required to purchase reading books and prepare to pass them off. I relieved when I found out it is the same reading program I have taken all of my other kids through. We already had the books and Matthew is already familiar with them. I wasn't sure how I felt about having homework in preschool but it shouldn't be too bad.

St. George Temple

2011-09-18T14:56:00.001-07:00

Two Weddings

2011-09-18T14:54:00.000-07:00

This summer we had the joy of participating in two weddings. Two of our cousins on the Yardley side were married which gave us the opportunity to travel to Beaver and on to St. George to enjoy the festivities. The first wedding was my cousin Cressa marrying Heston and a month later we watched Candace marry Jason. I was asked to do the flowers and cake for both weddings. I haven't had this opportunity in quite some time as there hasn't been a Yardley wedding for a while. The two weddings were quite different from each other but both turned out very beautiful. Cressa had a bright, colorful garden wedding and Candace had a vintage, formal wedding. Both couples were married in the St. George wedding. We realized at the first wedding that all of my Grandma and Grandpa Yardley's grandchildren, 28 of us, have received their endowment. Those that are married, all have been married in the temple, two are currently serving missions. During one ceremony, the sealer asked the 120 odd patrons in attendendance how many had been married in that very sealing room. Over 3/4s of the couples there raised their hands. Our grandparents, all of our parents, and most of the grandkids have all been sealed at the same alter in the St. George Temple. It was a great realization as this was pointed out to us. It made me think of a quote from the story of the Willie Martin Handcart Company, a pioneer company that our great, great grandmother was a part of, "The greatest honor I could receive is to know that my children and their children live in righteousness." The kids had a fun time at the weddings. One of the advantages of having your mom arrange the flowers is getting to present the bouquet to the bride as she exits the temple. Savannah took great delight in this privilege both times. It was cute to see all of the cousins help carry the train of Candace's dress as she walked around the temple grounds. Sharing some of the traditions of a "good, old Beaver wedding" with my kids was fun. From the boisterous wedding breakfast, to the decorating, gift collecting, serving refreshments, hearing the "Moonlighters" play while everyone danced (that's right, they're still in business but we were told Candance's wedding was their last gig), to the final cleanup at the end. A Beaver family wedding is just that, having the whole family involved. I count it a blessing that we were a part of it.

Pictures of the cakes

New Kittens

2011-08-26T21:12:00.000-07:00

Last year, around Christmastime, we had a stray cat show up on our doorstep. She was actually a kitten. The kids immediately fell in love with her and thought she was an early Christmas present. This was the time our home was in the middle of a remodel and much of our stuff was being stored in the garage. I thought I could solve two problems at once. The kids had always wanted a kitten and the garage was starting to get a mouse smell. Inviting the kitten to live in the garage made everyone happy (except the mice.) We were actually under the impression that the cat was a male until he had kittens in our garage! That was our Memorial Day surprise.

After eight weeks, we soon had three kittens we needed to find homes for. James took the kids to the local grocery store with a box marked "free kittens". Within twenty minutes they were back home. I was surprised they were able to unload the kittens that quickly--until I heard mewing. The box was still full. Apparently one of the kittens had escaped into the store. James and Heather were back and forth between crates trying to lure the kitten out when store personnel asked what was going on. They quickly caught the kitten and rushed home. We then posted the kittens online but got no responses. Our last resort was to load the kittens up and drive them to Beaver where they became barn cats.

With the kittens in a new home, we decided to "fix" the stray cat that has made our house its home. I decided I couldn't make a trip to Beaver everytime she had kittens. The vet insisted we give the cat a name so they could identify her. We are now the new owners of a stray cat we call "Kitty."

Girl's Camp

2011-08-26T20:41:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, a lot of my time this summer was spent preparing for Girl's Camp. I was called to be the Camp Director back in October. This should have been plenty of time to pull it all together, but there are a lot of things that can't be done until later and our schedules had to work along with the stake planning. It all came together in the end and I felt like it was successful and a good experience for the girls.

One of my favorite parts about our camp was the Personal Progress challenge that we put together. I had been looking through the Camp Manual and came across the section that encouraged leaders to incorporate Personal Progress. I started thinking about it and realized the boys go to scout camp and come back with a bunch of merit badges, why shouldn't the girls be able to pass of Personal Progress goals while at camp. I began praying and going through the Camp Manual and Personal Progress books. I also enlisted the help of one of the Young Women leaders. I explained to her what I was trying to do and asked her if she thought we could make charm bracelets with a charm that represented each value. As they accomplished a goal, they would receive the charm. The theme for Girl's Camp was Eternal Treasures so I thought jewelry would be a fitting keepsake for camp. This Young Women's leader volunteered to do the bracelets for me-- that was a huge help. I put together a booklet with a goal from each value that could be accomplished at camp and coincided with what we were doing. I gave the girls an outline a couple of weeks before so they could set the goals in their books beforehand. While at camp, they had opportunities to reach the goal if they chose too. Once one of the girls started earning the charms for her bracelet, they all got on board because they wanted the cute bracelets. It turned out to be a really good experience. The most rewarding part for me was when one of the girls bore her testimony and related an experience she had had while working on one of the goals. That made it all worth it.

I was also proud of the girls because they all certified. This is the first year all of the girls have certified. They usually get some of the things done that are offered by the stake but none had completed their certification. We had an awesome Priesthood leader who would step in and help me teach the girls what they needed to know. He was great to work with them. I wouldn't be surprised if we are the only ward that can claim to have all the girls certify. I discovered certification hasn't been a big priority in this stake.

It may sound like we were busy doing all of these projects, but there was plenty of free time and the favorite thing for the girls to do was float the river. We had tubes and were able to go down the river together. The leaders even got to get in on the action. The girls actually enjoyed going with the leaders because they thought it was hilarious when we would flip over or get stuck in the trees. My assistant camp director was nicknamed "Pinball" because she would go from one tree to the next and bounce off and flip over. She was a good sport and kept going down numerous times. Thank goodness we had life jackets because I think she would have drowned for sure.

Lindsey told me she had fun her first year at camp. I didn't get to spend a lot of time with her because there was so much to do. I don't think she had much desire to hang out with me though. She had friends up there and was busy running back and forth to visit and enjoying the river. I got to have some priceless "mother moments" as I watched her interact with the other Young Women, especially being sensitive to those that may be left out. One of the highlight moments was getting to hear her bear her testimony and see how much she is growing. That was the greatest blessing of all.

Summer Picnics

2011-08-26T20:38:00.000-07:00

Heather, Savannah, and Matthew took the time this summer to spend some days at the park. They discovered how much fun it can be to pack a few snacks, grab a blanket, and head to the park. It reminded me how important it is to enjoy the small things and stay young.

Trip to Bear Lake

2011-08-26T20:21:00.000-07:00

Over the 4th of July weekend, we had the opportunity to borrow a friend's cabin and spend some time at Bear Lake. We were very excited to take our boat out for the first time this season and spend some time on the water. We invited some friends to go with us and we were all set. We pulled into the dock, backed the boat in, and tried to go. The boat wouldn't go over five miles an hour. Our friend had to go right back and get the trailer to load the boat back up. It was a boating trip that lasted about two minutes. Needless to say, everyone was disappointed. We didn't stay disappointed for long, however, because the men soon found a place to rent ski-doos. We all had a blast taking turns on the ski-doos out on the lake. Those who weren't on the water, played on the beach. It ended up being a great day thanks to some quick thinking by the dads.

That evening we were treated to a great fireworks show over the water. This is the first year fireworks that leave the ground were legal. We found a small, private beach and asked if we could use it. After shooting off our fireworks, another family put on quite a show. It lasted about an hour. We all enjoyed sitting on the beach enjoying the fireworks.

The next day our friends had to go home and another family came up to spend some time with us. We went to the Minnetonka caves. None of us had been there before. It is a very short hike to the cave but quite a long walk through the cave. By the end Matthew and James were running back to get Matthew to the bathroom. I think you have to go up and down about 400 stairs. We decided it's better than Mt. Timpanogas but doesn't compare to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico and the caves we saw in Virginia. We enjoyed being up in the mountains where it was nice and cool.

Our last day there was spent relaxing, playing games, and enjoying raspberry milkshakes. Aside from the boat breaking down, it was a relaxing retreat to start our short summer off.

Lindsey Graduates Elementary School

2011-08-26T10:12:00.000-07:00

The first part of July marked the end of Lindsey's Elementary School adventure. She has had many good years at Bluff Ridge and celebrated at the graduation ceremony with her class. The last few weeks of school actually seemed like a celebration for the 6th graders. They got to participate in many activities as a send off.

At the graduation ceremony, the students are honored for accomplishments and recognized for what they plan to accomplish. Lindsey won a reading award, the Presidential award (signed by President Obama-- that's a keeper!) and the Hope of America Award. The latter award was given to two students, who were voted on by faculty and students, to honor their academic skills and friendliness to those around them. Lindsey was surprised and happy that her fellow students thought she was so friendly. The Presidential award is given for achieving 95% or above on end of level testing for all elementary years. We were very proud of Lindsey and her accomplishments.

There was a Bravery Award given to one of the students who was recently diagnosed with cancer and has begun battling it. I don't think there was a dry eye in the room as he accepted that award. It has been a good experience for the 6th graders to associate with this young man and help him raise funds to fight his cancer. I think we have all been honored to watch these young people respond to their friend and his family at this time.

The final part of graduation is the awarding of "diplomats" and a quick sketch of where each student wants to be in 20 years. This is always humorous. If they stick to their plans, we will have many pro sports stars and other famous people coming out of Syracuse, Utah, and when they all come back to visit, there will be some pretty nice cars driving around town.

Now it's onward and upwards to Junior High and more adventures ahead.

2 Vans, 12 Friends, 192 Miles

2011-06-24T19:56:00.000-07:00

I think the title says it all. That is what Ragnar is. Last year, my cousin approached us and convinced us to sign up as a team for the Ragnar Relay. In a moment of delusion, I agreed to run. I must have thought I was in shape or something. In January of this year, I decided I should see where I was on the fitness scale. Unfortunately, my score was probably in the negative. Knowing that I would be close to forty years old and that I loved my family, I realized I better start training if I hoped to make it through this experience. And so I began.

After months of increasing distance and practicing running on inclines, I thought I would be prepared. Then I increased the workouts to two times a day and realized I was older than I thought. I hobbled around the house for a few days wondering what I was thinking. But, the pain subsided and we lined up to race.

We met at 4:30 am at the starting line. After a quick orientation that involved safety rules, we were off. I wondered if the Man upstairs had forgotten we were close to Summer as we began running into biting cold wind and across frost covered ground. I was in the first van with my sister, Melinda, my brother, Greg, and three cousins, Mariah, Vanessa, and Laraine. We laughed, shared stories, and cheered each other on. We met up with the other half of our team at the first exchange. We felt pretty good we had made it through our first legs.

Too quickly, we were up again for the next round. Our next runs were a little more difficult as we entered the more mountainous areas. Greg had the worst leg that took him up the side of a mountain. As we cheered him on, we were all grateful it was him and not us! We passed of the baton around 9:30 pm. This left the other half of our team to run through the middle of the night and left us scrounging around for places to sleep for a few hours.

The final runs for our van began at 4:00 am. Melinda took off and then met up with me a few miles later. Unfortunately for the people at the exchange, Melinda passed the baton to me and turned to throw up on those around her. I missed the spectacle because I had started running but I heard about it later. I had a discovery on my final leg-- if you just keep going, your legs eventually go numb and the pain goes away. I had a great run at 4:30 in the morning. The sun started coming up and turned the sky a beautiful pink. It was at this moment that I got a little choked up as I realized I had almost made it. All the hard work, training, and pain had paid off. I was overwhelmed and grateful for the experience-- I was also happy to hand the baton and be done.

