Emily - the Lucky Girl

Sunday afternoon

2011-08-14T22:22:00.000-06:00

My sister gave Will some "mustaches" for his birthday. We all got in to it. Nathan is wearing "sherriff mustache."

He had fondue for dinner tonight - for the first time! John said we should do it every day!

We made banana boats on the grill! YUM YUM!!!

John made Kool-aid all by himself

2011-08-14T22:00:00.000-06:00

John made Kool-aid all by himself. He really doesn't do much in the kitchen. He did it completely on his own! I guess he was motivated by Kool-aid. Who knew? I sure didn't!

The "UP" house

2011-08-14T21:56:00.000-06:00

What a great time we had! The house was well done and really looked like the movie!

Spencer Morgan is here!

2011-08-08T16:25:00.000-06:00

Lake Powell

2009-10-11T21:55:00.003-06:00

We went to Lake Powell at the beginning of September! We had a fantastic time! Thanks to my fabulous sister-in-law Lindsay and her family we got to go! Heaven on Earth! That is exactly what it is. We all had a blast. Here are a few highlights!

Will and his cousin Lucy were best buds on this trip.

They had a great time playing together!

Nathan on the wake board!
I got up on 1 ski for the first time! It felt so great! I finally did it!

John is a fish! He loved the water. He'd float in the water with his life jacket on for hours. He loved the slide on the back of the house boat.

John on the last day of the trip got really brave and decided to go head first down the slide and take a 6 foot drop before entering the water. He surprised us all and did this without any coaxing on anyone's part. This video is when we asked him to do it again.

Thanks so much Morgan and Lindsay and the Moeller family for a fantastic trip!

John...the Grand Prize Reading Winner

2009-08-20T22:56:00.003-06:00

So after really focusing this summer on reading we had a great surprise happen. When we finished the Library's summer reading program we entered into a drawing. And guess who won! John! It was amazing! John and I were jumping up and down when they told us over the phone! It was a huge, huge prize. There were only two winners for the library. John's bucket is FULL of books, movies, and activities. How exciting! I guess all the summer reading really paid off this year!

Evershed Family Photos

2009-08-15T23:02:00.001-06:00

We RJ and Natalie getting married the Eversheds decided to get family photos taken. We truly are so blessed to have such a great family! These are just the snapshot photos taken on our personally camera. I'm excited to get the professional ones back!

The Original Evershed Clan

The 13 Grandchildren

Will & John: Best Brothers

JoJo and John: Best Buds

(7 weeks apart in age)

Roger and Paula: The ones who started it all

Natalie and R.J. - the newlyweds

Jordan, Sarah & Baby Rhett

My family

Morgan (Nathan's twin bro), Lindsay, Lucy, & Kate

Ryan, Natalie, Bryon, Alyssa, and Chloe

Brandon

Justin, Laura, JR, Rebekah, Emma, JoJo, and Grace

That's everyone! It's so rare to have everyone together and very special.

Will's 3rd Birthday!

2009-08-10T22:33:00.000-06:00

Will's 3rd Birthday party was a lot of fun! Cousins, Aunts, and Grandparents from both sides of the family joined our family in wishing Will a happy birthday! We went bowling all together. Will was just so excited about everything!

He got a new helmet and instantly tried it on!

His Aunt Amy was his special buddy that night!

8 Happy Years

2009-08-01T20:52:00.003-06:00

Happy Anniversary to my True Love!

August 1, 2001

June 27, 2009 (My 10 year High School Reunion)

It's true what they said 8 years ago, Our love just continues to grow! I love you even more now! Thanks for being my best friend and for always making me laugh...even when I don't want to.

You bring joy and excitement to my life. And I always love dreaming with you!

I love you to infinite and beyond!

Thanks for getting on the freeway with me all those years ago!

A summer of reading

2009-07-27T21:57:00.003-06:00

I haven't posted in what feels like forever. This summer my goal with my kids has been to really focus on reading. We have been doing the various summer reading programs at the library and through the governor's office, as well as our own. We get extra rewards for not missing a day. I've been amazed at how much I've seen improvement in John's reading skills.

I thought I'd share some of our favorite books for children. BOB books are one of my favorite beginning readers series. My friend Nancy introduced them to me and they have been so great for John.

Teach your child to read in One Easy Lessons was a book we used a while back that really helped me get the basics down on how to teach John to read. We didn't complete all the lessons but it got both John and I started in on the process.

The Magic Tree House is a chapter book series for beginning readers after they can read. While John isn't quite at this level, we've begun reading these books out loud to him. He really enjoys the plot and it holds his attention well. It's a great introduction to chapter books.

The first chapter book we read out loud to John was The Wizard of Oz. This is a fantastic book. While it is very similar to the movie there are some variations. This was a great book to read together.

I'm always interested in any ideas anyone has for reading or good books! If you have any of the above, please send them my way.

Spring Time

2009-04-19T20:21:00.006-06:00

Tax Season is over and I can once again breathe! And I just love that Spring is here! Here are a few photos from the past couple of months.

John worked really hard at his chores to earn enough money to buy a new frog at the children's museum. John has had a frog called Babo (from my dear friend Maggie) that he has slept with since birth and now Babo has a new friend also named Babo. John had to work really hard and save his money for a few months to get this frog! That is really tough! I'm so proud of John for working so hard. And now John has 2 blankies and 2 Babos to sleep with every night!

