Stone Family Happenings

Best Christmas Yet!!

2012-01-03T09:01:00.000-08:00

Here's a brief (not really) re-cap of the best Christmas we've had yet, and I imagine they will only get better from here. It all began on December 18, when Jayme got here. Cassidy had to work a couple more days, so Jayme came up by herself. I actually managed to be sort of on top of things this year, so we had some time to play. The decorations were up, I finished Cassidy's stocking, and all of the gifts were purchased and mostly wrapped.

We did some final preparations, grocery shopping and such. Tuesday, we went to a wrestling match to watch Ammon, and everyone was able to be there. On Wednesday, we had a Paparazzi party for Jayme, so we stayed home all day. The party was a bit of a bust, but we still had a fun day, and got some baking done. The girls made sugar cookies, and had a blast. The plan was to be semi-mess free, but that didn't quite work out. Oh well, they had fun, and I didn't have to clean it up. While they were doing that, I made peanut brittle, fudge, caramel, chex mix, almond roca and brownies. YUM!!

Finally, the big day arrived, Christmas Eve! We spent most of the day cleaning and cooking. Thank goodness for my helpers, I couldn't have done it alone. It all went smoothly, and we had a great day. My dad, Scott, his kids, and Rick came over for dinner. It was very nearly perfect.

Martinelli's

Enough food to last for days!

More great food!!

After dinner, we visited and played a pretty intense game of Catch Phrase, it was great fun!

Then we took lots of pictures, here is Grandpa with the grandkids. We had such a fun time with everyone together, it was great!

After the Johnson's left, it was jammie time!! Of course we all had to get new pj's and model them in front of the tree. This year, everyone wanted USC jammies, so we were all matchy, but dang cute!

Jordyn still wanted princess pajamas, Tinkerbell was the closest I could find.

Ammon's sassy "fight on"

Jayme and Cass get in the spirit

Matthew, looking good!

Jenn and Adam too!

Finally everyone went to bed, and it was time to wait for Santa to come!! Jordyn came bouncing in at 6:00 am, to tell us that it was Christmas, and time to wake up! After opening gifts, we had breakfast of cinnamon rolls, breakfast casserole, oj, chocolate milk and egg nog, then I went back to bed! Jayme and Cassidy left to go up to his mom's house, and I got up to get us all ready for church. It was a really nice program, and made Christmas day even a little more special.

After church, we were able to skype with our favorite missionary, Michael. It was great to see and talk to him. He is doing great, and loves what he is doing, but is also counting down until he comes home. We are so glad he is doing well, but most importantly that he is being obedient and is where he is supposed to be at this time in his life. It's a blessing for our family to have a son serving a mission.

The rest of the day was pretty lazy, we napped, played games, watched movies, ate, and basically just enjoyed being together. Jennifer and Adam went to have dinner with his family for a while, but they were here for most of the day.

The rest of the week was spent playing, eating, going to the movies, and helping Jenn and Adam get ready for their move to Massachusetts. Because their apartment was in various stages of packing, remodeling, and cleaning, they mostly slept here. There were a few tears as they left on their big adventure this morning, but I know they will have a great time. I'm so happy for them to have such a wonderful opportunity, but with everyone gone, the house is awfully quiet.
All good things must come to an end, now we can start planning the next one, right?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Annual (or whenever I get around to it) Christmas Letter

2011-12-20T08:18:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,

It's been another big year for the Stone family. For those who missed last years update, don't worry, I didn't do it. We moved into a new home in April 2010, and so the last 18 months have been full of yardwork, decorating, and correcting builder errors (like NO insulation over the master suite). We were finally able to finish the front and side yard this year, yay!!

Now we get to move on to the back yard, but first we have to finish the basement before spring, but more on that later. We have enjoyed our new home, and love the area. It's only 5 miles from our old house, but seems so much more removed. We have a constant stream of wildlife visitors, pheasant, quail, deer, squirrels... Some are more welcome than others, but I have been feeding some cats that seem to have adopted us. They do help keep the rodent population down.

We didn't have much free time this year, but the girls, their husbands and I were able to visit Disneyland in May to celebrate Jayme's graduation from UVU. It was Adam's first time, and the first time that Jordyn could remember, so we had lots of fun. It was also good to be able to spend some time with Cassidy and get to know him better.

Speaking of Jayme, she's had HUGE changes this year. As I said, she graduated from Utah Valley University with a degree in Integrated Studies, emphasizing on dance and english, her two passions. In July, she married her best friend, Cassidy Swallow, and they moved to Cedar city for Cassidy to finish his degree in Political Science. We are thrilled for them, and pleased as can be to have Cassidy join our family. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple, and were able to take a short vacation in Park City and St. George before settling back into reality. Jayme is working as a special ed aide at the Middle School in Cedar, as well as teaching dance at a local studio. Cassidy is working for the housing department at SUU while attending school there.

Jennifer and Adam continue to live in wedded bliss in our old home in Provo. They have both been working full time and going to school full time, so they keep pretty busy. Quite often when they come for Sunday dinner, all we see is Adam behind his computer screen, trying to finish his homework. Adam is studying Chemical Engineering, and was recently able to get an internship with DOW Chemical. They will be starting their rotation in January by moving to Marlborough, Massachusetts for one semester. They will then be coming back home for Spring/Summer semester. Since it would be hard for them to find an apartment for just the summer, and silly to pay for one they weren't using, they will be living with us for the semesters they are here, thus the need to finish the basement by spring. They will do every-other semester for three rotations, going a different place each time. I'm only a little (a LOT) jealous of the opportunities they will have to travel and visit so many places, but very excited for them.

Michael left in August 2010 to serve a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Cleveland, Ohio mission. He is doing great, he loves the work, and loves the people. We have seen much growth in him spiritually and as a person. We are very proud of him, and pleased that he is doing so well.

Ammon is a Sophomore at Maple Mountain High School this year, and will be 16 on the 27th of this month. He is a great kid most of the time, and very involved in social as well as athletic pursuits. He can't wait to get his drivers license, but Dennis and I aren't so sure. He's already wrecked my new (to me) van, on the first day we had it no less, and some of his friends were in a more serious accident. Hopefully that has sobered him to the fact that driving is a serious thing with serious consequences. After wrestling for the high school as a freshman weighing 189, and qualifying for and winning a match at the state tournament, he kept wrestling during the team season. For the first time, he attended a regional wrestling tournament in Pocatello, Idaho this summer and was able to place 2nd in freestyle and 3rd in greco.

He worked hard all summer lifting weights and going to football practice. He played on both the JV and sophomore teams this year, and did really well both defensively as a linebacker, and offensively as fullback. That is, until he tore his quadricep, and was out for a couple of weeks. He was able to come back strong though, and even scored a touchdown in his last game.

He is full swing into High School wrestling now, and looking forward to a great season.

Matthew graduated from 6th grade this past year, and is loving being at the junior high. He has made lots of new friends, and is trying lots of new things.

He played basketball last winter, and did quite well. After all, he does stand head and shoulders above all of the other kids.

He played soccer this fall, and had a fun time, even if his team was pretty pitiful. Sometimes it isn't about winning and losing, sometimes you just have to have fun.

This year, Matthew decided that he wanted to give wrestling a try. He's done really well, and we are proud of him for trying something hard and sticking with it. He's learned a lot, and I can see a change in him from this experience.

Matthew still plays the piano, when I make him, and is taking band class in school this year. He's been able to play the piano as well as learn several different percussion instruments.

Jordyn is six, and in the first grade. Woo-hoo! Freedom for mommy!! Shhh, don't tell her I said that! She loves everything. She loves school, her teacher, and her friends. Jordyn is taking dance class and doing super well, she loves that too!

In the spring, she decided she wanted to cut her hair, so we went with a cute a-line, and she was able to donate her hair to locks of love.

Jordyn also played probably her last season of soccer. She had fun, but just kind of followed the pack around, and didn't really understand what it was she was supposed to be doing. I think we'll stick with dance.

Dennis and I are doing great. Dennis is still corporate counsel for DTI and Liberty Press, and I am fortunate enough to stay home. I have been teaching the 3 year olds in primary for the past year and a half, but was recently released and called to work as humanitarian/compassionate service leader in the Relief Society. Dennis has been working with the young men, but will be getting a change in the next week or so. Our greatest joy is having our family around, we love spending time with them, and seeing the lives they are making for themselves.

At this Christmas season, we are grateful for all of our many blessings, especially for the blessing of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We wish everyone a wonderful holiday season, may you all find the peace and happiness you deserve in your lives. We are grateful for having you in our lives, and hope you know how much we love and appreciate you.

Love always,
Dennis, Beth, and family

Another Year, Another Stocking!

2011-12-19T14:05:00.000-08:00

As you all know, I have continued my mother's tradition of making felt embroidered, stuffed and sequined stockings for our family. Last year I was relieved to finish Adam's on time. This year, you'd think I'd have learned and started Cassidy's earlier, but no. It's finally finished and we now have a collection of 10 stockings hanging above our fireplace. Wonder how many I'll need to make next year???

Giving Thanks

2011-11-24T20:47:00.000-08:00

Where do I even begin? I have so many things to be thankful for, it would be impossible to list them all, but I will give it a shot. I was blessed to be born into a family with wonderful parents, who loved me and raised me well. We didn't have much in the way of material things, but I always felt safe, secure and loved. They also blessed me with the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I am forever grateful for that strong foundation they gave me. I am grateful for my savior, for his sacrifice, and for my membership in His church.

I was blessed with a terrific man, who loves me despite all of my weaknesses and faults, and is a wonderful husband to me, and father to our children. I am so grateful for all of my children, and the joy they bring into my life. I am thankful for the good choices they have made, and for the people they are. Each one of my children is a special blessing, and I am so grateful for each and every one of them. My blessings have only increased as my daughters have both chosen wonderful men of their own. I am so thankful that they have both found men who are faithful, honorable priesthood holders, who cherish my girls and love them so much. All of our lives are better because they have become part of our family.

I am grateful for the freedoms we have in this land, and for the men and women who have sacrificed to ensure those freedoms. I am grateful for the privilege I have to exercise those freedoms, to worship freely, to share my thoughts and feelings freely, and to state my opinions without fear. I am thankful for my home, and for all that is in it. Not the physical "things" so much, but the safety, security and peace we have here.

I am grateful for extended family, most especially my brother and his children, my dad, my nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins. No less important are those who have gone before. I am so thankful for all those who are no longer with us, and for the influence they have had on my life. My grandparents and my mom, most of all, and I can't wait to be with them again. All have a special place in my heart, and I am thankful to have them in my life. I cherish the memories we share, old and new, and look forward to many, many more. I am glad to re-connect with some extended family we have lost contact with through the years, and love being able to share our lives again. Our families are our most important gift that has been given to us, and I love and appreciate mine.

I have been blessed with a few choice, special friends, and for that I will be eternally grateful. They have been with me during hard times, and during good times, and I love them like sisters! We have close, family friends, and they have provided extended family for us, when ours haven't been around.

I'm sure I have missed so many things, but on this day of Thanksgiving, I had to at least try to express my immense gratitude for all that the Lord has blessed me with, even when I don't deserve it. I'm glad to know that He loves and protects me, and that He will never leave me alone. Happy Thanksgiving!!

We Went to Cedar City or National Lampoon's Stone Family Vacation

2011-10-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

Our family doesn't have a very good track record with vacations, it seems something always goes wrong, and this time was no different. It was fall break, and the kids had a couple of days off of school, so we decided it would be fun to go down to Cedar City and spend some time with Jayme and Cassidy. We decided to take the Astro van, which we've had for 10 years and 100,000+ miles, so the kids wouldn't be too crowded in the Cruiser. Well, we left as planned, and as we hit the freeway, it was stop and go traffic for an hour and a half. When we finally started moving, we noticed that the engine was running hot. So, we turned of the air and turned on the heater, still running hot. We pulled off in Fillmore and Dennis decided it was the thermostat. He wanted to turn around, but since we were already halfway there, I convinced him to go the rest of the way and fix it there.

Thursday afternoon we hung out with Jayme, went to dinner and went swimming at our hotel. Friday we decided to stay close because Cassidy had classes and couldn't do anything with us. First we went to the Iron Mission State Park and Museum. It was kind of interesting, with lots of displays from the early settlers. Then we went to a park and played, and then we went to see Footloose. I loved it!! Caution: the preacher's daughter is much more skanky in this version -- may not be appropriate for small children. After the movie, we went back to Jayme's and played Just Dance. When Cassidy was done with his stuff, we went to dinner, and swimming again.

Saturday we were going to go down to St. George and Snow Canyon to hike in the lava tubes. Dennis got up early to replace the thermostat on the car. Unfortunately he discovered water in the oil. He replaced the thermostat, filled the radiator, and had the oil changed. We decided it would be best to head straight for home. The car was running great and stayed cool until we stopped in Fillmore for lunch. After that, it started getting hot again. We pulled over and put in more coolant, but it stayed super hot. Finally we decided we weren't going to make it home. Good thing, as we pulled off the freeway in Nephi, the car seized up and we coasted into a parking lot, where we left her. Scott came to rescue us, and we made a donation to Kidney Kars.

It was great to get away for a couple of days, even if it wasn't exactly what we had planned. I love spending time with my family, and we don't get to see enough of Jayme and Cassidy, so that was wonderful! Unfortunately, now we are in the market for a new family car.

Ammon Football

2011-10-27T17:33:00.000-07:00

Ammon started out having a great year playing football. He played a lot of Junior Varsity, and a fair amount of sophomore ball. There were lots of weeks that he played most of both games. He was playing linebacker and fullback, and doing well at both. He had several tackles each week, and quite often had a couple of good carries. Everything was going great until the Timpview game. In this play, he pulled the other kid onto his knee and tore part of his quadricept muscle.

Fortunately, one of his team mates has a dad who is an orthopedic surgeon, and he was at the game. He was kind enough to come look at it, and was concerned with the large amount of swelling in his knee. He sent us to his office the next morning for an x-ray, and then an MRI. Lucky for us it wasn't severe enough to require surgery, but this is what it looked like.

After two weeks of intensive physical therapy, he was able to go back to practice and played the rest of the season. After his break, he decided he would rather just play sophomore, so he didn't really play much JV after that. He finished the season with a touchdown in his last game. Yay!!

