Our Trip to St. George

Our friends, Paul & Tina, invited us to go up to St. George with them for the weekend! We weren't able to go last year b/c Rissa was a newborn, but this year we worked it into our plans to go!! Paul and Marty have worked together in the Elder's Quorum Presidency, at church, for several years now and so we have had the opportunity to get to know and love their family. We were excited to get out of town for a few days!! Thanks to the Christensen's for keeping the boys and to the Galloway's for keeping Rissa!!!

At some point, while I was packing the boys suitcase, Jacob neatly tucked his treasure box, Sneech & Pokemon Book into there. He always does this when packing for a trip, putting his most important items at the time, in it! I always love seeing where his priorities lye! This time his treasure box contained a couple of his stuffed animals, a ball of clay (very important to him!!), a night light and a key (to be sure we could unlock the door when returning home)!


We Arrive in St. George
Here's Jenny taking on the guys in a game of basketball! Watch out guys...she's good!
...Go Marty! Go!!...You can't let a girl beat you!!
While Jenny took on the guys, Tina & I hit the Tennis court! I have never really played tennis and I fell in love with it!! I totally want to go take some tennis lessons now! ...this is us after playing for three hours!! We were having such a great time playing that we continued playing long after the basketball stopped bouncing!! Don't be alarmed that I'm all swollen and purple/red!! I always look scary like that when I work out or exercise...always have..always will!



Shakespearean Festival




St. George Temple


Marty & I really enjoyed going through the St. George Temple! We had some really neat experiences; first being that we were asked to be the witness couple. The other neat thing about the session was that we were all going through for some of Jenny's family members! I love the Temple and am so thankful for the blessings that come from it.



Ok, so now it's Time to Play, "Where's Waldo...I mean, Where is KENT?"
Kent is the "Chinese Dude" on the left :) ...Can you find him in these pictures?
...hhhmmmm, where could KENT be?...
...nope, still don't see him!...
--hey, whatever! we know you're back there...
...so Statuesque...
It was fun getting to know Shelley & Kent better! Thanks for being such a good sport, Kent!!


Thanks Paul & Tina...and Paul's Parents...for letting us all stay at your vacation home!! We had a great time and were thankful for the much needed vacation!!

