Special Sunday

Stake Conference was wonderful today. I am so grateful for the messages that were given. I felt like they were given especially for me and exactly what I needed to hear. It was such a privilege to have Elder Spencer V. Jones stay with us. He is an amazing man who loves serving the Lord. I have to admit that I was very nervous and wanted everything to be perfect for his stay with us. I about drove everyone crazy trying to get ready...but now that everything is over and Elder Jones slept well, and there were no cooking disasters, and he is off to catch his plane back to Salt Lake, I am relieved and happy. My favorite part of the day was when we knelt in family prayer with Elder Gibson and Elder Jones. The tears flowed as Elder Jones offered a beautiful prayer and blessing for our family.

Elder Jones really enjoyed talking to
Amy and Allyson and all of the kids...

Here is Allyn telling Elder Jones and Elder Gibson that I take way too many pictures!

Tagged

8 TV Shows I like to watch:

So You Think You Can Dance

Amazing Race

NBA Basketball

College Volleyball, Basketball and Football

American Idol (starting at about the top twenty)

ER (one of my old high school friends is nurse Lily)

Extreme Home Makeover (I cry every time)

The Today Show

8 Restaurants I like to eat at:

Bajio

Nordstrom Cafe

Great Harvest Bread (the sandwiches are good... but the friends are the best part!)

PF Changs

Fleming's (We have only been once, but it was great!)

Cheesecake Factory

Carrabas

Sweet Tomatoes

8 Things that happened today: (Actually they happened yesterday...it's too early today)

Made Banana Bread

Took Levi to visit my mom and dad (he is so cute and it was so fun to watch him put on a show for Great Grami and Papa Jack!)

Levi and I went to Sams Club (we picked up a poster sized picture of Kaden's first touchdown)

Took Kaden to Cub Scouts (he LOVES Scouts!)

Met Jennie at Borders with the kids (I got to have Levi from 9:30am till 4pm...it was wonderful!)

Picked up Kaden from Scouts (played a little football with him, even though he reminds me constantly how terrible I am!)

Made yummy soup for dinner and helped Kaden with homework

Went to a bridal shower for Rachel D

8 Things I am looking forward to:

This election being OVER!

Allyson coming home this week end and giving her a massive hug! (Can't wait to talk to her about her upcoming Study Abroad in Madrid, Spain!)

Hearing Amy's stories every day about being a teacher in LV and her excitement about going to Taiwan to teach!

Kaden's football games and Jackson's soccer games every Saturday

Caleb's foot being all better and watching him run and play again

Hearing Taylor sing, watching Levi laugh, "Fun Day Wednesday" with Kate and Olivia and basically anything any of the grandkids do!

Friday Night Dates with my Hunk

President S happy because Stake Conference went well and the General Authority staying at our house felt welcome and well fed

8 Things on my wish list:

Amber and Leah happy, healthy and an active part of our family again ... I miss them so much

Our whole family at the Temple together

All the grandkids happy and healthy

More grandkids

This recession over

My mom's hips were all better and she felt great

Twinkle my nose and the house would be clean

No worries

8 people to tag:

Jennie

Amy

Allyson

Keri

Kathy P

Jena

Britt

And whoever else reads this blog!

Beautiful Wedding...Beautiful Couple

My nephew Justin and his beautiful bride Jena were married yesterday in Butler, Pennsylvania. Ric, Mary, Allyn and I were able to go... we felt so lucky to be there to share this special day with them. The weather was perfect, the trees & leaves were beautiful, the scenery was spectacular, the people were wonderful, & the family togetherness and love was priceless. Jena and Justin are such a sweet, darling couple and we are so happy for them. They will live in Carson City where they are both hydrologists...they met at UNR while getting their masters in hydrology (the study of water). I don't think I have ever seen my brother Ron and his wife Sharon so happy! They were beaming!...Almost as much as Jena and Justin. They had their reception in a beautiful big barn...it was so cool!~ We ate delicious food, danced, laughed, celebrated and had a great time. Jena's family is wonderful...Thank You, Thank You for everything!
Congratulations Jena and Justin!