Matthew Soccer

2011-10-27T17:26:00.001-07:00

Matthew had a fun year playing soccer, but it was a little challenging for him. First of all, there weren't enough coaches (are there ever?), so his was a dad who knew nothing about soccer. He asked for help, and even though there were other parents who knew something about the game, they wouldn't step up. I'm not faulting the coach, at least he tried, but it was disappointing to have a season where he learned nothing at all. Then, there were only four teams in Mapleton this year, so they played each other over and over again, that was fun. All in all, I think he had a good time, and he played pretty well, scoring in most of his games. Matthew doesn't think he is ready for club soccer, so maybe we'll go back to SF next year, I just don't know what to do exactly. At least it was fun, and he did well, right?

Jordyn Soccer

2011-10-27T17:18:00.000-07:00

This year was Jordyn's second, and likely last year playing soccer. She had a lot of fun, but well.... When you have a co-ed team with mostly boys, guess who never gets the ball? There is a reason that little kid soccer is called "gather ball", it is because they all swarm around the ball and try to kick it at the same time. Not Jordyn. The mob of kids would all be running together, trying to kick the ball, and then about 10 yards behind them would be Jordyn, trotting along. She never even knew where the ball was, she would be following the crowd! Then, when she did get the ball, it was inevitably taken from her by one of her own team mates. Her coach tried really hard to actually teach them something about the game, but it just wasn't sinking in. I think we'll stick with dance. :)

Family Reunion in Arizona

2011-09-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

Over Labor Day Weekend I was able to fly to Arizona to visit with some of my cousins and family there. First I went to visit with my Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Bob. Things have always been a little strained between Aunt Evelyn and the rest of the family, but my mom always tried to keep communication open with her, so I felt like I really needed to try and visit with her. I was pleased that she was willing to let me come and see her. I was hoping to be able to see her kids that still live in Mesa, but they weren't able to be there. We had a really good visit, and it was fun to see them and catch up. The thing that shocked me the most was how much she looked like my Grandma, it made my cry to look at her and think about Grandma.

I don't know why I didn't take more pictures, I guess I was just too busy visiting and enjoying the visit. I spent a lot of time with Carolyn, Craig and Kristin and their families. It was such a good weekend for me. Uncle Paul and Aunt Dema were there on Saturday night, and we had a ball listening to their stories. I only wish more of the family had been able to be there.

On Sunday, we drove by my Grandma and Grandpa's house in Mesa. I loved that house as a kid and have so many memories there. The house had a central vac, and we loved talking to each other through the tubes. The only room in the house with cooling was the family room with it's swamp cooler, so that's where the adults congregated. We kids loved Grandpa's enclosed patio in back. We would shut the doors and have our own world back there. It's a good thing we were good kids, the adults never even checked on us, we could have been up to all sorts of mischief and they never would have known. We'd play truth or dare or charades, we loved playing in Grandpa's huge shed in the enormous backyard. We'd climb the giant tree and play hide and go seek, we'd even climb the fence into the alley which was strictly forbidden. In my child's mind, everything was so much bigger than it is now. We'd go in and take the empty coke bottles from the grown ups and take them to the Circle K on the corner to trade them in for penny candy, but we were never allowed any coke of our own. It was a little sad to go see the house, I almost wish I hadn't. The neighborhood has really deteriorated, the tree in the backyard is gone, as well as the shed. The yard is much, much smaller than I remember, and the Circle K is gone, not to mention the fact that it wouldn't be safe to let kids walk down the street alone anymore. Maybe I should have just left my memories alone. At least there's still a pick up truck in the carport, we loved to play in the back of Grandpa's truck too. I guess it's true when they say you can never go back.

Next year, we're having the reunion at my house, hopefully I won't be the only one here! :)

Jordyn's Stitches

2011-09-14T08:36:00.000-07:00

My poor baby!! In only the second week of school, on the day before school pictures, Jordyn fell and split her lip open at school. Four stitches, two fat lips and a skinned chin later, she was sitting at home with an ice pack on her face. I guess she was in the classroom before school started when she fell. The teacher was outside, so Jordyn just got a wet tissue and held it on her lip. The principal came in and found her and took her to the nurse who called us to come and get her. When I got there, she was just sitting in the nurses office with a book and wet towel on her face. We went to the insta care for stitches and came home for the rest of the day. Jordyn was so brave, I was so proud of her! She never cried and didn't even whimper while she got her stitches. Good thing kids heal fast!

Sod, Finally!!

2011-08-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

After nearly a year and a half, we finally have sod in the front yard!! It's been lots of work, and taken much, much longer than we ever thought it would, but it looks great!! Here's my dad, supervising the work crew, doesn't he look great?

Scott, Scout and Bella came to help, and two of Ammon's friends stayed over the night before just so they could help us. I am so glad we had so much help, it made the job go much faster.

Now all we need to do is finish planting the hillside with shrubs, bark that area, build the sand volleyball court, put in the stepping stones and pathway down the hill, add on to the patio, build a block planter, refinish the deck floor, add a staircase down from the deck, plant trees along the back property line, put in the rest of the sprinklers, finish planting the "forest", concrete the pathway from the driveway to the patio and fire pit, put in the fire pit, plant more shrubs, bark that area, put in the basketball hoop and garden archways/gates, and grass the back yard, then we'll be done. Thank goodness we aren't still trying to have a wedding here! Maybe by the time Michael gets home next summer? Tell me why I thought an acre was a good idea?? It will be worth it in the end, and if the front is any indication, it will look great when it's done!! Love it!

The Wedding Reception

2011-07-27T08:57:00.000-07:00

The reception hall had been booked and paid for, but we were a little nervous as to what we were getting. The owner/manager was not the best communicator/business person to deal with, but we were getting a bargain. Fortunately for me, my good friends arrived before I did, and were getting things handled. The tablecloths were on the tables, but several of them were stained. The serving table skirt had chocolate dripped on it from a chocolate fountain, and the floor was filthy. None of the serving pieces I had asked for were out, so we had to scrounge in the kitchen and back room for them. We also had to wash them all before they could be used. Apparently all we had rented was the hall, tables, chairs and linens. The owner was under the impression that we were doing everything else ourselves, and she was doing us a favor by 'letting' us use her dishes. Thank goodness for friends that had my back! Wedding days are stressful and emotional enough without adding any unnecessary drama!! In fairness, the owner did fix the problems and make things right, and by the time we returned for the reception, everything was beautiful.

The guest book table

The food table. We kept it simple, chocolate covered strawberries, cupcakes, and dole whip! The dole whip was definitely the biggest hit!

Centerpieces

Who are these good looking guys?

Practicing with the bubbles for the big send off!

In the end it was a beautiful evening. We felt loved and supported by our family and some of our dearest friends. We couldn't have done it without their help. We ended the festivities with the traditional things: cutting the cake, throwing the bouquet and garter, father/daughter, mother/son dance, and the couples first dance. Then they left through an archway of bubbles to begin their "happily ever after."

As a mom, it's hard to turn your daughters over to someone else to take care of. As any parent, it's hard to let your children go. I feel so fortunate and blessed that both of my daughters have chosen such wonderful men as their eternal mates. Even though it's hard for me, I know that they have wonderful lives ahead of them, and that all of our lives will be blessed by the choices they have made. We are glad to have Cassidy join our family and know that we have many more special times ahead of us. This is only the beginning for their family, and we look forward to see what great things the future will bring!

Jayme and Cassidy's Wedding!!!

2011-07-26T18:15:00.000-07:00

It was a fairy tale come true!! But first a little background. Jayme and Cassidy met about five years ago while they were both attending SUU in Cedar City. They were crazy about each other, but both very young. Cassidy left to serve an LDS mission in Hong Kong, Jayme went to work for Disney in Orlando. Cassidy returned from his mission in the spring of 2010, and they renewed their friendship. By the time he went back to school that fall, they were still "just friends". At Christmas, he introduced her to his family as his 'girlfriend', and the first of April he asked Dennis and Jordyn and me if he could marry her. We warned him and grilled him pretty well, but he was determined. We even took him to Disneyland with us, and even that wasn't enough to scare him off.

The wedding was originally scheduled for August, and Jayme wanted the reception in our backyard. That was great, it gave us a deadline for getting the yard finished! We made plans and ordered the dress, but then.... Cassidy was offered a great job, but it required him to be down in Cedar City to work much earlier than anyone had anticipated. The wedding was moved to Monday, July 18. There was no way we would have the yard done that soon, and so other arrangements were made, and we crossed our fingers that the wedding dress would arrive in time.

The dress did arrive, and we drove up the canyon to the beautiful Sundance area to take Jayme's bridal pictures. They were beautiful!

The wedding day arrived very quickly, and it was a beautiful day. The sister assigned to Jayme in the temple turned out to be Dennis' third grade teacher, and she knew all of the Stone's in Lehi. The sealer was wonderful He spoke slowly and emphasized all the important parts of the covenant, and he didn't ramble on and on like some of them do. It was perfect!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures at the temple, the professional ones will follow soon.

"The Cousins" always so supportive!!

Don't they just look so in love?

Even Elder Stone made an appearance or two!

Such cute sisters!

Daddy and his baby girl.

Who's got the most 'tude?

Sassy!

After taking pictures, we all went to a delicious luncheon at Em's Restaurant in Salt Lake. It was nice to just sit and relax for awhile. Next up: The Reception!

Western Regional Wrestling

2011-07-26T17:51:00.001-07:00

Ammon's coaches have always wanted him to do some summer wrestling, but we have always felt that it was just too much. This year, Ammon was pretty excited about the possibility and worked hard to qualify for Nationals and Western Regionals. After seeing how much time and money would be involved for three more tournaments, he decided to only go to Western Regionals in Pocatello, Idaho. The week of June 20, he and I headed up to Pocatello for the tournament. USA wrestling goes by birthdate rather than school grade, so Ammon has always felt we cheated him by having him born in December '95 rather than January '96, but dang-- we didn't really think about wrestling then, we were more concerned with the tax credit! Anyway, those 5 days make a difference. Cadets this year were born in '95-'96, so he was smack in the middle. Ammon hadn't wrestled since the end of the state club season in April, and was a little out of shape, but we told him to just have fun and do his best. We knew what competition he had from Utah, but we had no idea what he was facing from the other nine states, plus his weight was up from 189 and he didn't want to cut so he wrestled 215 and was by far the smallest in his group.

There were some pretty tough kids there, but Ammon was able to win all but one of his matches in each style. He took second in freestyle and third in greco. He felt great about his performance, and I got excited for the high school season to see what great things he can accomplish this year! Way to go Ammon!

Moving On

2011-05-25T14:08:00.000-07:00

It seems that life has a way of moving on at the speed of light whether we like it or not. Our family faces some big changes, good changes, but changes nonetheless, and I don't do change very well. Jordyn has finished kindergarten, she will be in school all day next year, and part of me will miss my little shadow. I'll be home all alone all day, and while I look forward to that, I still feel a little empty when I think about it.

Matthew graduated from the sixth grade this week. Next year he will be in junior high. He will turn 13 and be a teenager this summer. How is that possible? He's still just my little boy.

Ammon will be in high school next fall. He is already pushing boundaries and rushing to grow up and be independent. He is anxious to drive, and has friends who already do, which makes him think he has more freedom. I wish I could just tie him down and make him slow down a bit. He'll be playing football with the 'big boys', and has already started hanging out with some of the older kids. Ammon can't be in high school because he's only 12, right?

We're coming up on Michael's 'hump' day this summer. It's hard to believe he's been out almost a year. I miss him like crazy, and I hurt when he goes through difficulties, but I am so proud of him too. His mission has gone by much faster than I ever thought it would, but I can't wait to get him home, even though I know things will never be the same as they were before.

At least Jenn and Adam aren't changing anything this year. Thank goodness for that! I do need a little stability in my life.

Jayme has finished her bachelor's degree and is getting married this summer and moving to Cedar City. Talk about change! I am so proud of her for finishing school and getting her degree, it's been a long road, but she hung in there and did it. I'm excited for her to be moving on to a new stage in her life, but I will be a little lonely without her here. I don't know what I'll do if my kids ever move very far away, guess I'll be racking up some frequent flier miles or something.

Change is part of life, and I need to accept it, but I don't like it. I know it means progression and can't be avoided, but I still don't like it. People always say, "enjoy this while you can", but you don't really understand until it's too late. Good thing I'm enjoying the now, and look forward to enjoying the tomorrows. I may have learned that lesson late in life, but I'm grateful to have learned it. Can't I just freeze time for a little while though?

Best Week Ever!!

2011-05-17T13:19:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to Disneyland and had a wonderful time!! Jayme and I have wanted to go for a long time, but the boys didn't want to go. Finally we decided to go for a graduation present for her since she graduated from UVU this semester. At first it was going to just be Jayme, Jordyn and me. Then Jennifer felt left out and wanted to come, but she felt guilty because Adam had never been before and she had promised that she would take him. Then, Jayme said, "If Adam is going, I want Cassidy to come" I warned them that we would all be in the same room, that I snore and that Cass would have to sleep on the floor, they still wanted to come. I also warned them that Stone family vacations are always an adventure and one never knows what will happen. They still wanted to come.

We spent five days in the park and had a great time. Jordyn was tall enough to go on everything except for one ride. She loved Indiana Jones, Space Mountain and the Matterhorn. It was more crowded than I expected, but we were able to go on everything we wanted several times, and didn't really have any long waits for rides. It was great to get to know Cassidy better and so nice to see everyone getting along and having fun.

We found our new favorite place to eat. It's at Big Thunder Ranch, and it's an all you can eat barbeque with ribs, chicken, beans, coleslaw, corn bread, and at dinner they also serve sausage and corn. Can you say yum? It was served family style in buckets, and we ate a ton!! I think we had two buckets each of chicken and ribs. That same day, my Aunt Kathleen and her husband Ed came down to spend the day with us. It was great to see them, and we had a super fun time with them.