We all met up at the finish line as we waited for Greg to run in. They call the team up when the lst runner is 1/4 of a mile out so the team can meet up and run in with him. It was all smiles and cheers as we ran in. Of course, we were the only ones smiling and cheering but we felt pretty good about ourselves.

The most impressive person on our team was Aunt Jennifer. She took over the hardest leg of the ragnar a week before the race. She is truly amazing. I know we all sit around and wish we could be her. I realized the pity I felt for myself before the race as I felt the pain of getting in shape had no place. I hope to be able to just jump into a race at the last minute like Aunt Jennifer.

While our name was "Crazy Runs in the Family", we all know that love, support, and pride (the good kind) runs in our family. What a blessing to be a part of such a wonderful family!

Lindsey Finishes Cheer

2011-06-24T19:13:00.000-07:00

Lindsey had her last cheer recital and competition for the season. It will be nice to have a break. We decided she probably stayed on year too long at the studio she was at. They lost the coach they had had for the past few years and it made a huge difference. Lindsey also grew about six inches which moved her from a flyer to a base. She was discouraged because she likes to fly and if she can't do that she likes to tumble but she didn't really get to do much of either because she was a base. It's good to get experience in all areas however. She learned patience and teamwork which are good qualities. We'll see what we can find next year.

Baseball Season Comes and Goes

2011-06-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

As anyone in this area knows, this has been a crazy Spring. We have had a lot of wet, cold weather. We wondered if Summer was ever coming. The weather not only affected our outlook, it also affected our baseball season. At the beginning of the season, games were consistently being cancelled due to rain. Once the season finally began, we had to cram in numerous make up games along with the regularly scheduled games. This made for a very short season. Nonetheless, it was fun and exciting.

I got to coach Heather's team this year. She is part of the machine pitch league. Our team won 5 and lost 3. Heather was one of the oldest on the team and one of the few who had played before. She was awesome. She hit nearly every time she got up to bat and even caught a high fly and tagged the runner for a double play in our last game. I was proud of her.

Lindsey had more of a ho hum season. I tried to coach her team to avoid the experience she had last year but they had enough coaches. She got to play in field this year and hit the ball every time she got up to bat unless she was walked. Her coaches were not agressive, however, and didn't teach or encourage them to steal bases. Lindsey started doing it on her own finally.

Luke had his best season yet. The coaches he had had for the last two or three years finally decided to call it quits. This was actually good news for us. They always drafted Luke and then hardly played him and when they did it was always right field. We always felt like he would do better if they gave him the chance. He got coaches who gave him the chance to play second base and short stop. He loved it and his confidence grew so much which is a huge part of baseball. His team won nearly every game and got along great. One of our friends from the ward was on his team so we had a blast watching the games together with his family. While the season was short, it was one of the better ones.

Lindsey's Birthday Party

2011-06-24T15:22:00.000-07:00

I previously mentioned on the blog that it was Lindsey's birthday, well, after a month, we finally had a party. Lindsey wanted to have a party at our house so we had to wait until the construction project was far enough along to make it possible to host a party. At the first of June, we finally reached that point and Lindsey began planning her party.

Lindsey's guests came over in the evening and enjoyed a build your own pizza bar. As pizzas cooked, the girls played various party games. We then had dinner and played more games. One of the highlighted games was a skit game. Lindsey had put together two boxes of costumes then divided the girls into two teams. The girls had to use the costumes and come up with skits to present to each other. They seemed to really like dressing up. Finally, after presents we had cake. Lindsey and I found some new frosting that looks like paper so we decided to give it a try on her cake. It turned out really cute. The last thing the girls did was play night games, specifically, fugitive. This involves dropping the girls off at the park and having them work their way back to our house while I drive around and look for them. That game didn't go as planned but I think the girls still had fun.

Matthew's Preschool Graduation

2011-06-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

Although this is Matthew's first year of preschool, and he has another to go, his class had a graduation. I'm not sure what they are graduating from, but the program was worth attending. I laughed so hard, I literally almost fell over in my chair. The kids at this age are so funny and they love to perform (except the few that don't and it is just as fun to watch them.)

Matthew had 13 kids in his class. All year, we had a carpool running with 5 of the students. Class really couldn't start until we showed up. Throughout the year it has been comical taking these kids to school and listening to their conversations. I always was left with a smile on my face.

The graduation performance consisted of a program with numerous songs, dances, and the kids all had a part to memorize and present. Matthew was hilarious when they sang "A Toot a Tot". He ended up looking like he was trying to lay an egg as he was singing. He stole the show on that song. Some of his friends were just as funny sharing stories about home life and singing. Kids are so honest, it is refreshing. I look forward to next year's graduation, and the many graduations to follow.

Jazzin' it Up!

2011-06-24T11:35:00.000-07:00

Last year, Luke decided to sign up for band. After his experience with 6th grade orchestra, I was a little wary of having him try another instrument. He promised this time would be different. He was right. Luke decided to try the trumpet. He put a lot of time into practicing and it paid off. I also think some parts came easier to him because he was already familiar with music. About halfway through the year, his instructor invited Luke to join the Jazz Band. The jazz band has about 12 people in it, 3 of which are trumpet players. Being in Jazz Band required Luke to go to school an hour early three times a week. Luke was very dedicated and dragged me out of bed on those mornings to drive him to school.

All the practicing paid off. The Legacy Junior High had their final performance. The improvement from the first performance to the last was incredible. It was great to watch Luke, he really enjoyed playing. Throughout the year, when I would drop him off before a performance, he would be really nervous and couldn't eat. I would sympathize with him but would also chuckle that he was so nervous-- after all, it's only a band concert. He would remind me that he was band president and if something went wrong he was responsible. I'm happy to report, nothing went wrong. He had an awesome year.

Walk the Dinosaurs!

2011-06-24T11:19:00.001-07:00

Savannah had her first grade program which was all about dinosaurs. They did an excellent job. Savannah's first grade teacher, Mrs. Thomas, is very involved in local theatre groups and she brought those talents to the first grade program. The kids were so animated and into what they were doing, it was fun to watch.

Savannah was very excited about performing. She suggested I buy her a new outfit for the program and expected to be taken out to dinner afterwards. I bought her some new accessories to go with an old outfit and we weren't able to go to dinner that night but we did go later in the week. About halfway through the program she had to hand her diamond (fake of course) bracelet to me because it kept sliding up her arm when she was performing. For Savannah, this was the performance of a lifetime. She did a great job!

Lindsey Turns 12

2011-05-29T21:23:00.001-07:00

Lindsey is twelve years old. It is hard to believe that my little girl who was born on the floor so many years ago is actually twelve. (It makes me feel old.) She had a fun day with breakfast in bed and a shopping trip later that day to pick out clothes. She doesn't trust what I pick so she chose to pick out her own gifts. She also got to miss some school and go to lunch with me. Later that evening we went out to dinner. She is postponing a party with her friends until we have more furniture in the house.

I know Lindsey has been looking forward to turning 12 for quite some time. She now gets to go to Young Womens. I think she was most excited about not having to sing for the Mother's Day program with the Primary. We are proud of all she has accomplished and we appreciate all she does for our family. She is growing into a beautiful young woman on the inside and outside.

A Thanksgiving Easter

2011-05-29T21:12:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to combine two holidays this Easter season. We finally had kitchen that we could cook in by Eastertime so we got to have the Thanksgiving Dinner that we missed last year on Easter Sunday. The kids were excited to sit down and eat. We talked about all of our blessings and the things we were thankful for, we also discussed the purpose of Easter and why we celebrate it. It was a memorable holiday for us. I was actually thankful to do dishes again. It is amazing what you miss when you aren't able to do it for a while.

The girls got new Easter dresses. They opted for a more casual look this year, skirts and blouses. It is always a highlight to take them shopping for their dresses. They really enjoy trying things on and helping each other out. We discovered a new store that sales junior size clothes at reasonable prices. Lindsey and Heather have decided it is their new favorite store. This is what the girls came up with . . .

Jump and Jivin'

2011-05-29T21:01:00.000-07:00

Lindsey had a dance competition with the ballroom dance team she has been participating on through the elementary school. Their group did a swing dance that was set to 50's music. They did a great job! Their team got second place. Lindsey loved dancing but she was uncomfortable with the part where her partner pulls her through his legs. She is taller than he is and she told me she has to duck really low to fit through his legs and then feels like she can't get through. I chuckled but told her I could totally feel her pain. It would be very awkward to be at that age and have a smaller dance partner trying to pull you through his legs. I had flashbacks of high school, slow dancing with boys that were shorter than I. During their performance, Lindsey made it through his legs and he pulled her up so all went well!

I have to admit that I actually enjoyed this dance competition. The older kids that performed were amazing. I keep telling James we should take ballroom dance lessons but so far he refuses. Maybe I'll request it for my birthday.

Utah, A Pretty Great State!

2011-05-29T20:35:00.000-07:00

With Heather, we've had the opportunity to hear for the third time what a great place Utah is to live. The fourth-graders presented a program full of song and dance illustrating the history and greatness of our state. Matthew, who doesn't distinguish between the state of Utah and the University of Utah, was not impressed. He couldn't understand why we had to sit through a program that was telling us what a great place "Utah" was. I tried to explain the difference between a state and a University. I'm not sure if he completely understands but he calmed down.

Heather had a speaking part, sang with a small group, and got to do the Virginia Reel. She was very excited and it was fun to watch them. After the program, we got to go to the classrooms and see their presentations on the various counties. Heather reported on Washington County. They did most of the work on the reports on and the float in class. She enjoyed learning about Washington County and was impressed when she discovered James and I were married in Washington County. It was a fun evening with the fourth graders.

Update on the House, Chapter 5

2011-04-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned earlier, the painters came and went this month. Picking out colors was much more stressful than I expected it to be. What I was positive I liked turned out to be awful once it was put on the wall. Generally when I pick paint, I have a swatch of fabric or wallpaper that I have the paint store match it to. I've decided it's much more difficult to nail down the color when it's in your head. After a few tries, and many sample swatches on the wall, we finally came up with a yellow we liked. The living room is green which I picked on the first try--Hooray! The blue was great until two days after they were finished James decided he didn't like it and was going to have them repaint it. I told him that was not going to happen. I convinced him to give it a chance and wait until everything was put together then he could decide and we could re-do it later. He has since decided that he does like it and we are good to go. This is a good thing as he is the one who picked the blue and insisted that was the shade, hue, etc we needed to have. I'm just really relieved that part is over. I've decided that I don't enjoy design as much as I thought it would. I would prefer people tell me what to do. Anyway, here are some pictures.

Matthew's Angel

2011-04-10T17:36:00.000-07:00

The other day, Matthew told me that his angel had helped him make a decision. I asked him what his angel's name was and he informed me the angel was named Matthew. I asked him where he was from and he told me his angel comes from Salt Lake City. Kids say the funniest things.

Heather's Party

2011-04-10T17:23:00.000-07:00

Heather told me a few weeks ago that she had two parties planned, one if our house was finished and one if it wasn't. Obviously, we had to go with the latter. I have to admit, it was probably the easiest party I have done. Heather wanted to take some friends to go see the movie "HOP" so that is what we did. We met at the park beforehand and were lucky enough to have one of the rare days that wasn't filled with rain. Heather's friends had an Easter egg hunt, painted a craft, and played some bunny games. After presents and cake we loaded up and headed to the movies. The girls all had bunny ears head bands. It was fun to watch them at the movies with the bunny ears poking up over the seats. Heather had a great time and I think her friends did too.

