little fireman

Has it really been over a month since I posted ANYTHING?? Okay I give...I've had company 5 out of the last 8 weeks and two weekends I was out of town. Laundry, gymnastics, baseball, baseball practice; I see how a mom can get busy really quickly. So it's not like nothing is happening...everything is and I have finally made time to download pictures.

Isaiah had a fieldtrip to the fire station and I had Joshua come along this time. They both loved riding on the bus and getting dressed up in a real firemans gear. My real dad was a fireman so this was neat for me to experience with the boys.



My family: Doesn't this guy look exactally like Ryan?? Even Ryan thought so...

My sister Summer...her daughter Hallie and Isaiah have the same teacher. Thus we are really lucky and get to go do things like this together.

Things like this are my favorite things to do with my boys. Their eyes light up and it's facinating to watch them experience things like this for the first time.

Sewing 101

**Update...Give a day Get a day at Disney has just ended...they reached their million volunteers. I hope everyone got to do it that wanted to.

I'm sure you've all heard about the Disney's Give a day Get a day (http://disneyparks.com/ )
We too are participating. What a great idea on their part and what a great incentive to give service. We decided to make blankets for Project Linus. They distribute them out to children who are sick in hospitals. I love to sew and I know how much my boys love their own blankets. It was the perfect service project for us!

Isaiah made an easy tied fleece blanket.



Mike even did all the sewing himself...how domesticated.

I was excited to make something girly...

having boys can give you the 'BLUES'

My sister Summer and her cute fruity blanket. We'll all be going on vacation together.

Her husband Brett. I was so impressed with the guys doing their own.

Their daughter chose dolphins...she did an awesome job. Did EVERYTHING herself.

We wish we knew who our blankets will go to but the kids loved doing it and they're so excited. I'm excited to take they boys to Disneyland for their first time this year.

March Mayhem

We started March off in the doctors office getting Isaiah's toe sewn up. We had friends over and our next door neighbor was flipping Isaiah over her shoulders and his foot hit our glass ceiling fan light covers and sliced the heck out of is big toe
clear to the the tendon.
I found myself putting on a strong face so he didn't freak out but inside I'm totally freaking out...it was a deep cut. Mike's out of town, I've never dealt with a wound like this...I didn't know what to do. I'm just glad I can keep my cool on the outside at least. Luckily there's a doctor in our ward who came right over and looked it over for me. Then he called his office and told them we were coming.
Isaiah is so flippin (no pun intended) tough! No tears.....none.
The doctors were completely surprised how well he did.


Yowsers!!




This is how chill his attitude was...pictures say it all.






Then we headed to get some ice cream to make sure everything heals up well...ice cream does that ya know ;)

Kansas City...

Our trip to Kansas City was INSANELY fun!! I posted tons of picture in hope that it would help capture the best moments. Sadly the best moments were things pictures couldn't do justice...like the ambiance of the jazz musicians at dinner and the live band at awards night and the crazy drunk lady dancing with us girls (I'm still laughing about it...)

I won't be offended if you don't read everything I wrote...It is purely for journal sake.


Wednesday: On our flight over there...

Our flight attendants were hillarious...they were telling jokes and the toilet papered this guy who was DEAD asleep. Right after I took the picture he totally started drooling...we were laughing so hard watching him...good entertainment.

After we landed we had a personal chauffeur waiting with our name on a sign...what?? This is the beginning of our spoiled rotten vacation.

Got to the hotel and were greeted by this guy...totally a scene from a movie...I've NEVER stayed at a hotel like this.

Thursday: Lookin' snappy for his first day of meetings.

Couldn't resist... we were lovin our time together.

While the guys were at meetings they took all of the wives on a 3 hour tour of the city. 60 year old lady tour guide and everything...I was amazed at the historical feeling of the city...loved it. This was what amazed me most and my picture doesn't do it justice...the black blob on the bottom left of the picture is a grand piano...kind of gives you an idea how HUGE the place is. It is the 3rd largest train station in the world.



Liberty memorial...underneath the building is where they have a museum of WWI artifacts even a HUGE tank.

This is one of the mansions in Hyde park...which was where the millionaires of early history built homes...

That night we went to the Mavericks hockey game.

Friday: Girls day to relax...it was severly cold outside and didn't know what I was going to do...this was my view off my deck. What you don't see is the blizzard behind me. It was 11:30am and I hadn't dared go out to get breakfast yet...but then my hunger insisted and I got brave.



So this was me 10 minutes later.

On my way I took a picture...Just look at this statue...he proves my point!



After breakfast I spent some time in Barnes and Noble relaxing my time away. Then went back to the hotel to cuddle in my bed with a good book.

Friday night we had an olympics themed dinner with chaise lounges set up with TV's everywhere. While everyone else got sloshed on drinks from the open bar we were loving our Shirley Temples (Cherry Sprite) About as fancy as we got. After dinner we got together and played scum with most of our office until well into the night...I won!!