On Saturday the adventures started. We got up and drove down to the swap meet, and were going to go to the beach for a while. Well, after the swap meet, the car was making a terrible squealing and grinding sound, and I felt very strongly that we needed to get it checked out. We pulled into a Midas store and the guy said there was a bolt stuck in the brake rotor. After four hours and lots of coercion to have more work done, we were finally back on the road, and we went down to the beach. We looked at the tide pools and found lots of sand crabs and hermit crabs. It was Jordyn's first time and also Adam's. We didn't bring swimsuits or anything, but of course we had to get our feet wet. Naturally we all got a lot more wet than we planned on. Jordyn was soaked!!

Jordyn didn't want to come home, and was really sad to leave. I was too if you want to know the truth. Sometimes I really miss California, but what I love most is being at Disneyland. I know I'm weird, but I love just sitting and enjoying the atmosphere. When they decide to open condos above the stores on Main Street, I'll be first in line! Until then, I guess I'll just have to settle for visiting every few years.

Jordyn's Dance Recital

2011-05-17T13:13:00.001-07:00

It was the final big week for Jordyn's dance class with their recital. Jordyn did a great job!! She remembered to smile the whole time, and she remembered most of her dances. "Tik Tok" was a favorite, and she loved dancing with the umbrella to "Rhythm of the Rain" Good job Jordy!!!

Confessions of a Real Mom

2011-04-25T10:12:00.000-07:00

I saw something similar on another blog, and it was just too cute and too true, that I couldn't resist borrowing and adapting it to my life. There is a quote from the Earl of Rochester, "Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children and no theories." I didn't have theories so much as the notion that I would raise perfect, well behaved, beautiful children, and I would be the most involved, patient, perfect Mom. I do learn quickly, it only took me about a week after our first child was born to realize that I knew NOTHING, and with each individual child I learned that the rules had completely changed. As soon as I got one thing figured out, there was a new situation with completely new rules. Here are just a few of the ways that I have fallen short of my original plans:

* Sometimes I nod and make noises to pretend I am listening to my children when I am not. Especially before 9 am and after 10 pm. It didn't take the kids long to figure that one out and ask me for things during those times. I would often say yes and not realize what I was agreeing to.

* I gave up on daily baths for me and the kids after the second child was born.

* I do have a one bite rule, but I have become increasingly lax about this. Child number 6 pretty much eats whatever she wants, while a previous child went hungry for three days before he took a bite of taquito. PS, he liked it!

* I like to be around my kids most of the time, but I don't always want to play with them.

* There are days when I'm the one asking if we can just do nothing and hang out all day.

* While I love my children at all ages, there are some stages I have enjoyed much more. I really enjoy my older teenagers and adult children.

* I have forgotten to pick up a child on time on many occasions. Hey, it's good for them to walk home, and it teaches them patience to wait for me, right? I wait for them all the time!

* I readily admit that I do the happy dance on the first day of school. And I didn't cry at all when my youngest went to kindergarten this year.

* I am not organized enough or well enough budgeted to pay an allowance. I will pay for "extra" jobs, and I will bribe my children. Sometimes the lunatics do run the asylum.

* I have become my mother and do many things I swore I would never do to my kids: guilt, yell, threaten to call the North Pole, embarrass and scream uncontrollably. Did I mention that I lose it sometimes?

* Our tooth fairy gets lost quite often. One time it took her a week to find our house. The Easter bunny too. Sometimes he comes Saturday morning, and sometimes he comes Sunday night, or it could be anywhere in between. I wonder why my kids don't believe in fairy tales...

* If a lego or barbie shoe is on the floor, I vacuum it up. If it isn't important enough for them to pick it up, I don't care either.

I feel much better now. Please don't forget that Mother's Day is in two weeks and I'd love breakfast in bed and lots of chocolate!

April Fool's!!

2011-04-02T08:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday when Jordyn came home from school, she asked me to fix her some lunch. I told her that it was Lucky 5 (a local chinese place) Friday, and we were going to lunch with her sisters. Jordyn proceeded to have a complete meltdown as only Jordyn can do (second only to Jayme! ;P), complete with fist banging,stomping and real tears. She didn't want to go to Chinese, she wanted to stay home, blah, blah, blah. After about five minutes of this, she takes a deep breath, wipes her eyes and says, "April Fools!!" Wow.

P.S. Lunch was great, I love spending time with my girls!

Locks of Love

2011-03-31T10:47:00.001-07:00

Jordyn has had long hair for most of her life, but lately she's been wanting to cut it off. She hates having me brush out the tangles every morning, she hates letting me curl it or straighten it, and most days we just do a ponytail. She finally decided a couple of weeks ago that she really wanted it cut, and so one day after school I was going to take her to get it cut. Well, she wanted Kari to cut her hair. So, we called Kari and it was going to be a few weeks before we could get in. Finally it was THE day. Someone had suggested locks of love, but I didn't think she had enough to do that. When we got there, Kari asked if we wanted to do Locks of love. She said that she had enough, so yay, we could do it! Jordyn thought it was pretty cool that her hair would go to make a wig for some poor child with cancer who lost her hair. Her hair came out super cute, and we both love it!

Matthew and Basketball

2011-03-28T14:11:00.001-07:00

This is a little late getting posted, but better late than never, right? Matthew had a great time playing basketball this year. He had great coaches who really helped him improve and gain more confidence. His team finally came together for the last few games and started winning, but what was more important was that they had fun and learned a lot. Matthew was definitely the big kid on the floor, and his coaches helped him learn to use his size to his advantage. He learned to be more aggressive, and was great on defense. He also got tons of rebounds and gained the confidence to shoot. He scored in almost all of their games, and really helped his team when they needed him. Way to go Matthew!!

Wrestling 2010-2011

2011-02-15T14:45:00.000-08:00

This year, Ammon made the big move from junior high wrestling to high school wrestling. Although he is only in 9th grade, and in junior high, he was able to wrestle as a freshman for the high school. The problem is that Ammon is 6 feet tall and weighs about 185 pounds. Most freshmen are significantly smaller than that, so most of his opponents would be juniors or seniors in high school. We all knew that this was going to be a hard transition. We truly expected him to get beaten pretty badly every week. Well, Ammon quickly proved us wrong, and he was able to hold his own with all but the toughest of kids. He ended up wrestling both varsity 189 and 215, depending on the needs of the team. There were some very difficult times, but overall, Ammon had a great season. He ended the season with a 30-19 record with 27 pins. He placed 5th in the region, 7th in section, and qualified for state. Ammon was able to win one match at state before being eliminated. Now on to the freestyle season, and getting stronger for next year. Go Ammon!!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-03T19:59:00.000-08:00

We had such a great Christmas this year!! It kind of snuck up on us, and I wasn't quite as prepared as I hoped to be, but I was good, took my meds, and didn't stress. I guess part of it was because we had been having really warm and dry weather, and it didn't seem like Christmas. Also, with the new house, I wasn't sure where everything went, and I had to find out how this house needed to be decorated. :) I had done some shopping, but no wrapping, no baking, and no Christmas cards or letters. Oh well! Then about 2 weeks before Christmas it started snowing, and it felt like Christmas and I was in super prep mode.

I was actually calm and relaxed and completely ready on the 23rd!! I think this was the first time I wasn't wrapping on Christmas Eve. We had our traditional, nice Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. Everyone was here: Jenn and Adam, Dad, Scott and his kids. It was a great night. After dinner and dessert, we read scriptures and opened pajamas. Then all of the kids went upstairs to watch a movie and wait for Santa.

Christmas morning started at about 6:30 when Jordyn came bopping in to announce, "It's Christmas!! Wake up! It's Christmas!!" We opened presents, ate breakfast, and went back to bed for a nap. Michael was supposed to call at about 12. They had permission to use skype, but we don't have it, so I said we'd just do a normal phone call. Well, Adam came to the rescue with his computer and web-cam, and we were able to skype. It was great to actually see Michael while we were talking to him, and we were able to show him some things too. We talked for 2 hours. It was great to talk to him, and the two hours flew by. He is doing so well, and we are so proud of him. You could tell that he didn't really want to hang up though because he kept saying, "what shall we talk about now? does anyone have any questions for me?" It was a great talk, and we covered just about everything.

Then it was back to bed for another nap.

Everyone just kind of hung out, relaxed, ate and played games. One of the most fun games we got was Dance on Broadway for the WII. Everyone could play, and we all had a ball! Jayme and Jenn were a little put out that Jordyn and Dennis were beating them though. After all, they have danced all of their lives. It was so much fun, we had to go and get the Michael Jackson dance game too.

Sunday, we went to Jeremiah Jackson's homecoming in our old ward. It was great to visit with friends. Then we went to our ward to teach primary/deacon's quorum. After church, more food and games.

On Tuesday we had the Jackson's, Amundson's, Budd's, and Lorrie over. We ate more and played more. It was really fun! We all got passes to Trafalga/Seven Peaks, so we went to Trafalga on Thursday and played mini-golf. It was New Year's before we knew it, and the holidays were over.

It was just so nice to have everyone, well except Michael, here. Jenn and Adam were able to spend a lot of time with us, and Jayme isn't working right now so she was here lots too. I really enjoy my adult and semi-adult children. We are at a really good place with our family right now, and I think it will only get better!! Jordyn is fun and reminds us of the child-like joy and excitement of the holidays. Matthew and Ammon are mostly old enough to play games with the family and behave well (mostly, I said). We missed Michael, but we know he is where he is supposed to be, and it makes it easier knowing that he is doing well. I just see our joy increasing as the other kids get married, grandbabies start to come, and our family just increases along with our love and happiness. Ok, starting to get sappy, I'll stop now.

I never did get Christmas cards or letters written, but then again, we didn't get many this year either. Maybe everyone is just letting them fall to the wayside. I guess with blogging and facebook, no one feels as much need to send cards and letters. I may still write one, just for our own history. School started back today, so it was back to real life. Now I guess I need to de-decorate and get rid of all the crap food so we can detox now.

Snow Day!!

2010-12-29T17:13:00.001-08:00

Last Monday, we woke up to at least 4" of snow, and at least that much fell throughout the day. We got the driveway, sidewalks and porch cleared, and it looked great. The next day, we woke to find another foot or so had fallen overnight, and it was still snowing!! The power had gone out during the night, and so none of the alarms went off, and we all woke up late. I couldn't believe how much snow had fallen. We checked the news, and they were saying buses weren't running, but schools would still be open and to use our own judgement whether to send our kids or not. The next thing we knew they were announcing that all schools in our district were closed!! In all the time we have lived in Utah, we have never had a snow day. The older kids were pretty jealous that they never got one, and thought it was really unfair that they still had to go to work when the little ones didn't have school.

The snow was so heavy and wet, the snow blower kept getting jammed up, so Dennis pulled out the tractor to clear most of it away. The kids had a ball sledding, and making sugar cookies. Let the Christmas vacation begin!!

Stocking Completion!!

2010-12-14T15:06:00.000-08:00

Several years ago, my mom began making Christmas stockings for all of the children and grandchildren. That's 20+ stockings if anyone is counting. Well, we have loved them, and the kids won't even consider any other stocking. When Jennifer got married, she told me that I would have to make a stocking for Adam. Haha, ok, no biggie. I looked a little to see if there were any clearance ones I could pick up, but never did get one. Then about October, she reminded me again that I needed to make Adam a stocking. Ok, ok. So I found one that would be great for him and ordered it. Finally the package comes and when I opened it, I wanted to cry! There were so many little pieces, sequins, beads, embroidery floss! I needed a magnifying glass to read the instructions. There were over 145 pieces to the stocking, all of which needed to be embroidered, beaded, sequined and/or stuffed. Where was my mom when I needed her??

The longer Mom has been gone, the more I realize I took for granted. First of all, I assumed she would always be here. Secondly, I assumed she would always do all of the things that she always did. If you didn't know my mom, she was wonder woman. Well, now I am trying to fill her shoes, and more and more things keep popping up that mom always did, and now it's my job to do them. I am so lucky to have had her teach me all of the things she did so that I can carry on some of these important traditions with my family.

I finished Adam's stocking today, I think Mom would be proud.

Thanksgiving Gratitude

2010-11-27T17:11:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. It was a little quiet, but it was so nice to have our family with us. With Michael on his mission, and Scott's kids at their mother's, we were a little small this year. It was still nice though, and we have so much to be grateful for. We are so blessed, and sometimes the feelings are so overwhelming of how much my Heavenly Father loves me and blesses me.

I am so grateful for my family. I was raised by wonderful, loving parents who taught me the gospel, and taught me to love and serve others. My mom is gone, but I am still grateful for her influence in my life. I am thankful that my dad is still with us, and still able to do most of the things he wants to to. I am glad he lives close by so that we can spend time together. He's always been my favorite lunch buddy! I'm thankful for a wonderful husband, who loves me and our children. He is a great provider for our family, and takes good care of us. I am grateful he puts up with me and loves me just the same. I have been blessed with six (seven, eight?) terrific children, and I love all of them with all my heart. They are all different and they all bring a special blessing to my life. With their unique personalities and qualities, I am constantly amazed by the fact that Heavenly Father trusted me with them. I am thankful for my brother, Scott, and that we can be such good friends. We weren't particularly close as children, unless you count when I beat up the neighborhood bully for picking on my baby brother, but we have become close as adults, and he brings a special joy to my life to have him nearby. I am thankful for extended family. We are blessed to be able to re-connect and remain close because of the technology of the modern world. I have always loved spending time with Aunts, Uncles, cousins and nieces and nephews, and I am grateful that we still can and do. I am grateful that they care enough to stay in contact. They are a blessing to me.

I am grateful for the gospel, for my testimony of it, for my Savior, Jesus Christ, and for his redeeming love for me. I am thankful for the calm assurance I have that He lives, and that through Him, my family can be together forever. I am grateful for the peace of the gospel and the many blessings it brings into my life. I am grateful for my son Michael, who is serving a mission to the people in Ohio. I'm thankful for his strength and testimony and his willingness to bring others to a knowledge of our Savior and His gospel.

I am thankful for this free land we live in. I am thankful for the freedoms we have, and for those who fight and have fought to keep me free.

I am grateful for good friends. Friends who know me, and love me anyway. Friends who we consider family. Friends who will always be there for me, and friends who will let me be there for them. Friends who know what I need, even when I don't and friends who tell me the truth, even when I don't want to hear it.

It seems so inadequate to try to put these feelings into words, but I would feel even worse if I didn't try. I know that all good things come from the Lord, that He has given me all this and much, much more. Sometimes I can't comprehend all that I have, but I am grateful for it all.

