Life Goes On...

Arise & Shine Forth

2012-01-14T20:58:00.000-06:00

The YW/YM theme for this year is "Arise and Shine Forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations." We're focusing on service and temple work this year, so I made this up to give to our youth. Feel free to copy if you'd like.

Thanksgiving 2011

2012-01-14T20:17:00.001-06:00

We got to go home to Oregon for Thanksgiving this year. It has been a LONG time since we've celebrated Thanksgiving with my Oregon family. We had to meet at the church because we had too many people! I love these guys.

2011-11-17T11:43:00.001-06:00

We had our Second Annual Heber Valley Campout this year. It is always so fun up there. Lots of fun cousin time, and it is so beautiful up in the Mountains.

The boys making weapons out of anything they can find.

Cousin Seth protecting us from something.

Play-doh is always fun.

Ty's goal was to catch a chipmunk in his bug collector. I'm so surprised it didn't work!

Lauren and Trey dumping woodchips into the fire water.

Uncle Georg taking the boys on a chipmunk hunt.

Of course, camping isn't camping without s'mores.

The favorite activity of all: Uncle John hanging the kids on the flag pole by their pants. Seriously, the kids could not get enough of this, wedgies and all!

Family Pics

2011-11-17T11:20:00.001-06:00

We took pictures with family this summer. Here are some of them:

All the girl cousins (except one) on my side

The four boy cousins.

All of them together.

Tyler and Lauren

Some of the boy cousins on Brad's side.

Ty and LaLa again.

It was a very stormy day on the Salt Lake! We kept running out to take pictures inbetween cloudbursts! What you can't see are my muddy jeans from totally slipping and falling. It was a crazy day.

Oregon, Part Two

2011-09-06T16:23:00.004-05:00

Well, I'm finally finishing the Oregon Trip posts.

It's only been three months since we went. :)

Here's Grandpa giving Brad the low-down on getting a fishing pole ready.

Lauren plays on Grandma's new baby grand piano.

We went to the coast for a day with SuzyQ and the girls.

The kids sure love Montana...

...and JJ and SuzyQ too!

Can we say sand in everything?

JJ and Tyler in the canoe

Brad hoping he remembered everything Grandpa taught him.

Tractor fun for all! You can't go to Grandpa and Grandma's without driving the John Deere.

And finally, a trip to Fern Ridge with cousin Reed.

He's getting so big his parents let him take the boat out by himself. So cool!

Oregon Trip, Part One

2011-07-07T16:39:00.006-05:00

Last month we made our way back to Oregon to celebrate my parents' 50th Wedding Anniversary. 50 years! Can you believe it?! All of us except my oldest niece (who had to work) met at SunRiver Resort near Bend and had a great time swimming, rock climbing, shopping, biking, playing, chatting, working out, cooking, and celebrating.

The kids had a great time rockclimbing.

Tyler and Carter near the river, picking flowers for their mamas.

The Schultz Clan

Fourth of July Fun

2011-07-05T21:20:00.013-05:00

We had a great Fourth of July celebration this year. It started off at Temple Square on Saturday. We were supposed to meet our dear friends and cousins from Texas--Spencer and Sara--but they never quite made it! Instead we just met them at the restaurant. That's okay...if you're waiting for someone, Temple Square is a nice place to be!

Even though we live in the Salt Lake Temple district, and I also frequently take the youth there, I sometimes forget that our kids don't make it down there all that often, so it was fun to explore with them.

After Spencer's Birthday lunch, we made our way to Jump Around Utah, one of my favorite places for the kids (and Brad) to jump to their hearts' content. Of course, popsicles help cool them off, too. Ty was so excited to see his best friend Adelaide again. They were tied at the hip when we lived in Texas.

All the kids. Lauren did NOT want to be taking pictures. She wanted to be jumping!

From Jump Around Utah we headed down to Utah County. We were supposed to meet Brad's sister and family at the MTC field to watch the Stadium of Fire fireworks, but they couldn't make it last minute. We decided to still go and hang out. This was such a tradition for me during my BYU days. I love the atmosphere and fun. I don't love the traffic jam afterward. It took us an hour and a half just to get to the freeway! Needless to say, it was a late night!

Monday the Fourth started a new round of fun. We BBQ'd with friends and then watched the Grantsvilled fireworks.

I'm so impressed with this little town's fireworks show. It's a little shorter than other shows I've been to, but what you get is way more spectacular. It's like fireworks on steroids!

Yoga

2011-07-01T15:29:00.006-05:00

A while back, Ty had a friend over and while they did play things like Transformers and whatever else boys like to play, they also took some time to do some yoga. I thought it was pretty cute.

Swimming Lessons

2011-06-14T16:12:00.000-05:00

Tyler started swimming lessons last week. He loves it, as usual. I don't know that he learns all that much. This is his fourth year of lessons, and he's still learning the same basic things. I think with the crowded classes, he spends most of his time holding onto the side of the pool, waiting for his turn. Oh well. If I really cared, I would shell out the big bucks for a private lesson. Obviously, I don't care all that much.

This little girl was supposed to start in the pre-school class. She was all sorts of excited until it was actually time to get in the pool. And then she would have none of it. I decided not to push it--she's only three, for heaven's sake--luckily the pool gave us a punchcard as a refund, so we're not totally out the $25. Now she just sits and watches big brother.

Tyler's favorite is the backstroke. (Mine, too)

Happy day!

Youth Conference

2011-06-12T15:55:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I went to youth conference with the youth of our stake and my fellow leaders. It was up on Utah State campus, and it was really incredible. I haven't written about it yet because I don't know how to express what I felt up there. I know for sure that I didn't expect to have the Spiritual experiences that I had. I was more prepared to be in "Leader Mode," where I have to keep track of everybody, combat a bunch of complaining, and put out a bunch of fires. I didn't have to do any of that. The youth in our ward were so well-behaved and appropriate, that I just got to be there to enjoy it, and them.

Our stake High Councilor put it the best way that I can think of today. He was talking about the great youth we have, and he said he can't help but shout, "Hurrah for Israel!" Look how great our future leaders are! They truly aren't just going through the motions, these ones. They are gaining their own testimonies and doing what's right because they love God and know who they are.

I love my calling!

Joplin

2011-05-23T22:21:00.006-05:00

This picture was taken in 1998 at the Joplin Stake Center, which was destroyed in Sunday's tornado. While I never served in Joplin City, it was a main transfer station, so I have good memories in the building, waiting for new companions or waiting for the transfer van (called "The Bull") to arrive. Brad was the Zone Leader in the Joplin Zone for several months.

It's really sad that it's all gone. When I was there, it was the only LDS building in Joplin.

Tornado watches and warnings are such a part of life in that area of the United States, but you never think one will actually land on you. I have many memories of sitting in the bathtub with a companion with mattresses on our heads. I guess even churches aren't immune.

My prayers go out to the people of Joplin.

Spring Soccer

2011-05-22T20:03:00.002-05:00

Spring soccer has had a bit of a slow start because practices and games have been cancelled because of weather, but it has been fun. Ty has the same team and coach as fall, but they seem to be doing much better! It's fun to see the kids improve their skills. He's touching the ball a little bit more, which is fun to watch!

That's Ty (#5) in the typical cluster.

He did score a goal this game, but this isn't it. This was pre-game practice.

This is Ty running off the field after he scored his goal.

Chillin' with Caedin on the sidelines.

More Lauren Portraits

2011-05-21T20:27:00.001-05:00

I apologize for shamelessly posting all these Lauren portraits. I'm just so excited with my camera and all its settings. That's why some pictures are better than others. I think I know which setting to put it on, and it turns out I'm dead wrong (see previous post's graduation pictures). But I'm having fun, and I'm finally somewhat understanding things like aperture, ISO, and shutter speed. I'm a slow learner, but it's coming along. And I must say that this little cutie is getting to be quite the model!

Last Day of School and Kindergarten Graduation

2011-05-20T18:33:00.007-05:00

Last days of school were always really hard for me. I grew to love my classmates and teachers, and even though I was excited for summer, I always felt sad that I wouldn't see my friends as much, and that basically things would never be the same again. I've tried really hard not to project my emotions onto Tyler. I just want him to feel what he feels, and not be influenced by me. I guess I've done my job, because even though Tyler loved Kindergarten, he was not sad one bit! Here's his last day:

Graduation was today. I was doing totally fine until they showed a little slide show to the song, "Let Them Be Little." That song always gets me! But combine it with my little man moving on to all day school next year, and it killed me! Ty and all the Kindergarteners did a great job singing and dancing and receiving their diplomas. So cute!

Ty and his good friend Caedin

I thought my Kindergarten teacher was good, but Ms. Asher was the best! She cared for Tyler so much and was so patient with him. I'm so grateful for good teachers!

The Graduate

Going Through Life With Her Eyes Closed

2011-05-13T14:22:00.010-05:00

Lauren and I took a little tour around the neighborhood yesterday to try out my new camera that I got as a birthday gift from Brad(2 months early. Hey, when you find a good deal, you take it!). We took a lot of pictures and I'm so glad I captured this one. This is a perfect representation of LaLa--when she's in a good mood, that is: a mischievous smile and her eyes closed. This girl has no fear. And her favorite thing is to walk around with her eyes shut tight. She thinks it is so funny to run into things.

Here are some of the other photos I took.
Do you have a fave? I'm not sure which one to blow up and frame.

April Showers

2011-04-27T16:33:00.009-05:00

It has rained cats and dogs here this month, but we have also had a lot of fun.

Ty had spirit week at his school, and one day was nerd day. He had no idea what a nerd was, but he pulled it off surprisingly well!

He also got to ride the bike that he won in front of the whole school!

For Spring Break we went to a lot of fun places, thanks to the coupons at livingsocial.com and citydeals.com. This first place was called Bounce Around Utah, and it was fantastic! The kids LOVED it, and so did I. Parents are free, and you can sit and see everywhere your kids could be without moving. Definitely gonna get a punch card for this place!

We also went to the Library, and to see the movie Hop, but I didn't get pictures of those.

On Thursday we went to a place called Hollywood Connection. It has rides, roller skating, mini-golf, bumper cars, etc. It was fun, but I think Lauren got pink eye there, cause later that night she was oozing, and we had to spend our last day of Spring Break quarantined! Here's the mini-golf before the pink eye breakout.

Of course Easter weekend brought the Dying of the Eggs, always fun.

And Sunday morning pics in their Easter duds.

Overall, a great month! Let just hope May brings some sunshine!

Las Vegas

2011-03-24T08:55:00.009-05:00

Earlier this month we took a trip down to Vegas to be with my sister and her husband and some of their friends while they went to the Mt. West Basketball Championship. We didn't go to the tourney, but we had a lot of fun hanging out in Vegas. We especially enjoyed the sunny 80 degree weather!

We visited the Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden. Kind of a strange combination, but fun nonetheless. You can tell Lauren is soaking up the rays! (And obviously not scared of the biting cacti)

This is on one of the trams on the Strip. Yes, we broke down and bought one of those monkey leashes for Lauren. She loved it! I swore we would never use one on our child, but you try keeping track of a curious 3 year-old who has no concept of fear, on the Las Vegas Strip! You'd buy one, too!!

One morning Ty and Brad and Uncle Hank got up real early to go look at the new bridge at Hoover Dam. They had a lot of fun, and I was able to make a lot of "Dam" jokes. It was a win-win for everyone!

Random Unrelated Picture:
Last weekend, Brad took the kids up to Logan to spend some time on Uncle John's ranch. Ty caught this chicken and actually held it! Couldn't be prouder!

This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef

2011-03-23T11:41:00.004-05:00

The great Relief Society leaders in our ward started out the year with a really cute idea. Each month for five months, they would have an activity related to the children's rhyme, This Little Piggy. For example, in January, they talked about This Little Piggy Went to Market. They met at a grocery store and had a nutritionist talk about good choices, ways to eat healthy on a budget, etc. In February, for This Little Piggy Stayed Home, they had a professional organizer come in and talk about home organization.

This month we had our R.S. Birthday party dinner. What did we have? Roast Beef, of course! They asked me to give a little talk. I never in a million years thought I'd ever be given a topic called, "This Little Piggy had Roast Beef!" But what fun it turned out to be! Here's my talk. It ends with a video that I've shared here on my blog before, but I thought I'd put it on here again, cause I love it so much.

This little piggy had roast beef.

