2013

It is hard to believe we had Christmas come and go already. It went so fast its almost as if we are still waiting for it to come! But it did. And it was great. We didn't go overboard this year, and at first Brandon and I were feeling kind of bad that the kids didn't get that much...but they were VERY Excited with everything and didn't seem to notice what they didn't get! Christmas Eve night was STRESSFUL! The only thing Savanna asked for from Santa was a book case for her room. And Santa delivered it for daddy to put together but the boards got broke in his sleigh! We were FREAKING OUT! Its not like we live in a town that you can just run out to the store or walmart...Its a 90 mile drive and we didn't find it broken until 630PM! yikes! I cried, Brandon wanted to. I didn't want to ruin her Christmas. But Daddy came to the rescue and figured out how to fix it with the limited supplies we have here...and Savanna was happy. She got her book case and was sad when we told her it got broke in Santa's sleigh and we would get her a new one as soon as we could. She wanted to keep this one. Everyone was excited. Memphis didn't know what to think of all the new things and the excitement in the air! He got a little car and he knows its his and refuses to let anyone sit in it...some how we are going to teach him to share. The kids went to bed at 800pm Christmas Eve...they were all asleep by 930 which was a huge shocker! Well Santa must have come between 930 and 1130 because I was in a deep sleep and 3 kids were at my side of the bed hooting and hollering that Santa had come! WTH!?? I told them to get back to bed. They all were too excited so they got in our bed. MISTAKE! It was way too crowded to have 5 people in our bed. Memphis thankfully, was sleeping in his crib. Then at 1200 I hear Savanna asking if they could get up. I said no. At 1230 she asked again. I said no. At 1 when she asked I got up and took her to her bed. She laid there talking and wide awake. At 230 Weylon came in and woke me up asking if they could get up. I took him to Savanna and went to bed. I could hear them in the living room looking at Santa gifts. This went on every 30 minutes, someone asking me if they could get up. Finally we just got up at 400 am. It was a great morning! But we were all soo tired! The good thing about kids getting up that early is that they were all in bed and zonked out by 745 that night! We had a wonderful Christmas and am glad we didn't go overboard. It helped us to focus more on the reason for the Season! For New Years eve this year, we were big party poopers. I had big plans to stay up and celebrate Brandon being with us and ok from his accident last year. Umm, ya, that didn't happen. Very strangely all 4 kids were asleep before 900 pm. Brandon and I went to bed and TRIED to watch a movie. There wasn't any good ones on. So our house was asleep by 1130ish. Poor Savanna wanted to watch the ball drop so bad and she woke up and was so upset that she didn't get to see it. But I knew she would be sad about it, so I recorded the Time Square party. So she got to watch the ball drop later on! A funny thing was, Savanna asked me, "mom do you know what a new year resolution is?"...I said, "yes, do you." She says, "yes, I found out what it was last year right after the new year and I have been waiting a whole year to make a few!" Silly girl. That made me laugh. I found a blog from a lady that was talking about "DROPS OF AWESOME". It really hit me hard and I want to live this year with this advise she had. Because I do find myself dwelling on the things I should have done but didn't. I find myself demeaning myself because I broke my diet. I find myself yelling at the kids for not helping with the chores. Instead of focusing on the good things that I did or they did, I have been only seeing the ones we didn't do. So, Drops of Awesome! Every time you do something good, something kind, something productive, it’s a drop in your Bucket of Awesome. You don’t lose drops for every misstep. You can only build. You can only fill. I drove the kids to school with clothes on and a bra, NOT IN MY PAJAMAS! Drop of Awesome! I MADE a good breakfast, not just plopped down a bowl of cereal! Drop of Awesome! I told the kids I loved them. Drop of Awesome! I got on my elliptical for 30 minutes. Two Fat Drops of Awesome! I unloaded one dish from the dishwasher when I walked through the kitchen on my way to the bathroom. Drop of Awesome! I had a critical thought about someone and I brushed it away and replaced it with love. Drop of Awesome! "When I started thinking about my life in terms of adding these little Drops of Awesome for every tiny act of good, I found that I was doing more and more of them because it’s a lot more fun to do good when you’re rewarded with joy, rather than being guilted about every failure in your past. By the end of the day, I had realized something important. If I was spending time with my kids, really listening to them with attention in the moment, then I was a good listener, regardless of the 50 other times I’d brushed them off or multi-tasked while they were talking over the past week. If I was engaged in sincere prayer with my Heavenly Father, really communing with him and seeking his will, then I was a person who engages in sincere prayer, regardless of how my prayers were (or weren’t) yesterday and the day before that and the day before that. As I added up these Drops of Awesome, I