The most beautiful Blog

Rarly do I blog hop all over the place but like I said, I spent a little too much time on the computer this weekend not wanting to do ALL the other stuff that I should have been doing. Anyways, while doing that I came across the most beautiful blog story I have ever read. It is about a lovely little family who was told three months ago at 20 weeks pregnant that their little girl would not live past birth. So, the last three months they have shared with hundreds of readers how they have come to grips and accepted the Lord's will for their daughter. Not an easy task I'm sure. This mom writes so beautifully and truly touched me with her story. So if you have some extra time on your hands (it is a long one) grap a box of tissues and check it out.
www.audreycaroline.blogspot.com

Steve's results

Looks like Steve scored a 72% on his How New York are you?
A little lower then I expected I must say, but I am glad to see that the East Coast hasn't totally corrupted him and that he is still a Westerner!! (is that a word?)
Love ya babe!

How New York are you?

You Are 32% NYC

Okay, so maybe you've been to NYC. But you probably really live in Connecticut.

How NYC Are You?

Ok, I spent a little too much time on the computer today. I came across these blog quizzes you can take and of course I had to take the NYC one.
Here are my results. So the plan now is to get Steve to take the quiz as well to see just how much the big apple has rubbed off on him these past 4 years? Any bets? I will post them as soon as the results are in.

Happy Birthday Abigail!

Abby is 14 today!!

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Steve and I are the luckiest parents in the world. We have a 14 year old girl who gives us no trouble what so ever, other then a very messy room.

Not many parents of a teenager can say that.

Things we love about Abby...

She is beautiful from the inside out

Very kind and thoughtful

Enjoys life and knows how to have fun

Sets goals and works hard at acheiving them

Loves children and working with the disabled,

they both have a tender spot in her heart

She knows who she is and understands what it means to be a daughter of her Heavenly Father

Wise beyond her years

At parent teacher conferences this week I had half her teachers tell me how mature she is for her age. I said "I know, I've been hearing that since she was 2 years old.

Abby has truly been my rock these past 4 years while Steve has been working in Manhattan. I know that I could have not made it this long without her by my side.

She is always there to jump in when she sees a need especially when I am about to loose it. She is patient when I'm not. She always knows when I need a hug. She watches over her brothers and sister without complaining. If I did not have her I honestly would have no life outside my home. She makes it possible for me to dash to the store, attend my meetings, get my haircut, make dinner, to have girl's night out with my friends, and get errands done faster then I ever could with 4 kids in tow.

She carrys a heavy load for our family right now and I appreciate her more then I can express. I love you Abby Lyn.

Sorry about the bragging mom but I just think she is incredible!

I really wanted to post some pictures of Abigail through the years but our scanner is not up and running right now. So maybe I will have Steve help me when he is home next week.

A very busy month

I quess it is time to change the tropical music...
Boy how it has been a very busy month. We started the month off in Cancun then came Easter followed by Spring Break. We spent a couple of days in Bend, Oregon over the break. It is a beautiful town surrounded by mountainous trees. We stayed at a hotel on the river so the boys were able to fish right out the back door. We swam, ate, shopped and saw a movie. We also visited the neatest
little Children's muesum. Then this past weekend the kiddos and I went down to Salt Lake to visit my sister and her family and had the opprtunity to attend a session of General Conference. This was Abigail's and Bradley's first time and they really enjoyed it.
All the talks were so inspiring as always but I was especially touched by President Monson's closing remarks. How sweet it was to see a little more of his tender side and a little glimpse into his personal life. What a incredible man that once again we have been blessed with to lead us in these latter days and to continue the Lord's work in this last dispensation.
The kids had a great time with their cousins. They all went to bed late, woke up early, played hard all day and ate nothing but sugar. We are now exhausted and on a sugar strike.

And then today, a very special day, our beautiful daughter turns 14!!

Here a some pictures of the last three weeks.

EASTER

BEND OREGON CHILDREN'S MUESUM

Salt Lake City General Conference

My favorite women. My daughter, my sister , my sister in law, my grandmother, and my beautiful mother.

MEXICO

OK that vacation was over faster then I could blink.

We had a wonderful time other then being stuck in the Boise airport for 7 hours while they worked on our broken plane and arriving in Minneapolis hours past our connection flight to Cancun. So we stayed the night there(without luggage) and caught the next flight out in the morning. We did get to spend a few hours touring the Mall of America which was a grand thing! It was 2 degrees that night and my short sleeves and flip flops did attract a bunch of stares. I just wanted to scream at them "I am supposed to be on the beaches of Cancun right now and yes, I AM freezing my butt off!!

When we did arrive the weather was perfect the beaches lovely and the water the most amazing color of turquise. Heaven.

Here are a some pictures...

