Bosch Give Away!

Here I am procrastinating to the last day, I meant to do this earlier, but just didn't get around to it! I am making another post about a really cool service I use called, Deals to Meals because they are giving away a Bosch mixer! By making a post about them, I can get another another chance to win! I've added their button to the side bar and I already have their blog link in my recipe blog roll. Go have a peak!!

I love this service because I don't have to look through all the ads to see what's on sale. They do it for me, and now I can just print off the items I'm interested in and take the one paper to the store with me! I love that the Wal mart I shop at, in Centerville, honors it as though it was an ad and gives me all the price matching prices.

Do you get in a dinner rut? I love to get new recipe ideas in her meal planner section that uses what's on sale that week.

I love that it's so cheap that I don't have to worry about it. If I don't need what's on sale that week or even a couple weeks in a row, and don't use the service, it's no big deal because when I do need something, I save so much in just one trip it pays for itself several times over!!

Whenever I shop I tell people all about Deals to Meals because it saves me so much time and money!

Thanks, Deals to Meals!

Jon's Performance Days

Jon is performing in a couple things and places in July. Some I know more details than others, here's what I know.

Remember when he sang in the Farmington's Got Talent thing a few months back??? Well they asked him to perform in their Farmington Festival Days on July 10th. I don't know where or what time yet, but I'll post when I do.

Another result of that performance, is a part in the "King & I". They weren't very happy with the auditions, so they remembered him from the Talent thing and called him up and asked him if he was interested in auditioning the part. He said sure. He got it! He's the soldier that brings Tuptim to the king as a gift. He has some singing and dancing parts.

The King & I

Woodland Park
300 South 200 East, Farmington

It runs from Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 7:00pm to Saturday, July 17, 2010 at 7:00pm
There is a matinee on Saturday Tickets are $5.

It's an outdoor theatre so bring lawn chairs, blankets etc. oh he said and bug spray!

Here's a link to the facebook event for more info

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=events#!/event.php?eid=138121936200220

He's also singing in Bountiful Handcart Days on July 23rd at 1 to 1:30pm at the park in Bountiful on Main Street and 200 west.

So anyone interested come on down!!

WC - "Lift Up Your Hearts and Be Glad"

"We live in challenging times. Some people look at life with worry and concern while others look forward with cheerful optimism. How can we choose to be grateful and optimistic about the future? What is the relationship between optimism and faith, hope, and charity?"

Aimee Rudd -

None of us have a guarantee on how long we live on earth, but we do have the guarantee on the blessings we could receive on our obedience to gospel principles.

We can choose what type of attitude we're going to have that day. It is a choice we make!

Each problem or challenge gives us an opportunity to learn and grown! Are we going to get in the mind set to learn what we need to learn from them?

She told incredible stories of her family living with genetic diseases and their wonderful attitudes about their trials. She said it makes them who they are! 2 Tim 1:7

She has 3 daughters, 2 of which have cystic fibrosis. They have to be hooked up to machines every day for a certain amount of time to be able to breathe the rest of the day, among other limitations. The girls have such good attitudes about it all that the one daughter that doesn't have the disease wishes she did!!

We don't have control on what happens to us, we do have control on how we react to what happens to us!

Sonja Larsen

"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, but about learning to dance in the rain!"

Paul - We glory in tribulation knowing that tribulation worketh patience. Remember the experiences of the past, it builds faith and hope.

Told the story of her 15 year old daughter coming home one night and admitted to being pregnant. The trials that this family went through, The couple ended up getting married and later sealed int he temple. She talked about sitting in sacrament meeting for a missionary farewell of her grandson, and being poked by his father sitting next to her. I can't remember exactly what she said he said but it was something to the effect that none of them ever imagined that the teenage pregnancy 20 years before would end up here! It could have been much different had they had different attitudes in the beginning.

