Johnson & Johnson Bunch

Check out the links to the Left

2011-05-20T13:06:00.000-06:00

Here is a quick picture from the day that Kache and Sophie had a clogging competition at Lagoon, and Kache is on the skyride....sorry not a very close-up picture, but Kache was excited to be on the ride!!

I decided I was going to start blogging again. I will be slow, but eventually I hope to get back into the swing of blogging again. I also have added some new helpful links on the left side of my blog, I think these are fun/helpful links. You will have to check them out and then come back again to see when I have added new links for you to check out. I thought about setting up a new blog with fun and exciting links on it, but of course I am not smart enough to know how to set that up....I know not very smart in the computer world these days. So for now I will add new posts, along with new fun links in the Left column. Check back again, and thanks for coming back to view my blog :) :)

I must be out of the loop!!!

2010-10-26T12:59:00.002-06:00

I don't think that I like that I can't figure out how to change and rearrange my blog page very easily right now, soooooo, anyone who can pass along any pointers since Blogger has changed it all, please post a comment. I am in need of any help available. I used to know what and how to take care of most of the layouts and options...BUT, I guess I don't anymore, I must be out of the Blogger loop, or the the Blogger world!!!! "Please HELP"

Mary's Wedding

2010-06-19T01:43:00.000-06:00

Mary's wedding Day was a Beautiful sunny day in June. The wedding was beautiful. I just decided that pictures were just a good way to highlight the day. The walk down the aisle with my dad....

The ceremony...The "I Do" and "THE KISS"...

Four of the Nine Flower girls in all their matching dresses. Tamma - Kassidy - Hannah - and - Richelle

Morgan posing on the rock in her matching green dress with her basket full of flowers.

Kache thought he needed to pose on the rock just like Morgan, or maybe Kache posed first and then Morgan..they both just thought it would be fun to pose on the big rock.

All the girls together with Mary after the ceremony....Don't they all look sooooo cute.

Mary is a married women now!!!!!

Kache pulling the wagon, he had sooooo much fun pulling the wagon all afternoon, he didn't care who was in it, just as long as he could pull it.....Cooper and Mady in the wagon.

The end of the day....cleaning up. The kids were enjoying sitting in the back

of the truck with all the chairs.

End of the DAY!!!!

Ben's Graduation

2010-06-16T13:29:00.004-06:00

The 10th and last Van Komen to Graduate from Clearfield High School. It is pretty amazing to think that all 10 of us went to Clearfield High, along with quite a few of our spouses. So for Ben to also graduate from Clearfield is pretty awesome. What an accomplishment for my mom to have all 10 of her children go to the same high school, and to now be done with that phase of life will be different. Congratulations BEN!!!! You did an amazing job, especially with all the IB classes, to be able to have 30 college credits at the same time as your High School Diploma is pretty incredible.

Dance Recital

2010-06-03T06:40:00.001-06:00

The girls did a fantastic job at their dance Recital this year. Morgan has her Jazz Dance and also her lyrical dance, & this is the first year she has taken a Cheer class and has absolutelt loved it. Along with her tumbling, where she has learned to do numerous backhand springs in a row, which she is very excited about and hopes to soon be able to do a back tuck.

Kassidy has done very well this year also. I think she has enjoyed dancing this year. She has a Jazz Dance and also a ballet dance.

These few small videos of their performances are not very good at all, but it was all I had with me...of course I always forget to take the real video camera, but anyway it is something to show for what they did.

You kind of have to look at the pictures to know where they are in the dance in relation to the video...if you can even tell which one they are, by matching there place in the video with their place in the previous pictures.

Nick and Autumn's Wedding

2010-05-31T06:29:00.000-06:00

This is Nick and Autumn as they came out of the temple. It was a beautiful day...Although it was still quite chilly.

This is Nick and Autumn cutting their cake, which they definitely were not graceful about feeding it to each other....What a Mess....After!!!!

I did not realize how few pictures I took that day, until I went back and looked at what I had, AND there was hardly anything. I know I took pictures with someone's camera, I just don't think it was mine....it must have been someone else's, Maybe it was Rachel's. So Rachel if it was yours you will have to e-mail me some of the pictures, since I have all of about these few and that was it.

Ben was in charge of one of the cotton candy machines, this picture does not do Ben justice, but he was quite covered with cotton candy. He was Fabulous with the cotton candy machine....just a little sticky!!!

My kids LOVE the farm!!!!

2010-05-28T06:43:00.003-06:00

Here the kids are posing on Grandpa's farm. This was the day we took the baby lamb pens down.
I can't believe how fast time goes and before
Kassidy posing on the straw bales!!
we know it, we will be weighing in at the fair.
I love that ALL my kids love to have their pictures taken.

Kache wants to be in a picture no matter where he is!!!

Wyatt proud to be done taking the baby lamb pens down!!!

Morgan...who always starts and ends with a great posing picture.

Wyatt helping in the lamb barn

Morgan helping in the lamb barn(with a smile)!!!

The two boys on the tractor with Grandpa Buchanan....

Priceless!!!!

Catch-up!!!

2010-05-25T22:06:00.000-06:00

Ok....I am feeling pretty bad that it has been over a month since I have blogged. I know that I still need to blog about things that are old, but I guess I can play catch up like I always do and post about things that are old, but still need to be posted.

Yes Kayla I know I am really really late with posting these, but hey at least I did eventually finally post them.

Over Spring break we took the day and went with our friends the Miller's to Salt Lake to the church history museum, and the conference center along with Temple Square. It made for a long day, I think the kids really had a good time, but they were definitely tired by the end of the day.

Most of these pictures are of the kids at the church history museum, I didn't realize there were so many things for the kids to do and see there. They enjoyed all the activities that were there.

My favorite picture is of all the kids on top of the conference center with Salt Lake in the background and half of the kids are laying down ( a little warn out) on the ground trying to take a rest.

It was a Great day and quite the adventure with eight kids....

Mr. Clearfield

2010-04-21T12:23:00.001-06:00

I am a little late at posting these pictures from the Mr. Clearfield Pageant. Ben was in this pageant and he asked Kassidy if she would be his escort for the pageant. She was so excited to be a part of it. She had the opportunity to wear her Baptism dress, we just added a black sash to it so that she would match Ben. They looked great together with the two of them in balck and white.

Ben did a fantastic job at the pageant, didn't win, but we sure enjoyed the show. Thanks Ben for always making things exciting and fun in the family.

Soccer has Started

2010-04-19T12:09:00.000-06:00

Soccer, Soccer, Soccer, and More Soccer.

That is what happens when you have three kids playing soccer, and ALL of their games are on different days of the week and practices on different days of the week. We start out with Kassidy having practices on Monday afternoons. Kache then has his practice/games on Tuesday. He is in the cub league where they practice for 30 minutes and then have a game for 30 minutes and it has got to be the most entertaining soccer I have watched yet. Then we have Wyatt with Practices on Wednesdays and Kassidy with games on Wednesdays. Wyatt has his games on Thursdays, and last but certainly no least there are the Saturday games. So we have quite a week full of Soccer each and every week, except for Fridays. I have to say that the park they all play games at is great, EXCEPT the fact that the wind is ALWAYS blowing. The first few games have been sooooo cold that I started wearing my winter coat. I have to tell Evonne that the best thing to block the wind at the games has been our levi/flannel blanket --BY Far-- So grateful for that quilt these last few games, thanks again Evonne for such a GREAT blanket. Although soccer lasts about six weeks is all I hope the weather improves quickly, so we can enjoy the games without feeling like we are still in the middle of winter.

Ok here is Easter...Yes I know I am late with this also!!!

2010-04-17T01:36:00.000-06:00

Here was the extent of our Easter...first it was the egg hunt at the neighbors house, Bobbie, that was fun for the kids the week before Easter.

The kids all start in the front and then she lets them go into the backyard, by age, and she has over a 1,000 eggs back there for all the kids. Not really sure why Kache is laying on the ground, but he is, I guess just being Kache.

Then there was the Egg hunt at the park the Saturday before Easter, and we had snow on the ground for that Easter egg hunt. This is the egg hunt that the Fire Department is in charge of, and they said this is the first ever to have it in the snow. It was cold and windy, and the kids' hands were freezing. There was candy left in the snow that no one wanted to pick up, because their hands were so cold.

The next phase was actually the Easter Baskets and egg hunt at the house. With Easter being on Conference Sunday it made for a nice relaxing Easter this year.

Oh no...I am behind on posts!!!

2010-04-15T13:07:00.008-06:00

I am not sure how that happened, but I guess I better get with the program, since it has been more than five days since my last post.....

Ok, so life has been busy, I need to post some pictures from when Rachel was here in Utah. Rachel was going to go visit a friend of hers that works at the South Salt Lake Fire Station and she was so good to invite Kache to go. He had so much fun. Here are a few pictures from that day.

Kache had such a Great day. He is always so interested in all the little nooks and cranny's where everything is on each Fire Truck.

They even had a pole to slide down at this Fire Station, and Kache wanted to slide down the pole, that was until he looked down and saw that it was three floors down to the bottom, he got a little nervous.

Kache decided he would wait until he was older to slide down the pole, so he just tried on their fire gear instead.

So these were just a few of the pictures that my mom and Rachel took while Kache was having the time of his life at ANOTHER Fire Station!!!!

Thanks Jefferson for making my son's Day!

Simply Gourmet

2010-04-09T09:01:00.000-06:00

I had a simply gourmet party this last month and I thought I needed something to post about, so I took this picture of Kayley and Melissa creating my four meals in four minutes with the food products I provided and the seasonings and spices that the lady provided. Don't they look great very professional.

Baby Lambs at the farm.

2010-04-07T08:36:00.000-06:00

We finally made it over to see the new baby lambs at the farm. Rachel has been here visiting from Colorado and they were there to see the lambs so we went also. My grandparents were joking with me that it took Rachel coming from Colorado for us to make it over there to see the new lambs. They are so cute when they are this little.

It is fun to see how fast they grow, from little hold in your arms to being in the pens with the older big lambs and the difference between them all.
Then of course I have all my kids who again think they need to pose for pictures no matter where we are.... Kache wanted me to take a picture of him throwing hay in the air, this was the best I could get after taking about 5 pictures...so just pretend there is a lot of straw in the air...he thought it was fun to throw straw in the air while the girls were posing for pictures.

Preparing for Kindergarten for next fall already????

