Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy 60th Birthday Dad!  

I love this picture of my Dad, and the way he is looking at Ben.  I think when you are growing up you love your Dad because the way he looks at you.  And when you are an adult, you love your Dad even more because of the way he looks at your kids!

Primary Nativity Program

Our Primary Nativity Program

Haylee as the Angel

Our Primary put on a nativity program at our Ward Christmas Party.  I wrote the program, it was about a young girl who dreams that she visits Bethlehem and sees Baby Jesus.  It turned out great!  All the kids dressed up like they lived in Bethlehem and they sang The Nativity Song, Picture a Christmas, and Away in a Manger.  Thanks to my friend Stacee who took this picture.  I stole it off of her blog!  I was back stage the whole time and of course did not take one picture.  It was such a fun experience I hope we will do it every year! As you can see Haylee was the Angel.     (Madilyn and Hannah were up there too but you can't see them.)

Biology Project!!

 

In my biology class we are doing a project about traits and how they are passed on from family member to family member. I picked the trait of having a longer second toe than your big toe. (we were only given some options and lots of people have this one in our family) Anyways.... to complete  the project i need to know whether or not all of my moms brothers and sisters, their spouses and their children have the trait. 

Thank you!! 

Mickayla Ona

New YW Value

They are adding a new value to the seven Young Women Values - Virtue will be the eighth value, with the color being gold.  Wow! Exciting!  And they will be changing the YW theme and adding requirements for this value into Personal Progress!  

Mickayla thought she was almost done but it sounds like she has more work to do!

Hannah's Birthday!

Hannah's Fifth Birthday Party

We celebrated Hannah's 5th birthday today. We started our day by having the Gandy's over for breakfast. When we asked Hannah what she wanted for her birthday dinner she said, "Waffles and sausage." So I decided to have a birthday breakfast. We had our traditional Christmas casserole and the waffles and sausage she requested. The Gandy's brought over their Karaoke game over and my kids loved playing that after presents and breakfast. Later that day our friends the Fenn's invited us to go with them to go to Arlington to attend their old Stakes large Christmas display. We took the 45 min. drive all of us going in their 15 passenger van. Their old Stake does the most amazing display. Room after room of nativity scenes. I don't know how many there were but it had to be in the thousands. The chapel was my favorite. They had garland dressed on the walls and trees on the top landings. The tabernacle choir was playing on the large screen. This is their Stakes missionary effort of the year. The hallways were lined with our beliefs and they had large cutouts of the Savior throughout his life. The spirit was so strong that you really felt the true meaning of Christmas. They had costumes there and all the families could have their pictures taken, it was so fun!

After the Creche we all went to CiCi's pizza and had so much fun together with our good friends.
I think Hannah had the best birthday ever!

MY NEW FAVORITE TIME OF MY DAY!

So Mickayla is in Seminary now, early morning seminary.  I made it Dale's job to take her every morning at 5:30.  He hated taking her everyday, especially now that it is really cold.  He would come home and just get ready for work and go in extra early, he does not have to be to work until 8:00.  Every night he would ask me "Are you taking Mickayla to seminary tomorrow?"  My answer is always the same.  "No!"  

Ok so I thought it was crazy for him to leave for work so early.  I thought we could use that time in the morning to read scriptures.  I have wanted to change our scripture study to the mornings for years.  Dale has never been on board for that.  So I decided to strike a deal.  I made a deal that I would take Mickayla to seminary at 5:30 if when she got home at 6:30 we could have family scripture study.  It worked!  Dale loved the idea.  

Monday was our first day to try it out.  It is so great!  It brings a wonderful feeling in our home.  We pray as a family and the children are fresh and listen much better.  Scripture study in the evening for me has always been a means to an end to get the kids in bed.  Not really enjoying just trying to get it off my list so my day could be over and I could relax.  Now I feel like it is a blessing to study with my family each morning.  We laugh and visit and even exchange goodbye kisses in the morning and Dale takes the girls to school.  Usually mornings would consist of mom yelling to get everyone going and off to school on the busses on time at 7:10.  

One week of early morning scripture study and it is my favorite part of my day!  

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died Monday night, age 91.  

When I received the text from my Mom that he had passed away I felt sadness.  I loved being related to an apostle of the church.  I felt happiness for him because his wife died in 2006 and I knew that would be a happy reunion.  I also thought of my Grandmother who would greet him also.  I also had just studied his last talk "Come what may, and love it."  I had chosen it for my visiting teaching message.  It really is the best talk.  It was so comforting at this crazy time.  After reading the talk I chose to turn off the news and get to work in my own "family garden," there is much to do.  What happens in our four walls is really all we can control.  The talk brought me so much peace.  Elder Wirthlin, you will be missed!

Rick and Mindy's baby, Tirk, was blessed recently.  

It is so hard for us to miss special days.

Look how cute Rick's family is!

We miss you guys!

Madilyn's Baptism Dress

Madilyn looking so beautiful in her baptism dress!