found that in those moments I actually became the person I had always wanted to be. Have you ever said any of these things: “Well, I guess I don’t work out anymore,” because you missed one workout? Or, “I always fight with my brother. Our relationship is broken.” What about, “I’m kind of a nag to my spouse.” Or “I gossip and I always end up hurting people I love.” “I can’t stop spending money. We will never get out of debt.” “My house is always a disaster.” These things are lies, depending on the next decision you make, the next Drop of Awesome you put in your bucket. You may have done these things or have a hard time with them but they don’t define you and you can change this very instant. You may not think you can change permanently but you can change the next choice you make. And as you change that one next tiny choice, you may think, I got this one Drop of Awesome but I may never be able to get another one again. And that’s okay. You made the right choice once. And in that moment you were the person you want to be and that is a triumph. For one night, you were a person who went to bed early. One morning you woke up and the first words out of your mouth were positive so you were a morning person in that moment. Bam! Drop of Awesome. You do not need to wait three months to be who you want to be. Pick up ten things right now and say, “Drops of Awesome! I am someone who takes care of my house. That is who I am. I have proof.” In the end, it’s really about allowing yourself to feel joy and allowing yourself to be proud of the small victories of life. This builds momentum and you want more drops in your bucket and when you don’t get as many, you pick yourself up and say, “What can I do next?” Now, there are a whole lot of religious implications to this because, as a Christian, I believe that you are not the only one adding these Drops of Awesome to your bucket. Christ commanded us to be perfect, but through His atonement, He is with us every step of the way. As an object lesson when I was teaching this to the teenage girls at church, I gave them each a small dropper and I put a 2-quart bowl on the table. I told them that throughout the lesson they would get the chance to put drops in the bucket for every Drop of Awesome they could think of that they’d done. I promised them that we would fill the bowl to overflowing by the end of the lesson. With about 5 minutes to go, we had barely begun to fill the bowl and the girls were looking around at each other nervously. The promised overflow did not look likely. Were they not awesome enough? At that point, I pulled out a large pitcher labeled ATONEMENT and poured water into the glass bowl until it was spilling out all over the table and the towel the bowl was resting on. The class went silent. When we are in a relationship with Christ, striving as God’s sons and daughters to do His will, He pours more into our buckets than we can ever hope to imagine. He can fill us to overflowing with peace, with joy, with perfection, with Awesome. And then what do we do if our bucket is overflowing like that? Where does the Awesome go then? I pulled out an identical bowl, twice the size of the original. Our capacity for joy and light increases. And we just keep working, one tiny drop at a time. And we don’t compare today’s drops to yesterday’s or tomorrow’s. And we live and we love and we repent when we do wrong and we allow ourselves to be glorious, beautiful, and dare I say perfect in Christ, children of God. I believe in a God who loves us and roots for us and cheers for every Drop of Awesome we can manage. Our victories are His victories and He wants us to feel joy. Not later, when we no longer make mistakes, but right now. I’m gonna close this uber long post out with a scripture from the Book of Mormon. I know many of you do not share my faith but I think you’ll find truth in these words: “Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.” (Alma 37:6) Small and simple. Tiny drops." What an AWESOME way to think right!? I put this on here because it is how I want to live my life. Not just this year, but if I set this as a goal, it will become easier and easier. I loved the way she taught the girls about the atonement and how the cup overflowed into our own. Wow. What a powerful message. One I won't quickly forget. I love it. So, for my drops of awesome for this week: 1) I did get on my elliptical 3x this week. 2)I did family home evening and had an actual lesson! 3) I didn't yell at anyone this morning. I know it isn't much but I am one that is very critical of myself and focus on the things I didn't do too much. I will have a bigger list soon of my drops of awesome. Weylon looks up to his Daddy so much! He was so excited to look like him for church today!

Savanna and her cutie pop doll from Santa!

This is Savanna's BookCase that broke but daddy saved the day!

Here is our Spoiled rotten Krypto!

Daddy, Weylon and OakLeigh before church!

Weylon was so proud of his custom made hat by daddy for Christmas!

I made a batch of Christmas Cinnamon rolls! I thought they turned out good for once!

Savanna, Weylon, Oakie and Memphis in their Christmas jammies on Christmas EVE!

Daddy and Weylon wearing their matching hats that Daddy made for Christmas!

OakLeigh LOVES HORSES! She got baby butterscotch from Santa and she was so happy!

Memphis got his own car and he was soooo excited!

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!