Heather's Birthday Gift

2011-04-10T17:03:00.000-07:00

Sweet Heather turned 10 years old. The best gift she experienced on her birthday was not one she received but one she gave (or tried to give.) Heather was off track for three weeks in March. At the beginning of that time, she decided she wanted a Barnes and Noble Nook (an electronic reader)so she was going to work at James' office and earn enough money to buy one. I would drive her out to the dental office nearly everyday where she would assist James and clean the rooms. She also helped me out around the house to earn more money. She was determined to raise enough to buy the Nook. About a week after she went back to school, she came into our room at night and told us she had decided she didn't want to buy a Nook with her money. We asked her why not and she began to tell us a story about her school teacher. The point of the story was that her teacher had told the class she was going to need a hearing aid due to an injury and hearing aids were expensive. Heather had decided she was going to give all of her money, over $200, to her teacher to help her buy a hearing aid.

The day of her birthday, Heather went to class with an envelope full of money. She tried to give it to her teacher but her teacher wouldn't accept it. Nonetheless, I was so proud of Heather and so humbled as I watched this unselfish act of kindness. I feel very blessed to have the children that I do who so often teach me by their examples. It truly is much better to give than to receive. I've decided that from now on, I will spend my birthday's seeking out opportunities to give. Thanks Heather.

Dig It!

2011-04-10T16:51:00.000-07:00

Lindsey's 6th grade class performed the play Dig It. We saw this play last year when Luke's class did it but we had a fun twist this year, Lindsey had one of the leads. The class had auditions and Lindsey made call-backs and then was awarded one of the leads. They had rehearsals regularly, she even had to go when she was off track. All of the practice paid off, she did a great job. Lindsey seems quite at ease onstage. She definitely tries to ham it up and does a good job. The play is about two archeologists who discover a talking skeleton that describes the history of ancient civilizations to them. There is singing and dancing performed by the various civilizations. Lindsey was the talking skeleton. We were very proud of her and her hard work.

Luke and Lindsey Get Braces

2011-04-10T16:37:00.000-07:00

Luke and Lindsey had the joy of getting braces. They were really excited which I found odd. It seems to me that in my day, nobody really wanted to get braces. Nowadays, it is a rite of passage. I also had to smile and nod when they wanted green, blue, and other colors for the brackets. I kept trying to persuade them to get clear brackets but they wouldn't be swayed. If I were getting braces, I wouldn't want to bring attention to the fact but my kids sure did. So far they haven't had a lot of pain. We'll see how it goes after their first tightening.

March Madness!

2011-04-10T16:31:00.000-07:00

This month has been crazy and exciting. The house is coming along, the trim guys finally finished up and the painters came on in. Unfortunately, the kids were off-track most of the time the painters were here. It wasn't easy trying to keep them out of the way of the painting. Of course, whenever they are off track we have to find things to do. We did manage to stay busy with a few activities. The kids eventually went back to school and were right back out with SEP conferences. I enjoyed visiting with their teachers. The best part was Savannah's conference when we read together an essay Savannah had written about her home. The opening sentence was, "Our house is really dirty and dusty." It's always a great feeling when the teacher thinks you are a slob. I explained to her what was happening at our house and she told me she was relieved. She mentioned she was surprised when she read that because I didn't strike her as the type to be so "sloppy." Life is good.

Update on the House, Chapter 4

2011-02-20T16:33:00.001-08:00

What?! Another update in less than a month?! They must be making great progress! If that is what you are thinking as you read this, you would be incorrect. It is still slow moving here but I must admit that I can see an end in sight. I can walk around this project and pick out the handful of things left to do. I'm not sure when those handful of things will get done, but the list is shrinking. I am happy to report that my closet is finished! It doesn't have carpet because that will come when they carpet everywhere else, but I have been able to move our stuff back in which has freed up quite a bit of space in the bedroom. I am also happy to report that the pantry is mostly finished. Enough that I have moved the microwave in and it has become a makeshift kitchen. They have to add the adjustable shelves and grout the tile, but I do have a small area that I can kind of cook and keep some food. The trim is nearly finished. They have promised to be done by March 1st. If they continue how they have been I don't see it, but I have been told they will finally bring in the whole crew to wrap it up. I have been told that before so I am not holding my breath. The guy that has been coming everyday (make note I said guy, not guys) to work on trim has been doing a great job. I really like what has been done. The tile downstairs is finished except for the doorway where they ran into some trouble with an uneven floor and have to get creative. Here are some pictures of where we are.

Our closet-

The Pantry--

The ceiling in the dining room-

The living room--

The family room--

Ceiling as you go downstairs--

Bathroom downstairs--

Luke's room--

Lindsey's room--

Dancing With the Stars

2011-02-20T16:16:00.001-08:00

OK, maybe they aren't stars yet, but one day... Lindsey and a lot of friends her age, participated in a ballroom dance club this year. Their team headed a ballroom dance competition where they competed against many other schools. While the Bluff Ridge Elementary team came home with a small number of the ribbons, they had fun and it was fun to watch. Because this club is optional (they have to commit to going before school and in our case, agree to go even when they are off track) no one is there that doesn't want to be. You could tell by watching that the kids were really enjoying themselves. As I watched the competition, I was very impressed with how the kids handled themselves. Boys were escorting girls where they needed to be, kids were dressed modestly, great etiquett was shown, and everyone-- tall, skinny,short, fat, popular or not was having fun. I loved it! I leaned over and told James we should take a ballroom dance class-- he just laughed. I'll have to keep working on him.

Update on the House, Chapter 3

2011-02-02T10:35:00.000-08:00

I'm finally posting some pictures of the house. It is still slowly but surely moving along. They are working on the trim right now. The master bedroom closet is finally done and I am in the process of moving things back in. The arcade has been painted and the pantry is all put together, it just needs to be painted. One day, it will all come together.

A Berry Good Idea

2011-02-02T10:23:00.001-08:00

The annual science fair came and passed. Lindsey won first place! Her project on delaying the rotting process of berries proved to be very interesting. If you take your carton of berries, drop them in 125 degree water for 45 seconds, they will last twice as long. The temperature of the water kills the mold spores but doesn't affect the texture of the berry, except for raspberries (they get a little mushy). I saw another interesting project at the fair that was along the same lines. If you use the green bags and/or green plastic boxes that are designed to keep produce longer actually don't work, in fact, they are the worst at preserving produce. Now you know the ins and outs of preserving produce.

Temple Square at Christmas

2011-01-09T16:40:00.000-08:00

We always have fun going to Temple Square at Christmastime. We usually get to enjoy it at least twice during the season, sometimes more. Heather had a singing performance there, we had a violin performance, and Luke had a youth activity there. We are blessed to live close enough to enjoy the Spirit that is there.

This year, James and I showed the kids where he proposed to me. It was fun to share the story with them and get a picture at the spot, five kids later.

Despite the chaos with the construction on our home, we had a great Christmas season. We got to visit with family and friends, spend time together, and enjoy the special Spirit of the Season. We hope that everyone had a very merry Christmas season. We love and appreciate everyone's kindness and thoughtfulness towards our family at this time of year and always!

Heather Sings

2011-01-09T16:28:00.001-08:00

Heather was my only child who wanted to do Gingerbreak Kids this year. It turned out to be one of the more enjoyable seasons for me. Heather was happy to go each week and there was no begging and pleading when it was time to leave. We had some quality time together as we drove down to practice every week and to the performances. After each performance we would get hot chocolate. It was fun watching her sing. You could tell she really enjoyed it. I am proud of her for her desire to perform.

Getting Ready for Christmas

2011-01-09T16:21:00.000-08:00

This year, we didn't get to set up a family Christmas tree because there was too much dust and construction going on. The kids got to set up the Christmas trees in their own rooms. They went even further and decorated their rooms with leftover lights and decorations. I felt bad about not having a tree but they had fun doing their own thing.

A Disney Thanksgiving

2011-01-09T15:23:00.000-08:00

This year, due to the construction project that continues on our home, we decided to try Thanksgiving somewhere else. James and I realized that we hadn't taken the opportunity to take a family vacation and the year was almsot over. I suggested Disneyland because Matthew was 4 years old and we have always tried to go when one of our kids was around that age. James agreed and the arrangements were made. We decided to try surprising the kids which didn't go over as we had expected.

We loaded our kids up in the car on Tuesday evening. We told the kids we were going to Beaver for Thanksgiving. We started our journey in one of the worst storms recent memory. The snow was so heavy and blowing, it was difficult to see the road at all. Because the storm was so bad, it wasn't hard to trick the kids into thinking we were headed to Southern Utah, we weren't even sure if we were headed in the right direction. When we pulled into the parking structure at the airport, the kids realized something was up. We said "Surprise! We're going to Disneyland." The response from some of the kids was, "What, we want to go to Beaver," "Why didn't you tell us, I didn't pack the right clothes?" James and I looked at each other and wondered what kind of kids we had. We thought all kids would be very excited to go to Disneyland, that's what the commercials had shown us. Matthew was very excited so we did have some joy in the surprise. By the time we made it through airport security, the excitement caught up to them and everyone was happy. The two hour flight delay wasn't even that bad.

Disneyland was as magical as ever with all of the Christmas decorations. This is the first time we had gone with the Christmas decorations. The castle is especially grand with the lighting they do for it. I loved it! The kids had fun trying out all the rides. They are all (except for Matthew) finally big enough to go on every ride. I'd take Matthew to all of the kid rides while James took everyone else on the big rides. We would meet up regularly and share experiences. One of Matthew's favorite experiences was the Tiki Room. He and I got to go there a few times. I thought it was funny because that had been Luke's favorite place when he went the first time. Our favorite ride for that day was Splash Mountain. Matthew even got to go on it. He only went once though, after that he wouldn't go again.

The next day we did Disney California. Matthew was very excited about this because Lightning McQueen lives there. James was very excited because the Tron attractions are there. Both of my boys were satisfied. Matthew and I hit Bug's World while the older kids went on the roller coasters. Matthew loved the Caterpillar ride which is a small train-like ride that goes in a circle while an overweight caterpillar speaking with a German accent describes how much he likes candy corn. I got to experience that ride with Matthew numerous times. I finally realized he wanted to sit in front so he kept getting back in line hoping to get the front car. Thank goodness the lines were short. Once he had experienced the front car we could move on to the next ride. It's too bad the voice didn't move on from my head. At lunchtime, most everyone had giant turkey legs. The kids thought this was very appropriate as it was Thanksgiving day.

My favorite memory of the trip was that evening at Disney California. We took Matthew on the Tower of Terror. Just as we got to the front of the line, Matthew starts saying he has to go potty. After minimal discussion, we decided to risk it as opposed to waiting in line again. Our family takes up the back row of the car. As the ride starts ascending, we all anticipate the big drop. Soon enough, we are bobbing up and down and eventually stop. Matthew is screaming and half-crying. I start feeling guilt for taking my 4 year old on such a scary ride. We finally calm him down and he yells, for all to hear, "I think I peed a little!" It turns out he wasn't upset about the ride, he was worried he had wet his pants. We couldn't quit laughing for quite some time.

Later that night, we had reservations at a restaurant on Disney's main street for a special Thanksgiving dinner. We dined outside amidst the lights. It was a french themed restaurant which the kids were excited about. When our food came, the kids weren't as excited because it wasn't the home-cooked food they were used too. I thought it was great. I promised the kids I would cook a Thanksgiving dinner as soon as our new kitchen was finished.

The next day we took a break from Disneyland and went to Universal Studios. I talked the kids (except Matthew) into going through the haunted house. They made it past the first two areas and then decided we should exit early. Oh well, maybe next time. We had fun watching the shows and going on the rides. The Jurassic Park ride was quickly the favorite and we road on it numerous times until the park closed. As we were leaving the park, James and I went through the haunted house together while the kids waited outside. It was pretty scary having actors chasing you down and realistic sets of terror but I loved it. We laughed and had a good time.

Our final day was spent at Disneyland again, finishing up all the things we hadn't had time to do. Matthew got to see Santa and other characters while the older kids went on some of their favorites again. We finished up the trip with our traditional train ride around the park. That tradition started when we went the first time with Luke and Lindsey. Our last ride was the train that goes around the park and lets you off at the front gates. Everytime we go, we have finished with the train ride. It's nice to go around the park and see everything one last time, reflect on the fun, and exit at the gate, ready to go.

