Holiday Greetings

One of the most beautiful things about having a blog is that I don't even have to write a Christmas Letter recalling all the happenings of the last year. All one has to do to see what's happened is scroll down the page.

We feel blessed this year to be healthy, happy and our needs and wants are met. The older I get, the faster the years seem to pass. The kids are growing, maturing and turning into truly adorable young adults and tweens. I am so proud of the kindness they show others and the good decisions they make.

Thank you to all our friends and family for your friendship and association. We are so lucky to have so many great people in our lives and appreciate your good examples. We pray that you and your families will be blessed this holiday season with health, prosperity and the joy that comes only through Christ. We believe in Christ and are thankful for the opportunity to recall His birth, His life, and His sacrifice for us. He gives us light and hope. May you have the peace and comfort this holiday season, that only He can offer.

Giving Thanks

2010 Pie Night was wonderful and delicious, as usual! Aunt Toni, Uncle Shirl, and family made an amazing 49 pies this year and we sat and ate pie and enjoyed family and friends. Thank you so much. Pie Night is a huge act of kindness and service. We love you!

We enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner at Carol and Lynn's. We were joined by the Darrington family and it was so nice to have them there. John Darrington is serving in Iraq right now and we miss him and are grateful for his service.
We also had my nephew, Mitchell, who is attending BYU, join us for dinner. We had delicious food, good company, we watched a movie, had time for a nap, watched some football, ahhhhh.....it was a fabulous day. My sister Tammy, who lives in St. George, knows how much we love her homemade pumpkin pies. She had friends coming up this way, and they delivered two pies (and a gluten-free version) to us. They were delicious and one more reminder of how blessed we are to have kind family and friends. Thanks Tammy!
Kelsey participated in the 6th grade Temples and Tombs program this month. It was entertaining to watch and they did a great job.
This was a big month for Kelsey as she started on phase 1 of her braces adventure! She had braces put on the top and got two teeth pulled on the bottom. So far all 6 teeth she has lost on the bottom, have been pulled by the dentist. We aren't sure why her teeth don't behave correctly, but they don't. Makes me wonder if it had anything to do with the original development of her teeth when she was a baby and we didn't know she had celiac? Guess it doesn't matter. We are making progress and she'll have a beautiful smile to show for it. Love you Kels!

Derby and Spooks

Congratulations to Jake for taking FIRST PLACE at the Pine Wood Derby!! (Do I have to mention that it was actually Jake Finlinson that took first place?) Jake and Joe put blood, sweat and tears (well, not quite) into the Pine Wood Derby this year. They spent hours preparing for their first car ever. After several changes and tweaks, they were ready to go! The boys each got three runs down the track. First run, our car did not go so fast. Second run, our car threw a wheel into the audience. Before the third run there was a quick pit stop which included repairs with the hot glue gun. After repairs, they ran the second run again and third run. Jake's car was fast a furious after the repairs! Way to go boys. We're proud of you.

We had some crazy silly Halloween-ers this year. Morgan decided to join in on the nerd-herd....

Kelsey was a mad-hatter (and a dang cute one!)...

Jake was a ferocious werewolf...

And Joe and I, well, we feel like we're from the age of the dinosaurs, so why not act like it? We dressed up like Fred and Wilma.

Halloween was fun but it's always one holiday I'm happy to have over. No more sugar rush, no more headache and no more creepy spooks. Now on to the good stuff, like pie night, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Can I listen to Christmas music now?

Fabulous Fall Break

Joe and I were both able to take off work this year and enjoy fall break with the kids. We decided instead of spending one day packing and getting ready, one day driving, and another day unpacking and washing clothes....we'd just hang out locally and act like tourists. And that we did! We started our first day by going to the Living Planet Aquarium. That was pretty cool. We got to pet some sting rays, watch the penguins being fed and check out some amazing creatures. We also did some laser tag that afternoon (5 games worth) and had a blast. Wow, that is addictive! We worked up a sweat and laughed our heads off. We also had a couple fierce games of air hockey. Finally, we ended the night at Denny's at 10:00 pm chowing on some greasy food. We were worn out from our first day.Second day we started by taking the kids to Red Lobster for lunch. None of the kids had ever eaten lobster and crab. They all loved it and we may be in trouble now! Red Lobster may be the new birthday meal choice. We then drove to Park City to check out Olympic Park. I feel like such a goof that we haven't ever gone before.
I'm a huge fan of the Olympics and I got teary-eyed just reading all the info at the museum and reliving the SLC Olympics. Good memories! That night we went to Mike and Susie's to break-in the new theater. We watched How to Train Your Dragon and gorged on popcorn and candy. Nothin' like a good tummy-ache before bed.
On Saturday we ate some delicious BBQ and then went to Boon Docks for some go-cart action. Jake and Kelsey weren't tall enough for the fast go-carts, so they begrudgingly drove the little (slow) carts. By that evening, Joe and I were worn-out with all the kids play. We headed to Little America in SLC for an evening alone. All in all, it was a successful, fun-filled, memorable weekend. Love you family!

