Remembering When...

Tomorrow I am treating myself to an all-day scrapbook crop to be held at one of hotels in downtown. I am not going with anyone so I am hoping to get a lot done! However to scrapbook you need pictures! It has been a long time since we have gotten any of our photos developed. My chronological-order family scrapbooks stopped toward the end of 2005 because I just had never gotten the photos printed. So instead of working on that book, rather I have finished up several smaller 'theme' books, like our trip to Disneyland and our trips to Seattle. It is amazing how many pictures we (well, mostly I) have taken since we got our digital camera. SO - I made my trip to Costco yesterday and printed up 335 photos! BUT- those 335 covered the end of 2005, all of 2006 and even a few months in 2007. I am excited to get these books caught up!

It was so fun remembering when! Looking back at the kids' photos from '05, '06, '07 - wow! as a parent you think they look so little and then you realize wow! they are little. It just makes you want to love them and hug them a little more. It's true what they say: they do grow up so fast!

The above photos are of:

Reid: baptism day with dad and Bishop Clark!

Chase: Occupational therapy with Phaedra: It is heartwarming to look back at this photos and realize how far he has come in his progress. I remember the days when he would just RUN!

Ryan: Christmas morning 2005. That Sam I Am shirt (a favorite that was worn by three of our boys) was finally passed on to another family.

Molly: This was her first musical theatre performance experience. They performed Aladdin JR. Such great friendships were formed during this show.

Austin: He broke his leg playing football and the entire team showed up to sign his cast and give him the team football. He had to wear a cast covering his entire leg through the entire hot summer.

These people are why I scrapbook!

Mission: Possible

Last night was the young women New Beginnings program entitled, Mission: Possible. The yw and yw presidency did an outstanding job with the evenings activities. It was so well thought out and enjoyable! I had every intention to ask my friend Melissa if I could post this cute picture of her and didn't! (So Melissa - let me know if you want it removed!) She did an fabulous job introducing all the new "agents" (new girls entering the program). I am thankful Molly has the personal progress program in her life. It is important to always have goals and strive for them.
I wish I would have gotten pictures of the girls, but no! here are some shots of our boys playing with the balloons afterward. Pure Joy on their faces!

104: a lot or not?

I cleaned up our master bedroom closet yesterday. I have a confession to make. I have 104 shirts. Does that seem like a lot to you? 104. hmmmm...I would have guessed maybe 50, but 104!?! And I admit, that is NOT counting my "just hanging out T-shirts". The kind one wears to paint in, sleep in, hang out in...Those shirts are folded up and placed on a shelf in our closet. I don't have very many of them (under ten) because I really don't wear t-shirts. But anyway, back to 104. I dare you to go to your closet right now and count your shirts, because I really want to know. Is 104 a lot??? Is it time for me to purge the closet?

decorating for St. Patrick's Day

I don't have very many St. Patrick's Day decorations, just a few more than are in these photos, but I did want to get them out for a little while: before I switch them out for our Easter decorations...Easter is so early this year!
I am hoping to have a chance today to play with these St. Pattys stamps I have owned forever and just finally put together so now they are ready to use. But first, I am off to clean my closet...What projects do you hope to do on this Monday? I'd love to hear!

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Molly and I enjoyed the show 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The show was a musical about a group of kids competing in a spelling bee - very funny! It was a special treat having front row seats. However because of that Molly became part of the show! She was chosen as the sister of Leaf Coneybear, one of the main characters. You can now call Molly, "Marigold." Another character thought she was love at first sight for him and really wanted to be introduced to Molly/"Marigold." Molly was a great sport about it, she even got some candy and a juice box from him during the show.
It was a fun afternoon - we are really looking forward to seeing CATS! together in May.

ladies only event!

