Casual Membership Video

My dad sent me a link to a new video on YouTube that is so beautiful. I watched it this morning and felt the spirit so strongly...I'm still crying. It really makes me want to try harder to do what is right so that I can "Stand in a place of holiness".

I hope that you all enjoy it as much as I did.

http://www.youtube.com/user/davidkat99

Mr. Scout

Tonight was Troy's scout Court of Honor. He earned several awards from Camp Geronimo, several patches for some hikes he went on, and he got 9 merit badges (the last of the ones he needed to start working on his Eagle.)
He also got a rank advancement...his Life. Now all he has left is his Eagle project and the 6 month wait and he'll have his Eagle!!!
Troy was awarded his "On my Honor" award from the Bishop. So far he's the only Aaronic Priesthood holder in the ward to have earned it...pretty cool!
I thought I'd include this picture as well because I get a kick out of it. We bought a booster chair for Tyson and had Troy install it. Mr. Scout decided he didn't need the directions and this is how it was attached...proper knots and all! The only problem is that it was wrong. We had a good laugh and then made him do it right. He wasn't too happy about that...according to him "it's fiiiiiiine". :)
I'm so proud of Troy and we are looking forward to helping him with his Eagle project and to him earning his Eagle early next year. YYYAAAYYY Troy!!!

Student of the Week!

Taylor's teacher called me on Wednesday night to tell me that Taylor was chosen as the Student of the Week in her class and that we were invited to an assembly to recognize him. It was a surprise of course so we couldn't tell him.

Thursday night, Taylor came home from school and was so excited...his teacher had told the class that the student of the week was going to be a boy and he was really hoping it was him.

Friday morning Tyson and I headed to the school. We went into the cafeteria and sat down and as soon as Taylor saw us he broke out into the biggest grin. He knew what was happening then. He was called up in front of his class and the other kindergarten kids and given a certificate and a pencil. He was so excited that he kept smiling the entire time.
Great job Taylor!!!

Are you ready for some Football?

It's August...time for the pre-season to start. Kevin is so excited. I have to admit that I've come to enjoy watching football with him over the many years we've been married, but I'm not as excited as he is. It's like watching a kid on Christmas Eve. :)

Because of his love of the game, there are certain rules to be followed during football season:

• If you call before church and we don't answer, we are having Family Home Morning (football season's FHE)
• If you call after church and we don't answer, it's because the game is on and we can't hear the phone
• If you see Kevin at church and he's looking distracted, it's probably because he has smuggled in a radio and he's listening to the game (and if anyone catches him at this, let me know...I'll confiscate it)
• If the Cowboys lose on Sunday, it's best not to contact Kevin for any reason that is not a true emergency until Wednesday...he gets a little grumpy when they lose and needs a couple of days to cool off
• The only exception to the above rule is if the Cardinals lose too...it makes him feel better

By following these rules, we can guarantee a happy, safe, grouch-free football season. Happy watching and Kevin is making me add GO COWBOYS!!!!

Tyson!!!

I turned my back for 10 minutes today to pay bills and this is what I found when I came out of the den. Tyson had gotten into my project drawer and found my looms with half finished hats and yarn attached. It went from one room to the next! AAARGH!
The little scamp looked up and saw me taking his mug shot and tried to escape. What a mess! Instead of folding that large basket of laundry during nap time, I have a feeling I'll be untangling yarn.

Primary Jamboree

Due to popular demand I'm going to let you in on the "Primary Jamboree" story. (I have no dignity after the hair and eyebrows, so why not?)

Karalee's family had our family for Christmas last year, and they gave us this great CD, "Sharing Time" by Inside Out A Capella. It's a fun CD full of primary songs to great beats. We play it all the time and just sing and dance along with it. One of our favorite songs is "Primary Jamboree". In the song there is a part about everyone being back to back and belly to belly...so usually during that part we stand back to back and jump around to stand belly to belly.

Any of you that know me know that I am not a small busted woman. Unfortunately Annie is right at bust height. She and I were dancing along and singing at the top of our lungs and we got to that part in the song and stood back to back and then I jumped around to do belly to belly, but she wasn't there. She had totally disappeared on me! I hear her laughing and I look down and she is sitting on the floor. Apparently being bust height during this song and dancing with me is a dangerous combination.

I won't go into too many details, but apparently my chest took her out. Now when we dance to that song, she stays about 3 feet away. I'm a little put out, but it is for her safety after all. :)

Taylor's Tooth

Taylor lost his first tooth! It's been loose for a while now and Daddy pulled it out today. There were some tears because he was kind of scared, but now he can't wait for the tooth fairy to come visit tonight. He's already counting his money. :)

So Sad

Yesterday after the kids left for school I noticed that Tyson stayed at the window for a while watching them leave. He looked so sad and it just breaks my heart. Today I caught a picture of him doing the same thing. He enjoyed them being gone the first couple of days because he had my full attention, but now he has realized that they are gone all day and he misses them terribly. I love how his face lights up when they walk through the door in the afternoon...he is so excited when they come home. My kids may fight and bicker a lot, but underneath it they have a great love for each other and for that I am so thankful.

Ahhhh, blessed silence

It's sooooo quiet today. Troy, Annie and Taylor are in school and Tyson and the daycare kids are asleep. There is no music, no interruptions and no one is hungry. I have time to myself! I could talk about all the things I'm going to do with my free time, but I think I'm going to go lay on the couch and enjoy this time of blessed silence...I'm sure it isn't going to last long. :)

Back to School Adventures

Yesterday was so incredibly busy. Taylor had Kindergarten Orientation, we finished cleaning and organizing the house, and we did our back to school shopping. It's exciting that the kids are going back to school again (they love to learn and socialize), but it's also sad because I miss them when they are gone and they are growing so fast.