Autumn Time

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Women, let's not forget our monthly self-exams! I must say that I have never been a "fan of the self-exam" until now when I'm seeing new breast cancer patients each day. Wow, cancer sucks! I am back in Provo now, working for Dr. Tudor, and I love my job. I am working WAY too many hours at the moment and that has got to change, but other than that, I love the work (stress and all!). We have amazing patients and they inspire me to be a better person.
Last weekend our bestie pals, Mike and Suz, had us over for the unveiling of "Thee Basement." They have been working tirelessly for months to finish their basement. During this time, we have not been allowed down there so it would be a surprise. Wow, it was beautiful and they've done such a good job. Since we are such weirdos, we decided to make the night special and dress up for the occasion. (What I love, is that my family is crazy enough to follow my every whim and have some fun.) Good job on the basement, Mike & Suz! It's fabulous and we can't wait to spend a ridiculous amount of time there and overstay our welcome.
Joe has been teaching the Marriage and Family Relations class at church for the last several months. During class, we had an awesome family (thanks Hanks) give us an idea to help with our family scripture study. They have a Consecutive Club and make goals with specific rewards for a certain amount of days. We started our own Consecutive Club in July. Our family made several goals and amazingly....it's working! We have had the longest run of consecutive scripture study (as a family) since Joe and I were married 16 years ago.
We went bowling as our reward for 30 consecutive days. Here we are being silly and having fun!
For 60 days, we get to do laser tag. We've actually passed the 60 day mark, so this weekend we plan on getting out and getting crazy.
We are on consecutive day 74 and counting. Once we hit 90 days, we're going to be headed to Boondocks for a day of fun. I'm looking forward to the go-carts. I am so proud of the kids for supporting and encouraging us to keep this up. They even did scripture study on their own when Joe and I stayed the night in SLC for our anniversary (that was without a reminder from mom and dad). It's brought us closer as a family and increased the spirit in our home. After Boondocks, I think we'll shoot for the stars and plan out a Disneyland trip for next spring. Huh, how many consecutive days is worth a trip that big?.......

Labor Day Fun

We had a great Labor Day weekend this year. The kids and I missed Joe as he was in Texas for the blessing of our new nephew, Jackson a.k.a. "Jack" Weight. He had such a good time visiting with family and loving on the baby. (Yes, I'm still jealous because I haven't got to hold him yet!) Looking at the picture, you'd think Joe was the proud father, but no....he's just next to my awesome sister-in-law, Megan and Joes' brother, Sam, is in the back, behind them.

The kids and I did lots of chores in the home (which was fun for me, but not-so-fun for them). On Monday we decided to venture out and have some real fun. We headed to the Hogle Zoo since it had been a year or two since we had gone. I'm not sure who the real "animals" were. If Kelsey is not careful, she'll get locked up herself!

The baby elephant is not so little anymore, but is sure cute!

It's much easier to take a 14, 11 and 9 year old to the zoo than it was when they were smaller. I never had to carry anyone, run to the potty before an accident or dry off tears!

Seriously, these kids are crazy!

This silverback gorilla was pretty impressive. This is about the only pic I got of his front side. I think he was sick of the humans because he kept his rear end facing us 98% of the time.
Help!!! Get me out of here!!! I think this monkey says it all. Seriously, by the end of the visit Morgan and I decided the zoo is really depressing. We felt so sorry for these animals all locked up in small cages and bored to death. I just wanted to run around and free them all....but I guess that would actually cause a bigger mess. :(
One final matter.....Congrats to Morgan who is now on the yearbook committee! She had a hard time choosing between wind symphony and yearbook committee, but the choice was made and we think this will be a fantastic opportunity for her to expand her talents.

Drop-Off at MTC

Joe, and nephews, Tyler and Mitchell

My nephew, Tyler, aka ~ Elder Harris, reported to the MTC this Wednesday, September 1st. He will be serving in the Seattle, Washington Mission. We spent a couple days with him before he reported and had such a good time. Wow, I have an awesome family! Good luck Ty...we love you and know you'll do incredible things.

You can follow Elder Harris's adventure on his mission blog (yes, I'm tending to two mission blogs right now and love it!).

http://www.priesthoodpower.blogspot.com/

It's also under my "Fabulous Family" to the right, for future reference.