Last night was our monthly ladies only event at JoAnne Carters home. We have ten ladies in our group, but only half were able to attend this month - the ones that couldn't come really missed out! This was only our second month meeting together. The event, an idea of Erin Dodge, is a great opportunity for us to gather to eat, talk and craft!
We enjoyed a delicious pot-luck dinner with one another and then discussed ideas of future projects...then we got to check out of craft. JoAnne made everyone this St. Patricks Day wood craft: it is adorable! I am thrilled to have a new St. Patty's decoration!
We got to paint these tool boxes - I love the black paint she had for us. It will be great with some red geraniums inside! I still need to sand down the edges of mine, but will post a picture when it is done.

Activities of today:
James and Chase are off to a soccer game then to get Chase new tennis shoes which are much needed. After lunch they will attend a birthday party for one of Chase's yoga friends at Paint Yourself Silly, a local pottery place. Chase is sure to have a lot of fun. Austin is heading out the door to do a service project then later get together with friends to play a Star Wars role-play game they all enjoy. Molly and I are going to the convention center to front row seats of the Broadway show, Putnam County Spelling Bee! We are excited for the show!

SURPRISE!

Don't you love it when you can really surprise someone?

The other day I arranged for Molly's good friend, Emma, to spend the night without her knowing! Emma used to live by us but moved away about a year ago. Her and Molly have remained in contact through email and letters and she continues to be a very important person in Molly's life. Emma's family came back for a visit and we got to host her overnight!
I had Emma with me and was picking up Reid from band - I called Molly, who was at home, and told her I had a surprise for her. When I brought Emma into our home, Molly screamed with excitement! I thought she was going to cry! She was so thrilled to see her good friend. They ended up calling a couple other gal pals and they all had a fun sleepover, catching up with each other...staying up until 3:30 a.m. chatting away, watching American Idol (on tape), talking about future hopes and dreams...
Gotcha' Molly!

a day with Ronda

I enjoyed seeing my friend Ronda yesterday. We live about three hours away from each other so we met half-way and enjoyed shopping a outlet mall together and getting something to eat. We have known each other about 15 years, she is a joy!

feeling better

Now that the medicine is kicking in, I am feeling so much better. Yesterday I got up, cleaned bathrooms and did some laundry then volunteered at the elementary school for an hour, came home and got Ryan off to school THEN took a two hour nap! I didn't think I would sleep that long but I think my body still needs it. So today I will take it slow, but I do hope to get some cleaning done around here. After three weeks of not feeling well things are not looking so good on the homefront.

In other news:
*I attended my stake camp meeting last night. We are preparing for the stake camp kick-off in March. I love serving with this remarkable group of ladies, they inspire me. We just got word that a couple ladies I really enjoy will be at camp serving as assistant cooks so that makes me happy. We are there for the girls but it is always wonderful to be around other women who also love to be there.

*I'm looking forward to seeing my friend Ronda tomorrow! We used to live by each other in Washington state and now we have both moved here, but she lives three hours away. Too far to get together very often, but so worth the effort.

*The middle school musical theatre show was announced. They will be performing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! Molly received the part of Mrs. Bucket, Charlie's mom and gets to sing, "Cheer Up Charlie." It is a beautiful song. She also has been asked by the director to be a junior director. Molly is thrilled! It is a lot of responsiblity. She will need to attend every single rehearsal. But - she's up to the challenge and looking forward to it.

Not much else happening, I just need to get cleaning. Make it a great day!

a day at urgent care

Today I had finally had enough of not feeling well.

It all began on Jan. 29 - that will be three weeks tomorrow of just not feeling 100%. I found myself still going and doing - not cancelling anything, but just feeling somewhat tired, a little achey, some coughing, sore throat that came and went...

Well I am back from my five and a half hour adventure at the local urgent care. I'm still shaking my head about their name - there was nothing urgent about the service provided. Regardless, I have left with three prescriptions with my name on them and one big diagnosis of sinus infection. Ah - relief is in sight!

