they're back...

megan and hailey are home again! and i'm glad to say, they are both a little better version of themselves! last night we had a little fhe and had them tell us about their experiences, what they learned, their favorite parts, places, happenings! if i had known how profound they were going to be, i would have video taped them.

megan was so full of gratitude and love; towards us, towards joseph and emma, towards the ewells, towards the people she was with, it was very sweet. she had been learning and studying a lot while she was gone. she was flipping through her scriptures, sharing things that had changed her as she had contemplated them. (i know. being contemplative isn't usually what we expect from our megan, but she shared some very profound insights with us) i also was filled with gratitude. before our fhe she had been sharing the more comical parts of her trip. her head stuck in subway doors in nyc, (actually, i didn't think that was very funny) and, i am ashamed to say, when she needed to launder some of her clothes she didn't know how :(. she was with a young man in our ward, andrew whiting, and he helped her out. he thought it was hysterical, and took many pictures of the whole ordeal. we laughed and laughed (what his mother must think...), but megan has always had me, or sadie, or hailey to help her out i guess :). i'm so glad she had such a well rounded trip. she had fun, she laughed, she shared a bed, she cried, she felt the spirit, she didn't talk about dance once for two whole weeks...the entire experience sounded wonderful!


hailey was pretty cute too! she went first, and shared a lot of the things she learned and what they had done. she had a wonderful counselor, ali, and met many, many new friends! one of my favorite quotes was "modest is hottest!". she had several chances to serve; at an old folks home, with under privileged children, and with older women who were mentally challenged. she got to go bowling, have an american idol competition, and a fancy banquet. she has some wonderful memories, and i think she wishes she could have brought everyone home with her!



i am so blessed to have such sweet, beautiful daughters! it is exciting to see their love of the gospel grow, and their confidence strengthen as they feel how much their heavenly father and savior love them! this week is girls camp. i think they will each be able to spend some time at camp stimson. YEAH!!!

week in review

on sunday we (jon, me, kristen, lauren, hailey and sara ness) took off for salt lake city, hauling a trailer with tod's motorcycle aboard behind us. originally, jon was not going on this little out of town, take hailey to camp, trip. but the idea of me driving with a trailer behind my car, got him worrying (i don't blame him), so he got us safely to salt lake and then flew home:). that night we met up with tod and sadie at temple square, utah summer nights are the BEST!, and enjoyed the peace and beauty all around.

monday morning hailey and sara began a camp at the university of utah called "be the best you"! i had intended to take a picture of the girls for this special post :), but by the time i dropped them off, hailey was pretty worked up. (huge sunglasses covering red eyes...you get the picture) yes, she too has been blessed with the stewart curse, the homesickness gene:(. i actually believe she had just gotten herself so worried about every little aspect of the week, and all the unknowns, and every possible thing that could go wrong (yes, she is also jon's daughter) that she couldn't control the tears, as much as she was desperate to! as we were checking in she said to me, "MOM, there isn't one other girl here with any tears!" embarrassing...luckily she has had a great week!

kristen, lauren and i then scoured the city for some things kristen was looking for. baby boy bedding, cheap furniture for lauren's new room...and WE WERE SUCCESSFUL! lauren was totally a trooper. going from car seat to stroller to highchair to car seat...all day long. we were totally blessed! since we had so much success the first day, we had time to go to the zoo tuesday. thinking we should really do something fun for little lucy, we woke up, got ready, and took off for hoagle zoo. before we ever left the hotel lauren was yawning. i asked her, "are you tired?" she answered (in her cheerful, excited way), "no, I HAPPY!" by the time we arrived she was almost asleep. poor thing! she wanted nothing to do with the picture taking thing, but she finally livened up when we started seeing the animals!

this is her very quick impression of what the monkeys say!

the zoo was GREAT! the animals were out walking around so we could spot them easily. some of our favorites were the monkeys, the elephants, the rhinoceros, the bear, the zebras, the giraffes, and the tiger! it actually got hot and crowded pretty quickly, but we enjoyed our stay. lauren perked up again when i pulled out some starbursts :). what a sweet, happy little soul!

we spent a couple nights and wednesday visiting with sadie in provo. it is always fun to be around sadie's happy, sweet, cheerful spirit too. we got to visit brenda and brooke for a couple really quick hours. baby adison is beautiful and perfect, and the mcdonald's toy in aunt brenda's basement will forever and for always be everyone's favorite! candice, can you find me one on ebay???

we drove home thursday.

