Life With The Stones

Spring is on the Way!

2012-02-10T23:51:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to see my little daffodils coming up through the ground that I planted last spring. This is my "first" bulb planting experience so I was pretty happy to see them.

Fun Memories-But Glad It's Over!

2012-01-22T23:54:00.000-08:00

We sure had a nice time living without modern conveniences for a few days with the terrible snow/freezing rain we had here. Our power went off on Wednesday night around 8:45 p.m. and finally last night, Saturday, around the same time the power went back on. We sure got creative though during the days and evenings. Mike had a gig on Friday and Saturday night with Idol Eyez so he got a little warmth over the weekend...our friends also invited us over for dinner one night which made it nice for the kids. The kids enjoyed the extra days off of school as well but I think they would have enjoyed it more with a little more warmth:) I'm posting some pictures of our sledding day with the boys...the calm before the storm...and how we had to bundle up in our house during the day.

2012-01-10T21:47:00.000-08:00

My brother made this cute sign for us for Christmas and I am finally getting around to posting it. Thanks Derek!

Down and Derby 2012

2012-01-10T21:34:00.000-08:00

Dallas and Michael watched this movie getting all ready and prepped for the pinewood derby this year. Such a funny movie! Dallas did do great with his car: Cherry Sliver. He was very consistent in getting 2nd place but unfortunately since he was one of the faster cars he was raced against the other fast cars and was awarded 3rd place overall. It was a pretty neat set up they had though with a digital stop watch, concession stand, cool decorations and such. Dallas is excited to take his car to districts which we heard is probably in March sometime.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-26T21:07:00.000-08:00

Well Christmas is come and gone and now we are preparing to bring in 2012! Since my last post we had Dallas' pack meeting where he earned his religious knot and his fitness pin. Mike and I also made about 100 gingerbread cookies that the boys enjoyed decorating. We had a fun weekend going over to grandpa and grandma Stones for Christmas eve. We had a nice nativity that the kids participated in and lots of yummy treats. After sacrament meeting on Sunday we headed back over there for Christmas dinner and presents. All the kids got warm fleece blankets that aunt Tammy and grandma made for them with their names embroidered on them. Desi and Nick got back from grandpa and grandma Coopers tonight and we met them to pick up our Christmas presents from my parents. We got even more fun gifts!!! We love Christmas and all the memories we make over the holidays;) Mike starts school again in a week and has a big gig on New years eve playing for a wedding up in Seattle. We feel very blessed to have such loving family and friends so close to us. WE hope everyone had a great holiday season too!

Time to Catch Up

2011-11-27T16:13:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks so thought I would catch up before life begins again Monday. We had a fun day of snow that lasted half of the day:) The boys had fun with it while it lasted and was a good excuse to run outside and make a snowman. I also got a job, working from home, through Amazon. I am a customer service associate and take incoming calls from customers mainly doing four things: updating account information, changing orders before they ship, managing prime accounts, and dealing with refunds/returns. I had one week of training so far and will have 2 more before I am totally on my own. It is a blessing being able to be home though and hopefully it will be good enough to help financially while Mike is in school.
Lastly we had a great Thanksgiving at my in laws. My parents and brother were going to make the trip to our home this year but unfortunately my stepgrandma passed away and so they were needed elsewhere. We did have fun decorating our home inside and out for Christmas though. Mike and Dallas weere on the roof hanging lights while the other boys and myself were busy hauling totes and decorating the inside. Happy Holidays!

And they lived happily ever after...

2011-11-11T17:32:00.001-08:00

Today we had an awesome day celebrating 11-11-11. Not only was it Veterans Day (thanks to both my wonderful dads who served our country bravely and valiantly) but we had a wedding today. Lisa and Rex got married! What a beautiful bride and fun day. The house looked beautiful and the ceremony was sweet with the wonderful thoughts of going with the couple in a year to be sealed. The bridesmaids, Mercedes and Chanelle, had pretty champagne colored dresses and Richie-the best man- looked dashing as well.

After the ceremony there was a super wonderful BBQ lunch complete with BBQ pulled pork sandwiches on homemade buns, potato salad, jello, cornbread, and mint brownies. We had fun dancing and watching the couple open gifts. The happy couple are going towards the Bellevue area for their honeymoon this weekend. Welcome to the family Rex. We love you guys!!!

Bride to Be

2011-11-09T21:13:00.000-08:00

We had a bridal shower for Lisa today since her wedding is approaching quickly. It was a lot of fun putting one together for her. The ladies played a few fun games about how well people knew the couple, a memory game with wedding sayings and then every match earned a candy bar that went with the saying...for example, Wedding photos were lifesaver candies, engagement ring was a ring pop etc... We also played a game where I had Lisa leave and then I asked people questions about what she was wearing, how her hair was done-you get the picture. We had lots of yummy food (thanks to everyone who pitched in and brought such great treats) and Lisa received some really fun gifts that I'm sure she'll enjoy:) (We didn't make her blush at all wink * wink) I think everyone had a good time-can't wait for the wedding on Friday!!

Funny Faces

2011-11-09T17:38:00.000-08:00

I ruined a few pairs of nylons on Sunday and the boys took advantage of my misfortune by cutting my nylons and putting them over their faces. I think they look almost better with them on. Hahaha!

Special Treat

2011-11-01T22:25:00.000-07:00

Elijah and Brandon have a very special friend at the gym who watches them in the playroom. Today was her last day and the boys got some nice blankets from their friend. The boys will certainly miss Thea. Elijah loves to blow kisses to her everyday when we leave.

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T22:34:00.001-07:00

Another Halloween has come and gone...we started off the morning with the kids taking cupcakes to their class parties and Elijah and Brandon dressing up to go the gym. Brandon and I were able to go to Elijah school and partake in his "Harvest Party" towards the end of the day. We helped the kids with their snacks and then afterwards when we went outside to play games and take pictures. It was fun seeing Elijah having so much fun and doing his "school thing". After school Dallas invited his friend, Jacob, who has never gone trick or treating before to come with us...we joined my friend and her family and went down around their neighborhood. The kids all lucked out and got some really good treats including lots of full size candy bars, cookies, play dough, etc...Brandon was so tired that he was asleep in his car seat before we left the neighborhood to go home. All in all I think the kids had a good holiday. Poor Michael had school tonight so wasn't able to be with us-hopefully next year!

42 Years!

2011-10-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

It's mom and dad Stones' 42nd wedding anniversary-we hope you have 42 more!!

Trunk or Treat

2011-10-28T22:35:00.000-07:00

I took the boys to the ward trunk or treat at our building tonight. The boys had fun doing the cake walk, painting pumpkings, bowling, pinning the wart on the witches nose etc... After the carnival was done there was a short musical number where a group did the dance from Michal Jacksons "Thriller"-they did a really great job! Lucky for us the rain stopped while we were trunk or treating. Happy Halloween!

Fall Concert

2011-10-19T22:24:00.000-07:00

We went to Mercedes first high school choir/band concert last night in Orting. The choir performed a couple of numbers but my favorite was the Phantom of the Opera Medley. It was fun to watch and brought back a lot of memories of when I was in choir and band. Good job Mercedes! Can't wait until the next one:)

Wonderful Surprise

2011-10-16T14:53:00.000-07:00

I love my husband so much. Last night, or rather this morning, when he got home he had this beautiful flower arrangement for me. Aren't they gorgeous?