2010-04-05T08:30:00.000-06:00

Kache had his kindergarten assessment for next year. He thought it was a lot of fun to go to the school and be on the spot and tell them what he knows. He did very well and even though it would be great to have him in school all day, he surpassed the qualifications for all-day kindergarten, a little too smart for his britches, he is so excited to go to school every day next year.
We decided we needed to take a picture so we took this one in front of this owl on the wall at the school.

District Math and Science Olympiad

2010-04-03T08:04:00.002-06:00

Wyatt qualified to attend the district Math and Science Olympiad this year at Garland Elementary. He had a good experience, he may not have won, but he sure enjoyed being able to go and participate. This is a picture of the group of kids that attended from Garland Elem.

Posing at Old Navy when they had their contest

2010-04-01T07:50:00.000-06:00

We went to Old Navy (surprise...surprise), about a month ago when they were having their contest to get new models for their mannequins...my kids all thought it would be fun to pose and have me take a picture...here are their Great poses for the contest. (Shhhhh, don't tell them that I forgot to send them in)

Morgan of course had the pose down and was coaching the others on how they needed, or should stand for their pictures. Kache was "cool" with his thumbs up, Kassidy was just very casual in her picture and I am not sure what type of a pose or face it is that Wyatt has for his wonderful picture.

A few past Birthday posts in one!!!

2010-03-30T08:41:00.000-06:00

Kache had a Fireman/Firetruck Birthday party this last year... I am sure you can all guess why that was the theme of his party. He is our little Fireman that wants to be just like his dad and be on the Fire Department. We used to ask him how old he had to be to be on the Fire Department and he would tell us "6". We finally told him to ask Kent the Fire Chief, and when he told him at least "16" he was really sad, but he still gets to go to the Fire Station all the time and had a Great time with all of his friends for his Birthday, complete with a picture on the Fire Truck, and the Great cake and the Fire Truck pinata!!!

Kassidy also had a fun Birthday party this year...

She had a Hawaiian theme, What a fun time with all of thses darling girls.

They had lei's for all the girls and also had a pinata, it was in the shape of a big flower.

I think the cakes from the two birthday's were so Fun!!!

Morgan also had a birthday party this year, but of course the great mother that I am forgot to take any pictures.

They had a movie theater theme and watched a movie and had popcorn and treats.

They also had a lot of fun....

I thnk next year will be a year to not have so many Birthday Parties.

Rainbows....

2010-03-28T15:58:00.006-06:00

I really wish this post was about seeing rainbows, but instead it is about funny things that Kache says...almost every day.

The other week we were just driving down the road and he says to me

"Mom why are rainbows called rainbows?

I said "What",

so he repeated what he had said. I asked "Where did that come from?"

He says to me "I don't know, I was just wondering."

It wasn't even sunny that day and it wasn't raining either, so there weren't any rainbows anywhere and hadn't been for a long time, so why he asks the things he asks, I have no idea.

I posted this picture of Kache because it is one of my ALL time favorites of him, and it just shows how cute he is and why he makes me smile!!!

2010-03-26T13:58:00.000-06:00

A few months ago Morgan wanted to have bangs cut, and she asked Mary if she would cut them for her. I was a little nervous at first that she wouldn't like them after she actually got them, but she has actually done really well with them and has liked them. She needs a trim and she won't let me trim them, she is convinced that only Mary can trim them, so I guess I will leave the trimming to Mary.

Kassidy's Cupcakes

2010-03-23T13:54:00.000-06:00

These would be a whole bunch of cupcakes that Kassidy made when there was a BYU game and she wanted to make a cake, but I was concerned that the cake would not get eaten so I told her to make cupcakes instead. I am sure the cupcakes got eaten and I know she enjoyed making them.

Kids say the funniest things....

2010-03-21T13:47:00.000-06:00

Kache was on the computer the other day and he asked me how to spell his friends name, so I tell him how to spell it. He then preceeds to ask me what is his number, so I proceed to tell him that also. He then tells me that he needs to send him this mail from the computer and that the electricity from the computer has to send it to the post office and then the post office will send it to his computer. I tried to explain to him that e-mail doesn't have to go to the post office, but he didn't understand. The things they think of...if it has to do with any kind of mail, then it has to go through the post office. Funny Kid!!!

FireFighter Funerals

2010-03-19T13:34:00.000-06:00

A few months ago Rob went to a funeral of a FireFighter from Plymouth. I decided to go since I had never been to a FireFighter's funeral, and I wanted to be able to go and see the graveside service also. It was one of the neatest things I had ever been a part of. I was actually more a part of it than I had planned or even knew I was. I stood in a place where all the photographers were taking pictures and ended up in quite a few pictures that were in the newspapers, but if you didn't know it, you would not have even known it was me standing there. It was my minute of fame in the paper.

Anyway the services were beautiful, he died while he was on a call to take care of another patient on Christmas Eve.

I told Rob that the image of the American Flag flying between the ladders of the two Fire Trucks was such an incredible sight.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!

2010-03-17T06:11:00.000-06:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Hope Everyone has a Fantastic Day!!

An old post...that I never posted

2010-03-15T12:47:00.001-06:00

Ok a few older posts with pictures...like Christmas and St. Nicholas, so just for a minute pretend that the green is for Christmas and not St. Patricks Day. I know I should have posted these a long time ago, but I didn't even take very many pictures anyway. I only had the ones I took before the kids even woke up on St. Nicholas, since it was and then I didn't even take very many on Christmas either. I guess I should have left the picture taking to Morgan, since she probably took over 100 pictures that day. She was so excited to get her digital camera, since I had convinced her that she was Not getting one and she went to bed crying on Christmas Eve because she was so upset and wanted one so bad. Little did she know to her overwhelming surprise after the Santa excitement and her second American Girl doll that she was so suprised about, then she got the camera that she had wanted. I don't think I even have one picture of her, since she was the one wanting to take all the pictures.

Every year on Christmas Eve Rob's mom and dad have dinner and have the nativity and then of course a family picture in front of the christmas tree...so this is the family picture in front of the tree this last Christmas.

Preparing for the baby lambs

2010-03-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

This is the first year that Morgan and Wyatt have helped get ready for the baby lambs. They both realized how much work goes into putting everything together before the baby lambs are born. I decided to take pictures since I will need these pictures for their lamb books after the fair. They really were a big help and worked hard. It makes for an easier time with all of the work that everyone did. As the saying goes...many hands make light work. There had to be different sections built with places to put water and a different place to put lights for warmth, and each section had to be correctly lined up or it wouldn't work. It was almost like putting together a puzzle, it was great to see all the skill and thought that grandpa Buchanan has put into this whole process so that we could all see how things went together. When they were all done there is quite the set up for the lambs.

Look Rob is even looking at the camera for that picture....

Of course Kache had to be here to be part of the 'party' and that it was with everyone there working together.

My nails- St. Patricks

2010-03-09T12:37:00.001-07:00

I should have posted this awhile ago, but I had to stretch out my posts for a little while. As you all know I have been getting my nails done for a lot of years, probably off and on we decided for close to 16 years. Wow that is a long time, it is a good thing that I have a great friend Denise who has done them probably 70% of that time. The other 25% from my sister-in-law Julie, I guess we can count 5% those few years that I attempted to do them by myself, at least I got good at filing...ha ha ha Denise you know what I am talking about. Gotta love english class. Anyway these are my St. Patrick's Day nails, and they are Great!!! Thanks Denise. I
even tried to get the words for this post to match the green on my nails. ( by the way taking a picture of your own hand by yourself...is not an easy task.)

Past things about my kids...#4

2010-03-06T11:26:00.001-07:00

I have to start by posting one of the funny things that Kache said to me. A couple of weeks ago we were at the office working and the wind was blowing, which made it seem even colder than it was. We had gone out to the car or were coming back inside from going to the Post Office, I can't remember which, but I was running to get into the office rather quickly because I was cold and I told Kache to hurry because it was soooooo cold. He then turns to me and tells me that he should just go up and push the summer button. I turned to him and said 'What' ...he then says again like it is no big deal 'I need to go up and push the summer button, mom, then it will be warm.' I just started to laugh...the things that he comes up with and where those thoughts come from just make me laugh, so for anyone who needs a good laugh just ask me what Kache has said that day, and I am sure it will make you laugh.

Anyway I found these cute pictures of Kache on my phone. Now you have to realize we like to go over to our friends, the Miller's, and play games. The adults play games in the kitchen and the kids usually all find many many things to do either upstairs or downstairs.

This particular evening Morgan and Kiarra decided that Kache and Sophie needed to dress up and go on a date....They are both five and both a little on the mischievous side....these are the pictures I found on my phone after that particular evening at the Miller's house. (Usually Kache is way too involved playing trains and cars and with the tools in the playroom with Max to even pay any attention to what the girls are doing, so how the older girls convinced them to go on a "date" is beyond me, but they did and the pictures are cute. I might have to save them until the two of them are quite a bit older and then pull them out. ha ha ha ha)

Past things about my kids #3

2010-03-04T11:11:00.000-07:00

Kassidy is my little mini Chef. She loves to cook and she loves to watch cooking shows on The Food Network. Her favorite show is Cake Boss. For Christmas grandma Johnson gave her things for cake making, she has been wanting to use the fondant that she got from grandma since the very day she opened it. Finally, a couple of weeks ago she finally made a cake and used the fondant and loved it. She did a great job with her first cake all by herself. I am sure as she gets older and has more experience she will improve greatly. We are not big cake eaters at our house so she doesn't get to make cakes as often as she would like to.

Past things about my kids.....#2

2010-03-02T10:52:00.001-07:00

Wyatt had his pinewood Derby last month. He was very excited to build his car, as are most boys, although it didn't happen until a few days before(as are most of the cars). Rob told him to draw a picture of what he would want to try and make the car look like. Together they proceeded to make the car and try to make it look like the picture as best as he could.

Together Wyatt and Rob decided to paint it red. Wyatt likes the color red and Rob would have liked to make the car into a Firetruck, so he was good with the color red.

Wyatt's car did alright. He may not have been the winner of every race, but he did win a few races and most important is that he had FUN!!!!(and I think so did Rob) It turned out to be a great success. Each boy received an award and Sherrie Anderson was great and made a car stand for Each boy and they are wonderful....Thanks Sherrie. Being the primary president you realize how much work goes into things like the Pinewood Derby.

