Christmas Morning!

I always used to worry that if I couldn't go home for Christmas with my mom and dad that Christmas just wouldn't be the same. I remember how magical Christmas was when I was growing up. I have since learned that having my own kids and seeing their faces on Christmas is just as magical.

We started out our Christmas celebrating with spending Christmas Eve at Jim's parents. A few other family members didn't have any plans for Christmas Eve either, so we decided to get together. Ron made crisp meat burritos for everyone (compliments of working at Taco Time for several years). Jim made some homemade tortilla chips and I provided the banana party punch. The guys played guitar hero and then we played a few card games. After watching the weather on TV and seeing how close Santa was, we headed home. The girls were very nervous and excited. They wanted to hurry and get to bed so Santa wouln't miss them. After reading the Nativity Story and sharing about some service we had done for each other the last few days, the girls settled down and went to sleep pretty fast. Then, the magic of Christmas began!!!! We all slept downstairs. I think I slept the least. I was remembering how I used to wake up every hour when I was little, hoping it was time to go see what Santa brought us. The girls hardly stirred in the night. When I looked at the clock at 6:45 I was quite surprised that the girls hadn't woke up yet. I was determined that they would be the ones to wake us up, so I got back into bed. At 7:30 Jim's Mom called to see if they could come and see what Santa had brought. They were quite surprised to hear that the girls were still asleep. About 15 minutes later Brindley started stirring. She asked if it was time to get up. I told her if it was 6:00, she could. She looked at the clock and thought it said 1:45, so she was headed back to bed. She then looked again and realized what time it was. So, yes, by the time we all got up, most every one else was done opening presents.

I only got one picture on Christmas. Like others Jim and I ended up undoing packages and wires and stuff.

(This picture is for you, Dad!)

As Lexie says, "I only like Chocolate and Caramel!"

We had our traditional breakfast, (Thanks for the ham, Amber!) and spent most of the day in our PJ's! Once again, it was a very magical Christmas!

Chrismas Dresses!

One thing I have really enjoyed doing every Christmas is getting my girls a new Christmas dress. The good thing with having all girls, I can just pass the dresses down to the next one. This year I only had to buy one dress...for Brindley. The dress that Lexie is wearing, Karissa wore it about a month ago. Ya, it was kinda short on Karissa and long on Lexie, but it works!

Random Pictures...

I have been so lucky to have Jim home for this whole holiday season. He has helped me so much and has done some fun things with the kids. Here are just some random pictures we have taken over the last few weeks.

These pictures were taken the day of our first snow storm. We were all so excited to have the snow. Jim got the 4-wheeler and sled ready while the girls bundled up. The wind was blowing and the snow was still coming pretty fast. The girls loved it though. In the first picture Lexie is giggling, not crying! You can see how crazy the snow and wind were in the second picture.

Brindley started piano lessons this year. This is a picture of her at her recital. She was so excited and nervous at the same time. She was the very first one on the program and did an awesome job. She has really picked up piano pretty fast. She loves it and loves having Amber as her teacher.

I have this little helper that is so determined to do everything herself. Here is one of her random things she likes to do. She has to open every cupboard and drawer in the kitchen at the same time. Although I think her dad helped her with the ones up high.

On Christmas Eve we had the cousins come out and go tubing. I didn't get pictures of all of them, but here is a few of them. I wished I would have gotten a picture of Uncle Rich doing his acrobats off the tube. I've never seen him do any moves like that before.

She's home!

Mom made it home in time for Christmas! I think it is the best Christmas present any of us "Normans" could ask for. We all appreciate the prayers, love and concern from everyone. We (her family) have quaratined her to her house and have told her she can't have any visitors. We want her to recover as fast as she can without any other complications. We are all excited to have Mom get back to a stronger, healthier Mom!

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

There are a few things I wanted to post on, so I will just put it all in one.

First of all.... Mom is still steadily improving. It may be small amounts, but it is something. We are hoping she will be able to go home in the next couple of days. She was moved out of ICU on Monday. She is setting records by the amount of laps she does in the hallway. It is hard for me to keep up with her when I am there helping her. I lean on her IV pole more than she does. Her heart is still getting used to actually being able to pump. For quite a while after surgery her heart had an irregular beat. A week ago they shocked it. She was very nervous about it, but since has said that it wasn't that bad. Of course they gave her enough medicine to knock out an elephant, so she wouldn't feel anything. I guess you can say the shock helped. It didn't work on the part of the heart the doctors wanted it to, but it helped. Mom and Dad have endured alot through all of this. Especially being away from home for so long. I know this Christmas will be a special one for them. Love you Mom and Dad!

