Best Mother Ever

Today is my Mom's 71st Birthday and I want to wish her a very happy birthday. She deserves it! She always went out of her way to make my birthdays nice. Even when I did not want anything done she would arrange a surprise party for me and always make me feel special on my day. Love her! She is the best Mom ever!
Some random things about my Mom:
1. She is so much fun to be around
2. She is a wonderful friend...to everyone
3. She loves water. She took us to the beach all the time!
4. She enjoys the outdoors and is always on the go.
5. Growing up she named a hill after herself, Norma Jean hill, and she would always take us and friends to slide down it with cardboard, or fly airplanes or just to play.
6. She makes the best homemade frosting! Yum!
7. Charity is her middle name (not for reals) but she would help anybody, anytime.
8. She LOVES learning about everything.
9. She owned her own business when I was young and it was very successful.
10. She had to drop out of high school because she married young and had a child young but she went back and got her GED and eventually became a licensed Respiratory Therapist.
11. She sews beautifully. Sewed many of our clothes growing up.
12. She loved having people over to our house and entertaining.
13. She is the best cook. Taught by my Dad and also self taught because she didn't learn it growing up.
14. Always kept a clean home.
15. Has a strong testimony of the gospel.
16. She is a wonderful teacher.
17. She always likes trying new things. I think that she has done it all.
18. She has a sense of fashion and loves clothes, shoes and LOVES accessories!
19. She loves playing games. Whenever we go up to visit we play chinese checkers, scrabble, catch phrase or family feud. She always has a prize for the winner. The kids love it (OK and so do I).
20. She is the best Mother that anyone could ask for and I feel so blessed that she is mine!

I realized I could go on all day talking about her but I don't have the time. I know that these are not the top 20 things about her but they are just what I came up with for now. She is truly a beautiful person, inside and out. Happy Birthday Mom!

Sick Child

I don't like having a sick child! I felt really bad today because Zack told me in Sacrament meeting that he wasn't feeling well but I really didn't believe him. I had to go to another ward in another building so I had to leave the kids alone at church. I told Zack I could drop him off home if he really wasn't feeling well but told him that I thought he was OK to stay and that he would be fine. Well, by the time I picked them up after church, Zack had a fever and he was really weak. I am a horrible mother! He came home and has just laid on the couch all day. I can always tell when Zack is not feeling well because he refuses to eat, which in my world is very abnormal, and he also gets really talkative. It is too funny! Ever since he was a little boy he has had this need to talk alot when he is sick. You would think that he wouldn't talk much because I know when I am sick I do not want to talk and I do not want to be talked to. But when he is awake he justs gabs away, sometimes not making much sense and other times just saying the funniest things. Its a crack up! I hope he feels better tomorrow after a good nights rest. But in the meanwhile I will enjoy his nonstop talking:)

Love that Goal

Matthew had a youth activity last night at the church. As part of the activity they made goals for the new year (or personal committments). Matthew showed me his goals when he got home and all three of them were really good. But the one that jumped off the page and made me smile and my heart melt was the third one. It read "Be nice to My Mom". Love it! That is my favorite goal and one that I hope he achieves! Actually I can't complain too much because Matthew is pretty good to me and tells me everyday that he loves me but he does have his moments so I am glad that it means enough to him to make it a goal to be nicer to me.

I LOVE THAT BOY!!!

Little Prayers Heard

I have always been taught that you can pray for anything, at anytime, and anywhere. I want to instill this in my children also. There are so many incidences and experiences that we have had that they have seen the power of prayer. It has helped their testimony of prayer grow stronger and it continues to make mine increase. I know that no matter what I am praying for, no matter how small or how big, Heavenly Father is listening and this is what I want my boys to know as they go through this life. We had another experience last week that reinforces this teaching, at least I think it does.

