DIAZ FAMILY

WHICH ONE???

2011-11-10T22:56:00.004-07:00

We had family pictures taken a few weeks ago and honestly cannot decide which one I like best. I love them all but narrowed it to these two. My family is pretty divided so help me decided!

the road

the waterfall

THE DEMISE OF YODA!

2011-09-29T08:50:00.008-06:00

As Lys and Tyler were getting old enough to get a divers licence we knew we had to think about a car. Because we live sooooo far out in the middle of nowhere, it was a nightmare to drive them to and from their sports activities all the time. We knew we didn't have a ton of money to pay cash but didn't want a payment either. A friend of our told us about a school district in central Utah that auctioned off their old driver's ed cars once they hit a certain mileage. The cars weren't lookers but they were good, safe cars. Hence the addition of "YODA" to our family. Yes, I said Yoda. When Lys and I drove down there to pick up the car, she saw it and said, "That thing is OLD". By the time we made the 2 hour drive home, she has decided to name it Yoda. Now since I have never seen Star Wars, I really didn't get it. But the rest of my family thought the name fit perfectly and the Lumina has been Yoda for almost 2 years now. They were pretty happy to have their own car. I was pretty happy to have a big, safe car for my kids that only cost me $250....yep $250....for a whole car, engine and all!!

Lys her first time behind the wheel of her own car! Happy as can be!

Fast forward 18 months......now I am REALLY grateful for an old beater with an ugly HUGE trunk and a "they don't build them like they used to" kind of frame! That car, along with some quick thinking saved my son's life!

notice how the trunk is now in the backseat???

so here is the story......Tyler texted me during 1st period and asked if he could be late for 2nd period. Tianna was sick and needed a ride home. I told him that was fine. At 9:15 I get a text that says....."we just got hit" What the freak?? What would possess him to TEXT me that? Well he wasn't exactly thinking and the second he hit send he realized that was a bad idea and tried to call but I was already trying to call him on his cell from my cell....at the same time calling Dave from the house phone. Dave had just left for work so I knew he was somewhere around the area Ty should have been. I got Dave on the house phone and had Ty on my cell phone....The conversation was a bit crazy...I ask Ty questions and then try to relay information to Dave so he can find him. It never occured to me to hang up and let Dave call him directly....I wasn't thinking striaght at the moment!

Mom, we have been hit by a dump truck

Dave they have been hit by a dump truck

Tyler....are you OK? Yes, mom....I think so.

Yes, Dave they think they are OK

Where are you Ty?

On the side of the road.

they are on the side of the road Dave

Where Tyler?

On the right side?

Dave they are on the right side!

Uhhhh, jenn, the right side WHERE?

Ty, WHERE....what road?

SR 73 on the right side

can you see this is going no where? I'm in panic mode at this time. He is talking...that is good but he isn't actually making much sense. Dave just gets onto 73 and drives...it only took 5 min or less and he tell me he is there. OK, I will hang up and let him go to him. I have 10 students arriving. I have to decide how to get them home. Dave calls me right back and says the car is bad but the kids are OK....just stay put. He would deal with the police and paramedics. That was probably a polite way of saying you will just panic, yell some bad words at the truck driver and construction workers so stay home please! A VERY TRUE STATEMENT!

almost 2 hours later Tyler walked through the door. The paramedics said they needed to be checked out but we could take them in ourselves. I hugged and hugged that kid! I have never been so grateful to see him come down the stairs! We drove to Tianna's house and she, her mother, Tyler and I went to the ER. We got checked in and they did xrays. I was shaking so bad that the Dr brought me a coke...which I don't even drink. I said no, it's OK...I'm fine and I was told to drink it anyway...by both the nurse and Tyler! Kinda funny....well not really! I was shaking pretty bad but I actually held it together pretty good...that is until the Dr said, after getting the details and seeing photos, that the kids should have been killed. My jaw dropped! Let me explain.....

There is alot of construction around the high school and surrounding streets. The road into Tianna's neighborhood was closed so they had to go out on SR 73 and take a different way. They were headed west and needed to make a left hand turn. He slowed to almost a full stop and noticed that the dump truck was not stopping. There is not turn lane set up in this construction zone (well there is NOW). He yelled at Tianna that the truck wasn't stopping and then held on tight and hit the gas. That action saved their lives! When asked why he thought to do that he said at the moment he didn't know for sure.....just that he recalled that he needed to be moving forward to lessen the impact. Later he remembered learning about that in his physics class! And who says you won't use all that crap they make you learn in HS later in life!!! The impact threw them forward into oncoming traffic but luckily the truck coming towards them was far away and saw what happened! Ty was able to control the car enough to steer over to the side of the road and check on Tianna. She was OK....scared but alert. They both had seat belts on! So back to the hospital.....I actually hadn't seen photos yet. I knew I needed to know he was OK before I saw what happened or I would be too upset. After the Dr said that....I finally looked at pictures. I was shocked to realize that the truck didn't actually "hit" them....it drove on top of them. The bumper is still in place......that scared me! That is why the Dr said what he said. There was no reason that truck didn't keep going and drive right up over the car and crush them. Well there certainly was a reason......THESE KIDS ARE NEEDED HERE! The moral to this story...... today I am grateful! Grateful that my kids drove a big clunker......grateful that a physics teacher decided to use a car accident as an object lesson.....grateful that I learned "better late then never" since the truck driver did see them at the last minute and slam on his breaks so he didn't hit them going 50 MPH.....grateful that there wasn't a backseat full of teenagers.......grateful that my son is a calm person who never panics.....grateful that the Lord saw fit to spare these two sweet kids! I won't ever drive the same again!

RUNNING RACES....

2011-08-28T20:20:00.003-06:00

I've decided that life is like like running the 350 meter hurdles......you make it over one hurdle and breath a sigh of relief only to realize you are approaching the next one at full speed! It's all good as long as you keep going even when you biff it BIG TIME! I started a new race today....a personal one. I made it over my first hurdle. It wasn't a big one....actually more like a very tiny one but it was still an obstacle to hurdle. I'm gonna win this race I'm on.....I'm gonna do it!

PHOTO SHOOT

2011-08-21T18:59:00.001-06:00

My in-laws had their 50th wedding anniversary a week ago and we put together a photo frame with all the grandkids as a gift. Here are some of the kids. I think they are pretty dang cute! The girls were quite cooperative but getting the boys to smile is another thing all together. What is it about boys and smiling??? I don't get it! When I let them know I had all day.....no where to go....nothing to do.....and I didn't mind sitting out by the tree for hours if needed......they perked right up and I got to see teeth. Mission accomplished in 5 minutes!

SUMMERTIME ADVENTURES

2011-08-03T15:47:00.012-06:00

It sure has been a crazy summer around here! I was looking at my calendar and there has been less then 2 weeks all summer that I haven't either been out of town or had my family here with me! It's been jammed packed with activities but SO much fun. Sometimes I long for the days that I was "stuck home" all the time but honestly, I wouldn't trade the time I get to spend with all my sisters for anything!

In June, my sister Katie and her 2 girls came for two weeks. We had SO much fun. Dave wants to adopt the girls and spoils them rotten....well he spoils their teeth at least. They know Uncle Davey is good for CANDY! Here is some of the stuff we did on her visit.

it is tradition to make smores out back whenever the cousins are around. The little ones love it.

We were able to go out on the lake with Russell and Michele one night. It was the first time I had been to UT lake......how is it possible that I live 10 min from a lake and had never been out on it??? The girls got to tube.....Reagan was a hoot! She got comfortable with that REALLY fast!

We all went to Lagoon one day. It was 4 of the sisters and their families along with our friends. This is a summer tradition now! There is a new ride....Bombora......Reagan LOVED it. She kept asking us to take her on it OVER and OVER. It think Dave said he took her on it at least 10 times!

The swings......it makes me dizzy to just watch! My kids....not so much. Are they crazy hanging over like this????

This picture makes Dave and I laugh! Ty was So good at helping out with all the little kids! He was pushing the stroller with Ally in it and we said to ourselves.....hey, that's Ty in 6 years!

Katie, Nat, me, and Kim......we are missing Christie and Emily. My sisters are my best friends in the world!

this is the fam riding Wicked.....I've been on it once. I opted out this time! I was sick for an hour after riding it last year!

Um.....ya.....my kids DO NOT get their height from me!

Katie was here over Father's Day and I spent a week in Idaho with all my family. It told my Dad I was leaving Sat night to come home and be with Dave for Father's Day but actually surprised him and showed up to his church. I think he was really happy. This picture makes me giggle though.....he is the only person I can stand next to and feel tall...... (see picture above....hehe)

during the week in Idaho, we went camping at one of my Mom's favorite spots. Actually it was the same spot we had the last family reunion at before she died. We haven't been back since. I thought I might not like it there but it was fine. It was fun to remember that time with her. The kids got to help cook breakfast...the best part of camping is the food!

I will never get used to going to "visit" my mom in a cemetery. I HATE it. I still feel so cheated and I still have some pretty big issues with her death. I get through the days but sometimes I just plain feel angry. One day I will get past he anger stage of grief....not sure when that will be though.

I love getting to watch my Dad play his music. He loves doing it and you can tell while he's up there! I do have to laugh at the "groupies" that follow his band around. I spared you that picture!

The week Katie was here in Utah, we took a day and went to Temple square. It was really fun but we didn't have nearly enough time to see everything. She actually went back another day with my sister Kim!

Toombs reunions ALWAYS include swimming......it was pretty chilly the day we went so we actually spent most of the time in the hot pools. The crazy kids did venture out to the regular pool....the were blue by the time they got out but happy!

This is most of the grandkids on the Toombs side. We are a big group! By this time they were all pretty sick of us taking pictures....haha

And all that was only the first 2 weeks in June! Whew

HABITS.....

2011-07-11T12:02:00.003-06:00

Habits....we all have them right. Some are good...some are bad....some are just random. My random habit is playing with my earring. I know I do it but I'm not always conscience of it. I have had people ask me what I'm thinking about....what is bothering me. When I question why they are asking they point out that I'm twisting my earring. It is not always a bad thing.....I play with my earring when I read, when I'm on the phone with my sisters and yes.....when I'm in deep thought. My RS presidency always knew when I was concerned.....sometimes Stace would even lean over to me and ask what was up......"you're twisting again" Funny! I guess I will never be a poker player....LOL

Dave caught this a few times on camera. The first one is one of his favorite pictures.....I was sitting in the car after church thinking....he called my name and asked me to smile.

This one was just last week at the parade. It was a rough week. I had gotten very little sleep the day prior because Brandon was sick and in the ER.....I can't help but wonder what I was thinking at that moment.

I guess this is why I almost always put earrings on in the morning......my ear lobe would be sore if I didn't!

JEANS

2011-03-08T08:52:00.003-07:00

My pants are too big....I know, I know.....that is usually a good thing but I hate shopping. REALLY, I do not like shopping at all! My theory....get in, get out. The only time that shopping is fun is with my sisters and since I need some new jeans, I believe my sisters need to come visit me!!!
The end

2011-02-08T11:03:00.001-07:00

Test upload from my kool phone!

THE NOT SO GREAT PART OF THE TRIP.......

2011-01-10T14:26:00.003-07:00

Sooooo.....I said I would post the ridiculous part of our trip.....SERIOUSLY, we had the dumbest of luck. If it could go wrong it did. Well....almost. The car didn't have to be towed, that was a VERY good thing and no one was injured (except the part where I almost murdered Tyler.....really, I did!) And in fairness....not all of the stuff was actually "something wrong" but it was stupid and annoying! I apologize in advance for the lengthy post but this is my journal of sorts and I'm only writing about this fiasco once!

So, lets start off with....I am a time freak. I HATE being off schedule and I HATE being late and don't much appreciate anyone else who is late.....it's rude! So problem #1 just got me off to a bad start! Anyway...

Problem #1 TRAFFIC

We left the house and got to the Pioneer Crossing to see it backed up. I mean WAY backed up. It took us an hour to get about 3 miles. We finally got off and took the Frontage rd. By then we had to eat and of course we had to argue as to where to eat. Keep in mind, we aren't even out of Utah county and it's already 6:30. We left at 4! SERIOUSLY....I was annoyed!

Problem #2 HEADLIGHTS

We leave Orem and get all the way to Provo (about 2 miles for you that live out of state) and realize Kim has a headlight out. We go to the nearest Checker to get a new one and find out....NO CHECKER. It is now a Radio Shack. YIKES. As Dave is looking up where the next closest auto parts store is, Kim decides to pull a Fonzie and hit the headlight......WaLa, it comes back on. Problem solved...we decide to just tighten some stuff and be on our way.

problem #3 THE STUPID GPS

the thing is supposed to make the trip easier, faster, don't get yourself lost...right? Well, technically, we didn't get lost but the darn thing has to take us in the most round-about, crazy way possible to the condo. We even went through some apartment parking lots! When it's 11 PM, that is REALLY annoying! It's a good thing Dave turned the voice off.....I think I would hit the thing if I had to listen to "turn left here" no....."rerouting"......"turn right in 50 feet"...etc!

After 7 hours we finally make it to St George for the night. That should have been a 4 hour drive at most!

Drive day two....

Problem #4 SEATBELTS

So I have to preface this by saying Tyler had been told to put his sealtbelt on about a zillion times! He just doesn't do it when he is in the back.....says he "forgets". Well I'm pretty sure he wont forget again! We get to the "do you have any fruit or plants in your car" checkpoint. Now lets just talk about that for a second.....it's about the dumbest checkpoint there is. Why in the world would you actually tell them you have fruit? It's not like they search the car.....UNLESS you say yes. Then I guess they search the entire car.....cuz you could be lying about "how much" you really have and all. See... one would not want to get in too much trouble so they will say they only have 1 orange when actually they have 10 so the "fruit cops" have to pull everything out and make sure you really don't have more. (can you hear the annoyance I have with this particular check point?) Well we roll through and the lady on the right barely gets your little question out and waves us by but Dave happens to turn to the left and there is a cop stopping us. He asks where we are going....."Disneyland" He smirks and says "well it appears that your child isn't restrained....how old are your kids?" Dave and I both flip our heads around and look at Tyler. We are asked why he is not in belt and he says "Uh, I guess I forgot" The cop then asks how old our children are again and for our licence, registration....you know the drill. I start bawling. No one in the car dares say a word to me.....they realize I have just reached my breaking point with this darn drive! We wait for him to come back.....hoping for a warning but knowing it is taking too long for that. He comes to the window and asks Tyler's age again.....didn't we just answer that TWICE??? Dave gets the ticket and we drive on in silence. That is until we get to Baker......

Problem #5 TAIL LIGHTS and WIPERS

See, before the "child endangerment" ticket....I look up and realize we have no left blinker or brake light. Try driving through LA traffic without being able to signal.....NOT. We have to find an auto parts store.....again...refer to problem #2.....and replace these things. That is where I officially blew up. Kim had to actually take me behind the car and remind me that I was acting like a fool and to chill out. It actually worked for a few minutes but then I got mad and blew up at Dave. (I kind have a temper from time to time.....my sister's aren't allowed to comment on this statement!) We sat in the parking lot and argued for 30 minutes.....ya that was fun! Apparently Kim thought she had solved the problem and told Ty he needed to thank her and his response was"if you think for one minute that your little talk calmed my mom down.....YOU'RE WRONG"! I actually had to laugh at that......I was pretty ticked! I really should spend more time describing this scene to you but I am still a bit ticked about it so I will just move on! Oh and Kim's car needed new wipers. At least we got to deal with two problems in one stop!

Problem #6 FORGETTING THE IMPORTANT STUFF

We are pretty tired of driving by now and just want to get to the condo but we discovered that we didn't have the WII sensor. Normally that wouldn't be a big deal.....just don't play. But the kids were getting WII games that night and we HAD to have a sensor. So we try to find a Walmart. I realized that Target is the store of choice in Cali but after a few wrong turns and missed exits....we finally found one. That was an experience. We were there on Christmas Eve in LA....we were probably the only white folk in the store. I wouldn't let Lys out of my site. Even when I turned my head just long enough to get the sensor out of the locked cabinet....she had some guy ask her if she was a "balla" (that is LA talk for do you play basketball) and then go relay the information to his son. (lys tells is much better than that though) We did get the LAST sensor though....whew!

Problem #7 DINNER

We get to the room and were SO ready to eat. We carefully planned our trip and brought along food to cook in the condo....the problem was this room only had a small microwave, not a full kitchen like to thought. Taco salad was not going to work. I panicked at first....it was 7 PM on Christmas Eve.....I was sure nothing would be open. It certainly isn't at home. BUT, alas....this is Anaheim......the Christmas destination of the west so of course places were open. New plan....pizza! I thought the kids would be horrified at the not so "Christmasy" dinner but they were just fine with it! Crisis averted!

BREAK IN THE "ADVENTURE" FOR 2 DAYS OF DISNEYLAND FUN!!!!
then the drive home..........here we go again!

Problem #8 TRAFFIC....again!

OK....so apparently it is NOT a good idea to drive home the Monday after Christmas weekend! We decided the night before to go ahead and stop in Vegas rather then drive all the way home in one day. That would allow us to sleep in a bit on Monday so we would be rested for the trip. It's a dang good thing we did! The traffic was horrendous! I am talking bumper to bumper all the way from LA. There were times we were going 25 on the highway. I have never seen it like that. I get really really car sick so after about an hour I told Dave to pull off, I was going to drive. Now you know I must have felt awful because I wouldn't "choose" to drive in that mess at all.....let alone in California......but I was going to start throwing up if I didn't. I was sure the traffic would let up soon.....NOT! A few little highlights, if you want to call them that, on this leg of trip.......we got a good laugh as we passed the "do you have fruit in your car" checkpoint. Ty doesn't yet see the humor in it since he now has a ticket to pay! We also learned that the 10 commandments are posted on the side of the freeway. No really, I'm serious! They are signs.....like those political ones that say vote for so and so. We were going so dang slow that we had time to read them, think about it, and talk about it before we got to the next one. I can't help but wonder who's idea it was to put those there anyway! Somewhere between Victorville and Baker we finally make it to a rest stop to use the bathroom. Lys and I were dying. Well apparently....SO WAS EVERYONE ELSE......

Problem #9 THE REST STOP

I have never seen anything like it....really! Everyone was pulling off. This rest stop was in the middle of no where....which mean there was no where else to go potty! The cars are backed up the entire length of the off ramp trying to park. When you finally do get to the parking lot you see the line to the women's bathroom all the way to the curb. It was a 45 min wait! The men, now that was interesting....they decided to forget the line and just pee in the lawn along the fence. How would it be??? It's a good thing it was dark! Ashlee and Brandon are in the car playing on the computer while they waited and we didn't realize this would drain our car battery. (they had them plugged in since their batteries had long since died) We are ready to go and.......OOPS....the van won't start. I feel the panic rising in my chest. Kim and Darren had left and the jumper cables were not in the car. (why exactly was that??? We have two sets and they are always under the back seat but not today...ugh) I tell myself it's OK.....after all, there are HUNDREDS of people around. Well, either no one had cable or everyone was just too rude to help! It took maybe 15 min to find someone to jump us. The car starts, crisis averted and we are on our way again. Still two hours to go and it's 5 PM. By now it's getting cold so I turn the heater on.....NO HEAT! Oh, not only don't we have heat but the air conditioner is stuck on. I don't know if I should laugh or cry. I think I laughed but Dave may say different! It wasn't "too" bad to Vegas but the trip from Vegas home was SO SO cold! Thank you Darren for letting me ride with Kim so I wasn't so cold. But poor Dave is now sick with the flu/ cold like stuff. Probably from driving in an ice cube! You are all gonna ask what happened.....we don't know. We tried everything...change fuses, relays, etc. Disconnect the battery. Bang on a few thing....yell at the car.....nothing worked. We are now taking it in for what I suspect will be a very costly electrical repair. NICE!

We finally make it to Vegas......NINE HOURS LATER! I am sick of the drive, sick of the cold and sick of fast food and guess what......Emily and I start planning the next trip with the entire Toombs family. No matter how bad the travel was....and it was bad.....Disney is just the place to be!

THE END

JUST DANCE 2

2011-01-03T23:30:00.005-07:00

I am quite certain I will be in big trouble for posting these videos so you better all enjoy now.....I might have to take them off in a few days! We seriously laughed so hard playing this game. I was sure we were going to get kicked out of the hotel. I figured out the next day that we were above the parking garage......good thing! I say this was one of the best Christmas Eves ever!