Jordyn Plays Soccer, sort of....

2010-10-06T09:28:00.000-07:00

Kindergarten soccer isn't really soccer, it's more like gather ball. We had 18 kindergarten teams. I think every single child in Mapleton played soccer this year. They play 3-on-3 with no goalie. It helps a little with the bunching, but not much. They actually conned me into coaching Jordyn's team. Hahaha. Yeah, I know, really? It was actually kind of fun, but I'm ready to be done. The kids are cute and fun, but spacey. I can't tell you how many times I had to pick a kid up from somersaulting on the grass. How many times I had to remind them that we were playing soccer. It was funny to watch them. The most important issues to them are, who brought treats and who gets to kick the ball at kick-offs or penalties. I finally had to make a rule that they weren't allowed to ask if they could kick. There were times they were all "too tired" and didn't want to play. Maybe the games are a little too long? Jordyn had fun though, and I guess that's the point, right?

Matthew Soccer

2010-10-06T09:18:00.000-07:00

Matthew had a good, but tough fall soccer season. Mapleton played 6-man soccer for Matt's age with no offsides rule, so it was a totally different game. Matthew's coach was great, and taught him a ton. I've seen great growth in Matthew this year. The tough part came because the league is 6th-9th grade. Our team was all 6th graders, so it was pretty hard playing teams with older kids. They weren't able to win a game until the final two games of the season, but Matthew was able to score in two of the games. Go Matthew!!

Really?? Who does this??

2010-10-06T09:07:00.000-07:00

We knew we got a bargain when we bought our new house, and we knew that there were a lot of things we needed to fix. One strange thing we noticed was the extreme temperature swings in our bedroom. (No wisecracks from the peanut gallery!!) It would be freezing in the morning, and really hot in the afternoon, while the rest of the house stays pretty constant. With fall mornings and waking up to seeing our breath in the air, Dennis cut an access panel (no, we didn't have one of those either) in our closet to see what was going on. Guess what? No insulation. None, nada, zip. Who does that? Who "forgets" to insulate one whole section of the house? Evidently our builder does. Since we bought the house "as is" we really have no recourse, good thing there is a great rebate program right now. Wonder what other surprises are in store?

Play Group and Play Doh

2010-09-22T17:50:00.000-07:00

When school started, Jordyn was asked to be in a little play group with some other 5 year old girls in our ward. We were both thrilled!! Jordyn loves to play with her friends, and she goes crazy when she's here alone with me in the afternoons. In our old neighborhood she didn't really have any friends to play with, so this is great! It was our turn today, and the question was, what to do? We have very carefully avoided play doh in our house for the past 16 years or so. I'm not sure the boys have ever even played with it, ever. The main reason was that we had carpet under our dining table in our last house. Ever try to get playdoh out of carpet? Yeah, not so fun. Well, Jordyn pointed out to me that we have a wooden floor now, so we can have playdoh, right? Ok, I took a deep breath and took the plunge. Now I remember why I never buy playdoh. Actually it wasn't bad, despite what the pictures show. The girls had a ball. They played and giggled with playdoh for 2 whole hours!! We cleaned up what we could, then I swept the floor and table and ta-da! We were done! So, how do I top this for next month?

First Week of School

2010-09-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

Yay!! Everyone is finally in school!! Ammon and Matthew started last Tuesday at their new schools. Ammon is in 9th grade at Mapleton Jr. High, and Matt is in 6th grade at Mapleton Elementary. It was a big change for both of them. Ammon had a rough couple of days, but he seems to be adjusting and doing better. Matthew has been great. Of course, school is boring and stupid, but I can hardly expect 12 and 14 year old boys to be excited about it.

Jayme started on Wednesday and is carrying quite a load this semester. She has 23 more credits to graduate after this semester, so she is working hard to get done. You go girl!! Jenn and Adam started on Monday and are both working hard. It's so great to see my 'adult children' progressing toward their goals and doing well in school.

Jordyn, the most excited of all, was the last to start school. She finally got to go to kindergarten yesterday!! She was so excited, here she is at the door, ready to go!
Of course, we got to the bus stop early, and Matthew was a little horrified that she was so excited. Here she is waiting for the bus.

Here she is getting off the bus, look how happy she is. She had a great day, it was a "piece of cake"! She loves her teacher, and is making new friends!!

Michael's Blog

2010-08-18T14:44:00.001-07:00

I started a new blog where I will post Michael's letters and my 2 cents (of course) ;) The address is www.michaelsmissionadventures.blogspot.com

Michael's Mission Farewell

2010-08-10T10:35:00.000-07:00

We had Michael's missionary farewell on Sunday. He spoke in Sacrament Meeting and did a great job. I am so proud of him and the man he is as well as who he is becoming. There were lots of years when I wasn't so sure, but I think he's turned out pretty well.

After church, we all came over to the house for lunch and to visit. I think we fed over 100 people. We have been blessed with such good family and friends over the years, and it was wonderful to have all of their support. All of them have helped shape my children, and I am grateful for their influence in our lives.

Michael has also been fortunate enough to find a good group of friends these past few years. Again, many years of worry and praying for good friends finally paid off. These kids have been such a strength and support to each other as they have struggled through all sorts of challenges. All of the boys have helped each other prepare for missions, and the girls have been good examples and support for them. I am so grateful for them and what they have been for Michael.

He will enter the MTC in Provo tomorrow, where he will spend the next three weeks learning how to teach the gospel, then off to Cleveland, Ohio for the next two years. Godspeed and God bless!!

Trees, Trees, Trees!!!

2010-08-10T10:13:00.000-07:00

We are slowly but surely making progress on our yard. So far, we have planted 22 Junipers, 3 flowering plum bushes, 7 flowering pears, 2 sycamores, 3 honeylocust and 2 maples!!

We went to get compost in Michael's truck, it really became a "beaner" truck then! It was riding pretty low, and we had our own work crew shoveling out the mulch.

Then we had bark delivered and Dennis moved it over to the trees so it could be spread around. Thank goodness for tractors! It would have taken FOREVER without it.

Here is proof that my boys really do know how to work. They've been a great help this summer getting everything done!

One finished project!! The junipers form the property line as a natural fence between us and our neighbors.

The flowering pears line the parkway.

The auger on the back of the tractor really helped speed things up! They were able to plant 5 trees on the hill in record time! When they grow, they will provide a great shady area as well as privacy from the street.

That only leaves 2 japanese maple, 2 dappled willow, 2 flowering pear, 1 honeylocust, 5 sycamore and 2 maples left to plant this year.

Oh, yeah, and 12 junipers...

Good times!!

Matthew's Birthday

2010-08-01T18:03:00.000-07:00

Apperantly I am not only a bad blogger, but a bad mom too. Matthew's birthday was last Sunday, and he turned 12. It is so strange to think that what was supposed to be my last child is 12 years old. He received the Aaronic Priesthood and was ordained a deacon by his dad. Also in the circle were Bishop Peterson, Grandpa Johnson, Uncle Scott, Michael and Adam.

Matthew got to choose his favorite dinner since it was his birthday. What did he choose? No, not steak, lasagne or ribs. Matthew wanted french toast souffle, sausage and hash browns. It was very yummy, even if I do say so myself! :) We also had cake and ice cream later to celebrate.

Matthew was able to go to young men's for the first time this last week. It was a combined activity, and they were going boating. Being newish in the ward, and the newest deacon, Matt doesn't really know any of the older boys. And, since we aren't boating people, he was a little nervous about that whole thing too. After we finally convinced him that he would have fun and it would be ok, we got him to go. The first thing he said when he got home was, "That was so much fun!!" Huge sigh of relief from the mom.

Today he passed the sacrament for the first time. Michael and I were watching for him to do something to goof up, but he did great!!

Happy late Birthday Matthew, we love you!

Good Bye to a Cousin

2010-07-14T14:44:00.000-07:00

Last month I got a phone call that made my heart drop. My cousin, Jennifer Wilson Moss was killed in a car accident. Jennifer is the youngest daughter of my Aunt Kathleen. We were never especially close, but we were family. I remember lots of holidays and family bbq's at Grandma and Grandpa Johnson's house. We also had cousin sleepovers with just the girls. We had lots of fun together.

It was a horrible, tragic accident that didn't need to happen. She had just dropped her son off at vacation bible school and was going home. As she was waiting to make a left hand turn on her street, a distracted driver rear-ended her and pushed her into oncoming traffic. I believe she died instantly, and there wasn't a mark on her.

My dad and I were able to make the trip to Colorado Springs together to be a support for the rest of the family. It was heartbreaking, and gut wrenching, and every other cliche I can think of to see her family grieving so hard. She left behind 5 sons and a husband in addition to her brother, three sisters, and her mom. I wish I could have been more of a comfort, give more reassurance of the things I know to be true. I wish they knew with the surety that I do that families are forever. It isn't just a phrase or a nice thing to say, it is real, and it is true. I pray that they will be able to find the peace and comfort that only the Savior can give.

It was a long drive, but it was nice to be able to have the one on one time with my dad. We had some good talks, and it was really enjoyable. It was great to see my cousins again. I can't remember the last time I saw the girls, I think it was Grandpa's funeral. Judy and her husband Hussein, and her daughter Nikki were there. Janet and her girls, Jennifer and Danielle, came from Houston. JoAnn & Chris and their children drove from Illinois. Jim and Jill and all of their family were there too. We had some good visits, and some good bonding time. It made me realize how much I miss having family close by. We talked about trying for a reunion next year, we'll see if it happens. I hope it does. We need those family connections.

Michael Gets his Mission Call!!

2010-07-06T12:49:00.000-07:00

Michael has been so excited to get his mission call and go on his mission. He turned in his papers as soon as he was able, 120 days before he turns 19. We were told that the papers needed to be submitted and processed, the missionary committee meets on Thursdays, letters are put together and mailed on Monday, and calls are usually received on Thursday. Well, one week came and went, no call. Then the next week came and went, still no call. Finally, the Bishop told Michael that his call was on the way. We expected it on Thursday, and made plans for the family and Michael's friends to be here when he opened it. On Wednesday, I picked up the mail, and to my shock, there IT was! I was shaking so bad, I was nervous and excited for Michael. I got home and yelled that he had mail. He was just as shocked as I was. He was so excited, he wanted to open it right that second. There was no way he could wait. He called his friends, Jayme called Jenn and Dennis, I left to get Grandpa. There were a few glitches in the half-cocked plan, like life. Jenn didn't want to leave work early, Dennis couldn't leave work, Adam was on the way to Salt Lake, and JR was working.

It didn't matter though, he had to open it right this minute!! I got back with Grandpa and the cousins, Chet, Shay, Matt and Kailey were here, Jenn left work, so then we were waiting for JR. Michael got so anxious, they called JR and told him that he was opening it without him! He was just a few blocks away, so he proceeded sloooowly.....

While everyone waited nervously to see where it would be. We had a world map on the wall, and everyone placed their guesses.

Finally, JR got here. Jenn was on the phone with Adam, and Michael read his letter. He was called to serve in the Cleveland, Ohio mission. He reports to the Missionary Training Center on August 11!! So soon! He won't even be 19 until the end of September!

After the initial letdown of not being called to someplace exotic (read Hong Kong, Russia, or Africa), we are all super excited for Michael. He realizes that this is where the Lord wants him to be and that there is a reason he is being sent there. As he keeps telling me, "God doesn't make mistakes"

I am so proud of Michael and the choices he has made. He is chomping at the bit, and so anxious to begin serving the Lord full time. We were able to go to the temple with him for the first time last week. It was a very good night with Dennis, me, Jenn, Adam, Grandpa and Bishop Peterson. Michael was a little shell shocked, but then I think we all are our first time. There is a lot to absorb, and he is ready to go back.

I am so grateful that he has good friends who support him and encourage him to be good. These boys go to the temple together, mission prep class, and help each other be better. I have always prayed that my kids would have good friends, and Michael has been blessed with the best! Go forth and serve my son, you will be an excellent missionary!!

How Did a City Girl Like Me End Up in A Place Like This?

2010-07-04T19:21:00.000-07:00

We've been doing so much work on the yard, I wanted to take some 'before' pictures. We are on an acre, which is a ton! We were on 1/3 acre before, and I thought that was a lot! Here is the front yard from the street.

You can see that there is lots for us to do! The ground has been totally un-tended forever. It is full of rocks and very hard clay. Fun!

There are bumps and grades all over the lot, it's not flat anywhere. There is a slope down from the house to the street, and to the right there is a pretty good slope down too.

This is the back, our yard goes back to the neighbors yard. You can see the back boundary by their rocks, and the fence on the far side.

And what does everyone need to put in a new yard? A tractor of course!! It's been a great help, and Dennis and Michael love to drive it. I've tried it, I guess it's a guy thing.

The thing I do love about living here is the feel of being in the country. We have quail, pheasant, grouse, and deer in our yard quite often. For now, I love watching the deer. Once I get my yard in and they start eating it, I may not like them quite so much.

The Return of the Swallows

2010-07-04T16:03:00.000-07:00

When we moved into our new house, there was a birds nest under the eaves of our front porch. It was a lot bigger than in this picture and made up of grass and mud. We knocked it down and didn't think much of it. A few weeks later, we noticed that the birds had come back and were re-building their nest. Every day we would find it about this big, and we would knock it down. We thought they would take the hint that WE live here now, and they couldn't have our house anymore. WRONG!! Those persistent little things kept coming back!

This is what they look like, cute -- huh? They were either on these beams, building their nest or sitting on the ledge above the front door. One night, one even got into the house!! I slept through the excitement, but I guess it gave everyone else quite the jolt! You may ask why we didn't just let them be and build their nest.......

This is why. Bird poop. Everywhere. It doesn't rinse off either. Also, mud and grass on my front porch every day. Also, after doing some research, I learned that swallows mate for life and return to the same nest every year. If we didn't solve the problem now, they would be back forever! They may still try again next year, who knows?

Since simply knocking the nest down didn't work, we tried putting tack strip above the front door so that they couldn't perch there. Wrong, they did anyway.

Then we read that a good way is to block off the nesting site so they couldn't get to it. Wrong again, they just built on the netting.

Then we tried a fake owl. Birds are scared of owls, right? Wrong! They stayed away for about a day before they figured out that it wasn't real.