update on hailey: she is SO glad she went. she is loving her experience! it has been really great for her! she loves, loves, loves, her counselor! (camp is over saturday morning)

update on megan: party is in her room every night :). (actual text sent after second night. with molly we would expect nothing less!) wonderful experience in the sacred grove! loving seeing the country. d.c. is still her favorite city of all time. the people they are with are all fun. everyone is getting along. yesterday she commented she was missing my good home cookin'! (pressure is on for making dinners next week:). and the last message i got was that she bawled like a baby at carthage!

hopefully they will both share some pictures and feelings when they return home!
one last night, alone, in my home, with my husband!!!!!

talents

hailey and i came home last night after a long day to find two of the cutest cards ever at our front door! suzanne has really got some talent! hailey said, "you need to hang these up!". I agreed. why not have hailey and megan remember that someone thinks they are special every time they walk out the door? so, the wonderful cards have replaced the thanksgiving projects that hailey did in 1st grade, on my back door. we moved in in 2001. some serious dust had collected on those cute pieces of art. we also framed the picture of our family that suzanne drew for us, on the bag that contained her christmas goodies. WE appreciate suzanne's love and talent!


her cards reminded me a little of the painting that we gave to kathy bunker at the end of the dance recital. most everyone was sooo ready to get out of there, that they couldn't stand listening to the story that went with the painting. i don't blame you, but at another time, i think you all would have loved it. the painting tells her story, and has so many little personal pieces of her life. i know kathy will totally treasure it!!! to anyone who is interested, the painter has a blog where she shows some of her stuff and talks about it. there is also a link to her etsy site. funkitupfresh@blogspot.com. she is kim johnson, daughter-in-law of charles and ellie johnson. she created kathy's painting just by having someone tell her a little about her life and how it all began. she nailed kathy right on the head.

anyway, i love to appreciate the talents of others. drawing, singing, dancing, decorating, listening, writing, cooking, flower arranging, being an adventurer, being a true friend, being grateful, knowing stuff i don't know, etc...for these talents and many others i am grateful. many of you have shared your gifts with me and mine, and our lives have been so blessed because of you. keep growing, keep sharing...we all need each other, don't we?

WHO IS THIS WOMAN?

OK. I'm a newbie to "So You Think You Can Dance" this year. In the past my girls would tell me I had to watch "this dance or that person" or whatever, and I had minimal exposure. This year I knew some people who were trying out (i never spotted any of them), and Buddy and Tab are now judges and choreographers (they feel like family, sort of), so I committed to watching EVERYTHING! I have really enjoyed it for the most part. INTERESTING and ENTERTAINING! Some very talented people to be sure. But can I just say, "Pa - lease!" Mary is driving me crazy!!! I can't believe America went off on Paula Abdul for being drunk (or sounding drunk), when this woman is most definitely on some-thing!!! Last Wednesday I thought she was going to POP something in her head, she was screaming and laughing, screaming and laughing, about EVERYONE! How have you all put up with her for almost four seasons? (probably the fast forward button?) Am I the girl with the problem? Poor Hailey was sitting on my bed with me last night, and I'm afraid she got an earful...derogatory remarks directed at Miss Mary. What to do? Could someone help her either "tone it down" or "put a sock in it"? Literally?

and THEY'RE OFF...

Molly and Megan left early this morning (thank you Rhonda for taking them), to hop on the plane to Cleveland! They are officially starting their Church History tour today. They will visit the Kirtland Temple tomorrow, the Sacred Grove Thursday, Susquehanna River Friday, and NYC Saturday! I'm very excited for them! I'm anxious to hear Megan's reports. I hope she meets some very nice new friends, and feels the Spirit at some of the sacred spots, along with having fun while she is away. We will miss her! Hailey has gotten herself pretty worked up about being home alone, but I think we will have a good time! So, here's to Megan and Molly!!! Be SAFE, have FUN, and remember WHY you are there! WE LOVE YOU!!!

YOU CAN'T STOP THE BEAT!

Time to write a little about Megan and Hailey's dance recital. This year's theme: YOU CAN'T STOP THE BEAT! Friday's dress rehearsal that was supposed to end @ 2:45...Hailey and I pulled out of the parking lot at 6:00. The list I had left for myself, (errands and father's day food shopping) now had to be accomplished after a GREAT family dinner at BJ's (reservations at 6:00, oops we were late!). All the family was in town for the big recital so having dinner together was a MUST! Thank you Jon for coming with me and helping me accomplish most of what I had on my list after dinner:).