Past things about my kids

2010-02-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

Recently Morgan participated in a World's Fair at her school. She chose the Netherlands...as would be the first option for anyone who's has family heritage with the last name Van Komen. She had been working on her project for months at school.
They each have to put together their little section about their country in their class room and then they have an evening where family and friends can come and walk through all the classes to see where all the Sixth graders have set up booths with all kinds of artifacts and information about the different countries that they each chose.
Thanks to all the family and friends that supported Morgan.
Just a little note to those who came during the evening presentation...the morning time was much less crowded and would have been a quite a bit better for parking and dealing with crowds....soooo when Wyatt is there in two years we will remember to have you come the next day in the morning.

Craft it Forward

2010-02-26T07:58:00.003-07:00

Ok...since I can't figure out how to copy and paste from Melissa's Blog to mine I will just have to go back and forth between the two so that I make sure I get this all right??

A few months ago Melissa posted one of these on her Blog...and I commented on her post so that I would get a cute craft handmade by her, so now I am blogging about this,( it is a good thing that I decided to start blogging again, especially since the other day Melissa brought me the small craft made by her, it took a few months, but that is alright by me, because it is a Great craft and I will have to think of something that I can give as a "craft it forward" to those that comment on my blog post.

Now it is your chance...

Here are the rules:
1) Be one of the first THREE bloggers to comment on this post.
2)You then agree to share your address with Me, if I don't have it already..(leave your e-mail in the comment so that I can contact you if I need to), so that I can send/get you your small gift Handmade by ME,
3)When you receive your gift, THEN you blog about this game and link back to my blog in that post (which I am not quite sure how to do that yet).
4)And most importantly you ALSO AGREE to "craft it forward" ( or just pay it forward if you'd rather) and send a small gift to the 3 people who comment on your Blog post...

Remember do not post about this until you receive something from me.

Yeah!!! I actually posted something on my Blog....

2010-02-23T09:22:00.006-07:00

I think it must be pretty bad when I can't even remember the address to my own blog.

I actually had to go the facebook and look up someone else's blog in order to get to the right link to even be able to get to my blog to post a new blog.

I know, I know, I know, I haven't posted anything in a loooooong time. I will try to do better....the key word here is TRY!!!!

Although I have decided that if I don't have something to post I can always at least post about the funny things that my five year old says. Kache comes up with some of the funniest things. I am amazed at the thoughts that must go through his mind.

Anyway, I might have to schedule posts for weeks in advance or post about old things that happened months ago, but I guess it won't really matter because I never did post about those things when they actually happened months ago. So if my blog is full of a lot of jumbled things from all different months that is why.

So as for anyone who has been to my house recently you may know that our bathroom has been in repair/remodel phase for quite a few months....

I know I should have taken a few before, during, and after stages of the whole process, but I HATE all the in between stages and I never think to take a before picture, especially because there wasn't really supposed to be any before, middle, or after stages.

It all started when I was thinking one day back in the fall how much the wall paper in the bathroom needed to be taken down. I thought I could take down the wall paper and just repaint....mind you, I thought I would be able to do this in one afternoon, because as most of you know I HATE mess more than just about anything. Sooooooooo, to make a long story short don't ever think you can take down wallpaper in an old house and then think that you can just paint the walls in one day.....our bathroom has been a BIG MESS for months, & what I thought would take one afternoon turned into a project that has taken ALOT longer than I ever imagined....many many months. So what did I learn from all of this.... that in an old house you can not tackle a small bathroom repainting project in one day.

I guess some of us just have to learn these things, I guess that is what happens when you have lived in new homes prior to moving into an older home, I will just need to remember that ALL projects in an older home take ALOT longer than anticipated.

I am not completely done, but it sure is nice to feel a little closer to be finished, so here are a few pictures of what it looks like at the current time. (P.S. did you noticed the the tub is no longer mustard yellow and neither is the tile on all the walls)

Picking out pumpkins at the Pumpkin patch!!

2009-10-26T07:05:00.000-06:00

This year the kids wanted to go to a pumpkin patch and pick out their own pumpkins. There was a pumpkin farm just a few miles away. Each kid was able to pick their own pumpkin out of the field. They had so many to choose from. They all had a lot of fun, especially Kache. We went two different times, the second time was quite a bit warmer than the first time, as you might be able to tell by the sun and the coats that the kids are wearing in some of them, and then Morgan is just in a t-shirt picking out her pumpkin and Wyatt and Kassidy are in their winter coats. We went and picked them about two weeks ago, and as of today we have not carved them yet....Maybe a day or two before Halloween. I will try to remember to take some pictures of that!!!!

It is about time....

2009-10-24T21:51:00.006-06:00

I finally figured out how to transfer pictures from my new phone(which by the way I am still not sure that I love or not). These are pictures from about six weeks ago...or something like that. We went to the Bear River Homecoming game. I went with the kids, Morgan took her friend Kiarra with her. Morgan was more excited about watching the halftime show than actually watching the game.

Funny Halloween Jib Jab

2009-10-19T09:37:00.001-06:00

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Kassidy cuts her hair

2009-10-04T05:08:00.000-06:00

This year before school started Kassidy decided that she wanted her hair cut. She had finally grown it long enough to donate to Locks of Love. Mary helped us, we braided her hair, one on each side of her head. Rob and I, (even though you can't really see me on the left side that is me in the pink,) each then had a pair of scissors and we each cut one of the braids at the same time. She was so excited to cut her hair and then donate it. (Although I am not really sure what happened to the braids after we cut them. Mary or Rachel or mom, if you remember what we did with them let me know....I think we might have them, but then again I don't remember....) Mary then fixed her hair and she now has short hair and she is really enjoying her short hair. After we were all done Kassidy decided to hold the two braids up together for a Great picture.

Rides at the Fair

2009-10-02T04:54:00.000-06:00

The first night of the fair they always have each ride is only 1 ticket and the rest of the fair each ride can be any where from 2 to 4 or 5 tickets and the tickets each cost $1 so it is well worth it to let the kids ride the rides the first night, so that they get it out of their system for the rest of the week.

This year our good friends, the Millers, who moved into our ward recently, were there that same night. The kids thought it was the best thing to be able to ride the rides with their friends.

They all had a great time that night.

Box Elder County Fair

2009-09-30T16:03:00.010-06:00

Sorry it has taken so long to post anything, we were dealing with computer problems, we seem to be up and going now without problems.

Fair week is always very busy and exciting, and it is always a relief to have it over and done with in the end.

This year both Morgan and Wyatt were able to enter lambs in the fair. It was a long day for Morgan...her lamb was #32 overall out of 345 lambs that were entered in the fair this year. Kache was tired while we were at the lamb show, so he just laid down and went to sleep.

Wyatt participated in the fitting contest, since it was his first year it was all a new learning experience, but he definitely learned a lot.

It was a great year at the fair!!!!

Thank you to Grandpa for always letting my kids(the great-grandkids) take part in the fair, and always doing so much with the lambs to make it possible for them.

Also Thank you mom for buying the lambs this year, both Morgan and Wyatt appreciate it so much.

Wheat & Beet Days

2009-08-15T01:09:00.000-06:00

Every year the Annual Wheat and Beet Days is held in Garland!!! My kids love to be able to ride on the Fire Trucks in the parade...This year was a fun time as is in the past years. Rob and the kids all took part in the Fear Factor event, something I would not care to participate in, but they all had a Great time. Lots of food and lots of fun.

The Raptors Game

2009-08-12T10:31:00.004-06:00

Tremonton Parks & Rec. had a day at the Raptors game and Morgan wanted to invite some friends to go, so she invited Brady and Shawna Young and their kids. Morgan and Wyatt were so excited to see their friends Katie and Tanner. Morgan also invited Ben to come. It was a fun evening and we even enjoyed the ball game too.

Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House

2009-07-21T02:24:00.000-06:00

We were able to go to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house a week ago. We actually had a tour time of 1:00, we arrived a little early and we didn't get very clear directions of where to go so we ended up on the tail end of someone else's tour and we went all the way through the temple and were done earlier than our sceduled time actually was.

The kids thought it was really neat to be able to walk through the Temple. They each had their favorite spot or place that they liked inside the Temple. As you can see Rob was missing in action for the pictures. As most of you know he would rather not be in pictures. I think all of my other kids love the camera, each kid actually wanted their own picture in front of the fountain. Rachel they are all excited to go back to the open house again when you come to Utah.

Ben and LeighAnn's Wedding

2009-07-19T02:16:00.000-06:00

What a Beautiful Day for a Wedding!!

It was a beautiful Day and the wedding grounds were beautiful!!

Here are a few pictures from the afternoon & evening.

More Summer Fun.....

2009-07-17T02:05:00.000-06:00

What is mor fun than going to an outdoor swimming pool in the summer time!

A couple weeks ago....after the all the rain....it was finally warm enough to go swimming, so I took the kids swimming, and Rob met up with us later after he got off work for FHE. The kids sure had a lot of fun swimming and going down the big slides. I did venture down the slides a couple of times. My kids love to go swimming, as you can tell the dark color of their skin, they would play outside in the water or go swimming as many days out of the summer as they possibly could.

2009-07-16T13:09:00.000-06:00

During the school year I tend my cousins' kids. One day Kassidy put these cute green sunglasses on and she wanted to take a picture. Kassidy has wanted me to post this picture on my blog ever since. I am finally posting this picture, I hope my cousin will not be upset that I posted this cute picture on my blog.

Some Summer Fun!!!!

2009-07-15T13:57:00.003-06:00

Our good friends the Young's from Clinton invited us to come down for their daughter Katie's birthday party a few weekends ago....Katie and Morgan are the same age and they have stayed friends even though we moved three years ago. We sure appreciate the friendship that we have with the Young's. As you can see Wyatt on the far side of the picture and his buddy Tanner, they also invited Kassidy and Kache to join the swimming party for Katie's birthday. They all had soooo much fun. Thanks Shawna and Brady for a fun day at the pool!!!!

Softball...Softball....& More Softball

2009-07-13T14:36:00.003-06:00

This year Morgan decided she wanted to play recreation softball....
Little did we all know what that meant!!!
The coach backed out at the last minute, SO Rob said he would be willing to coach if he could have an assistant coach, they have a pretty good little team and they all seem to enjoy playing. The team has games on Tuesdays and Thursdays and practice on Wednesdays. It makes for a full week of softball. This is one of their practices, and it happened to be raining that day. They were all good sports about practicing in the rain. We are coming up on our last week of games and have been playing for about six weeks.
It has been a fun season for the girls and Rob as the coach.

Happy 4th of July!!!!

2009-07-04T02:27:00.000-06:00

What a great holiday to celebrate all the Freedom's that we enjoy in our lives by living in this country. I am so proud to live where we enjoy the freedom's that we do.