While we were in Pennsylvania we stayed at a beautiful Bed and Breakfast ... Armstrong Farms
It was amazing... We had so much fun!!

When I called Amy, Ally and Jennie to tell them all about it, they all said "I hope you can get Dad to want to come home! We know he is loving it!!" And yes, he really did love it in beautiful, peaceful, quiet Pennsylvania...

We both did.

Look how cute Jena and Justin can dance!

Touchdown!

We went to Kaden's first football game of the season on Saturday. We had so much fun...I don't think I have laughed or cheered that hard in a long time. Last year Kaden was only on defense as a linebacker...(when he was five he called himself a "back-liner"!) This year he is the quarterback and a linebacker on defense. He got his very first touchdown!!! He kept the ball and spun around and ran for twenty yards for the touchdown. The funny part was when he was almost ready to cross into the end zone he put his hand up by the side of his helmet and started strutting like Dion Sanders... Check out this crazy picture! I love the fans expressions... Kaden got an "unsportsman like conduct" penalty... But the ref was laughing so hard he almost couldn't even say it.(Kaden didn't know that he wasn't allowed to celebrate like the pros do!)

This is a picture of his run for a second touchdown...
He is such a stud! Go Green Machine!!! (After this touchdown he politely handed the ball to the ref...)

This video is of one of his runs...He is #44...the one with the football!

The Mission Call

Our nephew Coulson received his mission call yesterday! Ric and Mary invited us to their house to be there when Coulson opened it. It was so awesome to be there. This was the very first time I have actually been in the room when a young man opned his call. I've been on the phone a few times, but never in person. So Allyn, Amy and I went to their home with great anticipation. When we pulled up we saw this guy jumping off of the roof...It was Coulson! He said he couldn't stay still any longer and so he climbed up on the roof from the back of the house and jumped off in the front! It was pretty cute to see how excited he was, literally jumping with excitement and ready to go wherever the Lord wanted him to go. Soon after we arrived we all went into the living room to see him open it up and find out he is being called to serve in the...
(watch the video at the end of this post!)
We are all so thrilled for you Coulson!!! You will be an awesome missionary!!

We will soon have two missionaries from our family out in the mission field. My sister's son Brad is serving in Boston, MA. He is doing such a great job and is an amazing missioinary.

We love you Elders! We are so grateful for the example of love and service that you set for all of us.

Kaden's Baptism Day

Kaden was baptized yesterday. It was a wonderful day. There were so many dear friend, neighbors and family that were there to help Kaden celebrate this special day. I am so grateful for the sweet love and the tender spirit that not only filled the room, but filled our hearts to overflowing. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true...and I am so grateful that Kaden chose to be baptized and follow Jesus. He is a good, loving little boy and we are blessed beyond measure to have him in our lives.

Kaden is getting baptized...

Kaden is very excited to be baptized, but he was also very nervous for his interview with the Bishop yesterday. When he was all done he walked out of the Bishop's office with a grin from ear to ear. The Bishop said he asked him, "Kaden why are you such a good boy?" and Kaden said... "I don't know, it just happened!"

Happiness is your family...

While I was cleaning out a drawer I found a disk that my dad had made for me years ago.

These disks are something that my dad has been making for over sixty years...all the kids at the original Las Vegas High School would come to my dad's old jewelery store on Fremont Street and order one for themselves or their friends. People are still ordering them... Even now, I'll see random people wearing my dad's hand engraved disks and I'll think, "Wow, My dad made that!"
Well, this disk that I found while cleaning has my name on the front all fancy in my dad's one of a kind beautiful hand engraving, and on the back it says,
"Happiness is your family..."
I put it on right away and I have been really thinking about that quote a lot this week.
Just as all of you love your families...I love my family. Each and every member. We are not perfect... definitely not perfect. We have many ups and downs, happy times and very sad times, good memories and not so good ones, joys beyond compare and heartaches too, but through it all, the thread of love is woven through our eclectic family fabric. That endless love, that love without limits for my forever family brings me great happiness.