Second...

So, yes, I reached another year of life yesterday. Thanks to all of you for the birthday wishes. It was an enjoyable day. I started out with a checkup for the baby. Everything is looking good. Lexie loves to hear the heart beat of the baby. After my checkup Jim, I and Lexie went and did a little Christmas shopping. Not many days left, but still lots to do. For lunch Jim dropped me off at Fire house where some friends took me for lunch! Thanks girls. It was so enjoyable to sit and visit. I am so lucky to have such awesome friends! After lunch Jim and I continued some of our shopping. I am so glad that he is here and can help me. He bought me a footbath for my birthday and a case of DR. Pepper!!!! He filled the footbath twice for me yesterday and said he would do it all week. What am I going to do when he goes back to work?! He took me out for a yummy dinner and bought me a cheesecake to eat at home! Like I said, it was an enjoyable day!

Oh, I had better not leave out that he did the dishes for me also! Thanks Jim! I couldn't do it without you!

The Life of a Three Year Old!

It's crazy to think that in less than a month my baby will be in sunbeams!!! I subbed in primary yesterday and the nursery leader brought in the ones that are going to be in sunbeams. They only stayed for a couple songs and the opening prayer. They all had a blue Book of Mormon to hold too. It was too cute.

The other night we took the girls to see Santa. Lexie was hesitant to get to close to Santa. Jim helped her up and she sat next to Santa. Santa could tell she was nervous so he asked her if she wanted to hold his finger. She held it then quietly asked for a baby doll. She was so excited to have talked with Santa once it was all over. As soon as we got home she came running in the house saying, "We need to go see our presents!" I wasn't quite sure if she was just pretending or what. She ran straight to the tree and was disapointed to see that her baby doll wasn't under the tree. She thought that Santa had brought it right after she had asked him for it. I kept telling her not till Christmas Day and she would tell me that it is Christmas Time!

So here is the big news of my three year old. I didn't want her going to sunbeams wearing a diaper. I think we have finally reached that point! She has been wearing panties for a week now and has only had a couple of accidents. She is excited that she is a big girl now! Jim and I are excited too!

Christmas Tag!

I got this in an e-mail, but thought I would blog it instead. It's always fun to see what others do!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping Paper
2. Real tree or Artificial? Real ofcourse
3. When do you put up the tree? right after Thanksgiving
4. When do you take the tree down? If it's dry, soon after Christmas, if it is in good shape we will leave it up through New Years
5. Do you like eggnog? Yes!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? A new doll every year
7. Hardest person to buy for? Parents
8. Easiest person to buy for? Little ones
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? That is not possible!
12. Favorite Christmas Movie?I really like the traditional Christmas Cartoons...Rudolph, Frosty, etc.. I also like Smokey Mountain Christmas with Dolly Parton and Home Alone
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? October
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? yes
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Homemade Candy! Boston Cremes, Caramels, Peanut Brittle
16. Lights on the tree? colored
17. Favorite Christmas song? Thistlehair the Christmas Bear, by Alabama
18. Travel at Christmas or stay at home? Depends on the year
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Yes
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Morning
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Goes to fast
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I like the colliage of ornaments that we have collected through the years.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? We do Christmas breakfast with ham, orange rolls, turnovers, cinnamon rolls (all pillsburry pop), egg nog, orange juice, chocolate milk. Yum! Yum!
25 What do you want for Christmas this year? A job for Jim and Mom home from the hospital.
26. Who is most likely to respond to this?
27. Who is least likely to respond to this? We'll see

Alot to be Thankful for.....

It has been a long week and I just wanted to say thank you to all of those that prayed and showed concern in any way for Mom and the family. We all had some pretty neat experiences this week that were given to us because of the spirit and the knowledge we have of the gospel. So again, Thank you! We definately felt the prayers that were offered in our behalf. I personally felt a joy that is indescribable. That joy that makes you cry and you are so happy inside.