"O the places we have been" - 5

2009-07-03T14:08:00.000-06:00

Here we are now in this Great home that my Great Grandfather and Great Grandmother have lived in...My Grandfather and Grandmother have lived in and even my Mother(when she was little) have all lived in this house where we are now living.

Again I have to thank my Dad for his ability to help us get into this house also. And for my Mom for the words of encouragement while we waited and looked and tried to be able to move into this home. We indeed had to learn to be patient, while we waited to be able to move, we leased the house for six months before we were actually able to buy it, what a long road it took to be able to be in the house we are in now, and the trials and heartaches it took for us to get here.

That was when I realized that we are here for a reason. I know with all my heart that everything happened for a reason, and we are here because this is where we are supposed to be right now in our lives. I love the song by Hilary Weeks that I listen to so often "Just let me Cry", it talks about all the things that happen for a reason. Hilary Weeks is one of my favorite song artists. Thank you to her for all her wonderful music that has inspired me Greatly over the last 12 years!!!!

"O the places we have been" - 4

2009-07-02T01:51:00.002-06:00

This would be the home that we lived in longer than any of the others.....so far!!!!

When we first picked the lot for this house there were not any other houses even around us yet. We had a half an acre of land, with the cul' de sac lot and fields behind us and a field next to us and on the dead end street. We built this home and I thought we could have stayed here for the duration. We had so much space in this house... with the three car garage and the upstairs had over 1800 sq. feet and we later completely finished the basement, we had two huge family rooms, one upstairs and one down stairs, my dream kitchen...5 bedrooms, 4 full bathrooms, a formal living room, an area downstairs where we had our exercise equipment an office and even a drinking fountain inside the house, with all the storage I would ever need, but little did we know there was more in store for us where we live now. I can definitely say that we have some of our greatest memories in this house, and we have great friends in that subdivision,and ward, but we moved and the Lord knew better than we did that he had, and still has, great things in store for us in our lives.

"O the places we have been" - 3

2009-07-01T01:40:00.001-06:00

We decided to sell our first home and move to another subdivision that my dad was developing....this time it did not take as much persuasion as the first time. We sold our first home, but did not want to start building our second home until the first one had sold.

While we were building our second home we did need somewhere to live. My dad had this home that we were able to rent from him and live in while we built our second home. We lived here for a little over six months. Wyatt was just a baby when we lived here.
We have always been so grateful to my dad for being so able to help us with our living arrangements over the course of 12 years of marriage.
We were able to meet some neat people over the course of moving these first few years of our marriage. We made some incredible friends, which later on we did not know that they would become part of our ward a few years later after the ward boundaries split.

"O the places you will go and the people you will meet"

"O the places we have been" - 2

2009-06-30T01:29:00.005-06:00

Here we are the second house that we lived in....
Now let me tell you, Rob was not thrilled about moving and he would have just rather stayed in the little rental house that we were in.
My dad had a subdivision he was developing another phase in and had this house plan and I thought it would be great if we could get into a house of our own, instead of renting. A little convincing and yes,
Rob did decide it was alright to build our first home,
he made some changes to make this house plan our own,
and we did move.
We were able to build this house and move into it after being married for a little over a year. We put the yard in from scratch and planted trees and bushes and put in the fence and we were able to make it our own from nothing but dirt, and the help of many hands and lots of hard work to this.
It is neat to see the house now with mature plants and trees, what a beautiful home it was for us and still is for those that live there now.

Oh the places we have been!!!!

2009-06-29T13:22:00.000-06:00

I love the Dr. Suess book "O the places you will go" (I think that is what it is called) Anyway after the Anniversary post I decided to post a little bit about the lives we have lived and the places we have been over the years.....

We have been so blessed over the years of our marriage to have been able to always live in a house, no apartments. This was the first little house that we rented from the nicest people. It was just great. The perfect little house for a new married couple, and just enough room, not too much and we loved living in this house for the first year that we were married.

Happy Anniversary!!!!

2009-06-28T01:13:00.005-06:00

Rob and I were married 12 Years ago today. It is hard to believe that it has been 12 years!!!! I will say I still love Rob just as much today as I always have. Some days have been Fabulous and some days have been not so fabulous. But I would not trade it for anything. We have had some hard times and we have had some really hard times, but the GREAT times out way all the hard times by far. We have accomplished so much over the years!!!! We have Five (four living) wonderful children and what a joy they are to us in our lives. Thank you Rob for all you have done for me and our family, and all that you have sacrificed for us, and for all you have given to each of us. I love you more and more each day. I look forward to spending many many more years together. I Love You Rob....Happy Anniversary!!!!

2009-06-25T01:02:00.000-06:00

Here are my efforts in getting the wood home from Home Depot(30 miles from our house). I needed to pick up some wood for the front room and the wood was a little long for the Pilot. As you can see I had to improvise by utilizing the window so that I could still manage to get the wood home. I am sure we were a funny sight driving down the road with all of this wood hanging out of the window. I actually took this picture After I had taken quite a bit of the wood out and thought about taking the picture.

Funny Card

2009-06-23T15:07:00.001-06:00

I took a picture of this card in the store, because I thought it was such a funny card, especially since the name on the card(for the little girl) was Janie. I just thought my mom would get a kick out of the card.

Teacher Appreciation

2009-06-22T12:53:00.002-06:00

I know I am REALLY behind on my posts, but I helped out with the Teacher Appreciation Door for Morgans teacher the week of Teacher Appreciation.

I just want to say that I am so appreciative for my kid's teachers. They do so much for my kids in the education system. I feel very blessed that they have had the teachers that they have had in each of their lives. What wonderful teachers there are out there...I thank you for all your efforts in the education system!!!

Memorial Day!!!!

2009-06-20T14:52:00.008-06:00

I know, I know, A little late with the post, but better late than never...right???

This is a picture of sweet little Belle's grave at the cemetery and some tulips from our yard, a week or so before Memorial Day!!!

When my parents came up to the Garland cemetery on Memorial Day we met up with them. We didn't take the usual types of pictures that we usually take, Kache was peeking over the top of the

headstones, so my mom and I decided to take a picture. then it became fun, so we took a few more that had Kassidy in them also.

What a Great saying!!!!

2009-06-19T12:47:00.001-06:00

I saw this great saying "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, It's about Learning To dance in the rain." I just thought that was a great way to look at the things in our lives that seem hard. I guess if we all took the time to dance in the rain, or live through the storms in our lives to the best that we can , then maybe they wouldn't seem so hard to live through. Anyway I just thought that was a neat saying, so I thought I would pass it along to those that read my blog. Let us all learn to dance in the rain!!!!

WHEWWWW!!!!!

2009-06-17T02:46:00.000-06:00

I just read through the little tid bits of blogs that I have missed over the last month, the ones that just give you a sneak preview of the full blog, (the ones that show up in my dashboard in my blogger acount). Ok I truely am soooooo behind on writing my own blogs AND reading and commenting on all the other blogs that I try to stay current on. OK OK OK I am going to be better and yes I have already began to schedule posts that will take me through the next few weeks, sooooooooo please come back to reading and posting comments on my blog. I will try to post more often and Try really hard to take myself away from the terrible addiction called Facebook....
I am off to read and comment on blogs!!!!!

Mother Daughter Activity

2009-06-16T12:30:00.000-06:00

The Activity Day girls had their Mother Daughter Activity back in April. It was a really fun activity. My life has been a little busy these last few months. I know I have been a terrible blogger. I will try and schedule a few posts at a time, maybe then I might have a few more posts.
The girls were able add some of the cute flowers to these hats. We have great activity day leaders. They were able to get others to knit the hats

for the girls to use. We had a great time. We went to different homes for different activities, and ended at the Fire Station and had Hawaiian haystacks. The girls all had such a great time. Thanks again to all of our Activity Day leaders and to the girls for all of their hard work in getting it all put together.

A few Before and After Pics

2009-05-16T18:30:00.007-06:00

Sorry I haven't blogged for about two weeks....

We got the base put down in the front room and I did try to remember to take a few pictures of before and after so that I could post them. So here are a few. We do need to finish around the windows and then we will be good to start moving furniture back in and be able to utilize the room again after almost two years.

Be ready for Tears to flow.....

2009-04-30T07:46:00.000-06:00

I got this story in an email and decided to post it, it made me cry, but it also made me think that positive stories are always the best kind to read...(thanks Trisha for the e-mail)

A Boy Singing to his little sister.....
You are My Sunshine, My only Sunshine' (Be prepared to get watery eyes!)

Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way,
she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son, Michael,
prepare for a new sibling.

They found out that the new baby was going be a girl,
and day after day, night after night,
Michael sang to his sister in mommy's tummy.
He was building a bond of love with his little sister
before he even met her.

The pregnancy progressed normally for Karen,
an active member of the Panther Creek United Methodist Church in Morristown , Tennessee
In time, the labor pains came.

Soon it was every five minutes, every three, every minute.
But serious complications arose during delivery
Karen found herself in hours of labor.
Would a C-section be required?

Finally, after a long struggle,
Michael's little sister was born.
But she was in very serious condition.
With a siren howling in the night, the ambulance rushed the infant
to the neonatal intensive care unit at St.. Mary's Hospital, Knoxville, Tennessee

The days inched by.
The little girl got worse.
The pediatrician had to tell the parents there is very little hope.
Be prepared for the worst.

Karen and her husband contacted a local cemetery about a burial plot.
They had fixed up a special room in their house
for their new baby but now they found themselves having to plan for a funeral.

Michael, however, kept begging his parents to let him see his sister.
I want to sing to her, he kept saying.
Week two in intensive care looked
as if a funeral would come before the week was over.

Michael kept nagging about singing to his sister,
but kids are never allowed in Intensive Care.

Karen decided to take Michael whether they liked it or not.
If he didn't see his sister right then, he may never see her alive.
She dressed him in an oversized scrub suit and marched him into ICU.
He looked like a walking laundry basket.
The head nurse recognized him as a child and bellowed,
'Get that kid out of here now.
No children are allowed.

'The mother rose up strong in Karen,
and the usually mild-mannered lady glared steel-eyed right into the head nurse's face,
her lips a firm line.

'He is not leaving until he sings to his sister' she stated.
Then Karen towed Michael to his sister's bedside.
He gazed at the tiny infant losing the battle to live..

After a moment, he began to sing.
In the pure-hearted voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sang:

'You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,
you make me happy when skies are gray.'