Did you notice that it wasn’t This little piggy had hot dogs? Or This little piggy had fruit loops?

Why roast beef?

I think this piggy is a go-getter. He didn’t just stay at home like the previous piggy, and he didn’t accept nothing like the piggy that followed him. He wasn’t overly silly like the one that went around yelling wee, wee, wee!

Perhaps he knows what he wants and gets it. Not necessarily in a snobby, prideful way, but rather his self-confidence is secure, he knows who he is, and he takes care of himself. He’s feasting on roast beef and all that’s symbolic of. He doesn’t just go for crumbs.

There once was a woman who had always wanted to go on a cruise. She saved her money for a long time and the day finally came that she was able to buy passage on a her dream cruise. She took a tour of the ship, impressed by all the amenities. When the time came for her dinner reservation, however, she went back to her cabin and ate some cheese and crackers that she had brought with her. She knew that she had spent all of her money just being able to go on the cruise–she didn’t have any left for extravagant feasts. She did this for every meal. As the cruise ended and she was disembarking, the crew was there to say goodbye. She passed one crew member who seemed genuinely confused.

“I am the Food Service Director,” she said, “and I’m so surprised because I never saw you in the dining room. I made an effort to talk to every guest, and yet I’ve never seen you. Did you not eat while you were on board?”

Embarrassed, the woman nodded, and explained, “Well, I spent all I had just to be on the ship, so I knew I couldn’t afford the fancy food you serve. I ate in my cabin at every meal.” At this the Food Service Director looked shocked. “Did you not know?” she asked. “The price of the food was included with your passage. All the meals on the ship were free!”

Can you imagine her dismay when she realized that she could have been feasting on gourmet food, when instead she had been getting by on cheese and crackers?

What about us? Are we feasting on the Spiritual Gifts that Heavenly Father so wants to give to us, or are we settling for cheese and crackers?

As I’ve lived my life, I’ve come to realize that we have a choice. While Heavenly Father soooo desires to lavish us with the spirit, with protection, with Angels watching over us, He will not force it on us. We must ask, and search, and live in such a way as to recognize those blessings when they come.

As an example, I love a scripture, found in D&C 109: 22. This is part of the dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland Temple. It explains what we should expect from our temple service.

"And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them;"

Armed with Power.
Our Father’s name upon us.
Father’s glory round about us.
Angels having charge over us.

Anybody want that?

That, my friends, is the Roast Beef of life. That is the good stuff. Do we ask for and expect that when we go to the Temple? Or are we just quickly trying to make it into the session that starts in two minutes so we don’t have to wait for the next one? Do we spend some time afterwards reflecting, or are we leaving quickly to get down to the cafeteria before it closes? Do we even go enough to experience that?

If we really want to feast on Roast beef and all the accoutrements, instead of just cheese and crackers, we must remember our covenants! They are key to living a Roast Beef life.

There is a protecting power in our covenants. Speaking of those who had made the same covenants we have made, Ammon says in Alma 26:6 &7,

"Yea, they shall not be beaten down by the storm at the last day; yea, neither shall they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds; but when the storm cometh they shall be gathered together in their place, that the storm cannot penetrate to them; yea, neither shall they be driven with fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry them.

But behold, they are in the hands of the Lord of the harvest, and they are his; and he will raise them up at the last day."

Now I’m not sure if all this talk about being safe in the storms is literal or figurative, and in light of all the calamities in the world, I sure hope it’s both, but I know that either way that I want this protection. And I KNOW, that this protection is directly correlated to how we keep our covenants.

If we’re living cheese and cracker lives, we’ll get cheese and cracker blessings. If we do our very best and give a Roast Beef effort, He will reciprocate with blessings beyond our imagination.

In closing, I want to share a video that has helped me to think about what constitutes a roast beef effort. It has really helped me as I’ve contemplated what I need to work on to live a better life.

I know that our Savior lives. He wants to bless us with all that He has. He wants us to be a powerful influence for good. As we learn to "live under the complete influence of the Holy Ghost," and strive for the Roast Beef of life, He will not fail us.

The Mom Pledge

2011-03-16T15:03:00.002-05:00

For awhile I've been getting mean, rotten comments on my blog. All of them are from strangers just passing through, but hurtful, nonetheless. That's why I changed my comments to blogger-approval, so at least I can delete them before they are published.

I came across something called The Mom Pledge , which made me happy. It's a community of Mommy Bloggers that want to be civil, kind, and accepting. Isn't that what we all need? Just a little bit more niceness? Take the pledge with me!

A Call for Civility

2011-02-15T15:28:00.002-06:00

Me ten feet away from Barack Obama

I’ve given up trying to convince people I am not a Democrat.

The moment a conversation turns political these days, whether it be with acquaintances, friends or family, the pit in my stomach grows. Not because I hate politics. Not even because I feel strongly about a current issue. In fact, most of the time, I agree wholeheartedly with the person about the issue.

I’m just sick of the Hate.

When did it become okay to spew hateful words and comments, questioning the entire moral character of someone with whom you disagree? Why is it acceptable to assume that just because I live in a red state and in a religious culture that values its conservatism, that it’s okay to bash Democrats–especially President Obama– in almost any setting?

For the record, I am a registered Republican. I am pro-life, pro tax-cut, and pro immigration reform. I believe in protecting our First and Second Amendment rights, as well as improving Education. I’m sick of the Welfare/Entitlement mentality of so many Americans, and am not sure what the right action is to solve the unemployment problem. I’m discouraged that Social Security will most likely be gone when I reach retirement age. I think the Bush Administration did the best they could have with what they knew, and am proud of them for keeping another terrorist attack from reaching American soil.

In the liberal land of my native Oregon, most people reading the previous paragraph about my beliefs would agree that I am pretty conservative. But in my social circles, I’m known as the Liberal One. Not really because my stand on any of the issues differs, but because I don’t hate President Obama. I don’t think he is the Spawn of Satan. I don’t believe he has some hidden agenda to socialize the Union. I don’t think he forged his birth certificate, and I believe him when he says he’s a Christian. In fact, although I don’t agree with many of his policies, I admire his attempts at reaching across the aisle to get things done.

It’s usually at this point in a conversation that the person I’m talking with comes to a realization about me. They give me a knowing look that says they’ve figured me out. Often with condescension, they address me as if I’m a naive person who’s been duped by the left-wing media. Either I’m lacking in morals or just not that bright. When I tell them I attended presidential rallies for Obama and Clinton, they are stunned and appalled. (I would have attended McCain, Romney, and heck–even Huckabee!–but they didn’t make it to my neck of the woods)

Here’s the thing: I was raised by an attorney father who taught me to think critically. I was expected to examine all sides of an issue before I made a decision. Even in small things like whether I could go with certain friends to see a certain movie, I was instructed to “present my case” to my parents, and back it up with reason and logic. Perhaps it’s because of this background that I cringe when I hear people blaming Obama for everything from the Swine Flu to bad cell phone reception to long lines in airports (Not kidding. I've heard all these blamed on him). Just because it gets forwarded in an email, or because it was on the news (FOX or CNN), doesn’t mean it’s true.

I honestly thought Republicans would be better. After 8 years of nonsensical Bush-bashing I thought we might be more compassionate toward the new President. But just the opposite has occurred.

We need to remember that it is okay to disagree with someone. Diversity and differences are what make America such an interesting place to live. I wish we could see that there is more than one way of looking at a problem, and that most of the time, there is no black or white answer. Political problems are complicated at best, laced with dangerous consequences at worst. There is no instruction manual, and oftentimes no roadmap from History to follow. Sure there are dishonest people, but why can’t we also concede that most people are just trying to do the best they can with the knowledge and the background they have? In any case, it seems like we should be able to show respect to people who have differing opinions than our own.

Stand up for what you believe? Of course! Just don't weaken your own argument by resorting to name-calling and personal attacks. It lacks class and shows how uneducated you seem to be.

This polarization of America is not making us stronger. It is unity and respect that make us strong. We are becoming weak. I fear that unless we are able to converse civilly, our democracy and way of life are in grave danger.

Beauty Shop

2011-01-26T22:18:00.004-06:00

Anyone who knows Lauren has likely been asked by her to paint her "fingertails" or "Toetoes". She loves all things girl, including nail polish, lip gloss, and pretty hair. So we played around the other day, making her hair straight...

Tyler had to get into it, so we gave him a faux hawk.
He's got these cowlicks up front, though, so it didn't work too well.

This time we put curlies all up on top.

Birthday Girl

2011-01-15T21:05:00.009-06:00

Lauren's birthday is a few days after Christmas, so we saved the bigger-sized gifts for her birthday instead of packing them in the car for Christmas. She loved her Dora bike, even though she probably won't be able to ride it til spring when the snow melts!

This cake was not my proudest moment! It kept falling apart on me. Thankfully, she didn't seem to care.

For days Lauren had talked about her cake, and us singing Happy Birthday to her, and how excited she was to blow out the candles. When the moment came, she was very serious about it. Like this was a very important thing, and she wanted to do it just right!

This was her little friend party. Just a couple girls and Tyler. It was perfect for that age. They colored, played some games, ate cake and ice cream, opened presents, and left an hour later. Pretty nice!

I can't believe she's three! Next step: Getting over her fear of the toilet! :)

Trip to Eugene

2011-01-04T20:36:00.012-06:00

We spent the week before Christmas in Oregon with my family. My parents had just moved back into their house (after 12 years away) the day before we got there. It was a lot of fun to be back home again where I grew up.

One of the favorite attractions were the neighbors' goats. They would literally eat anything, and the kids loved finding things to feed them.

Also high on the list of fun things was driving the tractor with Grandpa. They're still talking about how fun it was to drive the tractor, and how Grandpa got it stuck in the mud, but then pulled it out with the truck. Such adventure!!

Christmas Eve was spent with the family. Scott and Jared (my brothers) got out their guitars and entertained us. Jared has taught his girls a lot of his funny songs, so it was fun seeing the younger generation get into it!

Following our little family's tradition, the kids got to wear their new Christmas Jammies and slippers.

I'm not sayin' a word, not one single word about the Christmas tree, and how it happened to fall down (again!) when I was the only one in the room. And how we had to cut a foot off of it, and how it just wasn't the same pretty tree that we had chosen to begin with. Nope, not sayin' a word!

Christmas Morning: This is how I spent all my Christmas mornings as a kid. Lined up youngest to oldest, waiting while Dad (now Grandpa) went through his whole spiel about how sad it was that Santa didn't come.

Unfortunately, our trip got cut off a day early, since a storm was coming in and we didn't want to drive through it, so we had to leave on Christmas Day to go home. But although it seemed really short this year, we had a great time, and are so glad my Mom and Dad are home to stay!

This is what we came home to. Snow, snow, and more snow. I can't complain, though, I really like the white stuff.

Little Moments

2010-12-09T09:11:00.005-06:00

We had just pulled up to the school. Tyler's friend that we carpool with got out and started running toward the door. Ty likes to keep up with him so they can stand next to each other in the line to go to their kindergarten classroom. But he forgot his backpack. I rolled down the window.

"Ty! Your backpack!"

"Aww man!" he yelled, as he quickly turned back to come and get it.

"Have a good day. I love you!"

"I will. You too." he said, turning around to try and catch up to his long-gone friend.

At this point I would have normally driven away, heading off with Lauren for errands, or a lunch date with Brad, or presidency meeting, or whatever plans I had for that afternoon.

But I didn't. I thought of my friend Anna, who recently wrote about the same kind of moment in her blog. (I would link to it, but it's private) We went to Time Out for Women together, and a couple of the speakers (Linda Eyre and her daughter Shawni Pothier)really emphasized Cherishing the little Moments in our lives. In fact, we were encouraged to

Remember the Moments
Acknowledge the Moments, and
Watch for the Moments

Time slips away so fast, and sometimes I find myself not enjoying the journey as much as I should.

Anyway...with all this in mind, I decided to just wait and watch until he got all the way inside before I pulled away. And I'm so glad I didn't miss this little moment:

As he walked up to the door, a little girl was already there and was opening it. I thought he would race right by her through the open door toward his friend in line. And he almost did. But then something clicked and he took the door and held it for her to go through first. And she did. Then they did it all again through the second door. As she went through that second door, and he stood there holding it for her, he turned to look at me, perhaps to see if I had seen his good manners.

I did see it. I had stayed to catch a moment, and I wasn't disappointed!

