Happy Anniversary!!

Happy Anniversary to Kyle and Jasmine!! Hope you guys have a wonderful day!!!

Happy Birthday Cara!

Happy Birthday Cara! Have a wonderful day!! We love you!!!

Meaningful Monday

Happy Birthday Lily!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LILYAN!!!!!!!!!

We hope you have a fabulous day Lily!

Meaningful Mon..er...Tuesday

Maybe we can make it Terrific Tuesday (you all know I feel about alliterations).
Sorry I missed posting yesterday...actually, let's just go ahead and assume that I'm going to be behind perpetually from here on out. I am going to appologize in advance for the year.
So it's almost Christmas! I love Christmas! I love all of it. I love the lights, the music, the cookies, the trees, the gifts...the cookies.
But, of course, the most important thing to remember in this season is our Savior and the true meaning behind Christmas. If you haven't checked out the new Bible videos the Church has put out, you really must. Here is the link:

http://lds.org/bible-videos?lang=eng

Photo Friday

Usually, I try to keep "Photo Friday" pretty simple. One picture...maybe two, and a small comment. This Friday, however, is special. I would call it a tribute. This blog post is dedicated to my brother-in-law, Chris.
Chris and I have a very special relationship. It pretty much consists of us making fun of each other him making fun of me and me trying to come up with something witty to say in response. It's been a battle of wits for the last ten years. So Chris has been on a little bit of a winning streak...whatever. what goes around, comes around. Need less to say, when the opportunity presents itself, I am going to do everything I can to prove myself superior in the category of sardonic remarks.
So in honor of my brother-in-law (and okay, here's the truth...I really do like him. Shhh, don't tell him I said that), here is a PHOTOS Friday-because sometimes one photo just isn't enough.

Did you know that when you google search "ax in shin" you get lots of pictures from the movie, "The Shining"? It's true. So, this was the best I could do. Just imagine Chris putting this in his shin...he did that once.

Remember that time that he lost a finger?

How about the time he kicked a razor blade?

And finally, the piece de resistance, he actually shot himself in the foot! I'm sorry, the literary-minded part of me just can't quite get over it. It's provided me with a good twelve hours of consistant enjoyment.

A big "THANK YOU" goes out to Chris for this lineup of follies. You have provided me with a good laugh at your expense.

Well...

Testing...testing...

Second Version

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It's Jasmine's Birthday !!!!!

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A Blue Day

Hi Everyone,
We are having a blue day today. Right as Kaylee and Grandpa pulled in to feed the horses after church today, they witnessed a horse die of collic. Then when Kaylee went to feed her animals, her rabbit, Daisy, was dead. We were already having a lonely day with Kyle and Jasmine no longer here. It seems so quiet around the house now.

Happy Birthday Kyle!

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Oops!

This is what happens when you don't SLOW DOWN...you forget to wish your own son HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Happy 7th Birthday Caeden!! We love you!!

Meaningful Monday and a Birthday Wish

To say this last week has been hectic would be an egregious understatement. I truly feel like I haven't had time to sit down. Here...there...doing this...doing that. Then when I was folding some laundry this afternoon, while Tyler fussed on the bed next to me, I started thinking about how much I have had to neglect my family in order to check off the many tasks on my list. While some things are important to do (and necessary), I feel like it's really important that we remember the MOST important things in our lives aren't things at all...they are PEOPLE! Snuggling with my baby might mean that I don't get all my laundry folded, but these moments pass quickly and I really want to enjoy them.
So this week I am going to focus on trying to hit the brakes a little, slow down, learn to say "no" (okay, Thanksgiving week may have been the wrong week to set this goal), and just enjoy my precious time with the people in my life.
So, what are some suggestions for simplifying?

Photo Friday

A picture is worth a thousand words, so they say...

Meaningful Monday

Yesterday was our Stake Conference. There was a really good talk that talked about being "an example of the believers" and it focused a lot on our language. While it briefly mentioned swearing, it focused more on our tone and the things we say about others. Are we overly negative? Do we yell frequently (guilty as charged)? Do we gossip?
The speaker asked if others were to meet us for the first time, would they automatically recognize us as disciples of Jesus Christ.
That was just something that really stood out to me in our conference and I have made a goal to do better at speaking kindly this week. With our stake Roadshow coming up this weekend, I could use some prayers! :)
For FHE we will be talking about being examples of the believers. What are you all doing for FHE?