DISNEY CHRISTMAS

2010-12-31T13:46:00.006-07:00

This year for Christmas we decided to forgot presents and take a trip instead. We were a bit unsure if the kids would really like it....come Christmas morning and there wasn't anything to open but when we got home they all said it was a big hit and would rather do this again then get gifts. I am ALL FOR THAT! These photos aren't in order but I'm too lazy to try and fix them all....

We actually did get the kids a couple of things to open on Christmas Eve. They each got a new hoodie and they got a couple of WII games. We planned to play that night so we brought all the WII stuff with us. These photos are of us playing Michael Jackson Just Dance and Just Dance 2. You have no idea how funny this was! I have video but have been threatened with my life if I post them.....give it a few weeks, i will put them on anyway!

Lys and Brandon's attempt at Michael Jackson. It is actually pretty hard!

This was just about the funniest thing you have ever seen in your life!

opening the games

Lys has a thing for the Incredibles. She dressed up as Mrs. Incredible for Halloween.

Not exactly sure what was wrong with Brandon at that moment......

Kim and I on Christmas Day. It was so fun to go together....no fights this time, although we did consider going back to the scene of the crime form 2004 and taking a photo just to be funny!

my silly, not so camera shy kids!

On our way in on Christmas Day. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Disney! That moment you turn the corner to Main Street is just magical. I sure did think of Mom!

Dylan was a hoot.....it is fun to go with a child. They see things so differently. He was so dang excited to see the characters!

Em and I on Toy Story Mania

OK....so it WAS pretty crowded. Actually the park reached capacity on Christmas Day. "Capacity".....what would that be for Disneyland???? LOTS and LOTS of people.
But......it really didn't feel that crowded and we didn't wait in long lines at all....as long as you fastpass!

We spent Christmas Day with the Daltons. We were there 2 years ago with them and were so excited to meet up again this year! They are an awesome family!!!

I am so so glad we decided to do this! The kids are getting older and the memories last longer than the toys! I enjoyed myself a lot more then I have since Mom died. I just don't like Christmas at home....I keep waiting for her to walk up the stairs in her santa hat. This year I almost forgot how upset I was about her being gone on Christmas day......that is a GOOD thing! I think it's official.....we will spend very few Christmas's at home!

We took about 400 photos but I think this will do for the blog! In a few days i will post the "not so good" part of the trip. Lets just say we had a very ridiculous run of bad luck on the travel days! NOT FUNNY!

SISTERS!

2010-11-27T12:04:00.008-07:00

NOTE: this is a LONG post with LOTS of photos.....sorry!

I have a lot of wonderful people in my life....I have an awesome husband and great kids. I have some of the best friends in the world and am lucky enough to have some wonderful sister in laws. But over this Thanksgiving holiday I have realized that there is no relationship that can replace that of a sister! Most people have one or two.....I have 5! Ya....that can be CRAZY at times. There have been moments that our husbands just throw their hands up in defeat. I believe my Dad did that quite often....poor guy. But the truth is I couldn't live without them. I talk to at least one almost every day! (thank goodness for cell phone plans) When the going gets rough....I call them. When I am sad and lonely.....I call them. When I miss my Mom....I call them! If I go on a vacation....it's to see one of them! Today, I am grateful to be one of 6 beautiful Toombs girls!
Here are a few photos from the past 8 years.....

Kim and I flew out to GA to be there when Katie had her first baby. We were so sad that she went into labor early and we missed the birth.....arriving in time for her to come home from the hospital. It was so great to share that time with her and Scott. The day we left was so sad....we still have issues with the fact that she lives so far away! ( nice hair we all had!)

Emily's wedding......This was about 6 years ago. She had such a beautiful wedding! I loved the reds. I wish I had a better photo!

The Toombs family reunion 2005. We try to get everyone together every other year. It is not always easy but it is so worth the effort! We have changed a lot in 5 1/2 years!

The Toombs reunion 2007. The last time we were all together before Mom died. We did family photos on our 2nd day camping......NO EASY task. Try doing your hair in a camper and tents with 18 children! And we decided to wear white......what were we thinking??? Looking back, I am SO SO glad we did it. Little did we know it would be the last photo of all of us. I am not sure where Nat, Chris, and I were when this was taken but I love this picture of Kim, Katie, and Em.

This was that same reunion 2007. We always seem to swim at our reunions! We all got sick from this pool :(

4 of us came down to Utah after the reunion 2009 and went to Lagoon. It was one of the best times we have had. Katie rode skycoaster.....she said she will never do it again! We went with some friends of mine at the time of her work party. I am telling ya.....that is the way to go to Lagoon. All you can eat food all day long. HEAVEN

This was August 2008. It was the last time the 3 of us saw my mom alive. She had come down to Utah for the weekend before Katie and Em flew home. We shopped and went to peaks. I remember Mom CRIED and CRIED that time. I really think that subconsciously she just knew it was goodbye. It makes me sad to think of it.

This is a tender photo.....I really don't like it simply because of the circumstances. It was the day after Mom's funeral.....or maybe it was that night. We all gathered up on her bed.....for the final time......to read the comment cards people left at the viewing. Mom always loved it when we all come in on Mother's Day and sat on her bed. It had been years since we were able to do that. I now have this bed. Sometimes it is still hard for me to look at.....every once in a while I have a wave of sadness wash over me when I walk in my bedroom!

I just realized that Nat has spent most Thanksgiving's with me. That is pretty cool! This was two years ago.....just a month after Mom died. It was a pretty hard holiday season! We decided to go out on black Friday and do some shopping. We didn't hit the normal stores.....we went to places Mom liked. Here we are at Thanksgiving Point. I loved that day!

Toombs reunion 2009. Grandma Toombs came to visit. We hadn't seen her for many years! She actually looks exactly the same! (where is Kim? taking the picture maybe?)

Nat and I summer of 2009

I went to be with Emily in Aug 2009. Dyan was having his surgery and I am so glad I was there. I am lucky enough to have been with Em through most of Dylan's ordeal......making 4 trips to Arizona in two years! We took him to the Children's museum a few days after his surgery. It was about 110 degrees and he couldn't get wet and the poor kids was going nuts. We had to find something for him to do. He sure did figure out how to work around a HUGE cast really fast!

On our way to church Oct 2009

Oh this is a sentimental photo! When we were growing up....my Mom would take turns bringing us down to SLC during the Oct conference to Christmas shop. At that time, conference was still held in the tabernacle so we rarely had tickets to go in although I WAS lucky enough to attend a session when was around 13. Anyway, we would always stay in the Little America and go to the Olive Garden for dinner. The last time I talked to my Mom, she had actually called to wish Lys a happy birthday and make plans to come down the next weekend to take her shopping and to stay at the Little America. She decided that it was time to continue the tradition with her grandkids. She died 30 hours later. We held her funeral the day she was to check into the hotel with Lys. One year later was Alyssa's 16th birthday so we decided to do what Grandma would have done and celebrate in style. Kim, Nat, Em, Kayla, Lys, her friend McKylee, and I all went to SL for the weekend. We stayed in the Little America and asked for one of the older rooms in the tower. It looked exactly the way it did 20 years ago! We went shopping at the gateway and had dinner at the Olive Garden. We laughed so hard we caused a scene and did a little crying too. I know Mom was there! Growing up we always took a photo in the lobby of the Little America so we just had to do it again for old time sake!

Kim and I took pictures of some of Mom's favorite stores. See's was at the top of the list!

5 of the 6 of us this past 4th of July. We are missing Katie :(

Nat and Chris came down.....for no particular reason......just to visit. Those are the best weekends! We went to a football game and then did some shopping and out to Red Lobster for lunch. We couldn't do the seafood thing if Kim had been there.....she HATES it.

The most recent "sister" weekend. Kim and Nat came here for Thanksgiving. We had the best time. The 3 of us and Mckayla went shopping all day Friday and then that night we went to see the lights at temple square. Considering there were 18 of us....we did pretty darn good!
I absolutely cherish these times! I am so blessed to have 5 sisters as my BEST FRIENDS!

I love you all!!!

2 YEARS AGO.....

2010-10-11T18:37:00.003-06:00

Today is the 2nd anniversary of my Mom's death. I must admit.....this year as brought less tears then last year. Maybe that is because I cried so much yesterday instead??? This evening a dear friend brought me these.....

SO YUMMY! The story behind the chocolates.....besides they are just "to die for" (that is for you Katie).....is that my Mom and I love See's. From the time I was a little girl we would come to Salt Lake to shop and always make a special trip into See's. We would sit and "argue" about which chocolates were the best. She like Nuts and Chews, I liked Soft Centers and Truffles. She always won.....after all, she had the money. By the time I was an adult she decided that Soft Centers were good too and she would always buy TWO boxes each time she came....one for me and one for her (we would then share, of course!) My absolute favorites are the dark chocolate truffles. This is the second year someone has remembered that and brought me a box on this day. Love ya Becky and Kim! Thanks for remembering!!!

Last year we started decided to write Grandma letters and send them up to heaven on a balloon. It was a really nice way of making the day special. We have decided to make it a tradition each year. This year was a pretty windy day....the balloons lifted much faster then last year. I was barely able to get a photo of them blowing away. We added our email address this time. Maybe someone will find them and let us know how far they went. All of the family, in each different state, go to a park or the cemetery and let go of our balloons at the same time. It is a really neat family moment. Ty couldn't get out of football practice so we are missing him... :(

The purple is for Mom.....her favorite color. Well, one of them!

We love you Mom......people say it gets easier with time....I don't think so. I think we just learn to live with the heartache. I am trying to do better but being without a Mom is an empty feeling. There is nothing that can replace that relationship. Hope you are happy doing the Lords work Mom!!! Hugs and Kisses...Penny

GIRLS WEEKEND!

2010-10-04T11:30:00.002-06:00

My sisters Natalie and Christie came to visit for the weekend......for no particular reason, just for fun! It was so great to have them around. On Friday night we went to the HS varsity football game. We played Timpview HS (Dave went to HS there) and they are the current state camps. Both teams are the only two undefeated teams in the league left. It was a great first half but someone had to loose and unfortunately it was us. DANG! We had a lot of fun though.

On Saturday we went to see Brandon play his football game. He had a great 10 yd run but the team ended up loosing. Not a great weekend for "wins" but a great weekend for "plays" Ty played on Thursday night and caught a SWEET 20 yd pass and ran in 30 yds for the touchdown. It was executed perfectly. I was jumping up and down and screaming like a crazy woman. (I LOVE football) Ty came home and said " Mom, I think you are more excited them I am!" FOR SURE!!!

Anyway, after Brandon's game..... at the crack of dawn, by the way...... we got ourselves ready and went out for an afternoon of window shopping. We actually didn't buy much at all but looking around was fun. Around here, Sat evening is "ladies night" since all the men are at the priesthood session of conference so there are lots of festive things going on at the stores. Tia Pan was our favorite. We looked around for an hour.....thinking a lot of mom..... and they fed us cookies and cupcakes. YUMMY.

Afterwards we went to Red Lobster for dinner. We talked the guy next to us into taking a photo....since the waiter pretty much ignored us. I don't think he liked us because we kept telling him to bring more then 3 rolls at a time. Good times.....good times.

We need to plan another weekend, this time with everyone!

SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS

2010-10-01T13:25:00.007-06:00

We celebrated Brandon and Tyler's birthday in the month of September. I am a bit late posting photos but better late then never right???

Brandon turned 11. This means 5th grade, moving to A track, which has been really good for him! It means the end of Weebalo scouts and only one year left of primary. 11 years old marks the 2 year of football and brought Iwith it a month of injuries, including a broken wrist scare....whew, that didn't happen!

This year we let the kids pick where they wanted to go for their birthday dinner. Brandon chose Asian buffet.....not my favorite but he likes it. Actually, he likes the ice cream.....he doesn't eat much else! Dave caught these photos on his phone.....Brandon just "loves" kissing me!

Tyler turned 16 bringing with it dating.....Oh MY.... and driving.....GASP. It's a good thing that he is a responsible kid and isn't that interested in girls....well at least in dating them :) I am sure that will change as soon as his friends are all old enough to date! Man, girls are so much easier then boys when it comes gift giving and big celebrations. We asked Ty for months what he wanted to do for his birthday. He couldn't think of anything so.....bla. bla.....we didn't do anything special. He did finally decide on a restaurant for his birthday dinner.....Texas Roadhouse. It is his favorite place in the world to eat! I think we cleaned them out of rolls......not really but probably close! They made him sit on a saddle and sang Happy Birthday. That is actually funny......Ty being the guys who doesn't like to be in the spotlight (unless it is on the football field!) and NEVER smiles for pictures.

What.....another smile. That makes 2 good photos in one day! I think it is because Lys is sitting next to him and just tried to kiss him. He figures he better cooperate or I will enlist her help again!

SURGERY IS FOR THE BIRDS!!!

2010-09-16T22:23:00.007-06:00

Having your tonsils out is no fun! We have had a rough 10 days around here. Surgery was Wed 8th. Lys made it home around 1 PM and slept most of the the day. This is what day one looks like! Thanks Vickie for the sweet little eye covers. She used them all week!

She woke up a bit in the evening and was feeling nauseous but nothing to terrible. Thursday was pretty good. She was awake a lot and watched movies all day. She even had a friend over. We thought......hey this won't be so bad. HA!! Day 3 hit like nobody's business. She began vomiting and didn't stop until Monday. That is FOUR WHOLE DAYS.....NIGHTS TOO!! We both thought we were going to die and to be honest, Lys was contemplating the sensibility of such relief! She actually looked up at me one time and mouthed..."this is not worth it" She couldn't actually speak but the tears were rolling down her cheeks. She, fortunately, does not remember that moment. I, however, have it etched in my mind. Not a good moment!

Day 6 looks like this:

We are now officially a pharmacy! The doctor changed the dosage of her pain meds, switched her nausea meds and called in an additional pain med....just for good measure. We were informed that if the vomiting was not under control in 24 hours, she would possibility be admitted to receive IV fluids. OH JOY....... And as a bonus, Tyler calls me and says " Mom, I sprained my ankle. I am on crutches.......I can't put any weight on it.....but it's not really that bad". Well, I decided that the narcotics are looking like a possibility for ME. (not really....don't freak out)

I had my friend come over and take all Alyssa's vitals and try to get her to drink more. That didn't go over well but I think we convinced her that the needles would be far worse so drink up baby! Tuesday was day 7. She has now been on the "new meds" for 24 hours and made it through the day vomiting only once. She asked for some food and we actually took her out for a drive. She had forgotten there was an outside world ya know! Day 8 and 9......Lys is feeling MUCH MUCH better. She can talk a little.....in a very low whisper and is drinking a lot. Oh and what is she saying most of the time....."I am starving!" After a 15 lbs weight loss...her body needs to make up for lost time and she now eats all day. Soup, creamy tuna, noodles of every kind, ramen (so gross), pudding, frozen yogurt, and her personal favorite....mashed potatoes and gravy. I think she is on the mend!

Day 10 with her Dad. Can you tell that the Dad is now tired? After all....he has been banished to the basement for a week. I have kept Lys in bed with my so I can give her med through the night and deal with her vomiting. Poor guy??

Oh and did I forget to mention that I bottled 6 quarts of peach pie filling on Monday....the REALLY BAD day??? I ordered the peaches before her surgery and picked them up Saturday. I had to do something or they would spoil. I should have just let them spoil but maybe is was a stress reducer or something. All I have to say is that those pies better taste DANG good this winter!

PANTYHOSE

2010-09-14T14:32:00.004-06:00

I hate pantyhose......really HATE them. I am a flip-flop girl to the core!!! Dave knows this and while picking up some prescriptions for Alyssa he found this:

(notice the cute little flip-flops in the corner?)

Now those of you that live in Eagle Mountain will understand the significance of this statement! Those that don't.....just trust me.....this is funny! The little plaque came with a cute little "explanation card" It reads

LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO WEAR PANTYHOSE

I can't think of anything
More uncomfortable,

Claustrophobic or irritating

Than a pair of pantyhose.

Whoever invented them

Either hated women,

Was into sadistic torture,

Or, at the very least

Never tried a pair on themselves.

I'd rather have a root canal

Than shimmy and shake myself into a pair,

Much less proceed to wear them all day.

It doesn't help that such stockings

Are usually associated with some sort of

Confining, unyielding, contoured shoe

That squeezes the life out of my feet.

Besides, how can I show off a new pedicure,

Tiny toe rings and funky flip-flops

If I'm squeezed into

Such a ridiculous contraption?

Life is just too short to wear pantyhose!

So, everytime I put a pair of the awful things on I will think of this! SERIOUSLY......isn't it the truth!!!

CATCHING UP

2010-07-26T17:32:00.007-06:00

Well, it is about time I catch up on all the summer happenings at our house. I will have to do this in a couple of posts.....I shouldn't get so far behind!

(oh and sometimes blogger gets all testy and won't let me move photos around so everything is out of order....sorry)

We decided to go home to IF for the 4th this year......something we have not done in YEARS. I am pretty set on a Utah 4th of July but I will admit that the Idaho Falls fireworks were pretty dang good! I did miss the Provo parade and booths but being with my family was worth it! Emily and I got excited as the cheerleaders went by in the parade. Funny how we still will watch to see if the are "good"!

Emily and Brandon blessed Wyat on Sunday the 4th. It was really nice to have most of us there. We are missing Katie.....it's just not quite the same without her spunk!

My goofy kids.....well except Tyler who has an aversion to smiling. We discovered the game "ladder ball" that day. We are hooked! We came home and Dave purchased one for our family Monday afternoon!

We went over to the IF temple on Sunday afternoon. I had forgotten that there was a nice visitor's center. We did not have enough time to really enjoy all that was there. We will definitely be going back the next time we go home. This is a picture of the future missionaries of the family.....oh and Jack may as well be family so he counts too!

I like this photo. It is the only picture of our entire family in front of a temple.

On Saturday we all went to Ross park. It has always been a favorite summer spot but I sure missed Mom that day. She would have loved it!

June 10th was Ashlee's 12th birthday. She wanted to have a Luau. It was a lot of fun. We had pizza, roasted smores, Alyssa taught the girls how to hula and they all slept in a tent. Ashlee is growing up so dang fast. Well not actually "up" as she is doomed to be the shortest in the family but isn't she cute!!!

June 4th was our 18th anniversary. We have gone down to Vegas the past couple of years and decided to head down there for the weekend again this year. We stayed in the condo so I got to spend time doing my favorite thing.....sit in the pool and read while Dave did his favorite thing....take a nap! It was so hot that even the pool was warm. We tried a new buffet and decided that we still like the seafood buffet at the Rio best. Kirk and Stace.....mark your calendars now...we are going back next June!

Ahhh. NEW BEDDING

2010-05-31T15:36:00.001-06:00

Don't you just love a pretty bed? It just makes me all giddy inside. If I can keep my kids from climbing up on the bed and messing it up I am more then giddy.....I am ecstatic! The problem....this beautiful red bedding is TOO HOT! I was throwing it off halfway through the night and the temperature hasn't even hit the summer highs! I had no choice....this beautiful red "winter bedding" needed packing up and I was now on the hunt for "summer bedding"

I really wanted to go with the quilted look. I searched for a month and finally found the perfect set on overstock.com. Me, being the indecisive person I am, had to get approval from a couple of my sisters and by the time I decided to order it....only one day later....it was out of stock. SO SAD. The hunt began again and I found something that was a little "out there" but could be cool. Too bad I forgot to take a photo before returning it. Why did I return it......because it looking like the the Brady Bunch showed up to decorate. The quilt was a lot brighter and UGLIER then it looked online! NO GO! Again I began to search and finally found this. I love it! The only down side.....they were sold out of king size pillow shams and some of the matching throw pillows but I was sick of shopping and decided to just deal with it. My next project......retexture and paint my walls. I am sick of the crackled look and the green doesn't match the new bedding anyway. Good thing it is summer and I have so much time on my hands!

THEY KNOW ME SO WELL!

2010-05-23T22:43:00.003-06:00

Dave and I went down to the neighbors to chat tonight after the kids had been put to bed. We were gone about an hour and when I walked into the back door I saw this on the counter.