I gave him a big thumbs up, and he returned it with a big smile and thumbs up himself. I was so proud of my little man, and so glad he knew I had been there to see it.

Just a little moment, really. And yet it made a big difference in my day. I felt like a better mom. I was so proud of Ty for treating girls with respect and being a gentleman. I look at him a little differently now. He really is growing up.

And to think I almost missed it...

Let it Snow!

2010-11-29T11:25:00.005-06:00

The view from my front porch this morning. It's been lightly snowing for over 24hrs.

I dreamt of days like this in the dog days of Texas summers. I love the snow. I love the calmness, being cozy inside, the magic of it. Of course, I'm not the one shoveling it, or digging my car out. Brad's my shoveling hero!

Go With the Flow

2010-11-09T07:00:00.002-06:00

I gave a lesson to my Young Women the other day on Optimism. The lesson pointed out how a go-with-the-flow attitude can help you be happier in the long run. I couldn't help but think of my mom, who is the epitome of go-with-the-flow. She doesn't get rattled when things don't work out the way she wants, she just finds a way to play with the hand she's been dealt.

I found one of my favorite examples of that come-what-may attitude as I was looking through my old journals. Please indulge me as I quote from an entry in my journal, dated February 17, 1990. I was thirteen years old.

Background: Growing up, my dad was the head of our Stake, which is a group of about 6 or 7 church congregations. Every six months we had Stake Conference, and often a General Authority came out from Salt Lake. We had several General Authorities stay with us over the years. It was kind of a big deal to make sure everything was clean and perfect for the visit.

"Today was a fun and busy day. It started at around 7:50. I got up and cleaned, cleaned, and cleaned some more. You see, it is Stake Conference weekend and Elder Pinnock is here. So, finally he got here. We ate lunch. They left for meetings and I had a b-ball game. We lost 71-25.

Then we came home to get the food and stuff for the dinner at the Stake Center. We were on our way out and Mom spilled the stroganoff on the asphalt. She was about to cry. We couldn't think of what to do. Finally, she goes, 'I don't care! We're gonna eat it anyway!' So we went into the kitchen and got a couple measuring cups, and I got another can of mushrooms and she got some more cream of mushroom soup.

'It'll have sour cream anyway, and you know, it was awfully runny.'

Yah! A great way to get rid of the sogginess!!! She took those measuring cups and started scooping that stroganoff off of the ground! We kept it a secret and were hoping no one would bite on a pebble.

Well, at the table, people were complimenting the meal and Dad was all bragging, 'Yah, that's my beef!' Mom and I started cracking up! It was so funny.

After the meeting, we hurried home to park in the same place where mom spilled so it would kind of cover it up. Mom spent many minutes trying to wash it down with the hose, but it didn't work. It was a fun evening.

p.s. Elder Pinnock calls me: Sal Pal Gal"

How could I not have learned to go-with-the-flow from that and the many other experiences I had growing up? What a valuable life lesson! Thanks Mom.

Birthday Cake

2010-11-08T07:00:00.001-06:00

I feel like a bit of a slacker. Remember my tradition of making a specialized homemade birthday cake which the birthday child had requested?

There was Elmo for Ty's 2nd birthday...

Spiderman for his third...

The infamous Jesus cake for his fourth...

And a Cars theme for his 5th?

Well, I was planning on doing a Diego cake for his 6th, but something came over me when we were at Costco. Knowing that he's still easily persuaded, I started talking about how much I loved homemade cakes, but sometimes the store-bought ones were soooo cool! How I always felt so special when I got a store-bought cake. (At least it's true. There's something especially yummy about that Costco buttercream frosting that I love.) So he got excited and asked if he could have a store-bought cake this year. Please?! Please?! "Oh, okay, since you asked."

The selection was low, and we didn't have enough time to special order one, but he loved the music notes, and was very excited. And the chocolate mousse filling? Way better than any cake I've ever made, that's for sure!

Here's a little video of him blowing out his candles. I love the split second before he blows them out, where you can tell he's making a wish. I love the magic of childhood!

Better Late than Never: Halloween

2010-11-07T07:00:00.000-06:00

We had a great Halloween this year. The kids decided to be Dora and Diego, and they had a blast trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. We spent the night with Ty's birth family at their annual family halloween party. It was a lot of fun.

The Treehouse

2010-11-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

We've decided that in our family we'll have big friend birthday parties every other year (if they want them) and just do something fun as a family on the year off. So when Tyler's birthday came up, we decided to go up to Ogden to a big dinosaur park. We got a hotel up there, and planned our fun trip, and then Brad's co-worker mentioned how scary the dinosaur park was in October, all decked out for Halloween. We decided not to scare the kids to death.

I'm so glad it didn't work out, though, because plan B was a children's museum up in Ogden called the Treehouse, and it was JUST PERFECT! We had so much fun! Other children's museums I've been to have been a little run down. But not this one! It was in tip-top shape, and had so much to see and do!

There were so many dress-up places.

They had a cute pioneer schoolroom that the children really enjoyed.

Moving on to the American West, they had a tee-pee.

And rodeo stuff.

This one was pretty funny. There was actual fluid coming out of the cow! The kids were grossed out and mesmerized at the same time.

They had a stage where they had a children's play. A worker narrated the story of the Princess and the Pea, while the children acted it out. Tyler was a guard.

Lauren didn't want to be in the play, but she got to play on the props afterward.

There was a fake oval office complete with the President.

Lots of science stuff.

Lincoln logs.

A hospital nursery.

And tons more that we didn't get pictures of. What a great place! We were there from opening to closing! If we lived closer, I would definitely want to become a member. The kids still talk about it and ask to go back.

Fall Family Night

2010-10-16T16:42:00.009-05:00

In an effort to keep watch on the changing leaves, we took off on a Monday Family Night up to the canyon. Who knew it would be such a big adventure?! We started out enjoying the autumn colors as we climbed up the mountain.

About .6 miles after the pavement ended and gravel began, we saw two cars in a bend in the road. One of them, unfortunately, had driven off a little cliff and its nose was stuck in the creek. The other car was stopped to help the lady who was in the driver's seat of the first car, either hallucinating or in shock. She was breathing heavily and was not responding. Since we couldn't really help with first aid, we took off down the mountain to call 911 where there was reception.

We definitely wanted to make sure the lady made it okay, so after we saw the first responders headed up the mountain, we stopped in a little grove of trees to hang out until they came down.

The joys of being a boy.

Practicing spooky faces

After what seemed to be a long time, the ambulance came back down. We still wondered if she was even alive, so we safely followed it to the hospital. It didn't have its lights or sirens on so we figured either it wasn't too bad, or she was already gone!

We parked across the street from the hospital and saw her being brought out on a gurney with an IV, so we figured she must be fairly okay. Phew!

Another normal day for a Rescue Hero and his family!

Cookie Grandma

2010-10-09T09:08:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I don't know why I am so blessed. Why I had such an idyllic childhood surrounded by people who loved me and wanted the best for me. People who unselfishly spent time with me and taught me important values and life lessons.

At the top of that list was my Grandma Dorothy. I never doubted her love for me. I always felt not just loved, not just appreciated--but adored! Between the chocolate crinkle cookies she always kept in the freezer, the clothes she sewed for me, and teaching me to sew, our special walks to Armatidge Park to get fall leaves, long camping trips every summer, watching duck games and an occasional Days of Our Lives, and later, trips between Ontario and Eugene, always stopping at the Shoe Tree, I always felt her love for me.

Grammy, as I called her, passed away Thursday evening. She had lost most of her memory by then, living only in the present. Even though towards the end she didn't know my name or my kids' names, we still felt her love.

Love like that is beautiful. It is a gift from God, and it is Eternal. There's not a lot we can take with us from this life to the next. While I hold on to and cherish and now ration the knitted washcloths she expertly made, eventually they will wear out. I'll never again have chocolate crinkles made by her. But her love for me goes on. It's what ties us together in a long line of generations loving and teaching and caring for each other. Love like that is why I look forward to Eternity, and why I don't fear death. Our earthly experience together has ended, but not our love. That is forever.

So I'll miss you, Grammy. But I know I will see you again. And I look forward to the day that we can go on Heavenly walks. Imagine the fall colors in Heaven!

Ophir Goodness Sakes!

2010-09-11T12:49:00.012-05:00

On Labor Day, while we wanted to go out and do something, we didn't want to go too far because the kids had been acting whiny and we didn't want a long car ride with tired and cranky kids.

So, we explored the little mining town of Ophir, tucked up in a little canyon all by itself.

There were leftover mining things, and old railroads to play on.

You can't see it from this picture, but this whole pile of dirt and gravel sparkled! The kids loved finding little gold nuggets.

I've been working on the railroad, all the livelong day...

We thought this was funny.

Learning some history...

Our first taste of fall!

Skipping rocks.

All in all, a great day. And we got home right before the meltdowns began!

Growing Up...

2010-08-31T17:29:00.007-05:00

Remember this little guy?

He's not so little anymore. He's a big Kindergartner now. Today was his first day and he LOVED it! I'm so excited for him. (And nervous and a little bit sad, too, but I keep that to myself).

When did he get so big and handsome?

I had to crack up at the mom that wouldn't leave her son, so she stood in the line and walked with them.

2010-08-27T21:22:00.003-05:00

When I was in Arkansas as a missionary, we taught a lady who was in the advanced stages of MS. She didn't have a lot of control over her muscles. She decided to get baptized, and we worried about how she would do physically in the font. It turns out our worries were legitimate--it took seven times to finally get her baptized correctly. Each time that she came up and the witnesses had to shake their heads no, I felt worse and worse.

Only a little miracle occurred: when we were talking about it later, she mentioned that she was kinda happy it only took three times! Three times?!? Somehow she only remembered it being three times instead of seven. I think that was a blessing.

Fast forward thirteen years to a small soccer field in small-town Utah. Our soon-to-be-kindergartner and his team (the red dragons) were playing their hearts out. Only it was clear that they and the other team (the pirates) were not evenly matched. The parents stopped counting after the pirates had scored around ten goals to our none in the first few minutes! The other coach moved the cones to our goal closer together so his team wouldn't be able to score as easily. They stopped short of giving us an extra man on the field, but I'm not so sure that would have helped.

Tyler on one of the many kickoffs after the other team scored

After an excruciatingly long game where the other team's goals were probably well into the thirties, the final whistle blew, the kids gave their "good game" cheers, and got their Capri Suns and Teddy Grahams. On the way back to the car, we asked Ty how he felt about the game. With a big smile on his face, he lit up and said, "I think we won!"

Not quite sure what game he was at, but if he's happy, we'll keep up the illusion!

Summertime is...

2010-07-10T19:37:00.019-05:00

...swimming lessons with friends...

...sunsets (this one is from our back yard--that's the Great Salt Lake in the distance)

...allergies, asthma, and breathing treatments...

...being silly...

...swinging at Grandma and Grandpa's...

...climbing trees with cousins...

...blowing up balloons...

...crying when balloons pop...

...summer school field trips to the Grocery store...

...playing at the park...

...mastering the scooter and riding bikes...

...taking a rest...

...making a wish...

...climbing to the top of the world (well, at least the top of Ensign Peak!)...

...Having Fun!!!

Blessings

2010-06-24T09:05:00.003-05:00

One year ago today Brad came home around 11:30am. I thought he was home for lunch, but it turns out he had lost his job. Without warning, and without valid reasons. The shock and the betrayal still sting a little bit (I'll admit, I had a nightmare about it last night). But the overall feeling I get when I think about this past year is gratitude for a Heavenly Father who knows how to succor His children, and who keeps His promises. I'm amazed at all the intricate details the Lord worked out for our benefit.

I've learned that faith and fear really cannot coexist. As we spent all our energy trying to hang on to that little morsel of faith, we grew in ways we never thought possible. While I certainly don't want another trial anytime soon, I am learning that the Lord's tutorials are valuable and I don't need to be afraid.

God lives and he loves us. He has a plan for each of us. If we do what we should, and have faith in Him, everything will work out eventually. This I know.

"Be strong, and of a good courage. Be not afraid; neither be thou dismayed. For the Lord thy God is with thee, withersoever thou goest." Joshua 1:9

Yum!

2010-06-21T00:37:00.002-05:00

You know that song by Toby Maquire--no wait--Toby Keith that goes:

Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me me me me me. I wanna talk about me?