So here is the update on Mom. She made it through a 6 hour surgery. Her heart seemed to respond very well with the new "Pig Valve". She didn't have to be put on a machine while her new valve got used to working with the artificial valve that she already has. She is still in ICU and will be for a few more days then moved to a regular room. Because of her delicate condition before surgery it will take a little longer for her to fully recover, but we couldn't ask for anything more. She has been wiggling her feet as if she were dancing and lastnight she even sang the alphabet backwards. Anyway, thanks again for the love and concern. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I know I did!

Thanksgiving Traditions

I am one that is big on traditions. I love the Holidays and the traditions that come with them. Since Thanksgiving is here, I thought I would see what some of your traditions are with food for the big feast. Of course I love all the food at Thanksgiving. I really like the leftovers. That's why we always have our own turkey, yams, stuffing, pie and everything else at our own house even if we are going to family's house for the day. So here is one thing that I love to have with my mashed potatoes.... It's regular turkey gravy (made off of the turkey drippings), then Mom adds homemade noodles to it. Like the noodles you put in chicken noodle soup. That mixed with the mashed potatoes are so yummy. Another food that I remember having all the time at Thanksgiving is the green jello with cottage cheese and pineapple in it. The cottage cheese would give the jello a creamy texture. And yes, it has to be done in the jello mold. I can't say I ate alot of this, but it is tradition. So what are some of the things that you do that may be a little different than others. I would love to hear others food traditions! Happy Thanksgivng!!!

A Week of Wonder.....

I don't even know where to start this post. I am filled with so many emotions right now. We have been so blessed and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for what he has blessed me with. We are now at the point in our pregnancy that my water broke when I was pregnanct with Lexie. The point that changed so many things in our lives. I have been watching for this week to come. I have been nervous and very anxious. Every day and week that goes by from here on out in this pregnancy (without delivering a baby until Feb.) will be a big sigh of relief. My doctor says that everything is going good and that he doesn't expect me to go through what I went through last time. It has helped to have a few distractions so I am not thinking about my pregnancy. Although the distractions are ones we don't wish for, we are growing and learning from them. So, once again, I thank my Heavenly Father every day for the things he has blessed me with. I feel trials are a blessing. I know it is hard getting through them and yes, I wonder sometimes why Heavenly Father is doing this to me, but that's also when I think, I need to talk to my Heavenly Father and get his help and feel his comfort. Which I have indeed felt. I have had to travel to Salt Lake several times by myself in the last month. I have felt quite lonely and wished that Jim and the girls were with me. As that thought has arrived I have felt that little kick or squirm in my belly that reminds me I'm not alone. That little spirit inside of me is here to comfort me and be with me at this time when I can't be with Jim and the girls. And what a comfort it has been.

Going to Salt Lake has been one of the distractions I was talking about. My mom is back in the hospital and is scheduled to have surgery the day before Thanksgiving. She has retained so much water that they are trying to get it drained off before the surgery. She is doing well. I guess this is her way of getting us all together for Thanksgiving. Just kidding... we love our mom and know that there will be plenty of leftover turkey for us somewhere.

Another distraction we are still experiencing is the job. We still haven 't found a job. I know many of you know what that is like.... the stress and worry, so I will just leave it at that.

Our third distraction came yesterday morning when we found out that one of Jim's good friends had passed away. It's been a numbing experience and kinda shook us up a little. As Jim said, you never know how you are going to react to a situation like this. You can expect grandparents to die, but to have someone so young pass on, it's kind of hard to take. "We know we will see you again Joey. Thanks for being such a good friend to Jim. Our prayers are with Kate and all your family. We will always cherish the times we went to the rodeo with you guys and how you would buy cotton candy just for our girls. We love you!

So, now to start a new day and see what surprises await us........ I think I might go buy a turkey today!

Majesty of Creation

We live in the most beautiful place. This is a photo from our back yard...

Recently there was a sunrise that made the field appear a beautiful yellow, the sky pink and the leaves (changing colors on the trees) were enhanced 1000 times. Wasn't fast enough to get a pic in full splendor, but here is my late attempt.

Sunsets here are beautiful too. Kristi spotted this one, the last of the sun over the mountains, once again, from our back yard. It was pretty much dark, but very bright orange over the mountain.

Kristi, Lexie and I rode up the Blacksmith Fork canyon the other day, less than a mile from our house, during the storm. We stopped and took this picture on the way down. btw... still no elk at Hardware Ranch yet this year.

I am so grateful for the blessings we have, and for the creation. As Kristi and I were talking yesterday morning, she said, "If this world represents the Telestial kingdom, how beautiful will the Celeltial be?"