One of the things John does to earn stickers and eventually money is read books to Will. Will also gets stickers for John reading to him. Here is a photo of the two of them reading books together.
We have absolutely loved going to the children's museum! We especially enjoy going with other friends. Here are some of John's friends from Preschool.

And here is John with his friend Katherine! I'm lucky enough that Katherine's Mom, Marsha is one of my best friends, and we get to chat for a couple of hours while our kids play.

Will continues to love cars and trains. Even when he is tired he continues to play with his cars on the tracks.

While outside Will enjoys lining up all the bikes, cars, and really anything with wheels. His favorite is the car!

Race for the Cure

2009-04-18T21:10:00.005-06:00

Well it has now been a year since my mom and my then 28 year old cousin Brittany were first diagnosed. And what a year it has been. They have both finished chemo and radiation treatments and are now recovering. My mom's hair has come in and it is so curly! It is just so cute on her!

Race for the Cure is happening on Saturday, May 9th. There is a 5k run/walk as well as a 1 mile family/kids walk. I'd love for anyone to join me in supporting not only my mom, my cousin, my aunt and all those that you know who have been effected by breast cancer.

Go to http://www.komenslc.org/ to sign up for the race.

Eating Breakfast

2009-03-19T21:06:00.002-06:00

We were eating cinnamon rolls for breakfast and I said "Isn't our breakfast so yummy!" and John said "Yes indeed!" He made me laugh so hard. Who talks like that? Now for 2 days straight both kids have been saying "Yes indeed!"

Prayers

2009-03-01T21:39:00.004-07:00

I finally downloaded the photos off my camera and found these cute photos of my boys. One day I found them praying together. It just melted me heart. Of course I had to take pictures.

Where did it go...

2009-02-28T05:55:00.002-07:00

So it is now the end of February and I can't help but wonder, where did the month of February go? It seems like it has gone by way too quick. The busy tax season is upon me and life is going a little crazy. It's great I have my boys to keep me laughing.

Here's some funny sayings that the boys said on Thursday. John was laying on my bed and then thoughtfully looked up at me and said "Do you ever wished you had a flying horse that could fly?" I replied "Almost everyday." John than got a wave of excitement in his eyes. Where does he come up with these things.

Will was trying to learn how to go potty. He couldn't get it to come out. He said, "It's not working.....Need new batteries!" What a character!

Bride and Prejudice

2009-01-30T14:40:00.002-07:00

I watched the movie "Bride and Prejudice" last night with a few friends. I saw it a few years ago, but in seeing it again last night I was reminded how much I enjoyed it. I LOVE the book of Pride and Prejudice that any deviations from it I tend to not enjoy. Why change something that is so good??? Well, Bride and Prejudice takes place in India. And there is tons of dancing and singing - which of coarse I can't ever get enough of. The movie isn't that well known....so for any fellow Pride and Prejudice fans - you might want to check this movie out!

Facebook

2009-01-07T20:58:00.003-07:00

Where did the month of December go??? I can't believe it has came and gone already. So once again, I'm not posting photos. We gave the kids one of our old computers for Christmas...but who would think that I would use it so much? It seems like whenever I want to be on the computer, so does Nathan. So it is fantastic, we can now both be on computers at the same time. The only problem is all my photos, files are on the other computer. Now I guess I'm going to have to figure out how to network them together.... So photos on my blog will have to be for another day. I have some great ones from the holidays. Hopefully this will get done sooner than later.

So I recently joined facebook this week. It's great! I'm connecting with so many people I haven't heard/seen in such a long time. It's amazing. The only problem is...I've found another way to spend more time on the internet...like I already have a problem with that... So if you are on facebook, I look forward to being friends with you and if you aren't...you should join the facebook craze too.

New favorite website - Pandora

2008-12-11T16:42:00.002-07:00

www.Pandora.com is my new favorite website. It creates radiostations according to the music you like. For instance, I typed in that I like Coldplay. It then played Coldplay songs as well as a whole bunch of other music similar to coldplay that some I had and some I had not heard before. You can then vote on the songs. If you put thumbs down on a song - you'll never hear it again! Awesome! Check it out! It is fantastic!!!!

Grocery savings continued

2008-11-22T08:37:00.002-07:00

I forgot to mention that where you select which store you can also select an "Alphabetical Coupon Index" so if you have something on your list and you are wondering if there is a coupon for it. Just click there to search for the coupon.

Like Marlyce I get so excited too to see how much I saved. In fact, my sister Lori, who introduced this website to me, she decided to put in a separate savings account the money that she saved from doing this shopping (the amount listed at the bottom of the receipt) and save it for a cruise...which she is now enjoying this very minute!

Grocery savings!

2008-11-20T18:21:00.004-07:00

As mentioned in the previous post I love www.grocerysmarts.com! Unfortunely I listed the Utah code wrong down below, which I have now corrected. To list the right one again it is g84cef. I'm sorry about that.

This website is seriously saving me tons of money! I love it. Marlyce asked what do I do when the stores that I typically shop at don't have a lot of great sales. I usually still shop at either Smiths or Albertsons. Mainly because they are a lot closer than the Walmart. I really try to limit it to the things that I absolutely need for the week. Fresh produce, bread, milk, maybe yogurt. I do still use coupons to help save on the money. But Marlyce suggested shopping at Walmart with coupons - which is a great idea. You'd probably save more! I just know for me...everytime I walk into Walmart I buy more things than I was intending on buying so for me I can't go there too often. But if I actually stick to my list that is probably the best way to go.