Our last ditch effort was to put netting up completely covering the front entryway. We couldn't use our front door, but hey, the birds couldn't get in. They actually did get in one time, and were pretty freaked out when they couldn't find their way out. We taped the sides and weighted down the bottom. After about two weeks or so of not having a front door, we pulled back the netting for a week, no birds. I pulled it completely off the other day and still no birds!! I hope they gave up and nested somewhere else!! Who says you can't fight mother nature? Victory is mine!!

Graduation!!

2010-06-09T09:29:00.000-07:00

Michael graduated with high honors from Spanish Fork High School on May 26, 2010. Congratulations!! Because of our move, and the building of a new high school, Michael will be out last child to graduate from Spanish Fork. There's been good and there's been the not so good, but it's kind of strange to have him be the last one.

Here is is on the big screen.

Here he is receiving his empty diploma folder!

Michael and football buddy since 6th grade, JR Brandon.

Michael and a proud grandpa.

Mom and Dad with our graduate. Isn't he cute?
Jordyn loves her big brother!!

The whole fam-damily! Grandpa, Jayme, Dad, Jordyn, Michael, Mom, Matthew, Adam, Jenn and Ammon. Who says we never take family pictures?

Michael and favorite coach, Joe Hernandez. Joe left Spanish Fork to teach/coach at Salem this year, but he's stayed close to some of his boys. He's a great guy!

Matthew Graham, JR Brandon, and Michael. Great friends!!

Shay Johnson, Michael and Chet Harmer. Terrific friends!!

Congratulations Michael, we love you and are proud of you!!

Misc. End of Year Stuff

2010-06-01T16:13:00.000-07:00

The end of the school year always brings lots of activities, programs and field trips. It seems like they are always trying to fit in one more thing! The fifth grade studied US history this year and put on a program to show us what they learned. Matthew had the part of Abraham Lincoln and recited part of the Gettysburg Address. They also memorized the 50 states and their capitals.

Then there was the Hershey track meet, which is a track meet with all of the elementary schools in Spanish Fork. Matthew ran the 100m and the 200m. He placed 3rd in both of his heats and long jumped.

Then they had the 5th grade mini-society. Each of the kids, either alone or with a group, comes up with a business idea, puts it together, and for one whole day they run their business and the rest of the school are their customers. Matthew and his friends had an arcade with WII games and other fun things.

Ammon needed an extra elective this semester and so he took guitar. Of course, on the first day of class, he was the one to "dibs" the pink guitar! I think he had fun and learned a little, even though he complained that it was too hard for him.

Then there was prom. Isn't my boy handsome? Michael went with his friend, Kaylee Beckstrom. Michael has never really enjoyed dances, but he had a really good time!! They went 4-wheeling in the daytime, Tucano's for dinner, and then the dance. After the dance, they came here and played games and watched a movie. I'm glad he had such a good time!

Michael Plays Soccer???

2010-05-17T12:20:00.000-07:00

Sometime last winter, after Michael decided not to wrestle, he was trying to figure out what he was going to do to stay in shape. He was invited to go play indoor soccer with some of his friends, so he went. Now, you have to understand that Michael hasn't played soccer for a VERY long time. He played city rec soccer from kindergarten until about 4th grade when it conflicted with football, and football won. He came home from his first pick up game, and was so excited, he had a blast! Michael kept going to these games and picked up how to play the game better, then decided to try out for the high school team. We all thought, just have fun, enjoy your senior year, maybe play a little varsity but probably mostly jv. Big surprise, Michael was a starter on the varsity team and played most of the time in every game. Who would have thought?

Fully half of the starting varsity players had never played before, just like Michael. They were pretty rough around the edges, but won a couple of games by being better athletes than the other teams. One team even complained about having a bunch of football players playing soccer! I guess they forgot they couldn't tackle? They had a tough season, but had alot of fun!

Ammon Track

2010-05-14T13:13:00.000-07:00

The junior high just finished their track season. It was a rough season, because of the weather. They had two meets canceled because of rain and snow, and lots of times they had to practice inside, which didn't do the kids much good. Ammon ran the 200 meter, 4 x 100 relay, and experimented with throwing the discus, long jump, shot put, and the 4 x 400 relay. There was a definite lack of coaching, so he wasn't able to learn how to do anyone thing very well. That's ok though, because Ammon runs track for the social aspect. He just wants to have fun!

Here he is with some of his boys.

This is Ammon running the 4 x 100 relay. The funny thing about this picture is that right as he made the hand off, he fell and rolled over!!

Ammon could have done really well at the long jump if anyone had been able to teach him the correct way to do it. At the one meet he tried, he jumped almost 18 feet, which would have been a winning distance, but he scratched every time. We can't wait until next year when he can get some good coaching.

Matthew's Spring Soccer

2010-05-14T13:05:00.000-07:00

Matthew just finished his spring soccer season. They had a great team, and a great season. Their team was un-defeated until the final 3 games of the season. They had beaten all three teams previously, one of the teams practiced specifically to beat Matt's team, one got helped by the officials, and one got lucky.

Matthew loves soccer, and if only we could light a fire under him, he'd be pretty good. He is getting better all the time, we just need to teach him to be a little more aggressive.

The problem with spring soccer is that it is COLD!! We missed a couple of games because I refused to go. One time Matthew wanted to play so bad, even though it was freezing, I sat in the car while he played in the rain!

Good job Matthew!!

Jordyn's Dance Recital

2010-05-14T12:49:00.000-07:00

Jordyn just finished another fun year of dance classes. She dances with "Miss LeAnn" at Esprit de Corps dance studio. She takes a combination class of tap, ballet, jazz and tumbling. Jordyn can't wait until she's old enough to dance on a team like the big girls and like her sisters did.

Jordyn let me put make-up on her for the recital, you should have seen those eyelashes!! Her class did two dances. The first was a tap dance to "Twist and Shout".

They also did a dance with maracas to "Conga". She did great, and it was fun to watch her!

In With the New!!

2010-04-26T12:07:00.000-07:00

On April 2, 2010, we closed on our new house in Mapleton. We started moving in the following week. It was spring break, so I had all of the kids home to help, along with some great friends who stepped in to assist.

This is the master bath.

Master Bedroom

Laundry Room, yes, laundry room!!

Front Hall

Kitchen looking into Dining and Family Rooms

Family Room looking into dining room and kitchen

Jordyn's room, bet you couldn't tell, huh?

"Mud Room" entry from the garage

The boys rooms weren't clean, so they don't get pictured, and it was wet and rainy the day I took pictures, so I'll have to do the outside of the house later. So far we are getting settled and love it here. It's starting to feel like home, and we're really happy with our new ward and neighbors. Hopefully it lasts!!

Out with the Old.....

2010-04-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

After building our home, and living there for the past 16 years, it's a little hard to leave, but it was time for a change. We loved our home, our neighborhood, and our ward, and it is the only home that our children have known. Only Jayme remembers living anywhere else. Dennis lived longer in this home than anywhere else in his life. I still had a few years to go to pass my length of time in Orange. But all good things must come to an end. I don't know why, but I felt increasingly unsettled in our home, and a need to move on.

We had 1/3 of an acre, which was great. Lots of room for kids to run, and room for fruit trees.

When we first moved into this house from the 3-plex, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Every morning as I walked down the stairs, I thought, "when are the real owners going to come and kick me out?" We had 2300 sf finished, and an unfinished basement. Three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a family room, dining room AND a living room. What was I ever going to do with so much space?

Our living room was perfect for Christmas. It looks so nice with the tree and lights and all.

We ended up enclosing the loft for another bedroom, and finishing part of the basement. You could say we now have 5 bedrooms and almost three and a half baths. There is still room for another large bedroom in the basement, and the room that has been Jayme's bedroom could be another family room.

We have now moved to Mapleton, only 3 miles away, but it feels much further.

Alex Amundson

2010-04-22T08:53:00.001-07:00

It's been over a month, almost six weeks, and I still don't know how to do this. On March 11, Alex was killed in a Trax train accident. He was in Salt Lake for some training for his job at KFC. Part of the training was to visit other stores and see how they did things. Alex was driving with three other people in his car. We don't know why, but he went around the arms at the train crossing, and was hit directly by the train. He was killed instantly along with one of his passengers, and the other two were badly injured.

In 1988, when we moved to Utah from California for Dennis to attend BYU law school, we lived in an apartment at Amiron Village in Orem. The day we moved in, before we even started unloading, Jana and Bryan Amundson came over to welcome us and help us unload. We were instant friends, and have been more like family ever since. Alex was born just a few days later.

We lived in the apartments together for a couple of years, then they bought a house in Orem, and we bought one in Provo. In 1994, we built homes next door to each other in Spanish Fork so that we could raise our families together. We spent holidays, birthdays and vacations together. Two families couldn't have been closer.

Alex was especially close to Jennifer. They were good buddies, and usually off on some adventure together. We used to joke that they would get married some day and travel the world on one adventure after another.

Alex was a sweet and funny boy, and always brought a smile to my face. He was always into mischief though, and was very imaginative in his activities. We always loved him though, even when he was being naughty.

Alex was outgoing and fun loving. He was fun loving, and had lots of friends as a little boy.

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When he was in 9th (?) grade, he grew from a beanpole into an oak tree. Alex became a huge man at 6"4" ish and 280 lbs when he died. He had some struggles with life, but he was working hard to turn his life around, and was on the right path. He had been clean for six months, passed his GED with high marks, and was preparing to serve the Lord on a mission. He was a good boy with a loving heart who had just made some poor choices.

How do you comfort your friend when her son dies? How do you be a strength to someone when you are hurting too? I was certain that Jana would fall apart. I thought she would hide in a hole and never come out. I couldn't have been more wrong. She has been so strong, I have been amazed. I know it's been harder than I can possibly imagine, and I'm sure she is putting on a good front, but she is an inspiration to me.

When Alex was released from jail in September, he wrote in his journal about his experience. He shared his testimony of the Gospel and of the love he felt from our Heavenly Father. They put this testimony into several copies of the Book of Mormon, and have given many to his friends, and to missionaries so that they can be shared with those who are searching for the truth. Alex got his wish. He is serving the Lord as a missionary. Not in the way any of us imagined, but nonetheless he is serving and helping others to find the peace of the gospel.

I am so grateful for my knowledge of the gospel. We are so blessed to have temples and to be sealed to our families forever. I know that Jana and Bryan will hold their boy again, and I know that we will see him again. I know that he is ok, better than ok, I know he is doing well. I know our Savior lives, and that we will too. Thank goodness for eternal families!!

Matthew Basketball

2010-03-24T18:31:00.000-07:00

Matthew played basketball again this year. His coaches were Dennis and Adam. He had lots of fun playing with his friends, and learned a lot.

Matthew played great defense.

Adam was a great coach, and very patient.

Ammon's 8th Grade Wrestling Season -- State Champ!!

2010-02-09T12:02:00.000-08:00

Ammon had a great year wrestling for Champions wrestling club this year. We had to play the school vs. club game again this year, but it went much better for us. Ammon attended 12 different tournaments this year with a final record of 28-2 with 20 of his wins coming by pin. He took 1st place at the Caleb Williams Tournament, Delta Duals, Wasatch Open, and the Juab Open. Ammon likes the quick pin, so one time when he was "toying" with his opponent
to get more mat time, his coaches were all yelling at him to just pin the kid. It was funny and Ammon ended up with a double technical fall because of score keeping errors!

Ammon has a unique way of intimidating the other wrestlers. He makes friends with them! That is really unusual in the wrestling world where teams and individuals tend to keep to themselves. Ammon goes right up to them and asks who is his weight. He talks to the guys, finds out what
his competition is, and totally relaxes them.
It catches them completely off guard when he attacks!

Ammon has learned a lot this year, and has done really well. He also had to learn some tough lessons, and thanks to a wonderful coach, Craig LaMont, has been able to get past a couple of hurdles determined to work harder and get even better. Even though he will only be in 9th grade and still in jr high next year, Ammon will be wrestling with the high school team. He is more than a little overwhelmed and intimidated by that
thought. Because of his size (he wrestled at 170 lbs. this year) he will most likely be wrestling older, more experienced kids next year and wasn't looking forward to taking a beating every week. Especially after winning so much this year. Coach LaMont has helped him see his potential better, and Ammon has committed to working hard in the off season ( well, except for during football) so that he will be even more competitive next year.

Ammon ended this season with a repeat as state champion. It was a loooong couple of days of wrestling in Roy, but he was able to walk away with a gold medal. The junior high team also took first and the middle school team took second. These are a bunch of great kids, and I'm glad Ammon has the opportunity to be around them and learn from them. He's made some good friends, and had some excellent role models. I'm very pleased with the young man Ammon is growing into. He's becoming
something pretty special. I love you Ammon!!

Jordyn's Birthday (The Princess Turns 5)

2010-02-04T13:52:00.000-08:00

Jordyn had her birthday on January 28 and turned 5 years old. It's hard to believe that my little bonus baby is five!! We all remember the day she entered the world like it was yesterday. Jordyn is a little spitfire and isn't shy about sharing her opinions. She perfectly embodies the childrens poem about the little girl with the curl, but we all love her and she has everyone wrapped around her little finger. She brings something to our family that could never be replaced, something we never knew we needed until she came along.

Because of work schedules and such, Jordyn got to celebrate for two days! I think the best part of making her cake was when Dennis asked me if I made it or bought it, and then Jenn asked how I got Macey's to make a Littlest Pet Shop Cake. Thanks Mom for teaching me to decorate cakes! The whole family was here, including the cousins. It wouldn't be a birthday without them!

The next day, we went to Chuck E. Cheese for lunch, Build-A-Bear, and Toys R Us. Jordyn loves making a stuffed animal for her birthday. Little did I realize the annual tradition I was creating the first time I took her there for her birthday!! She chose to get more Littlest Pet Shop toys with her birthday money from Grandpa. That is her current favorite thing.

While we were at Chuck E Cheese, Jordyn got to see Chuck E, and played games until she was tired and asked to leave. Can you believe it?

The biggest problem we face now is waiting until fall so she can start kindergarten. She doesn't quite understand why she can't go to school now that she's 5, but I think I'll miss her next year.

Happy Birthday, We Love you Jordyn!!!