Instantly the baby girl seemed to respond.
The pulse rate began to calm down and become steady.
'Keep on singing, Michael,' encouraged Karen with tears in her eyes.

'You never know, dear, how much I love you,
please don't take my sunshine away.'

As Michael sang to his sister, the baby's ragged,
strained breathing became as smooth as a kitten's purr
'Keep on singing, sweetheart.'
'
The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping,
I dreamed I held you in my arms'

Micheal's little sister began to relax as rest, healing rest, seemed to sweep over her.
'Keep on singing, Michael.'
Tears had now conquered the face of the bossy head nurse.
Karen glowed.

'You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
Please don't take my sunshine away.'

The next day....the very next day.
the little girl was well enough to go home

Woman's Day Magazine called it The Miracle of a Brother's Song.
The medical staff just called it a miracle.
Karen called it a miracle of God's love.

NEVER GIVE UP ON THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE.
LOVE IS SO INCREDIBLY POWERFUL.
Life is good.
Have a Wonderful Day!

Garland Fire Department ----Salmon Fry!!!!

2009-04-27T22:00:00.000-06:00

It is time again for the Annual Garland Fire Department Salmon Fry!!!!! 32 years and counting....

Saturday June 6, from 3:00p.m. until 9:00p.m.
Tickets before June 1st, will have a discount and will only be $13 for adults,
After June 1st they will be $15 for adults.
Please let us know if you would like to buy tickets before June 1st.....Rob has tickets if you want to pre-buy them.

It is All you can Eat,

Barbequed Salmon - Baked Potato, Green Salad, Rolls, and Drinks

Morgan is a Model for ClubTween!!!!

2009-04-24T14:15:00.002-06:00

Last week we had a photographer - Steve Harringotn -( http://www.steveharrington.net/)- ask Morgan if she would like him to take her pictures....Of course she would love that!!!!
So on Monday we put together lots of outfits for Steve Harrington and his wife to be able to choose from, and off we went to a photo shoot.
Morgan had a blast it was one of the funnest things she has ever been able to do she said.

A big Thanks to Steve Harrington Photography for making this exciting Blog page for Tweens!!!!

So go to this link http://www.steveharrington.net/blog/2009/04/21/steve-harrington-photography-introduces-club-tween/, and check out her pictures.

Also for anyone who wants to have their photos taken by Steve Harrington he is an incredible photographer.

Sarah Jane - All the way to Jerusalem!!!!

2009-04-18T03:01:00.000-06:00

My mom sent this to me as an e-mail and I thought it was so neat that I decided to post it as a Blog post, so that others could see how neat this is.

If anyone knows how to translate the language on the picture from Jerusalem please let me know what it says on the top and bottom of the picture.

I was in Jerusalem last week and saw this in a Christian book store there...!

We continue to enjoy the beautiful childrens prints we have in our church.

Hope this finds you well and happy.

Blessings,

Ethel StoryYorktown, VA

Susan Boyle

2009-04-16T15:07:00.004-06:00

I thought this was a Great Performance by Susan Boyle
What an inspiring women....I thought maybe for anyone who has not seen this yet on youtube could watch it here on this link from my blog.
It is well worth a few minutes of your time to watch her sing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nox2DRCAKxk

http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2009/04/16/britain-s-got-talent-s-susan-boyle-appears-on-us-tv-as-worldwide-success-looms-115875-21283048/

Easter Egg Hunts.....

2009-04-11T05:51:00.002-06:00

My kids have been able to have Easter Egg Hunts quite a bit this year. I think they had three different ones before it was even Easter weekend. Our first egg hunt was a couple weeks ago while Rachel and Shaun were here visiting for the weekend. Then we had one at the Johnson F.H.E. at Rob's parents house, and then our good friend Bobbie Geddes had one and invited us to come. The Garland Fire Department has one on Saturday at the park, I just really hope that it doesn't get rained out.....I will have to post pictures after we go to that one. I forgot to take pictures the day we were at my parents house, I will have to get those pictures from one of my mom or sisters, maybe they were better at taking pictures that day. I should have just taken them with my phone, but I didn't even think of that. So my kids have had a pretty good year with egg hunts. We were greatful for the wonderful weather we had at the first part of the week, but it is rainy and cloudy now, but it is better than snow.

Painting the front room

2009-04-10T05:39:00.005-06:00

We were able to finally get the front room walls completely painted. This particular wall that I let Kassidy and Kache help paint, has actually been painted about four times, but this was the last time, so I let them help. I am sooooooo glad to have the walls completed with paint. It is a long story, so I will just say that we are now ready to paint the ceiling and decide what to do with the base boards and put the room all back together, so that we can use this room again.

I guess I should take a picture of the walls all done being painted, I will have to remember the next time that I post about the front room to post a better picture with the walls completed.

(I hope the yellow shows up on the blog alright, Kache wanted me to change the color to be yellow.)

April 5th - Belle Sarah Johnson

2009-04-09T09:58:00.007-06:00

One year ago, on April 5th was the day that our little sweet spirit, Belle, tocame and went from our lives. We feel very blessed to have been able to bring her little sweet body in this world. Thanks to all those who remembered that it was her birthday.
Thanks to Julie for the beautiful picture frame with her picture. It is a Disney Princess "Belle" picture frame....Belle truly was our little princess. Also a thank-you to Melissa Van Komen for the beautiful flowers that she gave us, how beautiful there are, with all the pretty pink and purple flowers. Thanks again to everyone for making the day a little easier for us.

Quick Post (for Evonne) - Way to go Syracuse Dance!!!!

2009-04-07T09:41:00.005-06:00

I am supposed to be typing up my agenda for my presidency meeting in 45 minutes, but I have been on the computer doing other things.....Sooooooooooo, I decided I better quickly post something for Evonne, she seems to be needing blogs to read as she told us last night at F.H.E. that we need to get posting. So here is a quick post for you Evonne so that I can get my agenda typed up for presidency meeting.

A few years ago when we moved here Morgan was soooooo sad to have to leave Syracuse Dance Academy. Now after living here for 3 years I have found a new appreciation for Syracuse Dance Academy. Thank you Heidi!!!!! I always knew they were a great staff of teachers, but after she performed in this little dance routine with a few other girls her age I realized what great form she had, and the way she held her body and the way she performed was incredible, especially compared to the other dancers. I realized that night that she needs to be a dancer, she is a natural, and I wanted to say thanks to Heidi and all her dance instructors at Syracuse Dance, you do a magnificent job!!!! Thanks for teaching my daughter to be such a great dancer. (In the first picture she is in the middle, with her flag held higher than the other flags, she is one of the tallest dancers on the floor.)

2009-04-02T06:51:00.005-06:00

Last week Rachel and Shaun were here from Colorado, so my mom brought the girls to my grandparents house to see the new baby lambs,(which I still have not managed to go out with the kids and take pictures of, but I will). While they were there visiting we went over, and the my kids, Rachel's girls, and Grandpa had fun taking a few pictures with all of grandpa's hats.

This was the best out of all of them, but I decided to post all the other ones, just a little smaller so you could see the difference in the pictures, as some of the kids traded hats as we took the pictures.

Space Derby - Second Place

2009-03-30T09:21:00.011-06:00

The Space Derby was a Great Success!!! Wyatt was so excited...His rocket took SECOND Place out of all the rockets. Rob was quite excited also, since really who builds the rocket????We had a lot of fun.

The way they raced them was an interesting concept. The stand that they used to race the rockets is behind the boys with the strings going across from side to side and that was what they raced on was four different strings instead of four different race tracks like in the pinewood derby. Each boy won a prize for their rocket and there were a lot of d

ifferent rockets, all sorts of colors and decor on the rockets. What a fun thing to do for

the pack meeting....something a little different and something new for a lot of people, but all the moms and dads had fun and all the boys had a Great time.

Space Derby

2009-03-24T09:17:00.005-06:00

This is a whole new thing for me....I have been a part of plenty of Pinewood Derbys, but never the Space Derby, so I was really glad that Rob has taken part in all of the different kinds of Derbys, this was he knew what the Space Derby was all about. Rob and Wyatt have been working on Wyatt's rocket for the past week. They finished it last night, and Rob was even good to let me take a picture or two...Yeah the finished rocket!!!! Ready to go for the Space Derby tonight. We will let you know how it goes.

Two Traveling Angels

2009-03-18T13:55:00.008-06:00

My mom had me read this e-mail the other day...
I decided to post it after some of the things that have
happened in our lives lately.
I hope it can reach those that may need
a little something in their lives right now....

Two Traveling Angels

Keep reading to the bottom of the page --
don't stop at the feet (You'll see).

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night,
in the home of a wealthy family.
The family was rude and refused
to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room.
Instead the angels were given a small space in
the cold basement..
As they made their bed on the hard floor,
the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it.
When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied,

'Things aren't always what they seem.'

The next night the pair came to rest at the house
of a very poor,
but very hospitable farmer and his wife.
After sharing what little food they had the couple
let the angels sleep in their bed
where they could have a good night's rest.

When the sun came up the next morning the angels
found the farmer and his wife in tears
Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole
income, lay dead in the field.

The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel
how could you have let this happen?
The first man had everything, yet you helped him, she accused.
The second family had little but was willing to
share everything, and you let the cow die.

'Things aren't always what they seem,'
the older angel replied.

'When we stayed in the basement of the mansion,
I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall.
Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and
unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the
wall so he wouldn't find it.'
'Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed,
the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him
the cow instead.

'Things aren't always what they seem.'

Sometimes that is exactly what happens
when things don't turn out the way they should.
If you have faith,
you just need to trust that every outcome
is always to your advantage.
You just might not
know it until some time later..

Oooo Some people
( ) come into our lives
) / and quickly go...
(_ /

oooO
( ) Some people
\ ( become friends
\ _ ) and stay awhile...
leaving beautiful

Oooo footprints on our
( ) hearts...
) /
(_ /

oooO
( ) and we are
\ ( never
\_ ) quite the same
because we have
made a good
friend!!

Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow a mystery.
Today is a gift.
That's why it's called the present!
I think this is special...
live and savor every moment...
This is not a dress rehearsal!

(\ /)
( \ / )
( \()/ )
( / \ ) TAKE THIS LITTLE ANGEL
( / \/ \ ) AND KEEP HER CLOSE TO YOU
/ \ SHE IS YOUR GUARDIAN ANGEL
SENT TO WATCH OVER YOU ____

Last SNOW Post.......at least I hope

2009-03-12T20:51:00.007-06:00

This last Monday we woke up to snow AGAIN.....

