Thanksgiving

Well Thanksgiving has come and gone! I can't believe how fast November really has flown by! We had a wonderful turkey day. Brandon's parents drove from Gillette over here and we were so glad to have them come and stay for a few days. The kids were excited to see their grandparents! And we had a really nice visit! Lon brought his smoker and smoked us up the best turkey and ham yet! We all got stuffed to the max with tryptophan and yes I really needed to take a long nap when everything was done! My favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner is always the green bean casserole and hot gravy with HOT steamy rolls with butter melting everywhere! Brandon of course made his famous pumpkin cheesecake, which, I must say, tasted even better this year than the last! Needless to say, I am sure I gained about 100 pounds this feast! Time to hit the workout mode and I just can't seem to find my bottle of motivation anywhere! I must have lost it in the move! HEHEE...We put up our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. We had so much going on that day. Besides having grandparents here, I had to babysit all day long also. And just keeping up with cleaning my house and things. We didn't get to the tree until 7pm. And when Weylon asked if we could still do the tree, at first I said no not tonight! His little eyes welled up with tears and he says, "but you PROMISED!" So I said ok, go as daddy when we can do it. So Brandon told him the same thing, and then Weylons tears broke through the flood gate and he went on about how we promised...so we didn't have the heart to break his anymore, so we put up the tree! And Memphis thought it was the funniest thing to have a tree in the house! He doesn't quite understand the concept that the balls on the tree are not to throw. And so he has pulled every decorative ball off the tree that his little fingers can reach and tossed it around everywhere like a ball..so far I have thrown away about 15 broken ones. And these aren't even glass! They are supposed to be break-proof! HA! The testers of break-proof obviously didn't test their theory in a real home with a 18 month old baby! LOL...But it has been fun. I love to get up early in the morning and sit in the dark with the tree lights on and read my scriptures. It is very calming and peaceful. Here are a few pictures I took. I always kick myself after because I didn't get any of the kids with their grandparents, I didn't get any of the actual feast itself...I did get one of an awesome veggie turkey Lon and the kids made! Which was cute and tasty. All in all, I have had so much to be thankful for this year. I do realize that ALL I have is from my Loving Heavenly Father. I would have nothing without His love and tender mercies and guidance. I am so blessed.

This is daddy reading scriptures to the kids. We bought a childrens version from the distribution center! And they LOVE it! Its been fun and they understand some now too!

And this is Weylon when he finds the Halloween makeup! Atleast he was more creative than his sister with it!

This is what happens when OakLeigh finds the Halloween makeup. She was a mess! And after I washed it off, still had a red glow to her face for a few days!

This is Weylon with his Family Turkey Project. We had to decorate it anyway he wanted to. He was so proud of this! And he got to use the glue gun all by himself! And without any injuries! :)

November 14 2012

Well I am terrible at this thankful a day post. It doesn't mean I don't have so much to be thankful for, it means I am a mom and life gets away with itself. Which, if you wonder, doesn't mean I have been busy cleaning away at the house either. That is another story in itself. With the recent presidential election, I have been thinking a lot about my Country. The election by far, did NOT go in the direction I had been praying for. It did NOT make me happy at all. In fact, I ranted and raved and cried and moaned about it for a while. It makes me sick. I am so unhappy that Obama was re-elected. I honestly was sick to my stomach. I even cried. A LOT. Savanna even cried. She went to bed election night, seeing that Romney was not winning and she cried herself to sleep. After my rants and raves, and yes, probably making a few enemies because I was so deep into my loss, that I didn't realize I was hurting other peoples feelings, I decided to get on my knees. When in doubt PRAY..RIGHT!? And I went back onto facebook and erased all my mean comments about all the Obama lovers. Because, even if you support someone I do not, you are still family and you are still my friend. We didn't become friends because of politics. There is a reason the election went the way it did and now all I can do is pray. PRAY VERY HARD for our president that his heart will be softened and he will allow God back into our Country. I love my Country. I love what we were founded upon. I love the constitution. I am so very thankful to our soldiers, past and present. I can't imagine the fear they must have every single second of their life as they fight for our America. I can't imagine leaving my family and going overseas to war. I can't imagine my husband leaving us and going overseas to FIGHT. Yet they do and they do it because of the love they have for our COUNTRY and our FREEDOMS. I will forever have the deepest gratitude to each and every one of them and to their families. I think of Lexi and Hector and their 2 sweet little babies. Hector has been gone for several months overseas. I can't imagine being a single mom to 2 such young babies...I am so thankful for people like Hector who love our Country so much. And to people like Lexi that honor their spouse so much to have them go off to war and take on the home as mom and dad while they fight for our freedom. They are both heros in my eyes. Hector we appreciate you and all the men and woman like you. Words could never express our sincere gratitude to you. Lexi you are such an example to me! I am sure it has been hard, but you trudge right through. You and Hector will be blessed 10 fold for all you have sacrificed for the good of our Nation! And what an example you are to your children already! They, at such a young age, already know the love and dedication you have to America. So, even though I do NOT like President Obama. I have to pray for him. I have to pray for all the leaders of our Country. It was really hard to add his name to my prayer list at night when I pray. I have avoided saying his name at all cost. Then after a lot of thought and prayer at the direction our Country has been headed and now that Obama has won for another 4 years, all I can do is pray. All things are possible with the guidance and help of our loving Heavenly Father. Our Country was founded upon so many principles that I believe in. And I will not let satan take over. I will not let him into my life and my children's lives. I will teach them the best I know how at HOME. It all starts at home. I will continue to pray for my country, but I will also teach my children how to be proud of our great Country and live a life that they can say they did on their own! I will teach them to learn to be self-sufficient and live free and not enslaved to a gov't that owns us. Isn't that what America was about to begin with? I need to teach them to realize that DEBT is like being a slave. That welfare and free handouts don't set you free but holds you back. I will teach them to trust Heavenly Father and lean on Him and let Him guide their EVERY DAY choices. I will teach them that our Country is great. That it is worth fighting for. And we will fight every day for the things we believe in and stand up for what we know to be right, even if it is not what the norm is. God Bless our Country. God bless our great Nation and all She was founded upon. So even though I was upset about things, it will all be ok. My Heavenly Father will guide me and my family. I know that He has a great plan for us and yes, for our Country. I will trust in His plan and accept it and strive to live every day in a way that I can be proud of and He can be proud of. I found an article by Pres. Ezra Taft Benson. It is amazing to read. It is kind of long, but you will not be sorry if you take the time to read it. I have copied it and put it below!