Photo Friday

Oh my STARS!



Kaylee with Silver Star



Jen (a few years earlier) with Noble's Star

Meaningful Monday

Something that has been on my mind a lot lately is gratitude. It can be so difficult sometimes, when we are fighting our daily battles and trying to overcome obstacles, to remember how truly blessed we are.
Let's take some time this week to count our many blessings. One thing we have done for the month of November is our "thankful turkey". You can check him out at www.teachitsimple.blogspot.com
What things do you do to encourage an attitude of gratitude in your homes? What things are you grateful for?

Happy Birthday Mom!

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Congratulations!

To Kyle and Jasmine. They were sealed this morning in the Logan Temple. Congratulations guys! We love you so much!!

Photo Friday

Blast from the past!

And the Winner is...

KAYLEE! Congratulations for being the family costume contest winner! Your prize will be arriving via mail shortly. :)

Costume Entry

Babys ultrasound

First Ultrasound

Congratulations to Kyle and Jasmine. They had their first ultrasound today. Baby looks great and her due date is May 21st. That is a change from the date we originally thought. She is almost two whole weeks farther than anticipated. What a lovely surprise! :)

These are our entries for the Halloween costumes!!!!!!

Hope all of you had a great time for Halloween this year.

Costumes from our Halloween Party!!!

Costume Contest Entries

Here are our entries for the costume contest:
Gavin as Snoopy


Caeden as Linus van Pelt


Suzy as Sally Brown


Nathan as Charlie Brown


Tyler as Woodstock



Here's one of the whole family...just for fun. Mike was Pig Pen and I was Lucy van Pelt. :)

Jen, I can make comments now!!!!!!!!!

What ever you did made the difference!!! I can now make comments on the blog. I am soooo excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Has anyone figured out how to leave comments on this blog yet???

Bye the way, has anyone noticed how the baby has it's little arms and legs now!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are accepting the costume challenge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You're on!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Photo Friday & a Contest

So, Halloween is kind of a big deal in our house. Candy, costumes, candy...did you know that I really like candy? I do. I like it a lot. My kids do too. So when you have a holiday that is all about dressing up and eating your body weight in candy, we get a little excited.
Mike does not think Halloween is nearly as exciting as the rest of us, but he begrudgingly consents to dressing up every year to keep us happy. He's so smart.



There's your photo, courtesy of Mike circa 2007. Now for the contest part. Dress up and post a photo on the blog (if you still aren't comfortable with how to do that you can email me the photos and I will post them). On Wednesday I will be doing a random drawing. The winner will get a special prize!

So get those pictures up!

Kyle and Jasmine are going to the Temple!!!!!

Kyle and Jasmine will be taking out their endowments on Nov 4th and then they are being sealed on Nov 5th. This is such a huge step for them and we are so proud of them for having the desire to be sealed. Congratulations to both of you. We love you guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Carrie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are all thinking about you today and hoping you have a fabulous birthday!!!!!!!!!!  You are such a special person in our family and we all love you. Have a great day and SMILE, you're not 30 yet!!!!

Happy Birthday Carrie!

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Photo Friday

Happiness is...



a homemade card!

Happy Wednesday Everyone!!!

Good Morning Family,
I was just thinking of all of you today and how much I love you. You are all FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!
Have a great day and remember "YOU ARE LOVED"!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary Chris and Carrie!

Meaningul Monday

Appreciation Week:
As we start off the week, let's all take some time to express our appreciation for our family members. Write a note, do an act of kindness, or simply say "thank you". When we show our love and appreciation, we are expressing the pure love of Christ and inviting His Spirit into our families.
FHE idea: APPlying APPreciation (I know, I'm lame...but I love me some alliterations.)Talk with your families about different ways that you can express appreciation. You could make a mailbox where family members can deposit kind words of gratitude (or more realistically, sarcastic words of snarky-ness...either way, you will be expressing feelings, which is a good thing). For a treat, you could have APPlying APPreciation APPle pie (or turnovers, crisp, cobbler, dumplings, sauce, cookies, cake, etc.).