We really enjoyed our vacation together. It was a nice break from the construction and a time to reflect on the thing we are most thankful for, our kids.

Heather Goes to Florida

2010-11-23T09:32:00.001-08:00

It was approaching the time of the year for Heather's trip with her dad. The problem we were facing was James' schedule. He recently added quite a few new clients to his growing business and needed to fly out and set up their offices. This meant that most of his weekends were booking up and he was heading into Tithing Settlement season. When James realized he would have to go to Florida he asked Heather if she would like to meet him there. This plan meant that Heather would have to fly by herself to Florida. I was a nervous wreck putting Heather on a plane by herself. I told James I would never do it again. I learned a lot from Heather though. I asked her if she was nervous. She told me she was that morning but she had learned that if you think about something to much, or tell yourself something too much, your brain will start to believe it, therefore, she had decided to tell herself she wasn't nervous and she would quit thinking about being nervous. I was very proud of her. She was quite grown up about the whole thing. Everything went off without a hitch. Of course, I was calling James constantly to make sure he was OK and would be at the airport in time to meet her. He went to the airport three hours early just to calm me down.

They had a great time together. I've heard the high point was visiting the new Harry Potter World at Universal Studios. James informs me he couldn't get enough of the Butter Beer. He brought back mugs for all of us. I had a suspicion to how he'd gotten the mugs. Upon inquiry, he confirmed my suspicion. He had drunk that many mugs of Butter Beer. He said he didn't want to leave anyone out from having a mug. I'm sure we all agree it was an excuse to have more Butter Beer.

Heather told me she liked the Wet 'N Wild waterpark best because there weren't any lines and they got to go on whatever rides they wanted. They also made it to SeaWorld. The two "kids" had a lot of fun together and came home a little bit tanner.

Pictures of the House

2010-11-23T09:16:00.000-08:00

Our remodel project is slowly but surely moving along. Most of the upstairs is framed and the electrician is working so we can get to the four way inspection. I've been told that as soon as the inspection is over, the other sub contractors are ready to jump right in and finish the project. I've decided I'm just happy when anyone shows up and progress is made. The outside of the house is nearly done. For those who may not have heard, when they started pulling the brick off our house to knock out the side, they discovered that when the house was originally built a weather barrier wasn't placed between the brick, stucco, and the wood. When you leave out the weather barrier you end up with rotted wood on the other side. We were lucky to discover this problem because we have been told that in 7-10 years we would have had seepage into the insulation and a huge mold problem. The downside of discovering this problem was that it needed to be fixed. This meant pulling the brick and stucco off of the entire house and replacing it while adding a weather barrier. I look on the bright side that you won't be able to tell where the new part is because all the brick will definitely match!

This is my new pantry, my favorite part of the whole thing!

A view of the kitchen area.

The stairs are getting a face-lift.

A view into the dining area, through the arches.

Looking inside the arches.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T18:22:00.000-07:00

It seems like Halloween snuck up on us this year but we did manage to get some fun things in. We went to Lagoon on Saturday, the 30th, which was actually Halloween out here in Utah. Lagoon always puts on Frightmares at this time of year. We had a really great time. One of those days where the kids get along and ejoy each other. We only planned on staying about an hour but ended up staying five hours. When it was time to leave, the haunted houses were just opening up. Heather really wanted to do a Haunted House because she hadn't done one before. It was starting to rain so James took the others home and Heather and I stayed. It truly was a haunting experience. The haunted house we went through was 3D. We had to wear glasses as we walked. After the first room, Heather took hers off so it wouldn't be as scary. I have to admit, I was pretty freaked out too. With the 3D glasses, the black lights, and the costuming, it really appears people are coming out of walls, etc. The actors were great at getting right up into your faces and making you feel like you couldn't get past. At one point, I literally had to push Heather forward so we could get out of this area. (I'm laughing as I type this because it was so funny, scary but funny!) We finally worked our way through all of the areas but ended up racing out at the end because we were being chased by chainsaws. It was an experience I will never forget and I'm glad I shared it with Heather. I don't know if I'll ever get to again because she may never go into another haunted house!

If you went trick or treating in our neighborhood, this is what you would have seen:

We had a big rainstorm but we also got to see one of the prettiest rainbows at sunset. The sky was orange and red and there was a rainbow in the middle of it. It was beautiful!

Most of the kids went trick or treating despite the rain. Luke didn't trick or treat this year because he had a party to go to instead. I got to help at the party, I was having withdrawals of not having our annual Halloween party so I was grateful to be a part of this one. The kids came up with great costumes this year. I had to do some rummaging at the DI to help them but they were very creative.

Luke as the Mad Hatter.

Lindsey as Frankenstein.

Heather as "Road Kill"-- very clever I thought.

Savannah as a Pumpkin Witch-- the costume I made for her birthday party.

Matthew as our fearless Knight!

Matthew is Four!

2010-10-31T18:15:00.000-07:00

On the morning of October 28th, at 6:30 to be exact, the lights in our bedroom flipped on and Matthew proudley announced, "It's my Birthday!" I'd set out his presents in his room the night before and he woke up, saw them, then got everyone out of bed. I told him to get back in bed so I could bring him breakfast. He did, but he didn't eat much because he wanted to open presents. Matthew got race cars and a race track along with a pillow pet which seems to be the popular present with my kids this year. Matthew also got his first bike for his birthday. Unfortunately, he suffers from the Anderson disorder of not being able to pedal. We are working on it and soon he will be zipping around the house. The good part is, he gets to practice inside the house as it is still under construction and very open right now.

Matthew wanted to have a party with Luke, Lindsey, Heather, Savannah, Mom, Dad and Smudge. That made it easy for me. He is quite an animated little boy and a lot of fun to have in our family.

The Roadshow is Over!

2010-10-31T18:04:00.000-07:00

After making my October month quite stressful, the roadshows are over. There were many frustrating moments, but with everyone's help, we pulled it together. Our title was "Once upon a Trek." We did a spoof on pioneer trek with a mix of Star Trek. We added songs that went to Addams Family and Happy Trails (new words, of course) along with some popular primary songs about pioneers. We had some actors that ad-libbed and added their own lines which is always funny. Despite never getting to practice on a stage or with a sound system, it went off fairly well. Our biggest problem was those persons controlling the lights (not anyone from our ward) turned them off a couple of times in the middle of the show-- but what do you do? I can honestly say that there were some blessings that came from this experience. The greatest blessing was working with great people in our ward and getting to know them better.

Of course, being the "executive producer," I enlisted all of my kids, minus Mattew, to be in the production. Luke was in the oleo, a short skit in front of the curtains, with three others his age. They did a spoof on "Oregon Trail"-- you know that old computer game we played as kids. Luke turned out to be quite an actor. Heather also surprised everyone as a pioneer. She had a couple of really funny lines that she pulled off. I knew Lindsey was good because she had been in her school play. She was cast as a trekkie who introduces lime jell-o (affectionately referred to as lemejello by those from outer space) to the pioneers (which they promise to cherish forever.) She did a great job too. Savannah didn't have any lines but she really got into the music and dancing. I could tell she was enjoying herself. That was another blessing from this experience, getting to work with my kids.

Savannah Turns Seven

2010-10-31T17:45:00.000-07:00

Savannah celebrated her seventh birthday on the 22nd. I can't believe it she is that old! She finally reached the age where she was willing to have a Halloween themed birthday--my favorite.

Savannah woke up to her breakfast in bed which was once again, blueberry pancakes. She opened her presents. Her favorite presents were a pillow pet and a purse full of nail polish and beauty supplies. After school it was party time!

Due to the construction and mess taking place within the walls of our home, we converted the garage into a party room. With decorations and some black plastic, we were able to construct a fun party place. Savannah had invited her friends to join her for a witch party. All of the little girls dressed up like witches. It sure was cute to see all of those witches together. They had fun dipping carmel apples, painting their nails and faces with with glitter and polish, and playing halloween games. Of course, the most fun games are those that the kids make up while they're waiting for the parents to come.

I can't believe how fast my sweet little girl is growing up.

Luke Football Team Wins Championship

2010-10-31T17:37:00.000-07:00

Luke tried another year of flag football. He moved up in levels and played on the junior high age team. The kids on this team were much bigger than last year and much better. We really enjoyed watching his games. Luke played offensive blocker most of the time. One of the highlights was when he scored a touchdown! His team has a trick play that they call "Luke 22". Whenever they called that play we would know they were passing it to Luke. During one game, they were somewhat close to the end zone, they called the play, Luke caught the ball and ran it in. The excited look on his face was great. His team made it to the final game and won the championship. I guess you can call that a great season!

A Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-31T17:32:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of this month, Matthew and I got to go to the pumpkin patch with his preschool class. It seemed strange to me to only have one child to keep track of. We had a lot of fun wandering through the pumpkins. Matthew finally found the one he wanted but after we picked it he wasn't too keen on carrying it because "it was dirty." After everyone had pumpkins, we met back for doughnuts and the kids got to play on the various attractions that were set up. Matthew loved the slides they had put together with hay bales and plastic sheets. He could have stayed there all day. I was surprised how daring he was jumping down the slides. My favorite part was watching his face and then getting a big bag of freshly dug carrots to take home-- ones that I didn't have to wash.

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Luke is Officially a Teenager

2010-09-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

Luke had his birthday this last week, September 23rd to be exact. It's hard to believe that he is now a teenager. He informed me I would have to get up earlier than usual to get his breakfast in bed ready because he is now in Junior High and it starts earlier than elementary. I set the alarm for half an hour earlier than usual but Luke was excited for the day and woke up even earlier than that. He was showered and dressed by the time I awoke so he had to have his "breakfast in bed" on his bedroom floor fully clothed. Then I made him wait a while before waking up the other kids to open presents.

I've discovered it's not easy shopping for a teenager when they won't give you any specifics about what they would like. I also discovered that sometimes, after thinking it over, they will present you with a list the night before their birthday. Unfortunately, that is not enough time to shop! I think I did pretty good getting Luke some surprises for his big day. It turns out his favorite gift has been a Gatorade water bottle and instant Gatorade mix to fill it with. It's funny how the simplest things are usually the best. Just as a side note, I was very excited to finally find instant Gatorade mix--it brings back a lot of memories from playing high school sports. Luke agrees with me that it's better than the bottled stuff.

Lindsey and I snuck up to the Junior High to fill Luke's locker with treats and decorations. However, once there, I was unable to open his lock. I had to laugh at myself because during his 7th grade orientation, the student advisors made such a big deal about letting the kids practice opening locks and buying them locks to practice with, etc., that I found it comical and was even mocking the idea that if locker locks was the most worrisome thing a student encountered, their school career couldn't be all that difficult. I guess what goes around comes around because I soon found myself at the junior high unable to unlock a locker. What can I say, at Beaver High, no one locked their lockers! Anyhow, we had to settle on decorating the outside of his locker and hope that no one ate the candy before he saw it.

That evening our family enjoyed dinner at Outback Steakhouse, Luke's choice. Of course, Luke ordered the biggest steak he could. After dinner, we returned home to have blueberry pie and ice cream.

Howdy Y'all!

2010-09-28T20:49:00.000-07:00

The three girls and I recently returned from a trip to Texas. My sister, Nicole, lives in Lubbock and has lived there for nearly 14 years. This was the first time we had journeyed out to see her and her family. In my defense, she often told me how there was little to do, the scenery was drab, and the wind always blew. She couldn't have gotten a job with the local travel bureau. However, after spending time there, I found the area quite lovely. There are cotton fields everywhere, blue skies with large cumulus clouds, and very kind people.