Shannon mentioned going to the Kroger website and downloading the coupons on your Fresh Values/Kroger/Smith's card. That works great too!

I appreciate all the tips to save some dough!

On the news last night they featured a story about a mom who has Beer companies paying for her groceries. I guess they give you rebates for buying specific items. But you don't have to buy the beer. I know it mentioned that in Utah it can't require you to buy the beer, or something like that. I'm not making much sense. Please read the article or watch the video and tell me what you think??? Interesting...

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=4849524

Here's another feature on using rebates.
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=4849524

Quirky Tag

2008-11-11T23:14:00.004-07:00

Thanks Shannon for the Tag. I'm finally getting around to it. Here are the results.

Quirk #1 - I like to have all the dishes washed and the kitchen table cleared off after every meal. It is really hard for me to leave the house knowing the kitchen is a mess.

Quirk #2 - At every meal I set a knife, spoon, and fork for the whole family. Well, Will doesn't get the knife and if I accidentally set one, he hands it to me saying "NO KNIFE!" I guess I just like having all the utensils I might need during a meal.

Quirk #3 - I've changed my grocery shopping habits and only buy items that are on sale or have a coupon for. I do have to buy a few items without a discount to complete a meal or whatever, but I really try to keep it at a minimum. This is all thanks to http://www.grocerysmarts.com/ Utah code g84cef who makes my shopping so much easier. (You need to check this website out - it is amazing!!!) John's even picked up on this and at the store he doesn't ask "Can I get this?" instead he asks "Is this on sale?"

Quirk #4 - I'm obsessed with having my kids ears clean of ear wax. I don't like seeing the yellow in their ears. I feel like I'm constantly checking them.

Quirk #5 - I'm also obsessed with Quicken and download my checking account transactions daily. I enjoy knowing how much money I have and knowing where it is is going. I now only buy things with my Debit card or Cash all thanks to my Total Money Makeover and Dave Ramsey!

Quirk #6 - Nathan noticed this about me the other day. I never tie garbage bags shut. My mom does this too. I think I picked this up from her. And I guess I think...I need to have this bag available in case I find another item to put in the bag before I get to the garbage can. Quirky, I know. But hey these are Quirks.

Tag Rules:
Link the person who tagged you
Mention the rules on your blog
Tell about six quirks of yours
Tag six fellow bloggers to do the same
Leave a comment to let them know

6 People I tag: Lisa, Marlyce, Stacy, Rachel, Kristina, Lindsey

Halloween

2008-10-31T21:54:00.000-06:00

We had a blast at all of our Halloween events. With our friends we carved pumpkins at Shannon's house. Shannon was great at really capturing what John wanted his pumpkin to turn out like and was extremely patient! The pumpkin's teeth were amazing!

Will was a cute little monkey this year! At first he'd call it "George" after Curious George. He really liked wearing the "gubs"..."gloves." I love seeing that little face peek out of that soft, cuddly costume.

John kept up his tradition of dressing up in different costumes every time there was a new event. (Lisa gently reminded me that I started this "multiple costume phenomenon" when I had two costumes for him for his first Halloween when he was only 4 months old. She's probably right!)
So he was Diego...

And a magician....
And Spiderman!!!

October Activities

2008-10-30T20:53:00.000-06:00

What a great month we've had!!! I have absolutely enjoyed every minute of this fantastic weather! Here's a few photos of what we've been up to this past month.

Here's a photo of John getting ready to "trim the lawn" with his Dad. He had to get on a hat, gloves, and sunglasses just like his Dad.

Here's a cute photo of the boys sitting on their pumpkins outside on the porch.

What would October be without a trip to Gardner Village to see the silly Witches with some friends! What a fun tradition this is. We look forward to it all year long!

We made a trip to the Clark Planetarium. Who would know that the bike rack outside would be the highlight of day?

I love seeing John and Will's bond as brothers. They were riding their bikes outside togethere when John decided he'd like to take Will for a ride in the stroller. They really get along together so well...most of the time.

John's preschool is at an elementary school which doesn't allow for kids to dress up for Halloween. But the preschool did have a "Crazy Hair Day!" John first wanted to wear a wig (like his Grandma) but then he decided it was too itchy. He then decided he'd like to dye it blue. But then I think he seemed to be worried that it would be permenant. Finally he decided to stick it up. And of coarse Will said "Me too! Me too!"

Family Photos

2008-10-25T21:50:00.002-06:00

We took our annual family photos. Here are just a few we took with our camera. John took this first one. He LOVES to take photos!

Wheeler Farm

2008-10-20T21:40:00.005-06:00

We went to Wheeler Farm with my sister Amy and had a fantastic time! Amy knows how to make simple things really fun! We had a picnic and enjoyed the warm weather.

John found a tree that he fell in love with. He probably spent 30 minutes just climbing it.

With his tiny backpack, Will went on a hike and found a tiny door just his size.

I love my boys!!!

Will is taking his own photo using his hands as his camera!

Attention West High Alumni!!!

2008-10-14T20:50:00.001-06:00

I received an email with this information and thought I'd pass it along to my fellow Panthers!

After 45 years of teaching at West High, Brent Taylor has retired. Join his family in celebrating his outstanding career and come wish him a happy retirement. An Open House honoring Mr. Taylor will take place on October 24th from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the West High Cafeteria. See the attached invitation.