What will you all be doing for FHE? What ways do you like to show/receive appreciation?

Update

Carrie has been released from the hospital. All the test results came back normal. At this point they aren't sure what happened. Please continue to keep Carrie in your prayers.

Prayer Request

Hey everyone! This evening Carrie was taken to the emergency room after she stopped breathing on the way to her mother's house. We don't know any details at this point. She is undergoing testing right now. Please keep Carrie, Chris and the girls in your prayers. I will update the blog as we hear more.

Photo Friday

Do me a favor...google Norman Schwartzkopf. You will laugh. I know I did.

Making Cookies for Family Home Evening

Kaylee and Jasmine get a little carried away with their baking sometimes!!!!! They had more powdered sugar on them than on the cookies!!!!  We decorated for Halloween Monday night as a family and then we made cookie dough to freeze so we can always just quickly make cookies to take to the neighbors. It was a very successful night (and messy).

Family Home Evening.

I still can't add comments, so I will just add new posts. We had Family Home Evening last night and decorated for Halloween together. We also made cookie dough to freeeze so we can made cookies to take to the neighbors. We have also started reading sscriptures together as a family ever day at 4:30 p.m.
We have found that this is the best time for us since we all seem to be home at that time of day. It has worked out really well us and we are learning alot!!! Try to find a time when you can read scriptures together even if it is for just 5 min. It will make a difference in your family, I promise you!!!!!!

Meaningful Monday

This month's family scripture has to do with service. Family Home Evening is a GREAT time to discuss service and find a service-oriented activity. Some ideas for a great FHE service activity could be:
* Making cookies for a neighbor
* Putting together a care package for someone who is sick (We will be doing this one tonight. We will be using crayons, coloring books, stickers, etc. $5 goes a long way at the dollar store---or the dollar section at Target as the case may be).
* Writing a letter to someone (maybe someone serving in the military).
* Drop off a bag of groceries to a family in need.

What things will you all be doing for FHE? What ideas do you have for service in the coming months?

Photo Friday

Can you believe I missed "Photo Friday"? Already?!?! I know, I know...bad Jen! Sad to say, we should probably all get used to me being behind on things...I know Mike and the kids already are, they could teach you how.
So, better late than never, here is photoS Sunday (see, I did it on purpose...no, really, I did!) and I threw in an extra picture to make up for being lame. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday

Thank you very much all of you. Kaylee, Kaley will continue to get the mold. I am trying to MOLD her into something. I love you all and it was so good to see all of you and how much you are growing. Thanks for putting this together Jen. I love it!!!!!
Love,
Grandpa

Happy Birthday Dad!

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Comments

I haven't been able to leave comments for the past couple of days, so I will just leave new posts when I want to say something!!!!!!!!!

Conference

There were so many wonderful talks and I didn't even fall asleep once!!!!!  I loved it when Pres. Uchtdorf said that "The Lord cares that we are just doing the best we can". I really needed to hear that. Elder Ardern quoted Brigham Young by saying "We will be held accountable for using our time wisely". When Carl Cook told about meeting the Prophet in the elevator when He was looking down and He was told to "always look up, cheer up and look to Christ". I loved that! The quote by Elder Perry "If we love God and we love our neighbors we can overcome our fears" was something I needed to be reminded of. There were so many more and I hope all of you took the opportunity to be reminded of the Lord's great plan for us!!!!!!

Meaningful Monday

I hope that you all had a wonderful General Conference weekend! I always look forward to Conference (and not just because we get to sit home and have "church" in our pajamas, though I must say I do like that).

It's always so exciting to hear about the new temples (I always cross my fingers that Richmond will end up on that list...alas, not this time!)

There were so many amazing talks, but I was particularly uplifted by Elder Andersen's talk on families. Parenting can be challenging and sometimes we all have to sacrifice things that we want, things that we are appealing, even very good things (like education, financial success and personal goals), but ultimately we are here to further the work of the Lord. Having a family is the most important job we will ever do, and it is truly a great blessing.




Did anyone else have any talks that they really enjoyed?

Happy Anniversary!

Wishing Kevin and Cara a very wonderful anniversary! We love you guys!

Photo Friday

Sand= Beach-Type-Feelings= Happiness