Come What May And Love It!

Snow Day!

2012-02-14T10:58:00.000-06:00

Today was a snow day and it really did snow almost all day! It will probably be our only good snow this year, so we took advantage and I took lots of pictures!

How can I deny His gift?

2012-02-03T21:40:00.000-06:00

I wish I was better at writing on this thing. I just haven't felt much like writing. It's been a hard couple months and I haven't found a lot I wanted to write about. Sadness seems to be around every corner and I'm hoping we are just getting the hard stuff for this year out of the way early. Its so easy to let life suck you in and get you down. It's hard not to let Satan slip in and turn life's difficulties into more pain and sadness. I'm normally such an optimistic person.....to a fault.....and it's hard for me to feel down in the dumps. I'm great at faking a smile and pretending everything is ok......even when all I want to do is cry for a whole day. I can cry with the best of them when I'm happy or overjoyed, but sadness, pain, anger.......anything that makes me feel vulnerable, I bury it deep. Don't shed a tear. I'm really good at hiding my imperfections and keeping people thinking "she's got it all together".......she doesn't. I'm really good at leaving my troubles at the door......even when i feel like I'm drowning in them. I don't have these "funks" very often, thank goodness, but then again they are so rare....I don't really know what to do when I get in one.

Then I am reminded....I am a daughter of God. No matter what I've done, what I'm going through....my value to Him is not diminished. My debt is paid. My pain has been felt. I have to learn to accept that and take advantage of the beautiful gift my Savior gave to me. All of life's sorrows, pain, heartbreak, fear, anger and suffering......Christ felt it......experienced it.....a billion times over. I have to let it go. I have to do better. I have to allow His atoning sacrifice to work in my life. It's wasn't just for my sins......it was for all of my pain. How can I deny this gift he so lovingly and selflessly gave? After all, even if I was the only one who needed saving......He still would have come for me.

What am I gonna do???????

2012-01-27T23:04:00.001-06:00

This week I signed Parker up for Tiger Preschool up at the high school. It's a program where the child development class does an hour and a half "lab" I guess you could call it with preschool age kids. We do the mommy preschool, but I really wanted Parker to be in a classroom setting before he starts kindergarten. I think this will be good for him. However, it really got me thinking......what am I going to do with myself when he goes to kindergarten next year??? I will be lost without my Parker all day. He has been my all day everyday for 5 years now and I think I will feel a little lost. I can not believe he is big enough to be starting school. It kinda breaks my heart. I remember how hard it was to leave Aileen that first day of kindergarten, but I had work to occupy my day. I am going to have to find something to keep me busy that first day or I will go crazy. It makes me so nervous and full of anxiety to think about it, but he is going to love it. He is so ready (he would have been ready this year) and will have so much fun. He is a people person and a social butterfly and will thrive, I know. He's ready....even though I'm not.

Happy Birthday Sam!!!!!!

2012-01-12T13:52:00.000-06:00

This picture cracks me up. Happy Birthday!!!

Dear Parker.......

2012-01-10T20:19:00.000-06:00

I can not believe you are 5 years old. I know it's often said, but it really does seem like yesterday that you came peacefully into this world. No hub bub, no drama......just you, me and daddy (and well, the Dr and nurse, of course). You were so quiet and peaceful and such a happy baby right away. I just wanted to hold you all the time. This later proved to make things difficult for me, cause I held you so much you wouldn't go to sleep without me holding you! But I didn't mind. Holding you was one of my favorite things to do. It still is!! I love that you are such a sweet and cuddly little boy. You always say "I love you" and give me hugs and kisses and it makes me so happy when you say, "I'll always do anything you want me to, Mommy!" I will remind you of that when you are about 14. :) I am such a lucky Mom. I can't wait to see what the next 5 years has in store. I love you, buddy. Happy Birthday!!

Young Women In Excellence 2011

2011-11-27T20:28:00.002-06:00

Oh my. Where to begin. This project has been amazing for me. My testimony has grown in leaps and bounds through the planning of this program. Since we were brand new Young Women's Presidencies, we decided to do St Robert 1st and 2nd ward together and I am so glad we did. It almost could not have gone more perfectly. I was searching the Internet one day for some gospel art and came across a photographer......Mark Mabry. First of all.......his talent is unrivaled. The way he captures the realness and beauty of the Savior is amazing. I watched a slide show that he had (see it here: Come See the Light) and instantly knew what our YWIE theme needed to be. 3 Nephi 11-17. We needed to focus on Christ's appearance and ministry to the Nephites. I knew we should use the scriptures and that we needed to tie in personal progress as well. After talking with Tiffany (SR 2nd ward YW Pres) about the idea and getting her go ahead I prayerfully thought about how to do this and with the help of Sammy (my 2nd counselor) came up with a program. We focused on Christ and the gospel principals he was teaching and had the girls talk about how personal progress has helped them learn more about and gain a testimony of those gospel principals. It turned out amazing. The girls were so prepared and bore such beautiful testimonies of the Savior. Sammy said it best on her blog here: restored faith. Our decorations were simple and we used pictures of Christ to decorate the tables and it was beautiful. We gave each of the girls this picture of Christ by Mark Mabry.

I love this picture and wish I could fill my home with his photography. You should really check out his stuff. 2nd ward did the best refreshments I have ever had at a church program!! Everything about the night was amazing and perfect. I have learned so much through the process and had my moments of doubt.......I had a few times where I needed comfort and reassurance that it would all turn out fine. I had a moment the day before where the Lord's tender mercies put me at peace. I had a little crying session at the church while testing out the projector with Amanda Housel (she was my audio/video lady and ROCKED!) and felt a wave of comfort in knowing that I had done all I could do provide a place for the spirit to dwell and I needed to trust that the spirit would be there. It was an amazing evening. I am so grateful for the young women. They truly are a light to the nations and were NO DOUBT saved for this day. Their strength and conviction and love for our Savior is evident and I am so blessed to be able to serve them. They have no idea what an example they are to me. How they lift my spirits and soften my heart. How because of them I can no longer say "I'm not a crier."

So glad my favorite time of year is finally here

2011-11-25T11:19:00.002-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

2011-11-24T23:06:00.001-06:00

Today was such a success!!!! I had never cooked a turkey before and usually we are at someone else's house for Thanksgiving. This year, our buddy Derek, my Dad and sister, Kristin, came to our house. It was a really fun day!! I had spent all day yesterday cooking and prepping for the big day, thank goodness!!! Everything turned out great. I am so thankful for the abundance of blessings that I'm given everyday. I'm a lucky lucky girl. I have a great family, fantastic friends, a roof over my head and food in my belly. I am so thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ, His infinite Atonement and the season in which we get to celebrate His miraculous birth.

Thankful: Day 22

2011-11-22T14:50:00.000-06:00

I am thankful I've become a pretty good cook. :)

Thankful: Day 21

2011-11-21T14:49:00.000-06:00

I am thankful for a lazy day after a hard week.

Thankful: Day 20

2011-11-20T14:47:00.000-06:00

I am thankful for the Pioneer Woman. She is amazing!!! Check her out here. http://thepioneerwoman.com/

Thankful: Day 19

2011-11-19T14:40:00.002-06:00

I am thankful for the moment when you realize that your prayer has been answered. He truly does know who we are, what we need and the precise moment we need it. I have been stressing so much about young women in excellence. Today while at the church making sure the sound and video were going to work tomorrow, I had that moment......when it was clear to me that I had done all I could do....that I had provided an atmosphere for the spirit to dwell and it was all going to be ok.

Thankful: Day 18

2011-11-18T14:39:00.000-06:00

I am so very thankful for my amazing Aileen. She is so full of love and enthusiasm for life. Her smile and laugh are infectious. She is caring and funny and sweet and I just adore her. I am so lucky.

Thankful: Day 17

2011-11-17T14:32:00.001-06:00

I am thankful That when I need to hear something....the Lord finds a way to make it happen.