Our Divine Constitution ".....I desire, to speak to you about our divine Constitution, which the Lord said “belongs to all mankind” (D&C 98:5; italics added) “and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles” (D&C 101:77; italics added). The Constitution of the United States has served as a model for many nations and is the oldest constitution in use today.... “I established the Constitution of this land,” said the Lord, “by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose” (D&C 101:80). At the conclusion of the Declaration of Independence, they wrote, “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” This Declaration was a promise that would demand terrible sacrifice on the part of its signers. Five of the signers were captured as traitors and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary War; another had two sons captured. Nine died from wounds or from the hardships of the war. The Lord said He “redeemed the land by the shedding of blood” (D&C 101:80). Nephi recorded that the Founders “were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations” (1 Ne. 13:19). During his first inaugural address in 1789, President George Washington, a man who was raised up by God, said: “No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand, which conducts the affairs of men, more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency” (First Inaugural Address, 30 Apr. 1789). In compliance with Article 6 of the Constitution, the very first act passed by Congress and signed by President Washington on June 1, 1789, was the actual oath to support the Constitution that was to be administered to various government officers. The dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland Temple, as dictated by the Lord and found in the Doctrine and Covenants, contains these words: “May those principles, which were so honorably and nobly defended, namely, the Constitution of our land, by our fathers, be established forever” (D&C 109:54). Shortly after President Spencer W. Kimball became President of the Church, he assigned me to go into the vault of the St. George Temple and check the early records. As I did so, I realized the fulfillment of a dream I had had ever since learning of the visit of the Founding Fathers to the St. George Temple. I saw with my own eyes the record of the work which was done for the Founding Fathers of this great nation, beginning with George Washington. Think of it: the Founding Fathers of this nation, those great men, appeared within those sacred walls and had their vicarious work done for them. President Wilford Woodruff spoke of it in these words: “Before I left St. George, the spirits of the dead gathered around me, wanting to know why we did not redeem them. Said they, ‘You have had the use of the Endowment House for a number of years, and yet nothing has ever been done for us. We laid the foundation of the government you now enjoy, and we never apostatized from it, but we remained true to it and were faithful to God’” (The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, sel. G. Homer Durham, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1946, p. 160). After he became President of the Church, President Wilford Woodruff declared that “those men who laid the foundation of this American government were the best spirits the God of heaven could find on the face of the earth. They were choice spirits … [and] were inspired of the Lord” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1898, p. 89). Unfortunately, we as a nation have apostatized in various degrees from different Constitutional principles as proclaimed by the inspired founders. We are fast approaching that moment prophesied by Joseph Smith when he said: “Even this nation will be on the very verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground, and when the Constitution is upon the brink of ruin, this people will be the staff upon which the nation shall lean, and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction” (19 July 1840, as recorded by Martha Jane Knowlton Coray; ms. in Church Historian’s Office, Salt Lake City). For centuries our forefathers suffered and sacrificed that we might be the recipients of the blessings of freedom. If they were willing to sacrifice so much to establish us as a free people, should we not be willing to do the same to maintain that freedom for ourselves and for future generations? Only in this foreordained land, under its God-inspired Constitution and the resulting environment of freedom, was it possible to have established the restored church. It is our responsibility to see that this freedom is perpetuated so that the Church may more easily flourish in the future. The Lord said, “Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land” (D&C 98:6). How then can we best befriend the Constitution in this critical hour and secure the blessings of liberty and ensure the protection and guidance of our Father in Heaven? First and foremost, we must be righteous. John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” (The Works of John Adams, ed. C. F. Adams, Boston: Little, Brown Co., 1851, 4:31). If the Constitution is to have continuance, this American nation, and especially the Latter-day Saints, must be virtuous. The Book of Mormon warns us relative to our living in this free land: “Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever” (2 Ne. 1:7). “And now,” warned Moroni, “we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity” (Ether 2:9). Two great American Christian civilizations—the Jaredites and the Nephites—were swept off this land because they did not “serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ” (Ether 2:12). What will become of our civilization? Second, we must learn the principles of the Constitution in the tradition of the Founding Fathers. Have we read The Federalist papers? Are we reading the Constitution and pondering it? Are we aware of its principles? Are we abiding by these principles and teaching them to others? Could we defend the Constitution? Can we recognize when a law is constitutionally unsound? Do we know what the prophets have said about the Constitution and the threats to it? As Jefferson said, “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free … it expects what never was and never will be” (Letter to Colonel Charles Yancey, 6 Jan. 1816). Third, we must become involved in civic affairs to see that we are properly represented. The Lord said that “he holds men accountable for their acts in relation” to governments “both in making laws and administering them” (D&C 134:1). We must follow this counsel from the Lord: “Honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil” (D&C 98:10). Note the qualities that the Lord demands of those who are to represent us. They must be good, wise, and honest. Fourth, we must make our influence felt by our vote, our letters, our teaching, and our advice. We must become accurately informed and then let others know how we feel. The Prophet Joseph Smith said: “It is our duty to concentrate all our influence to make popular that which is sound and good, and unpopular that which is unsound. ‘Tis right, politically, for a man who has influence to use it. … From henceforth I will maintain all the influence I can get” (History of the Church, 5:286). I have faith that the Constitution will be saved as prophesied by Joseph Smith. It will be saved by the righteous citizens of this nation who love and cherish freedom. It will be saved by enlightened members of this Church—among others—men and women who understand and abide the principles of the Constitution. I reverence the Constitution of the United States as a sacred document. To me its words are akin to the revelations of God, for God has placed His stamp of approval upon it. I testify that the God of heaven sent some of His choicest spirits to lay the foundation of this government, and He has now sent other choice spirits to help preserve it. We, the blessed beneficiaries of the Constitution, face difficult days in America, “a land which is choice above all other lands” (Ether 2:10). May God give us the faith and the courage exhibited by those patriots who pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. May we be equally as valiant and as free, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