I know we need the moisture, I just want it to get warm.

This is a picture of the swing that Wyatt hung up and the kids were swinging and climbing up the tree two days before the all the snow.

When Rob got home from work on Monday he decided to take the kids sledding, they all took advantage of the snow and went sledding at Jack Rabbit Hill, I offered to be the photographer...(sshhhhh, that was so I didn't have to actually go sledding down the hill, it was really cold, because the wind was blowing)

This was the picture of them all ready to go down the hill, if you can't tell Rob is laying on the sled and all the kids are sitting on top of him and down they went............

Here they all are at the bottom of the hill after they all went down, they are all giving the "Shaka", to let me all know the ride down the hill was a good one.

I think they all had a good time, I was cold just watching them.

Last Disneyland Post!!!!

2009-03-09T13:59:00.007-06:00

Had to be one of the Best pictures of the trip, the kids were so good that last day, and the weather was great.

We went out to Tom Sawyer Island the last day...The kids had so much fun, we could have stayed out there for hours, but it was getting late in the day and the last raft was coming back, so we only were able to stay over there for a little over an hour. What a fun place for the kids to play and run around and take lots of fun pictures.

The Mark Twain boat was also a lot of fun to ride on and take pictures. The kids also liked to play in the tree house that was next to the Indiana Jones ride.

Here we are riding Autotopia for the last time, I think we actually rode this ride as much as any other, the kids thought it was great fun to steer the car and feel like they were actually driving.

Even Morgan and Wyatt seemed to get along in the same car, at least they acted like it, until it was time to get out.

The Pixar Parade was a lot of fun to go and see in the California Adventure park. The kids really enjoyed that, especially Kache, since he loves Lightning McQueen and Mater....

Here are some of the last pictures to post from the Trip...

Julie and Kassidy looking so cute at the castle

Last picture of the Trip, the kids wanted a picture by the Micky Face in the grass, it got a little dark, but that was alright. The best thing is that we are all smiling and we had the very best Disneyland trip that was possible. Thanks for all the family making it such a wonderful vacation.

Meeting and seeing many of the characters at the Parks!!!

2009-03-05T12:31:00.011-07:00

Here are some pictures of the characters that the kids were able to meet and have sign their books and have a few pictures taken....as you can see there are very few with Wyatt in them, as I said he had better things to do, then to meet the characters....

Minnie and Pluto were so fun, Pluto especially would make the kids laugh!!

Here we all went into Mickey's house and met him, which was a new experience to go into this separate room to meet him and have their books signed and a big group picture.

As you can see the days began to get warmer throughout the week, since the kids have started to wear short sleeves and just having a sweatshirt or jacket around their waist.
Here we have Hannah and Cinderella and Kassidy, I think they were so excited to see one of the Princess's. This was the one and only princess that we saw out of the entire 5 days at Disneyland. Thank you Cinderella for being available for pictures....The line to go into the Princess Fantasy Faire was always over 2 hours to wait to see all the princess's

Out of all the characters we saw, I am amazed that this is one that Wyatt was actually in the picture with.....hee hee hee!!!

Wall-E...isn't he just so cute!!!

Goofy we actually saw when we went over to California Adventure, we loved his fun Hawaiian shirt, all the kids were actually excited to meet and see Goofy, even Wyatt.

We also saw Handy Manny in California Adventure, Kache really likes him and no one else was really around so it was a quick picture and sign the books and on our way.
Pixie Hollow....the place to meet TinkerBell and her fairy friends!!! Yes, Wyatt and Kache looked thrilled to meet them, it must've been because of the hour long wait to stand in line to meet them.
Here we are!!! Pixie Hollow, meeting TinkerBell!!!! What a joy...Morgan and Kassidy say it was worth the wait, but the boys could have spent the hour doing other things I am sure. As you can see the days continued to get warmer, here the kids all are in shorts and capri's....

A little more Disneyland!!!

2009-03-02T12:14:00.010-07:00

Day Two....This was the family T-shirt/Picture day by the castle. At times it was quite comical watching everyone with their kids and watching all of us together taking pictures had to have been a lot of fun for everyone. It was one of the most memorable moments of the trip....

Here we are with just our family, this one was probably the best one that I had on my camera, since everyone was taking pictures we were all looking at different people taking the pictures.

This family picture was pretty funny, with JJ pretending to be Rob, since he wasn't able to be there we decided JJ could pretend to be Rob with his face covered since Rob hates pictures anyway....everyone was laughing at this picture with JJ, the only problem would be that JJ is a little shorter than Rob.

I love this one with all the grandkids....Of course there is not really one with all the kids looking at the same camera, but this was the best one that I had with my camera, it was so cute with all the kids sitting there together.

Here are 8 out of the 10 kids, Sarah is there in spirit, Richard was unable to come, he and Tara had baby number 4 while we were in California....Congratulations to Richard and Tara!!!!
Now here is Mom and Dad and without them none of us would ever know the fun and excitement of being a part of such a wonderful family. Also this vacation would never have taken place without them. Thank you so much Mom and Dad for making the vacation possible and for such a wonderful family you have both given to all of us.

Here comes Disneyland!!!

2009-02-26T15:41:00.013-07:00

We all, were so excited to be in California, that it was ok that it rained the first day we were at Disneyland, it was better than the snow that Utah got... it didn't matter we were all so happy to be there and having fun that we all still had a lot of fun even with all the rain....
Of course the first place that Kache wanted to take pictures was on one of the firetrucks in Disneyland, this one happened to be in Toon Town, and you would have thought that Kache had never seen a firetruck before, he was so excited and didn't want to leave.

All the kids love Mark and Julie, they must be the fun aunt and uncle, without kids, and they are always so good with all the kids, as you can see, as Kassidy hopped on for a piggyback ride...Thanks Julie, Kassidy thinks you are the Best!!!

As I was saying...here is Mark with all the kids in the picture that we are being told to get off of as we are taking the picture!!!

Kache was so glad to have a stroller to sit in, since I wasn't smart enough to remember to bring one for him. Thanks to whoever had, had enough of the rain and decided to leave them when they left the park, it was a perk for us for a free stroller for the day.

First characters of the trip, for the book signing and the famous picture taking....Wyatt was not very excited about seeing the characters or having his picture taken with them.

ok I am not sure if Tigger and Pooh were first or Jesse and Woody were first, but they were glad to be getting signatures and pictures with them all.

Coming in out of the rain to watch Billy Hill and the Hillbillies!!!

Billy Hill and the Hillbillies....What a great Show!!!! Thanks Melissa for the schedules.

Kache after he was done eating his warm fries, and watching Billy Hill and the Hillbillies!!!!

Headed for the Haunted Mansion to get in and ride something out of the rain.

What a fun first day, even if it was raining, we all had a great time that day....With more days to follow!!!!!

WOW!!! What a surprise.....

2009-02-23T13:02:00.006-07:00

I know I should be posting about Disneyland....I will, just had to post this first!!! While we were all gone to Disneyland, Rob and quite a few others, Rob's Dad, Rob's Brother, & Jalynn & Alan Anderson, ( I am not sure of everyone that helped, so if I forgot anyone I am sorry I wasn't here), took on the task of the floor in our front room. I thought that maybe Rob had primed the walls in the room or maybe even painted the walls also, but had no idea that he would have gone to so much work while we were gone to get the floor done, and the walls primed and the walls started to paint, but decided to wait for me for the color choices, and completely replumbed the upstairs bathroom. I was sooooo amazed by the floor and how absolutely beautiful it was that I started to cry when I saw it ALL done. I can't thank everyone enough for all their help. I know it must have been quite the task, because Rob does not ask for help unless he really needs it, and he was wonderful to get all those things done, especially while we were all off playing. What a Great husband he is!!!!! Thank you Rob and everyone else, I LOVE the floor, it is gorgeous!!!!! Now here for the pictures, which actually the pictures don't even look half as neat as the floor

does in person.

Fun Tag...From Facebook

2009-02-11T06:01:00.005-07:00

Place an X by all the things you've done and remove the X from the ones you have not then send it to your friends
Things you have done during your lifetime.

(x ) Gone on a blind date, unfortunately it was not the greatest.
(x) Skipped school - it was always the peer pressure that made me do it.
() Watched someone die
(x ) Been to Canada
(x) Been to Mexico
(x ) Been to Florida
( x) Been to Hawaii - The best place on earth
(X) Been on a plane
(x) Been lost - more than once
( ) Gone to Washington, DC
( x) Swam in the ocean - many times
(X) Cried yourself to sleep
(X ) Played cops and robbers
(X) Recently colored with crayons - of course I have kids
(X) Sang Karaoke - once and that was enough
(x ) Paid for a meal with coins only
( ) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch no but been next to it
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(X Made prank phone calls
( ) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose & elsewhere
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X) Danced in the rain
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(X) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(x) Watched the sunrise - the things we got up early to do at girls camp
(X) Blown bubbles
(X) Gone ice-skating - I was terrible and still am
(X) Gone to the movies - Not very often anymore, I wish we went more
( ) Been deep sea fishing
( ) Driven across the United States with someone
( ) Been in a hot air balloon - No, but this is something I would love to do
(x ) Been sky diving
(X) Laid outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets
(X ) Seen a falling star and made a wish
(X) Enjoyed the beauty of Ole Faithful Geyser, I was really little and don't really remember.
( ) Seen the Statue of Liberty
( ) Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle
(x ) Been on a cruise - and would love to do it again
( ) Traveled by train
(x) Traveled by motorcycle - Does a bullet bike count
(X) Been horse back riding
() Ridden on a San Francisco Trolley
(x ) Been to Disneyland AND Disney world - Disney world only to the front to buy souvenirs
(X ) Truly believe in the power of prayer -
( ) Been to the top of an active volcano and seen hot lava
( ) Been in a rain forest
( ) Seen whales in the ocean
( ) Been to Niagara Falls
() Ridden on an elephant
( ) Swam with dolphins
(X) Been backpacking

What, there's more!
Any nickname? Lizard, Lizzie
Favorite drink? Propel Lemon Water
Body Piercings? ears, three in one ear and four in the other, but only wear one pair
How much do you love your job? more than anything
Birthplace? Utah
Favorite vacation spot? Hawaii or on a Cruise
Have you Ever been to Africa?no
Ever eaten just cookies for dinner? Yes
Ever been on TV? nope
Ever steal any traffic signs? Traffic Signs-No - many other signs -Yes
Ever been in a car accident? yes
Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? 4
Can you drive a standard shift car? Yes,
Favorite pie?Coconut Cream, or Key Lime
Favorite number?16
Favorite movie? Steel Magnolias or Coyote Ugly
Favorite holiday? All Holidays
Favorite dessert? Homemade Chocolate chip cookies or sweet rolls
Favorite food? Chinese
Favorite day of the week? Saturday
Favorite brand of body soap? Victoria's Secret, "Love Spell"
Favorite toothpaste? Crest or Colgate
Favorite smell? Anything cooking in the kitchen or a new baby just out of the bath
How do you relax? Take a nap
How do you see yourself in 10 years? Raising my Family
Who will respond to this the fastest? not sure

Morgan's Dare Graduation!!!