Saturday, was really a GREAT day! I'm not exactly sure how the girls felt about it, but I believe they were very happy to be able to dance for the love of it, without judges and all the pressure that comes with competitions!!! It was a very, very, VERY LONG day. They were there at 7:30am and we pulled out of the parking lot at 11:00 pm. They were troopers though! Not one complaint!

The first concert was at 9:00. The energy was unbelievable! Watching their opening number I was filled with emotion and goosebumps! The theatre was packed, but the audience was there to see their little ones, so not as much energy going back to the older dancers as they would have liked! Kathy Bunker, the studio owner, had really gone all out this year! Every year she seems to add a little more, or do something a little extra special, but this year was particularly amazing. The lights, the backdrops, the video snips..she really went ALL out! The evening show MC was Aaron Turner (fellow dancer from the past)! He did a great job! The girls danced their hearts out! As I think about all that went on during Friday and Saturday, I can honestly say, I wouldn't have missed one minute of it!!! Being with them, video taping, listening, smiling, laughing, feeling all that a parent feels when they are watching their children do well at something, makes all the hours and sacrifices worth it. As strange as that may be, it really happens, and I am so grateful for the talents they are developing and the growth they are experiencing in their lives. Watching them love what they are doing is PRICELESS!

a side note (strictly for journal purposes): for all of these years, i have experienced extreme anxiety over getting GOOD seats for my family and guests. of course there are no assigned seats, so it ends up being sort of an ugly, confrontational experience for me each year. yes, EVERY year, every single one, i have had someone yelling at me, and this year was no different. i would beg my girls to come in the theatre and help me save some seats while the fists are flying and so forth. sadie has always hated it, but they would usually end up pitying me, and helping me out. this year we were told we could only get four seats. FOUR. i have six in my immediate family (actually eight, but two are dancing), so i had an obvious problem. at all of the earlier concerts i was checking out other seats, and you know, i thought they were all good. it is only bad for me if someone tall is sitting in front of me. so our plan was; jon was coming early with the big uhaul truck that he used to move the props, and he would come in the stage door and go up to the balcony and camp out, holding some extra seats for those we knew were coming. i would go in with sadie and get the four seats that were allowed, and somehow try to secure two extras. all day, actually for a month or so, i have been thinking and worrying about this little problem. by the time the show starts i am usually so drained from all i have been worrying about, i am pretty much done. this year, i was wondering if it was really all worth it. no one is fighting in the balcony, i was ready to retreat. but as the concert began, and i could see hailey, (for the first time i might add) in all of her dances, knowing where she was because i could see her face, seeing brynley's facial expressions (they were priceless!), and seeing megan up close and personal, i knew it was TOTALLY worth the anxiety and wrath of people who are normally my friends. at competitions we can't get that close, so this is my only chance. i'm glad i did it! i'll probably do it again next year :)!

here are a few pictures:

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

I know I'm a day late, but I need to give a shout out to two, very, very important men in my life! My father and the father of my children!



Alden Levi Stewart - (top five reasons he is the greatest father (to me) alive!)

5- my dad is the best provider, the best teacher, the best cheerleader/supporter a daughter could ever ask for!
4- my father is always happy! he is always loving (always has a kiss and hug whenever I see him)! he is always kind! he is funny! he is the ALL-TIME GREATEST practical joker! he has the best smile (even in his 92nd year!)!
3- my father loves his Father in Heaven! he taught me well, and i NEVER doubted his love of the gospel and the Lord! he has served faithfully all of his life (including his 92nd year) and i know he will continue as long as he has strength!
2- my father loves my mother! he has treated her like his queen all of my life!
1- my father loves ME! unconditionally, always and forever!



Jonathon Wayne Bunker - (top five reasons why he is the greatest father to OUR children, alive!)

5- jon is the best provider, the best teacher, the best cheerleader/supporter a child could ever ask for!
4- jon is a fun dad! he takes them on fun vacations, he is fun to be with (he is actually an exceptional entertainment director while on vacation)! he gives the most thoughtful, meaningful gifts at Christmas!
3- jon loves his Father in Heaven! he has taught our children well, and i know they could NEVER doubt his love of the gospel and the Lord! he has served faithfully in his church callings all of his life, and he lives his testimony!
2- jon loves their mother! he has treated me like his queen every day we have been married!
1- jon loves each of our children! he has worried and prayed for them since the day of their conception! he is so proud of them! his love is unconditional, always and forever!

Once again, I am soooo blessed! Happy Father's Day! I love you both :)!

forty eight hours and counting...

