wow.

I forgot how much time I used to spend tweaking my blog.... :)

the REAL rest of June...

My brother and his family came to visit and one of the big highlights was riding the TRAX up to Downtown Salt Lake City...

the travellers
it was really fun when we came back at the 5 o'clock commute and the train was
packed and I had 4 kids and a double stroller to manage :)
THANKS REX for all your help! And for coming to visit!

this kid wouldn't look at me...but he loved the train!

We went up to Temple Square and took the real tour for Lucy's birthday

ahhh Tourists!

{Jake's Baptism}

Jake was baptized and confirmed June 6th and became an official member of

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
He is a great example to his brothers and sister

We had a special day with family and friends

{New Me, New Projects}

I am really loving the new picture of me over there in the profile pic!!

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My AWESOME next-door neighbor GAVE me this old window!! For free!!

I am so excited to do something with it...I have a bunch of ideas ....stay tuned!!
and I got this at DI the other day and have already painted it blue ocean breeze, but I think I'm going to change it...I'll let ya know...

and for a little perspective, this article is really helping me today.
Happy Monday!

Draper Temple Open House

Jim took a sick day the other day but Dr. Melis deemed him well enough to walk through the Draper Ut LDS Temple open house so we printed some tickets, took Jake out of school early, and were off.

We went to a church building first and watched a video presentation on the purpose of temples and the building of the Draper temple, then we rode a bus up to the temple site.

It was freezing cold and the tour guides kind of whisked us from the bus into a covered walkway across the parking lot into the Temple so I didn't take any pictures. We will have to go back in the springtime to take some family pics.

Inside the Temple was so beautiful. As calming and peaceful as any other temple I have been to. The architects used the Sego Lily (Ut state flower) in a lot of the accents and even in the woodwork. And I learned something I never knew, they hand scuplt the designs in the carpet! I had no idea :) The boys were pretty fascinated by the oxen and the baptismal font. They lingered there the longest. I felt like a pretty good parent for giving them the opportunity to feel the spirit and teaching them about temples. And it was a good reminder for me as well.

{all photos courtesy of Flickr*}

Conference Visitors

Sunday during General Conference we had some visitors...

they were a little more interested in Halloween than listening to the General Authorities...

We got them working on the fun GC packets though and that seemed to help bring them back around to reality. For a minute... I guess when you have a gutted pumpkin for a head, you don't have a very long attention span.

It's a small world in T Falls

This last weekend we took a little trip up to Twin Falls to visit 1 of Jim's old mission companions Will Dilworth and his family. His wife Collette, was 1 of my (our) friends at Ricks. Jim played matchmaker and got them together. We hadn't seen them for about 12 years. It was so fun to see them again! They have 2 kids 9 and 6 who did a great job taking care of Brooke and Max for me the whole time. They are expecting a baby in a couple months and this was really good practice and a good reminder for them. We didn't take any pics though for some reason. While we were there I happened to see their ward directory and found our friend Megan and her family are in their ward too! We know them from Texas and so we went over and surprise visited them for a bit. Sunday we went to church with them and Jim ran into a guy that looked very familiar to him. It turned out to be a family he knew from New Mexico from when he was about 14. The Niccums are really good friends with Jim's dad and step-mom. And they live right next door to the Dilworths! It's so crazy how small the world gets in the church! We did take a couple pics off the bridge across the Snake River, which is an incredible view to behold!

(the pictures don't do it justice)

Photo Courtesy of Flickr

***Happy Pioneers Day!***

Happy Birthday Lucy!

My neice is 8!

We hope you have a great day and that the Spanking Machine doesn't find you!

We'll see you this weekend at your baptism Luce! Congratulations!

Enlightenment

This post really inspired me today. I found it through another blog I read, Everything Pink.
my words: 3 lessons

Spring Sundays in Utah

Last Sunday...

The boys say "Happy Easter!"

Brooke says "I'm grumpy after church"

but I will smile if you play a game of "where's your head"

Jim and Max wore short sleeves and Max had on shorts...

I even wore sandals...

This Sunday...

Stinkin' snow is back...

Next Sunday....

General Conference or as I like to call it...

Home Churchin' Yeah!

Always in our Hearts

President Gordon B. Hinckley

1910-2008

Thank you for your love and service. You will be missed!

Back at Christmas Time

We went to Temple Square to see the lights on Dec 23. It was very cold, very late and very crowded. These pictures are in between the freezing and whining and crying. Maybe next year we will plan better :)

Orange Dot Day

Don't we look EXCITED??!!!

Future Missionaries!


Last Wednesday finally arrived and my little brother Joe entered the MTC to start his mission. He is on his way to Veracruz Mexico but for the next 8 weeks he will be down in Provo learning spanish and how to teach the gospel. I think they lock him in a room full of monkeys once a day too to get used to the jungle :)! JUST KIDDING :) Me and the 4 kids got to escort him and I am sure he will remember it always. It was cold and rainy, Brooke wailed through most of it and kept pointing at Joe and calling him Daddy. We got a lot of looks but I think it was more because of all the little kids and hopefully not because they thought I was Joe's mom :)

Watch Out Mexico! Here He Comes!