Jennifer & Adam's Big Day!!

2010-02-01T18:31:00.000-08:00

When Jennifer was 15 she attended our stake youth conference, which was a pioneer trek. In her "family" she met the man of her dreams. He was tall and had amazing blue eyes. She was smitten immediately, him, not so much. Fast forward a few years, Adam had returned from his mission to Spain and Jenn had just graduated from high school. She was living in Provo, attending BYU, and went to another friends mission homecoming. Well, Adam didn't even recognize Jenn, and she didn't want to embarass him, so they didn't speak. Next thing we knew, they were together pretty much all the time.

After they'd been dating for over a year, it was pretty much a forgone conclusion that they would be getting married, it was just a question of when. They kept talking about May, after school was out for the summer, so that was what we all had in our heads. Then, in October, Jenn asked me what we would think about them getting married in January. Are you kidding me?? Three months to plan a wedding with the holidays right in the middle of that? Ok, I'm wonder woman, we can do this.

Jenn and Adam were sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on January 15. As we were driving to Salt Lake that morning, the sky was really hazy and overcast with lots of fog. It was so cold that the trees were covered in frost. We went inside and I helped Jenn get ready, then we went outside for pictures before the ceremony. It was still freezing but the sky had cleared some, and the sun was starting to peek out.

They took pictures until it was time to go back inside and get ready. The temple workers took us all up to the sealing room to wait for the bride and groom. While we were sitting there, I kept hoping that I would somehow know that my mom was there. The sealer was quite elderly, and because of some things he said, like calling Adam Brother Angie, it was pretty hard to feel anything spiritual. However, as they knelt at the alter to exchange their vows, I had such a strong feeling that my mom was sitting right next to me. I felt that if I had turned my head I would see her. I am so grateful that I was allowed to know she was there with us on that special day.

After the sealing ceremony, we went outside to join the others and wait for the presentation of Mr. & Mrs. Ainge and more pictures. Jennifer's bridesmaides were Jayme, Ashley Kay and McKell Miner. Adam's groomsmen were Weston Ainge, Clay Bingham and Jared Oldham. By the time they were finished with pictures, we barely had time to rush home for the reception.

Their reception was held at our church building. I had wonderful friends who helped with the food, and we had hired decorators. That was money well spent!! The hall was beautiful, and everything went perfectly, it was such a wonderful day. You could just see the joy on Jenn and Adam's faces, they were so, so happy, and we are happy for them.

I often thought how hard it would be to see my daughter get married and not be my little girl anymore. I wondered how we could ever accept someone into our family and love him like a son. How could we grow to love him the way our daughter did, and trust him to take care of her? Well, I guess this one was meant to be, because it was much easier than I ever thought it would be. Adam has truly become part of our family, and it was completely natural for them to get married. I still have flashes of not wanting to let go, but it's getting easier each day. When I see how happy they are and how good they are together, I know it's a good thing. I really have learned to love Adam as part of our family, and I'm glad to have him in it.

Ammon's Birthday

2010-02-01T18:16:00.000-08:00

Ammon's 14th birthday was December 27, and as usual, it kind of gets mixed in with all of the holiday celebrating. It's kind of a bummer for Ammon and I feel bad about that, but with it being right after Christmas, no one really wants birthday cake.

Ammon is a great kid and we love him. He is sweet and kind to his little sister, Jordyn, and a big tease to everyone else. Especially his little brother, Matthew. He is kind of like an overgrown puppy dog. Sometimes it's hard to remember he's still only 14.

Happy Birthday Ammon, I love you!!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-03T17:40:00.000-08:00

Last year I posted about dreading Christmas and hating it. This year I have made a real effort to be positive and relaxed and enjoy the holiday. I am happy to report success!! We had a great holiday with everyone home, and I managed to keep sane and smiling.

On Christmas eve, the kids all sleep in the same room together. They started doing this when there were only the 3 oldest. The girls were already in the same room, and Michael wanted to be with them. It has become one of their favorite traditions. I'm not quite sure how it will work next year after Jennifer is married. Adam isn't quite sold on the idea yet. Here they are sliding a mattress to the basement for the big sleepover.

When Jayme was no older than 1 or 2, we got a pop-up book of "The Night Before Christmas" That first year, Dennis read it to Jayme every night for several weeks before Christmas. She actually had it memorized and "read" along with him. The book has survived and so has the tradition of Dennis reading the book on Christmas eve. This was after we had our nice dinner with Dad and Scott and having Dad read from the Bible.

Several years ago, the kids were all posing in their new pj's and taking pictures. This pose quickly became their favorite, and they re-enact it every year. Again, not too sure how it will go next year...

When the kids were little, they always got matching Christmasy pajamas. As they've gotten older, their jammie requests have changed to sweats, shorts, t-shirts, etc. I guess that's ok, but the pictures aren't nearly as cute.

Christmas day was spent basically just hanging out, playing with toys and eating. Oh yeah, and napping was pretty high on the list too. I'm so glad we made the switch from Christmas dinner to Christmas Eve dinner. It has made Christmas day so much more relaxing and enjoyable. This year was the last Christmas we will have all of our children living at home for the holiday. Jenn will be getting married in two weeks, and next year Michael will likely be on his mission. Our family is growing and changing, and I'm not sure I like it. I know change is inevitable, and I love to see the kids maturing and becoming adults, but I don't do change well. It's sure a mixed bag of emotions.

This is Sunday after Christmas. We didn't do Christmas dresses this year, so I caught the kids off guard, but I still think they look great!!

Michael's Senior Football Season

2009-12-12T15:53:00.000-08:00

From the very first moment Michael knew how to play, football has been his absolute favorite sport. He absolutely loves to play football. Michael has never been the biggest kid on the field or the fastest kid on the field, but he has the most desire and determination. He is in the weight room every single morning, working hard to get stronger and bigger. Michael has never gotten any breaks for favors from anyone. He has worked his butt off for everything that he has ever gotten.

He decided a long time ago that he much preferred playing defense. He said it was much better to hit someone else than to get hit. Michael was a varsity starter at strong side linebacker this year. It didn't take the other teams long to figure out that they needed to stay away from #12, but that didn't stop Michael. He ended up leading the team in tackles, was 2nd in region and 18th in state (4A) with 75 tackles, 3 sacks, and one interception. They don't keep track of tackles for loss or hurries, but Michael was in the backfield nearly every time.

We had a couple of scary weeks though. Michael had been complaining of his shoulder hurting, and one week after the game, he was sobbing. He couldn't lift his arm. He was so afraid that he wouldn't be able to finish the season. We got him some good physical therapy, and he healed remarkably well. He didn't miss a single game.

I am so proud of Michael and the great leader and young man that he is. It was sad to see the season end for him. It was a shoulda, coulda, woulda year for his team. They should have beaten Sprinville and gotten 1st in region, then they could have been in the other half of the bracket for state play-offs, and they would have played in the state final at Rice Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah. Oh well. They still had a great season, took second in region, and were eliminated by the 4 time state championship team in the state quarterfinals. Not too shabby.

This picture shows Michael and Travis Still helping the kid up that they just sacked. Great job boys!
Here are his stats from the Deseret News.

Michael Stone

Spanish Fork

Height: 6-0

Weight: 190 lbs.

Football

Defense

2009 – Spanish Fork – Pos:RB/LB – #12	Tackles		Sacks	Interceptions
Nov. 6, 2009 – at Timpview	10
Oct. 30, 2009 – Pine View	8		1
Oct. 22, 2009 – at Maple Mountain	13		1
Oct. 14, 2009 – at Uintah	2
Oct. 9, 2009 – Springville	4
Oct. 2, 2009 – Payson	12
Sept. 25, 2009 – at Salem Hills	4		1
Sept. 11, 2009 – Box Elder	9
Sept. 4, 2009 – Orem	3
Aug. 28, 2009 – at Bountiful	5
Aug. 21, 2009 – Mountain View	5			1
	Tackles	TPG	Sacks	Interceptions
2009 Total (11 games)	75	6.8	3	1

	Tackles	TPG	Sacks	Interceptions
Career Total (11 games)	75	6.8	3	1

Record: 8-3

Date	Game	Time/result
Fri. Aug. 21, 2009	Spanish Fork 49, Mountain View 28 Final	W
Fri. Aug. 28, 2009	Bountiful 34, Spanish Fork 7 Final	L
Fri. Sept. 4, 2009	Spanish Fork 49, Orem 14 Final	W
Fri. Sept. 11, 2009	Spanish Fork 48, Box Elder 14 Final	W
Fri. Sept. 25, 2009	Spanish Fork 61, Salem Hills 34 Final	W
Fri. Oct. 2, 2009	Spanish Fork 47, Payson 31 Final	W
Fri. Oct. 9, 2009	Springville 33, Spanish Fork 27 Final	L
Wed. Oct. 14, 2009	Spanish Fork 42, Uintah 7 Final	W
Thu. Oct. 22, 2009	Spanish Fork 56, Maple Mountain 12 Final	W
Fri. Oct. 30, 2009	4A FIRST ROUND Spanish Fork 33, Pine View 25 Final	W
Fri. Nov. 6, 2009	4A QUARTERFINAL Timpview 57, Spanish Fork 22 Final	L

Stone Family Christmas Letter

2009-12-12T14:53:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

It's that time of year when we sit down to review the past year's activities, and share Christmas wishes with those we love. It's been a good year for the Stone family. Busy as usual, but good. Our family is at a point where there is constant change, and we just enjoy each day as it comes, because we don't know what will happen next. As the children grow up and move on with their lives, it is a bittersweet joy. We are happy for them, and love to see the people they are becoming, but it is hard as parents to let go of our babies.

Beth took her dad and the kids to Disneyland in March. It was a great week filled with fun! We were able to enjoy the parks without crowds, visit with friends and family, and eat LOTS of In 'N Out. Dennis also took the week off (sort of) and enjoyed peace and quiet at home. In June, Dennis, Beth, her dad and brother were able to take a cruise to Alaska. It was breathtaking! We couldn't have had better weather, and we were able to see lots of beautiful scenery and wildlife. We also took a couple of shorter trips to Zion National Park and Arches National Park.

Jayme is studying dance and English (Integrated Studies) at UVU. She moved out in August (again!) to an apartment in Provo. She works as a server at Cracker Barrel most nights and weekends, so she stays pretty busy. She is choreographer for the junior high musical production for the second year. She loves dance and she loves teaching so it's a match made in heaven!

Jennifer is living in Provo and attending BYU where she plans to apply to the Business school this year. She is working at Pinnacle Security as an auditor. She will be marrying her sweetheart, Adam Ainge, on January 15 in the Salt Lake Temple. They will be living in our 3-plex in Provo. We are excited for them, and already love having Adam as part of our family. He is attending UVU and majoring in chemical engineering. If you want to read more of their story, visit their blog: www.jennandadamainge.blogspot.com

Michael is a senior this year and will graduate in May. He was very involved on his football team and led the team in tackles this year. His team placed second in region and were eliminated in the state quarterfinals. He has been busy filling out college applications so he will have things in place when he gets home from his mission. He is serving as 1st assistant to the Bishop in our ward, and is preparing to serve a full-time mission next year.

Ammon is 13 going on 17 and loves life. He played football and is now in the middle of wrestling. This year he placed first in the state jr high tournament and is hoping for a repeat next year. He also ran track this year, but it was much more social than athletic for him. Ammon loves to play and hang out with his friends, it's hard to keep track of him sometimes!!

Matthew is 11 and in the 5th grade. He played soccer in both the spring and fall seasons and is getting ready for basketball. This year will be interesting because his coaches are Dennis and Adam. He also started piano this fall and has shown a real talent for it. He has done well, and likes it alot!

Jordyn is 4. She loves her big brothers and sisters and can't wait to go to school next fall. Neither can her mom! She is dancing like her sisters, and she loves going to storytime at the library.

Dennis is still in house counsel for Liberty Press and Digital Technology in Springville. He is serving as a youth Sunday School teacher at church. He goes running and bike riding as often as he can, which isn't much because we keep him pretty busy. He is also working on finishing the basement in our house as well as constantly maintaining rental properties and all of our cars.

Beth is at home with the kids, which is a huge blessing. She keeps busy with the children's activities, and now she has a wedding to occupy her time!

We hope that you are all doing well, and would love to see you whenever possible. May we all take time this Christmas season to reflect on the true meaning of the holiday which is our Savior, Jesus Christ, and the blessings we have in our lives because of Him.

We love you!!
The Stone Family
Dennis, Beth,
Jayme, Jennifer, Michael, Ammon, Matthew and Jordyn

Jayme, beautiful as always

Jennifer & Adam

Michael, all dressed up for prom. Isn't he cute?

Matthew playing great defense for his basketball team.

Jordyn, ready for her dance recital.

Beth, Michael, Jordyn, Jayme, Ammon, Jenn, Matthew and Grandpa J. at California Adventures.

Jenn, Jayme, Jordyn, Matt, Michael & Ammon with Chip or is it Dale?

Beth, Matt and Dennis in Moab

Matthew playing soccer

Michael (#12) making a great tackle

Ammon (#20), carrying the ball

My 3 beautiful girls at Zion National Park, hiking the Narrows

Scott, Dennis, Beth and Dad in Alaska

Ammon winning 1st place at the state wrestling tournament

Catching Up and Catching My Breath

2009-11-15T20:17:00.000-08:00

Ok, my kids (Jayme) have informed me that I am woefully slackerish in my blogging and terribly behind. So, here we go with a brief re-cap of everything I've neglected:

Jayme's Birthday -- Jayme turned 22 on August 18. Jayme is a great daughter and a wonderful big sister. She's a great example to her brothers and sisters, and we love her alot!

The Girls Move Out -- At the end of August, both Jayme and Jenn moved into apartments in Provo. It was a little difficult having them both leave at the same time. They've both been gone before, but never at the same time. The house felt a little empty for a while. It's a weird feeling knowing that your children are adults and moving on with their lives without you. It's an exciting time for them, but a bit melancholy for me. All I can do now is hope I taught them well enough.

Jenn and Adam Get Engaged -- While we were in Moab for Fall Break (see previous post), hiking to Delicate Arch, in the dark, coughing up a lung, I got a text from Jenn asking what we'd think if they moved the wedding from May to January. Are you kidding me?!? Obviously not. Jenn and Adam are getting married January 15 in the Salt Lake Temple. We are furiously trying to get wedding plans done so that I can move on to Christmas plans...