Your Majesty......

Everyday there is something that Lexie says or does that makes me laugh or think about where she learned it. This morning I was fixing Brindley and Karissa's hair and they got talking about how they wanted their hair like a princess. I was telling them that they really are princesses. As we talked about being a princess, in walks Lexie.... "I'm the Queen!" she stated. I couldn't help but laugh. But knowing this house pretty much revolves around her, I should have known.... that she is The Queen!

Costumes!

So Halloween is one of my favorite Holidays! People wonder why I dress up, but getting the looks I get from the adults who don't dress up makes it all worth it. So here are our costumes this year.

Brindley as Punky Brewster with Brandon the dog.

Karissa as Hannah Montana.

Lexie as the Cutest little which on the block.

Kristi as the Old Which.

The Old Which with Minnie Me!

Jim quite likes his TATS!

Ok, so yes I have too much fun!

I hope everyone else had a good Halloween!

Lexie's fun day!

I hope it was fun for her. I woke up early and got her cake made. The only thing she wanted for breakfast was a banana. We got her a banana and made her chocolate chip pancakes. She opened her presents and we took her to the pumpkin walk. She then picked McDonald's for dinner and we had cake and icecream at home. She is so excited to be three. Here are some birthday shots of her.

She kept trying to lick the frosting so I told her to just take a bite!

UEA...Utah Elk Hunters' Association

So I don't confuse you....This was the weekend before Mom went into the hospital. I just wanted to share about our fun weekend.

Actually UEA was during the deer hunt this year. Jim and I weren't lucky enough to draw a tag this year, but we went south anyway. We spent the weekend with Mom and Dad. Ryan made a camp on the mountain Saturday, so we went up and joined them for hot dogs. Man I miss the mountains down there. Here are a few shots I got of the kids at camp.

Another Update...

Thanks again to everyone for all of the prayers and concern for Mom. An unexpected complication came up the night before surgery was scheduled. I'm not going to go into details because I don't want to re-live the whole situation again. The surgery is post-poned for 10-14 days. Mom is recovering from the whole ordeal and will hopefully be released from the hospital on Monday so she can prepare once again for surgery.

Lexie Turns 3

Three years ago today we were in the middle of a very traumatic and trying time in our lives. It is said that through trying times, the greatest blessings come. Well, that was certainly true in this case. Our Lexie turns 3 today. She is doing exceptionally well, and is learning and growing so quickly right now. We love her, and are glad she is a part of our family.

LOVE YOU LEXIE!

10/25/2005

10/25/2006

10/25/2007

10/25/2008

Quick Update....

Just wanted to do a quick update on how things are going with Mom....for those of you that have been following. First of all, thanks for all of the prayers. Mom has said several times that she has felt peace and comfort and we know it is coming because of the prayers. We all as a family have felt the peace also. It's amazing how the Lord works.
Mom had an Angiogram (not sure of the spelling) yesterday. It went really well. From the sounds of things they won't have to replace the mechanical valve she already has. They will just replace another valve that has been having issues. Mom is still in the hospital so they can get her blood regulated for the surgery along with her potassium level and keep an eye on her kidneys. The surgery is supposed to happen tomorrow (Thursday). They hadn't talked to the surgeon himself when I last had an update, so we don't have a time.
Aunt Sheron has been here with us which has been a great comfort to Mom along with us girls. Thanks Aunt Sheron! We love you!
Thanks to all of you for your support.

Tagged

Five Joys

1- Having Jim as my husband

2-Being a Mom to three girls

3- Camping/Nature

4- Watching others feel joy

5- Accomplishing something that I have put off for a long time

Five Fears

1- Having someone close to me die before their time.

2- Being in a car crash...the airbag specifically.

3- Spiders

4- Snakes

5- Having to move farther away from family for a job.

Five Obsessions

1- TiVO

2-Blogging

3- Eating

4- Spending Money....which I don't have.

5- Spending all the time I can... when I'm not watching TiVO....with my family.

Five Surprising Facts

This one is hard. I don't have many surprises.

1- I dream of being an Olympic figure skater. (I know I'm a little old)

2- I also hope to run in a marathon some day. This one I do hope to accomplish.

3- I'm the one who climbs on the roof to hang Christmas lights...Not Jim.

4- I like to go deer/elk hunting. I get buck fever every year at this time.