Ohhhhh, he knows me so well! I kind of have this bad habit of picking things up and putting them away before the kids and Dave are done using them. They get the milk, leave it on the counter and walk over the the pantry to pick out cereal. I walk through the kitchen, see the milk and put it in the fridge. It freaks them all out. Sorry.....I just hate things laying around. So apparently Brandon has resorted to leaving me notes. Poor kid.......

INDULGENCES

2010-05-11T14:30:00.007-06:00

I am a sucker for good food! I don't usually eat a TON but there are just a few things that I will over eat any day. These beauties are one of those indulgences! My friend Tammy just expanded her Cold Stone to include a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Now don't worry.....I am still hopelessly devoted to See's. I will never abandon my true love.....dark chocolate truffles. But that is a whole other post!!! Anyway, my second favorite treat.....Caramel apples. This beauty is covered in chopped up Reese Peanut Butter Cup. Just divine! I actually brought home TWO apples that night but the first one was gone before I thought to take a photo. Told you.....indulgence!
This past weekend a group of 6 friends went up to Heber to shop, scrapbook and EAT. We all splurged and went to someplace nice one night. The special that evening was macadamia nut crusted halibut served on a bed of mango and hicama salsa. The rice was cooked in coconut milk. OH MY.......it was one of the best meals I have eaten. I will splurge again as soon as I can get Dave up there for date night....it is SO worth the one hour drive!!!

Mother's Day was, as always wonderful. I convinced the kids that I did not want breakfast. We have 9 AM church and the big breakfast in bed thing would be more stressful then anything so we opted out of that tradition this year. I did get some really nice bath salts, bubble bath, and foot scrub. The kids all know my love of a nice hot soak in the tub. They even got me a good book to go along with it......"Women of the Book of Mormon" I can't wait to dive into it! I got my traditional corsage. It is a family tradition. My dad always got my Mom one....and still goes out and sets one at her grave. (I hope he knows how much that means to me) He passed the tradition onto Dave and I have not been without one single Mother's day in 18 years. Thank you Dave.....I love you!
Too bad Ty's eyes are closed. I will have to do the photoshop thing and just swap out his head. So cool how you can do that. Too bad I don't know how.

MISSING SHOES!

2010-04-29T09:11:00.002-06:00

"Uhhhhh, did you get into a fight with your shoes?" That was Dave's reaction when he came home from work the other day to this mess.

"YES, I sure did!" I was pretty mad that one pair..... one of my FAVORITE pairs of flip flop I might add........is missing. They are a beautiful coral and yellow plaid. I have several shirts that they match and have searched the house top to bottom looking for them. I was not happy that day. I am telling you....they just got up and walked away! And because of their misbehavior, I took it out on the whole basket of flip flops and boots. Surly they were playing a game of hide and seek! NO LUCK. I am just broken up about this atrocity and must console myself by purchasing a new pair!! That is just the way it is!

PROM

2010-04-01T13:52:00.008-06:00

This last week was prom for Alyssa. It was so much fun going through this with her. I didn't realize just how big of a deal prom was around here. We did it a bit different where I am from. I did go to a prom in Florida my Jr year and thought the hoopla was an east coast thing. NOPE. The school went all out!!!

We started out the first week of March looking for the dress....WOOOOO, talk about sticker shock. Call me a penny pincher but I wasn't spending $350-$500 on a prom dress! I was pretty sure we were going to have a meltdown in the dressing room but Alyssa finally found a dress she loved.....as a matter of fact she loved it more then any of the other more expensive dresses.....and it was a DANG good deal because it had "history" as the sales lady put it! What was the story behind the dress??? To make a long story short, the dress was altered for someone else and that person was needing to sell the dress. There as no room to take the dress out so they could only sell it to someone very tall and slender. Luckily Lys fit the bill......BUT......it had very narrow sleeves so we still had to figure out how to widen them enough to please the mom and dad! The meltdown began.....Alyssa was just devastated to hear they had no matching fabric so the alterations were not possible. Luckily we found a seamstress that was able to take some fabric from the skirt to make the sleeves. You could not even tell she altered the bottom at all and after 3 fittings we had a happy Alyssa!

This was actually pretty funny. Alyssa was struggling with the boutonniere and kept making funny faces. I think Derrick was thinking "these things are stupid anyway!"

They high 5ed each other when she finally got it on correctly.
Exactly when did Lys get so tall???

These all uploaded in a weird order and blogger isn't letting move them for some reason. sorry! Mikilee came over to help with the hair......a process that took 3 hours. Yes, I said 3 HOURS! I had no idea it would take that long. They had to do it with Lys in her dress because it had to be pulled over her head. That is a long time to be in a prom dress. Good thing it was comfortable!

Typical Alyssa.....making funny faces!

I got her to give me a good smile! She is just gorgeous!

FINALLY UPDATING!

2010-03-15T13:40:00.001-06:00

Well, it is only March and I have already failed MISERABLY at one of my new year goals.....write in my journal regularly and keep my blog updated. NOT!!! It actually takes an email from my sister to light a fire under my butt!

So here are a few things that have happened in our family the past month.

PINEWOOD DERBY.

So for those that have read my blog more then two years you know that I DETEST the pinewood derby. I mean LOATH the event. Is that even possible....to "loath" a scouting event? I assure you, it is!!!!!!! I sweat beads of perspiration just at the thought of that terrible 2 hours. We each have our talents and you all know that Dave and I are SO VERY TALENTED (ha, ha.....just kidding) Well, carving cars out of wood blocks is not one of those talents. Oh and don't be fooled.....we have tried the "just buy one" route and that does not work either! I am not sure what we do wrong. Come on..... we read all the scouting freaks' blogs about making your car and follow the instructions to the tee and still we come in last......EVERY YEAR! But......woo hoo......this year Brandon's car actually won....yes I said WON.....two heats. Not exactly sure how that happened but it did. Brandon was thrilled. I was thrilled. Dave was EXTRA thrilled that I would not accuse him of being the worst carpenter in the world this year! We were all smiles. Even the crowd knows the Diaz curse and they all cheered his car on like it was in the Indy 500. Pretty funny actually. Well, all was well......the winners were being announced and they decided to do it by groups. The top three in the wolves came up and took a bow. Then the top three in the bears came up and took their bow and then the Webalos came up (that is Brandon's group in case you wondered) He took 2nd. Now mind you......there were only two boys in that group but Brandon did not get that so the smile stayed!! UNTIL........the dang dude announcing it just had to put up the "overall" rankings. OH NO!!! I knew there was going to be trouble. Can't they just leave well enough alone??? The way they had announced it basically let there be several winners. I jumped up and went over to Brandon and braced myself for the tears that would surly come as he saw his name at the bottom.....AGAIN. I talked him through the crying episode, tried to dry my now drenched shoulder and sent him up for his award. All the while......Dave is slowing inching his way to the corner of the gym awaiting the tongue lashing he expected from me. Well lucky him.......I came home and whooped for joy. This was our last year of the dreaded, HATED, pinewood derby!!! I am just sure he let out an audible sigh of relief!

This is before the "overall" rankings were announced. He still felt some measure of success!

COLORING ALYSSA'S HAIR
Alyssa has been asking to color her hair off and on for a couple of years. She first wanted highlights and I told her she would have to pay for those herself. She decided she did not want them THAT bad when she realized how much it would cost with her super long hair! She pretty much forgot about it for a year and then decided last week she wanted to go really dark. Lucky her......I know how to do an all over color so off we went to pick our her color. I have a friend who owns a salon and has taught me how to mix the color and developer and apply it the "professional" way. Oh isn't Alyssa such a lucky girl!!! She was scared to death. I assured her that if I messed up completely, I knew people that would fix it. That only slightly put her mind at ease. It was a fun experience. Ashlee and Brandon enjoyed teasing her and taking photos.
These uploaded in the wrong order but the second photo of her hair is abviously the "before shot" and the first one is the "after shot". It turned out REALLY dark but she loves it!

DANCE TRYOUTS.....TAKE TWO!
Alyssa decided to try out for dance company again this year. She knew she had a real good chance at making it and the teacher was really encouraging her to go for it. We get all her paperwork in order and attend the parent meeting only to find out that the school had changed the Dance Company class period to the same class period as basketball. SO SAD. There as no way Alyssa was giving up basketball so she had to make the terrible decision to try out for
Dance 3 instead. At first she was really upset but then decided that it was OK. Of course she made the team and did it without beating the heck out of her body this time!

NEXT YEAR....

2009-12-23T15:34:00.002-07:00

So....just for the record.....I have decided that buying Christmas presents is a pain and I don't want to do it anymore so we are going back to Disneyland next year! We were there last year and it ROCKED! Good thing my kids are all old enough to be on board with MY PLAN! (not that they get a choice anyway)

There is my ranting for the day!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

MISSING MOM

2009-11-24T09:22:00.002-07:00

I have been thinking of my Mom a lot lately. I think Thanksgiving will always be a little sad for me. Mom loved Christmas but everything about Thanksgiving is her. I think I have done a pretty good job keeping my tears in check the past several months but this past week they seem to be flowing. Yesterday I was at the grocery store and I forgot to bring the recipe for the stuffing with me. I am pretty sure I have it memorized but wanted to double check that I had not forgotten anything. I tried each of my sisters and got no answers and then began to cry. I just wanted to call Mom. I wanted her to be here making the turkey and stuffing so I did not have to worry that I would make it wrong. I want to ask her if she liked the pineapple and walnuts in the jello or not. She did it different every year and the recipe says "optional" What is her preference? I am mad today! Mad she is gone!

TODAY'S FIVE

2009-11-23T11:00:00.002-07:00

1. My calling. I teach the 4th Sunday RS lesson and really enjoy it. I love reading conference and getting to teach the talks!

2. Books. I love reading and love being able to relax with a good book....especially Mary Higgins Clark

3. Warm fuzzy socks. My feet get so darn cold!

4. Hot Water. Have you ever been without your water heater for a day or two? I have and it was awful!

5. Computers. This is a love hate thing. I hate how testy electronic equipment is but you can't live without them!

MY FIVE

2009-11-19T10:11:00.004-07:00

My sisters are all posting 5 things they are grateful for each day until Thanksgiving. What an awesome idea! So here is my 5 for the day.......

Today I am grateful to live so close to several temples! Dave and I decided on Tuesday that we were going to go to the temple on Wed. I changed Brandon's vision therapy apt. so we could attend a session that would get us home in time to put the kids to bed. We arrived at the AF temple about 4:30 PM. As we came around the corner Dave said, "We pick a good day. It does not look crowded." We then realized that there was not a single car there and it must be closed. We decided that we said we were going to do a session so we would just drive to another temple and off to Draper we headed. We arrived at the desk at exactly 5 PM. We found out that that temple does sessions on the hour so we would probably have to wait until 6 PM. We decided to just do sealings. One of the workers then came running to us and said they are holding the session and we needed to get dressed fast. We asked where the clothing rental was since we each needed one item. Only to find out that this temple did not rent clothing. At this point we decide that this is not working out for us and we would have to come another day but then another temple worker said, "NO, we will find you what you need. We want you to stay." Almost 20 min late, we walked into the session and I realize I REALLY need to use the bathroom. I was in such a hurry, knowing that people were waiting on us, that I forgot to go. NOT GOOD! I have the smallest bladder known to man! I say a prayer and the session begins. We must have really needed to be there because we faced several obstacles and each time a solution was found. We had a wonderful experience!

I am grateful for Dave's job. So many people are without work and we are hanging in there for now! I feel very blessed.

I am grateful for Carnation instant breakfast. I am not a big breakfast eater but know I should so I drink this every morning. It is so YUMMY!

I am grateful for Dr Price, Brandon's eye doctor. Many of you know he has 2 disorders that make reading and comprehending very very difficult for him. This is something that neither glasses or surgery would fix. He needed vision therapy. After 4 months of the program, I cannot even begin to explain how much better he is doing! He likes school for the first time and is actually doing well. This program is very expensive and our insurance would not cover it but once again, the Lord provided a way for Brandon to receive the help he needed. I will forever be grateful for this man....he gave Brandon a future!!!

I am grateful for my 5 sisters. I really love them all so much and cannot imagine going even one day with talking to one of them! I guess that makes me pretty grateful for phones too!

PHOTO SESSION

2009-11-10T13:34:00.004-07:00

Can I just tell you that taking family photos is NOT a bonding experience! By the time I figured out what we were going to wear and made it to the Riverwoods, I was already cranky! My sister Kim took the pictures and the poor girl got to see my snippy side! It only happens once in a while but that was the day! Thank goodness we only take these once a year! It doesn't help when the boys in the family hate to smile.....you'd think they had a miserable life! (well, they probably DID think that at the moment) I am pretty happy with how good many of them turned out! I think this one on the bridge is the best.

ONE YEAR DOWN!

2009-11-05T09:04:00.005-07:00

Well, this is very late but hey....that was my Mom's way of doing things anyway! October 11th was the one year anniversary of my Mom's death. The anticipation of the day was far worse then the actual day and for that I am grateful! The 11th was a Sunday but Mom actually died on Saturday so the 1oth was a pretty hard day for me. Ashlee had a soccer game that morning and I did not go. I just could not go sit on the same field I was the moment I found at she died at the very same time I found she died. It was just too much! Sorry Ashlee!!! Later that afternoon we went to the temple. I was very excited that my friend was getting sealed to her husband and 3 kids that day. It was a REALLY good day for me to go to the temple. I made it through the sealing fine but lost it as I walked out of the room. I am not sure why, at that very moment, the emotions suddenly hit me, but after a good 15 min of hard crying I actually felt much better, very peacful. I think it was almost cleansing. Sunday the 11th was actually a pretty good day. We decided to make the day a celebration. All the family which included my 5 sisters and their husbands, all the grandkids, my Dad, and Uncle Paul met at 5 PM....no matter where we were! Some were in Idaho Falls and went to the cemetery and those of us that lived in different states went to a park or outside in their yard. We all wrote letters to Grandma, put them in balloons and sent them up to heaven...at the exact same time.... for Grandma to read. We were all on speaker phone together. I could hear Kim and everyone in Idaho and Katie in Georgia at the very same time. It almost felt like we were together. The decision to make the day fun and more like a celebration of Mom's life really helped!!! Here a few photos of us at the park waiting for everyone to be ready to launch our balloons.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY....

2009-09-21T12:00:00.002-06:00

"Common sense is not so "common" these days!"
-Oprah

Isn't it the sad truth?!?!

I AM.....

2009-09-14T13:52:00.000-06:00

Outside my window..... rain. I love the rain! It smells so good and it cools down the air. I makes me think of my Mom....not sure why???? I think I will spend the evening on my porch tonight.

I am thinking.......that the month of October is going to be awful for me! I am already feeling a lot of anxiety over the upcoming anniversary of my Mom's death. I feel a lot of guilt and have not been able to get past that. My mom called me 2 days before she died and asked me to come help her paint a preschool room for the kids she did counseling for. I told her it was not a good weekend because Ashlee and Brandon had their last soccer game that Saturday morning and I did not want to miss them. That was the morning she died. I should have gone home! I missed the darn games anyway! What if I had gone home? What if I had not been so selfish and had been there with her? Maybe she would still be here. Maybe we would have stayed up late painting and then playing gin or something and she would not have died. She died at 4 AM. Did I ever tell anyone that I was up at 4 AM that night??? Nat was here, her baby was sick, I was putting blankets in the wash that had been thrown up on. Why did I not "know" something was wrong??? I am just thinking......

I am thankful for.....See's chocolate and long baths! Don't laugh!!! A long, very hot, bath can make anyone feel better. Sometimes I am sad...sometimes I am tired....sometimes I am just in a darn bad mood but put me in a bath and I feel better. Add some essential oils and See's dark chocolate truffles and I am transformed! Don't know how it works but why question it!!!

I am thankful for my friends. So many people have really tried to bring me comfort this past year. The funny thing is not a single one REALLY knows what I feel or what I am going through but that doesn't change their sincere desire to BE THERE for me. I found out I had friends I did not even know I had! I know I have not been a good friend in return......I have even "pushed" them away by wanting to just be left alone but no one has given up on me. I am very lucky. Someday I will be my old self again.......Anyone have a crystal ball that can tell me WHEN that will be??? I am anxiously waiting! Actually I don't think I will ever be the same again.

I am thankful for Steel Magnolias....you know, the movie. My sisters and I all LOVE watching it. Weizer is such a smartly and she really reminds me of Mom. I have watched it several times since she died and it can always make me laugh. I just can't watch it past the scene where Shelby collapses on Halloween. That is just too sad for now. But the rest is a hoot! I think Mom and Weizer may have been best friends in some other life.

I am thankful for Rosie....my mom's sister. I wish I could see her more often but I get to talk to her about once a week and she makes me happy. She is one of the few people who understands the deep sadness I feel. I don't have to try and explain every little thing....she just knows. I love her!

I am wondering......Just how many tragedies we have been spared from? Have your really ever thought about that? Everyday I kneel in prayer and thank Heavenly Father for my blessings. Usually I am specific about things I am grateful for. But the other day I realized that I need to be thankful for the blessings I do not even realize I have received. Like the day one of my kids just may have darted out in front of a car and did not get hit or the day they were playing football and did not get injured or the day they got through dinner without choking. I wonder if my sisters have been protected every time they have gotten on a plane and come to see me.....the plane is delayed for hours and we are complaining......is that the Lord making sure we were not in harms way? When we ask Heavenly Father to "watch over and protect us" do we really then thank him for doing so or do we "forget" since nothing bad happened? I am just wondering......am I as grateful as I should be????

I am wearing..... walking shorts and a red V-neck and, of course, flip-flops. What would I do without my collection of flip-flops???

From the kitchen.....banana bread! There is nothing better on rainy, fall days then baking. Today the item of choice was two loaves of banana bread......which came out of the oven 5 minutes ago and one is already gone!!

I am creating..... Nothing special right now. I have made a quilt and learned to make those....ever so popular.....watch bracelet things but other then that I have not been creative at all. Are you kidding......it is a good day if I just create a "clean" house!

I am going..... to football game after football game!!! Tyler is every Thursday night. The HS varsity team plays on Fridays and we usually go as a family and Brandon plays every Saturday. Ashlee also has a soccer game every Saturday morning. Go, Go, Go!!!

I am reading..... Now that is a good question! I just finished "My Sister's Keeper" and did not love it. I really prefer mystery/suspense type books and am anxiously waiting for Mary Higgins Clark to publish a new one. I have a long wait though.....she is only doing one a year right now (aside from the ones she co writes with her daughter) and that always releases the first Tuesday in April. I guess I need to head over to the library!

I am hoping.... I have the courage to use my chocolate fountain at my Christmas Eve party this year. 2 days before my Mom died, she called me. We talked about a lot of things but one was this awesome chocolate fountain she got for a great deal from some company going out of business. It was a catering company of some kind so the fountain is supposed to be pretty good. She and my Dad spent her last Christmas here with my family and helped me with a get together on Christmas Eve. It was GREAT. She bought the fountain for me. She wanted me to use it on Christmas Eve. I just couldn't do it last year. It is put away....I haven't even opened it. I am trying to convince myself that I can do it this year. Didn't I just say chocolate makes everything better????? We will see.

Around the house.....Don't ask! It is a mess and here I sit on the computer.

One of my favorite things.....talking to my sisters. Thank goodness I have 5 of them. If one is busy I can almost certainly get ahold of another. It is a rare thing for me to go a day without talking to someone from my family. I feel VERY lucky to be one of 6 girls!!!!

A few plans for the rest of the week..... clean the house, stock up on the caselot sale items, clean the fridge and football games!!!

A picture to share.....

This picture of Ashlee makes me laugh......the preteen in her is really beginning to show. She is beginning to really pick up on Alyssa's silly attitude but a twist of her own! We just love her!

HOMECOMEING!

2009-09-12T17:26:00.003-06:00

We are off to take Alyssa over to some friends to swim and BBQ. Why is she going to swim when most everyone else is going to the Homecoming dance????? It's not because she was not asked. She was actually asked TWICE. It's not because she doesn't have a dress! It is not even because her parents wouldn't allow it. It's because she is not 16 for 3 more weeks and SHE decided not to go. She told Manny no and THEN came home and told Dave and I about her decision. She even got a little emotional because she really would love to go but she said no anyway. I am so proud of her. We have always tried to teach her how to think for herself and make good decisions. This week was the first time she was really tested. So you go and have a lot of fun tonight!!! We love you Alyssa!

THIS WEEK.....

2009-09-08T10:45:00.004-06:00

This week I have realized.....

