Christmas Thoughts

We had a great Christmas. I love being together with the family and sharing in good times. We went to Mom and Dad's house for our traditional Christmas eve celebration...tamales and chili. Oh so good. I love that we all squeeze into their house and you can't help but talk to everyone, because we are all right there. I am so grateful that Uncle Ronald is still with us. What a pillar of strength he is and I love his fun sayings!

We also had our tri-annual breakfast at my house Christmas morning. Sausage gravy, biscuits, bacon and eggs. YUM! We missed Jake, but were glad he was able to stop in on his lunch break. I just love having Sydney around. She was so cute and loved all of her presents. I feel very blessed.

I am grateful for the chance to turn my thoughts more to Christ and hope that I can keep the spirit of Christmas with me throughout the year. Be a better friend, mother, sister.

Family Pictures

As many of you know we had family pictures taken a few weeks ago. It had been 3 years since our last picture and everyone has changed so much. Especially Preston and Sydney! Preston hit a growth spurt and Sydney is now 3 1/2. This year we went to City Creek Park in SLC and had so much fun. Cameron Reynolds has been a friend of the family for 11 years and is just getting his photography business started. We were his first big group. He told us to plan on 2 hours because he was putting together a DVD also.

We were so lucky because the weather was perfect, leaves were still on the ground and the setting was so different than our last picture. We got some beautiful, fun shots and I just thought I would share them.

*PS - if you need a good, reasonably priced photographer, check Cameron's website out cjrphotography.net

Costumes Across the Years

So I finally posted a slideshow with some of the costumes over the years. The majority of them I made, but not all were for Halloween. I added some from high school and some plays the kids were in. I just thought they were so cute. My favorites are: Mark, Me and Marissa's first Halloween. We look so young and Marissa was so dang cute! Also Mark dressed as a ninja, Preston's lion costume and Brandon's Star Trek suit. My one regret is that I could not find a picture of the Lord of the Rings costumes I made without a pattern. I will have to wait for grandkids to fit into them and take a picture because they were by far the coolest ones yet! Matt was 12 and Preston was 10, those were fun to make. So if you need a costume, give me plenty of time and I'll make you one!

A Star in the Making

Preston had his recital last night and played Ordinary People. He did a great job! He's so talented and has improved so much in such a short time. He's been taking lessons for 2 years and I love listening to him practice.

Art Show

Salt Lake County sponsors an art show in conjunction with the National Arts Foundation each year for employees and their families. This is the fourth year for the program. Preston entered 2 art pieces this year. One of his pieces, "Robot in Technicolor" was done by carving out on image on a block of wood and applying paint, then "stamping" it on the paper. He would then carve out a little bit more, apply a different color of paint and so on. It is a cool technique. Well, Preston won 3rd Place in the Teen division for this piece. Oh, what a proud mama moment! Great Job, Preston!

Homecoming King

This is a little "after the fact", but Matt was nominated for homecoming royalty at Taylorsville High School. Fun huh? Well, he had to decorate a cake as part of the contest. He had a distinct idea of what he wanted and did all the work with some coaching from mom and Jen. My friend, Connie made all the fondant and butter cream icing for us. Believe me, it would not have turned out the same way if I had done the Fondant. I have such respect for bakers everywhere! They make it look sooooo easy on Food Network Challenge!

Anyway, Matt made an awesome banana split cake and he played drums for his talent and did a great job. He won Homecoming King and we were so excited! Who'd thunk!!








The Finished Product!

The World According to Sydney

So I had the pleasure of having my granddaughter, Sydney for the afternoon. What a hoot she is! We had so much fun today and I thought I would share some of her wisdom with you.

We went to Costco, one of her favorite places. We were looking at dresses.
"Grandma, I already have a dress that color."
"Grandma, I don't need pajamas, I already have some."
" Are we done yet, can I get a smoothie?"

We get in the car and Matt and Preston have an ice cream bar.
Sydney: "Preston, you can't have too much sugar because it's not good for your tummy."
Preston: "Ok Sydney, this is the first I've had today"
Sydney: "That's all you can have for a WEEK!"

Preston was eating his ice cream in the car...

Sydney: "Preston, you shouldn't eat in the car."
Preston: "I'll be really careful." (With his mouth full)
Sydney: "Preston, you shouldn't talk with your mouth full. We have to have good manners even in the car."

What fun! We then went home and made Christmas crafts and played with playdoh, took Charlie for a walk and watched the Wiggles. I am going to have to write down more of what she says because she just cracks me up. Oh how I love that little girl.