Just now James has dragged Austin out the door - he has had a cough and slight sore throat for about four weeks now. We'll see if they can help him out...

snow - pinewood derby - Regionals

On Friday Ryan and I enjoyed an hour of snow! His bus was about thirty minutes late so we had fun hanging out, watching the beauty of the snow falling...
Saturday afternoon Reid and Chase had a good time at the cub scout pinewood derby. They both came in third place for their age group. Chase said, "at least it's fair" It was fun for all of us.
Saturday evening James and I drove an hour to see Austin perform at the Regional Honors concert. What a fabulous event! The committee selects the best of the best through auditions from the regions choir, orchestra and band high school students. Austin played baritone with the band - we were thrilled that he was right up front so we could watch him perform. It was a full two-day event for the students and he seemed to really enjoy himself.

Happy times!

We enjoyed dinner together last night - everyone had several things they liked and would eat - a miracle in itself! Of course, Reid, along with I think all the boys, added ketchup to their chicken - what is it with ketchup and kids? The little boys commented that they thought the dishes were pretty - I guess I've raised them right if they recognize the plates are different than usual.

Since it was Valentine day it was appropriate for each of the kids to give me a big hug right!?! Well the little boys were all for it and even Austin was a good sport but the problem child - Molly! Here I am in this totally unflattering photo of me sitting on her lap, us both laughing, as I'm trying to get her to give me a real hug! Ah - the moments of real life...

Each Valentines day I give the kids a small treat. This year I gave them a lds movie called Last Chance, their own small bag of candy, and one of these cute pillowcases so each night they will know how much they are loved.
We had a fun night together.

my gift to James

The only thing I purchased for James was this boxed CD set from Henry B. Eyring - To Draw Closer to God. He already owns it on tape but once wished he had it on cd so that he could listen to it in the car while driving. Well I need to listen to any such suggestions as my husband is one who never really asks for anything! I noticed that he brought it when him this morning when he left for work so I'm assuming he likes it. The rest of his gift was things that I made, most have been posted here before. I added photos to the Valentine squash book. I would have liked to have added photos of the two of us together - but realized we don't have a whole lot of them! It is always one of us behind the camera. I'll need to get our teenagers to take some photos of the two of us. I hope you had a good Valentines day James!

Happy Valentines Day

Yesterday I went to my mailbox and was so thrilled to have received happy mail. I received these three cards in the mail on the same day! Although I love email, I am a firm believer in the handwritten note. I pretty much save each one I receive - they all go into a box by my nightstand and I pull them out and look at them every so often.
The valentine angel card on the left came from my friend JoAnne. I love how she laminated the valentine angel girl and made it into a magnet - I will enjoy it for a long time to come. I am blessed to have JoAnne for my visiting teacher and she often surprises me with fun treats (which I love!). The center card is from Susan - a thank you for her birthday lunch. How sweet is that! I so try to be good about written thank you notes and have fallen short the last few years. The card on the right is another cute handmade card from my friend Janie. I have known Janie for about 16 years and she is one of my all-time favorite people! She served as young women president and called me to be her beehive counselor way back when. I learned so much from her and she continues to be a example of good to me even now.

I needed to come up with something quick for my kids' teachers for Valentines Day. I had these cute little princess girls' (idea from my friend Erin) left over from another project so I turned them into a fun valentine adding extra brand gum. If you click on the picture it should get bigger.

I volunteered at the elementary school today, helping the kids celebrate Valentines Day. Chase showed me his valentine bag - he even decorated the bottom!

Tonight we are having a family dinner to celebrate the holiday- honey mustard chicken, chicken flavored rice, mixed vegetables, green salad with all the extra's (Austin loves it when we have garbanzo beans, kidney beans, croutons, cucumber, grated cheese, etc...)with homemade ranch dressing, fluffy red jello salad, with pumpkin pie and fresh strawberries for dessert. (I know pumpkin pie and strawberries don't go together, but some kids like one, some like the other. It works for us). I'm so looking forward to a night where we can eat together and enjoy each other and have no need to run off to a meeting.
Happy Valentines Day!