She also told a story of about a missionary diagnosed with leukemia while on his mission. He went home for about a year for treatment. He wanted so bad to finish his mission. The doctors finally said he was fine enough to go back as long as he had tests done few weeks. He went back for two more months then he had to go home again. He died 9 weeks later. He was a missionary right to the very end. He helped to convert one of the nurses caring for him!

She talked a lot about having a good attitude.

"If someone gives you a cactus, you don't have to sit on it!"

Father's Day

I just wanted to share a couple of pics from Father's Day.

Melanie helped me pull off making a Father's Day Collage for Doug to take to work. She took out each of the kids and did a photo shoot so I had some good pics to do it with and to update the pics on my walls! I think they turned out GREAT!! I used Adobe PhotoShop to make the collage. Then took it to Costco to get a 16 x 20 print for about $6! Walmart for a frame and... voila!!

We also got him some much needed socks! And the kids thought we had to get him his favorite candy bars!! Then of course Kim wrote and illustrated a story for him!!

We also made him his favorite dinner, Turkey Burgers, with pistachio salad! I added some broccoli salad and some watermelon to the menu and we were set! We had red velvet cake from Costco and ice cream for dessert!! YUM!

Happy Father's Day, Sweetheart!!

WC - "That He May Write Upon Your Hearts"

I pretty much forgot I was doing this, here are some of my notes on another class I attended at Women's Conference!

Here is the synopsis of the class from the program...

"President Eyring asks two questions, 'How can I soften the heart of my child now grown and convinced that he or she does not need God?' and 'How can I soften a heart enough to allow God to write upon it?' How can we choose to develop a soft heart - an easiness and willingness to believe the word of God? How can we be teachable and humble?

Shauna Slater

"Be Thou Humble..."
Henry B. Erying Oct 2009 conf

Easiness and willingness to believe in the word of God.
Heart that is sensitive to the Holy Ghost
Heart that can love
Heart that makes and keeps sacred covenants
Heart that feels the atonement

**Don't waste time feeling guilty, work on finding ways to keep going!

The Holy Ghost can teach us what we need to know about our children.

We can't change someone else. We can only change ourselves. We can have faith in the things we've taught them already! Faith in the prayers in their behalf!

She suggested reading the book "Drawing on the Powers of Heaven"
steps to prayer from this book
Select a righteous desire
Plead your case before the Lord
Exert yourself mentally
Sustain our efforts

Increase Prayer and Fasting
-Try to stay connected, listen with love, not judgement

- Call, text or email to let them know you love them.

-Love them! Love unconditionally.

-Be patient - Never, Never, Never Give Up!!

Promise from Pres Hinckley - If we are patient and love them, they will come back!!

**Try to be positive and cheerful - Heavenly Father isn't sulking about us. It doesn't help to be sad.

Look for teaching moments.

Include them in every family activity.
-Don't quit

-Make them feel welcome

-Serve them

-Respect them

-Remember their agency

Our hearts have to be softened for them to have a soft heart. Heavenly Father knows us and loves us and as we soften our hearts and listen he will guide us in what to do and NOT to do.

Scott Knect - Stake President

2 Cor 3:
Radiate who you are!
The best way to write it on our hearts is to allow the finger of God to touch our hearts.

Ezekial 18:31
Cast away all your transgression

Isaiah 6:9
We can't do it ourselves. It's not enough to "memorize"

Ezekial 36:25
fleshy tables that God can write upon.

-broken bones - we allow the doc to reset the bones so it will heal correctly
-with a broken heart we have to allow God to reset it

1. Alma 32 - Give place for the seed. Open up room. Are there things to throw out in order to give God access to write upon it?
attitudes
willingly open a place for God

2. ** Be Patient! Pres Uchtdorf
We have to do more than just wait for something to happen. Not passive recognition.
We have to be working and forging forward in our faith.
Actively work and do things
Active endurance while we wait for the Lord.

3. Steady Teaching, Learning & Encouragement
Luke 24:25-27
Visible epistle of the Savior, not nagging or badgering

Alma 39:40 - Testifies and teaches. Not going to beat it soft, teach it soft.