Well, I made up a new one tonight:

Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum yum yum yum yum.

I wanna talk about Yum!

I made these for Brad for Father's Day (along with some good pad thai, I might add!)

Anyway, yes, they taste as good as they look. My new favorite brownies!

Jenny over at picky-palate made these up and they are divine!

It's pretty self-explanatory, but click above for the recipe if you want.

The Graduate

2010-06-06T18:24:00.000-05:00

Tyler graduated from preschool last week, and is officially on the road to Kindergarten! He was so excited to wear his mortar board hat, and show us all the fun things he's learned this year.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2010-06-03T11:09:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday to my fun, thoughtful, optimistic, funny, insightful, loyal, encouraging, knowledgable, talented, spiritual, joyful, smart, with-it, beloved Mom!

I LOVE YOU!

Heber Valley Camp

2010-05-30T22:40:00.010-05:00

We had a great time this weekend with Brad's family up at the Heber Valley Camp. 4 out of the 5 siblings were there with their families, making it 12 out of 15 grandchildren. Ty and Lauren had a blast with all their cousins, roaming free in the great outdoors.

That camp is amazing! I wish our Girls Camp was held there.

Grandma with Meikel, Brinley, Emma, and Tyler

John building a fire, with Andrea and Marie in the background

Everyone in this picture looks a little weird!

We had good food (even if it was a bit late--oops!), a fun Family Home Evening by the campfire, boating in the lake, a scavenger hunt, snow, and only one lost child! Luckily the Camp Host Missionaries found him. By the way, that has to be the Best. Mission. Ever. We all decided we want to be camp host missionaries one day.

Seth, Wyatt and Tyler playing in the sand.

Lauren just chillin'.

Grandpa, Brad, Natalie, Brinley, and Ty in the paddle boat.

We had such a good time, we can't wait for next year!

Mirror Lake Highway

2010-05-30T19:55:00.006-05:00

One of our favorite places to go in Utah is the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway in the Uintah mountains. It is basically a loop that starts in Park City, through Kamas, up in the mountains, over into Evanston, WY, and back to Park City. There are some beautiful views, great campgrounds, fun hikes, waterfalls, and lots of fresh air. We used to go a lot BK (before kids), and even some with Ty before we moved to Texas. This was our first time back since being back in Utah, and we had a blast, even though the full loop wasn't open yet--still so much snow this late in the year! We drove by our favorite campground, Moosehorn, and it was still under 4 feet of snow, and the lake was still frozen over!

Crossing the creek on a fallen tree. The strong smell of pine and the cold babbling brook reminded me of all the great times I had camping as a kid at North Davis Creek Campground, #14 in Oregon. That was the best camping spot in the whole world! This was Soapstone Campground, #20, not as good, but still nice.

Further up the road we stopped to throw snow in the Provo River.

It was fun to see so much snow, but still be comfortable in shorts and capris.

One of my favorite places, the Provo River Falls. It was not snow plowed, so we had some serious trailblazing in over a foot of snow to get down there! We had expected there to be more spring runoff (we've been here enough to see it really rushing and almost dry) but the ranger guy said it has been a really wet and cold spring, so the big runoff hasn't started yet.

Can't wait to come back in the summer, and hopefully camp at Moosehorn--if it ever opens!

Sealing

2010-04-29T11:49:00.010-05:00

One of the greatest treats of adoption is that we get to have our children sealed to us. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe that families can be together beyond death. Usually, a bride and groom are sealed in one of our temples on their wedding day, and any children born to them are automatically born into that sealing covenant, so each child doesn't get a separate sealing ceremony.

But we do!!! I consider it one of the perks of going the alternative route of building a family. A sealing ceremony is simple but sacred. During our time in Oregon, we were able to have Lauren sealed to us in the Portland Temple. My dad performed the sealing, which was extra special.

Trip to Portland

2010-04-29T11:21:00.008-05:00

We took a late Spring Break Trip to Oregon a couple weeks ago. Can we say BEAUTIFUL? Oregon is beautiful any time of the year, but seriously, in Spring, it blows any other place out of the water! All of the foliage and flowers were so incredible!

We'd driven by it many times, but had never stopped at Multnomah Falls, so we got out and hiked the short trail to the bridge. So pretty.

One day we brought Grandma with us and just explored. We ended up seeing some really pretty flowers and yards, and found a great park to play in.

Of course, Brad had to see if he could still do his trick. He's still got it!

Ty and Lauren don't quite have it yet.

Catch Up!

2010-04-05T11:53:00.012-05:00

We've had a great couple of months, with blessings (and snow!) pouring down on us. The weather was nice for awhile (we're expecting snow again tonight), and spring has almost sprung. (I forgot how late things bloom here in the Mountain West.)

It was nice enough on St. Patty's Day to wear short sleeves and ride the bikes.

And of course, playing dress-up is always part of the routine.

Adoption Day!!!

We had a GREAT Easter weekend, decorating eggs, watching LDS General Conference, and having Easter dinner with Grandma and Grandpa F.

We leave soon for our trip to Oregon, where we will see Grandma & Grandpa S. and have Lauren sealed to us in the Portland Temple!!! The kids will also get to spend some fun times with Aunt SuzieQ and Uncle Hank and their cousins while Brad and I get a little vacation on the Oregon Coast!! LOVE IT!!

Cute as a Bug

2010-02-28T22:10:00.004-06:00

I've been a little stressed about some things that have come up this week, but these two cuties have been extra sweet and funny. I feel so much gratitude for them. Boy do I love them, and am so thankful for their birth families, whom we also love dearly. We finally got everything in to finalize Lauren's adoption, so hopefully we'll find out soon when our court date is! Can't wait to have this little bug officially part of our Forever Family.

p.s. No, this is not Halloween. This is just a normal day in our home. :)

Miscellaneous

2010-02-11T10:40:00.010-06:00

Not an exciting post today, just a list of random things going through my mind:

1. Messy Eater Girl

This girl LOVES to get messy when she eats. She's perfectly able of using a fork and a spoon, but I think it's too bothersome for her. She likes her food, and she likes it NOW, and if she has to get it all over her, then so be it!

2. Valentines

We jumped on the same bandwagon as Margaret and SuzieQ, but the idea was so cute and easy, I couldn't resist. Ty just happened to be dressed up like a pirate, so we decided to go with a pirate theme.

3. Weather Vacuum

It still annoys me that I tend to be a weather vacuum. I admit, I like extreme weather. It excites me. It's fun for me. But I always seem to miss it.

When we lived in Utah before, we were in a drought. We moved away for two years, and they got so much snow and rain, they came out of the drought. Now we're back, and having drought patterns again!

Same with San Antonio. The whole time we were there it was a drought. Water restrictions and everything! Now this winter, since we've left, they've had a lot of rain.

I just seem to always miss the fun! Oh well, I am glad to have electricity, and no floods, etc. So I'll be grateful.

4. Sweet Big Brother

Overheard when Lauren was crying about taking a nap:

Tyler: It's okay Lauren, you're just afraid. But Heavenly Father will help you. You just can't see Him, but He's there.

I just thought that was so cute, cause he was so serious when he said it. He gets afraid a lot, and has learned to pray for help. I know he really believes that God is real.

5. Keyboard Bumps

Am I the only one that didn't know what the bumps on the F key and J key are for? Since our computer is in our bedroom, sometimes I end up typing and surfing the Net in the dark, since Brad is sleeping. I was SO HAPPY to learn that those bumps are there to know where your index fingers should be when typing. Now I don't have to lift the keyboard up toward the moniter to get enough light so I can find the right keys!

6. Sick Days

One or more of us have been sick, it seems, for a long time. That has led to a lot of Dr. Visits, and a lot of time hanging out at home. Missed meetings, missed workouts at the gym, missed family outings. But we've managed to still have some fun.

Little Visitor

2010-01-25T15:17:00.003-06:00

We had a fun visitor last week, our nephew Christian. (Or just "Baby" according to Lauren). Brad's sister Andrea broke her ankle, and couldn't put any weight on it. That makes it a bit difficult to haul around a 4 month old, so we got pull out all our old baby stuff and had a grand old time for a few days! The full time job was just trying to keep the kids off him, they loved him so much! He was so cute and such a good little sleeper. Next time you break an appendage, Andrea, think of us, we'll be happy to take him again! :)

The Book of Mormon: Why I Love It.

2010-01-17T22:10:00.008-06:00

*I hope the following post isn't too churchy, I just feel like I need to share my thoughts about something very important to me.

I finished reading the Book of Mormon again today. It's not the first time I've read it, nor will it be the last. But this time through did mean more to me than some of the others. Sometimes I think I take the book for granted. I grew up reading its passages. Sometimes my reading is more out of habit or duty than real desire. But this time was different.

This time, I started reading it when we were in the middle of a stressful time in our lives. This time, I really hungered for answers and comfort. And that is most definitely what I found. President Ezra Taft Benson has said that there is a power in the Book of Mormon that will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of it. I know that that is true.

When I read the Book of Mormon, I receive a power that is beyond my own to deal with life’s problems. That power is manifest in the little things–like having more patience with my kids– and in the big things, like when Brad lost his job this summer.

I don’t claim to be the Queen of Trials. I know there are many more trials that we can and probably will go through. I know people who have dealt with much tougher things than we have, and they stand as strong examples to me. But in our little sphere, the adversity of this summer was the hardest we have had to withstand up to this point in our lives–more than dealing with our infertility and illnesses, more than dealing with broken bones and broken dreams. And there were two things that saved me from hiding in bed everyday and never coming out. Two things that gave me faith and hope and strength and even the ability to find joy in the midst of it all. Those two things were the Book of Mormon and the Temple. Strangely enough, it was the Book of Mormon that guided me to the temple.

Over and over in the Book of Mormon I found examples of people in trials. And over and over the Lord reminded them of their covenants with Him. The Lord does not forget His Covenant People! He will not forsake them. That doesn’t mean we won’t have trials. But He does give us power to overcome–and even triumph over–our trials.

One of the most poignant examples of that lesson for me is found in Mosiah, Chapter 24. I think I read this scripture block every day for about three months, just to remind myself that the Lord does keep his promises. Alma and his people were just trying to live the gospel. Unfortunately, Amulon, a former priest with Alma, had gained favor with the Lamanite king, and made their lives a living heck. Amulon and his cronies began persecuting Alma and his people, and treated them as slaves. He threatened them with death if they even prayed.

Mosiah 24: 12 "And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts.

13 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.

14 And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their cafflictions.

15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord."

The Lord kept his promises with Alma and his people, and He kept his promises with my family. Even when we were being mistreated and betrayed, the Spirit of the Lord came to us and lifted us up and lightened our burdens, and I think that peace and protection has everything to do with the covenants we have made.

There is a protecting power in our covenants. Again, from the Book of Mormon, we learn more. Speaking of those who had made the same covenants we have made, Ammon says,

Alma 26: 6 Yea, they shall not be beaten down by the storm at the last day; yea, neither shall they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds; but when the storm cometh they shall be gathered together in their place, that the storm cannot penetrate to them; yea, neither shall they be driven with fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry them.

7 But behold, they are in the hands of the Lord of the harvest, and they are his; and he will raise them up at the last day."

I am so thankful for a Savior who knows how to succor His people. I’m so thankful that He does not leave us comfortless. And I’m so thankful for a book written for our day--the Book of Mormon--that reminds us of these things, and brings us closer to Him.

Word for 2010

2010-01-06T19:46:00.003-06:00

Wow. I had no idea when I thought up my Word for 2009 what the year would bring. I find it very interesting that I felt inspired to work on my Nurturing. How I needed that when we added a sweet little girl to our home. And I'm so glad that when the time came this summer with all of Brad's work drama, where I had to lean heavily on the Savior just to make it through the day, that I had already nurtured my relationship with Him, so it wasn't such a stretch. I also think I was really able to help Brad through his dark days this year. It's a little sobering to think of all that happened to us in 2009, and to realize that the Spirit was there the whole time, preparing us, uplifting us and watching over us.