 

Picture of the Week

"Let them be Little"

There are moments that I would like to put my kids in a bottle and keep them at the age they are at the time forever.

Visiting the Conference Center is Salt Lake City.

MY NEW GLASSES

HEY YALL!!! ITS HAYLEE I LOVE MY NEW GLASSES ! IF YOU LOVE THEM JUST AS MUCH                                            AS I DO THEN POST IT RIGHT HERE.

                                                      I LUV MY GLASSES!

                           

Life is not fair!

While shopping for Haylee's frames Hannah was devistated when I explained to her that she does not need glasses. She just does not understand why Haylee and Madi get to wear glasses but she does not.

Life just is not fair!

Haylee's New Glasses!

Haylee had been telling me for a few weeks that she was getting headaches at school. When you have five kids you tend to ignore what they complain about because most things will go away. Well she kept getting headaches and I kept hearing about it so we decided to have her eyes checked. She did need glasses and we found out that she has really sensitive eyes! So she also got the cool transition lenses. As you can see braces will be next!

Our Favorite Washington Families!

Gail's Family

Natalie's baby Cardston is so cute, you could eat him!

Emma Lee, our miracle baby!

Natalies Family, visiting in Utah!

McKenzie's Baptism Day and Cardston's Blessing Day

We would have loved to be there.

Gail sure makes cute little boys!

Gail's Family

Krista is now our favorite Provo family!

Cheryl, Scott, and Grandma can be added our our list too.

Are you are Creeper or a Lurker?

The "Creepers" from Rob's Wedding

Hey...are you a Creeper or a Lurker here on my blog?

Do you come check things out but never post a comment?  

No more Creepers or Lurkers!  

If you check out my blog I want to know you were here!

So make a comment, even if it is only to say, "I was here!"

We love to know that our blog is being followed by friends and family.  

And if it not, oh well this makes a great journal for my kids posterity. 

 

Make sure to check out older posts because I have added pictures to many of them!

Pictures of the Week

Best "Cousin" Friends

Mickayla is really missing Emmy.  

These are my favorite pictures of them from the summer.

Watching History in the Making....

Watching History be Made!

I don't think it matters who you are or how you voted.  I think it is amazing that we got to be a part of such a special time in American history.  Barack Obama will be our first African-American President of the United States of America.

I have tried to explain to my girls how amazing this is.  This was an opportunity that we talked about slavery, voting rights for all people.  Even how there was a time that black little girls were not allowed to play with white little girls, or live in the same neighborhood, or attend the same schools, that is all unbelievable to them.

They have learned about Martin Luther King Jr. in school, it was neat to discuss with them how he probably feels looking down on this moment in history!

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." 

Martin Luther King Jr.

 

Looking Back "Cabin weekend with the Carey's"

We had so much fun with the Carey's at the cabin!

  This is my favorite picture we took.  

We were all watching a movie and all of a sudden we could not find Hannah and Matthew,  

we found them in the kitchen playing Battleship.  

They were game buddies the whole time!

You can't go to the cabin and not go bowling!

We don't get cousin moments very often!

Ben loved all of the bowling balls!  

If they were just not so darn heavy!

We have been really missing the Carey family.  

Rachel will be getting baptized in December and we are really wishing we could be there. 

Rachel we love you and are so excited for your special day!

What a handsome boy!

Bowling with Ben is not Fun!

Emily had to be part of the action!

  Jennifer and Sherry met us at the bowling alley, 

so fun to see them we had not seen them for years

It was so fun to spend time with Jill and her kids.  

They live so far away and we eat up any time we can spend with them!

Our "Faux" Thanksgiving

Everything was so yummy!

Mom's stuffing was the best!

You wouldn't know it but Dale looks really excited about his Thanksgiving meal!

"THE" Rasberry Salad


Mom and I shopping at Costco for all the goods.

After the big meal! Feeling really full!

When Cheryl told us that she was going to come visit and she was bringing Mom, Dale requested that we have Thanksgiving dinner with them. Dale loves his Mom's thanksgiving dinner (mostly her stuffing)! So even though it was only Nov 2 we did have Thanksgiving.

Mickayla was in charge of taking pictures. This is all she took, good thing she got a picture of the Rasberry Salad!!???

On the real Thanksgiving Day we are having frozen pizza, watching football, and looking at all of the newspaper adds.

Pictures of the Week

THE BOY WHO LOVES TO PLAY OUTSIDE

HE CAN PLAY OUTSIDE FOR HOURS AT A TIME

HE HAS FINALLY MASTERED THE JUMP

  

The Big Girls New Room

We decided that it would be good for Mickayla and Haylee to share a room.  To help with the adjustment we decided to let them decorated their new room together. 

We went to Ikea to pick out fabric and accessories.

The pictures above Mickayla's bed are her own photography.

Haylee wants to put prints of her favorite artists above her bed. 

 We are still looking for just the right size.

When I ordered this we thought it would be three feet tall, it is only 12 x 12.  

This is why you should read the fine print before you order on ebay!