It's a Girl

2011-10-15T19:36:00.001-07:00

My sister in law, Juliet, is adopting another baby which is due in January so we thought it would be fun to throw her a surprise baby shower. The whole time we led her on letting her think it was a bridal shower that she was coming to. We decided to have it at my in laws home so that all her family could be there. It was pretty fun planning the food, games, decorating etc...(if I had the means-I think I would like to do party planning for a living:) I made it a dinner baby shower since it was at 5 p.m. We had chicken enchiladas, fruit salad, and a super yummy peach jello salad that my sister in law made (Thanks Lisa). Afterwards the guests were directed to the kitchen to make italian sodas and get a plate of treats before we headed to the living room for games. We played some fun games that I found on the internet. A purse game where the guests looked for items in their purse that started with the letters of the baby's name. Next we played a memory game where the item matched won the guesser a prize. For example, the word epidural got a package of lifesavers, daddy got a sugar daddy, breastfeeding got a milky way etc.. The last game was a guessing game with paper bags containing items used for a baby. Each paper bag had a letter (the bags spelled out baby shower) and so for the letter on the bag there was an item that the person could only feel. They would then pass the bag on and write down their guess. I had items such as a bib for the letter B, headband for the letter H, rattle for the letter R etc... I think everyone had a lot of fun. After the games came the fun part. Presents!! Kylee got a lot of cute outfits, picture frame with her name on it, blanket, diapers, burp cloths, and a bottle warmer. I even tried my hand at making a diaper cake. I think it turned out pretty good for my first one. I did two tiers off diapers, and then used onesies for my top tier with a cute pair of booties for the cake topper. We even had a few gifts for Andrea, the birthmom, who wasn't expecting anything. She was the brains behind the shower and wanted to do this for Juliet. I merely helped her carry it out;)
Dessert followed: Two different layered desserts-banana cream and cherry. Then for the party favor I made cinnamon buns that said, "Thanks for coming. Love, Kylee Jane (the BUN in the oven). I think everyone had a good time. It was good catching up with one of my friends that I hadn't seen since we moved from Puyallup. After it was said and done 2 batmen helped me clean up.
January will be here before we know it and so will little Kylee Jane. Can't wait to meet her!

Stuff the Bus 5k

2011-10-03T21:03:00.001-07:00

Mike and Juliet ran the Stuff the Bus 5k in Fife on Saturday morning. This was the first Stuff the Bus 5k the school had put on and there were about 100 participants. It was a really nice day for running...light mist and cool weather. The participants got nice goodie bags that included a car freshener, toothbrush and toothpaste, trail mix and a water.. plus a cool t-shirt with a bus on it. Mike and Juliet both placed first! After Mike got his award some guys came up from the "Dave and Mike" radio show and asked if Mike would do an interview with them for their web show. Of course Mike is a good sport and said ok. Unfortunatly we weren't able to hear it later that night but it was fun watching it all;) Oh yeah...the good stuff. For winning 1st place Mike got a gift certificate to a running store, an hour massage, $15 dollar Jamba Juice card and a plaque.

Mrs. Marinelli

2011-10-02T11:12:00.000-07:00

All the excitment for the past few months is finally over. My sister married her fiance, Nick, on Friday evening. I was her Matron of Honor in the bridal party. My friend, Maribel, was so sweet and did my hair and make up for the occasion. The ceremony was nice (even though Brandon was my little shadow the entire time) but everything went on without a hitch. She switched the location at the last minute due to changes in the weather but it all turned out for the best. The reception was really nice...yummy food catered by Mama Stortinis and then there was dancing with glow sticks which everyone loved and a fun candy "bar" with different candies you could choose with their colors from the wedding. There was also a fun italian soda bar that you could go and choose different drinks from. This morning they left on their honeymoon in Hawaii for a week. Now we are just relaxing and enjoying conference.

Our Big Adventure

2011-09-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was my last day of work at the Holiday Inn so I told the boys I would be taking them on an adventure that day. Little did they know that I had booked a suite at the hotel that night. (When I was first hired there they gave me a complimentary coupon to stay at the hotel "to experience what the guests experience", so originally I had planned to give it to someone as their wedding present but since the date of the wedding wasn't for sure and I was quitting due to problems it was causing to my back I had to use it before I was not longer employed there.)
I asked the kids if they had to leave the house in minutes and had to pack only one change of clothes what they would take and to go get it so I could see. Dallas kept asking me why and if I was going to burn the house down or something...silly ol' Dallas...well I told them we were leaving and didn't know when we were going to get back but to grab their bookbags and swimming trunks...then the motors really started turning...are we going to wild waves? the great wolf lodge (I wish;) and I just kept eluding the questions...we stopped at Wal Mart to pick up some supplies i.e. popcorn, candy, soda...then we decided we better get something for dinner since it was approaching 7 p.m. After we had everything I said we needed to stop by the hotel so I could get my last pay check and when I had a parking permit for the hotel they were really excited.
I could get any room at the hotel so I picked out a suite with 2 queen beds, and the pull out couch. Daddy arrived after his class in Tacoma and then we went swimming and in the hot tub. Even got fresh cookies on the way up to our room.
The boys had lots of fun and after breakfast in the morning we came back home in time for the boys to catch the bus.
Just a little fun adventure to show the family where I was everyday for the past 2 1/2 months. *Special thanks to all my friends and family members who helped watched the boys so that I could work for a while and figure out what our next step was*

Dallas is 10!

2011-09-18T21:21:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Dallas' 10th birthday by driving to Salem for the weekend. Mike had a two night gig with Idol Eyez so we took the whole family and went to visit my family. Mom and Derek made Dallas a super cute cake with a skate park on it. We enjoyed spending time with them and making fun memories. We took Dallas on Saturday to pick out his birthday present from us. It was a skateboard with a green underbelly-Dallas really likes it and even named it Dagger. We went to a couple fun parks where Derek had fun taking pictures of us with his new camera and Dallas enjoyed trying out his skateboard. Grandpa Cooper even made us laugh by almost biffing it while walking...he was looking backward and I think he hit the curb with his foot (of course his hands were in his pockets) but luckily he was able to outrun himself from falling-you really had to be there but it's something we'll look back on and laugh at for a while.

Bride to Be

2011-09-13T23:11:00.000-07:00

Tonight I threw a bridal shower for my sister, Desi, who in two weeks will be getting married. I stayed up late last night making homemade truffles, and frosting cupcakes...trying to make her bridal shower special. I think everyone had a good time. Desi's friends brought finger foods so there was lots to eat! We played a few games, a couple memorization games and then a who knows the bride game. It was fun to see everyone trying to concentrate and get the answers. Well I'm beat...hope you enjoy some pictures from the party.

1st Day of Kindergarten

2011-09-09T21:34:00.000-07:00

(Waiting for the bus to come)

Elijah had his 1st official day of Kindergarten today. We waited and waited for the bus to come but after about 25 minutes decided to drive him to school. We are still working out the kinks with the bus system but he did ride home on the same bus with his brothers and even sat by Cody so he was glad about that. We asked him how he enjoyed Kindergarten and he said it was fun. He colored a picture and got to play on the playground. He didn't have any treats though.

Back to Routines

2011-09-07T17:00:00.000-07:00

Today was a busy day for us. Dallas (4th grade) and Cody (2nd grade) both started school and Elijah had his kindergarten orientation this afternoon. *Elijah's official first day is on Friday and he gets to ride the bus*

All reports so far have been positive. The two older boys were especially excited because Fat Jackson wasn't driving their bus today and they had a nice lady driver.
Mike took Elijah to his orientation today with Brandon as I was at work but looks like it was a fun time!

My Boys

2011-09-03T23:46:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to my friend, Desiree, who made me promise I would take a picture of this and send it to her.

( I had been dusting a dresser and this picture had been laying on it so I picked it up and just set it against the glass of this frame since I didn't have a picture in the current frame. Well my friend Des was in town visiting and while I was giving the tour of my house she saw what I had done with the picture and started laughing hysterically. Up to that point I hadn't even given a second thought as to what the frame said. Now I see why it was so funny.)

2011-08-31T20:46:00.000-07:00

Well as many of you know I am a "Room Attendant" for the Holiday Inn Express in Puyallup. I thought that taking a cleaning job would be a piece of cake after taking care of 5 boys for the past few years:) Let's just say it's not...there are a lot of time limits, specifications, rules, etc. that you have to follow. So much is going on in a room that all you have time to do is think, think, think! I lost 10lbs. my first 2 weeks there with all the hustle and bustle (which isn't a bad thing).

One of the perks of the job is tips! I never knew before that many people leave a tip for the room attendant. It makes me all excited when I go into a room and they have left a couple of dollars by the nightstand. I have even scored a few $10 tips. One day I received 2 bouquets of flowers with a note attached saying to have a great day.