So...on to my word for 2010:

Remember

Remember Where I Came From: This includes better communication with my family and also my Heavenly Father.
Remember Who I Am: I want to keep in the forefront of my mind the glimpses I've had of my pre-mortal existence. There have been moments, in quiet reflection, where I've felt the love that Heavenly Father has for me, and also the person he needs me to be here on earth. I know that there are certain promises I made before I came to earth, and I need to remember that He desperately needs me to fulfill those promises and be a force for good in this world. I love Sheri Dew's quote: "Noble and great. Courageous and determined. Faithful and fearless. That is who you are and who you have always been. And understanding it can change your life, because this knowledge carries a confidence that cannot be duplicated any other way."
Remember the Moments: Life is made up of moments, and I fear that sometimes I'm not present enough in those moments. I want to remember to enjoy and appreciate the moments as they come.
And last but not least, Remember What it Feels like to be Fit. I felt I was doing really well the first part of last year, nurturing my health. I was working out, my cholesterol/blood pressure levels had come way down, I had energy, I was losing weight, and then our lives changed drastically when Lauren came to our home, we lost our job, and we moved all in a matter of a couple months. It's time to get back on the wagon. When I remember how good it feels to succeed in this area of my life, it motivates me to keep going.

Christmas/New Year Wrap-Up

2010-01-04T20:05:00.016-06:00

We had a great Christmas season! It included seeing lots of family, a lot of time in the car (thanks for letting us borrow the car DVD player, Andrea!) and of course, a bug that caused Ty and I to puke our guts out in a hotel room. Thankfully, that only lasted about 12 hours, and no one else got it. Here are some of the pics we happened to get during our fun-filled adventures.

Christmas church outfits

Throwing out the reindeer chow on Christmas Eve

Christmas Jammies

Lining up for Santa on Christmas morning

Enjoying the stocking candy

Got some chapstick in her stocking.

After Christmas, we traveled up to Oregon and spent time with my family. We had a great time on the Oregon Coast playing games, watching football, shopping, going to the beach, and rocking it on Dance Dance Revolution!

My brother Scott (with a little help from Dad) built a fire in the rain that we enjoyed on New Year's Eve.

Counting down.

Happy New Year!!!

As a side note, Brad grew his first ever beard this week. Lookin good! No worries, Dad, it was shaved off before he went back to work.

Lauren and Carter playing with the magna-doodle.

Lauren's cheesy smile.

Lauren and Grandma.

And last but not least, Brad shaved his beard into a mustache just to see what it would look like. Can we say Creepy?!

Happy New Year to All!!

Angels

2009-12-17T23:00:00.002-06:00

No matter how the day has gone, I always fall in love with them again when they look like this.

Teenager

2009-11-29T22:53:00.003-06:00

Can you just see her in about 12 years with the same expression, totally annoyed?

To Balance out the last post...

2009-11-24T14:46:00.004-06:00

Actually, I'm just trying to figure out how Windows Movie Maker works. I've got to make a slide show for the Young Women in Excellence program coming up in a couple of weeks, so I thought I would tinker with it using some of our photos. The song is by a group called Joshua Creek.

Are we in H-E-Double Hockey Sticks?

2009-11-23T13:01:00.010-06:00

Seriously, is there any worse torture than family pictures?! And we only have two kids. I don't know how people with more do it!

Here we're even willing to bring out Bee if they'll just smile! Doesn't work.

Now we try to bribe them with popcorn balls that the photographer had in her car.

She still won't let go of the popcorn ball.

Okay.We're past the point of no return. Session over!

Thankfully, we did get a couple shots where at least they weren't crying, and no one was blinking! Look for our Christmas card coming soon.

(Will you email me your address if you don't think I have it? bradandsal[at]gmail[dot]com)

First Snow (a week or so ago)

2009-11-03T18:37:00.008-06:00

It's snowing!

The very first snow of the year!

It's the showiest, blowiest, snowiest snow--
The snow is finally here!

It's brisk and it's breezy;

It's frosty and freezy;

It's creamy and dreamy and clean.

It's drifty and sifty, and perfectly nifty;

It's the prettiest stuff that we've seen!

poem by Lori Peelen, 1998

Halloween

2009-11-03T18:09:00.003-06:00

I had big plans for Halloween costumes, but I hurt my back, and Tyler got the flu, and those plans didn't come to fruition. That's okay, recycled costumes are still cute:

These are trunk-or-treat costumes

Tyler switched to Spiderman for Halloween night.

The Big 0-5

2009-10-28T14:53:00.010-05:00

Our little Tyler isn't so little anymore. He recently celebrated his 5th birthday, and it was fun but a little tiring, too!

In the morning he got to open his presents from us, and he loved his new Pillow Pet. (It's a pillow. It's a pet. It's a PillowPet!) He had seen a commercial for them and wanted one so bad I couldn't say no. The rest of the day we kept hearing things like, "Mom, did you know that my PillowPet is machine washable?" and "Did you know that all it takes is one hug and you fall in love?" and "Dad, my PillowPet is the perfect travelling companion!" In any case, we need to make sure he doesn 't watch any more commercials. He's just like his Uncle Jared and remembers every word he sees.

For those of you who remember last year's Jesus Cake, I was able to get away with one a bit easier this year. He loved it because the road made a "5".

In the afternoon we had a "Cars" party at the park. It was great to have a bunch of his friends and also family there. We started with some relay races:

Next was "Pin the Wheel on Lightning McQueen":

We worked in some Playground time:

And some "Red Flag, Green Flag." (Notice Lauren's ahead on this one, cause she didn't stop when it was red flag.)

We're really proud of Tyler and the sweet boy he is. He is smart and clever, and really sweet to his sister (most of the time). He loves to make jokes and loves to be around people. He is the most honest person I've ever known, and his simple and strong faith is an example to us.

We love you, TyTy!

The Making of a Cowboy

2009-10-19T23:57:00.006-05:00

I'm pretty tough stuff--I'll rope this bull in no time.

Umm...this isn't as easy as I thought it would be.

Ughhh...who needs a stupid bull anyway!!

Well, maybe I'll try one more time.

Good enough. Yee Haw!

2009-10-14T19:08:00.002-05:00

Tyler's birthday is this week, so he gets to bring a special treat to Preschool. (Gotta love the preschools in people's basements. No worrying about OSHA there!) Anyway, he wanted to make these Mummy Cupcakes. I go back and forth between thinking they're really cute and pretty lame. Oh well. They were easy and now they're done! Now on to his Cars cake for his party.

We also made a trek down to Provo last week to see a BYU volleyball game. Brad and I used to go all the time when we were kidless, penniless, and living in CougarTown. We're still pinching our pennies, so this was a fun cheap family night. Of course we had to tour campus and show Ty and Lauren (who could pretty much care less) where we had different classes and where we lived and where we graduated; where we did the Funky Chicken, and which buildings have the best lounges in the women's bathrooms. We lucked out and were right by the Carrillon Bell Tower at the top of the hour, and that woke our captive audience up! Something must have gotten through to Ty, though, cause he said he wanted to come back every day. Too bad it's over an hour drive, or I would love to, kid.

Lauren wasn't too sure about Cosmo being that close. She warmed up to him later, though.

You win some, you lose some.

2009-10-14T18:47:00.005-05:00

Lauren got a package today from her Grandma Marcie with the cutest little Halloween outfit in it. She was so excited to put it on, and once she did, she strutted around the house like she was the Queen of Halloween.

Of course I tried to get a picture of her in her new outfit, but sitting and smiling were not on her agenda today. So I'm just going to embrace the bad photos.

Without further ado, Miss Bootiful:

2009-10-03T13:25:00.003-05:00

The Saturday morning conference session started out like most other conferences sessions do: with the kids running around, interrupting, demanding this and that, while Brad and I kept shushing, entertaining, and sending kids to their room.

And then Elder Bednar spoke about love within families. So we all snuggled up together and hugged while listening to his talk. It felt good.

Then the choir sang not just a Primary Song, but a favorite that is often a Lullaby: My Heavenly Father Loves Me. We all sang along. I felt the Spirit. So following the admonition we had received earlier to identify the Spirit, I told Ty how I was feeling the Spirit during that song, and how I know that Heavenly Father loves him.

The Spirit truly was present because during Pres. Uchdorf's talk, Ty was all ears. No squirming, no hyperactivity, no demands. He was really listening. Listening to an Apostle testify about the attributes of God and His love for us.

That's when Ty, very quietly, told us, "I feel the Spirit saying that He loves me."

That was a great moment. Because out of all the important truths and skills I need to teach our children--from how to read to how to rebound, I believe the two most important are

1. To know that God loves them and has a plan for their future, and

2. To learn how to recognize and follow the promptings of the Spirit.

I was blessed to have parents that taught me early on how to listen to the Spirit, and to know that I was a Child of God. That knowledge has affected everything in my life. It has lifted me in hard times, given me peace and comfort, and helped me help others. If a person truly knows that God loves them and if they really know how to interpret and follow the Spirit, there is no problem that they can't get through.

So maybe I don't need to be so hard on myself the next time I get frustrated with my kids, or when my laundry doesn't get folded, or I put myself in a self-induced timeout. Like Elder Bednar said, it's consistency that matters.

And that one moment today let me know that we're on the right track.

Fall Means...

2009-09-30T11:24:00.005-05:00

Waking up to the first snow on the mountains. I love, love, love this weather! Give me clouds and temps in the 40's & 50's any day of the week!

Inside fun, like playing Explorers to Antarctica. (Don't ask me why wearing his sister's hat is necessary for his expedition. :)

First day of long sleeves and long pants. Isn't she cute?

Figuring out this potty thing. Ty did a little regressing in this area when his sister came to our family, so here's hoping a Big Boy Bunk Bed is motivation. (One star for each day that he does these things. This pic was taken a few days ago--he's got a lot of stars now!)

Our Second Annual nightly Pumpkin light-up. Seriously, so fun. Mod-podge tissue paper onto glass vases (bought at DI for 50 cents each), use black paper for faces, and light up nightly for the month of October. We always sings songs, and take turns blowing our vases out. It's way cleaner than real pumpkins, and they last a lot longer, too.

2009-09-20T15:53:00.004-05:00

The last few months of our lives have been interesting. We've added a beautiful little girl to our family, wrecked a car, lost a job, found a new better job, found renters for our house, said goodbye to our dear friends/family in San Antonio, moved across the country, lived in a hotel for two weeks, contracted the Swine flu, found a cute house to live in that has a yard that needs some TLC, started preschool and the new job, and worst of all, watched BYU lose grossly to Florida State.

Now that I've got a moment to breathe, I find myself a little homesick for S.A. I really like being back in Utah, and I think I'll grow to love our new little small town, but right now I miss the feeling of belonging that I had in good ole Texas. Kinda funny since I've spent many more years in Utah than Texas. But there was something special about our little corner of San Antonio--and we left so quickly without a lot of choice in the matter--I just need to say goodbye to:

Our little neighborhood "Mormon Village"

Playgroup on Tuesday mornings, where there was always a good--sometimes controversial--conversation to be had.

99 cent Only store on Delivery Day.

My little Primary kids, whom I grew to love so much. You've never heard better singers! I wish I could be there for your primary program.

The San Antonio Temple, where I was a real regular there for awhile. I wouldn't have made it through without the peace and inspiration gained there.

The Riverwalk and the Alamo--we had a real routine down when visitors came.

ABCD Pediatrics--Tyler actually loved going to the Dr's. And we went there quite regularly for awhile when they were figuring out his asthma.

H-E-B--I was frustrated that this was the only grocery store in town, but they did have fun combo Loco's, and Tyler will forever cherish his H-E-Buddy blanket that we got from the H-E-Buddy bucks.

Our gorgeous back yard and patio that was so peaceful. Our myrtle trees, weeping willow tree, and lemon tree will be missed.

The Windcrest Ward choir. Best ward choir ever.

Angel Food Ministries--they don't have it in Utah. Seriously, if you're not in Utah, look it up. What a great program!

Blue Bell Ice Cream. There were so many flavors that I had to try still!

Texas pride. It's contagious.

Most of all, our dear friends and family there. We miss you tons!

Now, if you'll please excuse me, we're off to do something that I used to dream of while in Texas: take a Sunday drive in the Canyons. (There's definitely some positives to Utah living!)

Adventures in Eating

2009-08-17T10:44:00.006-05:00

Alternate Title: Yougurt, A Girl's Best Friend

Making up for lost time

2009-08-03T22:05:00.018-05:00

Where do I begin?

It's been well over a month since my last post, and with good reason. The last couple of months have brought the highest highs and the lowest lows of our lives. The sweet addition to our family, Lauren, has been such a blessing to us. She can throw a tantrum like no other, but boy is she cute, too! We love her so much and are so thankful to have her in our fam. She has brought so much joy to us in the midst of our trials.

