Well, It was Inevitable...

You always hear the stories of the little boys being dressed up by their older sisters. Michael has always managed to be a superhero during dress up time with the girls, but this time they got their hands on him. Meet BETTY...

Hours of Entertainment

We were laughing so hard we were crying!

First Day of School (A Month Late!)

I have mixed feelings about school starting. I like having a quiet house sometimes, but I do miss the kids. I know that I loose more and more influence over them each year. It was very sad to send Michael off this year, even if it is just 4-K, 1/2 day. I really miss him. Jane and I just sit around and stare at each other. Bella just won class representative for student council at her school. Rachel tried, but as there were 12 kids running, the odds weren't great. They were the only ones that memorized their speeches....thank you, church talks for the prep.

Motherhood Perfection

There are so many days when I think to myself..."what am I doing?" I'm always way short on the 'mother of the year' platform. Tonight however, I had a great evening with Tommy. We transposed a song so that we could play a duet on the piano and clarinet together (such a cool feeling). Then at the last minute before going to bed, he asks me where we keep the playdoh. Let me tell you...I do not support the playdoh industry...it is WAY not worth the work it is to clean it up. So, Tommy thinks he is out of luck, no playdoh in the house. Well, I just whipped up a batch of playdoh from scratch. He was very impressed. I told Dave I should get the mother of the day foot massage....he's still thinking about it.

Another Neice!!!!

I'm so excited! Jeff and Amy had their baby girl, Liberty May. I've only seen one photo, but she is beautiful! I wish I was there in AZ...but hopefully we will be there after Christmas!

The Lord's Hand

My sister, Shelley, and her husband, Caleb, got some bad news last week. They found out that their baby (at 34 weeks gestation) was not growing as much as she should be and that there was a heart defect. Obviously, not the kind of news you want to hear. Shelley had already been on bed rest and being monitored for pre-term labor, so this was just more to worry about.

Last week, we all fasted and prayed as a family and also had the prayers of the wards and friends around us, and truely our prayers were answered. I can't give the whole detailed story justice...you can check out Shelley's blog when she logs it all in, but the way in which all the medical people that they needed were there for her (or not there for her ;)...part of the long story) is amazing.
Friday night, because of the concerned medical staff and the promptings of Shelley that something was wrong, she was under servailance at St. Joe's hospital when Shelley awoke with the monitor telling her that her baby's heart beat was dangerously low. Her doctor rushed right in (what doctor is ever there when they are needed during a birth...hee hee) and they did an emergency C-section.
Her beautiful little girl, Ellory (I don't know the spelling, SORRY) Kay McBride, was born with no complications. She is little, 3 lbs. 12 oz, but she could breathe on her own and had good vital signs. So far, they can hold off on the heart operation until a later date, but all is as good as one could hope for. All these things were a miracle and I'm so grateful to Heavenly Father for giving our family such a faith building experience that brought us close.
I'll post photos as soon as I get them.
On another exciting note....I'm getting another neice soon from Jeff and Amy....I can't wait...and am wishing more than ever that I was still in AZ!!!!!

Politics Politics

I'm trying hard to not be so political....but it is so dang hard!!!! I am trying to be optimistic about everything, but really it's just a MESS. I am so torn about Sara Pallin. As Rush said, she stands for every Liberal belief...that a woman can have it all. Well, the conservative in me is screaming, "You can't have it all!!!" But, I do think she is an amazing lady for what she has accomplished. So, I'm torn, but I am worried that she is a mixed message to conservative women out there. I just wish she was a little older...her kids a little older.
As a side note, these comments that the Democrats are making are SO funny. I've been laughing out loud everyday. Thank you Matt Damon and Joe Biden...hee hee!

Finishing up the Trek

Here we all are inside the Seventies Hall.
This is a very cute playhouse outside our cabin.


This was inside the "cabin" we were staying at. There were actual deer heads on the wall (Shelley and Caleb would have loved it) and some very quaint paintings of dead ducks.

So cute...all the old people....
Seriously, this was no pansy trek!
Yes, there was an injury. Poor Bella! Tommy also received a couple scrapes from a killer thorny stick.
It was harder than it looked. It was a very hot, humid day. I don't know how the pioneers did it.
We learned how to make barrels (because you might need to do that someday), candles, bread, rope (ok, we had to drag Tommy away from that exhibit...) etc.

I think we would have made really cute pioneers...


I think the pioneer games were the most fun.
There were just too many cute photos!

He was dying to get on the horse...
He didn't want to get on the sheep!!! Hee Hee

This is a cute little wooded fence in Nauvoo. They were all looking at my mom's camera.

Here's the bullet hole where the bullet that killed Hyram Smith went through.
This is at Carthage Jail. It always leaves quite an impression.
Why do I always do repeat prints? Especially a photo that shows my double chin....

This is right outside our little cabin that we stayed in. I think that's about the closest my kids have ever come to a horse!

Well, our summer wouldn't be complete if we didn't finish the 'church tour' and go to Nauvoo. Since my mom and dad were here, we thought it would be fun to head down there. It is about a 6 hour drive, so it's not that bad. We arrived around 3pm, saw some sights, and went to the missionary show. The kids really liked it! The next day we went to the rest of the Nauvoo town sites. I can't believe I didn't get photos of the temple....I'm crazy! But we did get to do a session, which was absolutely amazing!!! The next day, we went to Carthage Jail. So, if anyone wants to come visit us, Nauvoo is just a hop, skip, and a jump away!