5- I don't do much ironing... Jim does it (my clothes included)

Five Quirky things about me

I agree with Megan on a couple of these.

1- I can't stand chompers/smackers either.

2- I can't stand being breathed on when I'm sleeping.

3- I am very set on traditions that I had when I was a kid and try to keep them going with my family.

4- I can't stand when someone leaves the toilet lid open. If you come to my house and use my bathroom, CLOSE THE TOILET LID!

5- Because I was a waitress for nearly 10 years...I am very judgemental of waitresses now.

It's a BOY..., or a GIRL!

I have been trying for some time to reason with Kristi that finding out what this baby is going to be is a sensable thing to do. It will allow for us some time to prepare, get the room ready, shop for clothes; you know, all the pratical things. Kristi has always wanted to have a surprise baby, but for all up to this point, she has relinquished her position at the last minute, and decided that it was necessary to know. Sitting in the chair during our ultrasound yesterday, I was certain that she would once again see the light, and we would know by now what we were having. It has been the subject of much dispute around our house for the last, oh, I don't know, 4 months.  I had decided that I had voiced my opinion, and she knew where I stood. I was going to allow her to make the final choice. Well, some things never change, but not here. She held to her guns, so now we still have a baby IT. She also, as part of her argument was selling me on the idea of me being the one to get to buy the first gender specific clothes for the baby while she was still in the hospital. Hmm, I wonder if Dr. Dave has a root canal opening on that day. I just love shopping for baby clothes, by myself. Oh, how cute! Anyway, we now have a nursery that will not see paint until AFTER the baby is born, and a closet that will not see clothes until AFTER the baby is born, and I get to go shopping for new baby clothes!

I see the light!

As a footnote, the baby is doing great, and developing nicely. The doctor says our chance of having another ordeal like Lexie is unlikely. We continue to pray that the baby will be healthy, and that Kristi will be able to carry IT full term.  Kristi and I are thankful and excited to be having another baby.

PUNKY POWER!

I know I am not the only one out there that watched Punky Brewster growing up. I thought Punky was so cool. I even had a pair of her shoes! I also used to wear my hair in piggy-tails all of the time. (But I don't think the piggy-tails were to be like Punky.) I have chatted about Punky with Michelle several times because she apparently was a Punky fan also. Sorry Michelle if that was a secret you didn't want out. Anyway, I never thought I would get to see another episode of it again. Two nights ago Jim's brother, Matt called while at Sam's Club. He had seen the first season on DVD there and wanted to know if I wanted it. Matt is one that remembers those little things like what your favorite candy bar is and will surprise you with it. He remembered how much I liked Punky Brewster and when he saw the last copy at Sam's he thought of me. I of course got so excited and asked him to get it for me. He was so excited for me to have it that he even drove it out to me that night. Thanks Matt! So far I have only made it through about 4 episodes, but I am loving it. My girls are loving it too. They wanted to watch it all afternoon yesterday. I love the fact that they like a show that I watched all the time. PUNKY POWER!!!

Thanks!

Thanks to all of you for the words of comfort. I appreciate all of you and your prayers. For you two that made the comment about Wayne County....I would love to move back down there. It would just have to be on the Sevier County side. We have talked about it though. Once again, thanks to all of you.

Hope, Faith and Understanding and a little football.

To start out with the football game was awesome. We were really worried about the weather and if we were going to get rained on. It didn't start raining until after we got home. It was fun being at the game and just feeling the excitement there. The spot we picked to sit was mixed with both BYU and USU fans. It was so funny to listen to the fans make comments loud enough for everyone around them to hear. There were some highschool boys sitting behind us that didn't understand some of the calls made during the game, but they sure humored themselves in making fun of the "refs" and those calls that they didn't know. At the opening of the 2nd half Jim said all he was hoping for was that the Aggies would score on BYU and that Hall would get sacked. Well, any of you following BYU knows that the last two games they have played they have held the other team scoreless. Yes, the Aggies scored twice on BYU and Hall got sacked. I do like BYU and would clap when they scored, but when the Aggies scored, you knew who I was cheering for!

Hope, Faith and Understanding.....