The main trial we've been facing revolves around Brad's job. I've wanted to share all that's been going on, but haven't been able to. Things aren't over yet, but we finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. And things are turning out much better than expected. Brad and I are so grateful for the growth we've been able to achieve, and are so thankful that we feel like we're passing the test of this refiner's fire. We've become so much closer to the Lord and to each other. We've also come to appreciate the incredible support given by family and true friends.

Now on to the fun stuff. In between the stress and prayers and phone calls and crying, we've managed to have some real fun.

We took a weekend trip up to Brenham and College Station with Spencer, Sara, and the girls. I love that they're family, and I love that we're in this Texas Experiment together. Of course you can't go through Brenham without stopping at the Blue Bell Creamery. Honestly, if you haven't tasted Blue Bell, you need to take a trip to one of the 17 states that sell it. You will thank me.

Our little Blue Bell Darlin'

Moving on to College Station, we ate at Free Bird Burrito, toured Texas A&M's campus, swam in the hotel pool, and visited the George Herbert Walker Bush Presidential Library. It was cool.

I didn't exactly know why they had a bunch of stuff about space shuttles, but we liked it nonetheless.

Future astronauts?

Tyler giving a Presidential Speech.

We also took a fun trip to Utah/Oregon. I missed so many photo ops, but did remember to get some. One of the highlights was stopping off in Ontario, Oregon to see Grandma Schultz. My sweet Grammy, how I love her.

In between these two pictures was a whole lot of action that I didn't capture on film. We had a family reunion up at Eagle Crest in Central Oregon, and it was so fun. Little Lauren was such a trooper, meeting so many new faces and being in such strange surroundings.

Ty had a lot of firsts this trip. He caught his first fish, played his first round of mini-golf, went in his first cave (oh wait--we did do a cave in Texas, I guess it's his second cave), his first hike up a mountain, his first climbing a tree, and tons more.

Poor little Lorzy. We stopped in the middle of nowhere during our long drive for a little break. I think she got tired of her carseat for hours on end. I had to show this picture of her in her little BYU outfit, though. So cute! (Thanks for the bubbles, Suz! They were a hit:)

Sweet little girl. You would never guess she had just thrown up in the car. That's when we decided to stop in Twin Falls, get some 7-Up for her stomach, and take a break from the car.

We decided to visit Shoshone Falls. It's kind of a joke because almost every time Brad and I have made the trip to and from Oregon, we have stopped at Shoshone Falls. His Grandma, an Idaho Native, always talked about how they're the Niagara of the West. Only we never ever saw much to the falls. In fact here's what they looked like on one of our trips several years ago:

Not much, huh? But here's what they looked like this trip:

Much better! I will no longer make fun of Brad's Grandma for calling them the Niagara of the West.

Lorzy getting into mischief.

She would not put that 7-Up down!

Back in Utah, we had a lot more fun. Time spent with Brad's siblings and their families was, of course, special. Ty loved playing with his Grandparents and cousins on both sides.

We also got to spend a day with Ty's birth family. One thing that has totally impressed me with both our birth families, is how much they love and accept the other child. Am I making any sense? Both families are so sweet to treat their birth-child's sibling as their own. It's like both my kids have two birth families now. How awesome is that? Hopefully some day we can all get together. What a great party that would be!

Ty and Granpa Dave checking out the Elk. There's an elk and bison farm just in the middle of the city! Pretty fun!

Ty, with TJ in the background

We tried to get a sibling shot, but this is honestly the best we could get! They were pretty wasted by the end of the day.

To top off a great trip, Brad was able to get bumped on the flight back, so now we have a free ticket to use in the future! Only wish they needed more! Brad and Lauren stayed in Denver, and got assigned to First Class on the flight into San Antonio today. Not bad!

Next up: Swimming lessons start tomorrow!

2009-06-18T10:13:00.011-05:00

Oh, what do you do in the Summertime, when all of South Texas is green?

Do you go to a small place...

...to watch chihuahuas race?

And cool off in a fountain nearby?

Is that what you do? So do I!!

Oh, what do you do in the summertime, when the temperature's over one hundred?

Do you play in the water?
Have fun with your father?

And soak up the sun in the sky?

Is that what you do? So do I!

Oh what do you do in the summertime, when it's too hot to play outside?

Do you stay in and color

with your sister or brother,

drawing pictures to hang up high?

Is that what you do? So do I!

First Day at Church

2009-06-07T21:36:00.004-05:00

Having a girl is just too much fun!!!

Lauren did great at church today. She was just tired enough from being woken up from her nap that she sat quietly through Sacrament Meeting! Then Brad took her in to try out the nursery, staying with her since she still has a couple weeks until she's 18 months. I thought she might be a little shy, but she just jumped right in with the other kids and had a great time!

She is such a joy! Each day she shows us something new about her little personality, and each day we fall more in love with her. Her giggles, her little songs, her constant gabbing, her sense of humor...I could go on forever!

I'm so proud of Tyler. He is such a good big brother, playing with Lauren, and helping her, and laughing at her. He has little moments where he shows a bit of regression (wanting to do things that she does, demanding a little bit more attention), but overall I think he's handling it really well. It's got to be a little bit hard after 4 1/2 years of having Mom and Dad to yourself to all of a sudden welcome a little toddler into your family circle, but he's been very gracious and I think he's really excited to finally be a big brother like all his friends.

2009-06-04T20:31:00.003-05:00

Who could ask for anything more?

2009-06-03T12:55:00.011-05:00

My Mom:

Always good for a laugh and a hug.

A beach lover--as long as she doesn't have to cook in the sand!

Taught me to read, and taught me through her example to LOVE reading.

A nurse at heart.

A good sport.

Whopper Lover!

Can put up a tent with the best of 'em.

Always a good crowd.

My nurturing, unconditional, always-there-for-me friend.

Happy Birthday Mom. I love you!

Our New Joy

2009-06-02T13:41:00.009-05:00

Lauren Ashley

17 months, 1 day

What a crazy week! On Wednesday, May 20th we got an email letting us know that a birth family of a cute 16 month old would like meet with us. On Sunday, May 24th we went up to Austin to meet sweet Lauren and her family. On June 1st, we brought her home with us!

What a blessing she is to us already. We can never thank her birth family enough, and hope they know of our love and gratitude.

After the placement, we went to eat at a Bar-B-Q, and she scarfed down sweet potatoes, brisket, rolls, mashed potatoes, and macaroni! Good eater!

Proud big brother.

Setting up the stroller.

Eating lunch.

Busted

2009-04-23T21:28:00.003-05:00

When we lived in Utah, we loved using our Entertainment Book coupons to get buy-one-get-one-free meals. (We have one here in San Antonio, but don't use it as much because the town is much bigger and most of the coupons are for really far away). Anyway, while we loved it, often times we found the places shut down. Sometimes we left feeling like we got a little bit of food poisoning. We would joke that if it wasn't owned and operated by immigrants, they didn't have their children watching TV in a corner, and we weren't the ONLY patrons in the establishment, then it wasn't for us!

Well, I just found a website that would have rocked my Utah world. It's a direct link to all the Salt Lake Valley restaurant inspections. SERIOUSLY! I just quickly checked out some of my old faves...Cafe Rio, for the most part, does okay, but NEVER go to the one on Fourth South. Really bad score. Su Casa on State Street, by our old apartment (TJ, I hate to say this, I know it's one of your faves) not so good, either. Cucina Deli on 2nd Avenue, fairly good.

What's cool is that you can read what each violation is, and how serious it is. What I saw a lot of in my short search is a LOT of dirty ice machines. Ewww....that grosses me out.

Anyway, if you've got a little bit of OCD in you, like me, this will probably not be very good for you. Thank goodness I didn't know about this when I lived there! Hopefully Texas inspections aren't so readily available.

Search here at your own risk!

Inspiration

2009-04-22T19:45:00.003-05:00

My friend Caralee posted this inspiring video on her blog, and I've practically been stalking her site as I watch it over and over again. It is so inpsiring and comforting, and it has changed my thoughts and prayers. I liked it so much that I looked up the whole talk it was taken from. Here's the link. Enjoy.

Bugged

2009-04-20T09:28:00.004-05:00

Warning: There will be spoilers here. If you want to read this book, don't read this post.

I'm sorry, but I have to vent. I put a good amount of time in this book. It's long--over 350 pages. It started off slow, but I got into it as I met the characters. I felt for the protagonist, a single mom who started her own knitting/yarn shop in Manhattan. I liked the mix of ladies that made up the Friday Night Knitting Club. All was happily rolling along until BAM! The protagonist got cancer. Great, I thought. I don't need this! So I skipped ahead to the back of the book (does anyone else ever do this?), just to make sure she was alive at the end. I didn't want to know all the details, I just wanted to see her saying something on the last page, so I knew she was alive.

Well, guess what? She wasn't! The author killed off the protagonist!!! I HATE THAT!!! I don't read books to learn about death and dying! There's enough gloom and doom in real life. How dare she get you all warm and fuzzy and then just do that to you? Why would I want to read that? I mean, sure--I can handle a supporting character every once in a while biting the bullet. It happens. I don't like it, but I wasn't too invested in them, so it's okay. But the protagonist? COME ON! It's just cruel. I feel manipulated.

I guess I'll just have to stick with Mary Higgins Clark. Her protagonists never die. They always are in some great danger, and always the new romance partner finds her just in time. Love it! Nice and predictable.

Anyone have any favorite books where the main character DOES NOT die?

Super Guests

2009-04-06T08:23:00.007-05:00

This last week has been so crazy busy that I didn't get a chance to blog about my sister and her family coming out to visit last weekend. For their spring break they flew out to San Antonio, then left for a Carnival Cruise out of Galveston, TX, and came back for a few days of touring San Antonio. It was great fun! Hopefully next time we'll be able to go on the cruise with them!

SusieQ still with her Mexican braids, with Hank and JJ on the trolley.

The children sitting on the exact cannon Davy Crockett used in the fight at the Alamo.

One day we went to a little amusement park in a town called Seguin. Here Brad, Reed, and JJ are racing to the top of the rock wall.

Even Tyler braved the rock wall!

Uh-oh. I'm afraid this picture could be used as evidence if the Amusement Park knew about it. You see, this is Brad and Hank racing down. You can see Hank lying down on the slide. He's not supposed to do that. At the end of the slide, Hank had a lot of momentum. Although Brad still won the race, Hank didn't actually stop when he got to the end of the slide. He kept going. Over the green carpet, and through the gate. In fact, he shattered the gate. The hinges were blasted to pieces. It was quite amazing to watch. And he was a little famous that day among all the workers.

Ty, Montana, and Hank get ready to go high up in the air and be dropped--over and over again. This was Ty's favorite ride. He loved the butterflies in his stomach.

SusieQ was just happy to bask in the sun. I guess it has been a pretty cloudy spring up in the Northwest.

So Grateful

2009-04-05T14:08:00.004-05:00

Is it kinda strange that I actually feel sorry for people who don't have adoption in their lives?

I know it seems strange, but being in an adoption where everyone involved has the best interests of the child in mind cannot be beat!

Look at this happy little boy. He has so many people that love him, and he knows it.

The above picture was taken this morning, just before TJ (Ty's birthmom) and Donn (TJ's awesome husband) had to go. We spent an incredible weekend with them playing, reading, talking, eating, touring, laughing, and loving.

My heart is so full today--grateful for this wonderful young woman and her supportive family who gave us a gift we will never be able to repay, and grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who has turned all our sorrows into hope, and pains into joy.

2009-03-26T12:28:00.003-05:00

I'm stealing the following link from my friend Lindsey at the r house.

It reminds me of this day...

...and why I love Ty's birth family so much. I think birth families sometimes get a bad rap. People judge them and wonder how they could do that? Wonder if their hearts are made of stone. No, just the opposite, in fact. These are the brave people that do the hardest thing on earth to do, all because of true and pure love.

Click here to see the truth about adoption and birth families.

After you watch, you'll understand why we're so excited for Ty's birthmom to come visit us next weekend!

Builders

2009-03-11T00:01:00.001-05:00

In Primary this month we're learning a song about being a builder.

The words are as follows:

I am a builder working each day
To build my family.
And I will do the best I can
To serve them lovingly.
I am a builder growing so tall
And learning every day
To speak with kindness in my home,
To help at work and play.