-Brandon is hilarious! The other day we were in the car and Brandon informed us that he isn't getting married (something he has said many times) and he is not going on a mission. The reason for this? He wants an X- BOX and since I won't get him one he is going to use his own money and get one. Getting married and missions take too much money so he isn't having anything to do with those things. I work up this long "gospel principles" talk and began with "Well, Brandon, the prophet has asked all boys to serve a mission.......etc......but you have your agency and can make your own choice but..... (I intended to talk about blessings etc) but didn't get that far because I hear Brandon suddenly YELL
"I don't have agency! I don't even have an agent! I DON'T EVEN HAVE A LAWYER!!!"

Hmm.....Does he think he NEEDS a lawyer? Makes me wonder what he has been watching on TV!

-taking two PM's is not a good idea...even if the bottle says the appropriate dosage is two pills! I was out like a light on Saturday night but apparently kept calling Tyler on his cell phone, asking what he was doing! He was downstairs in his bed! He finally asked what was wrong with me! I spent all day Sunday groggy and church...that was fun. I am waiting for that call.....
"Sister Diaz, do you having a drinking problem?"

-the advertised price is never REALLY the price. If you have enough time and are willing to haggle, you can get a better rate. I am not very good at this but I have friends that are good at it.....very valuable!

-I love to read but really hate it when I start a book and really don't care for it but think I HAVE to finish it! My latest....not my favorite, would not recommend book......."My Sister's Keeper" The books was OK but slow. I did not like the occasional swearing. It did not add a thing to the story. I know the movie could not have used the same word and gotten a PG 13 rating. I am now trying to decide if I even want to see the movie. Hmmmmm?
So....do you have any recommendations for a good read?

-There is a time and a season for all things right? So why is it that the grass is always greener on the other side? When my kids were little, and I was stuck at home all the time.....Dave working two jobs.....having only one car......I just KNEW things would be much easier when the kids were older. All I wanted was to get out of the house and have some adult conversation. Now I would give anything to just stay home and clean the house on a regular basis and cook a nice dinner every night (something I used to do all the time), and hang out with my kids. I miss the kids being little and crawling into bed with me and I miss the biggest problem they faced was an owie on their knee or spilling all over their clothes just as we are walking out the door for church. Oh boy.....I wish I knew then what I know now! I am dreading the next season of life..... being home alone. I just can't imagine them being gone. Brandon always told me he would buy the house next door so he could always live by me but now he has decided that Alyssa is cooler and is planning on ditching me to live by her!

-John Bytheway is awesome! I envy those that can bring the scriptures and gospel principles alive. If you have not listened to "Righteous Warriors: Lessons from the War Chapters in the Book of Mormon" I highly recommend it!

2009-08-31T11:35:00.013-06:00

I have been really struggling to keep up my blog this past year. We are always doing things and I even think to myself....I have got to post this....but I just don't get around to it. Is September too early for a New Year's resolution? Or would that be considered late? Either way, I guess I am going to really try and get back to doing this on a more regular basis!

The summer has been just crazy. I have been contemplating all week how to make things less hectic next year and the only solution I have come up with is "NO". I have to just say no more often. The problem is that presents a whole new set of issues. When I say "no" I then have to spend days explaining myself to those who disagree with the things I chose to say "yes" to. Why is that anyway? Can't we just all assume that what is important to one may be less important to another and that is OK??? Maybe it is a "timing" thing too. I was at a different place a year ago and made time for different things then those I am able or even willing to make time for now. Is that normal? I think it is called growth......dealing with different seasons in life....but could it be laziness? I guess that means I need to reread Elder Oaks talk titled "Good, Better, Best" and make some decisions for next summer.

Anyway, here is a few photos from our fun...things I said "yes" to....crazy summer!

The Toombs side of the family does a family reunion every other year. It is usually the only time all 6 sisters are together. We see each other often but never all together so this week is always a BIG deal! This year Em and Katie stayed for 3 weeks! It was awesome!

Swimming at Ross Park

One of my Mom's favorite places was Warm River and the Mesa Falls. As part of the reunion we spent a day up there in her honor. We hiked the falls and then floated the river. The kids has a great time despite the cloudy skys!

I hate this picture! I hate what it represents! Every family reunion we take a family photo. This year we took a casual photo at the cemetery with Mom. No one could bare to take a professional photo this year......without her in it.......things are WAY to fresh for that so this is what we got for this year. Just look at everyone's faces. We have been crying. Almost a year later and the tear still flow very easily. I don't see that changing anytime soon. We miss her so dang much.

We all took a day and went to Lagoon. There was a HUGE group of us. Katie, Kim, Emily and their families, us, and our friends the Daltons. We were able to attend with Stace's work party so we even had both lunch and dinner provided. It was a pretty nice set up!! Alyssa and Katie rode the Sky Coaster. CRAZY! One day I will do it....Katie says "Never Again!"

hanging out in our back yard making smores

Our annual boating/camping trip with friends. This year we stayed close and went to Deer Creek. The weather was great except the first night when the wind blew all night. Dave and I don't mind it at all but I thought the Daltons were going to leave the next morning for sure! Luckily the next 2 days were awesome! I am trying to talk everyone into Lake Powell next year....but NO CAMPING there. The comforts of a hotel it the way to go in southern Utah!

We decided to take the kids to the Children's Discovery Museum. We had not been there for several years so it was time. I was a little worried that my kids.....being a bit older then the cousins.....might think it was boring but they didn't. Even Alyssa has a good time. Thanksgiving Point has done a really good job with those gardens. They are beautiful!

We also had a Diaz side of the family reunion this summer. We spent a day playing "Deal or No Deal", " The Amazing Race", and learning some interesting things about each other! The night ended with a Luau. The food was great......but it appear someone spiked the rice with growth hormones as Ashlee seemed to blossom right before our eyes! Of course we have Tyler and his "ever so annoyed I am taking a photo" look!

Whew.....that took a long time. I really must keep up on this thing!

THE END!

JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE DEAD.....

2009-08-12T21:08:00.003-06:00

I was reading my Mom's blog today and noticed a comment I had not seen before. My uncle Paul was commenting on going up to Bone and invited my Mom to join him if she wanted....reminding her of a line from his favorite movie..."An Unfinished Life" with Robert Redford and Jennifer Lopez. Robert Redford is at his sons grave and says, "Just because you're dead doesn't mean that you can't make yourself useful." Now that sounds just like something Mom would say! I think she has made herself quite useful the past 10 months. We have all needed her at various times and we have all felt her presence. I am sure glad you are not just sitting around being lazy Mom!!!

SOMETHING NEW

2009-06-13T16:35:00.005-06:00

So have you ever looked at your life and thought, "What is this? I don't remember changing my identity?" One year ago things were one way and now I feel like I have jumped into a whole new life....well rather a whole new life has just JUMPED on me! Since it seems that everything I knew as "LIFE" was different I figured it was as good a time as any to get some new hobbies. There were really two main reasons for this....

First, things I used to do just don't seem as interesting anymore. Many of them, in one way or another, have something to do with my Mom. We would read the same books, watch the same cooking shows and talk about recipes, paint the same way...or at least "talk" about someday doing a certain faux finish to a room. Now all those things seem boring to me.....TIME FOR A NEW HOBBY! Second, my kids say I am driving them nuts! I am telling my teenagers "I love you" too much and making them kiss me and hug me all the time. Tyler (my almost 15 year old boy) is mortified! He even locked himself in the bathroom yesterday while I laughed trying to use fingernail clippers to open the door! He said I am weird and need to find something to do! I must add that he did indeed kiss me on the cheek because I very bravely....since he is quite a bit bigger then me.....prevented his escape by blocking the doorway! SO, now I find myself sewing a quilt.....Voila....NEW HOBBY

This "something to do" of mine actually started on the Saturday of conference as I cut up old jeans I had been saving for years, I might add, to make a picnic quilt. 2 months later I have a large pile of denim squares and have done nothing with them. Then our RS decided to make quilts for those in need at Christmas. This helped me move along on my new found, lost, then found again desire to learn to make a quilt! The outcome....fat quarters all cut and sewn together for the RS, a pile of denim squares with some coordinating fabric ready to be cut and pieced together, and a very happy son that is not being chased around the house by his mother demanding he say, "Love you MOMMY"

BLESSINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES!

2009-05-14T12:55:00.005-06:00

You all know I teach preschool and I must say it has been a blessing this year. Those kids have kept me going. They are the reason I am out of bed each day. My own children are in school all day and I just don't know what I would have done this year if I was home alone all day. Anyway, Mom died just 6 weeks after school had started and for whatever reason these little kids have been very intune to the fact that "teacher Jenny's Mom is in heaven now". I am not sure why...it's not like I talk about it to them...but the other day I had this sweet, thought provoking conversation.

preschooler: "Jenny, how did your Mommy get to heaven?"

me: "Well, she just got sick."

preschooler: "Was she sick with cancer?"

me: "No, she was not sick with cancer. Why do you ask?"

preschooler: "Well, my cat got hit by a car and that is how he got to heaven so I was just wondering if you Mommy got to heaven by cancer."

I am really not sure of this child's thought process but it brought tears to my eyes that whatever is going on at home....a cat dying and possibly knowing someone sick or that has died from cancer .... made her think of me. What a wonderful job I have!

NEEDING A NEW LOOK

2009-04-24T18:07:00.003-06:00

I am on the look out for new make up and skin care. I need a change and I just don't like the way mine is working anymore. Any suggestions for skin that is very dry in the winter and very oily in the summer? I need a foundation that does not settle into the fine lines that have taken over my face and a moisturizer that has sunscreen in it since I swim several times a week all summer. Help!

SPRING BREAK

2009-04-20T12:42:00.005-06:00

This year for sping break we headed to Arizona to spend time with my sister Emily and her family. While not one thing turned out the way we originally planned, trip ended up being one of the best we have taken for many reasons. We headed out on Friday afternoon. The plan was to be on the road by 1 PM. When does that ever happen?? After stopping to check out all the kids from school, stopping to say goodbye to Abuela and Abuelo, and having to go apply for a replacement SS card for Alyssa, it was 4 before we got on the road. We went only 5 minutes before we hit terrible traffic due to an accident that required 2 life flight helicopter to land on the freeway. It took us 90 minutes to go about 3 miles. My "glass half full" thoughts on this very long delay.....we wern't the ones in that terrible accident!!! We ended up not getting into Vegas until 11 PM. We were just too tired to look around so we headed to bed. We had to be up pretty early the next morning in order to make it to Phoenix for the baseball game and the kids had talked Dave into a breakfast buffett so we were up checked out by 8 AM. Here is the funny "Mom" story! Have any of you heard of a "Saturday" champain brunch? Well they have them in Vegas. For a split second there I knew how mom felt all those years ago. Here we are in line and Dave says, "Hum, champain brunch on Saturday?" I felt my stomach drop. We had already promised the kids we would go and we were pretty hungry so I just sighed and tried to ignore the $80 ticket for greasy buffet food. The kids loved it as I sat there thinking of Mom...not konwing if I wanted to laugh or cry!!! It seems like to said the same thing about her expeirence. After breakfast we headed to Phoenix, stopping at the Hoover Dam. This is the first time the kids have been there. They really enjoyed looking at it. We did learn something new....Tyler is a little afraid of heights. We had no idea!

We arrived in Phoenix with enough to eat dinner....thanks Em.....and head to the Dimondbacks game. Our first experience at a professional baseball game. We are hooked! The kids just loved it. Actually, I am not so sure if it was the game itself or all the junk they got......food, souvenirs, etc! For me it was seeing my extended family for the first time in many, many years!

My cousin Bobby and his little boy Bobby. What a cutie and about the most mild mannered baby I have ever seen. I don't think I heard him cry once all week!!

Most of you know my uncle passed away right before we left for Arizona. We ended up attending his funeral while there. That was a little hard. I had not seen Carl for many years but he is family all the same and I was so worried about my Dad. Most people don't ever have to experience finding someone who has died.....let alone twice in 6 months! I am very grateful I did not have to go through that. Anyway, the Toombs family are big baseball fans....especially Carl. He LOVED the Arizona Diamondbacks. We had all planned on going to the game that Saturday night. We decided to go ahead and attend the game and the Diamondback organization paid this tribute to Carl and his family. It was really nice and REALLY emotional!

The Toombs side of the family.

Me and my Grandma Toombs

We decided to go swimming on Monday afternoon. It was in the 80's and that is pretty darn hot for us Utah people. I am pretty sure that it was snowing that same day back home....YUCK! Alyssa enjoyed the sun so much she began to look for houses. Since she has has no luck getting us to move, she has decided to seriously consider ASU for college!

The kids High School Musical impersonation!

We were able to go up to Pinetop, Arizona and stay in a resort for two days. It was a lot colder then usually for this time of year but the pool was heated and we were a little used to cold weather so we played outside anyway. Brandon is not great at tennis! He kept hitting the balls over the fence into the woods and making me go chase them. How does that work??? He told me it was my turn since he has to chase them for his older brother and sisters. He thought that one through for sure!

Em and the kids.....we loved the heated pools. Especially since it snowed on us!

I have a special spot in my heart for little Dylan. I will never forget being with him after his accident. He is doing so good but does have one more major surgery in Aug. That won't stop him....he is a little go-getter!

One little surprise was our drive through Zion's National Park. Dave had to fly home on Monday to work so I had to make the drive home alone. I am not great with directions so I printed map quest and started out. I was following the directions exactly.....even setting the mile counter each time a made a turn or highway change. I make in onto the 9 and see a sign that say entering Zion's Nation Park. I paniced for a second, checking my map to make sure I had gone the right way. It did not say anything about Zions but I was on the right road. I get to the booth and had to pay $25 to get through. Oh well......we did not have a choice anyway so why complain? It turned out to be one of the best parts of the trip. We ended up taking almost 2 hours to get through. We stopped and took a lot of photos and hiked up one of the cliffs......which Tyler was a bit freaked about since we had now discoverd his fear of heights. It was so beautiful. We have decided to go back for fall break in October and hike the narrows. I can't believe we have lived here 18 years and have never gone!

DANCE DIVA or BASKETBALL BABE?

2009-03-30T13:35:00.001-06:00

I am a little behind in my posting so I am finally getting to a few things that have happened in the past month for Alyssa.

Alyssa tried out for the HS dance team. Actually it was a double tryout....for both dance team and dance 3. There were about 150 girls that tried out and 25 would make dance team and about 60 would make the dance 3 class. They started out with a clinic on Wednesday night. It was brutal! They were told the dance combo would be pretty easy.....first of all it was not a "combo" it was a full 30 sec routine that felt like 30 min and it was pretty technical. By the time the 2 hour clinic was over, our usually calm, cool, and collected Alyssa was a mess! She felt like she had the beginning and the end of the routine but not the middle. We headed for her basketball banquet and then returned home around 9 PM where she and McKilee practiced for an hour together and then she practiced another hour after McKilee went home. I went to the clinic to video Alyssa and ended up videoing the teacher so they could watch the routine back that night. That proved to be a lifesaver. By the time she went to bed, she felt much better about the whole thing! The next day was tryouts. The first round began at 3:30 PM. The girls would go into the tryout in groups of 4 and perform the routine. The teacher said she really did not care if the girls new the steps as much as she wanted to be entertained. Alyssa was one of the first to go and came out feeling pretty confident. After all her practice the night before, she had the routine down! Then the wait began! They would make a cut after everyone preformed the dance. It took 4 hours! We pretty much just sat there all evening. When the time came for the announcement I think I was more nervous then she was! Both her and McKilee made it!!! This meant they were for sure on the Dance 3 team. The second round was to decide who made dance team. McKilee really wanted to make dance team....Alyssa would prefer Dance 3. They went into the tryout in groups of 15ish and preformed a technical run and then the wait began again. This time it went by pretty fast. They did ask 3 girls to come up and do it again....how nerve racking! Then they came out and said "go home" . They were not going to actually announce who made dance 3 and who made dance company...they would post it online by number. We heading home. McKilee and her mom came over and we got online to read the announcement together. Alyssa made Dance 3 and McKilee made dance company. They each got what they wanted! Congratulations girls!

this is what dance does to your feet......they both had to be wrapped pretty heavily for the tryout. Boy were they hurting.

The same night as the dance clinic, Alyssa had her basketball awards banquet. I have always loved these banquets but this year was extra special. She had been with this team for 3 years but in Utah you cannot play school ball until 9th grade so this was the first year she actually got court time on her school team. (She had been play in a private league for 3 years so she did get playing experience) You really get to know these girls and their parents when you are with them twice a week for 3 months! It was really neat to see how they all grew in the game! Alyssa was awarded the "Most Outstanding Player" We are really proud of her! The HS coach came to many of the games and has approached Alyssa and I about her being on the team next year. We are both looking forward to a new basketball season but we will miss Coach Rawson!

BRANDON'S MONTH

2009-03-23T13:32:00.000-06:00

Oh Brandon.....he is always into something. This past month has been a rough one for him. He has an obsession with football. He carries a football around the house, trying very hard not to toss it as that is not allowed inside. He can be found throwing it around outside with the dog, the neighbors, his brother, me (that is a real sight!!!) and at school during recess. Tackle football is not allowed at the school....only two hand touch. Now really, think about it. What is the difference between tackle and two hand touch to a 3ed grader? It was clear that he definitely did not know the difference since he was getting in trouble for tackling all the time even ending up in the office one day. UGH! We decided that he could not play football at the school anymore....at all! He was so mad at us but I can't have my 3ed grader sitting in the principle's office for pushing and hitting! His aggressive play carried over to home and so he lost his "football privileges" all together. One afternoon I get a frantic all from his friend, another 3ed grader mind you, that Brandon was "bleeding all over" and his "hand was cut open" and I "needed to come get Brandon because he could never walk again". OK.......I figure I have seen Brandon "bleed all over" many times so I am not too worried! I get to the friends house and I, of course, asked what happened. FOOTBALL!!! Brandon was playing football and as he jumped up to catch a pass, he did not see the bike lying on the ground behind him and tripped over it. I felt bad that he was hurt and had our neighbor who is nurse at an ER come over and determine if stitches were needed. After we decided that he was OK, I told him that he was not supposed to be playing football anyway and that bad things sometimes happen when we break the rules. What a mean mom I am.....what was I ACTUALLY thinking???? "Serves you right....you crazy kid!"

Oh the pinewood derby.......I detest the pinewood derby race. Probably because I always end up with a crying child. Our cars never do very well. Each year we buy the car and spend all this time working on it with the kids....this time it was Brandon sitting there HOPING it crosses the finish line. whew......it did........but dead last! I was proud of Brandon for holding it together even though his car was always last. I think the way they announced the winners made a big difference. Instead of showing the rankings as an entire group, they showed each den's results. This made it look like there was a first place and last place in each group rather then one last place finisher. It should not matter but when you have a broken hearted 9 yr old....it does! He did win "coolest car" for his Pittsburgh Steelers painted car! He loved that!!! Only one more pinewood derby race to deal with ...EVER!!! Woo Hoo!!!!

THE BIG NIGHT.....

2009-03-21T17:22:00.004-06:00

I know I am biased but I have to say she is beautiful!!!! Last night was the big night! We started doing her hair at 4:30 PM. It took an hour! She has a lot of hair and she wanted me to spiral curl it for her. It was actually a lot of fun sitting in the bathroom with her. I got to hear all about all the girls' dresses, the boys they liked, the boys who liked them (of course they never like the ones that like them), and that they were serving pizza and cheesecake for refreshments. I don't remember them ever serving pizza at my HS dances??? Then she went over to a neighbor's house to have her make-up done. THANKS KIM! It looked amazing! We got her dressed and took a few photos and then left for the dance at about 6:40 PM. I was able to go in with her and take some photos of her and some friends as people were still arriving. I was so excited that she wanted me there. I thought that maybe that would not be "cool"....having your mom walking around snapping pictures but every time I tried to leave she would stop me and want another photo. That was pretty neat for me. The DJ was 45 min. late. I think that helped my cause......she had nothing else to do but run around saying Hi to everyone and taking photos! Dave actually did pretty well with it. I though he would pace around the house shaking his head but he just smiled, told her she looked beautiful, and to have a good time. Daddy held it together pretty well considering his daughter looks like this......

WOW!

I just love this picture of Alyssa and Tyler! They are the best of friends and are not afraid of people knowing that. Alyssa is the one person that can get Tyler to smile for a photo!