Please pass this information on to any former West High students who might be interested in visiting with Mr. Taylor.

Hosted by his children

Breast Cancer Survivor Party

2008-10-12T22:15:00.005-06:00

Well, every six months during the Priesthood Session of General Conference for the LDS Church my sisters, mom, my aunt, and girl cousins get together for a girls night. We've been doing this for as long as I can remember. Now that a few of us have kids the little boys get to come too.

Since my mom, aunt, and cousin now have all had breast cancer in the last year and have undergone treatment for it, we decided to have a party to celebrate them. We all wore pink (the boys wore red or orange) and wore breast cancer stickers. All our dinner items were either pink or red. My mom and cousin who both had chemo and lost their hair, went without wigs for the first time! Their hair is growing back and it looks fantastic! I'm so proud of them both! For fun we all tried on a bunch of wigs and took photos. It was a lot of fun.

My mom is now all done with her treatments of chemo and radiation. She now takes a chemo pill every day for the next 5 years. She gets stronger and stronger every day. Her positive attititude hasn't changed a bit and her desire and drive to serve others continues on. She's an amazing woman and a wonderful example to me. I love her so much and am so grateful she is doing so well.

September Highlights

2008-10-02T16:00:00.005-06:00

Here are some photos from September.

Blowing Bubbles

Bubble Wand - This makes really big bubbles. It was a lot of fun!

Finger Painting

Will didn't like the paint too much on his hands...

John loved getting using his hands. In the past the boys responses were opposite. It just goes to show you can't predict what one will do. We all change.

Will wearing his car PJ's that he wears almost every night.

John figured out how to make marshmallows into teeth!

Sneak Preview for Halloween.

John persuaded Grandma Janet to buy this Spiderman costume for him. John is notorious for changing his mind on what he wants to be for Halloween. When Grandma bought it she asked John "What if you change your mind on what you want to be?" John's response, "Well Grandma, that would be rude!" John just yesterday said he wants to be a magician....
Will the monkey. He calls it "George!" (After Curious George of coarse!)

Christmas Wishes

2008-09-30T13:08:00.003-06:00

Today as I was putting on a belt John informed me that for Christmas he wants a belt and an elevator... Oh, is that all?

I also posted August Photos & Will's Birthday Photos, but they are listed chronologically under August.

Changes...

2008-09-24T22:26:00.002-06:00

Why is change so hard sometimes. I just got released from YW Mia Maid Counsler because Nathan was called as the YM President (for the 3rd time). I LOVED my calling. I've only been doing it since March or so and before that I was the Mia Maid Teacher starting in December. So my time has been too short. I love the YW. I feel like my time ended way to soon.... I've got the next year all planned out.

So with Nathan's new calling it left his calling vacant, which means I just called as Gospel Doctrine Teacher (teaching biweekly). What a great challenge this has been already. My first lesson is Sunday and I've been preparing about an hour a day for the last 3 weeks. I've got my work cut out for me but already I'm definitely being blessed. I have a friend at work who is the Gospel Doctrine teacher in her ward and has given me a plethera of resources. I'm so thankful for her!

The Ultimate Gift

2008-09-15T22:13:00.002-06:00

I just finished reading "The Ultimate Gift" by Jim Stovall. I loved it. It is a book that most people could sit down and read in an hour, maybe two. I enjoyed reading this book in little bits over a week or so. It's the type of book that makes you think and ponder. You re-evaluate your own life. I highly recommend this book! Happy Reading!

End of Summer...

2008-08-31T21:06:00.003-06:00

I cling to summer like the last leaves of fall. I use to really enjoy fall - new school clothes, starting school again, shopping for school supplies, the excitement of change. But in the last couple of years it has changed for me. Now, nothing changes exempt for the weather. For me, there is just something magical about summer. It's like this universal feeling in the air of freedom and enjoyment of nature. Maybe if I just went shopping for some new clothes it would change my mood.

This weekend we went to Cherry Hill with my family. We had so much fun with our kids. The first time down the slide John didn't say anything, but when reaching the bottom he stood up and said "I can touch the bottom" (of the pool). And then he anxiously ran to do it again! Will's first time (and everytime) down the slide was filled with giggles. He just loved it! His face was so fun to see as he came out of the tunnel and into the pool. What a blast! What a great time!

August Photos

2008-08-29T13:20:00.002-06:00

Will got his cast off! Yeah! He was so brave!

He held VERY still the whole time they sawed the cast off. He pretty much had this facial expression the whole time.

He adapted so quickly after having it removed. He was more concerned about the spiderman bandaid on his other arm then having the cast removed. And the only reason he had a spiderman bandaid on was become John had one on.

John wanted me to take these photos of him "sleeping." He's so funny!

It's been a long week...

2008-08-21T21:38:00.002-06:00

Nathan has been out of town this week for work and so it's been me and the boys all week long. We've planned fun things everyday to look forward to and make the week go by as quickly as possible. But we've all missed not having him around. John constantly goes over the calendar and the days of the week to see just how much longer he is going to have to wait to see his Dad. Will seems to be missing him so much he thinks he hears and sees him. When listening to the new Coldplay CD (it's awesome!) Will starts saying "Dada, Dada." John then said, "Will thinks it's Dad singing." Will pointed to some photos on the back of the phone books and of course they are attorneys and Will shouts "Dada, Dada!" He thinks it looks like Nathan...but it really doesn't. Anyway, so I needless to say I guess we've all missed Nathan a lot this week and are looking forward to seeing him soon!