"In our diligent efforts to fulfill all of the duties and obligations we take on as members of the Church, we sometimes see the gospel as a long list of tasks that we must add to our already impossibly long to-do list, as a block of time that we must somehow fit into our busy schedules. We focus on what the Lord wants us to do and how we might do it, but we sometimes forget why.

Let us not walk the path of discipleship with our eyes on the ground, thinking only of the tasks and obligations before us.....seek out the majesty, the beauty, and the exhilarating joy of the “why” of the gospel of Jesus Christ."

-President Dieter F Uchtdorf "Forget Me Not"

Thankful: Day 16

2011-11-16T14:29:00.000-06:00

I am thankful for my sweet and funny little Parker. He truly is the most precious little boy alive. He is so fun and funny and sweet and loving and goofy and energetic and I just absolutely can not imagine my life without him.

Thankful: Day 15

2011-11-15T14:27:00.000-06:00

I am so thankful for friends who pull me down from the ledge and reassure me in my neurotic state. I have been so blessed with AMAZING friends. :)

Thankful: Day 14

2011-11-14T14:25:00.000-06:00

I am thankful for Dad's home cooking. He is the best cook I know and I've learned a lot about cooking from him.

Thankful: Day 13

2011-11-13T14:24:00.000-06:00

I am thankful for a truly great family.

Thankful: Day 12

2011-11-12T14:21:00.000-06:00

I'm thankful Boise State doesn't have kicker either.

Thankful: Day 11

2011-11-11T13:41:00.000-06:00

I am so grateful for the many men and women in my life who have served and are serving now. Especially Sam. :)

Thankful: Day 10

2011-11-10T13:47:00.000-06:00

I am thankful to be going "home" for a weekend! After living in Phoenix, the 4 hour drive seems like nothing!! I am grateful to live closer to home again, even if it's just for a few years. Who knows where the Air Force will send us next.

Thankful: Day 9

2011-11-09T22:08:00.001-06:00

I am so thankful for my YW. I am such a lucky girl. When I was first called to be the Young Women's president I kinda thought, "Oh, this won't be much different than being the 1st counselor. " WRONG!!! It's so different. After being set apart, it's like my tunnel vision was expanded and my eyes were opened. I thought I loved them before. I thought I knew them before. I thought I was doing all I could for them before. These girls are amazing. These girls soften my heart more than anything ever has before and I LOVE THEM!!!

Thankful: Day 8

2011-11-08T21:35:00.000-06:00

I am thankful for "I feel like I've know you for eternity" kind of friends. Now, I have had some wonderful friends throughout my life, and I know there are many more still to come. But every once in awhile you come across a friend where you just feel like soul sisters. Where you click instantly and feel like you are just continuing a conversation you started years ago. It's funny how life's circumstances bring you together, and I have to tell you, I never thought my time in small town Missouri would provide me with a couple of these kinds of friends. I am SOOOO grateful to my Heavenly Father for putting these people in my life at a time when I REALLY needed them. Friends truly are a gift.

Thankful: Day 7

2011-11-07T21:36:00.000-06:00

Today I am thankful I am not in Oklahoma. An earthquake and tornado all in one day? This is craziness!!! Never in all my years living in Oklahoma have I felt an earthquake and now they've had 3 since early Saturday morning!!!! AND they have severe weather on the way, with a history of already producing a tornado near Oklahoma City earlier this evening. If I didn't know any better, I'd be wondering if the Myans had it right!! We are going home to OK this weekend for a wedding and I am a little nervous about it! Should we sleep in our clothes......should we bring our 72 hour kits....should I make my kids wear helmets?????? :) Another thing that freaks me out is the Stake meeting we had not too long ago about earthquake preparedness and how there is a MAJOR fault right here under beautiful Southeast/South central Missouri. If these quakes are happening 300 miles away......will it trigger something here closer to us? I know tornados........I know enough to be terrified of them, but at least I know what to do and what to expect. Earthquakes are a whole other ballgame.

Thankful: Day 6

2011-11-06T19:17:00.000-06:00

I love how music can change your mood, your thoughts, bring the spirit, sing to your soul and bring you joy. I am a musical person. I don't know how different my life would be without music. It has helped shape who I am and afforded me so many opportunities. I truly believe music will be with us in the eternities and can't even begin imagine how beautiful it will be. Today, and always, I am thankful for good music.

You heard it too???

2011-11-06T19:03:00.000-06:00

Early this morning I was enjoying my extra hour of sleep all snuggled in my bed when I was startled awake by a loud whisper "Mom!". Not wanting to to face the reality that one of my kids was awake, early, I sat there for a second, then hesitantly opened my eyes to what I thought was going to be Parker standing right in front of my face. But there was no one there. I turned around and saw Sam halfway sitting up so I asked him what was wrong. He said he heard someone whispering. But no one was there!! He got up and went to check on the kids and they were both sleeping soundly snuggled in their beds. Now, I know I'm not loosing it and I wasn't dreaming because Sam heard it too. Honestly, this has freaked me out a little all day. There is no doubt in my mind I heard someone say, "Mom". I've tried thinking it was Parker talking in his sleep, or maybe Aileen was sleep walking, but deep down I really don't think that was it. Maybe this was a not so quiet whisper........maybe there is one more waiting...........

Thankful: Day 5

2011-11-05T23:41:00.001-05:00

I am thankful for college football. Now, I realize that I am a little on the crazy obsessive side when it comes to college football, but I just can't help it. I was born with it! I must have been. I am thankful that Heavenly Father has given us such fun things to love and enjoy. Today was a great day to be a college football fan. Some really awesome games. They may not have all ended like I hoped, but they were still SUPER fun to watch. At least my Sooners won. :)

There is just something about a piece of paper........

2011-11-04T23:56:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to become more tech savvy, and I'm getting pretty good at it. There are many things I like to do electronically, but sometimes, I just need that piece of paper in my hands. I'm a big time note taker and list maker. I like sticky notes. If you look in my scriptures or on my bedside table you will find sticky notes everywhere. I have sticky notes on pieces of paper. I have sticky notes on other notes. I love them. They are just so useful. I've tried making lists and taking notes on my iphone or laptop, but it's just not the same. I like the physical piece of paper in my hand. Tonight I was wanting to do some reading for my Young Women In Excellence Program coming up. (this will be a big post one day when it's over and done with.) I wanted to read a couple sections out of the Book of Mormon student manual. I found it electronically, so I tried to read it on my laptop. It wasn't going to happen. Even though you can take notes and highlight on digital copies these days, it just wasn't the same. I found myself printing off the 30 pages I wanted to read so I could have them in my hand with my highlighter and pencil. It's strange, I know. The words are the same, yet they spoke so much clearer to me from that piece of paper.

Thankful: Day 4

2011-11-04T20:51:00.002-05:00

I am thankful that I get to be a friend.

Thankful: Day 3

2011-11-03T19:45:00.002-05:00

You know when you are pregnant you can totally blame everything on pregnant brain? Well, today, I'm calling sinus brain. It's gotta be a real thing, right? When you are stuffed up and groggy and just aren't thinking straight? That was me today. While at gymnastics I left my lights on......yes, we all know what happens when you leave your lights on. Luckily, 5 minutes later my car was running again. Thank you Ultimate Gymnastics owner, Emily, for standing in the sleet with me to jump start my car. You are awesome. So, today, I am thankful for jumper cables.

P.S. I love this blog template!

Thankful: Day 2

2011-11-02T20:22:00.020-05:00

Today (and everyday) I am thankful for the peace and quiet of after bedtime. I love to use this time to do what I want. Watch TV, read books, scriptures, catch up on blogging, whatever it is. I need this time to recharge myself.

