Summer (not as late...)

FOR THE BIRDS...We had baby birds! Seriously! Two birds build their nest right in our front porch. We thought the birds were hanging around a lot and making a lot of racket, and then we found the nest. It was exciting to have nature happening outside our own front door (literally), until the eggs were laid. For a full month while the eggs, then the baby birds, inhabited the nest we didn’t dare go out our front door. The mother and father bird would SWOOP at us in protection of their babies. We did grow to love them though, and then one day they learned to fly and they were gone, just like that. I imagine that’s how we’ll feel about our little kiddies one day. We love them, get used to haveing them around, then they learn to fly and they're gone…just like that.

GOODBYE to our forever favorite friends and neighbors the Stewarts. Fran is missing her Punz friend and just doesn’t understand why she can’t go see her next door. We are seriously missing the Stewarts! Marty had a great session of soccer with Herb coaching. He even kicked the ball a few times this season. We love going to the WEST FEST. We always go to the rides on family night and enjoy the parade and fireworks on Saturday. There was a huge storm on Friday, we felt bad for our poor friends/family who had booths. The kids had fun riding rides and getting candy at the parade. And I ran my 3rd 5K race. All of that accomplished with Herb on a business trip. AND Marty won a Goldfish!

The Ward Campout (or cookout in our case) was great fun. We hiked Donut Falls and then had a Potato Car Derby race. We sure do love our ward family.

POOL PARTIES…We enjoyed our Independence Day celebration with the Nelsons and company. The kids played and swam and there was lots of good food, fun, friends, and especially FIREWORKS! Lizzy had a BACK TO SCHOOL party with her friends that won’t be in her class this year. She was missing them before they even went back to school. You’ve got to love the Slip’n Slide and especially Marty’s “Troy” dancing.

Young Women’s camp was LOVELY. Our ward was the Humble Bumbles, and we were BEE-lievers. Good times, good girls, good Spirit. A little bear scare, lots of yummy food, a fabulous hike, and some SWEET testimonies were the highlights.

Our Jackson Hole/Snake River trip with the Nordfelt’s was full of good times. The river was high, so the kids spent most of their time at the lake and at camp trying to catch pot guts. Lizzy was sick the last day, and Marty had some SERIOUS mosquito bite reaction going on. We happened to start our trip on opening day of HARRY POTTER 6, so I went to the midnight showing before we left. LOVED it!

We spent PIONEER DAY weekend at Gammy and Grandpa’s house. Uncle Chris took us out for lake day on his boat. We really enjoyed spending time with Chris and Emily and little Brycen. The kids especially liked Brycen’s disco dance, and we’ll not soon forget the wind storm that came through! We adventured around the ranch on the quads and at the pond. We caught some fish…but not on the line, just in a bucket…small ones… When we got home, Wormy the Goldfish was a goner, poor wormy, I didn’t think he’d make it past the weekend of the westfest let alone a whole month! Then we got Swimmer the Beta.



A lovely summer indeed. We did get the sad news however, that Herb will be loosing his job this fall due to a 75% workforce reduction at his office. So we're on the hunt for a new job. Major bummer in this economy. But the Lord will bless us, I'm sure of it!

Spring (a tad late)

What did we do in the spring?
We went to the Draper Temple open house.
Marty played Itty-bitty Basket Ball.
Fran got her first hair cut.
Lizzy got a short hair cut.
Lizzy went snow skiing for the first time.
We did the MS Walk.
We had a happy Easter.
We planted a garden.
The girls did a mommy-daughter dance in the ward talent show.
Fran & Lizzy had birthdays.
We got a new nephew/cousin.
I became an official domestic diva with my Mother’s day WHEAT GRINDER!
Lizzy did a Cheeta Love dance in her dance concert.
We hiked Doughnut Falls.
Lizzy sold Lemonade.
Marty had a preschool program where he was the STAR of the show.
We had fun with friends.
Spring was good.

It was my birthday.

It was my birthday a week ago. I am 32. I admit it, I felt this one, I am a GROWN UP. There, I said it, I'm accepting it...Thanks to all who made my special day(month/week) fabulous!