As today has started out I am so thankful for the messages that were shared over this conference weekend. I am not one to vent to others (other than Jim) or to share my hardships, but today I need a place to let it out. I know we all have experienced times when things just seem to crash down on us and we wonder how we are supposed to make it through. I know that if we stay close to our Heavenly Father we will make it through. Right now I am struggling seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Mom and Dad left this morning after a great weekend, but also leaving us knowing that Mom has to have heart surgery again within the next couple of months. Then becoming frustrated with the job search for Jim and I know the pregnancy hormones aren't helping any, but that's where I am at this morning. Back in the spring Jim recieved a Priesthood Blessing from his dad. In the blessing Jim was told that something was going to happen that would try our faith. Hearing that we both were kinda curious as to what was going to happen. As our summer started, so many unexpected things happened that we struggled to deal with. With hearing the blessing that Jim recieved we knew we had to try even more to stay close and rely on Heavenly Father. In doing this, we have felt peace with everything. We know we will be taken care of, but we have no idea what is going to happen. Just when we think things are looking good it all gets pushed farther away from our reach and once again we are left wondering when the end of all of this is going to come. This is where I have found strength in many of the messages that were shared in Conference. Now I just need to use this strength and have Faith and believe in that peace that we have felt. I also need to rely on the atonement to pull us through these trials. I know the understanding may not come for awhile, but I have to have the Faith. I keep wondering why we have to go through all of this when we experienced the trial we did with Lexie, then I realize how easy things have been over the last year and a half and that we needed something to wake us up again and to keep pushing us to move forward and increase our knowledge and understanding of the gospel.

I am so thankful for my little family and the understanding they have of everything that is going on. I have been moved to tears many times by the little things my girls have done to help us through this time. We were at Sam's club on Saturday with Mom. Brindley saw the cheeseballs and I told her to go ahead and put them in the basket. Me, not even realizing what she was doing, before we even got to the end of the isle she had pulled out and counted her money and was giving it to me to pay for the cheese balls. I know she is only 8, but I also know she understands things alot more than I do sometimes. I thank Heavenly Father every day for Jim and my girls and no matter what happens we will always have each other.

Football!

Yes, I like football! I especially like to go to the games. There have been a few times that I haven't had a voice the next day after attending a game! Today I get to go to the USU/BYU game. Yes, I know that USU is the underdog, but just the fact that I get to go gets me excited. What makes this even better is that Mom and Dad are coming to go with us. I am so excited that I get to go to a game with them again. When I was in grade-school Dad had season tickets to BYU games. I loved going with him and cheering and singing the cougar fight song! I still have the little key chain that used to play the cougar fight song. So yes, we are BYU fans and USU fans. I think I will be wearing Aggie Blue tonight though. Good luck to both teams!

Happy Birthday Mom!!!!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Mom is the best cook! It was so nice to go home a month ago when I was miserable with this pregnancy and have some good home-cooking! Here are some of the cousins enjoying Mom's breakfast. Mom and Suz are dancing in the background! Jim loves Mom's hasbrowns, and I just can't make them like her.

Today is my turn to teach in Relief Society. Whenever I prepare my lesson I often think back to the time of when mom taught Relief Society. I remember her studying many hours and how wonderful her lessons turned out. My lesson today is Elder Eyring's talk "Walk in the Light" . My mind has turned to Mom alot as I have read over this talk and how she helped and guided me to make choices that helped me walk in the light. I can still here her say "Remember who you are"! What a wonderful example I have to follow.

I hope you have a wonderful birthday and know that we all love you!!!!

This songs for you Mom!

Give me a "P"...

After Kristi's last post of her highschool memories, I thought I would post a pic of Kristi's cheer squad from Piute High School.

High School Tag!

1 Did you date someone from your school? Yes

2 What kind of car did you drive? I rode the bus mainly, but did get to drive the Green Mercury Topaz sometimes and I remember taking the Bronco on a girls choice dance.

3 Did you pass your driver's license test on the first try? Yes, I think everyone from down home did just because they had already been driving for 2 years or more.

4 Were you a party animal? No

5 Were you considered a flirt? I don't really know what to say about that.

6 Were you in a band, orchestra or choir? I tried to play the clarinet in band and also enjoyed singing in choir the one year I did it.

7 Were you a nerd? I don't recall anyone ever calling me a nerd.

8 Were you on any varsity teams? Varsity Cheerleader

9 Did you get suspended or expelled? If you count cheerleading.... Some of us were suspended from cheerleading for a weekends worth of games just because we drove to Wayne County to cheer at a game instead of ride the bus. Our punishment was to go to the next few games, but we weren't aloud to cheer. What kind of punishment is that.