Other times the room may be totally trashed and not receive a single thing-oh well...that's the breaks. I love the people I work with though-they are great and make the work bearable...especially when we meet up in the break room and chiff about all the nutty guests or crazy things we've found in our rooms that day.
I am taking a daycare orientation class in October and hopefully will get my daycare license soon after so that I can be home with my kids all day!

Das Ist Gut Ja?

2011-08-17T21:48:00.000-07:00

We took the kids and went to Leavenworth last weekend. It was our big trip for the summer. Mike had a gig with Idol Eyez on Saturday night so we went up on Friday to enjoy the weekend.

We took the kids to a community pool with a child friendly slide and mushroom looking thing that had water pouring out of it, a fish hatchery where we got to see live Salmon that were huge. We also walked around the little Swiss village quite a few times and enjoyed the shops and local cuisine. We even tried Gelato which is an Italian ice cream (we thought it tasted just like sherbet though) and we tried some pastries from an authentic danish bakery. The boys really liked the nutcracker museum which had hundreds of nutcrackers of every shape, size, character, etc..
One cool souvenir we got was a magnet with the Stone family crest on it. It was a really fun place and Mike and I decided that it would be a fun place for the two of us to go to on a weekend sometime.
*Mike had so spend time working on his final paper for english while we were there so it was non stop busy*

A New "Do"

2011-07-19T11:16:00.000-07:00

I had to cut Brandon and Elijahs hair last night after their little hair cutting episode the other day. I had to shave them pretty short and you can still see where they cut their hair but it's a little better than before. I tried taking a picture of Brandon but he wouldn't have it. At least it's summer:)

2011-07-17T20:10:00.000-07:00

Elijah came in with a new haircut this evening. He said he wanted to see the bruise better on his forehead. Oh dear..what to do????

The Bite

2011-07-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

Mike had a gig in Seattle yesterday at the Bite of Seattle. It was cloudy which took a lot of the crowds away (which was kind of nice since it didn't make for such a mad house). It was fun watching him play guitar and sing even though he did have some technical difficulties during the second song-he couldn't see his pedal board so when he would play a note on his guitar it sounded like a drum machine...it was actually kinda funny in hindsight. We drove back home after the gig and hung out with Mike for a few hours before he took off for another gig in Seattle, this time at a hotel for a wedding with Idol Eyez.

Success!

2011-07-14T20:48:00.000-07:00

We prepared the soil, and prepared the soil, and prepared the soil again! It took about 3 weeks of solid labor to rake, pick up rocks, haul them away, and get the soil ready to plant seed. We spread the seed the 5th of July and now after constant watering we have some sprouts! I don't know how well you can see it but they are there and it's super fun to run my hand above the top of the soil and feel the baby grass:) Yippee!!!

Hybrid Cheese!

2011-07-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

Last week we were invited by my sister in law, Tammy, to come over and learn how to make cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. We came with our gallons of whole milk, strainers, and pots. It was really fun and I learned a lot. Tammy gave us an awesome lecture on cheese and bacteria and the DNA of bacteria and how it all works together to make cheese and alter the taste, appearance, etc. We discovered however that our Rennin that we used was not as fresh as it should have been and therefore only 1 of our mozzarella pots turned out *good job Maribel:)* while the rest of ours were a mix between mozzarella and ricotta. Although they weren't like we were hoping they would turn out...they were soooo yummy. I made manicotti on Monday using a mixture of Parmesan, eggs, nutmeg, and my ricotta/mozzarella hybrid to make the most delicious dish. After I stuffed the shells, I poured a regular pasta sauce over the noodles and added my homemade plain ricotta to the top. ( I made ricotta from the whey after I had collected my cheese). I wish I would've taken a picture of it but believe me it was deliciouso!!!
We successfully made homemade yogurt and love getting to eat that-so far lemon is our all time favorite around here-
Our cheddar didn't turn out either (we will have to try that one again) but it did make lots of yummy cream cheese. Thanks for the fun time Tam!

My little Man

2011-07-11T18:19:00.000-07:00

Elijah went to the dentist last week and got his first silver cap of 3 put on. He got a token when he was finished so that he could get a prize from the machine. He decided to get the one with a mustache so that he would look like a grandpa. He was so funny with it on. Love that kid! I am taking him in again tomorrow afternoon for hopefully the last two caps.

Nature is Beautiful

2011-07-07T12:06:00.000-07:00

We spent last weekend in Oregon visiting my parents in Salem and then driving to Bend, where my older brother lives, because Mike was playing with "Mister Miyagi" for a wedding there. Saturday we took the kids and went to a state park called Silver Falls. It was a gorgeous day and while Mike was running along a trail that showcased all of the falls we took the boys and enjoyed a nice picnic followed by wading in the river.

After Mike got back he told us about how awesome the North Fall was so we packed up everything and drove up to the site. We had to hike for a while on the trail but it was sooo worth it. It was so neat-we were underneath the waterfall and got to enjoy it's beauty.

Week is done-time for fun!!

2011-06-30T22:10:00.000-07:00

I have been busy the past couple of days doing yard work, going to dentist and doctor appointments, going to zumba again-thanks to Maribel doing it at the church-going out and celebrating my friend Melissa's birthday, and getting ready to go out of town for the weekend. It feels good to see all the things marked off the calendar though. Tonight grandpa Stone taught the boys how to shoot with an air rifle. They sure had fun and will probably be asking to do it again real soon. I tried it and hit my target the first time:)

Just like the Pioneers

2011-06-23T10:41:00.000-07:00

My sister in law, Tammy, asked if we would be interested in learning some new skills...so we said sure. We have started making our own cream cheese (it's still in the process) and yesterday finished our first batch of homemade yogurt. It was awesome. Right now our cream cheese is in a cheesecloth suspended from a spoon so that the liquid whey can drain away from the cheese. *From the liquid whey we are going to make ricotta cheese, etc.. We will be going over later today so we can continue on with the cream cheese. The yogurt was started on Tuesday and was finished yesterday. It was a plain yogurt and then we added a jar of homemade canned cherries from last year. Mike made a syrup from the cherry juice and we pitted and sliced the cherries. It was soooo yummy. We are excited to make more yogurt and try some different flavors-maybe some peach, pina colada, strawberry....MMMmmm

My Boys

2011-06-20T08:55:00.001-07:00

Another Fathers Day come and gone. We all helped make a yummy french toast and sausage breakfast for daddy before heading off to church.

The boys were excited to sing 3 songs in the chapel. They young women made the treats for the dads this year-giant glass mugs that said #1 Dad and it was filled with vanilla ice cream and rootbeer! We headed over to Mike's parents afterwards for dinner and a nice visit. Overall I think it was a pretty good day:)

*Saw the forecast for this week and it looks nice and warm...70's! About time!

Nature Walk

2011-06-12T21:21:00.000-07:00

We decided to take the boys out for a nice walk on the Orting trail after dinner tonight. As soon as we got on the trail we saw a beautiful bald eagle land on top of a tree on the other side of the road. I wish my camera had a better zoom because it was really neat. A group of people on bikes even stopped by us and said that we must've been watching something cool because I had my camera out. The boys only have 5 1/2 days left of school...they are excited!

11 Years

2011-06-10T14:40:00.000-07:00

Today is our 11th wedding anniversary. I can't believe how fast time really does fly. My sista is coming over tonight to babysit for us-believe me...we are going to take FULL advantage! I love my Michael:)

Kindergarten Orientation

2011-06-03T11:54:00.000-07:00

Last night Elijah and I headed to Nelson Elementary for his kindergarten orientation. Elijah was sooo excited and couldn't wait for this day since we found out about it over a month ago. The principal spoke to us about safety at Nelson and then all the kindergartners were able to go on a short bus ride while the parents stayed behind for a brief description about what the expectations are for kindergartners now and how to prepare them for school this year. Something that one of the teachers said which I thought was pretty amazing was that the kids now are learning what (when I was a kid) was learning in the 1st and 2nd grade! and the kids are meeting those expectations!!
After the kids got back we saw a little video of what happens when the kids step off the bus, all the different stations during the day, recess, etc.. and then when they get back on the bus. Our favorite part was the tour of the school and seeing the classrooms. Two giant kindergarten rooms that are connected through a common area and so many fun things in there-computers, fish and snail tanks, toys, art stations...Elijah wanted to stay there all night. Afterwards they had pizza, cookies and juice for everyone. It was a really fun night and Elijah is super pumped for September.