Wedding Anniversary -- Last Monday was our 24th wedding anniversary. Little did we know when planning our wedding what a busy time November is. We rarely have time to do anything, and this year was no exception. How lucky I am to have a wonderful man that has put up with me for so long!!

Matthew's 1st Piano Recital -- I admit it, I am a total loser mom. I waited until my child was 11 years old before starting him in piano. What a slacker!! Matthew started the first week of September and had his first recital last week. He is taking from Marilyn Morgan, and he loves it!! He's done really well, and taken to it like a natural. Hooray for Matthew!!

Fall Break in Moab

2009-11-02T19:26:00.001-08:00

For fall break this year, we went to Moab with our friends the Harlan's. The Harlan's used to live in our neighborhood. We both moved in about the same time, had kids about the same ages, and became fast friends. We went camping together lots of times, and have many great memories of time spent together. It's been way too long since we've done anything with them, and our younger kids don't really know each other.

Thursday, we drove to Moab, had lunch, checked into our hotel, and let the kids swim for a while. Then we decided to go into Arches National Park and hike to Delicate Arch. By this time it was about 5:30, and the sun was starting to set. I am a slow hiker any time, but I was just getting over the flu, and was having a hard time breathing. So.... we made it to Delicate Arch, and I thought I was going to die. I was out of breath, coughing, and pretty much out of water. This is how dark it was when we got there. Beautiful sunset, but too late to be out hiking.

Ammon, Jordyn, Hailey, Chloe and Emma at Delicate Arch.

As soon as I caught my breath, we needed to head back down because it was getting dark. Everyone else was kind of hurrying to get down, but I was still plodding along. Michael was great and stayed right with me the whole time. Dennis was carrying Jordyn, and trying to bridge the gap, keeping and eye on those in front, yet not losing sight of Michael and me. At one point, we lost the trail, and it was so dark, we couldn't see anything. It was a little scary for a minute. We got back on the trail, and Dennis came back to walk with us. We finally made it to the car. What a relief!!

The next day, Friday, we decided it would be fun to try something different. We rented a jeep so we could go off-roading. It had a convertible top, and in the rental agreement it said there was a $40 charge if they had to put the top back on. Well, now we know why! That bugger was impossible!! The boys spent a good amount of time trying to figure out how to get it off, and finally gave up and left it on.

The jeep only sat 5, so Dennis took Michael, Ammon, Hailey and Chloe out for the 1st turn while Dave, Katrina and I took Matthew, Jordyn and Emma to Canyonlands National Park. None of us had ever been there before and we wanted to see it. It was beautiful, but very different from Arches. The park is huge, and has 3 very distinct areas, we only saw a tiny bit.

Emma and Matthew got along great, and the girls all really took to Jordyn. Especially Emma, she really just took care of her, and Jordyn loved it!

After that, we went back to the hotel and switched. The kids wanted to swim, so the adults and Matthew went out in the jeep. We were on a pretty tame road, but it was still a little nerve wracking for me. I guess if you did it all the time and were comfortable in knowing what you and your vehicle could do it would be different, but we were pretty cautious.

It was a fun trip, but it was pretty weird to go on vacation without the whole family. Jennifer had school, and Jayme couldn't get off work. I guess that's the way it is when your family gets older and kids move out, but it was still weird. We did manage to have a good time without them though!

Ammon Football

2009-10-24T19:47:00.000-07:00

Ammon just finished another year of football. We tried something different this year, which I swore I never would do. Michael played club football in 7th grade, and it was a pretty bad experience. They were out sized and got killed every year, and I swore that we would never do that again. Well..... Ammon was asked to play on a club team this year, and we relented. Ammon has played city league the past 2 years, and last year he was too big to carry the ball, an "X" man because of the big X on the helmets of the boys ineligible to carry the ball. Ammon is big, but not lineman big, so we let him play on a team where he could play all positions. So, he played for the UVFL Falcons.

The team did fairly well in regular season play, 3-2 in the season after losing both of their pre-season games. Ammon played a lot, and personally he did very well. He scored in almost every game, and was a key defensive player. The problems came when the team was losing games and the coaches couldn't control their tempers. One week it was so bad, one of the coaches got ejected from the game. Now, I understand that there is a certain amount of yelling in football, I'm not completely ignorant. However, when the screaming becomes derogatory and degrading and abusive to the boys, I have a problem. Ammon played his heart out every single day, and he was ready to walk away and quit the team. We were behind whatever his decision was, I was ok with hanging in and finishing the season, but if he didn't want to subject himself to the abuse, I was ok with that too. Ammon decided to quit the team, the coach found out and called him to find out why. I was so proud of Ammon, he stood up to his coach and told him that all the yelling took the fun out of the game and he didn't want to play anymore. The coach promised that he would stop yelling if Ammon came back.

Well, they ended up losing their next two games and getting eliminated in the first round of play-offs. I was proud of Ammon for not puttting up with the abuse, but also for sticking it out and finishing a tough season. Good job Ammon, I love you!! Go #20!

Happy Birthday Michael!

2009-10-01T11:45:00.000-07:00

How is it possible that my little boy could be 18? Michael's birthday was September 25. He was such a joyous addition to our family. You can see how happy Jayme and Jennifer were when he was born. He was such a sweet, happy baby, and we were thrilled to have him.

Here is Michael with his Grandpa Johnson. Wasn't he the cutest little boy ever??

Here he is now, 6'0" and 190 lbs (at least according to his football stats -- I think that's a little inflated ;)). Michael is such a great young man, and I am so proud of him. He is (usually) kind and gentle. You should see him with Jordyn, he is the cutest! He is going to be such a wonderful dad someday. He has made good choices in life, and is working hard to accomplish his goals. As a senior this year, he is enjoying playing football as starting varsity linebacker, and is having a successful year. He is also looking forward to wrestling season to avenge his rough season last year. Michael is a great example to his younger brothers and cousins who look up to him.

He is a strong and determined young man, and I can't believe he will be going on a mission in only one year!!

Ammon and Jordyn and I had fun decorating his car for him!!

I love you Michael!!

Matthew Soccer

2009-09-28T16:57:00.000-07:00

Matthew just finished his fall soccer season. He played on the Spartans and Dale Phillips was his coach for the second year in a row. Matthew had lots of fun, and his team did pretty well too.

Matt likes playing defender or mid-fielder best, and he does a pretty good job of keeping the ball away from the goal box. We even discovered that he could run pretty fast when he wants to!

Being aggressive has never been Matthew's strong suit, but he is learning to really get in there and fight for the ball. What I love most about watching Matt play soccer though is his smile. Even when he is racing down the field to beat another kid to the ball, he has a huge smile on his face. You can tell he is in it for the fun and that he enjoys the game, and I think that's great!

Sugar Cookies and Memories of Grandma

2009-08-13T20:33:00.000-07:00

My daughter Jayme is the best big sister in the whole world!! She said that one of her favorite memories of Grandma Johnson, was making sugar cookies. Because Jordyn doesn't have any grandmas around to make cookies with, Jayme made sugar cookies with Jordyn and Matthew tonight so they could have that experience. I love you Jayme!!

Swimming Lessons and Seven Peaks

2009-08-13T19:43:00.000-07:00

We decide for something fun and different that we would get season passes to Seven Peaks this year. None of the boys were playing baseball, and "gee mom, we have to do something this summer"... It was fun and Ammon and Matthew really enjoyed it. It was a bit of a pain to take Jordyn though because she didn't like getting wet. Jenn and Michael were working everyday, so it was pretty much Jayme and I taking the littler kids.

Then came swimming lessons. After the first lesson, Jordyn was putting her face in the water, going down slides, and letting her teacher help her float. Granted, he was pretty cute, but this was huge!!

Matthew wasn't a very good swimmer, and I haven't been a very good mom as far as swimming lessons goes. I know that they have to know how to swim, it's never been an option, but I haven't pushed them as much as I should have. Matthew did great though, and by the end of class, he was swimming across the pool!!

This is Jayme and Jennifer on the Boomerang. The slide is basically a half-pipe, and you go back and forth until you stop. I love this pic!!

Matthew on the Boomerang.

Jayme and Matthew coming off of one of the slides.

Jenn and Jordyn

On the last day of swimming lessons, they pretty much got to play in the park without anyone else there. Because there were so few people, they got out a couple of surfboards for the wave pool. Here's Matthew, Hang Ten!!

We never really saw Ammon at the park, he was always hanging with one of his buddies or being chased by some teenie bopper girls. Seven Peaks is teenie bopper heaven!! Michael only went once or twice, and I'm still trying to get a refund for Dennis' season pass. It was never used. :(

Happy Birthday Matthew!!

2009-08-13T19:31:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late with this one, but better late than never, right?? Matthew had his eleventh birthday on July 25. He went to Seven Peaks with his friend for the day, and then had his choice of where to go for dinner. Most of the kids choose something special or fancy, but Matthew wanted IHOP. His favorite thing is breakfast for dinner!! So Dennis and I took him to IHOP for dinner on his birthday. The next day was Sunday, so we had Grandpa, Uncle Scott and the cousins over for cake and ice cream.

The next Friday, we took Matthew and a couple of his friends Laser Tagging. The kids had a ball, and we finished with pizza and cupcakes. Matthew had a great birthday!!

Matthew is such a wonderful addition to our family. He is gentle and kind (most of the time) and has a sweet and loving personality. I am so proud of the person he is and grateful he is my son. I love you Matthew!!

Fiesta Days 2009

2009-07-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

Fiesta Days is our town's summer celebration and festival. There is the carnival, food, parades and activities all week long. This year Dennis decided he was going to run in the 10k Speedy Spaniard. This was his first 10k, and he wasn't sure he could run that far, but he'd been training, and really wanted to try. So we got up extra early to be there when he crossed the finish line.

His goal was to finish in less than an hour, and his actual time was 52:30. It's hard to see, but in this picture he is looking up to see what his time was! I'd rather die than run, but I'm proud of Dennis!! Go hon!

After the race, we walked over to the annual football booster pancake breakfast, then waited for the parade to start.

I don't know what we'll do next year, Michael won't be playing football and Ammon will be playing for the new high school. There won't be any reason to go to the breakfast and I'm thinking there won't be anyone in the parade for us to watch. We almost didn't stay for the parade this year, but we had to see Michael on the drill team float. Yes, I have my third child on the Spanish Fork Las Chalitas. Not really, Michael is a manager for the drill team. hmmm, easy class, surrounded by cute girls, sounds like a smart kid to me!

No More Cub Scouts!!

2009-07-23T13:40:00.001-07:00

Last night was officially the last pack night ever for the Stone family!! After 3 boys, we are finally done with cub scouts. Matthew turns 11 this week, and attended his final pack night. He earned his Webelos badge and his Arrow of Light, which is the highest honor in cub scouts. Congratulations Matthew!!

The "painted face" ceremony. Everyone's favorite, especially mom!!

Matthew receiving his awards.

Matthew getting his favorite part, the candy bar poster. The Webelos leaders have a tradition of making a candy poster for the boys when they earn their arrow of light.

The finished product. Notice the chocolate? Matthew has his priorities in order, treats before pictures!! We love you!!

Zion National Park

2009-07-14T09:50:00.000-07:00

Ok I admit it, my kids are dorks! Last week we went to Zion National Park for a little vacation. I know, Zion in July? What were we thinking? It was HOT!! We hiked and relaxed, it was a fun getaway for us. This one is at Weeping Rock.

Our favorite hike was the Narrows. You hike a ways on a paved trail, and then your trail is the river. Because it was so hot, it was great to be in a narrow canyon in the water. We hiked about two hours up, then turned around and came back. It was long and exhausting, but we loved it. The water was deeper this time, and so it was harder than I remembered. You can't see all of the rocks on the bottom, so you are always kind of shuffling your feet to find a good place to step. We did pretty well though, I think Jayme was the only one to actually fall in the water. It was a miracle it wasn't me for all the stumbling I did though!!

Before starting the Narrows.

When you hike with Dennis, you don't always stay on the beaten path. If he had his way, you'd never hike on the beaten path! This was one of the "explores" he took us on. It was up a slot canyon in a dry river bed. It was nice and kind of shady, but really sandy. After that one, we hiked back a ways to a little waterfall and pool. That was great!

Watching people fall

2009-07-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we're pretty mean, and easily amused. We had hiked up the narrows about 2 hours, and were sitting by the river resting. There was a submerged log which created a drop off and deepish pool. One after one, people came walking down the trail and fell into the water. I told a few people to go around, but that wasn't nearly as much fun. We watched for a while, then decided to record it. Terrible, right? I know, but it was really funny!!

Jordyn's First Dance Recital

2009-06-27T20:39:00.000-07:00

Jordyn has been taking dance lessons this year from "Miss LeAnn" at Esprit de Corps dance studio. She goes once a week and they learn tap, ballet, and tumbling. Jordyn has loved it, and wants to be a real dancer, just like her big sisters. Naturally, her very first dance recital fell on the weekend of our trip to Alaska. Fortunately for us, she has great big brothers and sisters!! Jayme got her ready for the dress rehearsal, and all of the kids were there for her big show on Saturday. They took video and lots of pictures, so I didn't feel like I missed it at all. Well, almost. Jordyn did a great job, I was proud of her! I wasn't too sure how well she would do, because she's never performed in front of an audience before, but she's a natural!! Unfortunately, I couldn't get the video to load, so these will have to do.

This was her ballet dance to "Under the Sea" from "Little Mermaid". As you can see, we need to work on smiling while dancing.

These are her tap dance, "Guess What". She looks like she's concentrating so hard! The girls put lipstick on her, so she was holding her lips closed to keep it there or something.

Hey, almost smiling!!

Working so hard, it looks painful! I think she's trying to show off her muscles like her brothers!

What a cutie!! I love you, Jordyn!!!

More Alaska

2009-06-18T10:04:00.001-07:00

One of the things you learn very quickly when cruising is that you will get your picture taken every time you turn around. Here are a few of the best pictures. This is when we were first boarding the ship.

They have lots of different backgrounds set up around the ship on formal nights for picture opportunities.