Bunker Dance Center's annual dance concert is only a few hours away. At our house, excitement is in the air!!! Tomorrow is dress rehearsal @ 9:45-2:45. Saturday they get to Cashman at 7:30am and we probably won't roll out of there before 10:30-11:00pm. They have shows at 10, 12, 3, and 7. (I am seriously worn out just thinking about these next couple of days and I do NO dancing) It is such a fun time for them though. They get soooo pumped up for it, and when the audience is going crazy for them (mostly in the 7:00 show), I'm sure it is a wonderful, adrenaline high!!! I just love to watch! It is beautiful and amazing, and always emotional for me! Am I just too weird?

This year Hailey is doing jazz, lyrical, ballet, tap, pointe and a production number. I haven't ever seen her on pointe. I am kind of excited to say the least! I'm sorry to say, I don't have any photos of her actually dancing yet this year, maybe there will be some we like from recital! (hence a cute photo from last weekend with Abby Lords)



Megan has a jazz,



large group lyrical,



lyrical/modern,



modern,



hip hop, production, ballet, duet and small group lyrical. At last count, between the two of them, they will be dancing in fourteen numbers (one together). Seems like a lot doesn't it? I can remember going to these concerts when we were just getting started and my girls were in one or two numbers. It felt like the older girls were in every other number, and sometimes it started feeling long to me, but those older girls were really good, so they were extra FUN to watch. Now, I'm sure it will feel like my girls are in every other number, to those who are there with their little ones, just getting started! I know it will start to feel long to them, but I hope they can enjoy it, because these girls are GREAT, and FUN to watch and they have some amazing choreography! I know Kathy has done some EXTRA things this year to make concert memorable. She really does put together an amazing show!

So, here we go. Lights, camera, DANCE! After last year, do I dare say, BREAK A LEG???

come on you people who read...

camie posted this a couple of days ago and i was the only one who responded. don't you want to join up and be our friends? so far i only have two; camie and chelsie! :). sooo... michelle, jen, kristen, sadie, megan, candice, robyn (you do shelfari huh?), suzanne, april, rhonda, janae, brooke, brittney, molly, crystal, jessie, linda, allison, heidi, melissa, amber, kacee, jan, keri, kathy, patt, carly, carrie, judy, lara, lauren, brenda, peggy and who ever else i'm missing, look it over, and see what you think! here's camie's original post:

Calling friends...
A long time ago my friend Brittney told me to sign up on a book sharing website. I didn't do it until just a little while ago and now I'm hooked! Anyone who likes to read should check it out and join. It's free and FUN! Some of the things you can do are: See all kinds of reviews of books, browse what others are reading, and search for books by genre. I would like my list of "friends" to grow so that I can never have to wonder what book I'm going to read next. Check it out...

www.goodreads.com

manly bonding!

we got to have little bridger over to play today for a few hours. luckily for him, jon was home. (working, running errands, moving walls for dancers:), preparing to leave town) bridger LOVED big jon! every time i tried to take him, he would cry a little bit, and then he would tolerate me for awhile. luckily i was the person giving him food and drinks! when megan and hailey came home, he didn't want anything to do with them, he just wanted to hang out with jon. this made my husband VERY HAPPY!!! it has been hard for him to compete with the women in the house for lauren's attention. so when bridger was loving him exclusively, he had to rub it in our faces. some of his favorites were, "just try and see if he'll go to you!" "HA!" "i knew it!" "i'm the one he loves!"

later i thought i heard jon on the phone with the lawyer...something about his will???

umm...have i mentioned...

MIKE AND KRISTEN ARE EXPECTING A BOY!!! our newest little grandchild is going to be a little man! he is expected october 22nd. It has been twenty four years since WE bunker's have welcomed a new little boy into the family. we are ALL pretty EXCITED!

who do you think he will look like?








my bet is on mikey! at least that's what i'm hoping for! kristen's features are a little delicate :).

here is one of the first pictures we took of kristen holding her baby brother! it takes me back...and forward. it will be fun to see miss lauren with a new baby. so far she is determined that she is going to have a "thister". every time i ask her if she is going to have a baby brother, she laughs and says, "no, thister!" oh well, she has lots of time to get her head around having a baby brother.



thanks mike and kristen! you're half way there!!!

then a darling boy/now a missionary man

Adam Lords left Las Vegas today as a set apart missionary headed for the MTC. He looks and acts very ready. His talk yesterday in Sacrament meeting was GREAT! I look forward to hearing about his experiences over the next two years. I am sure he will be a force to be reckoned with, as he serves the Lord.