A valentine treat for me

Look what arrived at my front door this afternoon! My sweet husband sent me these gorgeous chocolate covered strawberries for Valentine's day. They are so pretty and I must say, delicious! I ate three of them right away and the rest are in the fridge so I can share with the kids.
Last night Reid and Chase finished up their class valentine treats (Reids' are shown) and today Ryan worked on his. Reid used sports themed cards. Chase chose Pokemon cards. Ryan is using a mixture of Disney and Cartoon Network characters. He wrote his name in the 'from' section of each card and I will help him out by filling in the 'to' area. Tomorrow should be a fun day!

A fieldtrip with Chase

Yesterday I got to attend the third grade field trip with Chase and his classmates. We went to one of the local high schools to see a play called Folktales Too! It was a story about a little girl named Kimberly Kay who goes to the attic in her family home and there she makes up a wonderful story about a king, princess, an Indian, many country folk and others. It was a cute show. Afterward we went to the local park for lunch. The kids enjoyed being out in the nice weather by playing a quick game of pick-up soccer while we were there.

lunch with Susan

Yesterday James, Ryan and I met up with Susan for her birthday lunch at Mimi's Cafe. It was such a fun outing! If you want to see that Ryan was actually there you need to look closely and you might see part of his little head at the bottom of the top photo-can you tell he's a little camera shy. Susan is a cousin of James' - their mothers are sisters. It is I who has been blessed with her friendship since moving here. We have enjoyed meeting for lunch once a month and visiting - getting to know each other better. She is a great listener and is so patient with me, letting me talk to her about the kids and this and that...
And here it is her birthday and she brought us gifts! Always mindful of others she brought Ryan these coloring books and crayons which he enjoyed throughout lunch and has not put down since. She brought me this beautiful candle as a Valentine's Day gift. How sweet is she! We brought her some gorgeous pink geraniums and I'm sad that I didn't get a picture of her holding them. It was a nice afternoon.

Sunday Evening Discussion

The Sunday Evening Discussion went well. Of course, I am the first to critize myself - thinking I could have done this better or that better, but the youth were thoughtful in their responses to the questions asked about their feelings regarding the counsel of President Hinckley. However my sweet husband (first counselor to the bishop) prepared me for 45 youth - well, there was maybe 15 there! So of course that changes the dynamic of the conversation. We were aware of a missionary prep class happening at the stake center at the same time that meant all of the priest age young men needed to attend that and miss SED. However, more than that there is a lot of flu sickness going around. We ended up bringing our three little boys to the church with us, letting them play in a neighboring classroom. I had arranged for a sweet family to watch them but one of their children became very sick on Saturday...I then considered three other families in the ward, but they all have a sick family member so we brought them with us and it worked out alright. They actually always have a good time being around the teenagers of the ward.
My thoughts of the preparation for this Sunday Evening Discussion are positive. It is I who has taken away a deep(er) love for President Hinckley. His genuine goodness. His steadiness of being a servant of the Lord. He was such a remarkable man. I am thankful that I was given this assignment by a sweet young woman president who had faith in me that I could accomplish it. The blessings of all I have learned about this man, this prophet of God, and his life will remain with me.

A busy Saturday

James and I both had a packed Saturday.

He got to help Reid and his friend Jake with their science fair experiment. They worked on it ALL DAY. Reid says he enjoyed it, he likes science, so that is good. I think the finished product looks great. In our school district science fair projects are mandatory for all children in grades 4 - 8. That is five science fair projects times five children = 25 experiments. I think we may need to recycle ideas in the coming years.
When that was done they started on the pinewood derby cars. The race for Reid and Chase is next Saturday! James had the boys draw the shape they wanted and Austin was a big help by cutting out the cars. Here's a look at how the cars are coming along. They will need to work on them during the week to get them finished up.


I took Chase to his soccer game in the morning. His team had two boys there and the rest were girls. The other team had two girls and the rest were boys. Our team did a good job with the competition. It is always fun.
Then I got to spend a couple hours shopping! I wanted to get our niece a bridal shower gift - so fun shopping for that! I also got a new comforter for our bed. Why are those so hard to find? Do other people have a hard time finding what they like?
That evening James and I attended the Worldwide Leadership training broadcast. WOW! I really enjoyed the counsel given to us. The subject was on raising a righteous posterity. Lots of great ideas on the family...