10 Can you still sing the fight song? Ok, so you would think that since I sang it at every home game during half time of the games for 4 years that I would know it. I even remember making up dances to it with the cheerleaders, but I can't remember the whole thing.

11 Who were your favorite teachers? I would have to say Mrs. Anderson and Greg Allen.

12 Where did you sit during lunch? Either the locker room or the lunch room.

13 What's your school's full name? Piute High School

14 What was your mascot and colors? Thunderbird, Columbia Blue, white and red

15 Did you go to homecoming? Yes, Lex Allen and I were the homecoming king and queen.

16 If you could go back and do it all again, would you? No, it's nice to be past that phace. All the drama.... I'm glad it's over.

17 What do you remember most about graduation? I don't remember much about graduation other than wearing the cap and gown. I remember watching the video Scott made of our class. I have a bad memory obviously.

18 Where did you go on your Senior Skip Day? A week in California!

19 Were you in any clubs? Speech and Drama for 1 year. I liked the Drama part, but not the speech part.

20 Have you gained some weight since then? Of course...3 kids with another on the way and a husband adds alot of weight!

21 Who was your prom date? Curtis Keyser

22 Are you planning to go to your 10 year reunion? Missed it, but hoping to make it to the next one.

23 Did you have a job while in high school? Worked at Koosharem Cafe and also cleaned motel rooms in our family's motel.

This was a fun memory booster of High School... I tag Marie Jensen, Heidi Shakespeare, Amy Smith, and Camille Koberstein.

A Refreshing Afternoon

So many of you know how I love to be on the mountain. I love the fresh air and peacefulness and who knows, maybe we will see some kind of wildlife! A week ago or so I asked Jim if we could ride with him on the mountain to see if we could find some elk. He was hesitant to take me because of my condition, but I was able to persuade him that I would be ok. As soon as the kids got out of school we left with plenty of treats on hand. We went to an area that I had never been before. There were plenty of other hunters around, so we didn't really hunt any, but we did have fun getting away for a few hours. I have asked Jim if we can go for a ride again, but he says he doesn't know if he can handle another ulcer. He apparently was really worried about how rough the road was on the baby and I. I sure do love him! Here are a few pictures of our afternoon.

Pears, Pears, Pears!

Ok, Torgersen cousins, I finally attempted it! Pear Jam! I have been bottling pears for awhile along with the peaches, but I haven't attempted the pear jam. It was one of my favorite that Grandma made. It went best with her homemade bread. I knew I couldn't go the rest of my life without it, so I went for it. I tried to call mom a few times the night I was making it to get her advice, but she wasn't home, so I just did it. As you can see in the picture it is a little dark. I think I cooked it a little too long, but it tastes good! If any of you have made it and have tips on how to make it like Grandma did, please let me know. I do think for my first time though, it went well. The day after I made the jam we went for our morning walk. We passed by a house that we could smell homemade bread. It even smelled like Grandma's! Oh, the memories!

Now I am going to get even more scentimental.....

Every time I make something that Grandma used to whether it is the jam or Christmas candy (Boston Cremes), I get emotional thinking about her and the time we spent at her house helping her or atleast enjoying those things she made. This year as I was making apricot jam I thought of Grandma and how she is probably smiling down and glad that I was attempting it! It made me smile instead of cry. What a great Grandma we all had! I know she is still with all of us today, encouraging us to keep trying!

This is from deer camp in "03".

Playing Cars

I (Jim) play barbies. On a regular basis. Multiple times throughout the day, Lexie brings me a doll and says, you are the mom. In her doll world, there is the mom, then there is Honey, the little girl. Typically we have dialogue like this:

"Honey!"

"What mom"

"I am going shopping, Honey"

"Okay mom"

etc. etc., on and on...

I'm sure you can imagine my delight this morning when Lexie came to me and said "let's go outside and play cars". We went out, made some roads in the flowerbed (shh, don't tell Kristi), and were driving "in the mountains". Then I hear Lexie having this 2 way conversation to herself:

"Mom!"

"What Honey"

"I got stuck in the mountains"

"I'll call teenager (tow mater, my car) to come get you..."

It turns out that Lexie is getting smarter, and has learned a new way to get around my regular reluctance to play barbies... we play dolls with cars!

Here are 2 cars having a conversation with one another. They have to get nose to nose, then they can see each other!

This is mom having a conversation with teenager. I believe mom is telling me I need to go get some gas.