Mos 13:11 - Abinadi

Mos 18:21 - Baptismal covenants - no contention
Hearts knit together in love and unity

Ponder sinks down deeper - connects hearts and minds.

Alma 23

Sorry the notes on the last speaker are a little more disconnected than the first. I put them in anyway because I thought some of it was still pretty good as disconnected as it seemed to me.

Zoo Pass with Guest

We decided to go to the zoo this week so Aaron could earn his Cub Scout Zoo Patch!

We invited the Olson family to join us! We were very fortunate to get them all in on our pass!! I am happy about getting a pass this year and adding a guest, it sure has made it much more flexible and fun!!

It was a perfect day for it, it was warm and partly cloudy, not too hot, not too cold! We decided to go earlier rather than later and boy am I glad we did. By the time we were ready to leave, the wind had kicked up and the temperature started to drop.

We had fun walking around while the boys wrote down 20 different animals and where they were from. It was fun to see them start to recognize the places on the maps as we got closer to the end of their list.


Nattie Bug wanted to be carried as soon as we got out of the van, so I splurged and got a stroller this time. It was well worth it, I had both girls in it a lot of the time, sometimes fighting about it and sometimes hugging each other!

The kids had the chance to pet a snake and possum that zoo keepers were randomly walking around the zoo for people to pet. We also had fun watching the giraffe eat the leaves off of sticks and how he uses his tongue to move the stick around in his mouth and get every morsel of green off of it!! Hilarious!!! I really wish I would have gotten a video clip of that, but I was too fascinated to think about it until it was over!! lol

Then of course the very last stop before we leave, the Playground!!

Thanks, Olson's, for sharing in our fun Zoo Day!!

Sprinkler Fun!!

A couple of Saturday's ago, GiGi came over to visit and play. Before we knew it the kids were coming in pretty wet! The sprinklers had come on and they decided to get in them. The little girls were first. When we thought they were done we dried them off and got them into dry clothes. By then the big kids caught wind and wanted to get in too. They put on their swim suits. We were fortuneate to have extra suits for GiGi's kids! The little girls decided to get back in the mix and got into their suits as well. They had so much fun running around and getting wet and cold. GiGi and I just sat on the porch and marvelled at the simpleness of the fun! I am not happy that I didn't get a single picture, they had so much fun. Afterwards, one (or two) at a time as they were getting cold and tired, we brought them in to take a nice warm shower and into nice warm clothes. It was a great night!!

This last Saturday the plan was to play on the slip and slide at Their house for CiCi's birthday. The weather didn't cooperate in the least. It was cold, rainy, and windy. We went and played inside instead. As much fun as they had, the kids were really disappointed they couldn't play in the water outside. We promised we would come back on a sunny day to play.

Monday afternoon I get a text with an invite to go back on Tuesday! So back we went!! They had a blast playing in the water, on the tramp, in the play house, and with the legos! This time I did remember to take a few pics! :) The boys had already finished outside and were inside playing legos. They were outside at one point.

They're never ready to go home!!

Thanks, GiGi for a great time!!

Swimming at the Rec Center

I mentioned earlier that we got passes to the Rec Center. We've been swimming a few times, I finally took my camera to get a few pics.

Nattie Bug is terrified of the water! I am so surprised at just how scared she is. She is better at times but I'm going to have to get a swim suit and get in the water with her and really work with her. So far she's just been going into the water with her Dad or siblings. They just hold her and sometimes she screams and sometimes she's okay. The other day, Ben just grabbed her and took her down the kiddie slide. We figured after once or twice she'd like it, but she would scream everytime he came near her to take her down again.

However, that strategy did work on Tiffany. They have a big slide inside and we just knew Tiff would enjoy it if she would just have the courage to go down just once. It took quite a bit of coaxing, but she finally consented to going down with Ben. And sure enough, she loved it. She doesn't swim well enough to go down alone and they don't want life jackets down the slide. So she went down several times with Ben.