It's That Time Again

Can you believe it's that time? The kids are headed back to school once again. We had a great summer but I'll be the first to admit that life is not as fun when mom is working! All those years I was a "stay-at-home," and I didn't quite appreciate how good it was. Alas...the seasons change and you have to move on.
Morgan is a 9th grader this year. Even though that's officially a "high schooler," she is still stuck in the middle school this year. She is sorely disappointed since 3/4 of her friends she shared GT (her gifted-talented program) classes with for the past 4 years are now in the new high school in Saratoga Springs. I'm sure she will adjust and make a whole new group of friends. We love her and are so proud of the decisions she makes. She's one smart cookie and a big helper.
Kelsey started 6th grade this year. It's her last year in elementary! She is still in the A.L.L. program (which is not offered in our elementary) so she's carpooling with a group of kids to the other side of Lehi. Kelsey is such a sweetie and she is sure maturing fast. We were watching home movies the other night and I couldn't believe the changes she's gone through. I miss the cute little bouncy girl that couldn't pronounce her "R's". She's still cute and bouncy, but in a different way. She is also such a help around the house and a good loyal friend.
Our little guy, Jake-O, isn't so little anymore. He started 4th grade this year. He was our only child who was ready to go back to school and EXCITED! He's liking his new teacher and all the friends he knows in his class. Jake is all boy...he would play Wii, computer games, and watch TV 24/7 if we let him. He's enjoying Scouts and has recently found he loves climbing rock walls. He also tried laser tag for the first time this week and thought it was awesome. He is a "mama's boy," or at least I like to believe that. He is very kind and affectionate and a joy to be around.
Last but not least, wanted to share some of Kelsey's art work. Our LDS stake had a talent show at the end of the summer. They encouraged everyone to enter something. Kelsey sat down and sketched out some of her favorite Disney characters. I thought she did pretty dang good for not tracing them (which is the only skill I can do). I'm excited for her to get into Jr. High next year and get into some art classes. Since I lack the "artist gene" I haven't been able to help her truly cultivate that talent.

Life is good! I love my family and the joy they bring me. I have had some great trials and growth in my own life in the last 6 months. (Employment related.) Even though I don't enjoy the trials, I appreciate the opportunity it's given me to humble myself and rely on the Lord. He is truly magnificent and has heard my cries. I am glad to say that things have worked out for the best and I am again experiencing the true joy life can bring. Thanks to my family and friends for putting up with my craziness and helping me through this crisis. I love you all!

Summer Visitors

I love living in Utah where many of our friends from across the U.S. have relatives..... meaning they visit Utah on a regular basis! We had more visitors this week. Nick Hullinger and his sweet wife, Julie, were visiting from South Carolina. Nick is an old family friend and is very dear to our hearts! I actually shed tears the day I heard he was in town. Nick was very close to my family in Missouri and was adored by all of us, including my parents. He is truly one of my favorite people in the world. It was such a joy to visit with them and catch up on life. They have two beautiful children and have made a great life for themselves. Thanks Nick and Julie for stopping by and visiting! We love ya.

Pioneers, Bears and Old Friends

This morning Morgan headed out on a trek for Stake Youth Conference. This has taken weeks of preparation, including Morgan sewing bandannas (to help the stake leader), participating in a 10-day spiritual trek, walking several times a week and learning of her own pioneer ancestors. Morgan went on behalf of her Great Great Great Great Grandma, Caroline Hopkins Clark (1831-1900), who traveled from England and crossed the plains. Morgan got to read her journal entries and get an appreciation for the sacrifices she made (including losing her husband and several children to death).

As we dropped Morgan off this morning I couldn't help but get teary-eyed. I am so happy she can have this opportunity and get a deeper appreciation and love for our pioneer heritage. I am so grateful for my family legacy.

In true teenage style, Morgan didn't enjoy dressing in pioneer clothes. She was not happy to take this picture, but I threatened that I wouldn't take her to the church if she didn't. ;) It helped that we were almost running late....more pressure.

Jake advanced to a Bear this week in Boy Scouts. He earned his Wolf Badge, a gold arrow, and 5 silver arrows. It has been so fun to see him grow and learn in Boy Scouts. Here he is getting a paw painted on his face, symbolizing his advancement to Bears. We have enjoyed and appreciate his leaders and have had a great experience so far. Thanks Julie & Nichole!
Jake pinning on a Wolf pin. That's why Boy Scouts is so awesome. Your son earns the badge and you get jewery! (Well, I guess moms probably have a lot to do with the sons earning their badge.)
All the advancing boys got to scarf down pie without using their hands. Jake was actually the first done and was licking his plate waiting for the others to finish. (Too bad we don't feed him food at home.)
After scarfing down pie, the boys ran through a tunnel symbolizing their progression to the next level.
Finally, we had the joy of meeting up with old friends this past week. Dustin and Angie Irlenborn were in Utah visiting family and we were able to see them for lunch. We know them from Missouri back in our younger years. They were married shortly after us and we attended the Springfield University Branch together. Their oldest child, Austin, was born 9 days before Morgan. After sharing our miserable pregnancies together, Angie and I were bonded for life! Things haven't changed much in 14 years.....as Angie and I ended up shopping together after lunch. Some old habits are too hard to break. :) Thanks for stopping for a visit. We are blessed to have gained such good friends throughout our lives!