My Heavenly Father sent me here
And he knows I can be
Strong and righteous as I build
My eternal family.

I am so blessed to have grown up with a very special builder in my life. He literally built the house that I grew up in with his own hands.

Under construction, around 1976

I felt so safe in this house. I was always so proud to call it home.

But so much more important than its physical construction is the building that went on inside its walls: half-awake scripture studies; piano recitals and dance performances; Father's blessings; basketball hoops and tetherballs hung from the ceiling for easy practice; heartfelt and understanding discussions; prayer, prayer, and more prayer; yes, some forced Johnny Mathis listening and Lawrence Welk watching; hard work and early mornings; apple peeling and coring; picture-taking; celebrating; schoolwork-helping; family-history digging; and so much more!

Thanks, Dad, for not just building our house, but--with Mom--building our Eternal Family.

I love you. Happy Birthday!

2009-03-07T14:11:00.003-06:00

Our Scout Troop had a big yard sale today in the church parking lot. Brad got up at the crack of dawn to help out.

As they were sorting things, Brad saw what looked like Mosquito Netting. He asked Sister Robison, who was in charge, where to put the netting.

She was a bit busy, and without looking at it she said, Sporting Goods. So off Brad went to put it in Sporting Goods. On his way over, she actually looked at he was holding.

"Tulle," she said.

"What?" Brad asked.

"Tulle."

"Tools? Okay, I'll put it by the tools."

"No, it's tulle."

"Huh?"

"It's fabric. It's called tulle!"

I guess it's pretty obvious I don't do much sewing around here.

Seven Things

2009-02-26T23:47:00.006-06:00

I was tagged by my SIL Rebecca (her blog is private, otherwise I would have linked).

Seven things I can do:
1. Find a good deal.
2. Create a meal out of random ingredients in my cupboard/fridge.
3. Tell when American Idol contestants are off pitch.
4. Laugh at myself. And my husband.
5. Parallel park.
6. Sightread well enough to play most hymns on the piano.
7. Find my way without asking for directions. (It may take a little longer, but I eventually get wherever I want to go!)

Seven things I can NOT do:
1. Enjoy baking.
2. Roll my r's.
3. Kill an animal. (I can do bugs, but I hate it.)
4. Keep my car clean.
5. Stop my backseat-driving tendencies.
6. Live without air-conditioning.
7. Be a morning person.

Seven things I say the most:
1. Hoo-da-lolly!
2. I Wuv Woo. (Click here for the story)
3. Feel free to come out when you're acting sweet.
4. I can't hear you through all that whining.
5. Okie Dokie Hokie Pokey.
6. If you can hear me clap two times.
7. Oh man!

Seven goals I have:
1. Keep up my exercise routine.
2. Achieve our financial goals.
3. Improve as a piano teacher.
4. Remember all my primary meetings!
5. Listen more, advise less.
6. Attend temple more.
7. Get over phone anxiety.

Seven reasons I fell in love with my spouse:
1. Spirituality--I met him on his mission and was so impressed with his faith, dedication, and obedience.
2. Kindness--he is so nice to everyone he meets. Not judgemental.
3. Didn't play games--he came right out and said what he was feeling.
4. Cutie Patooty.
5. Open-minded and spontaneous--he's up for just about any challenge or adventure.
6. So good with kids.
7. Treated his mom and Grandmas with respect--I knew if he did that, then he would be that way with me and teach our sons to be that way, too.

Seven thing I love to eat:
1. Hawaiian food: teriyaki chicken, rice, macaroni salad
2. Cafe Rio Pork Salad
3. Twix candy bar
4. Avacado in any form
5. Cilantro on anything
6. Chocolate chip cookies
7. TCBY white chocolate mousse flavor

Seven people I tag:
1.You
2. You
3. You
4. You
5. You
6. You
7. You

Favorite Things Right Now

2009-02-24T15:35:00.004-06:00

1. Texas in February. LOVE IT! Sunshine, low 80's, breezes, NICE!

2. A Brand New Year. My cousin Sara has talked about it on her blog, but I cannot listen to it or watch it enough. It is so positive, it just makes me so happy! Especially the song Say Yes. I cry EVERY TIME I watch it, and I smile and dance every time I listen to it. You can download it for free, so we just put it on Tyler's MP3 player, and I LOVE that he loves it. Some of the words in the chorus:

"If you feel like all you say is "no," don't let go,
'cause we will reap exactly what we sow,
and when we say no, then we say
Yes, yes, yes to happiness
and we say yes to freedom
and yes to hope
and yes to every thing good that we know.
Because we're tryin' hard to do what's right
means we're gonna have that much more fun tonight.
We only wanna be our best,
so we say YES!"

3. YNAB Pro. (YNAB stands for You Need A Budget) My blogging friend Emily has blogged about it from time to time, and we finally checked it out, and it's definitely worth every penny! (You can get a 10% discount code if you Google it) Anyway, it's this awesome software that is better than any I've seen. Everything I've ever hated about other budgeting software is taken care of with this. But it's not just software, it's a methodology that is totally compatible with Dave Ramsey's money philosophy. Anyway, in this tight economy, we decided it's finally time to do a better job with our money, and it's so liberating and exciting!

4. Tyler:

He's doing such a good job trying new foods now. He used to gag just looking at other foods, and would only eat a handful of different foods. So we decided he needs to try something new every night before dinner. Usually just one bite. He had to go a couple of nights with no dinner because he wouldn't try something (so hard to do!!!!) but he's really getting over his phobias, and trying new foods every day now.
The other day when we asked him to clean his room, rather than cry and protest like normal, he just sweetly said, "Any help would be greatly appreciated!" What?! Where did that come from? So cute! Of course we couldn't say no to that.
There's a country song that goes something like this," No one else on earth could ever love me--no one could love me like you." And it keeps repeating the line No one else on earth. Every time it comes on the radio, he asks, How can there be no one else on earth? There are lots of people on earth, Mommy! She's so silly saying there's no one else on earth!" I just think it's cute.

5. Brad: We've been married almost ten years, and I just realized something: If my toothbrush is not a "girl" color, like pink, purple, or yellow, then it is in danger of being used by him! How many times have I unknowingly brushed my teeth with his germs on my toothbrush?!? It just doesn't seem to bother him, and he says he gets confused when we have similar colors, or if I have a boy color. So funny to me!

6. Pandora. You can go to this site and choose artists you like and they will make a "station" out of similar sounds and artists. It's all based on this in-depth analysis called the music genome project, where they disect different elements of the songs. It's pretty accurate!

7. Amazing Race. Love this show, even in its 14th season. This one's challenges and racers are especially good, I think. The cheese challenge had us rolling on the floor! Especially when Luke, the first deaf contestant (he's awesome!) fell down the hill! Enjoy:

Flat Emma

2009-02-13T08:40:00.006-06:00

Have you heard of the book, Flat Stanley? It's where a boy gets smashed flat and realizes that now he can go anywhere in the mail. Apparently it has become a favorite Social Studies assignment among elementary school teachers. I remember the first time I heard about it was when my nephew Reed had to send Flat Stanley somewhere. That was when my parents lived in Africa, so that was pretty cool! Well, the parents no longer live in Ghana, so I guess Texas was second place when my niece Emma had to do the assignment. But we treated Flat Emma pretty well! Here were our adventures:

We took her to see the Texas State Capitol. Following the trend to make everything a little bigger and better in Texas, the Capitol was built to be 15 feet higher than the national one in Washington, D.C.

Back in San Antonio, our first stop was El Mercado, or the Mexican Marketplace. Flat Emma jumped right in and grabbed a little instrument to join in with the Mexican band playing.

Next we took the trolley to the other side of Downtown. She was a little nervous to be without a seatbelt.

We are the "Alamo City," so of course we had to take her here. She was very respectful during the tour. Not even a peep.

Lastly was the Paseo del Rio, or Riverwalk. She almost fell in, but we caught her. Phew! That would've been a little bit embarrassing, jumping in to save a paper doll!

Hopefully next time some real people will come to S.A. We'd love to take you on the same tour!

This is Really Cool!

2009-02-10T18:54:00.004-06:00

I don't know why I'm so fixated by this new thing I found on Pinching Your Pennies.

"YourFonts.com is a FREE online font generator that allows you to create your own TrueType fonts within a couple of minutes.

Your own handwriting turned into your very own font for free
Optionally include your signature
You'll have your very own font within 15 minutes
Make as many fonts as you like
Use your fonts on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux
Personalize your digital scrapbook pages
Make your own "family handwriting history"
Use your fonts in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and every program that you own

There is another site out there that you can do this on but it costs money and here is a free alternative. You download the pdf and print it out and fill it out with your handwriting. You then upload it back to the site and it will create a font that you can use on your computer based on your handwriting."

Here's a sample of my font:

I absolutely love it! I keep writing nonsense just to see my very own font! It's like I'm immortal in a way. Like, I could die tomorrow (knock on wood!) but whomever had this font could still write in my writing!

So go do this and email me yours, so I can have your writing forever! I promise I won't forge anything.

Reluctant 25 Things

2009-02-05T22:43:00.004-06:00

I wasn't going to do the whole "25 Things" thing that's been going around on Facebook, mainly because everybody's doing it, and I hate to do something that everybody's doing (I still have never seen ET or Titanic)! But I have no other ideas for a post, so here goes...(although I'm only posting it here, not Facebook, so I'm still kind of a rebel!)

1. I like feeling cold. I love the feeling of cold sheets when I get into bed. Brad is the complete opposite. That is why he has a twin-size electric blanket on his side.

2. I have always and always will hate mustard.

3. I would rather scrub a toilet than empty the dishwasher.

4. I love Texas, but I just don't think it's pretty like Oregon and Utah. I miss my Sunday drives into the mountains.

5. Texas Natives will NOT listen to that last comment. They will fight it tooth and nail, saying that there is nowhere prettier than Texas.

6. I like to try and get Brad to say stuff that he doesn't want to say. Like, he hates it when couples talk baby talk to each other, so I often say, "I wuv woo," just to bug him, and he'll say "I love you, too." But I keep saying "I wuv woo," until he breaks down and says, "I wuv woo, too." Sweet victory!

7. Brad will deny everything in that last comment. Except that I like to bug him. He'll agree with that!

8. I had NOTHING to do with the Christmas tree falling over in the front room when I was five. I was simply sitting at the table, eating my clam chowder, and it fell. End of story!

9. I did, however, have EVERYTHING to do with shaving my eyebrows in the third grade, even though I denied it.

10. I am not a very good play partner for Tyler. By the time I'm done playing, all the bad guys have made up and are having hot cocoa and toast in the castle. Nobody kills or fights, everybody gets along. Not very masculine.

11. I really like doubles tennis, and think Brad and I make a good partnership. If anyone would like to play sometime, call us up!

12. I have phone anxiety. I always feel like a dork on the phone. I am bad at thinking of things to say.

13. I LOVE Neil Diamond.

14. I always have to know what direction I'm facing. San Antonio has humbled me in this regard, because there is no grid; very few streets are straight North-South or East-West.

15. I am left-handed and proud of it, but am secretly glad that Tyler favors his right-hand. Too many things are harder for left-handers.

16. I LOVE to cook, but HATE to bake.

17. If I had to choose between a paper-supply store and a department store, 99 times out of 100 I would choose the paper-supply store.

18. On average, I am in the middle of about 5 books at a time. Yes, it does get confusing sometimes!

19. We have a name for the remote: Minnoe Pinnoe, Minnoe for short. "Hey, do you know where the minnoe is?" "Have you tried inside the couch cushion?"

20. Sometimes Tyler says things wrong, and we don't correct him, because it's so cute: "Mom, can we put some Smarshmallows in the hot chocolate?" "Mom, does this yogurt have any Chokes (chunks) in it?"

21. I cut my own hair. Sometimes it turns out well, other times I have to go in and get it fixed.

22. Now that I'm on Facebook, I don't think I'll feel the need to go to my high-school reunions. You get to see what people are up to, without all the social anxiety!

23. I am SOOOOO not a morning person.

24. I'd rather have last night's leftovers for breakfast than breakfast food. I could live without pancakes, waffles, cinnamon rolls, cereal, etc.

