Thursday, November 8, 2012

Allison's 15th!

Yes, yes- I think I just might get this old blog caught up!! (Someday...)
So, Allison is now 15 years old... who can believe that?!!
Her birthday was on a Saturday, we went to Becca's soccer game and then had a fun breakfast and presents at home.
I think her favorite part about her birthday was going to breakfast at Denny's with her best friend. :) Allison is and continues to be:
- Funny
- Unpredictable
- Amazingly talented
- Sweet
- Fun
- Fabulous
- Spiritual- seminary is her favorite!
- Popular with the boys, much to her Dad's dismay
- Super big sister and excellent baby sitter to many
WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Nov. 4- Setting apart as RS President

November 4, 2012 I was set apart as the Relief Society President today in the Highlands 2nd Ward. I feel overwhelmed, but very very blessed that the Lord wants me to serve in this calling. The bishop issued the call last week after our ward boundaries were realigned. My business and blog were sold to a new owner on Thursday, so it is clear what the Lord wants me to spend my time on now. :)

My setting apart blessing was wonderful. The bishop blessed me to be the wife and mother I need to be, to pour out my heart to the Lord so that he can bless me and our family with the things we need. He also blessed me to have an added measure of love for the sisters of the ward. And that my health and strength will be what it needs to be in order to serve in this capacity. (Yeah!) The bishop also blessed me to be a leader and to help the sisters realize that there are consequences for their actions and that they will learn that they will always be the happiest when they follow the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 My counselors blessings were sweet as well- Sister Wright was told that she has been prepared for this calling for a long, long time. Sister Stoner was set apart by her husband, she was told that this is where Heavenly Father wants her to be at this time. (Which is completely true... I couldn't get her name out of my mind when thinking of a new counselor!) She was also told that the Lord knows of her willingness to serve anywhere and in any capacity she is called to serve in. I can tell I'm really going to love these ladies!

I'm feeling extremely blessed today, I have the best family and the best life. I know that I have been called upon to do hard things to give me experience and empathy for others experiencing hard times. I was also able to sell my blog this last week- can you believe the timing?! The Lord really was obvious with the timing on that big blessing, He constantly amazes me! I love Him the very most. :)

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Thomas' voice mail

"Hi Mom. It's me, Thomas. Um, I'm thinking can you pick me up from school now? Please, I don't feel so well today. Kay, thank you."

You can hear it for yourself!! (Oh, if you email me, I'll send you the sound file.)  I LOVE it. (And I checked with his teacher, she didn't even help him!)

Becca's 12th

Rebecca turned 12!  Here she is on her birthday... I think it's the first birthday she's had where she had to go to.... (duh, duh, duh)... school!  She was a good sport about it, though- of course.

12th Birthday highlights:
No more Primary! (She's happy about that.:)
Beehive in Young Women's (oh ya!)
Team USA Soccer shirt
Shopping at Kohl's with gift cards

Here are some Becca highlights from this summer, she's a sweet & beautiful daughter that we all adore.
Thomas' best friend

Spontaneous Chick-fil-A cow costumes for a Free meal. :)

Pet sitter extraordinaire!  That's our old neighbor's dog "Buster."

She's not afraid to wear matching aprons with me.

Wicked in July-- girls night & we loved it!

Super Soccer player!  She decided to take up the sport again and played on a city league team. John helped out as the assistant coach and we watched as Becca got better and better as her confidence exploded.

At the last game of the season, there were 2 goals scored.  The first goal she assisted on and the 2nd she scored!!  Way to go cutie.

Doting on my sister's overweight dog, Pepper. 

Her "top secret" Reflections painting (at least until Thursday)... the Disney castle
She drew & painted this one is just 2 days.  Pretty amazing!

We can't tell you how much we love you, Rebecca- there just aren't any words for it!  
Thank you for being who you are... wonderful.  Love, Mom & Dad

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Men and women are....

....that they might have joy.

A few weeks ago, our lesson in Relief Society was on "The Why of the Gospel" from President Uchtdorf's address to the sisters of the church.

This made me think again of the scripture I have been pondering lately. "Men are that they might have joy." Lately I've been thinking, "That's it?! That's really the whole reason for pretty much... everything?"

The short answer is "yes"- it truly is! We are that we might have joy. Joy even though things are not perfect. Joy even when the people around you are not perfect (and neither am I...). Joy- even during the hard times when it seems like everything is falling apart. Joy because we chose the right and were protected from consequences.

The answer to my "why of the gospel" was just that and was burning in my heart but I didn't have the chance to comment. :)

So, our bishop asked me to be a Relief Society instructor last week so I'll be able to share (almost) every comment burning in my heart in the future. :) :)

Just for fun.... Thomas writing down Lego prices at Walmart.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

First Day of School August 2012

The house is quiet... my work is done... school is back in session!
Allison
Beautiful
Graceful
Helpful
Kind
Interested in boys, music, Facebook, hair, makeup, friends
First year in high school, Westlake High School in Saratoga Springs
Extra activities: Musical Theatre, Freshman Ballroom Dance Team, Seminary
Rebecca
Amazing Artist
First one up everyday
Prepared
Loves animals, especially dogs
Best friend to Thomas
Keeps her room and bathroom spotlessly clean and tidy
Wears a ponytail everyday (although she now has her own hair dryer and promised to wear her hair down 3 out of 7 days each week!)
Turns 12 years old tomorrow
First year in Junior High: Vista Heights Middle School
Extra activities: Fall soccer team (John and I are the assistant coaches), Art Class, Orchestra (violin), CTE class
Thomas
Happy
Getting better every day
Learned to swim, jump and flip in the pool like a champ this summer
Baited his own hook with a live worm while fishing with the Cub Scouts
Loves to sell things to buy more Lego sets
New best friend Spencer moved in across the street
Has a pet named Zach, loves to carry his cage around the house and asks to take him with us wherever we go
First year at school without his sisters: 3rd grade (we noticed his teacher was 'Teacher of the Year' in Alpine School District last year... though I'm sure she's no Mrs. Blackwell) :)
We love you kids and can't believe how fast you are growing up! Thank you for making us happy everyday.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Thomas is 8: Scouts, Party Time & Baptism