Alyssa and Christian

The one and only person at school that makes Alyssa look "short" ....her friend Caden

Jenny, Alyssa and McKilee. Don't they all look so pretty!!!!

McKilee and Alyssa

Ally, Alex, and Alyssa....girls from her basketball team.

A group shot. How fun! I am so excited for her. She had a great time!

STRESSED OUT.....

2009-03-10T11:31:00.001-06:00

The freshman class night dance is coming up on March 20th. It is a pretty exciting thing for the kids. It really is not any different then the other school dances or a chruch stake dance except you get to dress up nicely. It is about as close to a "formal" dance as you get in 9th grade! Alyssa has been talking about it for months. Last week we were able to go shopping for a dress and shoes. I was a little worried about the cost of such an event but was pretty excited to find a beautiful dress at 60% off! This is definately a Mom and Daughter thing....the Dad is not quite so excited!

Why???? He has a problem with......

This dress

and these shoes

being worn by this little girl

Stay tuned for the finished product in 2 weeks!

THE REAL ALYSSA

2009-03-06T14:46:00.005-07:00

This is Alyssa's rendition of "Bobby Boucher" from Waterboy just one hour after having 4 wisdom teeth pulled. The pain has not kicked in yet so she is still happy except for the "huge" tongue she think she has!

YOU DECIDE

2009-02-17T18:36:00.003-07:00

Since being released from my calling, I have come into more spare time. I have struggled a bit with what to do with all this extra time so last week I started a list. I started more of a "chart" then a "list" actually. I listed each room in the house and started writing down all the things I need to do or want to do in that room. The chart was filled in quite quickly! I had to add a Misc. section for the things that didn't fit into just one room like plant a garden this spring, clean the carpets in the whole house, buy a tree for the yard.....you know that kind of stuff. I realized that I did not have as much spare time as I thought.....just a whole lot of unfinished or not yet started projects to be done. I took a whole week developing the list and then put it away and went out of town for Valentine's Day weekend. So Fun!!!
Monday was President's Day so there was no school. I had every intention on getting up and tackling my "list" I figured that I could get a few items done since the kids would be home that day BUT......I chose chill out instead. I just plain flat did not feel like working on a darn thing. This got me to thinking.....since I have been evaluating my life a lot the past two weeks anyway......was I being lazy or just taking time to relax? Hum??? Laziness and relaxation actually "look" the same.....me sitting on the sofa reading! So I asked the kids. They said if the house is a mess then it is lazy if the house is clean it is relaxing. (I have trained them well!!!) The house wasn't exactly dirty but there were things I could do, that's for sure. So I asked Dave and he couldn't think of anything to say. I think he figured it was a trick question and he would get in trouble either way! As I continued to ponder this, I got up and cleaned the bathrooms, did a load of laundry and then decided to take Alyssa and her friends to a movie. I asked Alyssa what she thought about it and she whipped out her cell phone and said "let's ask cha cha ."
Me- "what is cha cha?"
Alyssa- "It is this place you just text questions to and they answer them.....Oh I can't explain it. Just let me ask."
OK.....waiting for a response.......we think we have stumped them because it took a few minutes to get a response. Finally the answer

" When you are lazy you are disinclined to work or exert any energy but when you are relaxing you are resting from a hard day's work."

So does that mean that if you are sitting on your behind in the morning you are lazy but if you are sitting on your behind in the evening, you are relaxing? Hum.......

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

2009-02-04T19:48:00.002-07:00

Today is my mom's birthday. I have been mentally preparing myself for this day for weeks now and I actually did pretty well. It really helped that I had preschool all day! Last night, while talking to the kids, we decided to celebrate with a dinner just like we would if she were here. Alyssa and Ashlee made a cake. I am not sure what her favorite cake was but the only cake I remember seeing her eat was German chocolate (which happens to be my favorite cake!) so that is what we made! She loved Olive Garden soup, salad, and breadsticks so Dave stopped on the way home and got take out and we had a birthday dinner for Grandma! It was actually fun. We talked about some of the funny things she did and the memories the kids have of her. We all cried, especially me, when we sang "Happy Birthday" but that is OK. The tears are good sometimes. I miss my mom terribly and I hope she knows we did not forget her day!

just a note about the cake.....I had every intention of putting candles on the cake and we would all blow them out together but Ashlee has a fit. She was sobbing that we could not blow candles out on Grandma's cake only "she" could blow her birthday candles out so we skipped the candles and dried up her tears!

It is a family tradition for one of the sisters to post fun stuff about the "birthday girl" in the family. We all take turns as to who will post about which sister. We decided to do one for mom. Go here http://gobroncos-stephensfam.blogspot.com/ if you would like to read it! Emily did a great job!

KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS...

2009-02-04T11:18:00.003-07:00

Preschool topic for the day:
"Did you know that the devil is a snake? That is what my mom said and you don't want to be on the devil's side becasue he is a snake.....you want to be on Heavenly Father's side becasue he is nicer then a snake."

THINGS I HAVE LEARNED THIS WEEK....

2009-02-03T10:23:00.008-07:00

I just don't get all the hype over facebook.....actually I don't get facebook at all. I have had several people invite me to be friends and the first problem is my computer wouldn't let me on.
We have a pretty good Internet blocker installed since all the kids have computers......it's that safety thing!!! I have the password to override a particular site but for some reason, even with the override, facebook would not work. Curiosity got the best of me and I had Alyssa create an account for me on her computer (for whatever reason that site works on her computer). She called me when it was ready and I looked at it and said" I don't get it?" I know I am computer stupid but I really don't get what the big deal is! I have enough trouble keeping up this blog so posting my "status" everyday is just not going to happen! I have officially decided that I am a "blog" girl not a "facebook" girl so sorry friends.....I won't be setting up camp on facebook even when Dave does get time to figure out what my computer's problem is!

We are on letter "O" in preschool this week and I have learned that there is a transformer for just about every letter in the alphabet! Today I got to see several of optimus prime....is that how you even spell that? My boys are not into transformers so I am learning about them from 3 and 4 year olds......a very funny experience!

I am not a person that likes change! I seem to have been thrown into alot of change this past few months....to the point that I don't even recognize my own life anymore. That is not to say it is all "bad' but it is certainly not any fun! There is security in doing the same things all the time. If I am honest.....it is a sense of control also. I am feeling like I am no longer in control of most things around me. I have realized that I have the ability to draw on the spiritual reservoir I have been trying to build up! At least I am aware that Heavenly Father IS in control and I have faith that all this is for my good. I know that in my head but for today I just feel sad and out of place.

I just went to wash my hands and realized that I have no hot water! WHAT??? The hot water was working fine this morning! I am hoping that when my somewhat mechanically inclined husband gets home, he can figure out what happened. Hopefully just a pilot light or something easy. We just had the dryer go out and had to pay someone to fix that last week. No Fun! I will pray that I am not paying for another repair on a fairly new water heater.....about 2 years old.....that is new for a water heater isn't it?

I LOVE Valentine's Day. I am pretty darn lucky to be married to a hopeless romantic. He always goes way out of his way on Valentine's Day. This year we are going away for the night. The kids are staying at a friends house and we are going to dinner and maybe a movie. We are even thinking about going dancing somewhere....if we can find a decent place to go. We will probably go to temple square on Sat and see the Joseph Smith movie and walk around temple square then go to an early dinner. I just can't wait!!!

We are in the process of registering Alyssa and Tyler for HS and I can't believe how complicated it can be! There are so many decisions to make and they are really important ones. Like the difference in AP, concurrent enrollment, and distance learning courses. Alyssa is trying to graduate HS with her Freshman year of collage done and that is somewhat complicated. If we make one bad choice now, it effects what classes she can take next year. They are both going to a new HS next year which just adds to the complications! The counselor are all new too. I just don't remember it being this crazy when I was in school!

I like being well.......I have been sick with the flu and we all know that Mother's do not get the luxury of being sick and resting in bed. We have to still take care of all the things we usually do while feeling lousy. It makes me realize that good health is a blessing!

IS IT TOO BUSY?

2009-01-26T12:24:00.007-07:00

I found this new background for my blog and I just love the colors but I can't decided if it is too busy and hard to read........what do you think?

CATCHING UP!

2009-01-20T19:43:00.016-07:00

Well, it has been a while since I posted. I really have good intentions but just don't get around to it as often as I should. We have had some fun things happen the past few weeks!

Ashlee won the school geography bee last week. Boy was she excited! The invitation to participate went out to all 4-6 graders in October. They were required to stay after school for one hour twice a week to study. She also had all kinds of maps to study at home. She spent a lot of time preparing for the big day and then.......poor thing......woke up sick! She had a sore throat, headache, stomach ache, and mild fever. She was devastated! I called her teacher and asked if I kept her home for the day, could she still come after school to participate. We were told that would be fine and off to bed Ashlee went. You know you child is "really" sick when they just want to sleep all day! I woke her up to get dressed and off we went. I really did not expect her to do well because she just felt awful. Before the test actually started, one of the judges decided to teach the kids some yoga exercises to help them loosen up. The first one was fine, just some basic deep breathing. But then she had them do this thing where they lifted their knees and touched it to the opposite elbow. That was OK...Ashlee just did it slowly. But then she wanted them to all bend over and touch their toes and then jog in place. I shook my head at Ash not to do it and the teacher teased her. Not to be mean!!! Just saying come on Ash....you need to try. I was about to tell her that she was sick when she told them to stop and they started the test. Ashlee was a little upset that she was singled out but she quickly forgot....thank goodness! Round 1 consisted of 7 mini rounds. They went through each child and asked a question. This happened seven times. Those children who got 3 of the 7 questions correct moved on. Ashlee got 5 right. In the second round the judge kept asking questions. You remained in until you missed two questions. This kept going until there were only 2 kids left. It didn't take long. I don't know who in the world would know the answers to most that stuff. The ones they got to use a map on were much easier but the other stuff was really hard. Ashlee was one of the final two. In the championship round they asked three questions. The child who answers the most correct, wins. If there is a tie, they play a sudden death round. Well, there was certainly a tie.....0 to 0! These question were a killer! That put it into sudden death. The first person to get a correct answer, won. The second photo is Ashlee holding up the winning answer! Not to take away from the fact that she is one smart cookie....but she sure got lucky on her question. Dave is from Argentina and Ashlee is fascinated with that fact and looks at the map of south America often. The question was " The Yamana are a people indigenous of Tierra del Fuego, an island at the southernmost point in south America that is divided between Argentina and what country to the west?" What??? I could not even pronounce half that question! Now it is not like she knew anything about the Yamana people but they had been taught that there are clues to the answers within the body of the question. She knew right away what country was to the west of Argentina so woo hoo....we have a winner! She received a medal and her Dad got her a rose. She was beaming....sick and all! Now she has to take a 100 question test and the top 100 students compete in a state competition. I would surely loose!!!

Are you wondering why Brandon is attempting to fix the wall in our basement??? That is our attempt to teach him not to break it! A few weeks ago Brandon and a friend were playing the Wii. (that is usually a mistake.....Brandon does better when he plays the Wii alone) The other boy heard me say to turn it off and he went to do that and Brandon told him NO!!! He wanted to save his stuff but the other boy either did not hear him fast enough or chose not to listen. (that part of the story has been hard to figure out since everyone in the room told me something different!) Either way, Brandon went into mass hysteria....something we have tried to remind him never works out in his favor....and went running through the room and headed up the stairs. He tripped over something right at the bottom of the stairs and fell into the wall. The wall did not stand up well against the force of his knee. He was then mad that the Wii got turned off and even madder that he had to come tell me that he broke the wall! Actually, this is not too unusual. Sad, I know, but my little Brandon is a bundle of excitement and is usually in the middle of something. Remember the ditch that just "broke" and he fell in??? So I went downstairs with him and let him know that throwing a tantrum is not the best way of dealing with things and he was going to have to pay for the repair. He said, "Well, I don't have a hundred, million dollars!" and ran upstairs. He was quite relieved to learn that he only had to pay a measly $20 and help do the work. This is a skill that will come in handy as this is not the first time he has broken the wall! I could kick myself for not getting a before shot! This is step 1 in fixing the drywall.

Random thought for the day.....

Preschool kids say the darnedest things! Today, after the Pledge of Allegiance, we talked about the United States having a new president. One girl, quite upset, said " What happened to President Monson? Did he die like President Hinkley?" I then had to explain the difference between the President of the United States and the President of the Church. She was quite relieved to learn that President Monson"still owns the church." Needless to say I did not get as much done with our winter fun theme in that class I would have liked to! It's a good thing all the kids are members. Try explaining to parents!

MORE CHRISTMAS FUN!

2008-12-31T23:04:00.000-07:00

These all posted in a weird order....Sorry! On Christmas day, after opening presents, we all went to Aunt Michele's house for dinner and games. It is tradition to decorate gingerbread houses or gingerbread men. This year we did little men and the kids had a great time! Look at the intense look on Brandon's face. He was determined to get as much frosting and candy on that little cookie as humanly possible!

These two photos are a little tender to my heart. For the past few years my Mom has called me and asked what the kids want for Christmas. Sometimes she has gotten them individual gifts but recently we have decided on a family gift. Mom and I had that confersation two days before she died. Last year she got them the guitar hero game for the Wii. This year we decided on the Wii Fit. The kids have been asking for it all year and I just held off knowing Mom would want a gift idea. After she said that she liked the idea I went ahead and ordered it for them. It came while we were gone for her funeral. I told the kids the story and they were really touched that Grandma had thought to get them something they wanted so badly. You can see from the photo how excited they were. I am really not a video game person.....AT ALL.....but I must say, I really love this Wii fit and the kids can play is all they want. You actually get a pretty good workout on some of the activities. Dave got me the All Star Cheerleading game. I haven't had time to "try out" for the team yet but I am excited. Julie, Tracy...any of the HS squad want to come over and play??? Em, I am just waiting for you to come see me!

My dad got the kids a couple of games for Christmas this year. The "catch phrase" game has been a big hit! We have played it in the car...actually we just leave it in the car. It is a great way to offset the desire for the kids to fight! We love the games and have had a lot of fun playing them together over the break. We are now on a game kick and have a whole list of new ones we want to get!

This was actually taken after the kids decorated the tree. Another cute family tradition.....we have to get a photo of the kids in front of the tree each year. I guess we should have taken the photo before the kids got into their PJ's.

CHRISTMAS FUN!!

2008-12-31T15:57:00.003-07:00

I know I am really late on posting! We have had a CRAZY but very FUN two weeks! We started our Christmas break with a trip to Disneyland. We were a little worried about actually getting there. Las Vegas got hit with a HUGE storm that dropped several inches of snow. For them that was a big problem. The schools were all closed and the summit going into California was closed for a day also. The big storm was on Thursday, we left on Friday for Vegas, stayed overnight and then drove into California on Sat morning. By then things were fine and the roads were all clear. We arrived in Indio on Sat evening. The resort was beautiful! I have to say, I really like staying at the resorts rather then a hotel. I like having a washer and dryer in the room and being able to cook instead of eating out. It saves lots of money! We traveled with some friends and they are the ones that own this vacation resort thing. We can't thank them enough for getting our rooms for us! I wish I had taken photos. I wasn't thinking about that for some reason....duh! We left for Disneyland on Sunday morning. We stayed in Anaheim on Sunday night and went to Disney again on Monday. That day it rained pretty hard until noon but we planned for that and had ponchos and umbrellas. The rain was really not a big deal for us. I did feel bad for all the families with little kid and pushing strollers. Glad I am out of that phase of life!

This was "It's a small world". This is my favorite ride, especially at Christmas! They redo the entire ride...not just decorate, actually redo everything. It is so awesome. It reminds me so much of my Mom. This was her favorite ride too. We went to Disney many times growing up and this is the ride I remember her on. I actually got a little emotional riding it. I just wish we had gone to Disney with Mom and my kids. I wish they could have seen her there...she was like a kid!

This is as we got off "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad". I did a dumb thing this year and did not get a single photo of the entire family. Either Dave is in them or I am in them. We did have the Disney people take a few for us so I am going to have to order those in order to get any "family" photos. This was Monday and it was cooler because of the rain. We are used to cold temp so it was not a big deal....beanies and gloves kept us warm enough but there were some people in full coats. The lines were really short on the water rides that day!

This was taken during the fireworks. They were just beautiful! After the fireworks were finished they have these machines that spray foam bubbles from the rooftops all down mainstreet. It looks and feels like snow. It was truly magical!!! Alyssa got down and made a snow angle....causing a traffic jam but it was cute!

Tower of terror.....Ashlee's favorite ride!

This was when we first walked in. I hate waiting in lines for characters but we decided we had to get this one! I love how they are all dressed up for Christmas!

CATCHING UP!

2008-12-04T10:23:00.008-07:00

DISNEYLAND...HERE WE COME!
We finally told the kids about their Disneyland Christmas present. It was really funny. We set up the Christmas tree on a Sunday night and I got all the lights put on so it would be ready to decorate on Monday for FHE. The kids were coming in and out of the room but not really paying much attention to what I was doing. When we called them into the room for prayer, they noticed a gift under the tree. They started asking questions about it....it had no tag.....and I claimed to know nothing about the mysterious gift. I finally told them they better open it and see what it is. Inside a there were Disney t-shirts, mickey mouse Christmas ornaments, hopper passes and some photos of the family while we were there last summer. It took them a minute to finally put it together and then they started screaming! It was hilarious. Tyler commented that we sound like we just won the Superbowl (since the winning team always says "we're going to Disneyland"....I guess he still eat, sleeps, and drinks football) It has been a fun 3 weeks as we listen to the kids talk about going and which ride we will ride first and where to eat. We have been several time and the kids all know exactly where they want to go! I thought it was really sweet that they all want to go on It's a Small World in memory of Grandma. I am not sure that should be the first ride....maybe the last. It was Mom's favorite ride so it will be a flood of memories for me and the song is really annoying and I don't want to be singing it all day! So we are off to sunny California on Friday at noon. I guess I have a chance at that "real good tan" for Christmas after all. Well maybe not "real good" but better then if I stayed here in this awful snow!

Basketball is in full swing and that mean I am never home! I guess that is no different then fall when I have football and soccer going on for the other 3 kids but basketball plays twice as many games. She plays every Tuesday and Thursday and sometimes Friday and Saturday. They have only lost one game and that was in overtime. They are a really good team! Go Alyssa

We went home to Idaho this last weekend....well I guess it has been 10 days ago now. I am really behind in my posting! Kaytee was baptized on Saturday which was her 8th birthday. That was really a neat thing! She looked so beautiful. We then went to Leo's for a birthday party. The older kids played laser tag and the adults tried to keep the little ones out of the "blue" cake. Blue icing stains everything in case you are wondering! Afterwards we took the kids to a movie....the teen saw that vampire movie (I can't even remember the name right now and I know I am going to be massacred for that by all of you Edward lovers!) and the younger kids saw Bolt, which was a pretty funny movie I might add. After the movies we went shopping at the mall. I am not big into shopping. How is that? I love clothes but I hate to shop for them. I guess I just like to go into one or two store, get what I want, and go home. My girls, however, could shop all night thus, we were at the mall for several hours. After church on Sunday, we went to see my Mom's grave. It was the first time had been back since the funeral. It was emotional but good for me. Brandon did OK, Ashlee struggled. It is so hard to see you kids suffer and know that I cannot take the pain away. As a mother you want to "fix" everything and in most cases I can fix things but not this. I can only hold them while they grieve. I hate it!

My big accomplishment this week......Christmas cards were sent out! If you didn't get one, I don't have an address. Sorry! No letter this year. I just didn't feel like writing one and I figured that this blog says it all. No hand made cute things either. Walmart photo dept did my cards and did a pretty good job too! I may just have to use them again. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

I LOVE YOU NAT!

2008-11-30T16:42:00.001-07:00

My sister, Natalie, and her family came down to spend the Thanksgiving weekend with us. We had such a good time! I am not a big shopper. Don't get me wrong, I love to shop but I like to do it fast....not the all day thing. I have not done Black Friday shopping since my kids were little. There is just nothing worth giving up my sleep! Anyway, Nat wanted to go so I agreed as long as we waited until 9AM. I am sure there are those of you out there that are saying,"you miss all the good deals" Let me tell you, there was not one thing in the add that we wanted that we missed by waiting until 9AM so I think we got the better "deal".....sleep and door busters! Dad even came with us. We had a really good time. I actually enjoy "people watching" the most. I am telling you, some of you are nuts on black Friday and it's funny to watch. The next day, Nat and I went out, just the two of us. She wanted to see some of the shops they don't have where she lives. We went to Thanksgiving point, Rod Works, and IKEA. Can I tell you, I don't really like IKEA. Too much stuff to see. That is the kind of store you need to go into for something specific, get it and leave! Nat had never been there so we walked around for 2 hours! 2 hours. That is just crazy! I probably won't go back until she drags me there next year! We really did have a great time. We actually spent the day with all my sisters as we were on the phone with everyone except Christie (who was stuck working) Thank goodness for cell phones. Thanks for coming down Nat! I love you!