A Month of Thanks......Day 1

2011-11-01T20:11:00.017-05:00

I am thankful for vicks vapor rub. Parker has been sick. When he has a cold, or allergies or something that "makes his nose sick" he just doesn't sleep well. If you've ever spent anytime with Parker when he has a cold you know he can not STAND to have a runny nose. It's hilarious, actually. He yells "I have a runny nose" and freaks out until he gets a tissue. So today, I am thankful for vicks vapor rub. It seems to help him out a lot (did you know you can rub it on feet and put socks on and this will help a cough???!!!) I LOVE the smell of vapor rub. I may just go open it and take a whiff right now. :)

Trunk or Treat

2011-10-30T19:22:00.000-05:00

Honestly, I really don't like Halloween. It is really just a big pain for me. I love the smells and the season it ushers in, but the pumpkin carving and costumes and candy and scary movies and such, I could TOTALLY live without. However, like all kids, Aileen and Parker love it, so I try to put on a smile, for most of it, anyway. :) Last night was the ward trunk or treat. It was a reminder on why we needed to split. I loved seeing all my friends from the other ward, but it was packed. My poor sister was with me and the cultural hall was so packed and loud we couldn't wait to get outside. :) The kids had a blast, and I enjoyed seeing all the kids, youth and even adults (Nice Bishop!) in their costumes. Here are a couple pics......I'll post more tomorrow night after the kids Trick or Treat for real. :)

Gorgeous Song

2011-10-25T22:43:00.000-05:00

Hillary Weeks is one of my favorites. This video features Stephanie Nielsen and another sister I saw at Time out for Women this past March who lost all her family to war in Africa. Her story is amazing. Love this song.

Amazingly beautiful

2011-10-23T20:46:00.002-05:00

I was looking around online at LDS art and came across this. I know of Mark Mabry, but for some reason I have never seen this picture before. Can you imagine? That Nephite looks like he is never going to let go. How amazing it must have been to have the Lord of all creation come to you and hold you, for what I imagine was as long as you wanted Him to. The look on the Savior's face is just as compelling. I see relief. Relief that He was finally able to appear to His "other sheep" and minister to them, bless them and personally testify of the truthfulness of the prophets of His coming. I see the love and tenderness Christ has for His brother, His friend.....for this man who He has know literally forever. I love this picture. It's amazing what emotions beautiful art, music, written word and spoken word can evoke. THIS is what our talents are meant to be used for. To testify of Christ.

Little boys are awesome

2011-10-20T14:04:00.000-05:00

I can not describe how much I love this picture. I LOVE little boys!!!

Even Captain America like to watch cartoons!!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-20T14:00:00.001-05:00

Last weekend my mom came to visit! The kids waited all morning for her arrival. Aileen was wondering what goodies she would bring for them. :) My mom always stops at the cracker barrel in Joplin (it's almost halfway) and she always brings us valomilks. Do you know what these are??? They are chocolate cups filled with marshmallow cream. Delicious. The only thing better are the ones my sister makes and maybe a cherry mash. (I kinda like old fashioned candy). So, it's become a thing when she comes to visit. It reminds of me of when we were little kids and my Grandpa use to come by the house on his way home from work and bring us candy bars. Everytime, He always had them in his front shirt pocket. I miss him. Anyways, my mom loves to go to the pumpkin patch with her grandkids. So, we trucked it on up to Happy Hollows in Crocker. It was a cute little place. They had fun games, a big slide, a hay maze and a pumpkin slingshot! It was a lot of fun. You got to ride a tractor down to the "pumpkin patch" portion and each kid got to pick out a pumpkin. They also had a little petting zoo. They had some alpacas which were really cute. It was a lot of fun. After the pumpkin patch we went to El Jimadors and then came home to watch a troubling OU game. (They really should have won by about 60). We had a great time the rest of Mom's visit going to church, hanging out and a shopping spree. :) We like it when people come visit us. :)

Here are some pics of Happy Hollows.....

The awesome slide. The kids said it
was really fast. The beam up there Aileen is
walking on has a mattress under it, so the kids were jumping off

Getting Parker to look at the camera
was impossible. There was just too much to look at

Going through the little hay maze was Grammy

Digging for Gold

Parker loved the corn hole game

This was a super fun game. You pumped the water to
move the duckies to the other side. This Parker's very favorite
thing at the Pumpkin Patch.

This was suppose to be "bowling", but
Parker thought chucking the pumpkin at the gourds
was a way better idea

Parker was not a fan of the animals
eating out of his hand

Aileen, on the other hand....LOVED it

The tractor ride was nice touch

Pumpkin slingshot was super cute

He was very particular about his pumpkin

She too, took quite awhile to select the perfect pumpkin

REALLY looking forward to this :)

2011-10-13T00:05:00.000-05:00

We had our first young women's activity tonight as a new ward and it made me even more excited! I know the girls, they are awesome and I always love being with them. Tonight, though, I was most excited about the new leaders called to serve with me. Holy Moly.....I feel so blessed and excited to get to work with these awesome ladies. Tonight we started off having fun doing get to know you activities and eating yummy snacks, but I wanted the girls to know right of the bat that we are going to focus more of our Weds night activities on the scriptures and feeling the spirit. I don't want them only feeling the spirit on Sunday. So, I thought we should end the activity by each of the leaders sharing their favorite scripture or scripture story. It was great! I loved what each of the leaders had to say and I am so excited thinking about how they will each touch these girls lives. They are awesome women! I want the girls to get use to hearing their leaders bear their testimony. I want them to recognize that a testimony doesn't have to be a 10 minute long cry fest. It doesn't have to be a deep pouring out of your heart. It can be a simple statement or a sharing of a scripture that means something to you. I am so excited for the girls........these new leaders are in love with them already and are going to give their all to help reach my goals for our YW........help the girls discover their own testimonies, help them recognize the spirit and follow it and help them realize their great worth as a daughter of God.

Content

2011-10-09T19:54:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it's nice to sit back and think......"ahhhh.......life is good". That's how I'm feeling right now. No, things aren't perfect and our life is crazy right now with Sam in the bishopric and me as the YW president, but life feels like it's right where it's suppose to be. It's a really nice feeling. :)

Two cool dudes!

2011-10-06T14:07:00.000-05:00

We were taking Ashton home from Preschool
and they were just too cute....I had to take a picture. :)

Tummies and Souls sufficently filled!

2011-10-04T09:13:00.002-05:00

On Friday night Sam and I went and celebrated our 13th Anniversary. I CAN NOT believe it's been that long. Sheesh. We are boring and just went to dinner and a movie (but lets face it, there's not a lot to do around here). It was nice spending a little time together. I feel really blessed to have to have a great husband who takes care of me and our kids. One who honors his priesthood and tries his best to do what the Lord wants him to do. I feel blessed that he chooses to serve our country and I am so proud to be a military wife. I am so grateful for the good, fun and loving Daddy that he is. I am grateful that he chose to love me. :)

Saturday and Sunday was General Conference. Sunday was our "actual" anniversary, so I made Sam's favorite.....roast.

So our Spirits and our tummies were sufficinetly filled that day! I love coming away from conference feeling so uplifted and happy and optimistic and full of love for my Savior and those sweet sweet Apostles. I always feel rejuvenated and ready for what may come in the next 6 months. I think Sis. Dalton's talk was my favorite. I LOVED it! Maybe it's because I am a new young women's president and everytime I heard "youth" or "young women and young men" my ears perked up! I just loved how she made a talk about the challenges our young women face today focused through the eyes of her father. How important it is for a young girl to see her mother loved. To see how a woman is suppose to be treated. How it can truly shape the kind of man she brings into her own life. I thought it was fantastic. I heard on Dr Phil (yes, I know.....we can talk about this later, but I sometimes watch Dr Phil) that sometimes a girl needs a "Father" and sometimes she needs a "Daddy". I LOVED this. What a great quote. I also really enjoyed the talk on Elijah, I think it was Elder Bednar. How family history and temple work are so important and we all should be working fast and furious on it. I loved how he challenged us to get the youth more involved. I will tell you.....St Robert 1st ward young women will be doing this!!! (I got lots of ideas from conference). There's no reason our youth can't be indexing, helping some of our older generations learn to do it and going to do baptism more than just our scheduled twice a year time. I loved conference and that Aileen watched all of Sunday!! She listened alertly and laughed at Pres Monson when he made jokes and I could really see that she was listening and developing a love for our sweet Prophet.