My Sister

So most of you know I grew up with 4 brothers. I was the only girl. I was spoiled rotten. I am sure I got away with far more than I ever should have. So today I was thinking about what I am thankful for. And one for sure is my best friend, now my sister, Emily. We became basically inseparable from the 4th grade on. We both had a suitcase full of barbie stuff. It was awesome. My suitcase was dark green. It was my moms when she was young. It wasn't a big one. It was more like the size of a large caboodle (if you remember those). But we would lug our little suitcases of barbies from house to house. And we would actually play barbies for HOURS. That is NOT an exaggeration. Emily's mom helped us make our own barbie furniture one saturday. That was a great day. We made the coolest beds, couches, tables...She was always so crafty. It was so much fun. Emily always had the cooler barbie stuff. But I think it was because she took better care of it. Or because I had 4 brothers always into my stuff. Ya we will go with that excuse. ;) Emily always teases us about the first time she slept over. She is a very light sleeper. And you could say I come from a family of very DEEP sleepers. (Except for my mom. Who apparently just got used to it.) But she said she laid in bed all night long listening to me snore and talk. Then when I would take a break, she could hear my dad...CLEAR AT THE OTHER END OF THE HOUSE. He could break down mountains with his snore. Then she could hear the loud roars basically from every room in the house. At differing intervals. Poor Em didn't get a wink of sleep all night. And we were all pretty early risers growing up. So just as the sun was breaking up, the roars settled, she tried to fall asleep and the house began to wake up. Another funny thing, was that dinner at Emily's house was always very proper. Her parents were older, and she was the youngest. So they always all sat together and the table was set properly. They said please pass, and thank you. Then she ate dinner at my house. My dad would sit in the living room watching the news and eating. Mom never ate dinner so she sat in the living room with dad. And that left 4 brothers and me at the table....ALONE! I never thought we ate badly. Or without manners. Apparently I was wrong. She said it was the most disgusting thing she every witnessed. None of us closed our mouths when we ate. No one said please pass. We were reaching and shoving, burping. And with 4 brothers you know there was a few other stinky noises too. My poor mother hears these stories and dies of embarrassment. Me, I think, aww, what memories. Family dinner with the brothers. HAHA Emily and I stuck together all through elementary school, middle school and high school. I don't think I would have survived my adolescent years with out her. She was my rock. A story I actually love about Em, and how strong she is against peer pressure is, one night we were out walking the town. This was Lyman, I was with Emily, so I didn't really ever have a curfew. Mom figured we were probably playing barbies somewhere. (haha) But we came upon a group of guys from school. They were drinking beer. They offered us one. I immediately was annoyed and said, "NO..."! She says oh sure we want a beer. So they give us one! She never took her eyes off them, she takes it, opens it, and turns it over and pours it on the ground! I thought she was the coolest thing ever after that. I loved the look on those guys face because she wasted a precious beer. HAHA Through the years we remained close. Then she went to NM with me. And she and Chris decided to date. It was cool but oh so weird. They thought I was asleep. I was totally faking it and they started to make out. Then I was stuck faking it and didn't dare get up. Eventually I fell asleep. (Of course. It wasn't hard for me to zonk out). I am so thankful my best friend married my brother. I always knew we were meant to be sisters. We have had rough spots. As all friends do. But she and I were probably best friends in the pre-mortal life. I am sure we played barbies there too. I am sure we giggled and talked till all hours of the night then as we did and try to do when we get together now. But we made it through our rough patches, and we always will because we are not just friends. We are sister. I am so thankful for her! I miss our young days together. We always said we would live next door to each other and our kids would be best friends too. I would say her marrying my brother is the next best thing. Love you Em and so thankful for you and our friendship!

Thinking on Thanksgiving....