Walk...So grateful I CAN!! :) MS Walk 2009

We’ve taken a couple of years off of the MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Walk, but we are back in action again! We are walking and raising money in behalf of our brother-in-law Chris. (photos below from our 2006 MS walk). We thank the many of you who have supported us in the past. If you feel inspired to and are in a situation to do so, we hope you will join our cause this year in one of the following ways:

1) Make a monetary donation through my Team’s MS Walk website (below), Team MS: Mystery Solved. Our Team goal is to raise $5000!!!

2) Join our team to help raise funds or participate in the MS Walk (SLC April 11, 2009) through our Team MS webpage.
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=10742&team_id=143542

3) Donate to or shop at our MS Yard/Bake/Craft sale on March 28, 2009 (please comment or email me if you need the address or want to donate anything).

Thank you in advance for your support in a VERY worthy cause!


A little History on Chris’ MS:
It has been 7 years since Chris was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. We have witnessed with Chris, during the past 2 years, how very real and debilitating Multiple Sclerosis can be. In 2006, Chris brought his cane to the MS Walk, but didn’t end up needing it to finish the walk. This year, in 2009, Chris will most likely be bringing his wheel chair so that he can finish. Chris was in a wheel chair for a couple years but has been able to get out only because of a new medication that is on trial. All of his previous medications eventually stopped working for him. We are grateful for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and for the money that has already gone into research so that Chris can have this medication that is helping him. The cause and cure of MS are not known. However, there is hope through research that the MYSTERY of MS will be SOLVED.

Uplifting Experiences

The true measure of a conference/lecture/class/etc. to me is how I feel when it is complete. Do I feel overwhelmed and discouraged or do I feel uplifted and refreshed? It seems like I seek out the latter in most venues: movies, books, friends. There are few things as refreshing as having an uplifting experience. Today I had one. My stake had a Home Family and Personal Enrichment Day where Julie DeAzevedo Hanks gave a workshop presentation about Preventing Emotional Burnout. So many points rang true to me that I thought I would just share some highlights.

1-Feel & express full range of emotions: express your emotions in an appropriate healthy way.

2-Give yourself permission to say NO: "Stress is when your gut says NO but your lips say certainly". YOU are the BROKER of your time and energy. When you say NO to something, you are saying YES to something more important.

3-Do your emotional family history

4-Take responsibility for your own happiness: create a NO GUILT zone. There should be no guilt for having "me" time. It is not selfish it is selfCARE. Find your line between Righteous Joy and Selfish indulgence. Incorporate something in your life that brought you pure joy as a child. (I STILL want to be a dancer!!)

5-Practice being kind to yourself: Save guilt for SIN. Look at your body as an instrument not an ornament. The changes in your body as you grow and age are beautiful gifts and marks of what you have done and created, they are part of "God's Signature" collection. (Julie has a song that talks about this, LOVED IT). The definition of Perfect is NOT to be flawless, it is to be "ripe, mature, complete". Be as kind to yourself as you are to your garden as you watch it "ripen, mature" and reach it's potential. Nurture yourself. Christ will make OUR way perfect--we don't have to be perfect, we have to just be ourselves and He will make our way perfect, He brings us to our potential.

6-Learn to ask for and accept help: PRIDE keeps us from asking for and receiving help. We are instructed to bare ONE ANOTHER's burdens, not bare EVERYBODY ELSE'S burdens. We need others in order to fulfill that commandment.

Good stuff! I want to practice loving myself and being kind to myself so my daughters will model that behavior and love themselves. Be kind to yourselves my friends!

I don't want to grow up! (and an answer to a tag)

It is amazing to me how I have watched with sweet anticipation all of Lizzy’s life for her to grow and move onto new things. It seems like, as an infant, Herb and I were always bragging about the most exciting new accomplishment or achievement, watching milestones as if all of our lives depended on this little person advancing to the next level of human-ness. It is one of the greatest joys of parenthood, to watch them grow and advance. But recently I had a revelation of sorts, and really I want all of this growing up business it to STOP! I don’t want my little girl to grow up! I want to have her sweet and small forever. With her beautiful innocent perfect blue eyes and her precious little wisdom.