Now, I also felt a little jipped because Elder Holland spoke at the Priesthood Session and not in a general session. He is always my favorite and for some reason I always really connect to his talks, and although I've never met him, I feel like I've know him forever.......and maybe I have. ;)

It was really a great weekend!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

2011-09-19T09:09:00.000-05:00

Our ward split yesterday! Yes, I know we were all a buzz about it for months, but it finally happened. As I looked around at some of the crying faces, I thought......this IS a little sad. I've always been pretty ok with change....I think my optimistic personality helps me deal with it well. I was sad, of course, as there are many in the SR 2nd ward who I will really miss seeing every Sunday, some great friends.

Our stake presidency described the change the best. I had never thought of this myself and it was kind of an "Ah ha" moment, as Oprah would say. Yes, we are busting at the seams for our little building, but "we are not changing because of necessity for us, but because we need to make room for those yet to come". I LOVED this! How awesome is that??!! Our ward literally has the most baptisms I have EVER seen in a ward. The church is on the verge of exploding in this area and how awesome that the Lord has told our leaders to prepare now......(aren't they always telling us to be prepared!).....to get ready for those who will soon be finding what they've been looking for. :) This change is good. The Lord has a purpose in all things. And even though change is difficult, it's always for a reason. This time the reason just happens to be crystal clear. :)

Friends uplift the soul!!

2011-09-16T12:44:00.001-05:00

I have been feeling so blessed with great friends lately. The Lord truly does put people in our life purposefully. He knows us and loves us and wants us to have friends who express His love through their friendship. I have some great friends (old and new) who make me smile, laugh, teach me cool things, help me learn more about myself, strengthen my testimony, and truly uplift my soul. I am so grateful for them and a loving Heavenly Father who knew exactly when I needed them. Prayers truly are answered. :)

The big 5th grader!

2011-09-16T11:59:00.000-05:00

Local heroes

2011-09-12T21:33:00.028-05:00

Today we talked about the importance of our local heroes. With it being close to 9-11 we thought it was appropriate. We talked about what are local police and firefighters do for us and our community and how important it is that we thank them and always treat them with respect. After a short discussion we made thank you cards and took them and some cookies up to the local police station. The kids LOVED it!! They were actually kinda busy, which was a bummer. The kids thought it was so cool to meet a real police office (in uniform) and an undercover detective! They got stickers and a tour. They said they would have taken us back to the jail cells, but there were people being processed back there so we couldn't go back. We did get to go look at the camera feeds from all over the building, so that was cool. The kids got to talk to the dispatcher as she showed them how her equipment works and how she can talk to all the different police and fire stations with the push of a button. The kids had a great time and have requested a trip to the fire station soon. I'm sure we will have to make this happen. It was a great FHE!

The kids and officer Gibbs :)

Remembering......

2011-09-11T15:29:00.000-05:00

I am reminded everyday when I see my husbands uniform hanging on the back of the chair. Today, I have a prayer in my heart for those lost both on that day and in defense of freedom since.

A good weekend!!

2011-09-06T15:26:00.001-05:00

Other than a trip to urgent care we had a great weekend. Parker ran through a rose bush well over a week ago and got several scratches on him. They looked fine for a week until Friday evening

they started looking like this....

.....by Sat morning they were BRIGHT red. So, we went into Urgent Care and it was determined he was having a delayed allergic reaction....a WEEK LATER!! Anyways, a couple doses and steroids and they are looking a million times better. Steroids really are a miracle cure all.

Our friend Derek came for a nice long visit. My Sooners won, BIG! Although, it's not fair to start college football season and your team have a bye in week 2. It's kind of torturous, actually. I guess I will have to use my good "fan" skills to help BYU kill Texas this week. My friend sent me this awesome picture.....

........I LOVE it, and it's true. :)

My dear dear friend Cassie also had her sweet little girl this past week. She has been working so hard and waited so long to have this baby. I am soooo excited for her and her hubby, Chad. So glad baby Hope made it here!!

I LOVE this picture.

Chad, Cassie and sweet baby Hope. :)

Baby Riley got to go home....

Alyssa and Riley

He got to go home just in time for
his first OU game!

It's so much more relaxing
when OU wins big. :)

Sunday we had a great testimony meeting at church. I mean, one of those where you feel every testimony shared was said just for you. Normally, we have a line of adults and children waiting to share. On this day, it was not the case. There were no "story" testimonies or "thanktimonies", they were solid direct testimonies of Christ or a specific principal of the gospel. A brother in our ward spoke of Christ. Of the true nature of our relationship with Him. He did not come to earth to atone for strangers. We are His family. His love for us is real and tangible. A sister bore testimony of the power of personal revelation. How our Father in Heaven truly will direct our path. Another bore testimony of knowing we truly are put in places at a specific time for a specific reason. These testimonies made me think and really touched my heart. It was a great Sunday.

Monday......the gorgeous weather!! I woke up, went outside and said, " Oh my goodness, I am opening my windows as wide as they will go!!!!!" What a gorgeous day. Today is just as awesome. Last night for FHE we just had to get outside, so we went to the park.

At last......

2011-09-03T09:00:00.008-05:00

First day of preschool!

2011-08-30T15:27:00.001-05:00

He's been so excited and couldn't hardly contain
his excitement waiting for 9:30! :)

Happy Birthday baby Riley!

2011-08-28T13:09:00.001-05:00

Baby Riley made it safe and sound today!

Congrats to my brother and sis-in-law and new big sister Alyssa!

Don't you LOVE it when FHE actually turns out successful??? :)

2011-08-22T17:32:00.024-05:00

Since our family (along with the Tripps) are singing "I love to see the Temple" for the Primary Program in a couple weeks, I thought we should practice out song and learn about Temples for FHE this week. The magazine to the left that the church put out a while back was awesome! The kids loved looking at the pictures and there are lots of good nuggets of information in the margins. Now, the lesson was great, but the activity was a BIG success. We played Temple bingo and the game helped us learn different facts about the Temple and things we can do to help us prepare/stay worthy to go there. The kids LOVED it! Parker has even asked to play it again today....over and over. Love a successful FHE!

(I found a blog called thegoldenseven.blogspot.com and she has lots of ready to go FHE....this is where i got the temple bingo cards, in case you wanted to know)

Fashionista's first day of 5th grade!!

2011-08-18T17:28:00.001-05:00

So, I posted this on Facebook, too, but look at how fashionable my daughter is on her first day of school! Fashion never mattered much to me. Sure, there were some things I had to have.....like that ONE pair of Guess jeans I had that I wore over and over again because I only had the one pair, and that awesome leather jacket that I discovered in my Mom's closet way before Christmas and had to wait FOREVER to actually get it. But most days I was content with rolling out of bed for Seminary and throwing something on. Comfort was important to me because between show choir and play rehearsal I was often at school for a long time! So, jeans and a t-shirt has been my wardrobe since...well.....a LONG time. I was also a bit of a tomboy and was never much into "girly things". No frills, no bows, no pink..... and despite my early, apparently failed, attempt to have Aileen follow in my sports loving, jeans and t-shirt wearing, throw my hair in a ponytail footsteps, she has ventured out on her own into the world of girliness. Lucky for me, she's a natural, cause I am no help in this department. Now that I've rambled on......she is cute isn't she? All decked out and ready to take on the world......well, 5th grade, at least. :)

Happy Birthday Aileen!

2011-08-09T16:02:00.083-05:00

I CAN NOT believe my little girl is 10 years old. Other than a few different memories and experiences, 10 years old, 5th grade, is really the first year I remember A LOT about. It was a big year for me. I had my first lead in play. .....my parents got divorced.......we had a tornado while at school (I will never forget that panic on my teacher's face as we ran out of the prefab building our classroom was in into the main school!) and it was the first year a boy brought me gifts (I later learned he had been taking these "gifts" from his mother and I had to return them. hehe) It was a year of many highs and lows for me....a year that really did shape some things in my life. I only hope that this year is full of lots of ups and fun experiences for Aileen, and yes, a few downs.....it's through the downs we grow the most, right???? She is so precious to me and such an unbelievable young lady. I am so lucky!!! Here are a few captured moments from her first double digits birthday......