ICE SKATING

2008-11-30T16:28:00.001-07:00

Thanksgiving night we decided to head up to SLC and go ice skating. We had so much fun! The kids all did great....with a few bumps and bruises......but smiles! Grandpa sat it out for the first hour but then decided that he was going to give it a try. He did so good. At first the kids were all helping him along but then he was off and going! Way to go Dad!!!

Annie and Mikayla

Nat and Annie

Alyssa helping Grandpa get the hang of skating

Jenn and Grandpa being silly!

MORE ICE SKATING

2008-11-30T16:22:00.000-07:00

Ashlee and Mom

The whole gang. This is actually a funny photo, if you were there. The little boy in the bottom corner is our friend Gavin. His family went skating with us. He saw Dave trying to take a photo and was booking it over on his skate to make it into the photo with us. He kept falling down but getting right back up, finally making it to us only to run smack into the wall we were standing by. He popped back up just as Dave snapped the photo. I am surprised that it is in focus because at that point Dave was cracking up!

Alyssa and Tyler being silly

Brandon is a little trooper. He was really having a hard time skating at first. He kept falling down and taking whomever was helping him down too. It took him awhile but he got the hang of it and ended up doing really well! Poor kids came home with some good blisters on his ankle though!

WHEW....WE DID IT!

2008-11-30T15:58:00.002-07:00

Thanksgiving Day has come and gone with a few tears and a lot of success! I was really worried that I would have my much deserved nervous breakdown that day but the day turned out pretty darn good! Wednesday evening, Dad, Nat and her family all arrived. I had already made the pies and the three of us made the stuffing together. It was bitter sweet. We had a good time reading the recipe....which we really did not need since we knew how to make it but wanted to "be sure" so we had it out anyway, trying to make sure we did it exactly has Mom would have. Dad was right there with us, taste testing along the way for correct flavor! We also started Mom's cranberry jello, getting the bottom layer done so it could set up overnight. The three us us got up at 6AM to stuff the turkey and get it in the oven and then went back to bed for a couple more hours. I started the top layer of the jello, putting it in the frig to set up just to the syrup stage.....Mom was very specific about that! She did not like lumps in her topping. I kept watching it and then Rosie called and I talked on the phone for and hour and guess what....forget the topping. That was it, I had my little breakdown, it was small so no worries, but I did have Dave run to the store and get me more lemon jello so I could start over. He came back and I got the new batch of jello in the fridge and kept a very close eye on it only to get distracted and forget it again. I was so mad! I could not even do something so simple as a darn jello. Well it was too late to go to the store and start over a 3ed time so I just put it in the microwave and melted it down a bit, mixed the rest of the ingredients and crossed my fingers that it would set up! We sat down for dinner, a perfect dinner I might add! The turkey was not quite as good as Mom did it but it was close. The stuffing was oh so yummy and the gravy was delicious. It took us 15 minutes to eat the meal that took two days to cook. The kids all ran off to play as the adults sat around a bit to let their food settle. I started clearing the table and then it hit me...... I FORGOT THE DARN JELLO!!! I was so mad at myself. All that work to get that jello right and I did not even remember to put it out. I brought it in for the outside fridge and told everyone at the table that they were going to eat a bowl of jello whether they liked it or not! It worked out since either everyone really did like it or they lied to avoid the meltdown that was eminent. By the way it set up perfectly and no one even knew about the microwave incident.

Our beautiful turkey in honor of Mom.

Nat and Dad. I am sure glad they were here! Thanksgiving is just not the same without family around!

Dad making the gravy. He said it was not as good as Mom's but I think he is being modest. He makes a perfect Thanksgiving gravy.

Dave is getting set to carve the turkey as soon as I finish getting the stuffing out. Problem....I like to eat it along the way.....so yummy!

HAPPY DAYS!

2008-11-24T10:08:00.002-07:00

I have decided that my last few posts have been depressing. I guess that is how I have been feeling but it's not like we sit around and cry all day so I decided to catch up on some fun things we have done this past couple of weeks.

Carmel Apples.....so yummy! We all love Carmel apples! I decided that since I had pretty much "skipped" the month of November....no decorations or anything around the house that is festive and pretty......we could at least make our favorite treat. We actually had a really good time. Brandon was a little upset that his apple had bubbles on it but he decided that these unsightly blemishes did not really matter as soon as he tasted his!

Alyssa has a friend over this weekend. They hung out on Saturday and watched the BYU vs. UTAH game with us on Saturday night.....that turned out to be a disastrous game!!! The girls had fun anyway. Ally came to church with us on Sunday and they spent the afternoon goofing off. This photo was a result of "dress-up" I thought teenagers out grew this form of play but NO, it just gets more detail orientated. The girls do their hair and make up and play around with hats and different clothes and then take photos of each other. Funny! She is beautiful though!

Ashlee has had a fun week also. She is paying for it now as she is sick in bed today. Her school class took a field trip to Clear Creek. This is an overnighter and really fun for the kids. It has been really warm here but up in the mountains it is a different story but the kids think it is summer or something and won't wear a coat. Notice that Ashlee is in a hoodie and her teacher is in her coat and gloves. I am not a bad mom and did in fact send Ash with a coat, gloves, had and even snow pants, just in case but they came home in the same bag they left in. Hence, the sick child today! She won the "quiet award" that night. No one realized that she was asleep until the next morning and that is why she was so quiet. I am glad I did not have to help with that field trip....I am like Ashlee and value my sleep!

As for me, I am bound and determined to have a good December. I have let November go by in a cloud of depression. I love Christmas and so do my kids....and to tell you the truth...so did my Mom. She would be quite annoyed if we all mope this month so happy days are here to come!!!

THANKSGIVING TURKEY

2008-11-18T12:00:00.007-07:00

Thanksgiving is coming up, in case you do not have a calendar and are completely out out of touch with the world around you! This year the meal is at my house. My sister, Natalie and her family are coming, as well as my Dad. I am very excited to have them all here but am feeling a little anxiety setting in already. You see, Thanksgiving is my Mom's day. It's not that she absolutely LOVED to get up at 5AM to put in a turkey but she LOVED how happy that bird made all of us, especially my dad. No one can make a turkey, stuffing, and gravy like my mom.....Dad may be the only exception. A year and a half ago, while putting together a family cookbook, my mom wrote about her stuffing recipe, "If you only learn to cook ONE thing from me, this better be it." Of course we knew how to make it.....she has been teaching us from the time we could reach the stove! The difference was she was always there with us. I know how to make this special meal the right way, (just for the record, if you are not a Toombs, you make it wrong!) but I just don't want to do it without her. I have been perfectly comfortable living in my little world of denial....believing that if I do not THINK about Mom's death, then it won't be so. Thanksgiving day will force be into a reality I am not prepared to face.

So there! You all just got to hear my boo-hooing for today. No need to respond. I just needed to express my feelings for myself, since this blog will become a journal of sorts someday.

By the way, the photo above was taken in 2001. Brandon was 2 years old and even he knows how good Mom's turkey is! The look on his face says it all!

PURE LOVE?

2008-11-12T10:44:00.002-07:00

OK, so let me explain! Basketball officially started this week at Alyssa's school. She has "tryouts" in the morning (I say it like this because she has already made the team but has to be there for the tryout anyway) and conditioning after school. She came home on Monday SOOOOOOO sore! I felt really bad for her! Her coach told her to take an ice bath. She had to fill up the tub with cold water and add all the ice we had in the freezer. She was told to dress in a bathing suit and wear a hoodie. That would help keep her warm.....at least a little warm. She was to sit in there for as long as possible, an hour if she could stand it. She decided to make hot cocoa and put a movie in the portable to help pass the time. Next thing I know, Ashlee and Brandon decided that they needed to support Alyssa in this therapy treatment and ended up in the bathroom with their own cups of hot cocoa. Now that is TRUE love! (smile, smile)

Aside from the obvious, there are a few interesting things about this photo. Notice Brandon's beanie? This is his new thing. He wears the beanie everywhere but church and it is on backwards too! Also notice the cell phone??? Alyssa can't even take a bath without her cell. The other day she was in the shower and I heard her talking. I snuck in to tease her about talking to herself and guess what....she WASN'T talking to herself. She was leaning out the shower curtain talking on her phone. What is up with that?

TOTALLY RANDOM THOUGHTS!

2008-11-10T17:37:00.002-07:00

I love getting my hair cut....especially when it is WAY overdue! I have this naturally curly hair that I, of course, want straight and a good hair cut makes that possible. I always feel bad when they cut it though....you could probably make a wig out of the amount of hair on the floor....my hair is way too thick!

Preschool kids tell their parents everything! They tell me everything too but that is funny....it is not so funny when they are telling on you. Last Thursday was a bad preschool day. I don't really know why but the entire class was struggling. I either said "I want to pull my hair out" or I actually pulled on my hair but I had several parents ask me about this. The funny thing is that I had actually forgotten how bad the day was. Once the class is over it is forgotten so when they told me that their kids had talked about Teacher Jenny wanting to "pull her hair out" I had to stop and think for a minute and then could do nothing but laugh!

I miss my sisters! I talk to one or more of them everyday but that is just not enough. I wish I were rich and could fly all over the country to see them all the time. My sisters are my best friends!

Reading isn't as much fun without my mom. I love to read but so did she and we would talk about books often. We both had this habit of sitting in a hot bath and reading for so long we had to keep adding hot water to the tub.

Cleaning your carpets is HARD work! I planned on having my brother in law do it for me but he is moving sooner then I planned.....like it is MY plan anyway......so I used our portable machine to clean my basement and I was exhausted after the 2 hours it took to finish the job. I appreciate my dads job more now!

I eat Mexican food way too much. I looked over my menu for the month of November and I have it planned a couple of times a week. Is that bad? I guess not but is sure isn't creative. So...does anyone have any really good Mexican recipes?

I love the rain but my dog does not!!! He is a little scardy-cat and refuses to go out in the rain but he needs to go potty, so he jumps on the door every 5 minutes. It is very annoying!

Last week Brandon was getting frustrated that Sacrament Meeting was going late...as fast and testimony meeting usually does, and announced, quite loudly, that we were in "overtime'. That is when you know we are at the tail end of football season!!!

That's all for today!

#4 YOU CAN

2008-11-03T13:37:00.004-07:00

moment #4

What is your attitude towards life, toward your family, friends, and career? How do others' attitudes influence your life? How has your attitude changed over time?

Well, I have decide that these questions get harder as the book goes on! This one seems to be tough for me. I sometimes feel like I have "split personalities" I have tried to evaluate who I am and what kind of attitude I have and I don't even make sense to myself but if I ask other people they say I am the "calm one and a peacemaker". As far as being the calm one. This is where the split personality come into play. There are definitely situations that I can remain pretty calm compared to those around me. I have been in some really stressful situations and have an ability to focus and get through it with my wits about me. However, there are other, very normal everyday things that come up that just send me for a loop. I think it is sad that I have a tendency to loose my cool more with my own husband and kids then other people. I need to really work on that and I have made more of an effort in the past 3 weeks to keep perspective and remain "calm" all the time. (I still need a lot of practice!)
As for having a peacemaker personality, I'd say that is probably true, but don't worry, I can hold my own!!! I have taken that color personality test a few time and I am a blue and white mix. I really hate contention and I won't go looking for it. I will avoid it if at all possible. At times, that feels like a cop-out but I just can't stand contention. Having said that, I can be pushed to a breaking point and that is usually not a pretty sight! The sad thing is that I usually "break" at the stupid thing that is not even a big deal. I am working on that too. I guess I have a lot of little personalilty defects to work on!
So, now that I have written a disclaimer to my personality.....the question is what is my attitude towards life, family, friends, career. We will start with career. For me a career is just a mean to an end. It is very hard to support a family on one income but I have always wanted to be a stay at home mom. So I found a solution to the problem. I began to do daycare in my home as soon as Alyssa was born and did that for 10 years. I have taught preschool in my home for 5 years. I only have to work part time and I am here when my kids need me. I love what I do but I would give it up in a heartbeat for my family!
My attitude towards life and family......NEVER take things for granite! Life changes in a blink of an eye! I think I have always put my family before trivial things but now that is even more important to me. You are MAKING A MEMORY! Everything you do will be remembered.....will it be a good memory for you family or a bad one? At some point in time, memories will be all that is left. I hope from here on out, I make more good memories!

Other people and their attitudes greatly influence my life. I like to watch and learn. Everyone has something good to share and something not so good to learn from. It is up to us to sort out the good from the less then ideal and then implement that into our lives. I have been lucky to have so many good people around me that are so much better then I. I have learned to be the person I am today from my parents, my sisters, and my husband!!! I love you all.

MAKING A MEMORY

2008-10-31T21:54:00.005-06:00

I was looking through my music the other day, looking for something new, and I came across my Best of Bread cd. It really made me think of Mom. I remember her listening to the record player while she cleaned the house. She was always wearing her scarf/bandanna thing in her hair and had Bread, Ann Murray, John Denver or something like that playing. It is funny to me how music can put you right back into a specific moment......like you are living it all over again. This particular song, "Everything I own" really struck a cord. I think it is actually about a relationship but the words fit our situation too. I WOULD give anything to have her back again!

I want to share one memory I had of her this week.....something I had long ago forgotten!
Alyssa has started basketball again. Her school team actually does not start for another week but she has played for a private league for 3 years now and that team has had some tournaments the past month. On Saturday they played 10 hours of BB. The had pool play on Friday night and then started playing Saturday morning at 9 AM. They kept winning so they made the championship game which was at 6 PM. That was a hard fought game. I am telling you, girls BB can sometimes make football look like a sissy game! (don't tell Tyler I said that) Anyone who says it is a "no contact" sport has never watch these girls play! Anyway, by that night Alyssa was really hurting. She had been slammed several times and her entire body ached. We were in the kitchen getting some Advil and she was going to soak in a hot bath. I suddenly remember a time my senior year, at the first of the track season, coming home from practice and being so sore that I cried. Everywhere hurt and my Mom came to my room and massaged my back and legs. I remember actually feeling a lot better afterwards. I told Alyssa to come upstairs and I would rub her body down. She laid on the living room floor for an hour while I massaged her sore body and we talked and laughed together. Thanks Mom for helping me create a memory with my Alyssa!

#3 THE PERFECT ADVENTURE

2008-10-27T09:11:00.007-06:00

What is the best vacation you have ever taken? Where do you dream of traveling? What is your perfect escape?

The best vacations I have ever taken are the ones with my family. Right now, since my mind is on Mom, I have spent a lot of time remembering the things we did together when I was younger. Vacations were always a big thing in our home. Every year we went to Lake Powell and every couple of years we went to Disneyland. I remember those trip the most. Mom loved Sea Port Village in San Diego California. I remember always getting fudge and divinity at this little shop with a cobblestone floor. What a weird thing to remember! I think I loved Disney with Mom the most! She was like a kid in a candy shop! She loved Disney and we could not help but love it too! I see her in myself when we are there with our kids. It really is a magical place. I loved walking down main street with her looking for a "bell" Christmas ornament. She collected bells and collected Christmas ornaments so it made perfect sense to buy bell ornaments! I will never forget the time that we went over to the Disneyland Hotel to get breakfast. That was one of the first times we went to Disneyland. I could not have been more then 11 or 12 years old. Mom found this breakfast buffet for a great price. We all ran in and started eating at a VERY NICE buffet bar. It only took mom a few minutes to realize that the cheap price was M-Sat and it was a Sunday morning. That day was the champagne brunch and not so cheap. Mom was literally sick! This has always been a funny family vacation story but I still think it make Mom a little sick.

We have taken the kids to Disney 3 times now and they love it as much as I did! I think it by far my most favorite place to go.

Where do I dream of traveling? The Caribbean. My mom and I planned on going to Jamaica together the summer after my sophomore year of college. That never happened as I got married that summer instead. We never did take that trip. Dave and I planned a cruise a year ago and Jamaica would have been one of our stops. I was so excited but I somehow lost his citizenship papers and we could not travel without them. It took the INS a full year to get us a new certificate (we just received it 2 months ago) so we still have not taken that trip to the Caribbean. Someday!

I LOVE YOU MOM!

2008-10-23T16:52:00.002-06:00

As most of you already know, my mom passed away on Saturday October 11th, in her sleep. This has been devastating for our entire family. I have waited to post because I just don't know what to say. How do you put into words the sorrow one feels when you loose your mom? I have cried so many tears and feel that I can cry no more but then I talk to my dad or one of my sisters and the tears start to fall again. I love my mom! She is a wonderful woman who did so much for so many people. I think one of her greatest accomplishments was being a grandma! She was simply the best. I am so grateful that my kids have so many memories of " Grandma's big adventures". The kids love her so much and watching them grieve has just been terrible.

I do need to count my blessings......my parents came to spend Christmas with us last year. Mom helped me throw a Christmas Eve party with some neighbors. She made fudge, of course! We were very lucky to spend her favorite holiday together. She had called me just 2 days before she died and we talked on the phone for an hour about painting her office, chocolate fountains, Christmas presents, Alyssa's birthday and Tyler's Eagle project. I will treasure that final conversation forever! I love you Mom and I miss you more then I can say!

HAPPY 15TH BIRTHDAY ALYSSA!!

2008-10-04T12:16:00.000-06:00

For her birthday, Alyssa wanted to go ice skating and then to Chili's for appetizers and chips and salsa. We decided to have a meeting spot rather then me go around and pick everyone up so while we were at the middle school parking lot, the girls started doing some of the dances from there dance class. Oh I wish I would have thought to record it. They were being more funny then serious and it was hilarious! Once everyone arrived we loaded cards and went to the ice skating rink where most of the girls froze to death! It IS ice skating. You'd think they would bring jackets but I guess that is not "cool". I actually took my winter coat and gloves and was the only one not chattering! They had tons of fun. Alyssa took a couple of spills but her friend (the one in the orange top) fell really hard and her bottom hurt the rest of the night. Poor girl!

There was only one of the boys Alyssa invited that could come. He had a GREAT time!!! The odds were in his favor, that is for sure.

I had a hard time getting good skating photos. They were mostly blurry but here is a fun one that turned out OK. It amazes me how good Alyssa is at just about everything she does. She has only been skating 2 times but can pull her friends along just fine! 15 is a big birthday......she takes the written driving test in a few weeks and then will have her driving permit. Can you believe that? I know I should be worried.....that seem to be protocol......be worried that your teenager is driving but I am actually very excited. Now she take herself around to basketball. The problem is now getting a car in the next year. UGH!

"DANCE LIKE NO ONE IS WATCHING"

2008-10-02T13:21:00.000-06:00

Alyssa and her dance class have to do a display with the theme"Dance like no one is watching". They did these photos after school this week for the assignment. Some of them turned out really cool! This bottom one is her favorite. I guess they are in their contemporary phase of dance! Anyway, I would never have guessed that Alyssa would take dance....she is such a sports person.....but she decided she liked it after a beginning class last year and is really having fun with it this year. She has a recital in December if anyone is going to be around and wants to go!

#2 WORDS TO LIVE BY

2008-09-24T09:33:00.005-06:00

WHAT WORDS DO YOU LIVE BY? HOW DO YOUR ACTIONS SHOW WHAT YOU VALUE?

I love quotes....I have them all over my house. I guess you could say that my favorite quotes are the words I live by.

In my kitchen, along the longest wall in the room is says "Together is a wonderful place to be."

I truly believe this. I have a wonderful family, both my immediate family and my extended family. My most memorable time are when we are all together. I especially love the times at the dinner table. It is dinnertime that we learn the most about our kids. We talk about the day, we discuss the upcoming activities, we laugh and joke with each other. We have a lot of extended family gatherings that center around a kitchen table. Have you ever noticed how people feel free to say whatever they are thinking while eating?