Caleb is doing so much better this week. His smile lights up the room!

Jennie, Amy and I took Olivia and Kate to the Springs Preserve. It is such a cool place!

Kaden's first day of Cub Scouts! He said, "This is the best day ever!!!"

Can you believe how big Levi is getting?! He is 14lbs. already!

Kaden and Olivia all ready for church

Jackson is such a stud soccer player!

Aunt Ally and Aunt Amy with the kiddos...

Get Well Soon Caleb!

Our grandson Caleb is at UCLA Medical Center having surgery on his foot today. We have all been worrying and praying for this sweet little boy. The bones in his foot have not been growing properly and so they had to go in and add a cadaver bone and re-position the bones and put screws in to hold everything in place. He will be in a full leg cast for six weeks and then a walking cast for another few months. This is a lot to go through for a little five year old. We just received the update from Brian and the surgery went really well...We are so grateful. Caleb will have to have a few more surgeries in the next few years. He is such a special, wonderful little guy and we all love him so much.

Being very naive as a younger mother I used to think that all the big worries would just go away when the kids grew up and left home...Ha! That was silly! There is just way more to worry about, pray about, be concerned about and many, many more to love!!!

We love you Caleb!! Get well soon XOXOXOXOXOX

Olivia has been staying with us for a whole week... We have been having lots of fun and enjoying every minute with her!

Happy Birthday Jennie!

How can our Jennie be 30 today?!!!!! Where have all the years gone? WE LOVE YOU...Here are just some of the reasons why...
1) You have always been such a blessing and a joy
2) You take after your dad and are just plain obedient. You never have to question or doubt, you just always do what you know is right
3) You have always been the peacemaker and want every one to be happy
4) You are ridiculously talented and creative...You amaze me with all you do. There isn't anything you want to do that you don't try and are great at. From starting your own businesses (yes plural) to making up rap birthday songs, from your college degree to making the coolest hair bows...You can do ANYTHING!
5) You are a wonderful mother...There are none better...I can hardly believe that my baby Jennie has four beautiful children of her own
6)You are an amazing teacher and have influenced countless young women, kids, RS sisters etc.
7)Your testimony is so tender and real
8)You love the Lord and serve, give and love as He would want you to
9)You are a wonderful daughter, sister, wife, mom, aunt...etc.
10)Dependable, true, wise, patient, funny, driven...well, let's just say that I want to grow up to be like you and I would absolutely be lost without you!
I Love You Jennie...Happy Birthday

Families are Forever

I love this picture. When we went to the beach, we drove to the San Diego Temple on Sunday after going to church in Del Mar. It is so beautiful... I am so grateful for the gospel and to know that we truly can be together forever.

Ouch!

So, when we were at the beach a couple of weeks ago I was going down the stairs...the very long stairs, to the beach on our last day there. My arms were filled with a beach chair, umbrella, small cooler, toys for the kids, a backpack and of course my camera... when I reached the very last step, I stood on what I thought were wood planks... only one was missing, which I didn't see because of all of the stuff I was carrying... so I rolled my foot, screamed a little, dropped all of the stuff, & breathed in deeply while trying not to scream again! It really, really hurt...but hey, we were at the beach and I was not going to let my clutziness stop me from enjoying precious beach time...so I just kept on going (even though I am sure my family was tired of hearing me complain about how bad my foot hurt!) In stead of getting better it seemed to be hurting worse so I finally went to the doctor yesterday... and I have a stress fracture on the outside bone of my foot... So, I have to wear this lovely boot for three weeks! At least I know why it was hurting so much and hopefully in three weeks it will be as good as new! I am just grateful it wasn't worse and at least I don't have to use crutches!!!

Here are some cute pictures from last week and Kaden's first day of school...he is a big second grader now!

A few of us "mom's" went to Mimi's for breakfast to celebrate school being back in...YEA!!!!