What could be better than birthday blueberry muffins!

Grammy got her gymnastics classes for her birthday.
And lucky for her, her first class was ON her birthday!

That's her smack dab in the middle of the pic

Not sure too many kids would choose Panera for her birthday dinner ;)

She's not really a fan of cake, so cookie cake it is!

Happy Birthday Aileen!!

Oklahoma burning.....well, almost....

2011-07-21T12:26:00.000-05:00

This past week we were able to go spend time with my family in Oklahoma. It was HOT!!! Now, I lived in Phoenix for 5 years, so I know hot and this was hot. 105 for Tulsa is hot. Especially with the humidity. They tell it has been over a hundred for like 6 weeks. That is crazy. So, it was nice to come home to Missouri where it was only 95. :) Sam was there only for a couple days....I had given him tickets to a concert for his birthday in Tulsa last January, but it got cancelled because of the massive snow storm that hit Tulsa. He was stuck for a week! So, they rescheduled the concert for last week. Unfortunately, he had to come back to work. We had a great time though. Lots of fun, good food, and good company. The kids had a blast. They each had special time with Aunt Krissy. Which they both loved!! My mom took them all over....basically anything they wanted. :) They enjoy getting spoiled by Grammy. Build a Bear, Aquarium, shoe shopping, pottery painting, eating out (which we never do at home) and lots of other fun things. Papa took them to the Porter Peach Festival. It was stinkin burning up, even at 9:30 in the morning, so, we didn't get to stay quite as long as we normally would have. They had some little carnival rides which I will post a few pics of and that is where i got my peaches, peach jam and peach salsa. YUMMY!!! We got to celebrate my brother's birthday, fight over who got to hold new baby Khloe and just spend time together. I always enjoy going to spend time with my family. We have to take advantage of being close enough to see them often....who knows where we will be in 2 years. We had a fun, eventful and exciting time last week, but its always nice to be home. I was only gone a little over a week, but I feel so out of the loop!! :)

He was so excited he got to ride it by himself!

I love Aileen's face. She really wanted to ride some bigger rides, but after she said this one made her queasy, we decided that probably wasn't a good idea ;)

What you don't see is me taking Parker down earlier.
I'm sure it was a humorous sight to behold. :)

Happy Birthday Elijah

2011-07-13T00:20:00.000-05:00

One year ago....my sister delivered her sweet baby boy at 22 weeks. He may not have taken a breath in this world, but he impacted it still the same.

A day or so after his birth I wrote a song and recorded it for my sister. It was played at his graveside service. I've held off sharing it, but a year later I feel comfortable doing so.

Elijah's Song

Sweet little baby wrapped in my arms

No bigger than Daddy's hand

Quietly entered this beautiful world

I'm trying to understand

Silent and helpless I hold you near

as you take your place in my heart

This sweet little angel given to me

Angel of Innocence

I wish I could hold you until my last breath

but Jesus will while I can't

One day he'll hand you back over to me

and we'll be together again

Until that day He'll keep you safe

while Angels sing you lullabies

My sweet little angel given to me

Angel of Innocence

We miss you little Elijah.

We have babies in bulk in my family.....

2011-07-07T17:17:00.000-05:00

In 2007 my sister, my sister in law and I all had babies in a 6 month period! It was grand baby heaven!!! I realized I haven't posted recent pictures of them!!

Parker

Jase

Alyssa

This past May my sister had a baby girl and this September my sister in law is having a baby boy!!

Khloe

Aileen was the first grandchild...and she was, for a long time, the only one. Needless to say, she was SPOILED ROTTEN!! Well, spoiled just right, if you ask me. She loves her little cousins. We tease her that it won't be long before she will be left in charge of them ALL while the adults go party. I'm not sure she's too hip on this idea. They can be a handful when they are all together. :)

Cool bugs....

2011-07-07T12:11:00.000-05:00

Praying Mantis

Katydid

We have loved all the cool bugs we've seen while living in Missouri! Seems like we have a new one on our porch every night!! I just think they are super cool. :)

Walking Stick

Megamind head and Fireworks

2011-07-06T11:46:00.001-05:00

Its a good thing Amanda and I are REALLY good friends, cause I needed her medical knowledge a lot this past weekend!! I am so lucky to have such an amazing friend who helps me out and calms my paranoid mommy-ness when needed. :) She is amazing and I LOVE HER!!!

So, Parker ended up having a bladder infection! Weird, right? I took him to Urgent Care Sunday morning because his frequent trips to the bathroom were now causing a little pain. He got some meds and we came home. Then a couple hours later I heard a super loud bang and hysterical crying. The poor dude slammed (and I mean slammed) his head into the door frame. It was awful. It took me a long time to get him settled down and his head immediately bruised and swelled up. After I got him to calm down we noticed his toes were bleeding......he must have scrapped his toes when he fell. Now, my kids HATE to have ice on them. So, I tried frozen corn this time. I kept "icing it" throughout the day and Parker would say, "get the cold corn, mom!". I don't know if you can really tell from the picture, but this goose egg was huge. We kept calling him Megamind. :)

We had a fun week though. We've babysat, had the missionaries over and I went to girls camp. We had plans on the fourth. The Watkins had so kindly invited over for fun in the sun, food and fireworks. I felt really bad we ended up not being able to go because of Parker. I had told Sam and Aileen to go ahead and go, but while they were out buying fireworks, they decided they wanted to be with Parker and I on the Fourth, so they stayed home with us. I love my family. :)

As I have loved you.....

2011-07-01T12:05:00.000-05:00

I absolutely LOVE my young women. They are amazing in their testimonies, their love for each other and their willingness to serve. Last year, I was able to go to camp for the whole week, and luckily, I was able to go up last night for the final program and testimony meeting. The girls have been working all week to help a young woman earn her YW Recognition award. Terese is an AMAZING young woman with such a special spirit, but there are many of the activities in the Personal Progress program that she simply can not on her own. The girls at camp have done this for her by proxy and she received her medallion last night. It was so unbelievably touching and special to witness that. While we sang the camp song for this year, "We Believe", all who had participated in helping her complete her personal progress stood in a big circle and passed the medallion around....each girl getting to see and feel what they helped her earn. It was AMAZING!!! Her young women's president then put the medallion on her. Her parents were there and it was so incredible to feel the love that has been shown to her and her family this week. The girls have been working so hard all week to make this happen and I am so proud of them and hope it inspires them to work harder on their own Personal Progress and continue to find ways to help each other. The night was beautifully tied together with an amazing testimony of the Savior and His atonement. These young women are so beautiful. I hope they know how special they are to me. They probably think I am super cheesy cause I tell them all the time, but I don't want there to ever be a doubt in their minds how much I love them. How much their Heavenly Father loves them, and that He knows exactly who they are.

The PP project the St Robert girls did for Terese was learning a song and performing it.
They are singing, "Walk Tall You're A Daughter of God" It was beautiful. :)

Liberty......past and present

2011-06-28T11:41:00.001-05:00

Last night for FHE we talked about Liberty. We compared Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty and our Founding Fathers and the Declaration of Independance. We discussed how important Freedom and Liberty are to our Heavenly Father. We talked about how America and it's importance was revealed to Nephi in 1 Nephi 13 and how Christopher Columbus was led by the Spirit. We talked about how the winning of the Revolutionary War was a miracle and how a free land was needed in order for the church to be restored. It was a great lesson in preperation for July 4th. We ended by talking about those who continue to fight for our Liberty and our Freedoms. We talked about what Daddy has done and how Bro. Lykins and several other in our ward are out right now, away from their families, protecting that freedom. So, we ended the night writing letters and drawing pictures for Bro. Lykins.