A Peek into the Life of a CUB SCOUT!

~~~Pinewood Derby Oct 2008~~~
Obviously, Jacob was not wanting to be in the picture!! I should've painted some eyes and a nose on his chin to do the "upside down chin man"! b/c it'd be perfect in this picture the way he's upside down and the rest of his face is cut off! (You know what I'm talking about, right? Haven't you seen that done before?)
Here's Jacob's sweet car...we should've painted it yellow with a lot of windows! It was PR-I-tttty SLOW!!
Brant doing the Ancient Montezuloo Egyptian PW Derby Dance! They say that doing this dance just before each race will bring nothing but good fortune to you and your Derby car.
Now this is the Reptilian Wink Tongue Shoot Look that is supposed to ward off all forces of evil and bad luck! It takes them out of the air so that as the race car plunges down the track, it can be pushed by the Winds of Speed helping your car reach it's full racing potential!!
Marty helped keep track of all of the races...Brant was the BEST assistant ever!!!


While all of the guys were doing the million or so car races, I followed Rissa around! She LOVED playing with the "big girls!" and I must say, they loved playing with her!! I think they thought of her as their baby doll!!


~~Pinewood Derby 2007!!!!~~







~~Fishing @ The Garcia's House~~

Jacob and Brian playing with the worms.
Here's Marty putting the worm on the hook for Brant. Way to keep a straight face, honey!! I'd be cringing!! UUuuggghh!
Brant's REady to FisH!!
We couldn't find Jacob's fishing rod at home--it's one of those compact ones that fold up pretty small. he kinda got the raw end of the deal...he had to use a homemade one, but couldn't find a long stick. he did great with what he had to work with and he had a lot of fun -and I guess that's what matters most, right?!
The boys LOVED fishing at the Garcia's!! Brant even caught one!!
Bro. Evans taught Brant how to gut and clean the fish that he caught!! For fun, Brant and I actually seasoned and cooked it!!
Brant and Sis. Evans have this joke between the two of them about Taco Bell. One day, she called and asked to talk to me, and Brant replied to her, saying, "Sorry, you have the wrong number. This is Taco Bell!". So, Brant decided that he wanted to make her some Fish Taco's! After cooking the fish, we shredded it and made Taco's out of it and then took them over to Brea (Sis. Evans). She and Bro. Evans ate them and said they tasted really good. Fish Taco's...yum, yum!

Hi Brant & Jacob!!!!!..and Rissa!

Hey Boys!!!!! We hope ya'll are having fun with the Christensen's (and Rissa with the Galloways :) ! We miss and love you sooo much!! Jacob, make some cool stuff with your clay, have fun playing with Brian and Tyler, and listen to your teachers at church, Ok!! Brant, kick some booty at your baseball game, throw your hard, strong strikes when you pitch, and CRUSH the ball when you bat!!! ..oh and don't forget to get your pictures, etc after the game ok?! We LOVE you and can't wait to see you in a couple of days!!! love, MOM & DAD :)P.S.--Remember, Peter & Allyson are THE BOSS':)

What are the odds??

So I only have a few minutes to write, but I wanted to mention two things that I have witnessed today.
#1--While getting gas...not for me, for my car....This guy pulls up to the pump on the other side from me and starts filling up his car. What does he decide to do while he's waiting for his car to fill up??.. You guessed it!! He starts hacking up the crud from the depths of his throat and the loogies start flyin!! My first thought was to be just grossed out b/c it's now laying there for everyone to look at and step in and by the third or forth loogie, I'm thinking, ok, Either he's really sick or he ate some nasty, nasty crap for lunch!! It was so nauseating to me and it brought back some bad memories from childhood & growing up with football playing brothers!! I did think about saying something to him about it. The only thing that stopped me was the fact that I was scared out of my pants that if I did say something to him, he would yell all the swear words that were tattooed all up his arms!....FOR REAL, DUDE!!!...GO SPIT IN THE TOILET, WILL YA!!

#2--The second thing I saw was one of those things that the stars have to be aligned just perfectly for one to witness! It really isn't anything too amazing..actually it's just as gross as the Loogie spitting, swearing tattoo man! And it all took place in a little world called the fish bowl. So I don't know if I've updated anyone on our snails. Vader is the winner! He is left a lone snail because he ate the other three! When Brant & I participated in the Relay for Life last weekend, we won TWO GOLDFISH at one of the booths. Actually, Brant won one and I bought one for a dollar from this girl on the track. So I put Vader and the nameless fish in a tall vase of water...together, they can keep each other company, right? Well, nameless fish #1 died the next day, so now we just have nameless fish #2 and Vader the snail. I was washing my hands and glace in the window seal to see how they were doing and much to my surprise, what do I see? First, I see Vader poop! He was stuck to the glass near the top of the vase, so I see poo come out of this snail and then it starts to float down to Davey Jones' Locker. Thinking that was ironic enough- that I glance right at the moment that this little black snail poos, the unthinkable happened! Nameless fish #2 swims right underneath him and eats it!! Well, that's just enough for me for one day! At least I don't have to worry about feeding the Nameless fish today!!

***Just FYI---I know that by now some of you are thinking that I really enjoy talking about poop and spit a lot. It's not really true...really. Maybe it's just having boys that talk about it and play with it and do it and...really, I love to wear make-up and jewlry and I like showers and a clean house. So please, don't base your opinion of me based upon these poopy post!! :)

A few things we did over Fall Break

1. We took a trip to the Zoo~..those are the most beautiful pearls I ever did see!!! I didn't take my camera on this trip to the zoo (shame..I know!)...but Denise got snap shot or two for me. Thanks Denise!! The boys have been in school the past three times Rissa & I have gone to the zoo, so it was extra fun to have them with us! We went with three other families, so the boys had friends to play with. The weather was nice, the animals were all out and the ICEE man was open for business so it was some good times had at the zoo!
I do need to mention two little things. Brant, Colby & Caleb were inches away from catching a couple of turtles from the zoo lake...I'm sure that would've gone well! I was the mean mom who 'stopped' them! I figured one of two thing's would happen; they would leave the zoo 'fingerless', or they'd be hauled off to prison for attempted 'turtle napping'! I wasn't down with either, b/c I'd either be writing out someone's homework everyday or I'd have to cash out a 401K to haul his little booty out of jail, and neither of those were gonna happen!! Brant was slightly bummed when I put my foot down ('cuz I'm that kinda mom--ain't no kid running over me! hahahaha)but when he heard 'the tone' in my voice, he willingly let Mr. Turtle go. (Actually--truth be told, it wasn't until I threatened him with no video games-that he walked away from him dream of owning turtle!).