I have been thinking a lot this evening about what I am thankful for. And then I heard of a terrible tragedy in my old town. A lady had ended her life. She was a mother. I think she was a grandmother. But most of all, she was a daughter of God. I think that is something that we always need to keep constantly reminding ourselves. We are Children of a Heavenly Father who DOES LOVE US. He knows us by name. He HEARS our prayers. He hears our thoughts. He knows our trials. He knows our hearts desires. I am so thankful to know that I have my parents here on earth that love me so much and do so much for me, but even more, I am so thankful for the knowledge I have that I am a Daughter of God. That gives my life a whole lot more meaning. I know that when I am in my deepest despair, I KNOW without a shadow of a doubt, that I can get on my knees and cry to my Heavenly Father and HE WILL HEAR ME. And I will make it through because He will carry me. When my burdens seem to much to carry anymore, I know He is there for me. What a wonderful blessing. I am so very thankful to my Heavenly Father.

2nd day of Thanksgiving

I have thought a lot about what I am thankful for. I think one of the greatest blessings in my life is that we still have Brandon here with us on this earth. We are just a few months short of the 1 year anniversary from his accident at work. I look at all the prayers and fasting done and said on his behalf, and it still brings tears to my eyes. Words can not express how thankful I am that his life was spared. When he was put on life flight, it was determined that he had 3rd degree burns. And the EMT's didn't think that his left ear was going to be able to be saved. When I arrived at the burn unit in Colorado, I was told that we should expect a 4 week stay. But Brandon received a priesthood blessing and was told that he would heal quickly and all would be well. I know that miracles exist today. I KNOW that because of the prayers said, and his blessing administered, that his diagnosis changed to 2nd degree burns. Which requires no surgery. It is more painful because all your nerves are exposed from the burn, but healing is quicker and no skin grafts needed. We were discharged from the hospital 4 days after arriving. I know it was not a mis-diagnosis. I know he had 3rd degree burns, but through the grace and mercy of our Heavenly Father, he was healed and we received our MIRACLE. Brandon has had a rough life as far as the physical sense. He and his twin were born at 24 weeks gestation. His twin passed away a few days after birth, but Brandon's life was spared. He is a fighter. He had a terrible car accident on the Broadbent ranch in high school, but again his life was spared. Besides these things and numerous surgeries due to conditions from being a premature baby, and then this burn accident, he has been blessed to remain with us on this earth. Heavenly Father has a great mission that he has not fulfilled yet. He has a far greater purpose to do here than even he realizes. He is a wonderful father. The kids love him so much. He leads our family with love and a gentle hand. It takes a lot for him to get mad and yell. He rarely spanks the kids. He is a wonderful husband. He treats me like a queen. Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve his love. I am forever and eternally thankful for him and his dedication to our family. I wouldn't be able to raise our kids without his guidance. I am so thankful he is a worthy priesthood holder. We love him so much and are so thankful for him and all he does for us.

Here we are!~

This is Brandon the 2nd day at the burn unit in Colorado.

Here he is today. Our miracle. He has no scarring. His left ear doesn't even look damaged. The wind still burns his face and hands. But we are so very blessed.

HALLOWEEN 2012

Halloween this year came upon so FAST! I can't believe I am looking at November 1st today! I want to do a thankful post for every day this month, but I know that I won't get on here every single day. So I will post as I get on! But I am thinking a lot about my kiddos today. They had so much fun yesterday. I am so thankful that my Heavenly Father blessed me and trusted me to be a mother. I would be so lost with out my babies. They are my world. I may not be the best mother, and I may not show it as often to them as I should, but I love my children more than anything. It is hard to comprehend this kind of love, a Mother's kind of love. I know how my mom felt and feels now. It is an emotion that you can not properly and adequately put into words. I am just so thankful for each one of them and for the different qualities and characteristics each one of them brings to our family. They may all look like clones of each other, but they do NOT act like clones of each other. Savanna has a heart of gold. She is so sensitive and caring. I am so thankful Heavenly Father blessed her with this gift. What a powerful gift to have. She is always thinking of someone else before herself. She is always making sure everyone is happy and included. Weylon is persistent. Sometimes it is a very ANNOYING quality to have, because the boy never gives up on what he wants. Which really is a good thing. But when he wants something, that we have told him no over and over for, he won't give up. He once said, "I'm hungry" 89 times on our drive back home from church. It was a 20 minute drive. He is a hard worker. He will outwork anyone. He loves to work and I love that about him. What a great quality. You give him a job or a task and I guarantee it will be done and done good. Now OakLeigh, what a girl. She is one of a kind. She loves horses. She could play horses all day long. She loves her family. She will come up and give you a big tight hug, and tell you, "I love you this big, a hundred million 3 410 trillion times big." And thats a big number. To her 4 year old mind, that is the largest # in the world. And that is good enough for me! Memphis is our little spoiled ray of sunshine. He can make anyone smile. You can tell he is our last baby, because anything he points at, everyone drops to get for him. He has the whole family wrapped around his little fingers. What a great blessing I have to be a mother. My children are so special and I don't think I could ever express how I truly feel in a way that would put it into the right words. So with that, here are our Halloween pictures. We did one pumpkin. It had 3 sides different faces. The kids had their class parties and we did trick or treating and a trunk or treat. Here's to another fun Halloween!