Happy Birthday Will

2008-08-20T13:35:00.000-06:00

Will had a wonderful 2 year old birthday!

Since he continues to LOVE CARS and TRAINS - that is the kind of birthday he had.

Pretty much all he got were cars and trains!

My sister Amy made this amazing Car cake. We are so lucky to have her!

Will was so excited when he saw his own car cake!

New Background

2008-08-18T23:43:00.002-06:00

Thanks to Allison I learned how to change my background. So here the link if you want to do it too. It was super easy!

http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com

TAG - I'm trying a new thing

2008-08-18T22:42:00.003-06:00

I've never done a tag, but after enjoying reading Lisa's I thought I'd give it a whirl.

1. Where did you and your husband meet? We met working at the Spaghetti Factory on the 24th of July. I was a hostess and he was a server.

2. First thing said? I seated some people in his section and another table told me they were ready to order. I found Nate and said "12-2 is ready to order." Nate said "Bologna!" That's when I knew he was the one...okay not then, but less than two minutes later, I walked by him taking the order and our eyes met. We both felt something in that moment. "It was like...magic!"

3. First date? Lunch at Cinegrill - a quaint Mom & Pop type restaurant in downtown Salt Lake.

4. First kiss? He helped me move all my stuff down to BYU and worked hard all day. That night we drove back up to Salt Lake and after getting out of the car - we kissed in the garage. Probably the most romantic place, right?

5. When were "I love you's" said? I said it one night on the phone while in Provo and while he was in Salt Lake. He couldn't say it over the phone. The next day he drove all the way down to Provo on a week night and we went for a walk. We sat on the hill overlooking the Provo Temple and that is when he told me. He wanted to do it the right way. What a great guy!

6. Long or short courtship/engagement? Pretty equal. 6 1/2 months courtship - 5 1/2 engagement.

7. Where did you get engaged? It was a very romantic night filled with visiting significant places through out the Salt Lake valley. But when Nathan got down on his knee and popped the question we were on Temple Square at "our bench" which is between the Joseph Memorial Building and Church Administration Building.

9. Where did you go on your honeymoon? Caribbean Cruise! It was a perfect Honeymoon!

10. Where did you make your first home? A basement one bedroom apartment in Orem. It was as tiny as can be but the price was right, $400 a month.

I Tag Any One Reading This!

Ways of Traveling...

2008-08-14T15:59:00.003-06:00

I've often thought about if I could have a super fast way of traveling - what would I want. Such as flying like Superman, riding a broom like a witch, wings like Batmans or a web like Spiderman. As I rushed to pick up my son from preschool knowing that no matter how fast I drove I'd be late, I finally decided what I'd want most. I want to apparate like Harry Potter. It would be so amazing to just instantly be some where when you needed to be there. Not having to figure in traveling time would be so great. Even if according to Harry it might be painful, it would be worth the time savings! Any other ideas of traveling super powers or traveling inventions?

July Memories

2008-08-07T22:09:00.002-06:00

I just love summer! It is always sad when it comes to an end. John's starting preschool next week and that really makes summer feel like it is over. It's a part of an elementary school that goes year round so that is why it is starting so early.

We've had a great month of July. Here's a photo my cute boys having a snack together outside.

Our fantastic neighbor brought us some yummy zuccini so John helped me make zuccini bread. John's favorite part was peeling the zuccini, which he did awesome at!
What would a month be at the Evershed home without a few trips to the doctor's office? July we made it through with just 3 visits. This month 2 of the visits were due to Will have a tiny hairline fracture in both bones in his left forearm. This happened one day as he tripped on some stairs. Poor little thing. He hasn't let it stop him and still riding his bike. The boys both loved wearing masks...at both visits.
Here's Will with his new cast. I need to take a better picture of it. Amazingly it is Waterproof!!!! How awesome is that? (I hope I still think it is awesome when the bill finally comes.) It sure makes baths and swimming a lot easier. If you are going to have a cast I definitely recommend getting a waterproof one.

I hope you've enjoyed your summer as well!

4th of July - Zermott

2008-07-04T23:34:00.000-06:00

We celebrated the 4th of July week while staying at Zermott in Midway, Utah. It was incredible! What a great place! We had a huge family reunion with my Dad's side of the family for 3 days and the rest of the week it was my family, sisters (family), parents, etc. We had a blast! It was just so great to be all together!

My family
Will, Nathan, John, and Emily
The grandkids walking together.
They play so well together!

Boating at Dear Creek

Hot Air Balloon Ride

Riding Bikes

2008-06-30T23:29:00.000-06:00

John's Grandma gave him is awesome Batman bike for this birthday! He plays the music and rides as fast as he can! What a perfect gift.

Will & John have enjoyed riding their bikes together this summer.

I just love these boys!

John's 4th Birthday

2008-06-11T23:15:00.000-06:00

John turned 4 years old and had his first birthday party with friends!

Here's everyone!

For most of the kids it was their first experience at a friends birthday party. Most of the kids opened the birthday present they brought. It was so cute!

We had an obstacle course in the backyard. They worked so hard at it!

The theme was "Beach Balls." Here we are playing some games with the beach balls.

John doesn't believe you turn your age until you have a party on your birthday. It was at this moment that John realized he had turned 4 and ran to gave Nathan a big hug.

California Trip Memories

2008-06-08T22:34:00.000-06:00

We had a blast during the month of June!