Bug Musical

2011-06-01T20:30:00.001-07:00

Today Cody had his Bug Musical play which he has been soooo excited for for weeks now! Cody played a spider and really loved being a part of the play. He knew all the words and actions and we couldn't be prouder:) Good job Cody! *P.s. I really didn't get any pictures of the set really but it was really fantastic!

Redwind

2011-06-01T20:27:00.000-07:00

We were able to go and see "daddy" play with Mister Miyagi on Sunday when Mike played the Redwind Casino for their customer appreciation anniversary. The kids had a good time and we had front row seats (probably due to the weather) but we had fun none the less.

Can we have cake please?

2011-05-22T18:37:00.000-07:00

Dallas has reading every day in class where they read different books. This last week he was reading a recipe book and copied down the recipe for a chocolate cake that sounded so delicious. We made it today and it was sure yummy!

A Nice Surprise

2011-05-18T09:27:00.001-07:00

I was checking my email this morning and saw this from Dallas' teacher at school. I have to admit that when I get an email from Dallas' teacher it's usually because he's missing assignments or something. This one was different and made me very happy:)

Good morning,

I just wanted to send a quick note to let you know how much I have enjoyed getting to know Dallas. I appreciate his attentive behavior and curiousity for learning, it makes me smile. His confidence in the classroom has really blossomed, he wants to do well and it shows! His is a wonderful young man!

Enjoy your week!

Busy Day

2011-05-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

With the one day of sunshine that we had yesterday, Mike and I kept ourselves busy on projects for our home. We started early afternoon and didn't finish until we couldn't see in front of our faces, but luckily when we woke up and looked out the windows this morning we didn't mess up too bad. I spent the day staining the front porch and Mike stained all the fence around our property-inside and out. We stopped long enough to eat some sloppy joes for dinner and run to Home Depot for some more stain, but then we were at it again. The kids had fun playing outside all day yesterday and I think it looks really good. Now if we could just enjoy more days like yesterday-sunny and warm:)

Labor of Love

2011-05-08T21:37:00.001-07:00

My sweet husband wanted to make me a super special dessert for mothers day so he made a lemon cheesecake-from scratch! It took him about 4 hours to complete it but the payoff was heaven:) It was so creamy and delicious. Thanks honey-you made mothers day very special for me...

To My Mom

2011-05-07T20:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Mothers Day Mom. I love you so much and I hope you have a wonderful day.
My mom is awesome-she has always been there when I needed her whether it was for a recipe, advice, to vent...whatever. I am grateful for my mom. My mom is always thinking about us and her unconditional love is comforting. I know that she would do anything for me and my family and I couldn't ask for anyone better for my mom. Have a great day Mom!

Getting Closer

2011-05-05T21:29:00.000-07:00

This is what the fence looked like when we got home from our birthday celebration at Mike's parents and Tam's home. It's coming together quite nicely. Also had a nice conversation with the neighbors tonight and they are going to pay for the rest of the fence on their side to the corner post. (Hope it looks as nice as the first part of the fence)

Cinco De Mayo

2011-05-05T09:59:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to my sweet husband. If you had to share your birthday with a holiday this would be a good one:)

Another Year Older:)

2011-05-04T21:35:00.000-07:00

Another year older...another year wiser? Well I don't know about that but I did have a great birthday. My husband made dinner for me tonight and we had yummy ice cream sundeas instead of cake this year. Lots of birthday wishes from family and friends made it especially nice. My good friend Maribel invited me over for a birthday lunch with my friends April, Lanette and Melissa. It's nice being loved:)

A New Fence

2011-05-02T20:40:00.001-07:00

We finally have started fencing our yard! Our bishop told us about a man in our ward who owns a fence company so we decided to go with him after we told him our budget and felt good about his bid. All the posts were set today and then Brian (our fence guy) told me that they will be back on Thursday to finish up. *It was pretty wet here today so he wanted to give them time to set up real good*

It was kind of funny because I told him that we had gone swimming tonight and I explained where and he told me that he had been there during the construction on mom, dad and Tam's home. Small world:) We have also been busy staining our back deck and we put some walking stones through the front flower bed-it's fun getting to decide and make things the way we like.

2011-04-28T23:32:00.000-07:00

We had fun celebrating Elijah's 5th birthday. We played at the Jump N Jack and Jills and then went over to the Gerry's for dinner, cake and presents. Elijah got some really fun gifts and sure had a good time.

I'm Back!!

2011-04-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

Today is Elijah's 5th birthday! I can't believe he is 5 and getting ready for Kindergarten already (and believe me...he lets me know it everyday). I'm so proud to be Eli's mommy. He is such a happy go lucky boy. Elijah loves everyone and always has a smile for them. Today as we were leaving the gym he was sure to tell the personal trainers that we walk past on the way out that it was his birthday! Then as we reached the car he asked daddy if that was nice of him to tell them that:) It's never a dull moment with our kids and Elijah is no exception. He has a great imagination and such a contagious laugh. I love my little man so much. Happy Birthday Elijah. We love you!! *I will post pictures from his party later:)

Big Day

2011-03-05T17:30:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrated Brandon's 3rd birthday. We had a little pizza party for him at Grandpa and Grandma Stone's and Aunt Tammy's home. He wanted a Transformer birthday, which lucky for me, we did for Cody's birthday last year so I was able to use the same decorations-thank goodness for recycling.

Dallas was in a 3rd grade musical this week. Pirates: The Musical. He was a part of the pirate singing crew. He did really great and we are glad that Dallas showed his talents by actually participating. His last musical he did at his previous school involved him standing there the whole time without moving his lips-

Last week we also had a house warming party and we invited our family and friends to see what we had done to our house etc. It was fun having people there and now that the house is done we can just relax and enjoy it.

We Are IN!!

2011-01-29T11:19:00.000-08:00

Well for any of you that have been wondering we received the keys to our home on Monday and have been busy ever since. Packing, loading and unloading trucks, unpacking boxes, calling and transfering different services, meeting new teachers, figuring out new schedules, etc...and we still aren't done! I can't wait until the first morning that we can sleep in and not have to worry about getting another load or unpacking and finding space for another box full of "stuff". Thanks to everyone who has helped transport, drive, watch kids, pack, load, made meals, cookies:)- etc.. it was sure appreciated and once everything is all unpacked and put away we will have everyone over!

Almost there!

2011-01-24T13:29:00.000-08:00

We had our walk through with our builder last week and went this morning to Nelson Escrow to sign away our lives;) lol We are soooo excited and hope to be getting the keys later this afternoon or tomorrow morning. I was also released as the Puyallup Ward Relief Society President and gave a 10 minute talk in sacrament meeting yesterday. Everyone was giving us well wishes at church and telling us how much they are going to miss our sweet family. So many people have also offered to help move which has been really neat. Hopefully the next blog I post will be in our new home.

Date Night

2011-01-23T18:07:00.000-08:00

Last night Mike had a gig with a band called Soul Purpose. Robin, who he plays with in Idol Eyez, asked if he wanted to fill in for this special gig so Mike said why not. It was really fun as I was able to go with him and enjoy a nice dinner and then watch him perform. It was the largest band that Mike has ever played with and a lot different as well as there were 3 saxaphones and a trumpet player. We had a really fun time and am so grateful for an awesome sister in law that volunteered to babysit the boys so that I could go with my hubby.

2011-01-08T19:37:00.001-08:00

We are heading down the home stretch with our home and we couldn't be more excited. We will hopefully have keys in hand in 2 weeks!! Friday they finished putting up the front porch and had about 9 vehicles over there working in the house. I can't wait to see what it looks like inside. The last time we were able to go inside the house was when they had just textured the walls. Exciting times. I have been busy packing up the house already so that we can start moving as soon as we get final approval.
In other news Mike had a fun gig at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle last night. It was a happening club back in the 90's where such bands as Nirvana and Pearl Jam have played.