We arrived on a Wednesday evening. The actual plane ride is not long but there is no direct flight so we did have a layover in Albuquerque. Upon arrival, Nicole picked us up at the small airport and shuttled us off to her home. The kids were excited to see their cousins. They got to hang out for a bit before bedtime. The Cluff's had school the next day so had to get some shut-eye.

While the kids were in school, we hit the Lubbock mall. We got some great deals on shoes and the girls even found some unique Christmas presents for all of their girlsfriends (one less thing I'll have to worry about in December.) After school got out, we were able to watch Emily play in a tennis match. She's quite good. I also learned about Texas High School Football. The school's stadium was next to the tennis court. It was larger than many of the smaller college stadiums I've seen. They also have indoor practice fields for the high school team. I had to get a picture to convince James it was true. I guess that "Friday Night Lights" deal is actually true.

On Friday we took a trip into New Mexico to a place called Carlsbad Caverns. We hiked down into a cave that was full of various caverns. The hike down was just over a mile. We passed some bat caves which, in my opinion, are quite stinky. It didn't raise my opinion of the nocturnal rodents. I still find them very creepy. The caverns were beautiful. The kids enjoyed exploring the miles of stalagtites and stalagmites. The best part is, you get to take an elevator back to the top. I was relieved we didn't have to go back up the way we came.

Saturday was Justin's baptism, as well as a few soccer games. Lindsey and Emily played a piano/violin duet that was great. They only had a couple of days to pick a song and practice but they sounded very good together. We could tell Justin was excited. Baptisms are always neat experiences and the Spirit is so strong. Justin's baptism was no exception. We are thankful we were able to be a part of it. The Lubbock Temple is right next to the church building that the Cluff's attend so we were able to see the temple grounds and feel the Spirit of the temple.

Justin was supposed to have a soccer game after his baptism but apparently, Texas Tech (the college there) had a football game and no one wanted to miss it so his game was postponed. (I told you football was big there.) We made plans to go to an amusement park instead. The park was closed for the season but we were next to Prairie Dog Town so we decided to stop for a look. Unfortunately, there was not much to see. It was a field of grass with a couple of animals. I'm not sure what the purpose was and who would actually drive out there to sit and watch prairie dogs but there is a pavillion and an area to set up chairs if you are so inclined. We were not inclined and decided to hit a corn maze instead. This was probably the most enjoyable corn maze I have been too. Not only was the weather perfect, cool and dust-free, but we had the option of getting a map to help you find your way out. I find a corn maze much more enjoyable when I don't have to wander aimlessly around searching for the exit. I know for some that's part of the fun but I'd much rather know where I'm going. At the end of the maze they had corn cannons you could shoot. These were air compressor cannons that the host would shove ears of corn into and you could aim and shoot at targets out in the field. If you hit a target, you received the prize labeled on the target. Heather was the only one that consecutively hit the target. She received a couple of bags of candy. Grandpa Yardley tried to show us how it was done but Heather outshot him as well. We all had a great time at the maze.

Our next activity of the visit was viting the Science Center. This place is similar to a science museum we used to go to in Oregon. The girls, along with Ryan and Abigail, ran around trying out various experiments. There never seems to be enough time in a science center and before you know it, we were headed to the airport to catch our flight home.

This was our first mother/ daughter trip and we had a blast. Thanks to the Cluff's for their hospitality. I worked hard at it, but I'm pretty sure that I'm Ryan's favorite aunt now!

A Little Bit of Drama

2010-09-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

It appears the drama bug hit our home and decided to burrow in for a while. We just had the Primary Program in our ward. It was fun to watch the kids, not just mine but all of them. It was also a little strange to have Luke sitting next to us in the pew. Savannah delivered her part beautifully, she just went with the wrong group. Matthew taught us all that "Joseph Smith went to the grove to play." And Heather and Lindsey entertained us with a violin performance. I have to commend our Primary Presidency for including all of the kids in a very large primary, and letting many of the kids share their talents.

Just when I thought we were finished with practices I got called in and was assigned to do the ward roadshow. Our First Counselor (apparently the Bishop was afraid to extend this calling to me) informed me the roadshows were going to be held in October. I replied, "Oh, so they're next year." His response--"No, next month!" This should be a fun adventure.

Update on the House, Chapter 2

2010-09-05T22:53:00.000-07:00

I know there are some wondering about the progress of our remodel. Here are some pictures of what you see when you look out our windows or from the street.

The walls are finally going up and the brick has been coming down. It seems to be that I have very little warning before moving and cleaning has to be done. I was in the kitchen when all of a sudden there was loud pounding and things started falling off the walls. That was the day they started removing the brick. I quickly ran around and took down all our pictures and wall hangings. While we were on vacation we received word that the remainder of the things downstairs had to be cleared out. Thank goodness for Marcia, Dan, Aunt Ruthie and Uncle Paul who were willing to help us out there. I will now begin packing up the kitchen things that we don't use so it won't be such a surprise when they come in and say it "needs to be done by tomorrow."

I did meet with the cabinet maker, a man from our ward. We went through the first draft of the cabinets and shelving for the addition. It was fun to see the kitchen in an actual 3-D drawing. The hard part is making the decisions of what I like and want. There is so much to choose from.

You can open the back door without fear of falling into a 10 foot deep pit. The kids like to go out and see. They are very fascinated that the builders left a bag of "Chips Ahoy" wedged between the framing. I know they so badly want to eat them. I'm pretty sure they don't like that type of cookie but the fact that we have a bag of cookies stuck in the wall brings them great joy.

"Faith, Hope, Charity, Honor" and some FUN!

2010-09-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

James and I just returned from a trip to the east coast. We boarded a plane to join thousands for a march on Washington supporting a Return to Honor. When James heard about the Return to Honor event he immediately wanted to go. I agreed to join him, I'd never marched on Washington--why not?! The morning of the ralley we decided to park in Virginia and take the Metro into the city. We weren't the only ones with that idea. This was our first insight to how many people were actaully attending the event. The line to board the metro had thousands of people. The city eventually opened up the gates and let everyone ride for free to get them through.

We arrived at the mall a little late but still in time to join the hundreds of thousands who were already there. It was overwhelming to be a part of a crowd that size, everyone there for the same purpose. The crowd was quite diverse as well. There were young families, retired couples, veterans and soldiers, church groups, motorcycle gangs, punksters, college frats, etc. The best part- everyone was kind, respectful and attentive. It was quite an uplifting experience. The message conveyed encouraged everyone to turn to God, understand your relationship with Him and what He expects of you. Remember that Heavenly Father had a hand in establishing this country and its constitution and He expects us to protect it. The first step is to live honorably. Participants were encouraged to pray, be completely honest, and to serve others. These seem like simple things but if you think about it, if everyone did this, we would have a very different government. There would be no more corruption, selfishness would fade away and we wouldn't need such big government programs because we would be taking care of each other. It sound utopic but things actually used to be more that way. Many different religious leaders were present and heard from. Medals of valor were given out, John Huntsman receiving one of them. Overall, it was a unique and uplifting experience. I'm glad James had the idea to go.

James and I got to spend a few days in Washington DC after the ralley. We visited some of the sights we had missed on previous trips. We went to the Library of Congress and actually got library cards so we could go into the reading rooms. We saw the Supreme Court building and the remodeled American History Museum and the Korean War Memorial (in the daytime). I know I've mentioned it before, but I'll say it again, Washington DC is always an inspiring place to visit.

After a few days, we took a train up to New York City where we planned to meet up with our friends, the Freis and spend some time there. We arrived in New York just in time to buy some tickets and see a play. We got to see "The Screwtape Letters," which is based on C.S. Lewis' book. It was basically a two man show, Screwtape and his sidekick acting out the writing and recitation of the dialogue between Screwtape and his nephew, Wormwood. It was well done, but would have been difficult to follow in some spots if I hadn't read the book. We actually got to meet the actor that portrayed Screwtape after the show. He told us they were actually considering Utah as a venue for the show when they took it on the road. We informed him that a lot of Utahns/Mormons were familiar with C.S. Lewis' works and would probably be interested.

The next day our friends arrived. They had tickets to see Lady Liberty that morning. Since James and I had had that opportunity more than once, we split up and went to the US Open. I could tell James was very excited to see some tennis matches. I was less than enthused but ended up really enjoying it. We got to see two matches before it was time to meet up with the Freis. We got back to Times Square in time to get tickets to "The Addams Family." What a treat that was. I don't think I've ever laughed so much during a broadway show. The music and set was amazing and the actors were top notch.

Thursday was the Yankee's game which was the main reason we had come to New York. James and Greg (Frei) had talked about how much they would love to see a Yankee game and so a trip was planned. Despite the extra hot and humid weather, the game was great. We got there early enough to go through the Yankee museum and see some of the history of the team. The Yankees played the A's, beating them. We were all decked out in our Yankee gear, looking like true blue fans.

Our last day was spent exploring 5th Avenue and Central Park. Just wandering around the city is an experience. Going into the stores and watching the people is fun. Central Park was beautiful. We visited the castle in the center and walked through the zoo area. We also got lost, more than once, along the many paths that wind through the greenery. Eventually, we made our way back to Times' Square in time for one more play. The Frei's had tickets to Wicked, we had already seen it so decided to try our luck elsewhere. We chose a play called "True Crime." The pamphlet claimed it was the longest running play on Broadway. We discovered that always isn't a good thing. After we climbed the five flights of stairs to get to the theatre, we realized we may have made a poor choice when there were only about 20 people in the theatre. Just before the show started, the usher came in started asking everyone if they would like to move closer to the front. I don't know if he didn't see us or what but everyone was seated in the first four rows while James and I were still sitting five rows behind all of them, by ourselves. We finally asked if we could move forward too. He seemed surprised we would to move but agreed to let us. As we looked over the playbill, we realized the lead had played the same role for the past 22 years. Can you imagine playing the same part in a play for 22 years, and missing only 4 performances?! I don't consider that an accomplishment, I think it's strange. When this actress entered the stage, we quickly realized that the picture they use in the playbill was probably taken during the first year of the play because she doesn't look much like it anymore. I'll sum it up by saying that the play was interesting and we laughed a lot, even though it wasn't a comedy. James was unsure of the plot and had to ask for a "key" to the play at the end. It probably wasn't the best two hours of my life but the company was good. James and I had fun despite the performance. We made it back to our motel before the Frei's who got held up because Times' Square was shut down due to a bomb threat. It turned out to be nothing but they got to go home with the tale of being a part of a real life bomb threat in Times' Square.

Overall, we had a great vacation together. It is always fun to get away and reconnect.

Luke Starts Junior High

2010-08-27T10:16:00.001-07:00

A lot has been going on here but my computer has been out of commission. I was given half a days notice by my contractor to move all of the furniture from the three rooms in the basement to allow the concrete guys to cut through the cement. This entailed disassembling my computer and it hasn't been put back together yet. Because the office computer is in much higher demand (especially by Matthew who loves PBSkids.org), I don't get much computer time.

Luke has started his junior high career. I could tell he was nervous, even though he denied it. He had that nervous energy about him as he paced around the house trying to find things to keep himself distracted. He claims all went well his first day. He is now a part of the Legacy Silver Wolves. It is a brand new school and very nice. I enjoyed back to school night and I got a lot of exercise going from one end of the building and up and down the stairs between each class. I had a little empathy for Luke. Each of his classes in order are on the opposite end of the school and the opposite floor. It reminded me of going to college and trying to coordinate class schedules to keep classes close together. I guess junior high kids take what classes they get.

Construction Begins

2010-08-01T14:58:00.000-07:00

When I returned from Beaver, I was met by this rather large lawn ornament.

I am pleased to announce that a hole has been dug around the side of our home in preparation for the foundation to be poured. It is nice to see some physical progress.

24th of July

2010-08-01T14:10:00.000-07:00

We made our annual trek to Beaver for the 24th of July celebration. Luke and James didn't join us this year, they had to attend scout camp. I'm not sure who scheduled scout camp over the 24th of July holiday but it just doesn't seem right.