October 2012

October has been a hard month. A month of sorrow and sadness but also a month of reflection. I was able to go visit my family in New Mexico and even though it was a rushed trip, it was so nice to be together with all of those that could make it to Granny's funeral. October has been a month of memories and reminiscing. I love to think about all the good times. Well today as I was thinking I came across a story of a guy I went to high school with. We weren't really friends. He was in Chris and Tom's class. His brother was in my class. Anyways, you hear about such a heartbreaking story as his and it really puts your own life into perspective. It really makes you stop and appreciate all that you have. Here is the story..."Phil and Cheri Hansen's 9 year old son Hunter was diagnosed with leukemia (AML), he went through treatments, but unfortunately his cancer returned. He was then told he would need a bone marrow transplant to rid his body of cancer again. On September 18th 2012, while he was still at Primary Children's Hospital recovering from his transplant, his mother suddenly passed away from a heart attack. As if that isn't enough.. the family learned that Hunter's cancer is back for a second time and there is nothing more the Doctors can do for him. They told his father (who also lost a baby girl 12 years ago) to take Hunter back home to Wyoming and make him comfortable while he lives out his last days on earth. Hunter is old enough to understand what is happening to him and he is still mourning the loss of his beloved mother who he will soon be joining in heaven. It is just beyond heartbreaking." This story just breaks my heart. It makes me want to drop immediately to my knees and 1st thank my Father in Heaven for all my blessings. Thank Him that my babies are all healthy. That Brandon and I, are able to be with them on this earth life still. I want to pray for a miracle for this family. I know that Thy Will Be Done though. I pray that this family can accept it and can somehow find a way to go on. I can't even imagine the strength of this father. I don't know that I could find the strength to go on after losing my wife and knowing my son was going to pass on in the next few weeks. Makes me so thankful for the Atonement. For the plan of salvation. Makes me so very thankful that we CAN be an ETERNAL family. It gives me the push to keep going. To try harder. To love harder. To forgive more.

I have a box I was given at the hospital when we lost our little Steven. In the box there is a packet of pictures the nurses took of Steven. A baby outfit the hospital gives you. But it was beyond TOO BIG for his tiny little body. And a little gold chain with a tiny ring on it. I was looking through this after Granny died and I got an overwhelming feeling of peace. Sometimes I beat myself up over his death. I wonder what I did wrong. I wonder if I had only.......he could be here with us today. But that day, I was given a feeling of peace. And OakLeigh said to me, "mom, isn't it so neat that Granny is in heaven now?" I told her I was so glad for Granny to be in heaven now because she wasn't hurting anymore and she could feel free. She said, "ya, but Granny gets to sit in heaven and hold our Steven for you." And I was able to FEEL that peace. I was able to FEEL the Atonement working for me. What a wonderful feeling of peace and love. I am so thankful to my Heavenly Father for letting me feel such warmth and love. It literally was like a blanket wrapped around my shoulders.

Now on a funnier note. I have to tell on my dad. So when Granny went into the hospital, mom had a candle jar thing full of caramel looking wax. It wasn't caramel though. And she put it in one of the extra bedrooms on top of the desk. And she said she kind of thought she should mention to dad that it was wax, but thought against it cause she didn't think he would go into that room anyway. Well after we all left and it was just mom and dad home, dad walks into her room with the jar of wax and he is chewing. He says, "this isn't caramel is it?" Mom started laughing. She tells him it is wax. He keeps chewing and says, "I thought so. It doesn't taste very good." HAHA all this as he has little strings of wax hanging off his beard. Still makes me laugh even as I type it and re-read it several times. Thanks dad for always making us laugh!

GRANNY!