In the living room I have a tile that says, "When life gets to be more then you can stand....KNEEL" This has proven to be so very true. I know that I am not alone! I know that I cannot do things on my own and when I try, I usually either fail or do a poor job. When I turn to my Heavenly Father, I am always more successful in my efforts! I have had to learn this lesson the hard way!

My favorite scripture, and my guiding light through my life is found in Phillipians 4:13 " I can do all things through Christ which strengthenth me." There is no truer words spoken, as far as I am concerned. I read this scripture for the first time when I was 16 years old and I always turn to it when I need to be comforted or lifted up. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and will give me the strength to do all that He has asked of me!

50 MOMENTS

2008-09-22T10:44:00.006-06:00

About a year ago, I purchased a book by Lisa Bearnson called "50 Moments....scrapbook the pages that matter most" My intentions was to take each one of these "moments" and scrapbook them over the course of a year. That has not worked out so well! It is just not my time and season to scrapbook, I guess, but I still want to journal. I may not have time to cut, paste, and create but I can type for 10 min. so I have decided to take each one of the challenges and blog them instead. Someday I will transfer the journaling from my blog to a scrapbook page.

So I try to do one or two challenges a week.

#1 Talents and Gifts- What are your talents and gifts? When did you discover your talents? How have others' talents enriched your life?

This is a hard question. It is difficult to talk about your good points. I can easily point out my faults but to sit and think about my talents and gifts takes much more soul searching.

I think I am good with children....especially toddlers. I am not very good with babies.....I get very impatient, but I think I am very patient and actually enjoy toddlers. The age 3-6 is my favorite. I teach preschool and I am constantly amused by the things they say and the way their brain works. It is so fun to watch them try something, it not work, sit and analyze it, and then try again. Take the time on day to just watch your children and you will be amazed.

I also think I am a decent church speaker. This is something that has not come easily. I used to get very nervous when I was in front of people. I was in the RS presidency 10 years ago and HATED to conduct. My voice would literally shake! When Dave got called to be on the High Council and had to speak every month in a different ward, I was often asked to speak with him. (in our stake they the HC would speak and then choose someone to testify after him. That person would give a short 5-10 min talk and bear testimony on the given topic) I found that I never had a talk prepared for the right amount of time. I either had too much time left or not enough. I decided that I wanted to be the kind of person that would prepare for a talk, make an outline, and just go by the spirit. Dave was on the HC for 15 months and I spoke with him 8 times. Never once was I able to give a talk "by the spirit" alone. I always had my talk written out. Of course, it changed but still, I had it written out word for word and gave a very memorized talk. I then got called to the RS President and had many, many speaking opportunities. I again renew my goal to become a better church speaker. I have been in this calling for 2 1/2 hears and the last two lessons I have given have been "by the spirit" with only an outline prepared. This has been a huge accomplishment to me. It is a goal that has taken me 4 years to accomplish. I don't know if I could go so far as to say it is a talent but I do feel like my ability to do better has been a gift from my Heavenly Father. As far as how have others talents enriched my life......as far as this particular goal, to become a better church speaker, I felt inspired by my sister Kim. I have always felt like she was so comfortable in front of a group. Way back when she was in the RS presidency and I was in her ward for something, I remember thinking to myself, "I want to be as comfortable in front of people as Kim". I have never told her how much she inspired me so thank you Kim!

THERE WAS THIS DITCH......

2008-09-20T16:38:00.000-06:00

I am down stairs working on a scrapbook for a friend and I hear Brandon screaming at the door....you know, that something is wrong "MOM, MOM". I go running up the stairs and this is what I find. You can't tell in the photos but his feet and hands are covered in mud. Before I could even ask what happened he says, "Mom, there was this ditch. It had water in it but I did not know how much water. I was just looking at it and I was thinkin' .....well.... I was just standing there with my friends and I was thinkin' that there was not so much water in it and I just fell in. I didn't do nothing!!! The ground broke and I just fell and I did not know there was so much water in it and now I am all muddy but it was not my fault cause the ground just broke and I did not do nothing!" I busted up laughing. The explanation was just too funny. He did not appreciate that at all! The next thing out of his mouth was, " I am not taking a picture!" Wrong! This is my life with this boy. Never a dull day!

A HOUSE OF ORDER

2008-09-16T10:58:00.002-06:00

Our Stake RS is doing a 8 week long enrichment seminar called "A House of Order". The author of a book by the same title is teaching the classes on how to put your house, finances, paperwork, etc in order. I have really enjoyed the class and recommend the workbook to anyone interested. (you can borrow mine!) Last week we learned how to organize our kitchens in a more functional way as well as began to put together a "brain box" which is a simple, easy to use organizational tool for household chores. Go to her website and check it out!
Her quote of the week:
We "neat" our homes daily. We "clean" our homes once a week, and we "scrub" our homes once a month.
That works for me!
www.houseoforder.com

Happy organizing!

WHEN YOU ARE IN THE SERVICE OF YOUR FELLOW BEING......

2008-09-15T10:39:00.002-06:00

This past two weeks I have have the opportunity to be involved in several very moving experiences, where I have learn that true nature of many people I love and even more people that I don't even know. Sometimes I get discouraged at the wickedness of the world. I do not watch the news and I do not get involved in politics because I see such ugliness. I guess I just want to live in a bubble of kindness and good deeds. This past couple of weeks I have gotten to do just that. Two weeks ago a got a call from a lady in our ward who works at the library. I women, who just moved here from Florida, came in to get a library card. As they began to chat, this woman, Kristy, began to tell the library work the circumstances surrounding her arrival in Utah. Her family was planning on making the move here to look for work. The economy in Florida is bad and they had job prospects here. They moved all of their belonging into a storage unit and then moved in with her mom for a few weeks. During that time, tropical storm Faye hit the Florida coast and the storage unit was completely flooded....we are talking water halfway up the unit. They did not live close by, about 40min away, so they did not know of the damage for several days. By the time they went to asses the damage, their belongs were a total loss, mostly to black mold and of course water damage. They were able to make the move here with one bed, one very water logged sofa and their summer clothing (all the items they had in suitcases at her moms house). When they arrived, they moved into a 3 bedroom apt and began shopping at the DI's for furniture. They needed everything for 5 children and two adults. They had no luck as BYU had just started and the students has cleaned the DI's out! They were told that it could be several weeks before they has household furniture available. They had the 3 older kids ( 7, 6, and 4 ) in one bed and the parents along with the two little ones ( 2 and 12 months) slept on the floor. So this is the story I get from the library worker at 10 PM on a Tuesday. She said she did not know what to do and thought I could figure out something. She gave me the mom's phone number, even thought she really should not have since it was on a confidential library application. (like library cards contain private info anyway!) I got on the computer and sent out an email to about 15 friends and family, briefly explaining the situation and asking if anyone had any household items that they could donate. What happened over the next 3 days was amazing. By that night, I had a queen bed, including mattress, box spring, headboard and foot board, a kitchen table, and a toddler bed and mattress. They entire family would not spend another night on the floor. By the next day, we had dishes, silverware, pots, pans, towels, toys, bed linens, coats, hats, gloves, a TV, VCR, two more twin beds and mattresses, and all lot of bedding. We also had gifts for all the kids and two gift cards for a significant amount of money. I just couldn't believe how people responded! The amazing thing is that I kept hearing from people that I did not know. My email kept getting forwarded on and ended up being read by countless people and many of them came through with some kind of help for this family. By Thursday night.....48 hours after I received the call from the library, I had located and spoken to her bishop. On Friday morning she was visited by her bishopric and the RS presidency and by Sat morning they had a kitchen full of food. In less then one week, this family had everything they need to live comfortably and many things things that would bring joy all at the hands of strangers. I was very humbled by this experience. There are so many people who are so very selfless. I have been thinking of the scripture in Matt. "In as much as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" I truly felt the hands of our Savior reach out and touch this family and I am so grateful to have been the lucky one that got to make the deliveries and see their faces and share in their tears as they were touch by the spirit! I feel like I learned from this experience. We have so much. We are so blessed. I have never had to sleep on the floor and I have never gone without food. I hope I appreciate what I have more and remember the hands of the Lord in all things!

The second experience I had this past week was to help with a funeral. There was an older couple that lived in our ward for 9 years. They moved to Arizona to live with one of their children about 2 years ago. They felt, that with the husbands failing health, they had family that they needed to spend time with. He passed away on Sept 10th and requested that he be brought back to Eagle Mountain for his funeral and to be buried. I got word on Thursday that we would have a funeral on Saturday. As the RS president, I was in charge of the luncheon, moving the flowers, and just making sure the families needs were met that day. About half the family is vegetarian so we has a luncheon that would be appropriate for both vegetarians and meat eaters. It turned out beautiful. The bishop wanted me to order a floral arrangement from the ward. We actually found a sister who used to do weddings and funerals and she made the most beautiful arrangement I have seen! (the photo is above) The family chose fall colors, red, orange and green, for the casket and this arrangement was made to match. Again, I was so amazed at how many people were willing to take their Saturday and help someone they did not know. (this family moved a while ago and most of the people here did not know them). They had 7 children, spread across the US, and all of them attended the service. Several of them had the opportunity to speak about their father. It was very moving to hear them honor their father and speak of eternal families. They were sad, of course, because they will miss his presence but they were also very happy, knowing that they will see him again. This is not the first funeral I have been to and knew how spiritual they are but, after the week I already had, I felt very moved to again see the Lord's had at work.

If I have learned one thing this past several days, it is the principle of service. I honestly have a testimony of the power that service has to lift our burdens. Our Heavenly Father has sent a Savior to atone for not only our sins but for our hardships and trials too. When we are engaging in service, we are lifting the burdens of those around us, therefore, helping others to accept the Savior's atoning sacrifice in their lives. In turn, we too are uplifted and find the strength to endure our own difficulities.

MY WITTY LITTLE BRANDON

2008-09-10T14:00:00.005-06:00

OK, so I keep telling myself I am going to keep a journal and I am just not getting it all done. I sometimes feel like I have three different journals....one is my blog, one is in my room, an actual book, and one as my scrapbook pages. It seems that none of the three are being kept up and done correctly. I have decided that since I like to type more then I like to write, I am going to try to make my blog more meaningful so you will just have to endure the stories that may seem boring to you but are meaningful to me!

Yesterday was Brandon's birthday. We gave him his birthday present, a ripstick, the night before so he could ride it to school. Boy was he excited. He went out on Monday evening and spend an hour riding around....and took his first fall. He decided that elbow pads would be a good idea but that only lasted a short while. On Tuesday, he rode it to school and let his teacher try it out. I guess she was not very good! Brandon says it's because she wears heals to school. That would make it difficult. That afternoon, Tyler had a football game and Brandon came with us. I was worried that he would feel jipped that his birthday was spent at a football game for Tyler but the truth is, all he wanted to do was ripstick. So for two hours, that is what he did! On the way home we stopped at Cold Stone and go ice cream. He started getting phone calls from the family wishing him a happy birthday on our way home. Brandon is our funny, witty little one. He always has something smart to say and yesterday was no exception. When Aunt Emily asked him what he wanted for his birthday, he told her he wanted a dirt bike and needed $400. Emily said, " that's a lot of money. How are you going to get it?" Brandon, " Well, LEMONADE STAND!!!" He said it in a matter of fact, well duh, kind of way! He figured that he needed 400 customers and would sell each glass for $1 each. Now that is a lot of lemonade. What is really funny about this is that when mom reminds him that he cannot have a dirt bike as long as he lives at my house, he just says, "Well, I will just get it when I turn 18 and I am out of here." I am not sure if I should be upset about that??? He has a funny way of thinking sometimes. He also says he is not getting married because it costs too much money to get married and he wants an X-box 360. Oh Brandon. It will be interesting to see how he is in 10 years!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOYS!

2008-09-04T10:24:00.007-06:00

This past week both of my boys both had birthdays. Tyler is now 14 and Brandon was 9 on the 9th .......Emily, this his his golden birthday and for him is extra cool He was born on 9-9-99 and is turning 9 years old! I have been thinking about the time they were born.

Both my boys were big surprises. Tyler and his older sister are only 10 1/2 months apart. Tyler was 3 weeks early but that still would have been close. I didn't even find out that I was pregnant until I was a little more then 3 months along. I started preterm lablor at 5 months and had him at 8 months. It was a crazy time.....it was pretty much like having twins. Kim may disagree with me since she actually did have twins at that time! The good thing is that Alyssa walked at 9 months so at least I did not have to carry two babies! Tyer was a very, very good baby! He hardly ever cried. I actually took him to the doctor because he never cried and slept 4-6 hour stretches right from the get go. The doctor checked him out, gave him a clean bill of health, and then told me to count my blessings! The funny thing is he is still my sleeper. He is always the first one to bed and the last one up! He was born with more hair then I have ever seen on a child! It was so dark and thick......a lot like his dad's (at least back then....smile, smile). Tyler has grown up to be a wonderful young man. He has completed all his requirements for his Eagle Scout and just has the actual project to complete. He will be the youngest boy in our ward to get his Eagle next spring. He is a straight "A" student and he is on Student Council this year also. He is a leader! He knows right from wrong and is not afraid to stand up for what's right......even if is causes him problems, which has happened. I am proud of him and love him very much. Happy Birthday Tyler!!!

Brandon was also a surprise and this time I was more upset about the surprise. We knew we wanted 4 kids but by now I was well aware of how much work it was and was scared to have two so close again. It took me a month or so to come to terms with the pregnancy. I began preterm labor at 5 months, like always, and my water broke a full month early. I suspected that morning that my water was leaking but "I had things to do" so I didn't tell anyone! I had a doctor apt. at 4 PM that day and figured I would say something then. By the time I got into see the doctor it was 5 PM and I said, "Oh,by the way, I think my water might be leaking." I thought he was going to shoot me! He checked and it was in fact leaking and he sent me right over to the hospital where they finished breaking my water and 3 1/2 hours later we had Brandon. It was 9-9-99 and we tried to hold off until 9PM but Brandon would not have anything to do with that and he was born at 8:53 PM. Brandon has been a busy, full of energy boy since the day he was born. We were not as strick as parents by the 4th child....either that or we were just too tired by the 4th child, and we let him sleep with us a lot. It was just easier......maybe not wiser but definatly easier! Up to about a year ago, he would still sneek into our bed at night and wiggle inbetween Dave and I. I actually didn't mind too much. He was our baby and I knew that one day our children would be too big to sleep in our bed. That day is here and I miss those mornings that he would tell me that I was "in his spot"! Brandon is still a truck person. He LOVES trucks, cars, planes, and trains....but cars and trucks are still #1. He collect the pixar cars and he can tell each one he has. He doesn't like to sit down and do one thing for very long but he can play with his cars for hours!

He has never "loved" school....he would rather be running and playing....but he does well anyway. This year he has a teacher who let him ride his new ripstick in the classroom on his birthday. She is offically "cool" now!!!

Happy Birthday Brandon!

(by the way, I don't know why my photos uploaded in this order....sorry!)

SUMMER'S LAST HOORAH

2008-09-02T14:42:00.003-06:00

Yes, there is the face again! Alyssa and Tyer being goofs! 7 peaks has always been a family favoirte. We planned on going on Labor Day for our last visit but saw that a nasty storm was blowing in and it was only to be in the 60's that day so we decided to go Sat. instead. It was nearly 100. That sounds miserable but, when swimming, that is great. It was just our family so we got to spend some fun time together. Brandon's favorite slide is freefall. He goes on it over and over again. This is the first year he has been tall enough and had the courage to do it so he was pretty proud of himself. He talked me into going down it with him. It's not that I am scared but as I get older I don't have the desire to put myself through that much pain and face it, waterslides at that angle are tricky!!!

Brandon and Alyssa going down the boomarang. This is a really fun ride. (next year I will get you to go Michele Flynn!)
Ashlee on the boomarang. It is actually scary to go on this on a single tube. You go down forward but you spin around as soon as you go up the other side and then come down backwards. Ashlee knew this but actually doing it is a whole different thing. If you look close, you can see her screaming!
Brandon gives this ride a thumbs up!

FALL SPORTS ARE HERE AGAIN!

2008-09-02T10:17:00.002-06:00

Football season is here again and we are glad. Last year I really had a hard time with football....at least at the beginning of the season. It was difficult to watch a game where one of the main purposes is to hit the guy next to you as hard as you can. In Tyler's case, he often has the ball so he is the one everyone is trying to kill! Now I am used to it and I enjoy watching the game. This year has been a little different for us. Tyler is on the "A" team which mean he is with the better players. That means he has to work harder and compete for is position. That is good for him but hard for me. I want to see him play the whole game and that is not how it works. Anyway, he is doing great. He works hard and even when he was sick, he went to practice.

Ashlee and Brandon are playing soccer again this year. Last year we had them on the same team. They age group was 8-9 year olds. The new group started at age 10 so this year Ashlee had to play in the older league. That has been good for them. They feel like they have their own thing.....not sharing with their sibling but it makes getting everyone to their practices harder and we have soccer games for 8 AM to 11 AM every Saturday! Ugh! The kids really like it and they have gotten better since last year. You can really tell that they have a bit more experience now. I love seeing them have fun. I always loved sports so it is nice to see my kids like playing sports so much! Brandon is funny.....he has the most intense facial expressions! I will try to get a better photo next time.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

2008-08-20T15:15:00.000-06:00

Well, I can't ever get a serious photo of these two! I think they just get sick of me taking them all the time. This look really says it all.....they are goofballs and they are best friends. I really can't complain. They are pretty excited about school this year. Tyler is in student council and Alyssa has two honors classes and advanced dance. It should be a great year for them.

What? Another smile out of Tyler. Something is wrong. I usually don't ever get smiles! Isn't he cute though!!!

Alyssa is getting so grown up. She is a freshman this year and pretty excited about that. She has her whole life planned out and, according to her, this is the first year that everything counts. I guess she is right!

Max has trouble with school. He runs to the window and then runs to the slidding door and then back to the window looking for the kids. Once he decides they are gone, he goes to the couch and pouts! Funny, funny.

MORE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

2008-08-20T15:08:00.000-06:00

Notice how Ashlee and Brandon have to be just like Alyssa and Tyer? This is a signiture "Alyssa" pose!!!

so pretty and so excited for 5th grade. She sure is growing up!

Brandon is really happy this year. He got the teacher he wanted (and he got the teacher I wanted too!!) I am telling you .....the teacher is it.....good teacher=good year!

FLASHBACK FRIDAY

2008-08-14T18:24:00.002-06:00

OK, so I am not sure why these posted out of order but Oh Well! School starts on Monday for the kids. I have been thinking about how big they are getting. Class list were posted and my younger two have teachers that my older two had. That is when you realize that life is passing you by.....and I hate it. The school year is hard for me in that someone else sees my kids more then I do. When they were little I needed the break I got while they were at school but now I just want them home with me! These are the first day of school 2005. That was the only year that I had all 4 of my kids in the same school Alyssa was in 6th grade and Brandon was in kindergarten. It was really fun to see them leave for school together and see Alyssa watch out for her little brother on the playground! They all had good teacher that year and having all 4 kids with teacher you mesh with is a big deal!!!

first day of 6th grade. She sure has grown up!

Tyler, what is that.....a smile??

This is Brandon after he got home from school. He was SO excited. I must say that his kindergarten teacher was the best teacher ever! She won teacher of the year and deserved. She worked so well with his ADHD and really made him feel that he had the power to be successful! I believe we owe a lot to Mrs Kamaau!

COUSIN FUN

2008-08-12T16:42:00.000-06:00

Well, this week has been CRAZY! I know it is only Tuesday but it has still be pretty busy. Jeff and Christie are in Las Vegas looking for a new home. I have the 4 kids until Friday. I wanted to make sure they got to do some fun things while they were here. Yesterday we just hung around the house. I went and rented Nim's Island for them and they watched that, played WII and rode rip stix and skate boards all day. They were stinky, sweaty, tired kids by the end of the day. Today we went to the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point. They have an August special for $2 per person instead of the regular $8 so it was a cheap fun activity. Actually, I thought it was a little boring.....in the sense that most of the exhibits were look and read type things. The kids really liked all the life size models and they LOVE the sand and water tables and the digging for fossils spot. It ended up being a lot of fun for them

This is the sand and water table. I sure wish I had one of these for preschool. I think Little Tikes makes one. I am going to have to look into it. The kids had a ball. They had little plastic dinosaurs and plant life all over that you could dig for and then bury again . This is were we spent the most time.