Ever since we came home from Utah at Thanksgiving time, Matthew had not been able to find his Ipod. He looked everywhere but to his disappointment he was never able to locate it. He said that he looked everywhere but sometimes I am a witness at how he looks for something and it is not always the most thorough. So I just figured that his Ipod was here, he just wasn't looking very well or I thought that maybe he left it up in Utah. When we went up to Utah for New Years we looked for it but no one had seen it and we didn't find it. Bummer! So when we got home, Adam got involved in the searching. Adam and Matthew started going through every cupboard and closet looking for it, pulling everything out. Of course, I am the first one to blame because I am the one who cleans up after everybody so it must have been Mom who stashed it somewhere. Like I always tell all of them, if they would put their own stuff away they wouldn't have to worry about Mom touching it. Right? Anyways, I hadn't remembered touching it, so I was no help. Well, I told Matthew that he needed to pray about it. I know it might seem silly to pray for a missing Ipod but I have found many things by praying for help....keys, wallet, etc. I don't know if he actually prayed about it but I know I did because this lost item was causing contention in our home. No sooner had I prayed for help, that for some strange reason I decided to clean my closet out. My closet is my messy area and it is always in need of a good cleaning. Mind you I started cleaning it and not with the intention that I was looking for his Ipod because I knew I would not put it in my closet, I just knew that it was the beginning of the year and it was time to organize everything. So I start cleaning the closet out. Now I have a pile of purses and bags that I have to sort through, which is funny in itself because I never carry a purse but I have a bunch of them. So I am hanging them up and for some reason I pick up my "Time Out for Women" bag and for whatever reason, I still do not know, I open the outside pocket. And what do I find there? Matthew's Ipod! What is it doing there? Amazed, relief, and happiness are some of the emotions I experience but also the feeling of dread because I did have it all along! Crud! But then we figure out that I had that bag on our trip to Utah and Matthew must have put it in there for some reason and we both forgot. However it got there, I was so excited to show Matthew and to say the least he was very happy! Once again my prayers were answered and I am so happy that Heavenly Father listens to us no matter how silly the prayer is:) Now if we could only find Adam's Tom-Tom....I will have to ask him if he has prayed for help????

55 Years!

Today my parents are celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary. This picture, I believe, was taken when they were dating but I think that they got married soon after. There story is very interesting and it is surprising that they are still together after all these years. My Mom was working at a malt shop in Salt Lake City when my Dad walked in and took a liking to what he saw. They were both really young but they started dating. After a couple of years of dating they decided on a whim to get married. My mom was only 15, just a couple weeks shy of being 16, and my Dad was 18. They eloped to Ely, Nevada on January 16, 1954. My Mom was LDS and my Dad was not, and because of her age and the fact that he was not LDS my grandparents were very upset. I mean come on, could you imagine! So they tried to get the marriage annulled but the judge took my parents aside and asked them if they were really in love and wanted to stay married and they knew that they were meant to be together and the rest is history.......My Dad early on in their marriage became a member of the church and both of them are true examples of being faithful members.

They have lived quite a full life. They have lived all over including France, Boston, Hawaii, etc.

They have done so much, have seen so much, have experienced so much and have given so much to those around them. They have 6 kids (one died at childbirth), 14 grandkids and 13 great grand kids and 3 more on the way this year. My Mom had all of her kids by the time she was 29, that was when I was born. She was a grandmother when she was 36. Isn't that crazy?!? I feel so blessed to have them for my parents. I could not ask for any better. Love you Mom and Dad...Happy Anniversary!!

The Girls from the Ward

I am truly blessed to be surrounded by such awesome women! The girls from my ward at church are some of the best:) Between church, service, baby showers and activities, I probably see these women more on a regular basis than anybody else besides my own family. I admire all of them so much and they are all such examples to me. We are all different ages in different stages of our lives but we sure know how to have a fun time and I consider them all to be my friends. Some come and some go but along the way every single one of them has blessed my life. I feel so fortunate to call them my friend. Of course there are so many more of them than are in the pictures but I hope they know who they are. I am so lucky! Thanks for the good times and the laughter!!

I look forward to many more fun times:)

Boys did Good!