We started the month off by traveling to Newport Beach with Nathan's family.

Some highlights include a Disneyland, Dodgers Baseball game, and Playing at the beach.

We went to Disneyland and both boys loved the Buzz Lightyear Ride. This is trying to take their photo infront of Buzz Lightyear. But they were too mesmorized by seeing a life size Buzz to turn their heads for the photo!
Here's another one with Will admiring Buzz. Will just went crazy seeing Buzz. He leaped out of arms to run to him.
Will having a great time in line.
We loved seeing the characters. John's face is too funny. John's boy cousin wouldn't even get in the photo with Minnie because she's a girl. So funny!
John loved seeing Tigger, Pooh, and Eyore.

Contrast: John's experience driving the cars with

John's experience with his first time on Splash Mountain. He had NO idea was was coming!

Dodger's Game!

All the grandchildren hanging out together at the beach. All 12 of them!

Will & Nathan playing in the sand.

My newest nieces Kate and Gracie - less than a week apart! Little Angels!

New York City

2008-05-25T21:52:00.004-06:00

This past week Nathan and I traveled to NYC for Nathan's twin brother's Dental School Gradutation from Columbia. We had a fantastic time. We loved being with Morgan, Lindsay, Lucy (2 1/2 years) and Baby Kate (3 weeks old). It was also moving time for them so we were able to help pack up and move out. Only 11 suitcases, 20 or so boxes mailed to their new home, and one car load. That's all they took with them. They sold most everything. What a different experience from the moves that I have had. Wow!

We did all we wanted to do like go to Wicked and see a Yankees Game but we were able to spend time with Family. Nathan's parents were also there! We had a blast!

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law took care of the kids while we were gone. The kids were so happy and had a great time as well. What a great time for us all!

Race for the Cure

2008-05-13T14:05:00.003-06:00

Last Saturday was Race for the Cure! It was so great! There were 17,000 participants on Saturday! My mom was there and was extremely touched to have all three of her girls there running! We all ran for my mom, aunt Jayne, and cousin Brittany. Unfortunately, my cousin is in the hospital with an infection after her first round of chemo. My mom has her second round of chemo today. She's begun wearing wigs and scarfs. She's amazing in keeping her spirits up!

We had a good turn out! Look at all these supporters!

Here's a photo with my Mom and sisters!

New Blogspot address

2008-04-29T16:53:00.002-06:00

Surprise - new Blogdpot address! Now I need to get the word out....

My Mom is Breast Cancer Gene Free

2008-03-27T10:43:00.002-06:00

My mom called me this morning with great news! She is not a carrier of the cancer BRC1 or BRC 2 genes! The people who did the breast cancer gene study told her it would be until APRIL 20th before they would find out any results. But they called her this morning with the great news! They did a rush to find the results because of the family history and all so sudden. There could still be some family related reasons for the breast cancer but not having either of the two genes is a big deal! Thanks for everyone's prayers!

Great news! Bad news!

2008-03-21T19:59:00.002-06:00

Well, after my mom having two surgeries this week, we have found out that it hasn't spread! What a miracle! She was had her second surgery today and in two weeks chemo should begin. We'll see what that is like. I hear it is pretty bad.

As for the bad news, my cousin's cancer has spread to her lymphnodes. This means it is more serious and it could possibly have spread to other areas. Pray that it has stopped spreading! She's got a little boy a little younger than Will and a husband that is a Medical student up at the U! She's only 28!!!

It looks like my mom and cousin could be undergoing chemo together. What a crazy way to bond. That's something that doesn't happen everyday!

As for now, I'll stay focused on the good news and continue to pray for my mom and cousin! Thanks for all of your prayers and support!

Breast Cancer and more Breast Cancer

2008-03-13T15:08:00.007-06:00

Well, it's hard to put into words what's been happening around here other than to say breast cancer and more breast cancer. My Mom found out yesterday that she has breast cancer. My cousin Brittany (she's 28) had cancer when she was 6 or 7 years old. Last week she found out she has breast cancer. And her mom, my mom's sister was diagnosed with breast cancer within the last year. She's been treated and is now in remission. My Grandma (my mom's mom) also had breast cancer many years ago, about 10 years before she died. So to say it probably is genetic is an understatement. Right now I think we are all in shock. It just doesn't feel real. Since we just found out yesterday about my mom, we still don't know a lot about her condition and what will be happening. I'm sure I'll even find out more today.

Life sure is a bumpy road. I'm just grateful for my knowledge of the Plan of Salvation and to know this life isn't about making it as easy as possible. It's about how do handle life when the bumps come, because they for sure do.

A few days after I found out about my cousin Brittany, I heard about a 5k on May 10th to support Breast Cancer. I thought that would be a good way to show support to her during this time. And now my mom has cancer too. Even more reason to do so! So for any of you who'd like to join me for the race I'd love to see you there. There's also a 1 mile walk for those of you who'd rather do that. This race starts at Gateway and even passes by my Alma mater (and my Mom's) - West High.

Please keep my mom and cousin in your prayers!

Twilight has been cast!

2008-02-19T21:09:00.002-07:00

Filming has started for Twilight. Check out this link for who's in the cast!. On Stephenie Meyer's website there are also photos. It's fun to see the photos associated with the people. None of the poeple are who I would have pictured. I wonder what make-up and photography will do to them. Maybe they will be as "beautiful" as they are in the book when that is all taken into account. What about Jacob??? Is he not going to be in the movie? I think James was the one who looks most like a vampire to me. I always pictured Edward with Jet black hair... I'm not sure why, what color does Stephenie Meyer say he has in book? It will be fun to see how the movie is done.

