MEGAN GOES TO SALT LAKE ...

early last week, megan and i discovered she wouldn't have any dance this past weekend, so we made a quick decision to fly her up to salt lake to be with sadie and tod. it sounds like they had a great time...eating, snowboarding, spectating at a rodeo, and laughing and spending time together. the only bump in the trip was the six hour wait at the airport to come home. megan can be found asleep in her bed many nights by 9 p.m., so the 1:30 a.m. return home made for a difficult week of getting out of bed for seminary and school! thanks tod and sadie for a fun weekend.

oh happy day, the second!

lauren came over to visit yesterday, and as we went upstairs to play dollies (and we couldn't walk in the door of the closet) that was it...it was time to attack!!! hailey had been offering to help me clean it out on all her days off school, but this seemed like the perfect time to take everything out of the closet (so we could walk in) and start over!!! about half-way through, lauren and i had found the marble game and we were concentrating on putting it together and then getting a big laugh out of watching the marbles go down and through the maze, i started wondering what i was thinking? the family room was now destroyed, and i had a LOT of stuff to go through. i didn't give up though and after hailey's violin lesson she came up and helped me out a ton. so, by 9:30 last night we were done. if you thought my garage was full after my bedroom closet, you should see it now! i had visions of getting my storage room downstairs cleaned today, so i could post them both, but the reality is I'M TIRED! anyway, one more down. horray!!!!!

Our Prophet Dear

We will miss President Hinckley! It feels like he has been a part of our lives for as long as I can remember. I remember when he was a counselor to President Kimball and President Benson, and as they lingered in poor health for so long, I could feel the heavy burden that was his as he lead the church trying to do everything in proper order and with the prophets' approval and blessing. I am very grateful that he was able to be active and functioning right up to the end of his life! I know that is what he wanted. He made us all feel loved, he made us all feel like there is hope, he made us all feel like we could become a little better each day, and make a difference in this world we live in!

I have learned and felt much at his feet, but one memory in particular I will never forget. It was during a Sunday session of general conference. He spoke of the temple, and at the conclusion of his talk we sang "The Spirit of God" and the choir sang the "Hallelujah Chorus" with us. My goodness, the spirit was sssoooooo strong. It even made it through the t.v. and into my family room in my home.

It will be different not seeing his face and hearing his voice, but I know I will feel those same sweet, tender feelings, as the spirit testifies that our new prophet is called of God. I am so grateful for the peace I feel because I know this church is lead by our Savior, Jesus Christ, and He will always be in charge, and the man who is sustained as our new prophet will be the man who is supposed to be our prophet at this time. We will grow to love him as we have loved President Hinckley, because he will serve us and love us and lead us in these tough times ahead.

p.s.- I am so happy to know that he is with his sweetheart once again! I could hardly bear to think of him feeling lonely at his age and with the burdens he had to bear!

four eyes!

why is it that glasses are cool these days? hailey has been telling me she needs glasses probably since school was getting out last year. we finally made it to the eye doctor friday, and for her birthday, we picked up her new glasses. she can definitely see better with them on. i feel like a bad mother, why did i wait so long? oh well, now, all our children have needed glasses but megan (knock on wood)!
i think she looks pretty cute!

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAILEY DEAR!

can you believe my baby is turning thirteen and is going to be a teenager? i do have hope though. i think she might stay friends with her mother even during these fun years, just because i am an eternal optimist i guess! i have to admit, i must be a pretty cool mother:), because i've been pretty blessed lately, with girls that will talk to me, and laugh with and at me. maybe teenagers TODAY aren't as hard as we were when we were kids! anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HAILEY!!

























A FEW OF HAILEY'S FAVORITE THINGS AS SHE TURNS 13!
favorite time to wake up in the morning - whenever I'm not tired anymore!
favorite holiday - Christmas
favorite season of the year - spring!
favorite game to play - guitar hero 3
favorite sport to watch - ice skating, gymnastics, basketball & soccer!
favorite tv show - (just phasing out hanna montana, still likes NEW episodes) OTH, so you think you can dance & american idol
favorite sport to participate in - right now, badminton - i'm really good at it too!
favorite movie - stick it
who is your hero? - mommy!!!
favorite food - pasta, bread, junk!!
favorite subject in school - math
favorite activity - hang with a friend
favorite book - junie b. jones
favorite family member - everybody!
favorite thing to do in your free time - text, shop, or be with a friend
favorite place in all the world - ANYWHERE BUT VEGAS
favorite ice cream - vanilla, strawberry with cookie dough topping from golden spoon
favorite candy - reese's pieces

oh happy day!

i realize it has almost been a month since i explained my need to do some serious cleaning around my house, and the fear that the mood would leave me before the work was done, remember? don't jump to any conclusions...i am not done. but, one area is officially clean and i am having a personal celebration today and must share!