This year I had the opportunity to attend my class reunion. That's right, 20 years have passed since I walked the halls of my alma mater. Well, I'm sure I went back a few times within the past 20 years but they have torn down my high school and built a new one, so it has been many years. We didn't have a great turnout to the reunion but I was able to reacquaint with old friends that I haven't seen since college. It was fun to catch up on their lives and spend time with them. When you graduate in a class of 54 students, you know everyone. It was exciting to hear of the many successes they have had over the years. There were a few health problems and a couple of financial disasters, but overall, everyone is doing quite well. We even got to ride a float in the parade.

The 24th of July celebration started off with the cannons blasting at dawn. We rolled out of bed and headed for the annual 5k run. I was hoping to skip it this year but Lindsey woke up ready to go so I joined in. It's always amazing to see how the race has grown over the years. The first year there were 15 people. This year was the largest group yet, 193 participants. Lindsey took fourth place in her age group and was awarded a medal.

We showered and headed to the parade which is always an interesting event. The highlight is the final entry which is the fire engine that sprays all the kids. They follow it down the street getting wet. Matthew was a little hesitant at first to stand under the spray but was happy when it cooled him off. The races on the park are always fun. I've decided these are becoming my favorite pictures. Each year I look at the photos and laugh at their expressions and running posture. This year did not disappoint. They all claimed their prize of a Tootsie Pop and Heather actually won a snow cone coupon too. The kids carnival on the park was about what you would expect, hot! The kids had fun at the fish pond, duck pond, etc. The final event was visiting the Family File Tent. This was a new addition. The Church had set up a big (air-contitioned) tent that held displays of various settlers of the area. It was neat to show the kids their ancestors that settled the area.

After the city festivities, we went out to Minersville Reservoir for some boating fun with Mark, Melinda, and their kids. They showed us how to surf, kneeboard, and wakeboard. A few of us tried it but we weren't nearly as good as they are. I think they get a lot more practice.

We ended the day with the traditional family barbecue at Jim and Alison's home. It is always fun to hang out with everyone, eat, play volleyball, and watch the fireworks show. It is awfully nice of Jim and Alison to open their home to all of us. It seems to grow every year. I know it is becoming a tradition that we all look forward to attending. It has become my favorite part of the day. We went home that night, tired, full, and happy. (For more pictures visit the photo gallery).

First Day of School

2010-07-30T15:38:00.001-07:00

The first day of school came quickly for most of my kids. They headed back to the world of academia on July 21st. Lindsey is starting the 6th grade, Heather the 4th, and Savannah has moved to 1st grade. All of the girls were very excited to see friends and meet their teachers. Lindsey said she was excited to be the oldest ones in the school.

Back to School Night was the night following the first day of school. Back to School Night starts with a welcome from the principal and PTA and an overview of expectations and events for the year. I caused a bit of a stir when I questioned the PTA's budget, but after some discussion, a motion was made and approved to amend the budget giving more money to the teachers instead of rolling it over. After we separate from the group meeting, we go to the classes and meet the teachers. I think all of the girls' teachers will be fantastic. Lindsey's class has computers for each child on their desk so that will be a new experience for her. Heather gets to enjoy county reports, book reports, and the 4th grade ski trip. Savannah looks forward to a full day of school and eating school lunch. It should be a great school year for them.

Matthew had to have a picture too.

Smudge Breaks a Leg

2010-07-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

I've heard that when you go to the temple, angels watch over your kids. Apparently that insurance doesn't cover pets. Recently, while James and I was at the temple, Smudge was "lightly dropped" over the fence. The distance was too great, the landing unstable, and the result was a dog with a broken leg. After Smudge escaped from the backyard, Luke found her and thought he would put her over the fence instead of walking her through the house--he was distracted, he had friends over. I'm sure he had no idea that dogs can be fragile. He was devastated when he heard a heart wrenching whine after she hit the ground. James and I returned from the temple to tearful children and a dog in a makeshift splint created from pens and scotch tape. After watching Smudge for a day, we knew that the damage was too great for homemade rememdies and we took her to the vet. The final outcome--we now have a dog with a cast.

A Two Week Summer

2010-07-22T12:10:00.000-07:00

With year-round school, sometimes you end up with a two week summer. We tried to pack in as many adventures as we could in that two weeks. Lindsey actually made a list of things to do everyday. We hiked, school shopped, swam, boated, visited Lagoon, LDS Motion Picture Studio, the zoo, and stayed up late every night. Here are pictures of some of the things we did.

Nicole, my sister, and her family came down for BYU Sports camps. We met up with them in Provo and decided to hike in Rock Canyon. We made a big mistake when we let the older kids pick the trail. Before we knew it, we were scaling the moutainside up a trail that appeared to be a rock slide. Nicole and I were pushing the littlest ones up the rocks while the older ones kept scurrying to the top. We finally had to shout out for them to stop. We reached a plateau and asked some rock climbers if the the trail got better. They informed us it was the same and "it really wasn't a trail for little kids." We directed the older kids to head down the trail while Nicole and I slid, stumbled and fell down the trail. I am pleased to report that we were able to keep all little ones from falling. Our only injury was the split down the back of Nicole's pants. We chose an easier trail that led us to a creek. The kids really enjoyed playing in the water and it made it all worth it.

Nicole's friend who came with her from Texas had connections and we were able to take a tour of the LDS Motion Picture Studio. We had fun exploring the back lot and the different studios. We were able to go through the prop and costume warehouses. A highlight for the kids was getting to see a replica of the golden plates. They made them as heavy as the originals so the actors would look believable carrying them. They all got a turn trying to lift the plates. The littles kids thought it was great fun to chase the cotton that was dropping from the trees. I think they are too young for allergies.

Another adventure we had was a trip to the zoo. Luke and Lindsey decided they were too old for the zoo so they stayed home. The three younger ones and I had a great time exploring the zoo. It has changed since I was there last. They have made some real improvements. It was Matthew's first trip to the zoo. It was fun to watch his excitement over all the animals. Heather loved the monkeys and Savannah loved the snow cone she got.

I think our biggest adventure was hiking to Timpanogas Cave. We went with our good friends, the Daniels. We had to hurry to the top because our tour ticket times were set for an hour after we started at the bottom. We made it just in time. The kids made it with only a few complaints. The hike down was much more enjoyable. After the hike, we went to the Gateway and had dinner, enjoyed a concert, and ran through the fountains. As it got dark, we stopped at the Capitol Building and watched a movie under the stars. It was a funfilled day and we were exhausted by the time we got home.

BYU Father Son Camp

2010-07-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

When I downloaded some pictures, I realized that James had used my card in his camera and I had pictures of the father's son basketball camp at BYU. Then I realized that I hadn't added this event to our family history. I will take that opportunity now.

Over Memorial Day weekend, James and Luke went down to Provo to the BYU Father Son Basketball Camp. This is the third year they have participated in the event. It has become a tradition for them. This year was fun because they were joined by Mark and his two boys and some friends from the neighborhood. I know Luke had fun hanging out with his cousins and his friends. It was nice of Mark to be a surrogate Dad for Luke when James had to come back up here to fulfill bishop duties.

The boys and their dads get to participate in all kinds of sports activities, meet the BYU team players, attend firesides and the Spoken Word in Salt Lake. They stay in the dorms so they get the campus experience as well. Luke said his favorite part was learning how to play basketball better. James' favorite part is spending time with his son.

Luke Graduates Elementary School

2010-07-11T21:01:00.000-07:00

It may seem odd to some that we are writing about graduation in July. It is not strange to us because school just ended for us. July 2nd was the last day of the school year for my kids and it was the last day of elementary school for Luke.

The 6th graders got to have a graduation ceremony that the family was invited to. They gave graduation speeches, handed out awards, recognized each child and read where that child hoped to be in 20 years. All in all, it was fun. Luke was chosen to write and read a tribute to the parents. He wrote about what "a parent is" there was quite a bit of humor in it with some seriousness at the end-- it was very fitting for his personality. He received the Presidential award and got a pin and letter from President Obama. He also received a top reader medal and a DARE award.

After the presentations, the kids sang a song to the parents. I admit, I got a little choked up. Luke has had a great experience in elementary school and has made some top notch friends. A lot of those kids are at our house often. It has been a neat experience watching them grow into young men. They grow up so fast!

Of course, we had the annual end-of-year party. Lindsey had her class come from 6-9 and Luke's class came from 7-10. There was a lot of food and the kids ran around and played games. Lindsey's teacher came which made her class very excited. Actually, Luke and a lot of his friends had had Mrs. Wood the year before so they were excited to see her too. I told her she was just as good as having a celebrity over.

One of the most memorable things about this whole year is Luke's yearbook picture...here it is!

Rumplestilskin

2010-07-11T20:53:00.000-07:00

Lindsey had her first acting debut. Her class performed some plays for the school and a parent audience. Lindsey was very excited when she was picked to play one of the lead parts. She walked around the house with a smile on her face for days. Her class had a lot of fun practicing, painting sets, and preparing costumes. It was a good experience for them to be involved in all the aspects. Kudos to Mrs. Wood for giving them the opportunity and turning them loose to make it happen. The kids worked hard and you could tell they took great pride in the performance because they had done everything themselves.

Lindsey played the part of the woman who spins straw into gold with the help of Rumplestilskin. She then marries the king and the evil gnome returns for her firstborn son. She is given an opportunity to guess the name of the troll in order to keep her firstborn. Of course, with the help of her servant, she is able to guess his name and he disappears in a puff of smoke. There were small commercial breaks at set changes that the kids had made up themselves. It was fun to watch. Lindsey did a great job. She is a natural performer, I think she gets it from her dad. For those who have been acquainted with me for many years, will recognize her princess costume. That's right, it's my junior prom dress. I knew there was a reason I was saving it!

Dance, Tumble, Cheer

2010-07-11T20:35:00.000-07:00

The middle of June found us at recital time with the three girls. They take tumbling, dance, and cheer classes at the same studio. The recital is a big deal for the studio and the girls and a big time commitment for the parents! The dress rehearsal is in the daytime and the performance is in the evening. The whole thing is held at Weber College. The entails me checking the kids out of school for dress rehearsals and driving back and forth to Ogden to make sure everyone is taken care of and where they need to be. There are two nights of performances. Savannah and Lindsey performed the first night and Heather and Lindsey performed the second night. Lindsey performs both nights because she is on the show team. It makes for a couple of hectic days but it all works out. I know I complain about it when it is happening but when it's over, I actually have a nice memory of hanging out with the girls, helping them get ready, and watching them perform.

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership with God

2010-07-10T14:12:00.000-07:00

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership with God

Take Me Out To The Ballgame(s)!

2010-06-24T16:20:00.000-07:00

This year's baseball season has been full of fun and adventure. The weather was not very cooperative and the first few scheduled games were rained out. After that, there were very few games played in warm weather. At the end of the season, we were making up cancelled games and ended up with games everyday and some teams played twice a day. This may not sound too bad, but when you have four kids playing it makes for a hectic schedule. It was fun though. Here are some of the highlights. . .

Luke had the same coaches and many of the same players he had last year. He had more confidence and worked hard. The most memorable part of the season for Luke was when he hit a home run! I've decided it's just as exciting for the mom as it is for the son. Watching him run around the bases with a big grin on his face is a priceless moment.

Lindsey had her first year in team pitch. She was disappointed she didn't get on a team with her friends but she made the most of it. She did a great job hitting the ball and fielding. She played in right field and left field. I think we're both looking forward to next year because I told her I would coach her team.

Heather played machine pitch in an all-girl league. She had a great coach and a fun team. Heather loves playing baseball. She works real hard and gives it her all. I think her favorite part was the party her team had after the season. They played in their coaches backyard on a blow-up waterslide, had pizza, and watched highlights from their season.