Happy 2011

2011-01-01T22:51:00.001-08:00

Last night Lisa had all the boys over for a sleepover so I was lucky enough to go to Fox Sports Grill with Mike for New Years Eve. His band, Idol Eyez, played there. It was a pretty small gathering but it was fun and I got to dance a lot:) My sister Desi and her boyfriend Nick, were also there so that was fun having someone to hang out with. Right before midnight the band stopped playing so everyone could ring in the new year right...in my case it was a sweet kiss from my husband;) We got home and in bed around 3 a.m. I have been tired all day because of it. It will be nice to sleep in Sunday since our new time schedule is 1-4 p.m. Happy New Year!!

2010-12-30T10:01:00.001-08:00

Happy birthday to my awesome sister in law Juliet! Hope it's a great one!! Love you!!

Color

2010-12-21T22:57:00.001-08:00

The house was painted today. It sure looks different.

We love the lights!

2010-12-21T22:50:00.000-08:00

We went up to Tacoma on Sunday night to visit our friend Jr. who lives in a nursing home there. We took him a plate of goodies and had a nice visit with him. We were sad to hear that his good friend, Russel, passed away a few weeks ago. We are going to be seeing him again in a couple of days. Afterwards we took the kids around looking at Christmas lights. This house was our favorite one of the evening.

More things happening-

2010-12-18T18:14:00.000-08:00

I heard a rumor that we had drywall up in the house so I decided to run out there this afternoon after Brandon woke up from his nap. Mike had 3 gigs this weekend and we've had things every night so haven't been able to go out and check the progress on our house the past few days. I was pleasantly surprised when we drove up and immediately could see the sheet rock up in the garage. The house looks so different with the drywall up. It still needs taped and mudded but am starting to see the end in sight so I'm really excited. I'm also putting up a couple other pictures of things we've done. I babysat Kingston and Richie last weekend so I made gingerbread houses for the boys to decorate. We drove up with the boys to Bellevue on Monday to the Botanical Gardens to see the lights which was really beautiful. Then during the week we made Christmas goodies (which the boys helped a ton with) and drove them around to the various recipricants. We are delivering our last one tomorrow afternoon so then we will just relax and enjoy the week (and keep checking on our house;)!

Trying to be like Jesus

2010-12-18T11:37:00.000-08:00

The Man on the Bike
By Peggy Creager
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? (Matt. 25:38).
If you routinely traveled through Weber Canyon in northern Utah between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 10:00 A.M., you probably saw him. He rode an old rickety bicycle with a box of aluminum cans on each side of the back tires. At age sixty-five, he had ridden this same bike from his home in Tennessee to Utah. Then, for reasons known only to him, he had made a canyon cave his home.*
Everyone in Morgan County knew of him. They had either seen him riding his bike through the canyon or had noticed the bike parked at a local convenience store early in the morning. He had become a part of the community. People would visit him from time to time in his cave, but he told them very little about himself. He was a sad sort of man.
Many people were afraid of him, including four-year-old Amy Creager. She had seen the man on many occasions and wondered about him. One day, about six weeks before Christmas, as she, her baby sister, Sydney, and her mother left the convenience store, Amy saw him. As they waited to turn onto the road, she said, “Mama, tell me about that man. Where does he live? And why does he have all those cans on his bike?”

Amy’s mother told her that the man lived in a cave in the canyon and that each morning he went around to dumpsters in the town to sort out the cans, load them onto his bike, and take them through the canyon into Ogden to turn them in for money.

As her mother told her what she knew about the man, a worried look came over Amy’s face. Her mother told her of the different names people used to refer to him, such as “the can man” and “the hermit.” But from that day forward, Amy and her mother began to call him simply “the man on the bike.”
With her voice trembling, Amy said, “It’s too cold to sleep outside. Why does he want to live in a cave?”
Trying to explain it simply, her mother said, “He probably doesn’t have enough money to live anywhere else.”

Amy and her family had just built a home the year before, so the solution seemed simple: “Why can’t Daddy build him a new home?”
“Well, we don’t have enough money, and Daddy doesn’t really know how.”

“The men who built our home can do it!”

“Well, it’s not that simple, Amy.” Mother tried to explain why that could not happen.

With tears welling up in her eyes, Amy sat silent for a few seconds, then said, “He can come and live with us! I am afraid of him, but he can have my room! I just won’t look at him.”

Tears came into her mother’s eyes as well. She could tell that Amy was determined to help the man somehow.
They finally reached Grandmother’s house, where Amy and Sydney would stay while their mother went to help their father at his shop. Reaching the shop, Amy’s mother told her husband about the events of the morning. The story touched him.
“We need to figure out a way for her to help him,” Amy’s father said. He thought for a while. “Since we can’t build him a home, let’s get him a new bike! I know a guy who owns a bike shop. I’ll call him, and he can tell us which would be the best bicycle for the man’s needs.”

Amy’s parents were both so excited about the idea that they stopped working and made the call. Her father told the bicycle shop owner the story. They decided that the man needed a sturdy mountain bike. After working out a few other details, they felt that Amy needed to decide the rest.
When Amy’s mother went to pick up her and her sister, she told Amy about their idea.

Amy’s face lit up. “Let’s get him a horn so that he can honk back at the cars! And let’s make sure the bike has two big baskets on the back for his cans! And, Mama, it has to be purple! Purple is everyone’s favorite color!”

As the days went by and Christmas drew nearer, Amy’s excitement about the bike grew. She could hardly wait to go and pick it out. She did many chores around the house to earn money to help pay for it. Whenever she saw the man riding his old bike in the canyon, she’d say, “He is going to love his Christmas present! How many more days, Mom?”

One night her mother went to Relief Society Homemaking meeting. Each sister was invited to tell of her most memorable Christmas. When it was time for Amy’s mother to tell of hers, tears filled her eyes. She said that she thought this Christmas was going to be one of her most memorable. She told them of Amy’s love for a stranger of whom she was afraid. She told the sisters of their plans to purchase the bike, and they were touched. After the meeting, many of the sisters asked Amy’s mother if they could be part of this Christmas memory. One sister wanted to make the man a quilt and a pillow. Another thought it would be nice for him to have some new, warm shirts. And the offers for contributions kept coming.

The next morning, Amy’s mother had a phone call from a sister in the ward who worked at a local business. The company employed many in the community. She had mentioned Amy’s desire to help the “can man” to some of the employees. They had all seen him because their place of work was his first stop every morning. He’d pick up the cans that they had gathered in a garbage bag for him. She wanted to know, on behalf of the employees she had spoken to, if it would be all right with Amy if they took up a donation to help with the cost of the bike. It was.

As the days went by, the word began to spread. More things were donated, including food and more clothing. It was exciting to watch the community rally together to help a four-year-old girl serve a sixty-five-year-old man.
About two weeks before Christmas, the “man on the bike” was invited to have dinner with a family who lived in the area. He told them it was time for him to move on. He was beginning to feel that he was an embarrassment to the people there. The family tried to tell him differently, but he had made up his mind. Amy heard of his plans and worried that she wouldn’t get the bike to him on time.
The day to buy the bike finally arrived. When she and her father reached the store and walked in, Amy looked around. Her eyes fixed on one bike.

“This is it, Dad! I want this one!”

“It is a mountain bike,” the store owner said.

It wasn’t purple, but it was the brightest blue you could imagine, with even brighter splashes of pink paint all over it! Amy loved it, and that was all that mattered. With the money that had been donated and what Amy had earned, she was able to pay for the bike and buy the largest baskets and the very best horn.

That night as Amy was tying a bow onto the bike, she said to her father once again, “Daddy, I really don’t want the man on the bike to see me.”

Her parents talked it over and asked the sheriff for his help in delivering the collected items and the bike to the “‘man on the bike.’ We understand he goes into the convenience store every morning. Do you think you could try to catch up with him there tomorrow?” Amy’s father asked.
The sheriff agreed, so Amy and her parents took everything over to his house and loaded it into his truck.

“I’m proud of you, Amy,” the sheriff said. “This is a very kind thing you are doing for a stranger.”