Some of the Most Important Stories go Unreported

2008-02-14T15:16:00.008-07:00

A woman was driving north on I-15 in a small compact sedan during rush-hour traffic last Monday afternoon when suddenly she felt a bump from behind and her car began to spin out of control. She saw from her driver side window that it was a semi that had bumped her. While she had been driving in the far right lane of the four lanes heading north, the push caused her car to cross two lanes and turn 180 degrees so when she stopped traffic was now coming directly towards her. In her moment of need, she prayed to Heavenly Father “Please help me!” The next thing she remembers was coasting to a stop on the far right shoulder of the interstate. She saw the semi pull over in front of her about 100 yards ahead onto the shoulder as well. After taking a few moments to calm down as well as call her husband, she got out of the car to survey the damage. To her utter amazement the only physical damage of the whole accident was some paint scratches near the rear tire and side bumper probably caused from the semi’s bumper.

As you might have guessed, this story is about me. I am so grateful for the miracle that took place last Monday! I know that I received divine help that day. The odds were against me. In a battle between a Chevy Prizm and large semi, everyone knows the semi wins. It’s not only a miracle that the semi’s bump didn’t cause more problems, but also that I or any one else driving in rush hour traffic didn’t crash into each other. I saw cars veer out of my way.

As crazy as it might sound, at the moment I was facing oncoming traffic instantly my mind thought of Alma the Younger under the influence of the spirit and it was when he thought of Christ that he was saved. Instantly in my time of need I prayed because I knew it was all I had power to do. I truly have no remembrance as to how I got back onto the shoulder that day. I don’t remember turning the wheel. I don’t remember steering clear of cars or even seeing the cars. What I do know is that God heard and answered my prayer. When I got home to my husband and two happy boys, my heart rejoiced again for the opportunity to be with them again. To walk away unharmed from a situation like this is miraculous! I write my story so that I may let my Heavenly Father know how grateful I am to continue to have my life on earth and to have a fully functional physical body.

Memorable Moments of American Idol

2008-02-10T21:17:00.000-07:00

I love to watch American Idol when I get the chance. I've felt like this season hasn't shown as many bad singers as they have in the past. Instead, I've been really touched by the stories of the people who have made it on to the next round. A couple stories stand out to me. One is a girl who's Dad died while she was traveling for the audition. At the audition I think she sang "How do I live without you?" It was incredible. What a strong woman! The other audition that comes to mind is of a guy who I think is around 17 or 18 and he lives in his car all by himself. He's picked up a brittish accent...probably from listening to music and that being the only thing he listens to all day. I bet he has such a lonely life. It makes me wonder about his story... I'm courious as to what moments have stuck out to everyone else in American Idol. Does this season seem a little more toned down to the negativity or have I just missed a lot of episodes???

Well, I'm excited to see the next round of auditons and to find out more about the contestants!

Snow Days

2008-02-06T15:22:00.000-07:00

We've had so much snow this year! It has been awesome! We've enjoyed many days of playing in the snow. Here are a few of my favorite photos from our many snow days from the past couple of weeks!

John got all bundled up one morning to help shovel the snow.

John enjoying the snow!

" Transformer Snowman John"

John holding hands with "Transformer Snowman John."

John had to make sure his snowman was as tall as himself. This is John measuring his snowman.

Will all bundled up in his "Christmas Story" Snowsuit.

Will playing in the snow! He just loves it!

Nathan took this photo of Will on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and sent it to KSL. We got a few calls, so it must of either been on TV or internet. Too bad we didn't see it.

Left to Tell

2008-01-08T22:05:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading a book called Left to Tell. It was incredible. It was about a woman who survived the Rwandan Holocaust in 1994. She was in a bathroom with 7 other women hiding from killers for over 90 days. It was so inspiring. She has so much inner strength, so much faith, so much forgiveness. At times it was so difficult to read because it is so hard to believe that such awful things could happen... espeically in my life time, not so long ago. It wasn't a book to read right before bed and have sweet dreams. However, I very much recommend it. I'm glad I read it because I feel it is important to be aware with the world. Truly I am so blessed and should remember my blessings daily. Most of the world doesn't have what I have. I have so much to be grateful for in my life.

Ticket to Ride

2008-01-02T20:18:00.000-07:00

I love finding a new board game. This holiday season we came across a new game called Ticket to Ride. It is so fun! It is a lot like Settlers of Catan but I think it is less complicated and goes quicker. It is awesome! There are a few variations of the game. We played the American and Euporean Editions. Both were great! This is my new favorite game.

I'd love to hear of everyone else's favorite games. This game came out in 2004 and I just found out about it in December of 2007. I've missed out on years of playing this game. So if you know of any new great games please let me know!

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

2007-12-08T13:35:00.001-07:00

So the past two Saturdays it has been so wonderful to wake up, peek outside, and see a world covered in white! I think snow is most beautiful in the morning, before it has been touched. It also seems like the world is quieted by its presence.

So what do you like to do in the winter time? For me I enjoy watching movies and reading books. Hey, that is what I like to do all the time. I finished a great book last night - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. If you haven't read it, I definitely recommend it.