Where's Fall?

So Fall is one of my favorite seasons and we didn't even really get it! Every morning I have had to scrap my windshield and I hate it. First of all I can't reach the center because my car is too big and it is so cold. Oh well, I have felt for a while that the seasons seem to be shifting a bit, so I might as well get used to it.

We just tore out our master bathroom, so my house (well part of it) is a construction mess again. We had a leak in the shower for a while, so when it started leaking into the basement and into Jen's room we decided we would fix it. We have to replace the sub-floor also, so why not tear the whole thing out!!!! So bye bye pink tub. Bye bye pink sink and counter tops. Hello new! It will take us a while to fix it all up, but oh well. We needed a project right? :)

Jen closes on her townhouse on Friday and we are so excited for her. It is off 7800 South on the west side of airport 2. It is a great place, but unfortunately, she has no furniture. She has been re-upholstering a chair, but that's all she has. So if any of you have extra stuff, call Jen, she might be able to take it off your hands.
She is also looking for roommates, so if you know any single young ladies, call her.

I am working on a few projects, so when I get some of them made I will post some pictures. Also the pictures of the awesome cake Matt made for Homecoming King. He won and had a great time. It was so fun and he did a great job on his cake and his talent, playing drums of course. Preston has 2 art pieces in the county art show is you want to check it out. It is in the north building in the Salt Lake County buildings, 2001 S. State St., October 5 thru November 6, they usually have some great artwork. This competition was open to SL County employees and their families. Spencer won second place a few years ago for a photograph he took. It's pretty cool, so check it out.

Random Stuff

Hello all! So I haven't posted in a while and I sit and read Allyson's blog and realize that my life is soooo boring compared to hers with small children! Never a dull moment at her house. I love it. So Allyson, thanks for your wit and wisdom and your adorable kids.

Next, I was sitting with Jennifer, Jake, Marissa and my visiting teachers, I know that's a lot of people. Anyway, Jennifer came up stairs and shared with us some crazy names people name their babies. What are they thinking? That poor child has to grow up being called that their whole life. So hear goes, maybe you will laugh as hard as we did.

Twins: River and Whimsy; Javan; Ksenia; Tayzon; and Justus.
Now Marissa grew up with Candy and Cotton Bowles, and I babysat Court and Misty Fountain.

But the best one was a baby at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas. Mark was working there as a nurse and the mother saw a word on her medical chart and thought it was a pretty name so she called her baby "gonorrhea". But it was pronounced "ga nor ia" Awful huh! We laughed and laughed. True story! We hope she goes by "Nora"!

So be nice to your kids and don't name them weird names.

I have finally put my maiden name on facebook and wow everyone has been looking for me. Who'd thunk? It has been fun to find out what people are up to now and how our lives have turned out. If I can scrounge up some pictures, I'll post them. Until then, let's just say I was a whole lot thinner back then. Oh well. What are ya gonna do? Life is good and I am happy with my life now.

Favorite Video...this week!

So Jennifer told me about this video a few weeks ago and I have been listening to it every morning while I do the morning deposit at work. It's "Love Story meets Viva la Vida" by Jon Schmidt. After the video I switch to his web site and listen to his playlist. I love it! So Preston, get busy learning some more Jon Schmidt songs! I brought some sheet music home for him to look at and it will be a while until he learns it...it is 11 pages long, and uses his whole body to play it. Oh well, I'll wait.

*Note* You'll have to pause my music to watch the video.*

Drum Roll Please...

So this last week was filled with music. Matt is in Junior Choir at Taylorsville High School and they were preparing for their final concert. Their director wanted to do something different for their final show for the song "I'm A Believer". Matt suggested he play drums with a bass and electric guitar. Now Matt has never played on stage, but he is getting really good. So the following clip is his debut on stage. It was a fun song and even though you can't see Matt very well, you can hear him! He made jazz band for next year and is trying to get Preston to try out for pianist for the Jazz band. Who knows. Preston had a piano recital on Saturday, so look for that video soon.

I love the music that fills my home. There is always guitar, piano or drums being played. It's noisey but I love it. I get all teary when I think of how I have been blessed with such great kids. They all bring joy to my life each and every day.

***Remember to turn off my background music before viewing the video!***

My Aching Feet

So I have had a long journey this past year of going to the podiatrist for my feet. I have large heel spurs in both feet and oh do they hurt! I have had them taped, I have taken so much Ibuprofen that my stomach is a mess and I have taken steroids also. I finally broke down and bought custom fit Orthotics for my shoes. And my feet still hurt! Yuk! My next option is surgery and I don't want to do that!! Double Yuk!I just want to get them better so I can enjoy Texas.