Granny, Ina Jean Elkins, was born November 14th, 1930. She died today. September 30th 2012. I want to dedicate this to Granny. She is such an example to me. I have so many wonderful stories and memories of and with my Granny. I remember spending a month in Ramah with her and Popo when I was about 8 years old. It was just me and I LOVED every second of it. Sure I got homesick and cried but Granny was right there with her big squishy hugs and songs. I remember laying in bed at night, in between her and Popo and we would listen to Popo snore and we would giggle. And we made up songs about all her grandkids. Then she would fall asleep and you could hear her LONG fingernails scratching her skin. HAHA such a strange memory to have, but every time I hear that sound I think of that summer with them. I remember driving for our 12 hours from Lyman and getting to Ramah and Granny and Popo would have crackers and milk for us. Sounds like such a weird treat now, but we loved it. And we couldn't wait to wake up to her biscuits and gravy and of course, TANG! The big white house in Ramah was such a treasure to us kids. It had so many places to hide and so many closets full of such mystery and excitement! I loved hearing Granny and mom, Jo, and Aunt Betsy talking early in the morning. They would get up around 4am and sit around the big fireplace and talk. I would love to get up and lay on my moms lap and listen to their stories. I loved how Popo used to sing songs and not the correct words and granny would get so mad at him. She would tell him, "if you don't know the right words then don't sing the song." And he would laugh at her and say, "Well, shoooeee" and he would sing more wrong words. One of the most wonderful experiences I had with Granny was a few years ago. I was able to go to the Albuquerque temple with her and Mom and Chesley sat in as proxy for Uncle Stoney and we did his work. It was so special to be there with Granny for that. She cried and cried tears of joy for Stoney. I am so thankful for that experience. Granny was at my high school graduation, snow college graduation, and USU graduation. She was also at my wedding. I love that she cared enough to be there for me. I have a hilarious story about Granny after my snow college graduation. I was moving to Bluewater to teach preschool. And Granny was going to ride with me. I had my old 1979 pontiac grand am. And it was HOTTER THAN HELL that day we were driving from Ephraim to Bluewater. And we just passed Moab, and my dang car started to over heat. Granny said roll down the windows and turn on the heater. Sure enough it worked, but I am sure we were a sight to see. Both of us had windblown hair and sweat just a pouring off of us. We got to Cortez and decided to stop at Wendys for lunch. We both went to the bathroom first, and I hear granny in the stall next to me, and I hear PLOP. And then Granny said, "OH SH**". HAHA I died laughing. I finally was able to speak and ask if she was ok, and she was so mad. She had dropped her purse in the toilet. I was laughing so hard that she finally busted a gut laughing too. I had to tease her about that every time I went to visit her. Granny wasn't one that usually swore and I think thats why it was so funny to me. I loved that about Granny. She sat me down one day, after she heard some foul language come from a cousin I was with. She sat us both down and said, "a lady never lets cuss words come out of her mouth. A lady always watches her mouth and words. A Daughter Of God will always remember that Heavenly Father is sitting here with her and will remember to talk like a lady.' She never talked down to us, she told us how we should speak and act and then gave us both a hug. That happened when I was about 11 years old. So it has been 26 years ago and I still remember exactly what she said and how she said it. I am so very thankful that I have had a good relationship with Granny. We talked on the phone at least once or twice a week. I am so glad I was able to talk to Granny last week. I had a feeling I needed to call her. I had tried several times that day and never got an answer, but thought I should try one more time. I am so glad I did. She talked about a barn dance she had been to once. And a couple other stories about her life growing up. Then she told me she loved me. She actually told me that twice. I am so thankful I was able to talk to Granny one more time. I keep thinking of the reunion Granny must be having. When Popo died, I remember crying for her and feeling so sad that her sweetheart was gone. And when they were getting ready to close Popo's casket, she held his hand and wept and told him how much she loved him. She said she didn't think she could let him go. She kissed him one last time and sat down. I am sure her and Popo are having a kiss and hug right now. I know that Popo was waiting for her with open arms. Along with Maud, Betsy and Stoney, Momo and Papa, and so many other loved ones. I am sure Granny, Popo, and her 3 children are all gathered around having the best reunion and walk down memory lane. I can't imagine the joy she must feel. I can't imagine how free and peaceful she must be. For as we are so sad here, and will miss her greatly, I am so thankful that I know with a surety that we are an eternal family. That they are together, and we WILL see her and all of them again. I am so glad I got to talk to her tonight. About an hour before she passed away. Jo put the phone to her ear and she was babbling. I was bawling and she did say to me, 'don't cry.' And I told her to give Popo and Aunt Betsy a big hug for me. And she said, 'oh yes, oh my'. I told her I loved her and she said something I couldn't understand and that was it. I am so grateful for the plan of salvation. I am so thankful that we have a merciful and loving Heavenly Father. I am so thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. Through His sacrifice for me, I will see my dear sweet Granny again. Good night Granny! I love you. See you in the funny papers.

School 2012

School has began! Weylon is in 1st grade and Savanna is in 4th! I can't believe they are getting so old! OakLeigh is home still and we are doing preschool together at home. I can't believe how expensive it is here. I wish they had a program like they did in Rozet. It helped Weylon so much! But Oaks and I are going to learn to read this year. We are working hard on her name, but my heck she has 8 different letters in it. And they are hard! If we were thinking we would have named her Al, or Ed, or something SHORT! Oh well, here is to learning how to write the WHOLE ABC's this year! Memphis is growing too! He still doesn't speak much, but he does point at things and in an unclear way says, "whats dat", and he did say once, "yook at dat" (look at that). I understand. He basically screams and points until you figure it out. He is a hoot and loves to make everyone laugh. Brandon started a new job. He now works for ATS. It is a division of Questar...it is a GREAT company to work for and we are really excited! We have been blessed so much. On another note, mom and dad got to go on an Alaskan Cruise last week! Mom has wanted to go on a cruise for YEARS! Dad and her finally went. I am glad they did. I mean they have been married for 41 years! They deserve a cruise! Mom said it was COLD. (SHOCKER) They did go on a boat whale watching and got to see a lot of whales! That would be awesome! Here are some pictures! We are doing well and happy and will post more later! I probably won't have time tonight to tell what each is. There is one of Weylon and Savanna on the first day of school. They were so hyper and excited....and nervous. Memphis LOVES chocolate pudding. He insists on eating himself also. And from the pictures you will see this. OakLeigh has made a friend, Chelsea Davis. They are BEST buds. If there were ever a child made just like OakLeigh, it is Chelsea. They are two peas in a pod. This is the custom built hat that our good friend Spencer Davis made! And Brandon helped build it. It is Brandon's and he LOVES this hat! It looks pretty awesome!

Funny things....