Aileen worked very hard on this picture and is very proud. I think it's amazing. :)

Fort Leonard Wood Tornado

2011-06-22T14:02:00.000-05:00

Fort Leonard Wood had its own torando on New Years Eve last year. It did signigicant damage to the base, including a portion of housing. This is an amazing picture of the tornado taken right outside of Sam's office on post by his Chief.

Joplin

2011-06-22T13:55:00.000-05:00

I had the opportunity to go to Joplin to deliver some donation items I had collected from wonderful members of our ward. My bestest friend, Daisy, lives there and she took me around. There are absolutely no words. I will post some pictures, but they do it absolutely no justice. Her ward was devastated, the stake center, where her ward held their meetings, is gone. While we were driving in the car, I looked out on the ravaged city and could not wrap my head around how ANYONE survived. But, I do know. I know that our Heavenly Father loves us. The countless stories of survival by the hands of the Lord's angels and the power of the Holy Ghost and His ability to guide us to safety magnifies my testimony of this love. This was NOT an act of God, but He was there....and he brought the hosts of Heaven with Him.

Daisy's friend's house. They hid in the crawl space. You can see her standing over it in the picture.

one view of the neighborhood

People had been bringing stuff they had found and piling it up in their driveway. Then someone had gone around to the homes and placed American Flags there. The Flags were everywhere!

The Joplin Stake Center. She says it is said to be rebuilt by Dec 2012.

Zoo Fun!

2011-06-21T17:16:00.000-05:00

Living near the St Louis zoo is great!! Not only is the general part of the zoo free, but it's a really awesome zoo!! This particular time we went to the zoo was on military appreciation day. So EVERYTHING at the zoo was free!!! Plus...for an added bonus.....it was raining!!! This just added to fun and excitement. We got to ride the carousel and the train and go on the virtual roller coaster (which I thought for sure Aileen would puke on and Parker would hate.....WRONG! They LOVED it!!) We braved it with our good friends the Sorensen's and the Watkins! The Sorensen's moved in a few houses down from us and we have LOVED having them so close!!! We will be so sad when they move in Aug. :( Anyway, I'm not going to think about that now. Tillie is Aileen's age and they have been two peas in a pod from the get go. Here are a few pics from our super fun day. It's days like this I KNOW the kids will remember...the day we went to zoo in the rain!!

Okay, this MUST be told. Right after I took this picture we were hanging out watching these chimps and Leslie had all the kids line up in front of the window to take a picture. All the kids had their backs turned looking at Leslie and this chimp swung down right into that window!! She smacked it as hard as she could with her hand and scared them to death. It was HILARIOUS!! We laughed so hard. :)

Preschool!!

2011-06-21T16:39:00.000-05:00

This past school year some friends and I did a preschool for our "pre" preschoolers. Each week was dedicated to a letter and number and we alternated homes. We had so much FUN!!

Parker's first day!

Celebrating Parker's B-day

Shanna

Parker

Haley

Kaytee

Hailey

I'm so sad I don't have a picture of Eric. :( He wasn't at our end of the year party, but he and Parker became good buddies!! I loved getting to know these kids. What a great time we had together.

So, my next few posts are going to be me playing a little bit of catch up!

2011-06-21T16:17:00.000-05:00

I'm So glad when Daddy comes home.....

2011-06-19T16:19:00.000-05:00

As the primary kids were singing this song in church today I thought.....for my kids.....this is so TRUE!! Every day when they hear the door unlock, they run into the front room to greet him. I'm so blessed to have husband who is such a great Dad. He's not afraid to be silly and roll around on the floor, or make poop jokes, but he also is a great example and teacher. I have to be honest....I am NOT comfortable teaching little kids. I never have been. I struggle with teaching to any age level, to be honest. I've never thought of this as one of my talents (which I will get to in a minute). My husband, on the other hand, is a WONDERFUL teacher...any age group....any topic....2 weeks notice or 5 minutes notice...he can do it...with ease. It's something I really admire about him.

I am also very grateful to have a remarkable Dad of my own. He is the hardest worker I know and also one of the most tender. I am so proud to be his daughter and so grateful my Heavenly Father gave him to me. I love my DAD!!!

Back to my lack of a teaching talent.....In Sunday school today (so glad I went...lately I have found myself in the foyer doing YW stuff) we talked about the parable of the talents. How we all have certain ones and how we all have some we still need to develop. I have been in the YW presidency the last 2 years I have been given many opportunities to teach. I have definitely seen my skills in this area improve!! There is hope for me yet! Sometimes I still get nervous and I still freak out if I have to teach on the spot, but I have also felt the spirit guide my words....when I have done all I can do to prepare.....He makes up the difference. Isn't that like all of life, here on earth and in the hereafter.....when we have done all we can do....He will make up the difference.

Err on the side of compassion

2011-06-18T19:10:00.003-05:00

We had a wonderful visiting teaching brunch today! I heard something I haven't heard before..... "err on the side of compassion". Wow!! This really hit me like a ton of bricks. I like to think of myself as a compassionate person, but do I always err on the side of compassion? It shouldn't matter why, or under what circumstance a person finds themselves in need of service.....I should be willing to do it! It is never going to hurt to serve.....even if you feel it will go unappreciated or unwelcome, or even if you feel like they don't "need" or "deserve" what they are asking for. The Savior never questioned before he served...never gave a thought to whether it would be unwelcome or unappreciated. I have had great examples of service in my life, and still do now. Sometimes I look at people (a couple in particular) and think, "How do they even find time to sleep?!" I never hear them question why or say, "UGH! This person has needed too much service lately." or "I've already served so much this week. I'm gonna take a break." They just jump into action when needed. Service truly is a path to happiness. It truly is all of our responsibility!! I never feel better about myself than when I serve. So, I hope I will take the lesson I always, "err on the side of compassion" and serve without hesitation.

Back on the blogging wagon

2011-06-17T21:12:00.000-05:00

So, I'm dedicating myself (again) to blogging. I'm such a slacker when it comes to this stuff!! It's never to late, right? Anyways, I'll start anew and hopefully stay on the blogging wagon this time. :)

One of those weeks.....

2010-09-03T10:14:00.000-05:00

So, this has been one of those weeks. One of those weeks you "start anew" doing all the things you should and the things you hope to still be doing in a year. Friday has come with success. Baby steps right? Its been a fantastic week. I have had a feeling and motivation and joy and accomplishment. When I have free time, I have found myself sincerely wanting to sit down with my scriptures, the Ensign or a conference talk. I have found myself reading "A marvelous work and a wonder". I have just had a great week filling my days with things "virtuous, lovely, or of good report". A great week reminding myself that happiness does come from doing the small things the Lord asks. A reminder to myself that My Heavenly Father does know and love me and that I am on the right path......:)

Click on this link and watch.....amazing woman.

2010-09-02T20:44:00.001-05:00

My-New-Life

Love a little rain

2010-09-01T08:57:00.000-05:00

"I love the rainy nights. I love the rainy nights. I love to hear the thunder, watch the lightning as it lights up the sky....you know it makes me feel good."

If you know me well, you know the last part of this lovely Eddie Rabbit tune is not true. I hate thunderstorms. They make me nervous and its ridiculously silly how anxious they make me. I do, however love a nice rain. That's what we have this morning. Although it's putting a damper on my errands for the morning, it is awfully nice and relaxing. Aileen was ready to go with a 3/4 length sleeve and a jacket and boots.....looked like she was headed off to school on a fall morning. LOVE IT! Fall is my favorite. The whole fall/winter time is my favorite. I love sitting on the couch in my OU snuggie watching football.....eating a nice bowl of beans and cornbread or homemade soup.....drinking hot chocolate......opening my windows to the crisp evening fall air......getting Halloween costumes.......getting ready for the Holidays.....I love it, Love it. LOVE IT!! This morning has made me remember that it's almost here and even though it's raining.....it brightened my day. :)

And a few of them together.......