I’m happy for this revelation, maybe it will help me slow down and enjoy her more…all of my littles more. It’s come at the right time, as all true revelations do, I need to be reminded. Because someday I will miss the messes and whining, right? It is very real that they are only our own for a moment, how happy I am for the gift of being a mother for those short moments…
In perfect sync with my revelation, she said the BEST thing the other day. I gave her a squeeze and said I love you and she said, “Mom, I never want to grow up.”
PS-Pam tagged me to post the 4th photo in my 4th “My Pictures” folder, this was it! Again, perfect with my revelation. So blessed am I.

To all the powerful women in my life!

My cousin sent this to me in an email and I just have to share, I want to be this...

Powerful Women's Motto:

Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders & says...

'Oh crap....she's awake!!'

WinTeR!

A few items of business...

I know FINALLY I updated my blog! Shocking isn't it! It's a little hard to digest all at once probably. My valentine post is down a few, but the rest are chronological.

I removed my blog link list, it was to difficult to keep updated. If you want to see what blogs I'm following you can click on my profile.

Also, my sister-in-law Joy is now officially online. Her website is www.mygirlbyjoy.com. You can browse her inventory and make orders right in the comfort of your own home. Give it a visit.

Snow FUN!

What would a WINTER post be with out some snow photos. Oh to be a child again...eating the snow, not caring that you are wet and cold. Just lying in the snow, making an angel, and letting soft flakes fall on your lashes. Maybe I'll go out by myself next time it snows and soak it all in.

HapPy bRithDay mY haNdsoMe BoY!

Marty got to have his very first friend birthday party. These superheros had fun tossing balloons and playing EleFun. Marty called himself Satman.


Uncle Rich gave this "Hero for the Day" ribbon badge to the birthday boy.

Now, what more could you need for your birthday than one of those delicious frosting balloons?? Lizzy thought that was the "icing on the cake" of Marty's birthday.

I cannot believe my boy is getting so big. I still cannot resist those big brown eyes, they melt my heart.

Welcome 2009!

We celebrated New Year's Eve with Herb's family. We played some hilarious games!! The kids had a blast at midnight blowing horns and shooting confetti. Fran didn't quite make it to the new year hour. But Uncle S was happy to cuddle with her.

2009 definitely started off right when we went the the cabin with some friends. Another few days of rest and relaxation in the woods. Isn't nature soothing? Aren't cabins relaxing? The best sledding and Wii playing ever too...

Christmas Celebrations

We were able to celebrate Christmas early with my family in their various sorts for 2008. We went to Nana's before Christmas and Grandpa's as well. The kids love playing with their young aunt & uncle and cousins. We love all of the Christmas trees at Nana's. It really feels like Christmas there.

Grandpa always has great yard decorations at Christmas.

Christmas EVE...

Santa came early to our house, we saw his sleigh flying away toward the airport as we were driving home on Christmas Eve evening. We were so lucky that he knew we would be leaving to Gammy and Grandpa's, he decided to make our house his first stop. That Santa, isn't he the best!

Once we opened our Christmas surprises, we headed to the Gammy and Grandpa's just in time to miss the storm.

We stayed in a hotel on the way. The poor hotel worker, welcoming us in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve. And he diligently provided continental breakfast for us on CHRISTMAS MORNING. After a horrible night's sleep, we continued onto our destination surprising the family with our unexpected early arrival.

We had a wonderful time with our family. The kids loved seeing their aunts and uncles and Gammy & Grandpa. It is always wonderful to spend time at the ranch. We just relaxed and played the whole time. It is a little heaven on earth.

One of the definite highlights was playing ON the pond, it was solid ice! Where's the ice skates when we need them?

Happy V-day!

Herb and Season on our way to the Stake Valentine's Dance. WOW, did we have fun. I really got my groove on. So much that the balls of my feet were raw by the end of the night. Poor Herb started the day with an injured foot, so he sat out a lot of the night. He didn't neglect having some sweet dances with his sweetheart though.

Herb and Lizzy go to a Daddy Daughter dance every February. Lizzy looks forward to it for months. Isn't she a little beauty? They ate dinner at Wendy's and Lizzy's favorite part of the dance was seeing the clowns.

Valentine's Day morning we had heart shaped waffles and "pink" milk. It sure is fun to have 3 little valentines around.