When we got home I needed to finalize my thoughts for the Sunday Evening Discussion I am giving tonight to the youth of our church. I am speaking on the life of President Gordon B. Hinckley. The preparation the last two weeks has been very overwhelming to say the least. I am very prayerful that I will be able to convey the message the youth need to hear about this remarkable man. I think I am ready.
As the pictures indicate I four handouts: mini chocolate bars wrapped with a Pres. Hinckley wrapper, a paper where they can write "The Top 10 Things President Hinckley Taught Me," a handout with a quote and photos, and a 5x7 photo of President Hinckley where I've included his 6 B's on the back (not shown in photo). Yes, Molly has laughed and made fun of me for making so many handouts and tells me over and over, "You've been working on this for two weeks!"
I am also showing a two minute clip of Pres. Hinckley speaking and finishing with a slide show. Rather than talk to the youth for 45 minutes I am going to lead them in a discussion about his teachings. I will have different youth come to the front, have them read a quote from some of his counsel (all of them pertain to the young people of the church) and then we are going to discuss it as a group. (Hence the chocolate: it will encourage participation) We have a group of about 45 youth so there should be some good discussion happening. So hope it all works out.

I've been tagged!

My friend Sharla has tagged anyone who reads her post to name seven random things about themselves. Well, since I'm not going to put much thought into these they are sure to be 'random'. Here goes:
1.I love country music! I remember being in high school and my dad watching Randy Travis on the television and I stopped and watched the entire performance. But, I remember saying "He doesn't move, he just stands there!" but thinking, "He's good, he doesn't need to move!" HA! My brother even sang Forever and Ever Amen at our wedding reception.
2. I love the color green. I am drawn to it. I think it is because I lived in Washington state for 33 years of my life. I so miss grass, trees, moss...
3. I love body powder and perfume. In this day of allergies it really is a no-no to wear perfume to public events. I agree it is important to be mindful of those individuals - I don't want to be the cause of anyone's sneezing. But if it is my husband and I on a date or even me home alone I love the scent of perfume!
4. I really miss playing soccer. Not sure if it's random or not, but I have an artificial hip and the doctors have told me the only physical activity I should do is swim or riding a stationary bike. ugh. I need to get a pool.
5.I have an obession with flossing. Do people really think their toothbrush can reach in between their teeth? Often I floss three times a day, sometimes more. Don't get why people don't do it.
6. I used to be intelligent. With each child I believe I have lost more and more brain cells. :) In college I was president of the Philosophy Club, editor of the school paper, served as Chief Justice over the Senate: all at the same time! Now I struggle with having an intelligent conversation.
7.I love uplifting people! I am drawn to them. I believe in maintaining friendships. I genuinely appreciate happy people!

It took over three hours and four schools...

It took over three hours and four schools but I'm finally finished with my parent/teacher conferences. It started this morning when Ryan and I visited with his preschool teacher. He is doing great academically - knows his letters, numbers, writes his name, knows advanced patterning, etc. but needs to work on his social skills. The team working with him (preschool teacher, occupational therapist, and speech teacher) have decided that he will remain in special needs for his kindergarten year. I have mixed emotions about this, but do know that it is for the best. This way he will get the help he needs to be successful in the classroom. Ryan and I will attend kindergarten round-up in a couple weeks. I'm anxious to see how he does. Will he be able to separate from me? Every Tuesday I work in Chase's classroom and although I could go while Ryan is at school, I purposely bring Ryan with me so that he can be comfortable being on the school campus.

Later this afternoon I left the house at 12:45 and returned home three hours later at 3:45. First up was Reid. He is doing great. His teacher is interested in having him tested for advanced math at the end of the year so he can participate in that for fifth grade. Chase was next. He is doing well. We just had his IEP meeting a couple weeks ago where we set some new goals for him. I signed up to be one of the parent chaperones for their class field trip in a couple weeks.
I then went to the high school and ended at the middle school. Today I talked with four teachers of Austin, six for Molly, two for Chase, one for Reid and one for Ryan. Fourteen exceptional teachers. We are thrilled to have such terrific individuals teaching our children.