2010-08-31T12:08:00.000-05:00

Favorite pics of Aileen from the past few months.......

2010-08-31T12:02:00.001-05:00

She loves this little baby

We were babysitting our friends baby bearded dragon. He was so cool!!

Making brownies!

So pretty

Looking WAY too old. :)

Favorite pics of Parker from the last few months......

2010-08-31T10:15:00.000-05:00

LOVE this picture. It was taken with an app on my iphone.

Don't think I need to say anything :)

Super cool dude!

Jase and Parker

He thought he was really funny!!!

Another pic taken with the app on my iphone. Again, LOVE this picture!

Parker and Alyssa

With his favorite bear.

Crunchy little squares

2010-08-31T09:27:00.001-05:00

In the morning Parker always says he wants some "crunchy little squares". It cracks me up. This usually accompanies some yogurt. :) He LOVES them!!!!

Aileen's 9th Bday Party

2010-08-30T10:40:00.003-05:00

We had a spa party for Aileen's 9th Bday. We had so much fun. My mom and sister, Kristin came up and helped. They had pedicures and manicures and facials. They all went home with cosmetic bags filled with fun spa products. They had such a blast!!! Aileen doesn't like cake, so we had ice cream sundaes instead!!!

Katie, Courtney, MaKenna
Corrie, Aileen and Calisto

Aileen getting her pedicure

Aileen getting her facial

Pics of Kayla and Brandon's Wedding

2010-08-30T10:23:00.001-05:00

Been Awhile......

2010-08-30T09:42:00.002-05:00

So, it's been awhile since I've updated my blog and plan to do better.....I promise.

We are doing well in Missouri. I love it here!! It's beautiful and a big change from the hustle and bustle of Phoenix. I love it. Plus, it's only four hours from home. YAY!!!! I've made some great friends and am serving in the Young Women presidency and LOVE it!!!! We had a very busy summer. Between girls camp and my sister, Kayla's, wedding to "crazy Brandon" (as my kids affectionately call him) and all the other summer activities we hardly got a moments rest. Now, I am ready fall. Are you ready for some football? :) Aileen has started 4th grade. CRAZY!! I am participating in a mom's group preschool with Parker next week. That should be a lot of fun. Lots of fun stuff ahead. The kids are getting BIG!! I will post some pictures at the end of this post.

Halloween

2009-11-13T09:15:00.003-06:00

Here are some pics of Halloween.......

Sweet Alyssa

Jase

Hannah Montanna and a Pirate

Aileen's Baptism

2009-11-13T09:02:00.003-06:00

What a great day we had. Aileen was so beautiful in the dress my mom made for her. When she came out of the water she was crying and said, "I'm so happy, mom!" It was so sweet. I can't believe I have a child that is old enough to be baptised. That's just crazy. I am so proud of her decision and her love for her Heavenly Father. She is such a sweet, caring and funny little girl and we are so blessed to have her in our family. Here are a few pics from the day.

Fun In Oklahoma

2009-10-20T09:16:00.005-05:00

This past weekend we went to Oklahoma for one of our favorite Holidays........the OU/Texas game!!!! We took a 4 day weekend and had a great time!!! We went shopping, went to the pumpkin patch, celebrated my mom's birthday, spent time with my Uncle Jim and his kids who were in town from Boise, Parker got a haircut and Aileen got her ears pierced!!!!!! AND ate LOTS of good food!!!!!

Here are a few pics.....

Parker and Alyssa

Parker, Alyssa and Aileen

Aileen and Alyssa

Krissy and Jase

Gare, Alyssa and Parker

Aileen

Aileen and Parker

Aileen is getting baptized!!!

2009-10-12T09:06:00.002-05:00

We are so excited for Aileen. She is getting Baptized on Halloween!!!! What a fun day this will be for her. We are so proud of her.

Some pics from the past few months.....

2009-10-07T11:47:00.009-05:00

Sam has been giving Aileen guitar lessons and Parker was feeling left out!
This was Aileen's first day at her new school. She was super excited and really likes her new teacher and school.

We've gotten to spend lots of time with our family in OK. Here is Parker and his cousin Alyssa (both wearing their Sooners gear) :)

Parker's first Baseball game. His Papa and him in the first pic taking a look at the field. He and Uncle Gare in the second. One of the players even gave him a ball!! He also got a batting helmet and little baseball bat from hims Papa and lots of yummy goodies!! He had such a great time. It was so adorable. He talks about it still!!

This is our new house!!

Parker has taken up golf over the summer. No kidding, this is at my Dad's house and any time we are there he wants to play. He LOVES it!!!

Parker and our sweet Rissa right before we moved. Oh how we miss her.

I'm Back!!

2009-09-09T16:18:00.003-05:00

Holy cow. What a transition period that was!!!! We are finally all settled in and got our computer fixed so I am back in touch. I have missed telling everyone so much of our summer. Missouri isn't as bad as I thought it'd be. The weather is GORGEOUS (ask me in Dec, though, it may be a different story) and it's green!!!! I missed trees in Arizona. Everything is going great. Our little ward is awesome. The spirit certainly is the same everywhere. :) I do miss La Loma!!!! It's such an awesome ward full of awesome people.

Aileen just turned 8 and is getting ready to be baptized. She is very excited. She loves her new school and friends. She really likes her teacher. Before meet the teacher day she said, "Mommy, I hope my teacher isn't old". Her 1st grade teacher was old and we didn't care much for her so luckily, her teacher can't be more than 27. :)

We've enjoyed being close to home in Oklahoma and getting to see our family a lot already. We are going to LOVE being closer to them.

Parker is fantastic. Getting big and talking so much. He is potty training, YAY!!!!! He still loves Backyardigans and also really likes Little Einstiens and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I am having a lot of fun with him.

Sam has been gone a lot since we moved here, but hopefully that is about to calm down. He seems to like his new job and the people he works with, well, most of them, anyway. :)

So, you will be seeing posts from me a lot more often, now. Glad to be back up and running. :)

2009-05-21T15:34:00.001-05:00

I'm sorry it's been so long. My computer has a virus and my posts probably won't be frequent until after our move. We leave Arizona on June 6th and are going to Oklahoma for a couple weeks before moving on to Missouri. Once I get up and running there I will update everyone on our move.

It's official now

2009-04-01T10:18:00.003-05:00

On Monday, Sam reenlisted into the Air Force for 4 more years. This will get us to the 10 year mark and through our assignment at Ft. Leonard Wood. Here are a few pics......

Taking his oath

Signing the next 4 yeas and 9 months away...........

I hate to break them up

2009-03-30T10:45:00.003-05:00

I am so sad that soon, these 2 little buddies will be 1500 miles apart. It makes me want to cry. What am I going to do when he says, "I see Rissa" like he does almost everyday? They are so cute together and have so much fun. We had Miss Rissa over on Thursday and they had a great time running all around and playing. Their favorite thing to do was run back and forth between the otoman and the back linen closet. They'd run back and forth just cracking eachother up. It's so cute.

They were so cute...they were sitting in the computer chair together watching a little Backyardigans music video......SO CUTE!!!
Aileen LOVES Mario cart on the Wii. She is really good at it. Parker likes to pretend to play and gets the numchuck or "chuck" as he calls it and imitates his sissy.

A sad trip back home

2009-03-19T17:29:00.003-05:00

This past week I made a last minute trip back to Oklahoma for my Grandpa's funeral. He was old and sick and I am relieved that he is no longer in pain, but he will be greatly missed. My uncle had a DVD slide show made of a bunch of pictures my mom and other family members had. We played it at the funeral and it was so awesome. So many wonderful memories. He was a big goof ball and had the biggest heart. He loved his kids and grandkids and we all knew it. There was never a question about that. He will be missed, no doubt. It's times like this that I am so thankful to have the gospel. Even though he isn't a member of the church, and even though my heart breaks at the thought that he is no longer on this earth, I find such comfort knowing what comes after death. Knowing that it is far from the end. Knowing that our Savior made it possible for us to live again.....together. Times like this make me cherish that gift more than ever. That gift is eveidence of how much our Heavenly Father loves us.