I had to put one to show that she does have fun sometimes!!

I love our passes because we don't feel pressured to stay for a long time, an hour or two is plenty!

Ben's Grad Announcement

I am sending these out in the mail this week, I am excited how they turned out!

Emily's Lip Sinc Video

We finally got Emily's Lip Sinc video on the computer and converted so we can get it on here.

I do have a disclaimer, though, I am not a very good camera man to begin with, but I had Nattie and Tiff hanging on me and pulling on my arm as I was trying to video this dance. So in parts you will wonder what exactly was I trying to video tape! :) The funny thing is that Melanie was sitting next to me trying to take pics and they would go from one to the other and mess us both up!! No wonder I try to leave them home when ever I can! Gotta love it!! Lol

This girl is not afraid to move!!!

Ben's Graduation

On Friday June 4th, at 3pm, Ben graduated from High School with Honors (that's what the silver cord means, 3.5 or above) at the Bountiful Regional Center!

We had 467 graduates from Bountiful High School! We got there early and got the best seats in the house. I don't think anyone really knew they would be the best seats, but when I saw them open, I jumped at them. It was great!! I was perfectly situated to take pics of him coming in and going out! Then Doug taped him "walking" from his seat. I moved up and took some still pics but they mostly turned out blurry. I tested on other kids before he came out to get the setting right on my camera to get the best shot I could from so far away. Then when it came time to take pics of Ben for some reason they are all blurry!! Bummer! Oh well we have a great video! Maybe I'll have to see if I can get some still shots off the video.

Anyway, even though we were in the Regional Center, we still couldn't invite anyone but parents and grandparents to come. They were supposedly pretty strict about it, and yet we always wonder how some kids have such a "fan club" anyway!

We were asked to refrain from yelling and clapping until all the names were read and all the graduates walked. They really laid down a huge guilt trip in advance on those who did. There are always a few who yell, clap and scream anyway. I was able to attend my nephew's graduation the night before. They didn't even bother to ask them not to yell, I think it was awesome to be able to clap and yell for our graduate. Oh well, we congratulated him all day, and afterwards took him to dinner!!

Here's the infamous walk across the stage!

Congrats to Ben & TJ! We love you, both!!

Last Day of School!!!!!

It finally came!! Last Day of School!


The High Schoolers didn't even go at all. Ben went to grad rehearsal and that's about it. Steven did go and spent pretty much the whole school day, signing year books and what ever else. The Elementary kids went, but pretty much just played around and signed yearbooks all day. After the 6th grade Graduation I walked the halls to get pics of the kids with their teachers and I was amazed at the chaos in the halls!! Why do they even go to school the last week anyway??
All they did was play!
For the fun of it all!!


Emily & Mrs. White




Kimberly & Mrs. Thayne

This is Aaron's class. I volunteered most Tuesday Mornings.

Aaron & Mrs. Brgoch

We are so happy for Summer Vacation!!

6th Grade Graduation

Emily had her 6th Grade Graduation on Friday in the morning.

It was actually kind of formal. They had the kids walk in individually and receive their "diploma" and sit down. Then we had speakers and a musical number.

They presented the Presidential Awards to the students who have scored high on their state tests and have kept their grades up for 3 years! Emily received one! I kind of suspected she would, she's an excellent student!

Some of these kids looked so young and yet some of them looked too old!!

That afternoon, they had a 6th grade Dance! Then it was all over, no more Elementary School!!

What a Weekend!!

We usually have really good intentions to "do something fun" but always end up sitting around just trying to 'figure it out"! We have such a wide age range, it's hard to find things that everyone wants to do. Some are more willing to just do "something" than others. Then there's the decision do we play or work? It's a great opportunity to get much needed yard and house work done when everyone is home, but yet it's a holiday, we don't want to work the whole weekend! I tried to get a lot of the weekly cleaning done Thursday and Friday so there wouldn't be too much to do on Saturday.