i am very embarrassed to be posting these before and after pictures (especially because my mother can now see them), but my only disclaimer was that it was christmas and my closet becomes the place to hide and throw everything! so, my closet has been cleaned out, many items thrown away and many in the garage waiting for d.i. next saturday (last picture at the bottom). anyone wanting a tri-pod, old printer, anything you can see- it's yours if it is picked up before feb.2nd. :) jon's closet is dusted, (his usually always looks like the second to last picture), the drawers and cabinets in the bathroom cleaned out and the bedroom cleaned out and dusted top to bottom. whew!

now... my upstairs closet, my storage room and my kitchen are next. beware, the before pictures will look really bad too. i never thought of myself as a pig, but holy cow, i have lost control! how embarrassing!!!

carma is a blogger!

look at grandma reading all your blogs on her new mac pro! it has been a long time in coming, but i finally decided christmas morning that it was time for her to have the fun of seeing all the pictures and reading all the stories of her family, using her very own computer! i bookmarked seventeen blogs today, and she has step by step instructions of how to turn it on, get on the blogs, and then turn off her new toy. i must tell you it was all worth it as she navigated through jennifer's pictures from her 80th birthday party, and read the captions. i can tell she is going to LOVE it. we clicked on one of chelsie's pictures of matt and the boys tubing and it blew up and was in beautiful color and she giggled and loved it all.

i'm sure her brain is on over load. we spent four hours today, the poor woman couldn't stop to use the potty until i left. i am so proud of her, as an eighty year old woman she is still willing to learn new tricks! way to lead the way mom! i'm going to list all of the blogs that i bookmarked for her, and if any of you are secret bloggers and would consider sharing yours with mom, you can add it to her bookmark bar when you stop by to visit some day. way to go carma!!!

susan kristen sadie jen amber candice robyn stewart heidi camie kacee chelsie brittney brooke crystal jessie molly

V.I.C.T.O.R.Y.

Mitt in Michigan and the Rebels in Las Vegas!

How sweet it is to feed some humble pie to the arrogant basketball player of BYU! (i can say that because i personally know the arrogant one :) Oh my gosh! The rebels played hard start to finish, they were warriors, and they did it with class and effort. No finger pointing, no taunting, no celebrating, just consistent hard work. Coach Krugar has a great attitude and it was reflected in his players win last night!


no sadie is not at home, this is an old picture...no camera last night!

the green-eyed monster

i've been trying to decide for some time now whether or not to write about this in my blog, but the subject won't leave my mind, and i've decided if i document it, maybe i can move on more completely. so, here goes. we have struggled in our family from time to time, over the years, dealing with mean friends, or hurtful comments, or unkind actions by those we associate with. i used to think you could avoid drama if you just wouldn't put up with it from those around you, but i have come to realize, you can't always control the drama around you. ENVY is an evil monster.

why is it when something good happens to someone else, is it difficult to be truly happy for them and not be jealous in any way? why, if someone gets a raise, or a good grade, or a new opportunity, or praise of some sort, do we often feel like it must mean we aren't as good as them? why is everything in life a comparison or competition?

i was reading an article the other day by Elder Holland, "The Other Prodigal", and i believe i received some enlightenment. "We live in a world that constantly compares people, ranking them as more or less intelligent, more or less attractive, more or less successful, and as others grow larger in our sight, we think we must therefore be smaller. But God does not work this way. He does not measure us against our neighbors. His gestures of compassion toward one do not require a withdrawal or denial of love for the other. He loves each of us-insecurities, anxieties, self-image, and all. He doesn't measure our talents or our looks; He doesn't measure our professions or our possessions. No one of us is less treasured or cherished of God than another. He cheers on every runner, calling out that the race is against sin, not against each other."

so, what am i trying to say? as for me and my house, we have a new mantra...try to celebrate in everyones success, sincerely! we are not less because they have done well. we will try to remain confident (even though the world teaches us differently) that we are still loved and cared for by our Father in Heaven...no matter what! good luck to us in remembering...

ALL RIGHT, ALL READY!

so, when is the writer's strike going to be settled? for the last couple of months i didn't take much time for watching tv, my dvr was over-flowing! jon isn't big on not having things "cleaned up", like the dvr for example, so i just started deleting mostly everything because i knew there was no way i was going to be laying on my bed (the dvr is in my bedroom) watching hours and hours of tv. (jon actually had nothing to do with my deletions, i just knew he had already seen every thing he was interested in. :) so now, tonight, i want to go lay on my bed and watch something good! do i have anything recorded? is anything on live? man, a girl can't catch a break! i have been reading a lot (that is good), but i really like to veg with the tv every once in a while, actually every night, until i fall asleep. oh well, good luck to the writer's. may those you are striking against give in to your demands SOON!

Tagged by Cassidy.....

This is Hailey. My mom wouldn't let me change the color but oh well... here we go.