Thomas turned 8 this July! Here are some pictures and fun that represent what EIGHT means in our family: Cub Scouts, Birthday Party and Baptism.
Thomas was invited to the Jeremiah Johnson Day Camp for Wolves in Spanish Fork Canyon. The hour was early.... meet at 6:45 a.m.! Thomas fell asleep right on the breakfast table that morning.
So many FUN activities! Archery.... (he did fantastic!)
BB gun shooting....
... and lots more. Here is a cool train car at the camp. He also got to push a Pioneer Hand cart, play Pioneer games, pan for "gold", and shop the camp store. What a fantastic day!
We added onto his Dad's cub shirt (and also Uncle Chris'?) with the scarf and hat and belt. He couldn't be more excited and he's already earned his Bobcat badge. :)
We also had a fun ice cream/slip 'n slide party with family.
Jones' cousins and Thomas posing.
Presents galore! Photo book, marble racing track, new scriptures, Legos and more legos and on and on.
Thomas used his birthday money to buy a Robo Dwarf Hamster and cage. He named him Zach and he's a super cute pet.
The Lego project from Dad took 2 days to put together.
And the best part: Baptism. We feel so blessed that John was able to baptize and confirm Thomas yesterday. We know that his baptism is just the beginning and will be a huge blessing to Thomas throughout his life. We are so happy he had the desire to be baptized.
He's now an official member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Our family could not be more proud of him! John gave Thomas a beautiful blessing during his confirmation that I want to remember always. We were surrounded by wonderful family that love and support us. We could not feel more blessed! Way to go, Thomas. You are a very special son and you teach us so much. Every birthday is a wonderful time, but 8 is extra spectacular. We love you so much.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

2 Favorites: Pickle Juice & Stop It

I LOVE listening/ re-listening, reading and re-reading General Conference talks. :) I learn more every time I listen to these 2 favorites- very good for the soul!

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Catalina Island & Baja Mexico Cruise 2012

So.... it all started with these two wonderful people. My Mom and Dad. Mom sent me a text several months ago asking if we'd like to go on a cruise to celebrate her retiring from teaching/being principal. Um.... yes?!!! The plans began and they booked it for the end of May- all my brothers, sisters, grandparents and us! We couldn't wait.
This is our lunch stop in CA on Memorial Day. I need to mention that my Dad was super "wound up" (as my Mom would say) and was checking his phone for texts and updates from the other car every 2 minutes or so. Haha- love you Dad! Also, my Dad HATES to stop anytime on a trip. But, his 80+ year old Dad insisted that he will no longer eat in moving vehicles. We had to stop!

Anyhow, back to lunch. I now order gluten free burgers (aka "lettuce wraps") at In-N-Out and every other place we eat out at now. I was diagnosed as gluten intolerant & hypoglycemic just a few weeks before our trip. My awesome new Dr. gave me some supplements, etc. and thanks to this tender mercy, I felt much, much better before the trip began and I was able to enjoy the trip all the more. Thanks for this blessing, Heavenly Father. :)
The ship is huge!! We were on the Carnival Inspiration set for Baja Mexico.
The first stop was at Catalina Island off the coast of California. This place is so BEAUTIFUL! Just like paradise.
We rented a golf cart with Mom & Dad and cruised around the island a bit. Below is a short video of some of the sites.
Here's the whole group after dinner on the "dress up night." Dinner was awesome, a sit-down fancy dinner complete with appetizers, entrees, and desserts. Some in our group figured out you could order as many as you like, too! (Just a little cruise tip, in case you go on one soon. ;)
The water slide on the ship. I think riding the slide was the only time we used our swimming suits- haha! John came sliding down super fast and I came down like molasses and then STOPPED and had to walk out the rest of the way. I was laughing so hard!
Other interesting sites: the bathrooms on the ship are completely waterproof... and small. We thought it was worth a picture.
The towels are also folded into a cute animal on your bed everyday- pretty entertaining!
On Wednesday, we arrived in Mexico! The sign above says it all.
John and I signed up for an 'excursion' on ATVs. It was amazing!
I wore the mask because of the dust. John opted not to wear a mask and had dirt in his smile lines afterwards. :)

We rode through the area with grape fields, olive tree groves and even sand dunes. The boys that led us acted like they live in the greatest place in the world and were so cute.

We bought some yummy olive oil ($2 bottle) and olives from their farm.
After our ATV adventure, we went into town to do some shopping. I haven't been in Mexico since 1991, so I forgot how crazy it can be. We bought a few souvenirs from the kids from a street cart, then we headed over to a street cafe for some authentic tacos.

That's when the real fun began! We had SO many people coming right up to our table selling flowers, bracelets, gum, jewelry... we even had 2 men sing to us with their accordian and guitar! Poor John was trying to eat and was handing out money left and right. Others must have been encouraged by his generosity and seemed to come out in droves. The kicker was the man who took the Polaroid pictures of us for $5/pop!

Here's our proof- yes, we bought 2 and I think John even gave him a tip. I'm glad I married such a nice, awesome guy.

We had a fantastic time and we especially enjoyed driving to and from with my grandparents and hearing stories from their history. They were so excited to be there. THANK YOU Mom & Dad for a huge, wonderful trip and fantastic memories. We'll never forget it!