25. Shows I record on the DVR: Gilmore Girls, NBC Nightly News, Nightline, American Idol, Amazing Race, CBS Sunday Morning, The Office, House Hunters, Designed to Sell, Property Virgins, Throwdown w/ Bobby Flay, 30 minute meals, and our latest, Howie Do It.

Quiz

2009-01-25T21:26:00.008-06:00

What could cause a child to quake with fear, retreat to the floor of the car, and not stop crying until we were far away?

Linda the Llama? Nope, she's too gentle.

Willy the Wildebeest? Too bored with humans.

The pretty Oryx? No way! He let you pet him.

The other type of Oryx with the straight horns? Nope, wouldn't even come close.

The big bison? Too sleepy!

It's Ozzy. Ozzy the Ostrich! Helped himself to our car, and nipped Tyler's finger. He looks sweet here, but he's a maniac!

The Zoo

2009-01-17T23:20:00.005-06:00

Several families in our ward have Zoo memberships. It's very inexpensive, it's something for the whole family, and the San Antonio Zoo is supposedly one of the best in the nation. So we decided to jump on the bandwagon and join too.

We had a lot of fun fake fishing...

Drumming...

Posing...

Jumping...

And climbing...

...Maybe next time he'll be interested in the animals!

This Made Me Cry

2009-01-16T16:24:00.003-06:00

If you've been following NieNie at all, you know all about her and her husband's plane crash, and subsequent fight for life; you know all about her burns; you know all her family, especially her sister Courtney, who is raising her children. You also know how the blogging community has come together to support her and her family, and you know what a missionary tool it's been to thousands.

Well, after several months, Nie Nie is back, and she posted her first blog post AC (after the crash). That picture of her and her husband in their burn bandages...oh, it just hit me hard this morning. That is true love right there. To know how incredible of a couple they were before, and to know that by God's grace they can continue being together, even though it will be painful and costly, and scary, and whatever else...it's a miracle.

And speaking of miracles, how about that plane crash yesterday? Amazing!

Man Tag

2009-01-12T15:31:00.006-06:00

My friend and former mission companion, Lindsay, tagged me just in time! I had no idea what to write about today, so here's my version of Husband Tag.

Brad's 5 favorite things:

1. Family

2. Lasagna

3. Playing soccer

4. Watching football

5. Vacations

5 things on his to-do list:

1. Spray the yard w/ weed and bug killer

2. Get a better office space

3. Go gray or bald, so people won't think he's a kid at his job

4. Prepare this week's Sunday School lesson

5. Take family to Wildlife Ranch (thanks TJ and fam!)

5 snacks he loves:

1. Chocolate ice cream

2. Chocolate

3. Cheese ball w/ Wheat Thins

4. Chocolate Chip Cookies

5. m&m's

5 facts you may not know about him:

1. He gets just about all his clothes at thrift stores, but he's a total shoe snob. He would NEVER buy a pair of shoes at some place like Payless.

2. His summer jobs as a kid included picking beans, KFC, and working at a shoe store.

3. He is freakishly strong.

4. He'll be getting his LCSW (the highest licensure in his profession) this month!

5. He loves bubble baths.

5 places he has lived:

1. Idaho

2. Utah

3. Oklahoma

4. Missouri

5.Texas

5 quirky things about him:

1. He compartmentalizes his food. No foods touching each other, unless it's a casserole.

2. He has been known to cheat at board games.

3. He loves the Chicken Soup for the Soul books.

4. He loves the feeling of getting in a really hot car, even on really hot days.

5. When I'm out of town, he has challenges with himself to see if he can go without going to a grocery store or out to eat. He'd eat PB from a spoon rather than go get something somewhere!

I tag anyone who doesn't know what to write about on their next post!

My Word for 2009

2009-01-05T22:24:00.003-06:00

Nurture:

to help develop; help grow
to feed and protect
to support and encourage

I feel a real push to be more nurturing this year. I've never thought of myself as a nurturing person. I've never really liked babysitting, or animals, or other nurturing-type things. I think my call to serve in the Primary has kicked me in the bum a little bit towards this. But I don't think this goal ends with the Primary kids.

I can definitely stand to nurture my relationships more: with my husband, my son, friends and family, and the Savior.

I want to learn how to nurture plants better. My dad gave me some MARVELOUS bulbs and I want to treat them right and have some beautiful flowers.

I want to continue nurturing my own health. I've been taking care of myself a little bit more and I want to continue on that path.

This word just has a lot of meaning for me this year, so thanks to Tip Junkie for the challenge.

A Taste of the Holidays

2009-01-02T16:26:00.011-06:00

What a great Christmas Season we had! Blogging wasn't exactly first priority, so here's a taste of what we did last month.

Tyler's preschool put on a little Christmas concert for us.

The Big Guy in Red visited our ward party, and Tyler chatted his ear off. Seriously, we had to pry him off Santa's lap, because other kids were starting to get mad.

Our first day in Eugene brought SNOW!!!

Snow Angels with snow are a lot more fun than just pretending, like we do in San Antonio!

Christmas morning line-up. Love the teenager's glee on the top of the stairs. If he'd had his say, we would have waited a couple more hours. As it was, we had to wake all the kids up!

Santa hit paydirt with this one.

Back home in San Antonio, we had to try Pioneer Woman's black-eyed pea salsa on New Year's Day for good luck. We do live in the South now, ya know.

Feelin' Old

2008-12-15T13:38:00.005-06:00

This is for all of my 20-something pals from the other night, who, although they knew many things, had NO IDEA who Howard Jones was! Enjoy this taste of the 80's, my friends. And please...watch Better Off Dead at least once before you die!

Can I get an amen from my fellow thirty-somethings?

My Favorite Day!

2008-12-09T13:12:00.008-06:00

I have a new favorite day: Tuesday. Yes, Tuesday is nice because it's Play Group, and that's always fun; Tuesday is also nice because Brad has his appointments on our side of town, so sometimes he comes home for lunch; but the reason Tuesday is my favorite day is that...

It's Delivery Day at the 99 cent Store!!

I'm serious, here. I have never seen a dollar store like this before! Here are some of my most recent purchases--all for only 99 cents:

That very same meat at Wal-Mart was $4.88!!! We've also gotten a 5 lb bag of Idaho Potatoes, Waffles, Yoplait yogurt for only .39, Salad, a big bag of onions--they're quite the produce people! Oh, and I forgot--sometimes they have half-gallons of Dreyer's Ice Cream!! It's very crowded on Tuesdays around 11:30am, but worth it! Although I did almost get stampeded today for that cookie dough. People were buying cases of the stuff!

I never would have guessed in my wildest dreams that a dollar store could be soooo awesome!

Mr. Fix It

2008-12-05T13:49:00.003-06:00

Mr. Fix It in one of his less-proud moments, after trying to smash an aluminum can on his forehead.

Did your school have superlatives at the end of the year? We did at our senior breakfast, although I didn't know they were called Superlatives until I taught Junior High. Maybe it's a Utah thing. Anyway...you know what I'm talking about. Where you vote for kids in your class on different things. Like cutest hair, or best athlete, or most likely to end up in jail. Fun stuff like that!

The only one I remember from Senior breakfast was that Tonya was voted to have most kids. While 15 years later (has it really been 15 years?! YIKES!) she has four cute ones, she got beat out by our other friend Catharine, who has five! (She not only has five, but had them all by age 27! Go Cat!) I wonder if anyone else in our class has more? Hmmm...

Anyway, back to my point--and I do have one--we have a new Superlative in our house: Best Handyman! Now, when I got married, my loving husband had many qualities I loved and adored; handiness was not one of them. But darned if he hasn't learned how! He is a regular fix-it guy now. Electrical, structural, duct-taping, he does it all! The latest was that he saved us over a Thousand Dollars ($1074.10 to be exact!) by fixing a leak on our water main. We had a guy come over and give an estimate, and he found a couple of problems, I'm not going to name them because, really, it's all blah blah blah to me. But Brad said no thanks, got himself down to Lowes, found a knowledgable guy named Darrell to tell him how to do it, talked to a neighbor, and a little digging, a lot of mud, some pipes, saws, pressure valves, and glue later, ta-da! It's fixed! I and Our Water Bill thank him!

November so Far

2008-11-24T10:54:00.007-06:00

November has been busy for us! Brad being gone on a work retreat for three days, tons of Primary stuff, Thanksgiving celebrations at Tyler's school, speaking in church, and meetings, meetings, and more meetings have seemed to take up a lot of time. We also had our home inspection and finished up everything for our 2nd adoption. We should be approved anytime, and online right after that. Sooo...if anyone knows any birth mothers considering adoption, send them our way, k?!

Thankfully, we were able to fit in some fun stuff:

This is where I crashed Spencer and Sara's date night and we enjoyed an EXCELLENT free Veteran's day concert put on by the San Antonio Symphony. These guys were dressed up like revolutionary soldiers and played the fife, bugle, and drum.

Costumes at 75% off are da Bomb.

Creative Daddy hooked up his projecter and laptop and we watched Kung-Fu Panda on the ceiling!

Questions For You

2008-11-12T19:20:00.004-06:00

I've decided to start teaching piano lessons. It just makes sense. I play the piano. I love the piano. I have a degree in teaching. I want to stay at home. I want to make some extra money. I know lots of people that want to take piano, but don't know anyone who teaches it. Well, now they do.

I've been researching and preparing for a couple days, but I have some questions for you, my friends and blog friends who either play yourselves or have children who play.

1. What do you like about your/your child's teacher?

2. What do you think is a fair price for a lesson?

3. Do you have a favorite curriculum?

4. Do you have any advice?

More Potty Talk

2008-11-06T20:55:00.004-06:00

Tyler has been day-time potty trained for several months now. But he was still wearing nightime diapers until last week. He would sometimes leak even with the diapers, so I thought he just wasn't ready. Several of my friends said that their sons just started having dry diapers in the morning, so that's how they knew they were ready to go diaperless at night. Well, I waited and waited for that to happen, but it never did. Every morning his diaper was full!

I was at the store last week, and as I put the $12 pack of 17 specialty nightime diapers in the cart, I realized I had had enough. The kid is four. He can be diaperless! So I put the diapers back on the shelf and went home to see how it would go over. We had one last diaper, so we told him this was his last one.

Brad was so great. He got our tarp all clean and put it underneath the sheet so we wouldn't have to keep changing the matress pad, too. The first night Ty was wet in the morning, but since then we've gone 5 nights accident free! I think our little guy just knew the diaper was there, so he used it.

Now if we could only master the whole wiping thing...

Travelocity Gnomes

2008-11-02T22:22:00.007-06:00

Maybe we've been watching too much of The Amazing Race on TV. Their sponsor is Travelocity, and often the contestants have to find the Travelocity Gnome and bring it to the pit stop with them. Anyway, thought this would be a fun costume. (It also reminds me of my mission. People in Missouri have a strange affinity for gnomes as lawn ornaments! Can I get an amen?)

Here's our version

Here's Travelocity's version.

The Gnome men.

This was inbetween trick-or-treating and the trunk-or-treat. They were both hot. Note to self: Halloween in South Texas is a little bit warmer than Halloween in Northern Utah.

I actually did a bit of research on Gnome families. It turns out the female gnomes are quite homely and only wear grey or brown. So homely, if fact, that the females do not go out in public, only the males. And females start growing beards at around age 350. Hmmm...the guy's costumes were definitely cuter!

I accidentally got a big glob of hot glue on my hat, so I covered it with a picture of a toadstool that said Home Sweet Home. I crack myself up!

Signs

2008-10-30T19:09:00.005-05:00

In the car, a day after reading about the Millenium:

Tyler: When is Jesus coming back?

Us: Nobody knows except Heavenly Father.

Tyler: Nobody knows?

Us: No, but we've been given signs to know that He's coming soon. We just need to make sure we're ready anytime.

Tyler: Well, we're ready right?

Us: Well, are we reading scriptures and saying prayers?

Tyler: Yes.

Us: Are we paying tithing? Are we obeying Heavenly Father?

Tyler: I am a very obedient boy.

Us: Yes you are. Obedience is important!

Tyler: Then I guess we're ready. We'll hold 'em up when Jesus comes, right?

Us: What?

Tyler: We'll hold em up.

Us: Hold what up?

Tyler: The signs!

Us: What signs?

Tyler: The signs when Jesus comes! We'll hold em up in our yard, right?

Us: (long pause) Oh, the signs! Well, we're given different kinds of signs to know that Jesus is coming, not actual signs that we hold up...