2009-02-04T09:46:00.005-07:00

Last night Morgan had her D.A.R.E. Graduation at the Elementary. She was so proud to have been a part of that. Each kid got an award and a T-shirt, and they had a small DVD of the kids for all the parents to watch. She even decided to buy an insulated bottle for drinks that had the D.A.R.E. stuff on it. She did great, and we are so proud of her and hope that she continues to do the right things and remembers all that she learned while taking part in the D.A.R.E. program at the school.

Great snow Pictures...

2009-01-27T05:47:00.007-07:00

OK...yesterday I had to go to South Ogden and the snow on all the trees was so gorgeous I just could not resist taking a few pictures. I know everyone is wishing it wasn't snowing, but the snow was really pretty so I just thought I would post a few of the pictures I took. Now remember I am no photographer, and I took the pictures with my phone, so I didn't have a snow picture setting, so I apologize for the blueness of the pictures. I was actually really surprised how much snow was there. We got some, but not nearly that much. I know..I know..I should be posting things that are bright and make it feel like it could be spring, but pictures like this remind me why I do like the snow, I just like the sun more, but the snow can still be really pretty and make for a few good pictures.

2009-01-22T06:13:00.004-07:00

Just had a random moment of looking through some old pictures and I came across this one. To anyone who is not in our family you probably would not really think anything out of the ordinary about this photo. Although for those of you who know our family pretty well...take a look at the grandkids in this picture, they all look so small, also look at Mark, and Ben's hair...oh wait it is short...are we sure that is them, hee hee hee!!! I am just amazed at how everyone's kids have grown and how many family members we have added to the family since this picture. This really was a great family picture.

P.S. see if you can figure out who everyone is and figure out who is not here yet and post it in the comments!!!!!

Kohyn's Birthday Party at Chuck E' Cheese

2009-01-20T01:49:00.009-07:00

On Saturday Mary had a birthday party for Kohyn at Chuck E' Cheese. I had not been there since I was eight. Wyatt had been there once, but none of the other kids had been there before. Before we went we had gone to Little Matt's baptism that morning and had a few extra hours in between family parties so we went to see some friends. We first went to see Denise at her parents house and then we went to see Brady and Shauna Young from Clinton. Wyatt was very excited to see Tanner and Morgan was very excited to see Katie. It was good to see Shauna also. After that we went to Chuck E' Cheese. Mary bought some pizza and brought a birthday cake for Kohyn, and drinks....Thanks Mary for the fun evening that you planned....I was amazed how far the kids could make a few tokens go. We had a coupon and got some tokens and I told them when they were gone that was it. I was thinking we would be the first one's to leave, we weren't....we were the last ones to leave. The kids had so much fun. When they finally ran out of tokens they started looking in all the games to see if there were extra tokens in them, and moving games to see if they could find more tokens under them also. Ben and Nick played so many games and won so many tickets that they gave them to the little kids to use to get prizes with. What a fun night, the kids had soooo much fun.It was fun to have the cousins there also for the kids to play the games with, Kache and Cooper were so funny while they were there and riding in the cars and riding on the horses and playing games that they had no idea how to play, but having fun doing it. I think the older boys had just as much fun as the little boys did playing all the games.

Family Photos

2009-01-18T01:56:00.001-07:00

We finally had a few Family pictures taken. Nothing professional, but we were able to go outside after it had snowed and a friend of ours took a few pictures by an old red barn. I was just glad to actually have a cute family picture with all of us in it, including Kache. I thought they turned out pretty good considering they were just taken with my digital camera. We are no Photographers, but something is better than nothing...Right!!!! I posted a few of my favorite ones, and then I also posted a slide show of them at the bottom of my blog page. Maybe next year I might actually get around to using the family pictures and getting christmas cards out to friends and family since I have wanted to do that for years, but as many of you know getting all of us together to take a family picture is not an easy task. I am just grateful to have my family to have these pictures taken with and for friends who are so willing to take the pictures for us so that we can have some family pictures. I just hope it isn't as many years before we take the next family pictures.

What a Great 2008'

2009-01-16T01:20:00.000-07:00

Just was thinking about all that has happened in 2008.....and it was an eventful year for us. I am sure you all feel the same way. It is good to feel the new start with 2009!!! As we look back on all that has happened in 2008, what we have been blessed with and the trials that we have overcome. I am so glad that I decided to start blogging a year ago, and am grateful that I kept it up all year long. It is fun to look back at the past year through the posts I have blogged. Thanks to all those that read the blog, it makes it all worth while to know there are those that take the time to read about what goes on in our lives, and the lives of our families. I hope to be able to continue blogging as much as I have this past year. So to all you bloggers out there Happy Blogging in 2009'!!!!

2009-01-14T01:27:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can not believe all the snow that everyone has had during the Christmas Holiday!!! My kids love the snow, as I am sure all kids do. The girls went out and built this huge snowman one afternoon, which they had to employ their mom to come and help them lift the body and the head on top of the bottom, since the snow balls were so heavy. They had so much fun building this snowman, and he has lasted a long time in the yard, until he ended up one day

laying on the ground. It could have been the wind or it could have been some kid walking by, knocked him over, or maybe he was just tired of standing so long........ Whatever it might have been they had fun building the snowmand that was bigger than them. I just am thinking I should have taken more pictures while they were playing in the snow that day and making the snowballs for the snowman.

Quick Christmas Review

2009-01-12T11:39:00.009-07:00

We had a great Christmas, and we hope everyone else did also. I know I am really slow at posting about the holidays. I think my kids all had a great Christmas and I just thought I would post a few pictures from Christmas so that we can move right along with posting and get back into the swing of posting a little more often than once a week. My Christmas pictures are not very good, I am thinking maybe I was a little tired when I was taking them.....K the pictures are having errors, SOoooo....Morgan and Kassidy got American Girl dolls from Santa, Morgan got Samantha and Kassidy got Kit. They were both really excited. Wyatt got a tent and sleeping bag and a camp chair from santa & of course Kache got a BIG Fire Truck. The boys were both excited Christmas morning. I always love to see their faces when they first come down the stairs to see what they got. Christmas is so fun as a parent to see the joy that is in the kids faces as they look through their stockings and open each present and to know that they got something to make them smile and hopefully remember this day by.

Happy New Year!!!!!

2009-01-01T19:42:00.003-07:00

I am not sure where the holiday vacation has gone......But Happy New Year to all!!!! Our 2008 went out with a BanG!!!! That is literally went out with a bang, Rob had a furnace blow up in his face last night while he was trying to help a neighbor get it going, since it was just blowing cold air....Long story short the furnace is and was already dead, but there are good things that came out of the incident, the Heating and air service guy that came out didn't get the furnace blown up in his face, because of Rob. Also they were also able to realize that if they had not asked Rob to come over, they probably would have all gone to bed last night and the house could very well have filled up with natural gas and even the slightest starting of the water heater lighting up, the house could have had a lot bigger explosion than the blow Rob took to his face and hair. He had to shave his hair on his head and also all his facial hair, because it had all been burned when the furnace blew up in his face. The service guy that came out told everyone that Rob did all the right things and if it had not happened to Rob that it would have happened to him. I am very grateful that Rob was alright and the night turned out to be just fine. It makes us all remember to be grateful for even the things that we aren't sure why they happen. I love you Rob and am glad that you are just fine!!! (P.S. will blog about the holidays soon)

Christmas Tag

2008-12-22T06:57:00.000-07:00

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Definitely.....Wrapping paper.

2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial. I like the ease and convenience of putting it up when I want to and I am a worrier, and that I would do with a real tree. I think we maybe have had one real tree in all of our years of marriage, that is maybe, I can't remember, but then again I don't rmember much.

3. When do you put up the tree? Around Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down? Usually January 1st. I like my house back to normal, but not quite as quickly as Denise, I don't take it down the day after Christmas.

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes, but I don't drink too much of it, it is a little on the overly fatty side of a dairy product, I can barely stand to drink anything more than skim milk, and eggnog is definitely not anything like skim milk.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I am not quite sure, because I don't remember a lot of things, but I would probably have to say the dollhouse we had.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, except it is not a whole scene it is just Mary, Joseph, and the Baby Jesus.

8. Hardest person to buy for? Many of the men in the family, they aren't really hard, just have to do a little searching or investigating and hope you pick the right gift.

9. Easiest person to buy for? Kache, if it has anything to do with a fire truck or fire station, then he will love it.

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I can’t think of any.

11. Email or Christmas cards? Christmas cards, although I wish I was better at getting them out a little earlier. Christmas Eve tends to be a little on the slow side.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? It’s a Wonderful life.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I try to look for things all year round.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I do not think so.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? I love the holidays,with all the yummy foods and treats, I do love Chritmas morning ham.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? I would have to say we have usually put white lights on our tree.

17. Favorite Christmas song? I love a lot of Christmas music, this year I heard a new one that I thought was so good, but I don't know the name, a little girl sings it, and the she talks about the best thing for Christmas would be to have her daddy back home, and that Santa could bring him in his sleigh, I cried when I heard it, but have no idea what the name of it was.

18. Travel for Christmas or stay at home? Travel a little, not far, just to the parents house.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? Yes, of course

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Don't really have either one, sometimes it is a big bow, but this year the kids thought the santas elf hat was fun, so that is what is on top of the tree this year.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Definitely Christmas morning, except the traditional Christmas Eve pajamas.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? …Not much, I don't like to have to stand in long lines in the store, but even then there is usually a magazine to read while you stand in line, probably would have to say, when people are rude and onery for no apparent reason, they should be joyful, it is Christmas time.

23. Best Christmas gift ever received as an adult? I have to say it was the year that Rob bought me a Greg Olsen numbered and signed painting "Where he leads me" and it is so big I don't even know what size it is. I just know he put a lot of thought into getting me that, and of course I cried when I realized what it was that he got me.