Sad news............

2009-03-12T10:30:00.004-05:00

So, I have some sad new......we are moving. We got orders to Ft. Leonard Wood, MO. We are due to leave the begining of June. Sam is going to be teaching there. After basic training, they are sent to the school that teaches them how to do the job they will have in the Air Force. That is the school Sam is teaching. All the kids just out of basic training. Since Sam does emergency management and chem/bio safety...that's what he will be teaching. I have mixed feelings. I am sad to move from here. I have made SO many wonderful friends and we love our ward. It's always hard to leave a ward you love so much. We are excited, however, that we will only be 4 hours away from our family in Oklahoma. So, we should be able to see them and spend a lot more time with them. So, as sad as it is, we will only be here about 2 1/2 more months. (Sigh).

Sickness and mom's

2009-03-06T10:30:00.002-06:00

My mom is coming today!!!! YAY!!! She's had this trip planned for a while, but thank goodness because my whole house is sick. Aileen has an ear infection and upper resp virus thingy, I caught the upper resp virus thingy (yesterday I woke up with a 103 fever!!!) and this morning Parker woke up coughing and hacking. It will be nice to have mom here to take care of us, I just hope she doesn't get sick too!!

I can always count on Aileen for a good laugh

2009-02-23T18:35:00.005-06:00

First of all.....today, I told Aileen that the Joyner's had invited us over for dinner on Weds night. She said, "Maybe they thought that since daddy is gone we could use some company". Then she paused for a moment and said something that made me crack up:

"Maybe that's why their called the "Joyner's". Cause they have people "join" them."

It was the cutest thing ever.

Aileen also recently turned my bed into an ideal movie watching area and Parker decided he should join her. (If you can't tell.....it's a pop up tent set up on my bed.)

It never fails.......

2009-02-22T23:26:00.004-06:00

So, Sam left before the crack of dawn (4:00 am) this morning for a 2 week trip. It NEVER fails. When he leaves one of the kids (usually Aileen) gets sick. Aileen woke up this morning and immediately went to the toilet, "Mommy, I think I'm gonna puke". She spent the morning complaining about her stomach and moping around, and since Sam is gone we all had to stay home from church. About 2:00 Aileen said she felt "tons" better and was fine the rest of the day. I am suspicious........maybe she was nervous or sad or didn't know how she felt about Sam leaving again, even though it's just for 2 weeks this time (not 8 months). Anyways, she's feeling better, but it never fails....sickness comes when Sam leaves. :)

Happy V-Day

2009-02-14T15:30:00.007-06:00

Aileen and Parker woke up to lots of fun gifts and candy. Grammy (my mom) and Aunt Krissy (my sister) sent them V-day packages, too. So, they had lots of stuff waiting for them this morning when they woke up. (You may be thinking...."is Aileen holding a shark book?". Yes, she is. She LOVES sharks and other ocean creatures. So, she got a book on sharks and rays and another on whales and dolphins. She was way excited. Parker is in love with Backyarigans so he got a new DVD.)

These are the beautiful flowers Sam sent to me and Aileen. Aileen was super excited to have flowers all of her own. What a good Daddy.

Aunt Krissy sent them V-day shirts. They are too cute, aren't they?

And finally........if you remember I am NOT a baker. I attempted a pie at Thanksgiving which turned out pretty good. So, I have once again broadened my horizons and made pretzels for the YW. Honestly.....it wasn't that bad. It's not that I can't do this stuff.....I just don't like to do it.

Later today we are going to dinner (an early dinner) with some friends for V-Day and then we will come home and watch the NBA All-Star events. Perfect evening if you ask me. Skills challenge, 3-point shooting contest and of course......slam dunk contest....will Dwight Howard top the "Superman" from last year.........??????

V-Day evening.........we were going to go to Outback, but our reservations didn't work out, so we ended up at some little mexican place. It was actually pretty good food. We had a fun time hanging out with awesome friends.

We all got a kick out of the big chili man and the margarita sign.

It was a really fun day.

Pay it forward

2009-02-12T23:31:00.001-06:00

You may have seen this on other blogs - you sign up to receive something homemade and crafty, and then you pay it forward by doing the same thing for 3 people who sign up to do it on your blog. So here’s how it works:

1. Be one of the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post and I will send you a handmade gift sometime in the next 3 months.

2. You get to pay it forward as well by doing the same thing for 3 people on your blog.

3. Once you leave a comment telling me that you want to participate, you need to make a pay it forward post on your blog within one day.

4. No gift requests. The gift I make and send to you will be made totally at my discretion! It will be made specifically for you by inspiration:)

Fairytale in the making

2009-02-07T19:06:00.007-06:00

Once upon a time there was a little Princess named Marissa. She was a fiery little sprite who LOVED to sprinkle the Kingdom with cereal and crayons. Prince Parker, from a neighboring Kingdom, would often come over to play while the Queens worked their royal booties off (hopefully literally...he he). The Prince and Princess could often be seen sitting on the steps enjoying a snack together.

One day, during a normal visit, Princess Marissa sweetly gave Prince Parker a hug.

"Woa!!" thought Prince Parker. "Now's my chance to try my sweet skills".
Prince Parker made his move. It did not go well.

Prince Parker went home that night to sit on his throne and read a book to try and get some inspiration on how to win the fair Princess Marissa's heart.

A mischievous laugh escaped him as he devised a plan that would surely work!

Princess Marissa was unable to deny it any longer and finally accepted the Prince's affection.

Will it be happily ever after?????????????????????

Thankful

2009-02-02T23:14:00.003-06:00

I just had to take a moment and thank my Heavenly Father for giving me such wonderful friends. Friends who inspire me and motivate me. Friends who make me smile and laugh. Friends who push me to reach a certain goal.....who I'm sure don't need my motivation as much as I need theirs. Friends who serve selflessly and love their Savior and Father in Heaven. I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends, and I am so thankful for the blessings that they are.

Sad eyes

2009-01-22T17:00:00.002-06:00

My poor kids......Tuesday I had Parker at the doctor....he has an ear infection......Wednesday I had Aileen at the doctor.......pink eye. My kids always get sick together. It may not be with the same thing, but it always seems to happen.

Here are pics of Aileen's sadness......

2009-01-19T17:18:00.003-06:00

Okay, so some may know, some may not, I am a HUGE sports fan. Seriously....I am probably a bigger sports fan than your husbands, and that is no exaggeration. (I'll challenge them to sports trivia anytime.) I have grown up watching football, basketball and baseball. I grew up with a brother 16 months younger than me, in a neighborhood full of boys and my mom is a big sports fan as well. I could sit and watch sports all day long, sad, but true.....I know. So, when the Chou's invited us to go with them to the Suns game in their AWESOME seats Friday night, I was ECSTATIC!!! It was so fun. It was highlight of......well......the most fun I've had in a long time....ILOVED it!!!! Here are some pics....... THANK YOU CHOU'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Parker!!!

2009-01-12T14:29:00.012-06:00

Parker's Birthday was Saturday, Jan 10th. He's 2 years old!!!! My baby isn't such a baby anymore. It makes me sad. We celebrated with my family in Oklahoma before we came home. He loves "Backyardigans" so we had Backyardigans cupcake cake (way cute) and he got lots of presents. Here are a few pictures from OK and AZ

B-Day pictures from OK

He really got into opening presents this year...so cute!

Isn't this a cute cake? He loved it. "ardigans! ardigans!"
The baby cousins enjoying the cake. Jase, on left, Alyssa, middle and Parker on right. They were all born within 6 months of each other. They are so adorable. We miss them already.

B-Day pics from AZ

And finally, this is what happens when you have a big sister. Aileen was so proud of her "little princess" (Daddy didn't find it as cute as I did).

Home, safe and sound

2009-01-07T12:09:00.002-06:00

We are home!!! I'll write and post later.