The other thing that I wanted to write down was that Jacob, at one point went MIA! I ran all around the farm trying to find him. Denise took off looking the opposite direction at the same time. I finally stopped and said to myself, If I were JACOB, what would I be looking for? (A question I haven't had to ask myself too much lately since he has been doing so well). Then it hit me! I took off and started running toward the park where we ate our lunch. As I'm running towards her, Denise yells, Tiff here he is!! I got over to Jacob and said, "Jacob, where were you going? What were you looking for?". "I just wanted that chick egg, Mom. I need to take it home and take care of it until it hatches. Then he can be my little baby chick!". I was right! When we were leaving the park to go to the farm, there was a nest on the other side of the fence with a little egg laying in it. He wants a baby chick so bad and has for a really long time (hence the reason eggs go missing from my frig!!) maybe one day, my little Jacob...in the next lifetime! So far I've done a dog that I hope lives forever, snails that eat each other, fish that live a really long time, fish that die the next day, the winning snail that won't die, Hulk-the blessed hamster (God speed little Hulk! We miss you!...and I hope you weren't bothered that we had to throw your little body in a dumpster when you died!-a story I will have share some day in another post) plants that look like butts (really, ask Dawn...she gave that most interesting plant to me:) ) frogs in a bucket....and we can't leave out the whobbly crippled pigeon that lived in the bush by our front porch..the one who taught me to love all of God's creatures...really, I just can't do the whole cute baby chick thing...maybe one day...in the next lifetime. Love, mom
Some other things we did over Fall Break...

2. We Enjoyed Homemade Breakfast
Brant woke up almost every morning and made us homemade pancakes!! Thanks Brant for sharing your cooking skills with us!!!

3. We Got BOOED!! Whoever left this bucket of yummy goodness is super fast!!! I happened to be expecting someone and so I got to the door pretty quickly after our doorbell rang....The kids and I ran out the door and didn't see a car or anyone...well, we did see a car pulling U turn and then it drove right in front of our house but we didn't recognize the car or he driver....hhhuummmm. Thanks to who ever you are!! We LOVED the popcorn balls and we were all really excited to get the surprise!!!


4. The Weather's Nice-So Pull Out the Potter's Wheel!!!Over break we also pulled out my pottery wheel! I love this time of year b/c I can get on the wheel outside and enjoy the cool air! I don't have a kiln, so I can't fire any pieces that I make, but it's fun to get on it and play. The kids love it, too!...all of them...including the ones that don't actually live with us :) As you can see, Jacob loves to do some 'clay dipping' and pretend that he's the Sand Man..from one of the superhero's movies!!

Relay for Life

This Friday 10pm-Saturday 5am Brant and I went to the RELAY FOR LIFE to support Jaden in his efforts to raise money for the American Cancer Society!! Our theme was SUPER HEROS...SAVING LIVES! I was able to help out by making the sign. I also was planning on bringing a ton of baked goods for Jaden to sell. We found out two days before that the baked goods could not be homemade, so I decided to do a bake sale from home instead. When I got home from working out on Wednesday morning, there were many messages on my phone and by the time I called everyone back, I WAS SOLD OUT!!! With your help, together, we raised $120.00 dollars for Jaden's Team!!! I WAS SO EXCITED by all of the support and those of you who bought yummy treats from me!! THANK YOU!!!
Here we all are...the SUPERHERO'S!! After taking the picture, we decided to walk a lap together as a team, wearing our masks! I eventually had to change masks with Jess b/c the Batman mask was pushing into the "buttons" of my eyeballs (I'll explain that in another post b/c it really is a story that needs to be documented!) and I felt like my eyeballs were going to pop out and roll along side us on the track!
Our mighty team captain, Jaden, and his dad, Ken! I have been so impressed with Jaden and all the work and thought that he has put into his team and raising money for the American Cancer Society!! His grandmother has worked for the American Cancer Society for 25 years or so and so I know that she must be so proud of his accomplishments!!
Amy, Me & Jessica!! It was so fun being chaperones together!! The three of us have been good friends for a long time now. We've all helped each other through some hard times and have just been there for each other. I'm so thankful for these two amazing women!!
Brant & I after walking the 'Ceremony Lap'. I'll explain all of that near the end of this post. It was such a fun night with Brant! Once he found some friends I didn't see him too much b/c they were all running laps, selling baked goods & and just goofing off. We considered this one of our mother/son dates and he has told me several times that he was so glad that we did that together and that this was one of our funnest dates ever!! I must say that I am really proud of him! I was worried that he would be super grumpy b/c we went to the Pinewood Derby at the church and then got to the (high school) Relay around 10pm. We didn't get home from the walk until around 5:00am or so. Saturday didn't bring much rest for him either, he had a baseball game at noon (in which he pitched the first two innings!)...my point is that he had a full schedule and not much sleep and really didn't give us much attitude about it with lack of sleep!
Jaden thought it would be a good idea to bring his guitar and try to raise some money by playing. He did this before Brant and I got there, but I hear he did pretty well!
Here are some of the kids selling their goodies!!...while some kids sold goodies...
...others ATE them! :)
Jessica holding the Luminary for her grandfather.
This is one of my favorite parts of this night! This is part of the ceremony that honors survivors as well as those loved ones who have passed away as a result of cancer. People buy Luminaries and decorate them for their loved ones. They are all lined around the track and lit during this ceremony. It is tradition that after listening to an honorary speaker, everyone takes a QUIET lap around the track. As you walk, you hear them read off every persons name for which a luminary was purchased! It is a beautiful, heartfelt lap to walk! I cried the whole way around as I thought of my Aunt Ruthie who passed away from cancer a couple of years ago...at this exact time of year. I wish I would have remembered how neat that ceremony is and bought one for her. She had the kindest heart of anyone I know! She was so crafty and talented and I miss her tons! We always went out to dinner with her and my cousins when we would go up to Utah. Although, I still LOVE seeing my cousins, it still isn't the same to not have her there with us the past few times we've been up there. I know that she is on the other side of the veil sharing the gospel and her testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I also know that I'll see her again. I know that she is in a better, happier place than we are...I just miss her! This was such an amazing event and Jess & Amy & I already have it in the plans to get our own team there next year!! Thanks Jaden for making a difference in so many people's lives!!!
JUST FYI: Jaden's Team raised a total of nearly $2,ooo.oo...his goal was $1,000.00!!! They also won First Place for the Youth highest amount raised!!! Great Job Team!!!