So I was trying to remember all the funny things my kids say. And I have to write this down. It is too good not to. We were at our Felkins family reunion and OakLeigh was talking to her cousin Justin. She told him that if she was in her human form she would eat him...WHERE IS SHE FROM? LITERALLY? HAHA Well then one Sunday we were in my parent's New Mexico sacrament meeting. OakLeigh was sitting in between Alex and Ella. During a quiet moment (of course) OakLeigh looks to the girls and tells them that if they ever step on a dead bird, the guts would squish between their toes! And the sad thing about that comment is, is that she has proof....So we were on our way to Four Corners to get some pictures. OakLeigh was in the car with my mom and again Alex and Ella. And my mom was being told all these funny things she said. And my mom says, "oh Oakie where did you come from?" And Oaks innocent and very serious reply was, "well one day my mom was digging a hole. And then she saw some hair in the hole. So she pulled it up and it was me!" Gotta love that girl. There really is NO OTHER like her on this earth. We are always told that she is going to give us a run for our money. Little do people know she is already giving us a run! But as ornery as she is, she has the sweetest spirit and the most love to give. At any given moment of the day she will stop playing horses long enough to hug me or her daddy and tell us that she loves us this much! (As she stretches her arms as wide as she can...) And when she gives you a kiss she will tell you it is a forever kiss. What a sweet, ornery little cuss that I wouldn't trade for the world! Then I have my Weylon. He is one hard working kid. He asked me the other day if he could help me clean house. I of course said, "heck ya" and told him he could mop the kitchen floor. It was pretty bad since we just moved into this house, and boxes and feet being drug across....and not to mention that the house has been empty for several years and had collected a LOT of dirt to it. Well he got the towel wet like I showed him and he mopped that floor better than I ever would have done it! Give that boy a job and he will do it at 120%. He will out work most teenage boys I know! But he can also whine more than any other 2 year old I know! (And the bad part is is he is 6!) But if he has a schedule and structure he does so good! Thats why I am so glad for school to start soon! He needs that schedule. He needs to have that structure that school can give him! Summer is great and I love my kids home, but they need school! I NEED SCHOOL! :) So one lesson Weylon learned tonight, if you are trying to learn how to break dance and get to kicky with your feet, you WILL in fact, give yourself a bloody nose! Poor kid. And that nose bled for a good hour. I hope it isn't broken. But I saw that foot fly up and saw it connect. I knew it would be bleeding! Now for our sweet little Memphis Miracle. He really is a light to our family. Anyone can be pissy and grumpy and he can walk in with his little smile and light up your world! He still won't talk other than he says, 'no no, momma, daddy, and whutts dat?" He will point at anything and yell "whutts dat?' It is so cute. OakLeigh was playing cowgirl a couple weeks ago. And she swung her rope and actually roped Memphis. She didn't know it did, but it went around his neck. But before I could jump up to rescue she took off and he FLIPPED. I thought for sure she hurt his neck. It did have rope burn but nothing serious. But he cried off and on all night long. And the next morning he wouldn't walk. And if you put pressure on his left leg he would scream. Well this went on for 2 more days and I decided to take him to the clinic for x-rays. Which was an awful experience. He screamed in that room and they made me stay in the hall. I cried out there for him...but the xrays didn't show any kind of break. But he is still limping. He wouldn't walk for almost 2 weeks. But thankfully he started to this week. NO MORE ROPING KIDS OAKLEIGH! :) And the oldest Savanna. She really is the greatest big sister. She is the most wonderful help to me ever. She will be the first to give love to someone who has been hurt. She will be the first to give hugs and kisses to her sweet Memphis boy. She plays with Weylon and OakLeigh even when she would rather watch tv or read a book. She has a heart of gold. She has been given a gift from her Father in Heaven of the most kind, caring, sensitive spirit. She always looks out for the underdog. She is so smart. She is already living a life and sharing her testimony in a way I wish I could. If it is her turn for family prayer, she puts a lot of thought into it. And always remembers to pray for someone who has been sick, or sad in some way. When I am in a bad mood (and sadly taking it out on everyone else) she will go in her room and say a prayer for me. And then come and tell me, and of course my heart will soften. Who can resist such sweet innocence and faith? The funny thing about Savanna is that she is the one who the word DRAMA was made for. She is full of it! She had a small mosquito bite and was scratching it. It turned into a small rash. She immediately thought she must surely have a horrible disease. And it took me a good 4 hours to convince her that it was a bite and only red because she wouldn't leave it alone! I love my children with all my heart. They are my world. I don't know how my life could ever be full without them. They and Brandon make me want to do better. They make me want to be better. I am forever in debt to my Heavenly Father for the trust and faith he has in me to be there mother.