Savannah got a late start on her season. We had some miscommunications with the coaches and didn't realize she was on a team until they had already had a couple of games. She was really nervous to start late but she got over it. I thought it would be T-ball but it was actually coach pitch. With no experience whatsoever, Savannah was able to hit the ball everytime. When she was outfield, she would always look so serious with her mitt in her hand, ready for action. She ended up really enjoying the sport and will probably play again next year.

Matthew--well, he didn't play. He did ask me in the beginning when his game was. He wasn't happy when I told him he had to be five. He did get a lot of playing time at the parks and ate a lot of snow cones so I think he ended up with a great season too.

Bear Lake

2010-06-20T14:30:00.000-07:00

The first part of June we got to go to Bear Lake and meet up with the rest of the Anderson clan and spend a few days together. Marcia found a great cabin for us to enjoy up on the hillside above Bear Lake. We went up Thursday after school and over the next day or two everyone else met us up there.

The kids had a blast playing with their cousins. It seems we don't get to see each other as often as we'd like. I know Lindsey was counting down the days until she could be with Carissa. The kids had fun playing pool, writing stories, watching movies, playing video games, eating, eating, and eating! There was never a dull moment.

We went down to the beach a couple of times. The water was freezing but the beach was fun. The boys challenged the girls to a sand-castle building contest. The final judgment was that the girls castle was the prettiest and the boys was the most battle worthy.

Davin and Mary drove out from Georgia and we were excited to spend some time with them and their kids. Davin took one for the team when he let the kids throw all the leftover cupcakes at him. It was an experience they will not forget. Davin's sweet little daughter, Livy, was not concerned about the predicament of her father or the pain of thrown pastries, she just calmly kept bringing her dad napkins to help him clean up. It was so sweet to watch.

At the end of the trip, we went home tired, sunburned, full and happy.

Lindsey the Physics Whiz

2010-05-23T20:10:00.000-07:00

Lindsey recently participated in a Physics competition sponsered by Utah State. She has been part of a program at the elementary school where they use the Lego Mindstorm program and build robots and program them. Lindsey and her partner made it to the team and competed. They got to go to Lagoon for the competition. Lindsey came home with a grin on her face and told me that they didn't win a single thing. My response was something along the lines of "at least you tried" "I'm proud of you for doing your best" etc, etc. She couldn't contain her excitement for long and she cut me off to tell me they had gotten second place. She said she and her partner were surprised when their name was called. They weren't expecting to do well. They got medals and gift certificates to a couple of places. I think the real prize, however, was getting to go to Lagoon on a school day.

Smudge!

2010-05-09T19:38:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, we welcomed a new member to the family, Smudge. After the kids turned over every cent they had, signed three contracts each, and created a meticulous job chart, we purchased a dog. I'm not sure if the poor dog has had a moments peace since she got here. The kids put blankets in the living room to sleep next to her (her only night in the house), and I noticed they brought down a lamp to read her a bedtime story. She sure is a cute little dog, and so far, has been very mild mannered.

Spring has finally sprung--I hope

2010-05-09T19:29:00.000-07:00

We have had some crazy weather and we keep waiting for it to get warm. I have to remind myself that this happens every year. We are tempted in the early spring with some nice weather then the snows come again and we have to scrounge around looking for long pants because we've already changed out the wardrobes. We have not been disappointed this year with the same weather pattern. We have had some really cold weather but it seems warmer days may be on the way. Where is global warming when you need it?

Luke's Cello Career

2010-05-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

Luke decided he wanted to try the cello for school orchestra. He was following in his dad's footsteps. For those who don't know, James played the cello for a short time in his life. I think Luke is following exactly in his footsteps and making his cello career short. He has informed me that he doesn't want to continue with the school orchestra. Oh well, he had fun for a while and learned a little bit about a new instrument. If anyone is interested, we have a cello for sale!

Lindsey Turns 11

2010-05-09T18:54:00.001-07:00

Lindsey had her birthday this week. The best way to describe her birthday is to give a rundown of her desserts. Her birthday was Monday. She started off with breakfast in bed and opened her presents. Her biggest gift this year was a bike. She informed me she had outgrown her old bike. Thank goodness you can get inexpensive bikes at Wal-Mart because they sure outgrow them fast. Lindsey was spotlighted in her school class. We brought doughnuts to share with everyone there. Later that evening we had a birthday celebration for Family Home Evening. She had a chocolate strawberry cake for that celebration. We were fortunate enough to share family home evening with some friends from our ward, Brother and Sister Anderson and their kids. One of their sons is from Lubbock, Texas. We had a good time talking about Jeff and Nicole and Lubbock. I think they've convinced us to visit. They were much more encouraging about the area than Nicole has been about visiting. I think I'll book the plane tickets.

The next night, we had Lindsey's birthday dinner. She chose to go to Crown Burgers for dinner. We had cream puffs after dinner for her actual choice of dessert. That is her favorite dessert. We had fun singing to her and telling her how much we love her.

At the end of the week, she had her party with her friends. She decided to have a movie-making party. We came up with a script and then worked out the parts and filmed it. At the end of the party we watched it. Girls at that age like to watch themselves on video. They appeared to have fun. At the end of the night we had pie and ice cream for her dessert. Razzleberry pie is her other favorite dessert. I think we all gained a few pounds from all the desserts but we had fun celebrating with Lindsey.

Quick Trip to Virginia

2010-04-11T17:45:00.000-07:00

James and I took a quick trip to Virginia this week. James has a client out there so he had to fly out and set up a computer. The kids were begging to stay with grandma Marcia because they are off-track so James made arrangements for me to go with him. It was a quick trip. After James got the computer set up we went into Washington DC to see the cherry blossom festival around the Jefferson Memorial. I always love going to DC. There are so many beautiful things to see. I've decided it is like the Rome of America. The last time we were in DC with the kids, we didn't make it to the Jefferson Memorial so it was good to see it again. I am a big fan of Thomas Jefferson. He was a fascinating man. The more I learn about him the more I realize he was quite complex. He had so many interests and explored them all. This trip, I was impressed with his understanding that a "free government relies on enlightened citizens." I am understanding more how true this is.

James and I also visited the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial. Neither one of us had been to this memorial as it is fairly new. It is very large, has various waterfalls, statues, and quotes honoring President Roosevelt's life. It was beautiful to see. President Roosevelt had some great ideas and others I didn't agree but, as I pointed out to James, that's what makes this country great. There is always more than one opinion and all should be respected.

To end the evening, we had dinner at a steak house. It was the same steak house we ate at in San Francisco. Very good food and atmosphere. We ended up spending two and a half hours there eating and talking. It was good to reconnect and spend time together.

Luke's Piano Recital

2010-04-11T17:34:00.000-07:00

Luke had his annual piano recital this week. He played a piece from the opera "Carmen". He also did a duet with his piano teacher, "Love at Home." He and his teacher did the same duet in sacrament meeting. It is one of my favorite pieces to listen to. They do a great job on it. He has improved a lot over the year. I hope he will continue to take lessons as he gets into junior high. If I can get a couple more years out of him I'll be happy.

Happy Easter

2010-04-11T17:25:00.000-07:00

We had a fun Easter this year. The kids woke up to Easter Egg hunts where they found eggs with a puzzle piece in each egg that led them to their basket. The kids also had a fun time decorating eggs.

Heather Turns 9!

2010-04-11T17:03:00.000-07:00

April 5th was Heather's birthday. She is now nine years old. It is hard to believe that she is nine. It seems like this year has flown by. It seems like just a few weeks ago she was being baptized. She is such a sweetheart. She is always concerned about other people and concerned about other's feelings. She doesn't get into a lot of the "girl" things that others her age seem to get involved in. She tells me she thinks it's stupid. That could explain why the large majority of her friends are boys.

Heather invited 12 boys and 3 girls to her birthday party. She had a party with an animal theme. All of the guests were asked to bring their favorite stuffed animal. They played games with the animals, had snacks, opened presents, and watched "The Wild" (an animal movie.) Heather said it was her best birthday ever. (Of course, she says that every year--it just illustrates her positive attitude.)

On her actual birth day she woke up to breakfast in bed and then had to go to violin lessons. Sometimes you have to do things you don't like to on your birthday. She got some fun gifts from family. Savannah had made a book for her and Lindsey had made her a doll. She got a camera from us. Later that night we went to a steakhouse for her birthday dinner. We came back home for birthday pie which we all had to eat without forks or spoons. That is Heather's new birthday tradition, we eat birthday dessert without utensils. All in all it was a lot of fun for Heather and us to celebrate.

"I don't know" is not a word!

2010-04-06T19:27:00.000-07:00

You have to love the curiosity of young minds. As kids hit the age of about three years old, and can carry on conversations, they want to know everything. Their endless questions can be exhausting. I hope I'm not the first parent who, occasionally, tunes out the eternal queries and just answers, "I don't know." In the past, I have found that this response will end the interrogation for a moment, giving me a little respite. However, I am again reminded that all my kids are different, and this response does not satisfy Matthew. If I answer a question with, "I don't know," he is quick to reply, "'I don't know' is not a word, Mom." He then waits for a real answer. Sometimes, I have to make things up, because once in a while-- I really "don't know!"

Surprise at the Jazz Game

2010-04-01T15:53:00.000-07:00

At the first of this week, Lindsey and her cheer team performed at the Jazz Game. The cheer squad performed pre-game and the dance team performs at half-time. Lindsey was disappointed that they didn't get to perform at half-time but it all worked out for the best. As they were leaving the floor and entering the tunnel, they happened to run into President Monson who was coming to watch the game. It was a real surprise and treat for the girls to meet him. Lindsey got to shake his hand and talk with him briefly. He mentioned to her that their uniform colors were the same as the University of Utah and he wasn't too sure he liked that. He took time to pose for some pictures and then encouraged everyone to listen to him speak on Sunday.

I found it amusing that the Jazz Dancers were waiting to have pictures with the girls but most of them were more interested in meeting the prophet than the Jazz Dancers. Later, as I thought about the experience, I was grateful that the girls are involved at a studio that really tries to have modest dance and costumes. What a blessing it is to run into the prophet and not be embarassed by dress or presentation. It was an experience that Lindsey will never forget and one that she can remember with fondness.

I Love to See the Temple

2010-03-28T20:41:00.001-07:00

A picture of the Salt Lake Temple I took.

What a Week!

2010-03-28T20:20:00.000-07:00

We had a great week full of fun activities that reminded me what talented kids we have and how blessed we are to be a part of their lives! We started out the week with a science fair for Luke. If you've been following, I'm sure you're thinking, "another one?!" That's right, this was the third one he's gone to. I'm starting to wonder if he isn't entering science fairs so he can miss a day of school. Nonetheless, he did have the opportunity to go to the state science fair because he placed in the district fair. I was lucky enough to have James around that day to help transport him to and from the fair because I had other places to be. I heard the experience had an overall rating of "boring" by both father and son. Luke was disappointed that he only got to talk to two judges (I would have been relieved.) Unfortunately, we got busy later in the week and forgot to go the the awards so we're not sure how he did.

Our next event involved Luke again. The sixth grade program was held for all to enjoy--except those that chose to go to caucus meetings. I must admit, I did think about leaving the camera with James and joining the causus but I'm glad I didn't miss Luke's performance. It's not everyday I get to see Luke dress and dance as a mummy. We were entertained as we were taught about ancient civilizations. As far as school programs go, this was one of the more entertaining. I look forward to seeing it four more times!