The next morning, the sheriff drove to the convenience store, and the man was there. The sheriff went in, walked right up to the man, and said, “You need to come with me.” The “man on the bike” thought that he was in trouble. They walked together out the door. Then the sheriff began to unload his truck, and the man stood there in silence, looking very bewildered.
“This is all for you!” the sheriff told him.

When the sheriff lifted the bike out, the man just stared at it. Then the tears began to fall. “Whose idea was this?”

“A four-year-old girl who is worried about you,” the sheriff said, his own eyes filling with tears. He explained to the man how it had all come about and how the whole community had wanted to help Amy help him.

The man was overwhelmed by this act of love. He said, “I don’t deserve all of this! You need to give these things to someone who really needs them!”

“I think you are plenty deserving. I’ll help you take them over to your cave.”

“Will you tell her thank you for me?”
U
Add a Note

The sheriff quietly nodded.
The man ended up staying in the area until May of the following year. Every time the people of Morgan County saw “the man on the bike,” they were reminded of the Christlike love of a child.

Keep the Sabbath Day Holy

2010-12-17T09:30:00.000-08:00

I was studying D&C 59 this morning and was reading about how we are to keep the Sabbath a holy day. Anyways..I liked it and thought I would share.

59:12 "Lord's day"

The purpose of the Sabbath day has never changed, to "keep thyself unspotted from the world," but the symbolism of the Sabbath has changed. When it was first given, it was for the purpose of remembering the creation of the world (Ex. 20:11). Next, the Lord said they were to remember that he had delivered them from the bondage of Egypt (Deut. 5:15). Today, we are to remember that on the first day of the week, the Lord Jesus Christ was raised from the dead (John 20:1). That is why it is called the Lord's day.

Too many people ask what we shouldn't do on the Lord's day when the question ought to be, "What should I be doing on the Sabbath?" Isaiah's instructions are very helpful in determining what is appropriate on this sacred day:

If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. (Isa. 58:13–14.)

We are not to do our pleasure on the Sabbath, but we are to call it a delight, holy, and honorable. We are to honor him and not do our own thing, find our own pleasure, nor speak our own words. Then the Lord's day will truly be delightful, holy, and honorable.

A Big Mac Day

2010-12-10T14:01:00.000-08:00

We find ourselves getting so anxious and excited to see what is going on with the house that we will drive up on our lunch break real fast to see what is going on that day. Today we drove by and the county inspector was there checking the electric etc.. so that the drywall can go in! Yesterday we drove by on our way to an awesome birthday party, and noticed that the driveway was completly poured. Mike measured the driveway and the longest part was 85 feet. Crazy long but we are so excited for it. On the way home we had to stop at McDonalds and grab some big macs. Tastes good:)

To Tam!

2010-12-08T23:24:00.000-08:00

Happy 40th Birthday to my awesome sister in law!!! I hope you have a fabulous day!! Love you!!!

Ward Party

2010-12-05T00:30:00.000-08:00

I can't believe we are in December already. It sure seems like the past couple of months are flying by. We had our ward Christmas party tonight-A Night In Bethlehem. It was quite small compared to our party last year. Dallas, Cody and Elijah were all in the nativity. Nothing to exciting besides that. Our house is coming along nicely. I wasn't able to get pictures today but these that I am posting are from Thursday. The siding is all up on 3 sides of the house and electrical is being done on Monday.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T22:05:00.000-08:00

Went out to Mike's family's home today for Thanksgiving. We drove by our house on the way and was so super excited to see that they had started some of the plumbing and most of the windows were in. Can't wait to see what happens next:) I talked my sweet sister in law, Juliet, into getting some "stuff" for me during the great sales on Black Friday. It's nice to have most of my Christmas shopping done already. I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

Fun times....

2010-11-21T21:02:00.000-08:00

I made a slideshow of our busy weekend. Cody had a couple friends come over and stay the night on Friday. I think it went ok for our first sleepover. The next morning though Dallas and Cody decided to roast marshmellows on the fireplace-needless to say it didn't go over to well with mommy and daddy and they had a fun time cleaning that up after we took the boys home. Mike and Dallas also went on a chilly motorcycle ride on Saturday up to mom, dad, and Tam's home to watch college football. Needless to say it was a chilly trip. Today after meetings and church we headed out to walk through our house. It is really starting to come together and we can't wait for it to be finished. We already got a call from the school tonight about a 2 hour late start tomorrow because of the weather. Should make for a fun week if the weather continues like this. We are really excited for Thanksgiving the end of the week and for the chance to get a day off work. My wonderful grandpa Bob is also celebrating his 80th birthday today so Happy Birthday Grandpa-we love you!!

Free slideshow design personalized with Smilebox

2010-11-19T19:43:00.001-08:00

We drove by the house tonight and the workers were still there so we decided to sit and watch them working on the roof from across the street in the church parking lot. (Hence the reason the picture is a little fuzzy-but you get the point) We are getting so excited to see what happens next.

House update

2010-11-18T20:49:00.000-08:00

I promised my sister in law that I would post some updated pictures of the house upstairs. The darkness was creeping up on us fast so I do apologize that they are a little dark. We went by again tonight and looks like they will be setting trusses tomorrow which is very exciting. Maybe we'll even have a roof by Thanksgiving.

*On a side note Dallas got back from his little vaca with Uncle Aaron, Aunt Juliet and Kingston to the Great Wolf Lodge. He had a blast and I can't wait when we can all go as a family!

Love With All Our Hearts

2010-11-15T14:49:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share an article that I read while studying D&C 42 which I thought was really good and well put. (I am taking a D&C History class right now through BYU)

What does it mean to love someone with all our hearts? It means with all our emotional feelings and our devotion. Surely when you love your wife with all your heart, you cannot demean her, criticize her, find fault with her, nor abuse her by words, sullen behavior, or actions.

What does it mean to "cleave unto her"? It means to stay close to her, to be loyal to her, to strengthen her, to communicate with her, and to express your love for her. (Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, Nov. 1983, p. 43; or Conference Report, Oct. 1983, pp. 63–64.)

In latter-day revelation the Lord speaks again of this obligation. He said, "Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else" (D&C 42:22). To my knowledge there is only one other thing in all scripture that we are commanded to love with all our hearts, and that is God Himself. Think what that means!

This kind of love can be shown for your wives in so many ways. First and foremost, nothing except God Himself takes priority over your wife in your life--not work, not recreation, not hobbies. Your wife is your precious, eternal helpmate--your companion. (Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, Nov. 1987, p. 50; or Conference Report, Oct. 1987, p. 61.)

Elder Delbert L. Stapley of the Council of the Twelve quoted D&C 42:20, 22, 24 and then gave this informative counsel:

These commandments also are very clear, forthright, and understandable. What applies to the man cleaving unto his wife and none else applies with equal force also to the wife for her husband. There is no double standard in the Church. Both man and woman are responsible for their personal acts.

I often wonder why a man or a woman will give up wife or husband and children for an adulterous relationship. When sin is the foundation of the marriage relationship, the chance of a secure and happy companionship is very remote. Surely the Spirit of the Lord, neither God's laws to man, sanction such behavior, nor can the blessings of the Lord be expected upon such a union.

It is difficult to understand how church members who know these commandments can cast aside such knowledge and yield to the lusts of the flesh. Small violations lead to more serious and devastating sins. Those who play with fire, ultimately, if they persist, will be burned. (Improvement Era, June 1963, p. 482; or Conference Report, Apr. 1963, p. 35.)

Other Brethren have given us this excellent counsel on these verses:

Marriage is a divine institution, ordained of God. Achieving success in the home is a supernal challenge--no other success can compensate for it. (L. Tom Perry, Ensign, May 1995, p. 72.)

And, when the Lord says all thy heart, it allows for no sharing nor dividing nor depriving. And, to the woman it is paraphrased: "Thou shalt love thy husband with all thy heart and shall cleave unto him and none else." The words none else eliminate everyone and everything. The spouse then becomes preeminent in the life of the husband or wife, and neither social life nor occupational life nor political life nor any other interest nor person nor thing shall ever take precedence over the companion spouse. We sometimes find women who absorb and hover over the children at the expense of the husband, sometimes even estranging them from him. The Lord says to them: ". . . Thou shalt cleave unto him and none else." (Spencer W. Kimball, Improvement Era, Dec. 1962, p. 928, or Conference Report, Oct. 1962, p. 57.)