This weekend was starting out to be the same. I had been thinking about it for a couple of weeks in hopes of avoiding wasting the time trying to think of something to do. I had recently renewed our rec center passes mainly because this was our last year to get our Davis County discount. sniff sniff. Last year I had two county employees so I got $400 off the $525 yearly pass. This year I only had one, so I got the $200 discount. It's still way expensive, but for a family of my size it actually works out in our favor. Next year I will have to pay the full price, yuck!! We'll see if we use it well this year, then I'll do it, if not then I won't. Anyway, I knew I had to take them swimming to kick off the summer right.

Saturday - we decided to head to the park first. Melanie and Steven went and bought some kites. So we experimented with kite flying. We had some trouble getting started. It was windy enough to get them up, but not windy enough to keep them up. We finally realized that store kites do not have enough string. We needed to get them up higher to be able to get them to stay up. So we combined strings from two of the kites and made the other two twice as long. That's when the fun really began! Who would have thought that flying kites could be so fun! For some of them anyway, the ones that didn't want to fly kites just played on the playground. It works!

After playing and kite flying, we went to the Rec Center and swam for an hour. That's the beauty of having a pass, you don't have to feel like you have to stay half the day to get your money's worth! Poor Natalie was terrified! Just when she would start to feel comfortable she would be crawling around in the very shallow water and her face would go under and her feet would come up. All she had to do was just stand up, but she just didn't have the sense to do it! Then she would be all scared and crying again. We have got to work on that girl this summer. The kids are a little rusty on their swimming skills but not too bad, we should be able to fix that by just swimming! I probably need to get Tiff in swim lessons and see if I can get her swimming too. We'll see,they are so expensive but it sure paid off for the last three!

On our way home from the pool we went stopped and got some pizza! Came home, showered the younguns, and ate pizza and watched a movie. Some of the kids said it was the funnest day ever!! I don't think quite that fun, but it did turn out to be a fun day!!

Sunday - We had a great opportunity to share in Baby Megan's Baby Blessing! We attended their whole ward block because it was at the same time as ours. We also shared the luncheon and was able to visit with family and friends, we stayed the whole afternoon! (a big THANKS to GG for helping me with Nana so I could be gone that long!!)

Monday - We had a picnic in our back yard and discussed some tree house plans! We hope to get that project going again this summer! We want to get some railing and stairs for starters and hopefully an upper platform! We'll see!

We went swimming again! I am amazed at how much fun the kids think that is! We came home and made homemade hamburgers. Believe it or not, I believe this dinner ranks right up there with pizza! Every one of us loves these hamburgers!!

After dinner we went to the park again and played Ultimate Frisbee. We actually had everyone there! It made for a fun game! Then home again for homemade Ice Cream!!

I can't believe I only took pictures on the first day, the first activity!!

Boy were we all POOPED!! The younger kids literally fell into their beds!!

Lip Sinc

The month of May is always so full of activities! We only have 3 more days left of school, counting today!

Last Friday was the 6th grade Lip Sinc! Emily and her friend Stephanie did a dance to "Conga".


They wore my mother's fiesta costumes that her mother made! My sister and I wore them for a children's parade one year in Santa Barbara. I never thought any of my kids would even want to wear them. But these girls were way excited that they fit them!!


I didn't get to see any of the choreography before show time. Boy, was I amazed!

I took video, I'll see if Doug will get it on the computer and convert it, so I can add it later. But for now here are some pics!!

Please excuse the red eye, I couldn't get rid of it. They really are not demon children! I guess it's because I was clear on the other end of the auditorium and used my super zoom lense!

They took second place in the duo category, I think they should have taken first overall, but maybe I'm partial! I had a few other people stop me in the halls and tell me so!! So maybe I'm not!! ;)

When it was all over, I asked them how they felt, they both said GREAT! Steph even explained that she didn't understand why she was crying, she wasn't sad but very happy!! Emily said she didn't care whether they won at all, she had a blast!! And boy did she show that on stage!!