1. I STILL haven't learned to love being the youngest. I absolutely HATE it. I always tell my parents we need to adopt one, but my mom says no and my dad is all about it!
2. I HATE scorpions.... in matter of fact i got stung by one last night at my friends house. Before last night i wasn't worried about them and now i am so conscious about them!
3. i LOVE pink and summer. In the winter i hate wearing long sleeves and tennis-shoes.
4. i have found a new hobby that i like!!!.. i am still dancing but on wednesday for an hour me and megan go to a tumbling class. our first one was last wednesday and we had a lot of fun!!!
5. not everybody knows that i still have my baby blankie that my Grandma Stewart made for me when i was a baby. I love it! I HATE sleeping without it. It comforts me everyday!.. and there are only 2 little holes in it.. otherwise it is in perfect shape!!!!



im going to tag Sadie, Jesse Miller, and Molly and Megan!!!!!!

good golly, MISS MOLLY is seventeen!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOLLY, we love you!

quiet

why is it when life is busy and loud that i think i can't wait for some peace and quiet? granted there are different extremes to what i call feeling "loud" in my life. there is the "loud" when i feel busy with a lot going on, but i still know it is manageable, and i feel like i am still in control. i can make lists of what needs to get done and the things with highest priorities get done and the others wait. then there is the "loud" when i am overwhelmed with so much to accomplish that i feel like i need 48 hours in a day, and i have no control. i make a list and just looking at it makes me feel sick. i end up feeling like with the little i accomplish in a day, i will never be able to get everything done. lately, for the last couple of months, i have been going back and forth between the two kinds of "loud" described.

this week the house has been quiet. everyone is back to school and jon is back to work. it was fun over the holidays to have a house full of people. this past weekend we even got to see some of our bunker cousins and relatives. i looked at jon sunday night (while watching the lakers kill their opponents:) and said, "the house sure will be quiet tomorrow." he knew exactly what i meant. it is quite a bitter-sweet feeling... missing the people, but enjoying the order. missing the laughter, but enjoying the silence. missing always having someone around, but enjoying a couple hours alone.

anyway, i have been trying to capture some "quiet" feelings within my soul this week, about all that i want to do and accomplish. my list has never been longer, and i am not magically making big strides in any area to be able to start checking things off. but i am trying to feel peace in being "a tortoise" and being satisfied with slow and steady progress. this morning, on the way to bonanza high school, with megan by my side, we got to see this beautiful sunrise. and on the way home, the mountains looked so beautiful, the air felt so clean and clear. this was a positive way to start a quiet morning.

brianhead

jon and the four girls went to brianhead thursday! they said it was great! not too crowded, not too cold... JUST RIGHT! they are all a little sore today, (especially hailey - she is funny! she is sure she has a broken tailbone, shoulder, spine, you name it!) but loved their little snowboarding/skiing adventure. jon continues to win all racing contests...the man loves a good thigh burn. i'm just glad they can all enjoy spending the day together - yippee!






















tod and i enjoyed a little down time, HA! i have become an official member of the geek squad, downloading all kinds of new stuff on my computer, i just hope i can work it all when i'm finished. actually it was quite fun to spend some alone time with my son. you know he is 23 years old now, and a MAN, but it isn't very often i get to concentrate on just him, and have an uninterrupted conversation with him. isn't he sooo handsome?

Happy New Year!!!

well, well...it has been a little while since i sat down to write. in fact; jon and i have celebrated 26 years of wedded bliss, we enjoyed christmas eve (tasty tacos and the spice girls re-visited), christmas day (eating too much and seeing national treasure II), mother's 80th birthday party, and now the new year. just to sum up the month of december...it was a blur. i met rhonda for lunch early on in the season and she asked, "are you already making plans for what you will do differently next year?" YESSSS!! she understood...she had been there before. the feeling that christmas is upon you and somehow you're still trying to put on your swimming suit and get a tan! i thought i was ok. i had made a plan. but when the plan fell through it felt like i was trying to dig out of a pit with my fingernails. needless to say, i have considered delivering chips and salsa at halloween, and sending christmas cards before thanksgiving, and simply giving my children money and no gifts! but seriously, what would be the fun in that? my plan is not set yet, but next christmas i want to have an advent list like candice and jen, and actually feel like i could do what i have planned on it. we'll see :)

for now, i have a need to clean every closet, every cupboard, every nook and cranny of my house. "DE-JUNK and RECLAIM MY SPACE" is my motto. how long will this mood last? i'm really afraid not long enough to actually achieve my goal. i have been trying to start in my closet for two days now. why is it that life has a way of crowding in and needing my attention?
the other thing i really want to be doing, is getting my mom and dad's histories, with video and pictures completed. both of these jobs could be "all consuming" if i could let go of everything else. but my personality is such that i can't start to work on my projects until a certain amount of cleanliness is complete in my house...hence, i never get anything else done. i figure though, having put these two goals on my blog for all to see, maybe things will be different this time and i will make them happen. that is what i'm hoping for (fingers crossed and eyes closed)!

the following pictures are from mom's birthday! my girls (mostly megan) were in charge of my camera that day! i love the pictures they took, but if you weren't on their radar or making some kind of sexy pose, you probably won't find yourself in any. i need someone to share with me!

i am very excited for a new start this new year! i'm not usually big on new year resolutions, but this year found me needing some changes in my life. Day 3 and i'm still going strong :)