SUMMER FUN 2012

WOW! I Can't believe my summer is coming to a close already! We have had a wonderful summer and so much going on! We had the Felkins family reunion in July in Lovell at Ryan and Amber's home. We all met on the 4th of July at Yellow Tail Lake just out of Lovell Wyoming. It was a great time!~ I love being with my parents and all my brothers and their families. All together we have 23 grandkids....and my kids were LOVING it. They had a ball. The older kids are such a great help and my OakLeigh latched onto Spencer and Justin and followed them everywhere they would let her. We had so much fun. Ryan and Amber went to a lot of planning for us. We had themes for each day. The first day was a fall theme of back to school. We had a Christmas theme which was everyones favorite. We spent that day at the church. We had a Christmas tree and every one drew names and we had to pick out a dollar store gift. It was AWESOME to see how much thought each person put into their gift even if it was from the dollar store. The best was when OakLeigh opened the gift from Hannity. She got her a princess puzzle. OakLeigh was so excited she ran right to her and gave her the biggest hug. It was priceless! It was fun to see what everyone could come up with. We also had a home cooked Christmas meal that day. With turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, hot buttery rolls, green bean casserole.....and to top it off we got banana splits and a great Christmas video that Ryan had made. It was a wonderful day. The last day of the reunion we celebrated Easter and even had an Easter egg hunt for the little kids. It was nice to celebrate the reunion like this since we all live so far apart and rarely get to spend the holidays together. We also had a game night of the Price is Right. It was hilarious! I made it to bidders row but never got off of it. Thank you Ryan and Amber for all your hard work you went through for us to all have such an amazing time! Right after the reunion we drove Brandon home and left him there and mom drove with me back to New Mexico. It was a great trip! Savanna and Weylon rode with Pa and OakLeigh and Memphis with Nana and me. It was a good trip. We had so much fun at Nana and Pa's. They put up the swimming pool! Thankfully! As you all know NEW MEXICO IS HOT! Especially compared to Big Piney. We swam every day sometimes all day long. They also built a swing set and play house. My kids were in heaven! We also got to go to Albuquerque shopping for school clothes. That was fun but a LONG drive and by the time we were done shopping and home - I don't think my mom or I would have ever taken my kids all together again... It was fun to get to go to Granny's and spend some time with her and Jo. We got to have a great bbq at Wes and Jenny's and even got to see Uncle Jim! I LOVE UNCLE JIM! He reminds me so much of Popo. I love being around him. And Wes had Katie get out a horse and let OakLeigh fulfill a huge dream of hers. She got to ride! She is my horse girl. And you couldn't wipe that smile off her face if you tried. It was also great because a week before we came home Kel and Sara's family came. Savanna and Jackson hit it off. They were inseparable. It was so funny because they would walk around the house singing the same songs, laughing at the same jokes and watching the same movies. They even slept in the same bed. Weylon and Molly and OakLeigh had fun together. But my hooked at the hip Memphis didn't let anyone get to close until about the last 2 days. Alex and Ella and Lauren were a huge help to me. My kids LOVE them. In fact OakLeigh still cries at night for Alex. Alex let her sleep in the camper with her every night and she cuddled and loved on her. She will make such a wonderful mom someday! And of course it just wouldn't be the same if Kel wasn't making fun of me or if everyone didn't sit around and tell funny Erin stories. They are lucky I can laugh at myself as much as they can laugh at me! On the 2nd to last day we went to Four Corners and got pictures of all the kids in all 4 states. It was great but HOT! So then we left there and went to the rec center pool in Cortez. The kids had a great time! All except for Alex. She happened to slip and fall on the water slide stairs and really hurt her little elbow. So she and Nana left while we all swam. It was a great time! Another good thing we got to do was go spend the day with Grandma for her birthday. I am really glad we got to go since she was home alone that day. I took the kids to the store and Weylon and Savanna really looked long and hard before they picked out a gift for her. Weylon picked out a coffee mug. "Since grandma drinks coffee she will love this," Weylon said. And Savanna picked out a glass plate. It was clear. She thought "old ladies love clear glass mom". HAHA. We took her a cake and bought her Strawberry ice cream...(her favorite). I think that by the time we left several hours later she was pooped out! We also went to the beauty college in Farmington and all of us girls got pedicures. Savanna was LOVING this. She has wanted to always do that. OakLeigh had the giggles. They girls and Weylon also got haircuts. I went later on - WITHOUT KIDS--- and got my hair chopped off! Its the shortest it has been in YEARS! We had such a wonderful time and I hope my mom and dad know how much it meant to us to spend the month with them! And Brandon, what a good sport. He was stuck at home in our DISGUSTING rental home trying to endure being alone in that place was hard on him. I felt bad every day for him. But we came home and loaded up and moved a few days later! We are now in the best home we can find here and we are so happy! Goodbye and good riddance to that dump! I feel bad for anyone who rents that place. But I will say that we were thankful to find even that to live in when we moved here so that our family could stay together. After Brandon's accident we knew it was the best thing to do to keep our family together. So as awful as that house was, I am thankful for it for that reason! And now that we are moved into our new home, I even UNPACKED! Something I didn't do much of in that other house. I lived out of a box for the most part. It was that bad! Now school starts in 2 weeks and we will be starting a new chapter in our lives. Savanna will be going into 4th grade and Weylon into 1st grade! My little OakLeigh will be OakLeigh. She is hard to describe. There is no other like her. And my little Memphis is as spoiled as ever. We all love on him - and he knows he can get away with anything anytime. I will be doing daycare soon but only 3 kids. I don't want to do more than that. It will be refreshing to have a small load! And I will say that this break I have had from daycare since we moved here has been a wonderful break for me and much needed time for us to help our family adjust. Here are some pictures. Enjoy! Oh and I just got called as the Relief Society secretary. I was excited! Its the first town we ever moved to that I was NOT put right into the nursery or primary! This will be good for me!

This is Savanna getting her pedicure but before the haircut!

Here is Nana and OakLeigh getting a pedicure!

My little Memphis is getting tubes put in his ears just before the vacation.

Swimming at Nana and Pa's house!

More swimming at Nana and Pa's house!

Weylon the Pirate and OakLeigh as Rapunzel!

Here is Savanna and Memphis going for a horse ride!

Here is my horse girl! OakLeigh was so excited!

Weylon my cowboy!

Savanna riding by herself!

We were at the 24th of July parade! It was a great parade!

Adeltha flooded her yard! Mud swims are the best!

More flood swimming!

Mud and water! Good combination!

Who can resist taking a naked booty picture! Especially when they are such cute cheeks!

Here is Jackson and OakLeigh at 4 corners!

Again at the 24th of July celebrations! They had a lot of water fun which I LOVED! It cooled me off greatly!

A train ride at the 24th of July days!

Here is my haircut! I love it. I just wish I knew how to do it cute! Shortest I have ever had it in over 20 years!

Savanna, Molly, Weylon and Jack at 4 corners!

Savanna had to have her picture touching the 4 corners plate!

Alex, Ella, Lauren, Molly, Jack, Savanna, Weylon, Oaks, Memphis 4 corners

Alex, Ella, Lauren, Jack and Molly

Mitchell clan sweating it out!