They also had a digging spot. There are these big sand boxes that look sort of like caves and the kids dig for fossils that are buried under tons of sand. It is definitely a dirty activity but a fun one. It was pretty crowded. I think they would have stayed longer had there been fewer people!

Notice Tyler? He is a goof ball. He NEVER smiles for photos. I was getting annoyed at him and this was what I got in response. I guess it is better then the "I am ticked off" look!!

LIFE IS ABOUT COMPROMISING

2008-07-28T14:17:00.000-06:00

Are you wondering what this is a photo of? It is the underside of Brandon's bunk bed. Brandon has a thing for stickers. He LOVES them. I DON'T! He used to stick them all over the walls. I would get mad and peel them off and throw them out. He would have a fit. He started putting them in the closet....so I would not see them......and that didn't work either. I felt bad, sort of! These sticker really meant something to him but I just could not bring myself to allow them all over the place. One night, while laying in bed with him, I looked up at the underside of the top bunk and saw he had put one there. I thought about it for a minute and decided that would work. He could stick them all over the wood and he could see them every night but I could not! I went and bought him a page of new sticker and told him that he could put them anywhere he wanted, as long as it was underneath the bunk. He was thrilled. Whenever he get a new car that has sticker in the package to decorate the doors or hood of the car, he puts them under the bed instead. He took the guitar hero stickers and put them on his bed instead of on the guitar. He has even taken the "claim you free prize" stickers them come in the mail to market a product and sticks them to the bed. It made me realize that we really need to pick our battles and compromise with our kids more often. It is not always necessary to be "right". I would have never know how much joy these silly little sticker bring a 9 year old boy had I not given in a little! So now you know to save all your little stickers and mail them to Brandon.

FLASHBACK FRIDAY......OR SUNDAY!

2008-07-27T13:38:00.003-06:00

I have only done this one week and already am behind. I guess I am following in Em's footsteps. (smile, smile). I guess better late then never!
Ashlee really loves to watch home videos, especially the tape with her birth on it. I sat down and watched it with her the other day and thought about when each of the kids were born. Somewhere on the tape someone made a comment about all 10 fingers and all 10 toes and it reminded me of the fact that that is NOT a given. Imagine the feeling when the nurses are being so cute and counting all your newborns toes and you hear "5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11?" Eleven!!! Is that a joke? Well, with Tyler is was no joke. He had 6 toes on one foot. The 6th toe was actually a skin tab since it had no bone but it was just off the pinkie toe and it did have toenail so medically it was considered a 6th toe and a "birth defect" They tied it off and in about a week, it just shriveled up like a raisin and fell off....pretty much like the belly button. If I had to choose a birth defect, that would be the one but it caused my heart to stop for just a split second! The formation of a baby is such a miracle that it is a wonder that more things don't go wrong. It is just evidence of our Heavenly Father's love. Only He could create such perfect human beings....even with 11 toes!

MAMMA MIA!!

2008-07-24T20:51:00.002-06:00

Has anyone seen this yet? I recommend it if you like Abba music! I have seen it twice now and love it! I saw the play in Las Veges 2 years ago and really enjoyed it.....as much as I could having just had a root canal and getting very sick from complications while in Vegas. I have been waiting 6 months for this movie to come out. I figured that since I was not on pain killers, I would remember a lot more! I was very pleased. Meryl Streep is excellent. She was perfect for the role. The music is fabulous. There is a lot of innuendo but aside from that, it is great. I will probably go see it again! Anyone want to go?

2008-07-18T08:30:00.000-06:00

Do you remember when?

1. Add a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember! If we're only blogging friends, write about a post that is most memorable.

2. Next, post these instructions on your blog and see how many people have a fun memory of you. It's pretty fun to see the responses.

3. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. :)
Can't wait to read your memories!

FLASHBACK FRIDAY!

2008-07-18T07:58:00.003-06:00

OK, I have been waiting all week long for to do this! I thought Emily's idea was great! It made me stop and think and I quickly realized that I have never been a good journal writer and many memories are fading or lost forever so I am going to actually try this each week!

I was at a fireside a week ago and the speaker was talking about raising children and the difficult times we sometimes have. He told a story of a time he walked into his office at work and overheard his co-working pleading with his wife on the phone" don't do it....please don't do it!" The co-worker explained that his little boy had peed down the heater vent and his wife was insisting that she was going to "cut it off". I know you are laughing.....but......

When Ashlee was about 5 or 6 she was giving us a hard time about something and was sent to her room. She went through a phase where she was often in her room! When she would be punished, she would use every excuse in the book to get attention, including "I need to go potty....really bad!!" She does have a small bladder and she actually DID go when we would let her out but this time we were really mad and when she began wailing about needing to go potty Dave told her no....she could wait. That caused a 5 minute fit and Dave finally told her she is NOT coming out and he did not care if she peed down the vent. WELL.......she stopped crying and a little while later, when we went to talk to our now calm and rational daughter, she informed us that she had calmed down because she did not have to pee anymore. We had the I told you so thoughts and said "See, you could hold it just fine." and she then told us that no, she just peed down the vent like Daddy said! I about died. I was so mad! We knew darn well that she did that just to spite her Dad but he DID tell her to so we could not really punish her too much. Oh my....the things our kids do!
Ahslee is still our stubborn as a nail child but she has outgrown the need to pee down vents!
(Kim, didn't your boys pee in a drawer once? )

I remember spending most of my motherhood years wishing and hoping for the kids to grow up faster. Little ones are so much work! The past couple of years have been so nice. We have the freedom come and go as we need to and the kids do not need me to take care of their every need! The past few weeks have been like a mid life crisis I guess because I am realizing that my kid are getting too big. They don't need me as much and I miss that. I find myself hanging onto Ashlee and Brandon a little tighter! Before I know it they will be married and on missions! So my advice, enjoy them while they are little and love every stupid thing they do!

ASHLEE'S FIRST CONCERT!

2008-07-06T22:45:00.000-06:00

On the night of the 4th of July, our family along with some of David's family, were able to attend the Stadium of Fire. We have always wanted to go but it has never been something we felt we could spend the money on. This year Miley Cyrus was the main performer and David's brother and his family were coming from Georgia so we decided to go ahead and make this our year to go. The kids were all excited to say they have been to Stadium of Fire but Ashlee was beside herself with excitement!!! She LOVES Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus and this was just too much for her. She jumped and screamed the whole time. She actually lost her voice by the end and was squeaking instead of screaming.

I have to say that her reaction was worth the money! She loved it!!

I am not sure if she is squeaking or screaming in this photo but it reminds me of the old photos you see of young girls when the Beatles were big. It is just so funny to see how much they love these singers. Notice everyone around her is sitting down. Ashlee is still standing up and still screaming!

We actually had decent seats. We were about the 50 yd line and half way up the stadium but even then we could not see great. Miley is pretty small and the lights are so bright but I was able to get some pretty good photos of the big screens off to the side of the stage. She dances around a lot but in this photo she is singing a tribute to her grandpa so she is sitting still.

Ashlee and I towards the end of the concert.....we are hot and have a but of ash in our hair from all the fireworks but still happy to be there! You could only buy tickets in groups of 8 so we had to buy two different sets of tickets and spit up at the stadium. We decided to put the moms....Emmy, Kathy and I together with the girls that are big Miley Cyrus fan and the dads....Dave and Alex with all the older kids. It was nice to be with her cousins that shared the same excitement but I wish Dave could have see Ashlee's reaction. I believe this was probably the most exciting thing she has ever done!

JUST TWO THINGS!

2008-06-22T20:39:00.002-06:00

I got tagged by my sister and decided to post my answers instead of sending them out by email but that does not mean you don't have to reply!!

Two Names You Go By:
1. jenn
2. Jenny
Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now:
1.PJ's
2. elastic hair tie
Two Things You Want Very Badly At The Moment:
1. patio furniture
2. Dave to come home from the church
Two People Who Will Fill This Out (And The First To Send It Back):
1.Marie
2. Michele
Two Things You Did Last Night:
1. went to a neighborhood BBQ
2. talked to the kids
Two Things You ate yesterday:
1. potato salad
2. steak
Two People You Last Talked To:
1. Stace
2. Emily
Two Things You're Doing Tomorrow:
1. visiting sisters in the ward
2. laundry
Two Longest Car Rides:
1. Lake Powell
2. California
Your Two Favorite Holidays:
1. Christmas
2. Thanksgiving
Favorite Vacations:
1. Disneyland
2. going to see my sisters
Two Favorite Beverages:
1. Milk
2. water( I do like diet Dr Pepper in the summer!)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

2008-06-17T09:52:00.001-06:00

Happy Father's Day Dave!! I asked each of the kids to tell me three things they love about their dad.
Alyssa- 1-he is willing to help us with things even if it takes a long time
2- he makes sure that I am safe and that I am well looked after (like with guys!)
3. He likes to joke around with me
Tyler- 1. He makes really good breakfast and is good at grilling
2- He likes to go fishing with me
3- He will always help me with things
Ashlee- 1- he is way nice
2- he is way cool
3- I like it when he take me fishing and camping and teaches me how to fish
Brandon- 1- he is really, really cool
2- I like it when he tickles me
3- I like watching movies together
Jenn- 1- I love that he brings me flowers and diet dr. pepper all the time. I know it is a little thing but it shows me that he knows the things that make me happy
2- he like chic-fliks. He never complains about going to the movie I choose!
3- I love how dedicated he is to his calling. It has never bothered me the amount of time he spends at church. I can't think of anything he does that brings us more blessings!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHLEE

2008-06-10T17:03:00.000-06:00

Today is Ashlee's 10th birthday and she has been counting the day down for a month! She has been so excited for her big day. She spend the majority of the day at day camp. While she was gone, we decorated her room with crepe paper and balloons. We filled her bed with balloons and had a bunch with helium floating around the room. We put her presents on the bed. Dave came home early today and he and the kids hid in her room while I went to pick her up from camp. When she walked into her room everyone yelled and sang Happy Birthday. It was really fun for her. She has decided that Littlest Pet Shops are her new favorite toy so we got her a set and an electronic game too. We also got her a Hannah Montana bag. We will have ice cream cake tonight after dinner! It was a good birthday she says!!!

PONY EXPRESS DAYS

2008-06-08T19:47:00.000-06:00

Around here, every summer each city has a celebration. I am not sure the reason....I guess to celebrate the fact that they are are a Utah city. It is like a 4th of July celebration each week somewhere in the state! Eagle Mountain had their "Pony Express Days" this past week. Most of the fun stuff happens on Saturday. Ashlee walked in the parade with her girl scout troop. This was the first time she has been in a parade and she loved it. It was SO freezing cold. It had rained all week long and we woke up Saturday morning to more rain. It cleared up by the time the parade participants were lining up but it was still freezing! Notice the people in the background with blankets. That is not what you are supposed be the second week of June!

Brandon is a goof! I don't even know what he is looking at here but he clearly is only slightly impressed by it!

I am a big fan of roller coasters.....at a Disneyland or Lagoon type park. I HATE carnival rides. The kids, however, love them. There was a carnival all day Saturday and the very first one they decided to ride was a big round "thing" that you just stand up against a padded wall, the door closes, and it spins you around and around very fast. It is called the gravitator because gravity pins you against the wall as it spins. Sounds like great fun, huh??? I could not even watch the thing spin! I had to turn around. Kids were falling over as they got off. It was funny. Ashlee stayed on her feet and managed to keep from throwing up (last year she didn't do so well on the ride...it is beyond me why she rode it again this year) but she was dizzy enough to hold her head as she got off.....still wearing a smile!

SCHOOL'S OUT!

2008-05-24T15:43:00.001-06:00

School is out.....almost. I do still have one field trip next week (that got rained out this week) and the 4 yr old graduation but that is it for the year. I absolutely love my job but I have to admit that by the time May comes around, I am ready for a break. This is my 3 yr. old class. They are the cutest things but they are a handful! Some days I want to ring their necks and then 5 minutes later I can't stop laughing. For example, out of the clear blue one little boy said his Dad farts a lot. I busted up laughing. If you know me, I HATE the work fart and then to hear a 3 year old telling his fathers secrets was just too funny. I always know before anyone else when a mommy is pregnant and if she had a bad morning and yelled that day. Please keep you Valentine's Day activities an extra guarded secret because they tell me that too! Now that I think about it, it is about February that the kids all want to kiss me at school! I can joke about the sometimes crazy days we have when I am counting down the minutes until 11:15 but most of the time it is the most fulfilling job. I have the opportunity to make a difference in 30 kids lives. I get to see them learn and grow and I miss them when summer comes. Luckily, I get all these kids back next year!!!

SIGNS OF SUMMER

2008-05-18T17:35:00.004-06:00

It is no secret to my friends and family that summer is my favorite time of year. I love the hot, sunny days! I love the long hours at 7-peaks with a book and a diet Dr. Pepper or ice cold water! I love watching the kids play in the pools. I realize that I have passed a little bit of me onto them! Dave likes the water but he can live without it. He goes for us. I, on the other hand, love the water and did from the time I was a baby. I have tried to pass this same love onto the kids. I had two of them in swimming lesson very young and the other two seemed to be born with that knowledge and never took lessons. I always took them out in the deep end end encouraged them to jump and made them go under water. I never wanted them to be scared. This was partly selfish. I needed kids that loved the water so I could continue to spend so much time poolside in the summertime! Thankfully, it worked!

There are many signs that summer is finally here.....the sun of course, sprinklers under the trampoline, the lawn mowers going at 7:30 AM, dogs barking all night..... a sound that I actually like......late night talks on the porch with neighbors ( I love that we live in an area that everyone has very large proches!) For me, one of the first signs of summer is my feet! Yesterday was the first really hot day here. Everyone was outside doing yardwork, garage sale hopping, and playing in the water. It was a long day in the sun. When I came in to soak in the bath, with my new Mother's day bathsalts....thanks Ashlee.....I looked down and saw the faint outline of my flipflops on my feet. My flipflop tan line has always made me smile. Now I know that summer is REALLY here!

ALPINE DAYS-2008

2008-05-13T13:27:00.000-06:00

Alyssa and Tyler ran track this year. Tyler mostly did the field events but did run the 400 meter and the 4x400 relay. I was trying to do double duty this day as Dave had to work so I filmed some events and got photos of others. Alyssa has had some trouble with her knees and this last photos really says it all. She ended up limping off the track and they pulled her from her last event. We have an apt. with an orthopedic specialist on Thursday. Hopefully we will get some answers as to what the problem is. In spit of all that, she took second in the 200 and 400 by less then 1 second in each event. As a matter of fact it was by 2 tenths of a second in both events. Pretty close. She took 5th in the 100 and never did run her relay. Tyler took 9th in the 400, 5th in the long jump and his team took 2nd in the 4x400 relay. They both did pretty good.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

2008-05-13T11:13:00.001-06:00

This post is for my kids. I love Mother's day. Dave and the kids always make it so special! He takes the kids out to get me little gifts and they love picking things out. They really know my tastes. There are a few items that have sort of become traditions. I always get bathsalts and a lotion, a book, and a HUGE card. The card thing is funny. I actually asked Dave this year to just help them pick out a regular size card so I could scrapbook it and he said NO. He told me the kids love the bigs cards and he would not take that away from them. Good point! So....I get a huge card to add to the collection! This year I got an extra special gift from Alyssa. She brought $20 with her to the mall to get a pair of shorts from Aeropostale......her favorite store. Instead she bought me a bracelet and pair of matching earrings I had told Christie I liked. It really ment a lot to me that she spent her own money on me instead of that pair of shorts she had been saving for! I love you Alyssa, Tyler, Ashlee, Brandon, and of course Dave! Thank you for a very nice Mother's day.

HAVING A BAD DAY!!

2008-05-13T10:26:00.001-06:00

Poor Brandon....he really did have a bad day. He had been invited to a sleepover party at our neighbors house the night before and like kids do, he played until midnight, did not get enough sleep and we paid for that the next day! He came home and seemed in a good mood but we had a family birthday party and left only a few minutes after he got home. The meltdown began on the way to the party. He just did not want to go. Once we got there, the 4 kids ran over to the basketball hoops and started to play. Brandon and Tyler began to fight becasue one of the hoops was bent and neither wanted to shoot on that hoop and, of course, they could not just play together on the same hoop! Then Brandon did not want to eat anything that was there. He opted for a plain hotdog and nothing else. Then all the men and boys went to see Speedracer. He did well through the movie but we needed to go to Walmart after the movie and he did not want to go. By now it was 8 PM so we had been gone 9 hours already. He had trouble throughout the store and on the checkout line, he lost it. I had to leave Dave to pay and I took him to the car. On our way out he was screaming, a parent's nightmare. People probably thought I was either kidnapping him or going to beat him in the car (which I considered.....just kidding) As we were crossing the parking lot, a car of teenage girls started mocking him and that just made it worse. He began to yell at the girls to shut up, which only made them laugh. Now on this point, I agreed with Brandon.....I wished they would just shut up too!! When we got to the van, he was in complete meltdown mode and crawled to the back and just threw a tantrum. I happened to have the camera, since we had just come from a party, so I took a photo. Poor kid.....that was just the icing on the cake. He was basically hysterical and I was laughing at this point. All I could do was turn around and just wait it out. I taught the lesson in RS the next day and one thing we talked about was how the joys of motherhood come in moments. This was NOT one of those moments and the thought of it made me smile during my lesson. I guess I can say at least something good came from this terrible day!

STUDENT OF THE MONTH

2008-05-13T09:35:00.000-06:00

Brandon was the Apil student of the Month in his 2nd grade class. He was so excited. He had watched severl of his friends earn the award througout the year and hoped he would get his turn. When he finally did, he was on cloud 9......which is hard to tell here. He is just like his dad and Tyler, never cracking a smile....always so "cool" In the first photo you can tell he really wanted to smile!!! Good job Brandon!

MINI CHRISTIE

2008-05-02T11:25:00.001-06:00

Little Ashlee got her glasses today! She was so excited. It has been a month long process.....the first doctor did not have the proper equipment to diagnose her problem so we had to go do a pediatric specialist which took two weeks to get into his office. We had the apt. last Friday morning and her glasses came today. Whew!!! She loves them. First of all, she says "everything is clear again" which made me want to cry. Second she said " I look like Christie" which made me laugh!

EASTER

2008-04-30T10:09:00.000-06:00

Getting a good photo of the kids was a nightmare this year. The boys were giving me fits. At first Brandon kept making funny faces and Tyler refused to smile. Then everyone started giving Tyler a hard time so he would laugh but someone was always turned around. I guess this is as good as it gets this year! They are cute kids though!

As always, Ashlee is the little babysitter! She is always holding or playing with one of the the cousins. This was Audree's first Easter and she was so much fun. She could not quite firgure out where the eggs were suposed to go during the hunt. I wish I had a picture of her trying to eat the biggest cupcakes you have ever seen. It was pretty funny!

Alyssa is the one always making us laugh with her silly poses! She is a little old for the egg hunt but since there was money is some of the eggs, she had to get on board this year but could not help making fun of it....just a little!

PRECIOUS DYLAN!

2008-04-28T11:01:00.001-06:00

For those of you who don't know, my nephew was hit by a car on April 16th. He is only 16 months old and his little body didn't do too well under a big car! He was taken by ambulance to the emergency room where he underwent many tests and had his first of 4 surgeries within the first couple hours of being there. I arrive in Phoenix at 10:00 that night and this first photos was the Dylan I saw when I walked into his PICU room! Not a sight for a weak stomach!

Three days later, after a second surgery and watching him stop breathing, this is Dylan on his way to recovery. The breathing tubes are out and we all feel a sense a great relief!!

This photo was taken on Saturday. This was kind of his "resting day" He had all the tubes out and would not have another surgery until Sunday morning. He did pretty good this day. It is actually amazing how well he was recovering. The biggest obstical at this point was getting him to wake up. He was off all seditation medication but his little body just wanted to sleep. His heart rate was good so sleeping was fine.

This photo was taken on Monday, just before I left. Leaving was very hard for me! I knew the week to come would be hard in a very differnt way then that first week in the hospital. I did not want to leave Dylan and I did not want to leave my sister! No mother should have to go through what she has gone through! I must say that Emily and Brandon have handled it so well! I have been so proud at how strong they have been. Emily is an amazing, strong women and I hope I am as good a mother as she is! If anyone wants to read the details on Dylan's journey, you can link to Emily's blog from my "blogger friends" list!