Taylor was so excited for orientation. He woke us up bright and early and he had his teeth brushed, his hair combed and his pits deodorized. We still don't know which deodorant he used, but he sure smelled fresh! There were no tears (for Taylor anyway) and he marched right up to his class and went right in. Here he is with his teacher...he says she is so pretty. :)

And at his table. He loves the way everything is just his size and how fun the room is. He got to play with new friends and eat lunch in the cafeteria too. When he got home and I asked him about his day this was his reply..."I thought it was going to be a disaster, but it was GREAT!!!"
We braved Arizona Mills Mall last night and it turned out to not be too busy, so it was nice. We found everything we needed and spent too much as usual, but when you are outfitting 3 kids for school it isn't cheap.

Today we begin the task of getting clothes put away and school supplies packed up. Monday will come too soon if we aren't ready.

My Ode to Karalee

My sister Karalee is a unique person with a super fun personality. She is usually the one to say things the rest of us wouldn't dare to and she ALWAYS gets away with it. She is an excellent cook and our family baker lady. We assign her dessert for almost every get together just because we know it going to be great.


Karalee is so much fun to be around. Tomorrow (7/18) is her birthday (I know I'm a day early, but tomorrow is very busy) so for fun I thought we could take a look at the person who is Karalee.


These pictures come from my Mom's 60th birthday party. We were taking our group shots when suddenly she started posing and doing her own thing. The rest of us could only stand back and watch. We just can't keep up with her!

She can talk the talk and walk the walk.
This is my all time favorite picture of her....Rrrrrrrr.
Oh yeah...she's sexy. Work it baby, work it! :)
I have been informed that if I use these pictures she gets any royalties. So, let's pay her ego! Send a comment my way and I'll see she gets it. :)

Happy Birthday Karalee...love you lots and you are a great little sis! XOXO

I've been Tagged....

Here are the rules...List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions & 3 random facts about yourself, then tag someone else.

3 joys

1. my sweet family
2. my wonderful friends
3. the ward we live in (it's the best!!!)

3 fears

1. the economy
2. scorpions (we've had two in our house already this month)
3. that Kevin will have hair when we are resurrected

3 goals

1. to finish cleaning my house and getting it organized before school starts Monday
2. read my scriptures more regularly
3. be more patient as a mother and wife

3 current obsessions

1. the Twilight Saga (I have read each book 3 times in the last month and I'm impatiently waiting for book 4...every time I think of it I get antsy)
2. checking the blogs of my friends and family at least twice a day to see if they put something new (and for this reason I was tagged...thanks PJ)
3. getting the "Breaking Dawn" quote of the day from Stephenie Meyer's website

3 random facts about me

1. I love to dance to any type of music (ask me sometime about Annie and "Primary Jamboree"...it's a really funny story)
2. I love to sing (privately...if anyone is looking at me I choke up)
3. my all time favorite activity is to sneak up on Troy and scare him to death

Now my turn to tag! I think I'm going to copy PJ...I tag everyone who reads this...and I will be checking your blogs several times a day so get with it! :)

42

Kevin turns 42 today!!! I got up this morning to make him a good breakfast and get a picture but as you can see, he wasn't thrilled. I guess it's hard to look excited at 4:30 in the morning. :)
I did finally get him to smile (although he's still not thrilled with the idea). Happy birthday Sweetie...I Love you! XOXOXO

Grandma

My sweet Grandma turned 80 on Saturday, July 12. (Doesn't she look great? I hope I age like she does.) We had a fun dinner and party for her and we really enjoyed being able to visit with her and with all my cousins, aunts, and uncles. She has a great legacy...6 children, 23 grandchildren and 29 great grandchildren with 2 more on the way. That's not even counting any spouses or kids that I may have missed. I love her dearly. I had the privilege of growing up around the corner from her and my Grandpa and I would go to her house all the time. She used to make custom drapes and furniture and had a big shop and a bigger driveway. I would skate, ride my bike or just curl up on a couch and listen to their 8-tracks with them. She has always been wonderful example to me and someone I aspire to be like.

I love you Grandma!!!

Oh...P.S. I copied this picture from my cousin's blog because my picture didn't turn out so good...Lachelle...any royalties will be forwarded to you ;)

Amber Rae

This is our niece Amber Rae. Isn't she a cutie? We got to watch her Saturday night while Sam and Gwen (Kevin's brother and his wife) went on a romantice weekend getaway. She was so much fun to have around. The kids absolutely loved her...well, except Tyson. He thought she was a toy to play with and tried to ride her each time she crawled across the room. It's a good thing we aren't having any more kids...he's definitely the baby of the family and knows it. :)

We could only get pictures of her when she was eating. She's a mover and she loves to play. As you can see, one of her eyes is brown and one is blue. It's a little strange when she looks right at you but it's also pretty cool.
Annie is going to be a great babysitter one day. She took the most responsibility for Amber and took great care of her. She even let Amber sleep in her room and got to feed her.
Taylor had fun with Amber too. He fought Annie for the chance to feed her the other half of her pears and did a great job.
Sam and Gwen are moving to Colorado in the next couple of weeks and we are going to miss them. Hopefully they'll let us watch Amber again soon. :)