Saturday: It's tradition in our office for our Agency manager to tak the guys to Bob Jones Shoes. It's the biggest shoe store in the US. So while they did that the girls went shopping in the plaza and then went here...

Kansas city is known for it's BBQ. For experience sake...we HAD to (twist our arm) stop. We went with a few couples from our office...it was a TON of food!!!

After lunch we headed here...it was only 12 miles away. We learned a lot we didn't know...what an amazing place.

That night we had the awards night dinner in the Grand Ballroom with the all the agencies...cameras would not of done this justice at all...it was incredible.



The food could seriously have been straight from a magazine. I know...we're crazy for taking pictures of it...but you wouldn't have believed me.

Appetizer

Crab stuffed prawns with papaya sauce...yum

Mike hates seafood and loved it.

Salad with mozzarella balls and roasted tomatoes and shittake mushrooms...yum

After the salad we had a spoonful of Red wine and pear sorbet...not my thing

Petite Filet mignon with stuffed crab ravioli with sweet potatoes...finished off with holladaise sauce and the 'Mrs. Doubtfire carrot'.

Most of the Incredible people from our office...missing about three couples. They were off dancing already. These are some of the most incredible people that ever existed. I got to know most of them really well and love them and can't until our next trip together.

The big eagle trophy?? We won agency of the year...woo woo!!

They also announced the next trip planned

2011 is Florida ...every other year they go outside the US...

Anyone who qualifies 2012 will go 8 days to AUSTRALIA...WHAT ????

After the week we had we were all beat tired. We slept most of the flight home... it took 45 minutes on the runway before takeoff because of the snow. They had to totally de-ice the plane.

My favorite part of flying...because of the storm the clouds were beautiful.



Now we're home I feel like I need a vacation after vacation to relax...2011 I can't wait for you.

Food for thought...

I went to High School with so many of you. I don't know how many of you remember seminary as vividly as I do. My senior year I had Bro. Hank Smith. I know some of you were even in my class. Seminary that year was completely set apart from any other year. I don't know if you think of him the way I do, I think I was close to him because he was good friends with my brother before he passed away and reminds me of him...still. So on with the story...

I was at the library the other day...I like to listen to books on CD and was looking for my next victim. I came across a cd by Hank Smith and I did a double take and wondered if it was THAT Hank Smith. It was. SCORE!!! Got home, listend to the CD which was incredible and googled (later in his talk he called it our 'google and thumim' I laughed) him.
First website...from Deseret book and he has this out...which I checked out yesterday and will listen to TODAY!!




And this...the first I found...



And this...who is next on my list




So another search found him speaking at EFY IN ST. GEORGE the NEXT WEEK....Seriously? I was going crazy...so I called the YW president (who I visit teach) and asked what it would take for me to go and they were short leaders and offered me a ticket!!! WAHOOO!!!





I got to speak with him as he walked in...He is still the smiley faced, infectiously happy person I remember.

This is the introduction to his talk...which is the entire purpose of this post
I don't usually go 'testimony builder' in my posts but this concept hit me so hard and I've been on a spiritual high since.

Hank Smith
Break up with the World. The world offers enticements and temptations that are difficult to leave behind. The strength you’ll need is found in a steady relationship with the scriptures and feasting on the words of Christ.

He talked about what it meant to break up and gave some awesome break up lines, he talked about his own break ups, and told of a day in seminary that his students put things on the board that were 'worldly' like TV shows, clothes, movies and challenged them to give up somthing that they liked but was hindering their spiritual growth. What I remember about that is that he said..."You'll know exactally what it is because your mind will go exactally to it and then you'll have the 'NO! not that!' reaction. He then talked about the Lord asking Abraham to give up something and Abraham offering many many things willingly but the Lord said 'No, I want the one thing you didn't offer because it's the hardest thing to give up...his son Isaac. Bro. Smith said "The Lord knew he would do it...Abraham needed to know Abraham could do it. The Lord asks of us things that are hard but when we show him we'd give up anything then we're on the right path.

Then he quoted...

“The greatest decision I ever made in my life was to give up something I dearly loved to the God I loved even more. He has never forgotten me for it.” Thomas S. Monson Liahona May 2003

This is the biggest thing I remember about the whole thing (this will be in my house on a wall somewhere)

Pride is in the 'er' You begin the pride cycle when you have to be 'smart-er' 'skinni-er' 'fast-er' 'rich-er' It's okay to be smart, skinny, fast, rich. It's when you have to do it bett-er.

"Help our children...escape our culture’s obsession with comparing, competing, and never feeling we are “enough.” Jeffrey R. Holland Ensign May 2007

Powerful huh?? Get his CD's. You'll love them...your teens will love them...I know it!!!