24. What I love most about Christmas? Being with family and friends and realizing the reason for the season and to always see the joy and excitement in the eyes of the kids, and when you give to those with less, and the feeling you have inside to be able to help others.

25. Family Traditions from year to year? We always have a Christmas Dinner with my family, and have the Johnson Family get together on Christmas Eve with food, presents, and the nativity played out by all the little grandkids. We open Christmas pajamas on Christmas Eve, and have a Ham on Christmas morning.

26. Did you ever go caroling? I think we did when I was in Young Womens, and my children reminded me that we went last year with the cub scouts for pack meeting.

27. Oh Christmas Tree! Who has the best tree? I do not know. I love seeing different trees and how people express themselves.

28. Fat, Skinny, Tall, Plump Tree? Love them all,…I guess it really depends on the house.

29. Have you ice-skated? Yes, but I am not good at all, I have never been very good at those kinds of things.

30. When do you unwrap your gifts? Christmas Morning

Morgan's Birthday Party

2008-12-20T05:26:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Morgan's birthday on her actual birthday, but it was short and sweet, since we had a lot going on. Our ward party and Primary Christmas party were both on Margan's birthday. We had to put Morgan's birthday party on hold for a day. We had our first Primary party as a new Presidency and that went really well. The ward Christmas party also was good. We had Morgan's birthday party on Friday. She invited a few girls that are at the intermediate school and some from the Elementary, since they are all in the same primary class. The intermediate school gets out later than the Elementary school, so we waited a little before we started. I think the girls all had fun. They played name that tune, they decorated cupcakes, and they played a game where you tie a balloon around your ankle and then try to pop everyone else's balloon by stepping on it, without letting yours get popped either. It was quite hilarious to watch them all play that game. I am sure that the girls would have wanted to all stay all day, but I know why birthday parties usually have a time on the invitation. The girls all seemed to get along, but tht older the girls get and the diversity between what they like to do can get a little complicated when it comes to making sure everyone is included and no one feels left out. Morgan had a great time and was glad to be able to have a party even though her birthday was the day before the party.

I am so grateful for all I am blessed with

2008-12-15T08:40:00.004-07:00

I was watching the news last night and on came a story of a family that lost their 7 year old little boy to cancer just 5 days after Christmas last year. I thought that would be so hard to loose your little boy at such a young age. The story then proceeds to tell of their 4 year old boy that died just 8 months later. He some how got tangled in an electrical cord and suffocated. I started to cry. Rob laughs at me because I cry at everything, but this was so sad, and the family just knows that the Lord does not give them anything that they can't handle. What an incredible family. They go on with life and love the two daughters they still have.

It just made me think twice about the many things I am blessed with and the four wonderful children I have, and how fragile life is and also how quickly it can be taken from us, and through it all we have to trust in Lord and know everything happens for a reason.

P.S. if you want to read the complete story you can visit this link at ksl.com, it is a great story!! http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=5080520

St. Nicholas

2008-12-13T07:03:00.002-07:00

I know, I know I am a little behind, I have been busy this last week so I haven't had time to post, but here are the pictures from St. Nicholas last weekend.... Ok maybe not... I don't know what is wrong and why my pictures won't come up I will have to post pictures when I figure out what the problem is. St. Nicholas was a lot of fun this year. Lots of family and lots of yummy food. It will be a lot more exciting when I am able to post the pictures, don't worry I will figure it out soon.

Kache got more cars, (his favorite thing) from St. Nicholas and that was exciting for him.Kassidy got a Hannah Montana UNO game and of course she loves Hannah Montana.

Here would be the poser of the night, posing on St. Nick's lap with her High School Musical UNO game, the girls got similar gifts so that there would not be any arguing between the two.

Wyatt also got a game, he got travel battleship. St. Nicholas has to try and get smaller gifts so that they will all fit in the big bag with all of the others. I think Wyatt was excited to get any gift from St. Nick.
Mom and Dad got a big picture of the family at the reunion, minus all of the thumbs up, from all the boys, they were actually photo shopped out of the picture by the photographer. I think the boys were a little upset, since they always like the thumbs up, but it was alright the picture looked great.
Hey look, I almost got a smile out of Rob, not quite, but almost. He really loves pictures, he just doesn't really want anyone to know, L.O.L.

We all had a great time at St. Nicholas and we are always so greatful to mom and dad for planning and preparing such a great family tradition.

Great Poem

2008-12-06T05:58:00.002-07:00

I read this on Trisha Marbles blog and thought it was so good, that I needed to share, Thanks Trisha for posting. We all need to remember the things we have and not always be so negative about the things around us, but look for the good in all things...because there truely is something good in all things.

P.S. Trisha I hope you don't mind that I stole this off of your Blog.

THANK YOU LORD ...

Lord, thank you for this sink of dirty dishes;

We have plenty of food to eat.

Thank you for this pile of dirty, stinky laundry;

We have plenty of nice clothes to wear.

And I would like to thank you, Lord, for those unmade beds;

They were so warm and comfortable last night.

I know that many have no bed.

My thanks to you, Lord, for this bathroom,

Complete with all the splattered mirrors,

soggy, grimy towels and dirty lavatory;

They are so convenient.

Thank you for this finger-smudged refrigerator

that needs defrosting so badly;

It has served us faithfully for many years.

It is full of cold drinks

and enough leftovers for two or three meals.

Thank you, Lord, for this oven

that absolutely must be cleaned today.

It has baked so many things over the years.

The whole family is grateful for that tall grass

that needs mowing,The lawn that needs raking;

We all enjoy the yard.

Thank you, Lord,

even for that slamming screen door.

My kids are healthy and able to run and play.

Lord, the presence of all these chores awaiting me says

You have richly blessed my family.

I shall do them cheerfully and I shall do them gratefully.

After reading through this I have an entire different outlook on LiFe In general.

SiLLy eLvEs

2008-12-04T08:22:00.001-07:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Trying to get into the Christmas Spirit

2008-12-02T15:37:00.007-07:00

Ok I am finally going to change my background to a Christmas background. I was quite surprised how many of the blogs that I looked at today had the same Christmas background. I decided since it was December that I should really change the background from the Beach and the Palm Tree to something a little more festive. I have not really put up any Christmas decorations yet either. I usually have just about all of my Christmas decor up the weekend after Thanksgiving, but this year that didn't happen, so I guess I should be a little more festive...and spread a little Christmas cheer!!! So here is the beginning of the Christmas spirit from Me!!!

P.S. and of course my family too, since they are in most of the posts on my blog. (by the way this is the extent of my pictures with a Christmas tree in them, so this is my picture for my first Christmas post.)

The Disadvantage & Advantages of Living in a Small Town

2008-12-01T06:12:00.002-07:00

You don't usually think about what time the Post Office closes, until you remember that you need to go there before 5:00 p.m. Having grown up where the Post Office didn't even close until 5:30 p.m. and they didn't pick up the mail until 5:45 p.m. might pose a problem when you go to the Post Office in a small town and the Post Office closes at 4:00 p.m. and the last pick up for mail is at 4:15 p.m. I realized this today after my bills had sat on my desk ready to mail all afternoon, yet I got busy cleaning and forgot to walk over to the Post Office, until it was too late and they were long ago closed and the mail was long gone. I quickly called Kayley, (who by the way had just arrived at her destination in California, and still answered my call, Thank-you Kayley for that,) to find out where the Tremonton Post Office, was and if she knew what time they closed. She told me where they were located, but was unsure of the closing time. So I quickly drove to the Tremonton location, only to find that they closed at 4:30 p.m. and the pick up for mail was 4:30 p.m. also. I was very frustrated and unsure what to do, I then glanced to the back of the Post Office to see a large semi-truck backed up to the building. I immediately drove over to the back of the building and saw a man loading up the mail. I asked a lady who looked to be a Postal worker and asked if this man was the mailman, hee hee hee, to my surprise it was and he was loading up the mail from the day and I was so relieved to know that I had been able to catch the man loading the mail at the very last minute possible. Yeah!!! The bills would still be able to be mailed out today. Now that there was the advantage of living in a small town, to be able to walk up to the semi-truck that was being loaded and still get the mail sent today at the last minute.

Husband Tag!!

2008-11-26T11:28:00.004-07:00

Here's a gooey, romantic game of tag.
Here's how it works: I will answer questions about Rob. At the end of the post, I'll tag 3 people and post their names. Then, those three people can do the same thing on their own blog and so on and so forth. Feel free to do this on your blog anyway - even if you're not tagged!

*What is your husband's name? Rob (you did not say it had to be their full name..)
*How long have you guys been married? 11 1/2 wonderful years

*How long did you date? That depends, official dates, that might be 2 or 3 dates, Now how long were we friends before we got married, that would be many years, how long were we really good friends before we got married that would be about 3. (Denise my answers might be just as good as yours...)

*How old is he? 34, and he has always been HOT!!!!

*Who is taller? He is, and I am very glad of that, he is 6'3"

*Who can sing the best? Sing??? That would definitely be me, unless of course Rob is making up new words to a song, just to be funny!!

*Who is smarter? That is a difference of opinion, if we are talking academically, that would be me, if we are talking street smarts, fix-it man smarts, those kinds of things, that would definitely be Rob.
*Who pays the bills? He needs the credit on this one, even though I make sure the bills get paid, without him the funds wouldn't be there to pay the bills, so I guess you could say it is a joint effort.

*Who does the laundry? Ok, now this one is definitely me, I know his clothes are dirty when he leaves them on the floor and they don't move, then I know he needs them washed. I know he probably could run the washing machine if he had to, but that is definitely something that I do!!

*Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? That depends where the door is in the room, he sleeps on the side of the bed where the door is.
*Who mows the lawn? We both do, it just depends on the day.

*Who cooks dinner? Rob would probably say, 'What Dinner', but really I try to cook dinner most of the time, I am not the best at making sure dinner is made every night, but he does cook dinner also, so it would have to be a joint effort on that one too!!!
*Who is the first to admit when they're wrong? It definitely depends on the circumstance of the situation, we both do sometimes, and we both don't sometimes and sometimes it is one or the other.*Who kissed who first? Rob would've had to make the first move, I think we were in his Old 76 White Ford ( I probably put the wrong year, I never can remember what year of a Truck it was, but we always joke about the old white Ford.)

*Who wears the pants? I would definitely say Rob, he might joke and say I try to, but we usually agree on most things, so it is not an issue...most of the time!!!

So now I am tagging Charise, Annie, and Rachel, and one more Karley