We watched the new Fantastic 4 Movie last night. It was poorly done with a lame plot, bad acting, and an ackward script. I don't mean to offend you if any of you may have liked it. This is just my opinnion. This morning my Dad's office had a client appreication day at the Theaters. We saw Enchanted. It was delightful and humorous. I always enjoy a movie that makes me laugh.

Anyone seen any good movies lately or read any good books?

Go Jazz Go!

2007-11-25T15:14:00.001-07:00

Every year after Thanksgiving my family goes to a Jazz Game. My parents reserve a sky box (like a suite, but at the very top of the arena and not so fancy) so the kids get to run around. Let's be honest, I go for the yummy food. Here's a photo of my kids and two cousins. John 3, Abby 4, Will 15 months and Kate 2.

New way to clip coupons!

2007-11-19T21:36:00.000-07:00

So I discovered a new way to clip coupons. If you have Smith's or a store that sells Kroger products, all you have to do is use the number that is on your "Fresh Values Card" or whatever that store calls it and load up your card with coupons. It also prints out a list of what coupons you loaded up. I really like the idea of this. I just wish it worked with all coupons and not just the P&G Coupons. Happy Shopping!

Click here for the website to load up your card.

Who's your favorite superhero?

2007-11-06T12:08:00.000-07:00

Many of the costumes that I saw on Halloween have been of superheroes. So this has caused me to ponder, who's my favorite superhero? Possibilities include Superman, Spider man, X-men, Batman, etc.

We recently watched Batman Begins. We saw it in the theaters when it came out but hadn't seen it since then. If you haven't seen the movie or if you haven't seen it recently, you should! (I definitely don't recommend it for kids because I think it would be way too scary for them.) The movie is well done and I think Christian Bale was a fantastic Batman. I like that Batman is an ordinary man who makes a choice to do extraordinary things. I think he also has the best costume - none of that wimpy nylon, or whatever it is. However, I must admit that I like the superhero movies. The sequel to Batman Begins is coming out next July. I also think the X-Men Movies are awesome!

I found this quiz on the Internet. Which Superhero are you? My results are below. I don't necessarily agree with the results, but it is fun anyway. So take the quiz to see what superhero you most identify with and let me know your results.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman		70%
Supergirl		65%
Robin		62%
Green Lantern		55%
Spider-Man		50%
Hulk		50%
The Flash		50%
Wonder Woman		45%
Batman		35%
Iron Man		35%
Catwoman		0%

You are mild-mannered, good,
strong and you love to help others.

Need a good date movie?

2007-11-03T22:03:00.000-06:00

Tonight Nathan and I went and saw Dan in Real Life. I haven't laughed that much in a movie in a long time. It was a great combination of sweet moments, laughing moments, and a good story. The soundtrack was great too! It made me like Steve Carell as an actor even more than I already do. If you are looking for a good movie to see you should check this one out! Here's a link to the trailer if you want to see what it is about before you go.

http://daninreallife.movies.go.com/index.html

Halloween Celebrations!

2007-11-03T00:34:00.001-06:00

I love Halloween! It is such a great time of the year. For the past few years we've been having a dress-up party for my Dad's Birthday - which is actually on Halloween. This year we embraced Star Wars. I was Princess Leia, Nathan was Obi-wan, Will was Darth Vadar, and John...was Buzz Lightyear of course. Both Will and John had other costumes. John was Diego and and Will was a tiger.

We did make it Gardner Village this year. We went with my sister Lori and her cute girls: Abby, Kate, and Baby Ella. I love the witches there!

We kept up our tradition of carving pumpkins for FHE. I tried to do some "Sensational Shadows," as described in the kit, on the back of my pumpkin and wrote "Trick or Treat" backwards. But it was to no avail. Nathan carved the other two pumpkins in the time it took to carve the Trick or Treat - and it didn't even work. I finished my pumpkin with a traditional face. Oh well, at least that one was John's favorite.

I hope you all had a Happy Halloween as well!

Edward, Jacob, or Mike?

2007-10-18T15:52:00.000-06:00

This summer I enjoyed reading the three books by Stephenie Meyer, Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse. They were the perfect books for a good summer reading. If you haven't read them yet, do! You might be surprised!

So for all of you, who have read the books, let me ask you "Who should Bella choose?" Are you for Edward? Jacob? or Mike? Go ahead and cast your vote on my polling question. And if you feel so inclined, add a comment to this post to explain why you voted for you who did.

As for me, I am for Edward. Who wouldn't like a guy who was so good looking that that Bella mentions it over and over and over. However, Nathan is for Jacob, because I think he identifies more with him. This all causes major stress in our marriage - no just kidding. But it does cause internal conflict for me because I feel like I'm choosing to go against Nathan. Oh, don't you love reading a good fiction book that takes you away from your life and enters you into someone else's world.

Gratitude

2007-10-16T22:33:00.001-06:00

This month I've had so much gratitude for all my blessings. Most of all for my family and friends. I love being a mom to such cute boys who make me smile every day! Here's my happy Will. He likes to have two phones in his hands when he crawls. He kind of glides with them like he is skating. John loves to make silly faces that he knows will make me laugh. For over a week, John loved watching these sharks grow HUGE as they were submerged in water. What a fun toy!

I did it!

2007-10-03T22:10:00.000-06:00

So I finally did it! I set up my own blog. I guess I've been behind the times, but I must say "Better late than never." Reading the inspirational words of my Nebraska friends on the Nebraska Blog finally got to me!