Brethren, our home can never be any better than our selection and care of the one to be the queen in our castle. This sweet and hopefully eternal companion needs particular attention, for she is so tender and so special. "Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shall cleave unto her and none else." (D&C 42:22.)

If you really love her, you are more concerned for her welfare than for that of yourself. Do you see that she has opportunity for her self-improvement? She has the same God-given desire for perfection as you do. A regular day of diversion whereby she may pursue this goal is so vital. But do you know what she wants most from you? Your companionship, your courtesies, and your communication. And least? Your selfishness and silence. Each couple must constantly cultivate the art of communication. (Russell M. Nelson, Improvement Era, Dec. 1968, p. 87; or Conference Report, Oct. 1968, pp. 89–90.)

-I know this article states loving and cleaving to your wife but I think that husband can be replaced just as easily-

Our New House!!!

2010-11-13T19:41:00.000-08:00

Exciting times for our family:) We are building a home in Graham on 224th in a new development called Thrift Pond. We actually started this process back in March and finally-finally after weeks and weeks of waiting on permits, plans, etc. we are seeing progress. This week they started framing the bottom floor (it's a split level layout)and can't wait to see how much gets done next week.

Chicken Party

2010-11-13T19:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went out to Graham and worked on pressure canning chicken. It started out by cutting all the fat off of approx. 120 lbs of chicken and cutting them into about 1 inch chunks. After about 3 hours of cutting we had chicken going in the pressure cookers and had fun doing it! Now I'm excited that I have so many jars of canned chicken in my food storage.

And it continues...

2010-11-03T10:13:00.000-07:00

I woke up to the sound of my poor husband throwing up this morning around 4:30 a.m. Mike got a flu shot a couple weeks ago so I don't know what is going on around here. I think it is just something going around. Dallas and I are the only one who haven't thrown up....hopefully we won't either.

What a Night-

2010-11-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

I spent all night getting up about every 30 minutes tending to sick boys last night. Cody started throwing up around midnight last night (at first we thought it was because he had eaten to many donuts or something) but when Brandon started about an hour later we figured it must be some kind of weird bug. Sunday morning about 2 a.m. Elijah woke up feeling sick and threw up. Mike and I hadn't even gone to bed yet since we had only got back home around 1 a.m. from his Halloween gig. Then after throwing up one time he went to bed and was fine yesterday. Poor babies were puking around once an hour-thankfully they took turns though-I would help Cody, put him back to bed, lay down close my eyes and then I would hear Brandon starting to cough so I would jump out of bed, grab him and rush him to the toilet. Brandon was so sad while he would be standing in front of the toilet throwing up. He was crying saying he was tired:( Mike started feeling sick after Cody started so he took NyQuil and was pretty much out of it after that.
Cody is home today resting and Brandon and Mike are laying on the couch. Poor babies-to bad they don't have a superior immune system like their mom:) Eeee heeee! Now it's laundry duty to get rid of the smell and watching the office. Now that I took my midterm I can finish up the rest of my D&C History class.

On another note-we drove by our property yesterday and they dug the hole for our house and the forms are there so they can start cement work. We are soooo excited to see something happening on the lot now. We will keep you posted on the progress!

Halloween 2010

2010-10-30T08:33:00.000-07:00

We had our ward trunk or treat last night and had a fun time. I made a pumpkin roll and the kids all had fun dancing to thriller, purple pumpkin eater and monster mash. The kids got just enough candy and had fun going around to the different cars.

In other news...Elijah got his stitches out after tearing his earlobe last week and we were also able to finally make a trip to the Northwest Animal Trek. It was AWESOME! and the tour guide said that the fall is really the best time to go since the weather is so good the animals are all out grazing and laying down. We even got to see some bull elk locking horns so it was pretty cool. Tonight Mike is playing his first gig with Idol Eyez ( a private party but spouses can come tonight) so I'm excited to go and be there with him. Fall is here and I can't believe that time is just flying by.

Such a slacker

2010-10-20T21:59:00.000-07:00

Well obviously I have not been keeping my blog up like I should so tonight while my sweet husband is at band practice I thought I would try to catch up a little. Dallas and Cody started their Fall sports. Dallas is playing flag football and is loving it. The team even has a special play just for Dallas (bubble screen right/left)
Cody is taking indoor soccer at the rec center and plays with 2 of his best friends so is also enjoying it. We've had a lot of injuries this month-hopefully no more will come-1st Dallas split the top of his head open which thankfully didn't require any stitches. 2nd-I spliced my finger open on a tin can while taking the garbage out-very painful! and 3rd-Elijah fell off a toilet this morning (not exactly sure how)and definitely required stitches to attach his ear lobe back together. I was 1 of 3 people holding Elijah down on the table so I'm not sure how many stitches were put in but it was at least 3. Poor baby was so scared:( Our family also made a trip to Oregon to surprise my family and make it to my brother Derek's homecoming talk. We left at almost 6 in the morning and made it with about 20 min. to spare. They were all so surprised to see us so it was worth it and Derek gave a great talk. Busy month and it's not even over yet!

Happy 9th!

2010-09-16T09:12:00.000-07:00

Today is our oldest son's birthday. Dallas turns 9 at officially 9 p.m. Washington time. We love our little Utah baby. Dallas was our first and now he is the older brother of 3. 9 lbs. 2 oz. and lots of dark hair. We love Dallas so much and can't believe how awesome he is. Last night we went to Sports Authority to buy him cleats for flag football that he will be playing this fall. Dallas loves music, playing the drums, singing (more like Big Poppa rapping I should say), guitar hero, skateboarding, reading, playing with his cousins, and pretty much anything that keeps him busy. Dallas is a go getter, a good listener, and fun to be around. His teacher last year would always comment to us how he has a good sense of humor and she could kid around with him more than the other kids because of his maturity. Dallas is so special to us and we are so glad to be his parents. It's truly exciting to see how he changes, good and bad, and to see how he is different from even a year ago. We love you Dallas-happy 9th birthday!!

Hood to Coast

2010-09-09T19:50:00.000-07:00

Mike participated in the Hood to Coast Relay this year. He had a real good team which ended up placing 10th out of 1000 teams! We were super excited to drive up to
Seaside to see him. The boys and I had actually been in Salem visiting my parents as a last mini vacation before school started. We were able to pick him up from the train stations the night before and then took him to Sandy to meet up with his team before his leg. Mike had 3 legs that he ran in the course of the 197 mile relay and his first leg didn't start until almost 1 a.m. After we picked him up we were able to walk around a bit, eat some elephant ears and enjoy some time at the beach. We had lots of fun!

Catching Up

2010-09-09T11:37:00.001-07:00

I was sitting down in the office this morning and was finally able to take breath and relax. It's been a while since I have been able to sit and not have to worry about where I have to be going. Yesterday was the finish of my many travels-hopefully for awhile- as we drove over to Portland to meet my family at the Portland airport to welcome my brother Derek home from his mission. We were all so excited!

We kept looking for him

And finally we saw him!!