Yes, Texas! We are going in June to San Antonio and then up to Dallas to see my brother and sister and their families. I am so excited. It has been 3 years since we took a vacation. The whole family is going except Marissa, Jake and Sydney. We are sad they can't join us but it is a long way to Texas and yes we are driving! Crazy huh!

The kids haven't seen their cousins since my dad died, so it should be fun. My brother and I are also being sealed my our parents in the Dallas Temple, so it makes the trip extra special. We'll try to visit as much family as we can while we are there. So here's to a fun road trip!

Mother's Day

Well my wonderful Mother's day started on Saturday. The girls all came over to make food to take to Grandma's house. It was our annual May get together for all the May birthdays. We were dreadfully late (sorry Mom!) But my girls and I went to the Gateway for some "girl time" and oh was it fun, even if it was short! The girls gave me a necklace from "Brighton" jewelry and it was so fun just to go to the store and see all their cool things. I'm hooked! My sister Vivian has been wearing Brighton jewelry for years and I have always loved it. Thank you girls so much.

Then Brandon gave me a pretty necklace/earring set and I just had to go buy a new blouse to go with them!(Thanks honey) He also made me a tie dyed shirt which is so cool. I will post a picture soon. He is quite hooked and made himself one too. Brandon also sang in Sacrament meeting and it was beautiful.

Jen gave me a new pillow which sounds like a little thing, but oh it is great. and then Amber has put together a cookbook of all our favorite family recipes with pictures and everything!

Wow! I feel so loved and blessed to have such great kids and such a sweet husband.I know that there are people that have so much less than we do and I am grateful everyday.

Why Mormons Build Temples

At this time when there is so much commotion about "Big Love" showing sacred things, I saw this and wanted to share it. I have read so many articles about this subject and I am comforted by the support of so many people of other religions that feel the same way we do about sacred things. They are sacred not secret. There are so many good people out there and I know that some good will come out of all of this... Questions will be raised and it will be our chance to "set the records straight" so to speak, to share our testimonies and bring people unto Christ.

Time Flies!

Well, it seems that the only time I ever get a chance to look at my blog is when I listen to the music while I do the morning money at work! Wow. I need to prioritize my life a little better.

Brandon has settled in to life at home, is working and planning his future. Spencer received his Patriarchial blessing on Sunday. I had knee surgery on Jan. 30, every thing went well except I had to stay over the night because my oxogen level would not stay up. But the knee feels better each day.

We got a new puppy. Well technically it is Jennifer's puppy but everyone pitches in to help. His name is Charlie and he is a mini dachsund. He is so adorable and spoiled rotten. He's still getting down the house breaking thing, but doing well all in all. He sleeps in his kennel at night without whining and hasn't chewed the furniture yet!

Mark suprised me with a trip to Dallas the last week in February for Valentines Day. It will be great to see Bill and Vivian. We are planning a family trip in the summer to Dallas, so the kids can see their cousins and Bill and I can be sealed to our parents. It will be a great time I'm sure.

Brandon's Home!!

YEAH! Brandon came home from his mission yesterday. It is so good to have my family back together and to see him. He looks so mature and thin! He had a great 2 years full of challenges and triumphs. He shared pictures with us and stories. He a had a ton of friends stop by last night, it helps that he and Spencer have alot of the same friends! At one point last night one of his friends said "Why aren't you weird...I was so weird when I came home!" Brandon said he never stopped being himself, he just tried to improve on who he was. I know he will still have to adjust to life, but I think he will be okay!

We had a wonderful Christmas. I love being with my family in Utah and I miss my family in Texas so much, especially at this time of year. I miss seeing my nieces and nephews grow up and having my kids know their Texas cousins. Sydney was a blast this year because she really "got Christmas". She was making cards for Jesus all month because it was His birthday! Who knew grandkids could be so much fun.

I am so grateful for my family. I have been putting off going to the doctor about my knee for months and finally it hurts so much that I made an appointment with Vern! The knee surgeon that operated on my other knee 3 years ago. Anyway, they cart things up and down the stairs, carry everything, hold my hand when we cross icy walks, give me blessings to help me deal with the pain. They are the best! I'll keep you posted with the lastest drama.

I hope that you all have a great New Year filled with health, happiness and the gospel of Jesus Christ, because without that where would we all be???