I can remember the first time he came over to the house to play with Sadie. They were in pre-school together and Keri had a doctor's appointment to go to. (she was pregnant with Brock) Anyway, it was the beginning of a great friendship. (Sadie and Adam/Susan and Keri!) As boy/girl relationships turn into teenage boy/girl relationships there are usually some rocky spots. I am so grateful that Adam and Sadie were able to get past those rocky spots and end up as really good friends again. Adam has always believed in Sadie, and as rumors would spread about Sadie, Adam would always check things out with her, face to face, and then assure her he knew they weren't really true all along! Tod asked Adam, before he left on his mission, to look after Sadie while he was gone. (Tod has always taken his big brother responsibilities very seriously) And I believe Adam really did try to look out for her. Hence, a bond that has never been broken :).
(the other little guy in that picture is Bobby Welch. he is already serving in Thailand. out since november)

We wish Adam the BEST in Hawaii!!! We have a lot of confidence in him, and we will be adding our prayers to many others, that will be going up on his behalf daily! May God be with you till we meet again!!!

while the boys are away...the girls must play!

any excuse to get together and eat...we will be there! the men of the stewart family are having their 2.5 days of "payback" this weekend in st. george. their original dreams were of nyc and boston, with many sporting events involved (i was not privy to ALL the plans, I am merely a woman), but they decided to spend some meaningful time with grandpa stewart, somewhere that wouldn't be too hard on him. every time i have received a call from jon or tod it has sounded like a party! so, i hope they are having a memorable time.

back at home i have been experiencing a computer crisis. i am still too sad to write about it. let's just say, i wish things were the way they were BEFORE!, but, I am surprised that they are as good as they are. happy saturday!

school's OUT...

holy nellie, finals have been taken and hailey and megan are finished with school. aahh...summertime! megan came home ready to CELEBRATE!!! life is good for megs when she doesn't have to feel any guilt about doing so little in school. (OOOOWE!) nine months is a long time! i need to give both of my girls props for being good students, getting credit for seminary (megan), and becoming good friends during these last, long, nine months! hailey came home a little sad that she would miss her friends. some she won't see much over the summer, and some are moving on to new schools. it's a little difficult to be thirteen and not have the freedom of a car :).

i have a good feeling about this summer though. they each have some fun things planned, and they actually enjoy being together for those days when excitement will be in short supply! tonight they went dining with miss molly at B.J's. good work girls. enjoy your summer. they seem to go by really fast these days!

friend reunion

Last Saturday night Jon and I went to a reunion of sorts put on by a few of the Tingey siblings. (there are 12 children in their family) Linda, Lisa and Bruce decided to try to get some "old friends" together after many years. There were people in attendance from Western 1976 graduating class, on down to Clark and Bonanza 1977, 1978, with even some young, young, people, I don't know what year they graduated. And a few from far away places! It was really fun to see people we haven't seen for awhile, and very fun to remember the "good old days" as the microphone was sent around and we all told of our favorite high school memories! (my comment was about the ability Clark had to beat Western in any and all sports, no matter what, for the years Jon was at Western.) As we were driving home Jon asked me if that was really my favorite memory. I told him no, but I had made my mind up to rub it in his face, again, so I didn't really bother to talk about my favorite memories. What are some of my favorite high school memories?

*the intense rivalry between Clark and Western High School. (I went to jr. high with kids who mostly all went to Western, so I had a lot of fun friends at Western. We all liked each other, except when we were at a sporting event where we were playing each other.) maybe this is where i learned the art of being able to like BYU when UNLV isn't playing them!

*my graduating class was split in two and the other half went to Bonanza and became their first graduating class. It was sad, but I felt like I knew people at all the high schools around me.

*really, this is #1! flag twirling!!! i don't know what happened to flag twirlers. i actually don't know how the "tall flags" stuck, and flag twirlers got phased out, but those early morning practices (hair in curlers), marching with the band, doing half times and assemblies, and going to camp in Santa Barbara ("your sleeping with ben tonight, you know he's gay!") and the girls I did it with, are my best memories!

*early, early morning seminary! yes, I know it is unbelievable, but since I had an early bird class at school, I went to seminary before the regular students. Actually I don't remember a whole lot that I learned, but I do remember the people that were in my class and our teacher. I have fond feelings for both!

Jon remarked, and I have to second his opinion, that he is so grateful for a happy childhood, and for good memories of friends and activities that he was involved with in high school. Thank you to everyone, that have been a part of our lives and continue to hold in our hearts, a very special place!