After all the hugs we went to a park to eat, play and have fun. My dad was able to get a key to this park that is owned by the church at a chapel near the airport. We had lots of fun! We took off around 6 to head home since Dallas and Cody had school the next day. The boys are already asking when they get to see uncle Derek again:)

A Peaceful Passing

2010-09-01T08:11:00.000-07:00

I received a call from my mom this morning letting me know that my grandma Cooper passed away last night. Grandma would've been 88 this month. My grandma, commonly called Granny Franny, was an awesome woman. I have so many fond memories of my grandma from when I was very young. Some of my very earliest memories are of getting letters in the mail from my grandma (she has been my longest penpal), going on walks with her before breakfast, learning to make zuchhini casserole, camping, baking, going to dinner at her home, her ability to make beautiful porcelin dolls, playing Uno... then as I grew older and was at BYU driving down with my roommates to visit her on the weekend. My friends always thought she was so sweet.
Later as I got married and had our first son, Dallas, she was there. Grandma loved Dallas. I am so grateful that we lived so close for a couple of years so we were able to spend so much time with her. Everytime we went over to visit grandma we would have to take a walk around all of her neighbors so she could show him off. Shortly before we moved up here to Washington grandma slipped on some ice and broke her hip and eventually had to move to a long term care facility. The pictures I posted were from our visit with her 2 years ago August when we took our family to Utah on vacation and to see my brother Derek off into the MTC.
My sweet grandma will be greatly missed by all those that knew her and loved her. Grandma had a huge heart and my heart aches for her today. I am grateful for the many lessons I learned from her and especially that my husband was able to know her and get a glimpse of what a neat lady she was. I like to imagine who was there waiting for her in heaven. I think my grandpa Cecil was there and her parents and her grandparents-what a happy reunion!

Cody 1 tooth!

2010-08-09T16:08:00.000-07:00

Finally after much debate, Cody agreed to let mommy help him along in extracting his front tooth that had been dangling there for a while. Now daddy can't call him "Cody 1 tooth" anymore:)

More Issaquah Pictures!

2010-07-23T09:58:00.000-07:00

Married to a Rock Star!!

2010-07-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

We went to Mike's gig in Issaquah on Tuesday night. It was so much fun. We left early with Mike so we wouldn't have to take two vehicles. The boys always have so much fun when they get to see their daddy play. The whole time he was setting up they were standing by the front of the stage-keeping fairly quiet escape for the occasional "hi daddy". There was also a big hill that people were riding cardboard down which gave the kiddos something to do before the show started. Lots of family and friends were there to support and had a good time. Now we are busy with scout camp the rest of the week. Dallas had his session last night from 5-9 and got to ride in a helicopter. Mike is a parent volunteer tonight and gets to take Cody as a tag a long so they are hoping for something just as fun:)

End of the Season

2010-07-23T09:29:00.000-07:00

The Best Self Storage track team did great this season. We got 2nd place (again) but everyone had fun trying for that 1st place plaque. Dallas, Cody and Elijah were the only ones who did the last track meet but they did great. Cody did the standing long jump, softball throw, the 50 and 100 m dash. Dallas did the softball and 800 while Elijah did the softball throw, 50 and 100 m. Afterwards we went with the Wilson family to the Dairy Freeze in Sumner to have some treats! Good job team!

A Few More Pics:)

2010-07-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

More Pics

2010-07-13T09:24:00.001-07:00

Family Reunion

2010-07-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

We went to La Grande for a family reunion this past weekend. The boys were really good on the trip and we had beautiful weather. We drove over Chinook Pass and just enjoyed the view. We haven't taken that way since Cody was a baby. I think we had forgotten how gorgeous it was. The boys loved seeing the snow and the water falls. The views of Mt. Rainier were awesome too. We noticed right away when we got there how hot it was but it didn't have the humidity like we have it here so it was really nice. There was a lot of family there and the boys had fun playing with everyone. Dallas, Cody and Elijah also did really well in the limbo contest. Lots of fun. We were excited to see Cody again after not having him here for a week. Now we are getting used to Dallas being gone. We will go and pick him up this weekend.

Stars and Stripes

2010-07-03T18:36:00.000-07:00

Mike was really excited about his latest little project. He decided that since he was playing Emerald Downs for the 4th of July celebration he would take his white and red striped guitar and add some "decorations" for the holiday. It turned out really cool. I hope everyone likes it at his gig tonight. I took Cody to meet my parents in Kelso, WA this morning so Cody could spend a week with them. We had a picnic and played at the park for a couple hours before heading home. It was lots of fun and Cody was sure excited!

Pack Meeting

2010-06-30T00:28:00.000-07:00

Tonight was Dallas' pack meeting and he finally received his Bobcat that he earned months ago. The weather was perfect and we got to go outside for some fun balloon activities. Afterwards the kids were given a buffet of cupcakes and we came home. Can't wait to see how long the sugar high lasts:) Cody also lost his front tooth this evening. Cody has been working on this tooth for days and tonight he finally asked if I would pull it-one little pop and it was out. Lots of fun tonight.

Gig Time!

2010-06-28T12:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we got to go and watch our awesome rock star daddy perform at the Taste of Tacoma with his band-Mister Miyagi. They played a 40 minute set in perfect weather. The boys and I sat right in front with Juliet and Kingston. Brandon slept most of the time in his stroller but the other boys watched their daddy the whole time. Afterwards we went over to the stage next door and watched Brian, the bassist for Mister Miyagi, play in his other band Platinum Spandex. PS is an 80's hair band group. Now time to rear up for another busy week. Mike has 2 more gigs this week and Cody will be getting ready to spend a week at Grandpa and Grandma Cooper's. Lots to do!

Track Meet

2010-06-19T18:25:00.000-07:00

We had our first track meet of the season. Cody and Elijah did the 50 M dash and Dallas did the 100 and 400 M. Cody and Dallas also did the long jump and softball throw. Lots of fun for the first meet. Mike, Juliet and Trevor (Mike's old mission companion) ran the 2 mile and Mike and Juliet did the 1 mile at the end of the meet. It's fun to see Dallas and Carson (Trevor's son who is Dallas' age) running and playing together. Who knew back in Minnesota that Trevor and Mike would be running in a track meet together years later-and with their sons:) Fun times!!

Goats!!

2010-06-19T18:15:00.000-07:00

We rented some goats this week to help with vegetation control in the bioswell. We have 2 "Mama" goats and 3 young ones. We have had so much fun going and seeing the goats everyday and seeing what they are doing....eating or resting....Last night we even took them some carrots as a special treat. The 2 mama goats and the little billy sure were excited for the treat-the other two little goats are scared of us and always hide when we go down there. We will have them here for about 6 weeks and will post pictures to show you the progress:)

Last Day of School

2010-06-19T18:08:00.000-07:00

The kids are so excited for summer break. Hopefully we will get some nice sunshine to enjoy. The kids really enjoyed their teachers this year and wanted to do something nice for them. Cody will be in 1st grade and Dallas will be a 3rd grader when school starts again in September.

Dallas and Mrs. Holland

Cody with Mrs. Beethem and Mrs.Kachman

Anniversary Band

2010-06-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

For our 10 year anniversary, my sweet husband got me a matching anniversary band for my wedding ring. Michael got me the first band on our 5th anniversary and now I have the other. I love my honey:)

Chevy Cobalt

2010-06-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pictures of the car all taken apart.

Mr. Fix It

2010-06-15T19:34:00.000-07:00

If anyone knows my sister, they know that lately she has been having some terrible luck. Well her "unlucky" streak continued with her hitting a raccoon with her car on Saturday night. Mike, being the awesome brother in law that he is, went over there before church to assess her damages and has been busy working on her car ever since. Today he finished fixing her car. Michael replaced the radiator, cooling fan and a/c condensor. We took some pictures of the pieces before Mike pulled them out and replaced them. He was able to find all the parts at a salvage yard which saved lots of money. Thanks Michael for all your hard work! You are one stud of a brother in law!!!

Busy Day

2010-06-14T19:53:00.000-07:00

After we got back from our primary activity, Mike took Dallas and Cody to play laser tag up in Tacoma while I took Elijah and Brandon to a birthday party at The Little Gym. I've never been there before but the kids had a blast! Lots of fun springboards, balance beams, bars and mats for the kids to play on. The boys also loved the theme...JOHN DEERE. We had lots of fun especially since the boys cousin, Kingston, was there. Afterwards we all met up back home and Juliet came over so that Mike and I could go out for our anniversary. We went and ate gourmet pizza, played mini golf, and got some ice cream. Thanks Aaron and Juliet for watching the kiddos for us!

Primary Activity

2010-06-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

We had a really fun primary activity at our primary presidents home on Saturday. It was a bbq and there were lots of activites and games for the kids to do. Beautiful, sunny day and of course I got a sunburn...would you expect anything else? The kids had fun in the water balloon fight afterwards and enjoyed riding the zipline from the treehouse that Brother Allen built. We had lots of fun.