We had a musical performance that invovled the three girls. We got to enjoy their violin recital at the end of the week. This is the first time all the girls have performed together Savannah was very nervous but did a great job on "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." Lindsey played "Three Grenadiers" and was accompanied by her grandma, Marcia. This worked out well because Lindsey was able to practice a few times at home with Marcia before the performance. No one else had that opportunity. They did a great job together and Lindsey commented that she appreciated grandma helping her because she knew when Lindsey was going to mess up and played louder. It's always good to know that someone has your back. Heather performed Bach's "Minuet 3". She did get to practice at home with me as her accompaniast but had a different one at the recital. She did a great job, I was very proud to see that she remembered the things we went over at home.
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I think the girl's favorite part of the recital was wearing their Easter dresses to the performance. We had our annual dress shopping trip earlier in the week. This has become a tradition over the past three years. I used to make them Easter dresses but one year we happened to hit a dress sale at the mall before Easter and they had such a good time trying on and modeling dresses at the store that I decided to change the tradition from homemade dresses to store bought. As I am someone that hates trying on clothes at the store, I find it amusing how much they like trying them one. We usually end up with about ten dresses, per girl, in the dressing room before we're done. Matthew had to accompany us on this trip and he didn't enjoy it as much as the girls. He did, however, pick out a Monster truck shirt that he wore about three days straight. I would start him out wearing something different, but by the end of the day, he would convince a sibling to change his shirt when I wasn't home. Oh, well.

Finally, Lindsey had her first cheer performance this week. Her team competed in a competition in Ogden. They lost a lot of the older girls that they had on their team last year, but they built up again and were just as impressive.
Lindsey is really enjoying her experiences this year. She gets thrown up in the air a few times and thinks that's great. It was fun to watch her and see how she interacts with her team. I was grateful she decided she didn't want to hang around and wait for the awards ceremony. If any of you have had the opportunity to experience a dance competition you'll know what I'm talking about. When it's not your kid performing, it can get very boring! We left right after her performance and headed home to enjoy a beautiful day!

I'm sure this post may come across as bragging, but I just report it as I see it. I must say, that I am grateful for good kids that keep us busy. James and I could take credit for all they do, but we would be wrong. The longer I am a mother, the more I realize that these cute kids have their own spirits and personalities that existed before James and I ever met in this life. We are just blessed to be the ones to watch them rediscover and define who they are.

Matthew Outside

2010-03-21T18:50:00.000-07:00

With all the great weather, Matthew has discovered a new place to play cars--outside! Now if I can just get him to remember to bring the cars back in when he's done.

"The Best Day of My Life!"

2010-03-21T18:37:00.001-07:00

This week, Savannah learned how to climb the tree and maneuver through the branches. She was so excited! She called James at work to tell him and took me outside numerous times to show me how she could do it. After her last demonstration, she was skipping back to the house with her hand in mine and she looked up and said, "This is best day of my whole life!" I smiled, gave her a hug, and went on with my tasks. Later, I thought about her exclamation. Something so simple as climbing a tree made it her best day. What small and simple things should I be noticing that would make it my best day?! In her simple, six-year-old way, she reminded me to count my blessings. There are things about every day that make it a "best" day.

Lindsey goes to Canada

2010-03-07T15:09:00.000-08:00

Hi, when I went to Canada, there were people smoking everywhere! It was disgusting. Other than that, Canada was pretty fun. I saw the Winter Olympics, and had lots of fun with my Dad! I saw. . .
Speed Skating
Curling
Ice Hockey
Figure skating ice dance
and
Figure skating Ladies short dance
My favorite event was. . .CURLING! I don't really know why. I just enjoyed watching it.
I really liked going to Canada, but I'm really really really glad I'm home now. I missed almost everything, I'm going to stick to short trips from now on. I stayed up there for 6 days!
Oh yah, because all the other motels were sold out, my Dad and I stayed in this hotel from the fifties! Seriously, we went to the swimming pool to check it out, and we saw a sign that read. .
All ladies must wear bathing caps!

Bathing Caps, really. I decided I didn't want to go swimming, ever.

On the second day in Canada we ate lunch in the food court in the mall. We had Chinese Food, real Chinese food, it was grosser than gross! And we sat by these Chinese people, I watched them. I tried to do what they were doing, using chopsticks. I figured, I would stick to forks and knives.

Well, that's pretty much all that I can explain, the Olympics were so cool, I don't know how to put them in words.

BYE!

March Already?!

2010-03-07T14:55:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that we are already into March. The time really seems to fly by. We have kept busy with various projects and daily routines. My de-cluttering project continues to move forward. I have now moved to de-cluttering my recipe collections. James gave me a fun gadget for Christmas that stores all of my recipes and keeps them on the countertop in the kitchen. To make the most of this handy tool, I have been downloading all of the recipes that I have used or intend to use. This means going through years of magazines (I have subscribed to a fun recipe magazine for about six years), finding the recipes I like, downloading pictures and words. One recipe takes very little time but it really adds up. I have enlisted the kids to help me go through the books and magazines. When this project is finished, I will only have a couple of cookbooks and my recipe holder. This will free up an entire shelf in the pantry.

Luke particpated in the District Science Fair this week and took third place. He will now enter his project in the Weber County Fair. Unfortunately, we were not able to attend the awards ceremony because he had orientation for Junior High on the same night. It is hard to believe that he is headed to Junior High. I was impressed with the numerous clubs and programs available at his school. He had fun learning about all of them and running around the school with his friends. I don't think he will have much problems adjusting socially.

Lindsey and her dad spent the last week in Vancouver, Canada at the Olympics. They had a great time! It was a unique experience for them. They were able to attend many of the Olympic events and got to enjoy a variety of experiences. Lindsey said her favorite thing to watch was the Curling. I was surprised because they got to go to a few of the ice skating events. There is a curling arena in Ogden (thanks to the Olympics held in Utah). We may have to check it out as a family.

While they were gone, I did a small makeover on my bedroom. I painted and distressed my bedroom furniture. I also tweaked the color scheme a bit. It actually turned out better than expected. James came home to a different bedroom.

As we move into this third month of the year, I'm happy to report that we are all healthy and happy, striving to do our best to serve each other and those around us. I am often taken back by the blessings that we receive. I am grateful for those blessings.

Holiday of Love

2010-02-15T17:28:00.000-08:00

As you know, Valentine's Day was on Sunday this year. To celebrate, I decided to make everyone pajamas. My kids like to come home from church and put on pajamas. It doesn't matter what time we have church, they wear pajamas most of the day. I thought it would be a fitting gift for the holiday. As I was working on them, I decided I'm glad that Valentine's only falls on Sunday about every seven years. I don't plan to make it a yearly tradition. The kids did like it though. Unfortunately, I didn't quite get the sizing right for Luke's and James'. Let's just say, if they had a pair of suspenders they'd fit great! I guess I'm not quite done with project because I have to fix theirs.

James and I celebrated the holiday on Saturday with our friends. We are very blessed to have good friends. They are the kind of friends that you are comfortable with and can just pick up where you left off, no matter how often you get together. We don't see each other as much as we used to because of ward splits but we still have fun when we do. We went to a movie in Salt Lake and then drove up to Park City for dinner. At dinner, James surprised me with a new ring. He had taken the girls with him to help pick it out. It is stunning and I'm still getting used to it. What a sweetheart he is.

We had our traditional Valentine dinner where everyone gets to pick what they want. I had to do some advance preparations because it was falling on Sunday but it all came together. My mom came up so I prepared meatloaf for her. My kids couldn't believe that she would pick meatloaf but I informed them I had been to restaurants with her and she'd order meatloaf. We went around the table sharing reasons why we loved each other. Matthew's reasons got a little lengthy and unintelligible but his heart was in the right place. It's always fun to hear what the kids come up with and it was nice to include grandma.

We hope you all had a great holiday and know that we love you.

Poo Poo Party!

2010-02-15T17:19:00.000-08:00

We are happy to announce that Matthew has mastered the potty!! He was so close for so long but was unwilling to clear the last hurdle. I finally promised him a party with cake, balloons, etc. if he would face his potty fears. Once Heather and Savannah heard the word "party" they jumped on the encouragement bandwagon. I think that's finally what did the trick. The girls wanted a party as bad as Matthew did so they kept asking him if he needed to use the potty and would try to take him. I think he didn't want to disappoint them (I guess he doesn't care about disappointing me.) He finally fulfilled his end of the bargain so I fulfilled mine. We had a poo poo party, sang happy poo day, and even had a chocolate cake (I'm sure you can guess the significance of that). We're keeping our fingers crossed that he is potty-trained. He has gone nearly a week without an accident. This is the first time in 12 years we have not had someone in diapers, I think James and I deserve a party too!

Valentine Tea Party

2010-02-15T16:53:00.001-08:00

Savannah had a Valentine Tea Party with her friends a few days before the holiday. They got together and made heart necklaces and frosted cupcakes. They went downstairs and dressed up for the big event. As they were dressing up, I was busy making heart-shaped peanut butter and honey sandwhiches and other lunchtime goodies. When they came upstairs, they were all dressed up as princesses. Matthew had also found an outfit that suited him. There were four princesses and one dinosaur at the party!

The same day as the tea party, Savannah passed off her final reading book. Her kindergarten class has a program of 63 reading books. Savannah passed off the last one and received her reading medal. Her teacher actually came to our home to award it to her. The new shipment of medals had come in right after school had let out that day. Savannah definitely has a teacher that goes above and beyond. We are very proud of Savannah and all of her hard work!

Luke goes to Georgia

2010-02-15T16:49:00.001-08:00

Luke started the year of trips off by going to Georgia with his dad. Aside from spending time together, one of the benefits of the trip was getting to see Luke's cousin, Micah, get baptized. Luke was excited to see his cousins on the other side of the country. I will get Luke to write a few words about his trip...

Valentine Treats

2010-02-15T16:36:00.000-08:00

One of our traditions at the Valentine season is to make treats for the kids' Primary teachers. For family home evening this week, that is exactly what we did. We had sugar cookies and cream-filled cupcakes (I found a great recipe for cream filling!) The kids made cards for their teachers and then decorated cookies. We loaded up the car and got ready to go.

Our first stop was for Matthew's teachers. I wasn't sure if he would do it but he was excited to give it a try. He carried the plate up to the teacher's home and when they answered the door he would yell, "Happy Balentine's." It was so cute

When we got to Savannah's teacher she told me she had Brother and Sister Wood. Because I'm still not entirely familiar with everyone in the ward, I didn't question her. I pulled out the ward directory and told her there was no Wood in the ward. She said she was sure it was Wood because it was just like Robin. . .Hood. We kind of laughed but I knew there was a Hood family in the ward. Unfortunately, when I heard Hood, I pictured a different family. I drove to their house and dropped Savannah off. As she was ringing the doorbell, I realized my mistake. We were not at the Hood home but another family in the ward. I tried to call her back before they answered the door but I was too late. My two other girls continued screaming out the car that she was at the wrong house. I quickly told them to be quiet before we made the situation even more embarassing. Savannah came back to the car a little bewildered. I apologized to her as I told her this was the wrong house. We went back home and made up another plate and delivered to the right family. We didn't have time to make up another card but at least Savannah was able to deliver a treat to the right people. I have to wonder what the other family thought receiving a plate of goodies from Savannah and a card to a non-existent family.

President Hinckley's Be's

2010-02-07T19:50:00.000-08:00

I Will Poop in 40 Days

2010-02-07T18:21:00.000-08:00

I know the title sounds a little crass but if you bear with me, it will make sense.

Right now, the biggest challenge in my life is potty training Matthew. We have gone the rounds trying to get him to use the potty. This week, I finally managed to get him to pee in the potty most of the time but I have not been successful with the waste that comes from around the corner. I know it is not because he doesn't know it's coming. He runs and hides when it is time to make a deposit, unfortunately the deposit is not at the bank I want it to be. One day, after changing some unsightly underwear, and being quite exasperated, I asked Matthew when he would poop in the potty. I happened to be eye level with him as I presented the query. He reached out with both hands, cupped my face and pulled me close. He then said to me, in quite a serious tone, "Mom, I will poop in the potty in 40 days." I guess I had my answer.