This was at dinner on the second formal night.

In every port they would have a couple of characters waiting to have your picture taken with them outside the windjammer. Scott absolutely hated it and would go to great lengths to avoid being attacked by the characters. I think one of them had a crush on him because she would chase him down! I thought it was easier to just stand and smile for a second.

Alaska Chapter Five -- Vancouver & Seattle

2009-06-15T17:06:00.000-07:00

Friday was disembarkation day. We decided to carry our own luggage and get off of the ship as early as possible, which supposedly was 7:00 am. Well.... disorganized is one word you could use to describe the process. We were late docking and getting cleared by Canadian officials. So, by the time we were allowed to start disembarking, the people scheduled for 7:15 and 7:30 were also standing around waiting to get off. Craziness!! Once the process actually started, it moved pretty quickly, and we were able to get through customs without much delay. Our car rental company was supposed to send a shuttle for us, but we had to wait nearly an hour for the van to come. We were taken to Canada Place and rented our car, finally!! We drove to Stanley Park and drove around a bit. We didn't stop and take any pictures though. I think everyone was kind of tired and just wanted to get going. It was a beautiful park, and I would have liked to walk around.

We drove to Capilano Suspension Bridge, which is the longest suspension bridge in the world.

It was lush and beautiful! They had a great collection of totem poles. Here are a couple.

The bridge goes over the river in a pretty deep gorge. It swayed quite a bit, and the ends were pretty steep to get up and down. We just held onto Dad for balance, his, not ours.

This is a picture looking down from the bridge.

On the other side of the bridge, they have a series of other suspended bridges and platforms in the rainforest canopy. It was pretty cool. There were also some boardwalks and nature trails.

We then drove to Seattle. The border crossing was easier than we dared hope. I had heard of 1-2 hour waits at the border, but it only took us about 15 minutes. We got checked into our hotel, which was ok, but nothing special. Then we walked to the Space Needle. We took the elevator to the top. It was clear and gorgeous. Here are some pictures from the top.

The next morning, we went to Pike's Place Market and walked around awhile. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it was very colorful!! There were lots of fish markets and flower markets. Then we got on the plane, and came home.

I was very pleasantly surprised when we got home. I had geared myself up for a disaster at home. After all, leaving six children alone for a week just spells disaster. I told the kids not to worry so much about enforcing the law, and to just have fun with each other while we were gone. I came home to a beautifully clean house, and six happy, well behaved children!! I am so grateful to them for making this trip possible. They all stepped up and helped with caring for the younger ones and taking care of things. It was nice to be able to leave and not have to worry about what was going on at home. I'm so proud of my kids, and I love them!!

Alaska Chapter Four -- Icy Strait Point & Ketchikan

2009-06-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

Here are Dad and Scott and I at Icy Strait Point. Dennis went off to hike and explore on his own. This was my least favorite port. The town of Hoonah was originally a fishing village, and Icy Strait was created by and for the cruise ship industry. There really wasn't much to do, and all of the excursions were through the cruise ship. Their "claim to fame" is the worlds longest zip line. It was a 90 second zip ride over the rain forest for only about $100. Needless to say, we didn't participate in that one. They had a fish cannery museum and some shops, but not much else.

We did take the forest trail which went through a dense, lush rainforest and ended with a trail along the beach. The forest was gorgeous, and we again had beautiful weather. While we were walking along the beach, we noticed a local family and their children were swimming in the water. Even though the day was warm and sunny, I don't think I would have wanted to swim!

In Ketchikan we got off of the ship and walked around a bit before we met our tour. It was so warm! We were going sea kayaking that day, and thought it would be chilly on the water, and so we had dressed for cold. Ketchikan gets rain something like 300 days a year, so we were planning on rainy and cold. It was sunny and about 78 I think. We had to go into one of the shops and find shorts because we hadn't packed any. Not that I'm complaining mind you!

We then met our tour and rode to the dock where we were given our gear and kayaking instructions. When we planned this excursion, we all thought it would be ok for Dad because he would be just sitting in the boat. Well, evidently Dad was quite concerned and nervous about his ability to do this. We got him situated in the kayak with Scott and off they went! It was kind of funny to watch, but eventually they got the hang of paddling and we took off across the bay.

One of the things we saw was a bald eagle nest. We were able to see several mature and adolescent bald eagles right up close. We paddled close to the shore, and they just sat there. They were fascinating to watch.

I'm not sure how this picture got here, and the computer won't let me delete it. It is Alaska's State Flower, the Forget-Me-Not.

The one thing I had really been wanting to see and hadn't yet were bears. We saw one from a distance on our Kenai Fjords tour, they didn't make an appearance at Taku Lodge, and we pulled up just as one was walking into the bushes on our Skagway tour. Well, we finally saw our bears while we were kayaking! If you look carefully you can see a mama and two cubs. One cub is brown and the other is black. We got a little excited when we saw them, so they got spooked and went over the log into the trees. I was just thrilled that we got to see them!

When we got back to the dock, it was quite a trick to get dad out of the kayak. His arms were so tired from paddling he didn't have the strength to push himself up out of the boat, and his feet kept slipping on the wet floor. I was afraid we were going to have to dump him upside down to pull him out, but eventually he was able to do it. Good thing, the water was cold!!

When we got back to town, we wanted to go to the Saxman Native Village. We had been told there were lots of totems. I think next time we'll go to Totem Bight instead. We took a taxi out, looked around for a minute and then took the city bus back to town for free. Oh well, live and learn...

This is the famous Creek Street. All of the shops are built onto the creek. During the salmon run, they say that the creek is just full of fish. That would have been neat to see. During the gold rush, the miner's would come down to creek street to eat, drink, and be merry.

One of the most famous residents of Creek Street was Dolly. She was in the male entertainment business, and kept very busy. Evidently she was quite renown. Dad wanted to go in, but we wouldn't let him. ;-)

Alaska Chapter Three -- Skagway

2009-06-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

On Monday, we took the White Pass and Yukon Railroad tour. We were picked up from the dock by our tour guide and taken to the train station where we boarded our train. This route was constructed to serve the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. We were on a replica passenger coach, so I imagine it was very similar to what was actually in use around the turn of the century. The route is treacherous and narrow, so it uses narrow gauge railroad. In many places we were literally on the side of the mountain, straight up on one side and straight down on the other. Before the railroad was completed, and even after for some, the men would walk all this way to the gold fields. Every man, woman and child was required to have 2000 pounds of supplies and equipment over the summit. Once they got to Lake Bennett (our furthest stop), they still had another 550 miles of lakes and rivers to travel to get to Dawson City where the gold was. It took them months to even get there. I simply can't imagine...

These two are shots out the window looking straight down.

The train took us over the White Pass Summit and into Fraser, B.C. We then got onto a small bus and continued on to Carcross and Emerald Lake in the Yukon Territory. We made several photo stops along the way. This lake was so glassy and reflected the mountains perfectly. We saw so much beautiful country, and the weather was perfect. Our guide kept telling us how it was never like this. Just breathtaking!

We stopped in Carcross at the Caribou Crossing Trading Post. We had a delicious BBQ chuckwagon lunch, and then were able to walk around and explore. There was a museum with animals from the area and lots of sled dogs. Here I am with one of the sled dogs. I must admit that the dogs were a bit of a disappointment, they weren't the big, fluffy huskies that I expected. They explained to us that they are actually not pure huskies, but a mix of several breeds. What was amazing was watching them run. They offered dog cart rides but we didn't do one. When they got those dogs hooked up, they all wanted to pull and run, and when they took off, all of the dogs in the yard were trying to go too. I guess it's true, they really do love to run!

After lunch we drove to Emerald Lake. It was so pretty!! One of the things that struck me most was that everything was so clean, and pristine. Even with the touristy places and commercialization, there still were no crowds, no garbage, no resorts. It was simply nature and simply beautiful.

Bridal Veil Falls. It seems like everyone and everywhere has a bridal veil falls.

When we got back into Skagway, we walked around and looked at the shops and sights. The downtown area still has raised plank sidewalks, kind of cool and rustic feeling. This is the Red Onion Saloon, quite a famous brothel. You can see the "soiled doves" in the windows plying their trade. There is a museum and tour, but we didn't go in. This was a long day, and we were pretty tired by the time we got back to the ship. I know I keep saying this, but it was simply amazing. Sometimes the only thing to say is WOW. Heavenly Father's creations are so beautiful, and He created them for us. We are so blessed to be able to see and enjoy them!!

Alaska Chapter Two -- Hubbard Glacier and Juneau

2009-06-09T17:42:00.000-07:00

Our first full day on board was a sea day. The day was chilly and cloudy, we even had rain/snow at times. I had been on the internet at cruisecritic.com chatting with some people who would be on our cruise, and Royal Caribbean arranged a "Meet & Mingle" for us. We met with them and visited for a little while. It was fun to finally put names and faces together and get to know some of these people in person.

The ship was moving pretty quickly as we moved up the Yakutat Bay toward Hubbard Glacier, and as I said, it was chilly. We walked around a little, but mostly sat in the Solarium and sipped hot chocolate as we watched huge chunks of ice float by. The Solarium is a beautiful, lushly decorated, indoor pool area. There was so much ice in the water, we were only able to get within about 1 mile of the glacier. I'm not positive, but I think that's still pretty good. It was amazing how huge it was, even at one mile away! The ship stayed at the glacier for quite a while, and just as we were leaving, we were able to see some pretty good calving. It was a beautiful sight. The beauty and grandeur was simply overwhelming! Yes, it was just ice, blue ice, falling ice and floating ice, but it was still gorgeous.

The next day, Sunday, we were in Juneau. We had some time before our tour, so we walked around town a little. We saw the Alaska Capitol, but didn't make it up the hill to the governor's mansion. I still don't think we could have seen Russia from there though, thank you Sarah Palin! Then we took a floatplane to the Taku Lodge. We spent some time just flying around and sightseeing before landing at the lodge. Seeing glaciers from above sure gives a different perspective from seeing them at sea level. It is a remote lodge, and the only access is by air or sea. It was beautiful. We were able to walk around a bit, and then they served us a salmon dinner. Delicious!! The bears often come down because of the smell of the salmon, but we didn't have any such luck. It was still a great day, and a beautiful location.

We had dinner at 8:30 each night, and after dinner we would usually walk on the deck of the ship. This picture of sunset was taken at 10:30 at night!! It was so cool, because it never really got totally dark, just dusky. I loved the long days and all of the sunshine, but I think I'd be suicidal to live there in the winter with the long nights!!

Alaska Chapter One -- Seward, Kenai Fjords

2009-06-08T19:20:00.000-07:00

Dennis, Brian Wight, Dad and Scott

Humpback whale waving at us.

Orcas

On May 28, Dennis, my dad, my brother Scott and I left for a 7 night southbound Alaskan cruise. We flew to Anchorage, where our friend, Brian Wight met us at the airport. Brian took us to lunch, introduced us to his wife and drove us to Seward, where we spent the night. The weather was overcast and kind of drizzly, which was kind of what we expected for Alaska. Everything was beautiful though, just lush and green everywhere. Thursday night, we walked around a little, had dinner, and just relaxed.

Friday morning, we got up early and took a Kenai Fjords 6 hour boat tour. The weather was clear as a bell, not a cloud in the sky. Once the boat got going though, the wind was pretty cold. There was in inside observation area, but it was pretty crowded, so we just stood on the bow most of the time. Nothing like an icy wind in your face!! Everything was beautiful. We started out seeing sea otters and mountain goats. There were lots of birds, the puffins were a blast to watch "fly" on top of the water. We saw harbor seals, stellar sea lions and porpoises raced our boat.

We were looking for whales though. We pulled into a little cove and found ourselves in the middle of a pod of orcas!! It was the coolest thing I've ever seen. They were all around us, it was amazing! We also found some humpbacks that put on a show of breaching and fin slapping for us. It was breathtaking to watch those amazing animals. We also saw a fin whale. I'd never heard of it before, but I guess it's the largest whale in that area.

We went back to a glacier which was pretty cool. The water was so full of ice chunks, our little boat was swerving all over to avoid them. On the hill in that area was a black bear. It was cool to see him, but we were pretty far away.

After our tour, we met Brian again and checked in on our cruise ship. It was an amazing day! We weren't sure how the rest of the week was going to measure up to the first day, because it was practically perfect!

How do you Spell Blessed?

2009-04-21T13:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, when I got home from running kids around, Jennifer met me at the door. She casually says, "We might need a ride back up to Provo tonight." I asked her why and she says, "oh, we might have wrecked Adam's truck on the way home." I'm thinking, what did you do, drive with the oil light on and burn up the engine?? Oh no, she pulls out her cell phone and shows me these pictures:

Naturally, I have "old lady eyes" and can't tell what I'm looking at on a 2" telephone screen. So then she tells me what happened. They were getting off of the freeway onto highway 6 to come home. The light was yellow, so they went through the intersection. As they did, a young girl came into the left turn lane and turned into the rear end of the truck. Her car was little and the truck was big, so she basically went under the truck, lifting it up and flipping it over. Good thing for seat belts!! Of course, Jenn learned that lesson the hard way! She said as the truck was rolling, she could see the roof of the car start to crunch, and so she just ducked down.

Everyone was able to walk away with only bumps and sore muscles. Friends have said that they drove by, saw the truck, and couldn't believe that they weren't hurt. We truly believe in miracles! Jayme came off the freeway a few minutes after the accident, and was a little freaked out when she realized what had happened. Especially with her history!

I couldn't let this go by without expressing my gratitude to Heavenly Father for protecting my children! We are truly blessed, and I am so grateful. I had a "friend" make comment that I shouldn't give credit to the Lord, because it makes me sound like we think we are better or more blessed than others who don't have such fortunate outcomes. I don't believe that is the case at all. I believe we are all equally loved, I believe He looks out for all of His children. I don't understand why some people are saved and others aren't, I don't understand why some people are blessed with health and others are stricken with disease, but I trust that He has a plan, and He understands. Sometimes bad things happen to good people, but I also believe we can find blessings and the hand of the Lord in even the worst situations. Sometimes it's more dramatic, and sometimes we have to look for it, but I believe that it's always there. I choose to be thankful, and in order to be thankful, I must give thanks to someone, right? The person I choose is my Heavenly Father.