This year for Christmas the boys did not go out with Adam to get me a gift as they usually do. This year they went shopping together, without Dad, to pick out a gift for me. Since neither one of them drives they needed my help to get them to the store. They asked me if they could be dropped off at Home Goods and I had to promise not to follow them in or look at what they come out with. Me, loving surprises, agreed that I would not dare peek. They know me so well and know that they really couldn't go wrong in a store such as Home Goods. I was very curious at what they would pick out for me without the help of their father but I knew that even if it was a wooden spoon, I would be thrilled!


Well, Christmas morning arrives and they are so anxious to give me my gift from them, that they make me open it first. As I opened it I was thinking to myself "please don't be too hideous" because I knew that it was something that I would have to have sitting out in my house and pretend to enjoy. But then I realized that it could be anything and it would be beautiful to me because it came from my precious boys. Well, my boys did good. They bought me this beautiful dish that I love and it is my favorite color. They do know what I like!

But what really amazed me is that they didn't just get the dish, they also got a bag of Lindor Truffles. They know I love chocolate and they thought that I could put them out on my new beautiful serving dish. I loved it! They definitely picked this gift out just for me and I appreciate the thought that they put into it. I felt so loved! It is a gift that I will cherish forever and everytime I look at it I will remember their thoughtfulness.

Utah Again!

The boys and I decided to go to Utah this last weekend before school starts to see my parents. It might be awhile before we can see them because of school so we wanted to spend some time with them because they will not be able to travel out here for awhile. As always it was wonderful spending time with them. My Dad is still pretty weak from his cancer treatment but he is hanging in there. What a pain cancer is! It is nice to see that they are surrounded by great friends and it is a comfort to know that my sister is up there living with them right now to help them out. I am so glad that we are not very far away but I do not like the drive but at least it is only 6 1/2 hours. But this time we found a new place to sightsee but we did not get to stop at it this time but we plan on it next time. So just in case you are traveling on I-15 anytime soon be sure to visit the gas station (you can't miss it-there is only one) between Baker and Stateline because they had a huge sign advertising to (words were scrolling) CHECK OUT OUR NEW WATERFALL URINALS. Yeah, you know it, we are going to have to definitely check those out next time....or at least the boys will. We have already seen the Worlds Largest Thermometer. ha ha The desert is a strange place!

Love Christmas Cards!

Every year at Christmas I look so forward to receiving cards from our friends and our relatives and it is such a bonus when they have a picture included. I love seeing how their kids are growing up and I do love when they have an update on what they have been up to for the year. I look forward going to the mailbox everyday in December anxiously awaiting to see who we get a card from:) I always display the cards on our pantry door because this is the family area where we spend most of our time (not the pantry but the adjoining family room- ha ha). The first weeks of December we had only one Christmas card hanging on the door and it looked so pitiful hanging there all alone but then all of sudden the cards started to come, 3 or 4 everyday. So fun catching up with old friends and new friends! Thanks for the cards, we love them!

Goodbye 2008

I love starting a new year and looking back on the old year and think about all that happened that year. It is always amazing to me all that does happen in one year and then I look with excitement (and apprehension) to the new year to see what it brings us. There are always surprises, good and bad but all in all I cannot complain, 2008 was a good year and I look forward to 2009.

We wanted to start the New Year with friends so we threw together an impromptu party and luckily some friends were able to come and they made the night so fun. We played games, ate junk food and laughed 'till my sides hurt. These are pictures from the game that we played, it is called Curses. Very fun and wacky game, I won't even begin to explain the game but lets just say the game makes you do weird things (wrists glued to your forehead, can't bend arms, etc) as you can see in the pictures-

Actually these pictures below are not even from the game they are just being goofy! And yes, that is a chocolate kiss on the end of Kim's nose!:)

Then at midnight we sipped our Martinelli's, made some noise, popped some bubblewrap (thanks for the idea Rachel) and played another game. All in all it was a great night and I could not think of a better way to ring in the New Year!