A boy and his puppies!

Ryan has really wanted his puppy collection to be featured on the blog for some time now. Today he brought all of his puppies downstairs and lined them up for a photo session. So, I suppose today is the puppies day to shine. Oh - and by the way, Ryan gave "dolphin" his approval to stay for the photo shoot as he is also a favorite.

Hands to Work, Hearts to God

One of my favorite expressions is "hands to work, hearts to God"

It is always fitting to serve others but especially appropriate this month, the month of Valentine's Day. This fun craft was something I made years ago at an enrichment meeting - probably around 1994 when I was a new mom and new to crafting - but I keep it around because I love what it symbolizes. Also, it is an actual shape of my hand! We traced our hands and they were cut out to match. I have long skinny fingers, granted, my fingers are longer than the fingers on the pictured hand - maybe it was hard for the saw blade to cut that deep? but regardless, I like it.

Today I am going to be putting my hands to work by writing some letters. Letters to some young women who definitely have their hearts centered toward God. Last night we had our third youth camp leader meeting and once again I was impressed with these four outstanding young ladies. I want to write them a cute card expressing that to them. It is just one small thing in my efforts of showing love this month.

A picture of the winner...

Here is a cute photo of Sara who won the Valentine give-away prize. Can you believe she told me she has never won a prize before. Congratulations Sara! I hope you and your family enjoy the goodies.

I had two fun activites this last Thursday.

The top photos are of the centerpieces I did for an enrichment activity at church. It was an activity called "Fast Friends" and was somewhat like speed dating only this was a night to gain friendships not dates! Our ward currently has over 700 members and growing so this was a great activity to get to know people. I actually met a lovely gal that said she has been in the ward for a year - I had never met her before! It is pretty easy to see how that can happen however, we just have so many people. When arriving if you get there on time you will need to park on the street because the parking lot is full, leaving church the hallway is packed, we have two elders quorums: a north quorum and a south quorum, the Relief Society presidency has added a third counselor and we currently have four nurseries. It is actually a beautiful thing that we are bursting at the seams because the gospel is true!
This is what I came up with for the simple decorations - Mary Engelbreit fabric for table toppers over solid white tablecloths, paper punched out in flower shapes - then I used hot glue to attach bright colored buttons in the center of each. That is one fun thing about Mary Engelbreight - the bolder the color the better! For the actual centerpiece I just took a terra cotta pot, added some jumbo sized red rick-rack along the seam and placed a live bright yellow plant inside, adding some moss for texture. The yellow flowers really represent fun and friendship to me. Then I stamped an image that stated,

"Friends are those people who know the words to the song in your heart and sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words."

(Mom- you can click on the photos and it will get bigger for a better view)

The other photos are of Molly's drama activity. Her middle school was accepted into a junior actors club, the International Thespian Society. First on the program was the induction ceremony. Molly is serving as the drama president and these photos are of her congratulating her fellow actors. They had a nice program where the officers had the opportunity to light the candles of their fellow actors representing that they will be united as a troop and keeping the light within. She also did a great job on her performance alongside her friend Emily. They performed "Crimes of the Heart: A scene with Chick and Lenny" Molly was a fantastic "chick".

A winner!

All of the comments have been so fantastic we had to do a random drawing for the Valentine give-away. Here a photo of Reid after he mixed up all the names and picked one out of a basket.

Sara Adams - you are the winner! Congratulations! I will be delivering your prize to you soon!

You guys had me in tears reading many of the responses of how you will show love this Valentine's day. You are all such remarkable women! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with me.

It's February 1st - I hope all of us will ponder (and acts) on ways we can show our love to others this coming month. You all have left an impression on my heart with the wonderful comments/ideas that have been made here. I'll keep you posted on our family efforts.