The pool at the resort was amazing! This picture only shows a fraction of just how enormous it was.

We took a ferry over to Cozumel, rented scooters and cruised around the entire island. That was definitely a fun highlight of the trip.

We toured the Tulum ruins which were interesting.

Steve and I are glad we had this opportunity to spent this vacation with our friends Walter and Sandra Watts. We had a blast getting to know them better. Sandra kept me in a constant laugh and helped me discover a little more of my adventurous side.

I love how refreshing vacations are. I always seem to come home with a clearer mind, better perspective and a desire to be better (especially wife and mother).

Random shots.

Countdown

Only 3 more days till Cancun. I can almost feel the soft sand on my toes, the smell of suntan lotion, and the sound of Jimmy Buffett and Bob Marley playing on my IPOD.

The last month has been so crazy. Just one thing after another after another after another, always feeling like I am running three days behind AND Steve has been gone for 18 days.
I am afraid I might sleep the entire vacation away!

Anniversary

Today is our anniversary and I am here and he is there so I wanted to say,

Happy Anniversary sweetheart! I am looking foward to celebrating in Mexico next week! Thank you for being my everything.

Oh how I love this handsome man of mine.

Here are pictures of our engagement and wedding day...oh to be that skinny again!!

Dance Class/Girly girl

Elle started dance class today! She looked so darn cute! I'm not sure who was more excited, her or me? Every mom I think, dreams of having a little girly girl and Elle is definitly that but I had to wait a long time for one. Let me explain. When Abigail was little she was adorable, sweet and so much fun but a girly girl, no, not even a tiny bit. She was all about jeans, boots, baseball caps, lizards, Power Rangers and playing with her best friend and cousin Steven. She even wanted us to call her Jace (JC) because she thought it sounded more like a boys name. She would have rather shed blood then watch a princess movie, take dance class or put on dress. You should of seen what a nightmare Sunday mornings were...I had to beg, cry and bribe her to put on a dress for church. When it was time to buy her first bike she picked out of course the very boyish one called the Crocodile Cruiser. Oh how proud she was of that bike and oh how I so wanted her to pick the pink and purple one. At first it was hard to accept the fact that my first little girl was not a girly girl but we loved every inch of her and knew that was who she was and what made her so special!! I wouldn't trade those tomboy memories for anything! Abby did out grow that stage, not too quickly though. Now she is a beautiful almost 14 year old girl who becomes more girly all the time. So, 10 years later when little Elle Belle joined our family what do you know...she is as girly girl as they come!! She is all about the princesses, dresses, babies, the color pink, dress up clothes and jewelry, & dancing. Now Abby and Elle even though 10 years apart enjoy the same things...Hello Kitty, Tinkerbell, painting nails etc... They are best friends, two peas in a pod, kindred spirits. What a blessing these two beautiful girls are in my life. They make me so proud. (I love my boys too but I'll save that for another day).

Our Beloved Prophet

My heart is heavy as I have learned of the passing of our dearly loved Prophet.
I will miss him dearly but will always remember the things he has taught me and the impression he left on our family.
I have a testimony that President Hinckley was a true living Prophet who loved and served us and the Lord faithly till the end. How blessed we have been to be guided and directed in these latter days by such a amazing and loving leader, a true man of God. It is sad to say goodbye but yet knowing how happy he is to be with his Heavenly Father, Savior Jesus Christ and eternal companion again makes it easier. What a joyous reunion for them.

“I know as surely as anything in this world that someday I shall die as to the life of this world. But I have an absolute certainty in my heart that I shall go on living and doing good and having the association of my beloved companion and my children”
President Gordon B. Hinckley, 31 July 1999.

Just as President Hinckley, I am grateful for the knowledge of eternal life and the gift of eternal families.

VIVA LAS VEGAS!

This week Steve was working in Vegas so I had the opportunity to fly down on Tuesday and meet him, his boss and his lovely wife for dinner. I was only able to stay about 25 hours but I shoved a lot of fun in those 25 hours! We stayed at the Bellagio Hotel. It was gorgeous! This was the view from our suite. The fountains went off every 15-30 minutes and were synchronized to music. It was amazing to watch. Steve and I use to visit Vegas all the time-I think our record was 5 times in one year-but we haven't been back in 11 years! That is what happens when you grow old and have 4 kids. Boy how it has changed. The hotels just keep getting bigger and better. I'm bummed we didn't have enough time to catch any shows though-maybe next time.
Viva Las Vegas!

It has been SNOWING in Idaho!

It has been snowing so much lately. This might not look like much snow for everyone home in Colorado but hey, this is a lot of snow for Idaho! It has snowed more in the last month then it has the entire 3 years we have lived here! The kids have been sledding and making snowmen and loving it! Yesterday it snowed the whole day long, maybe 8-10 inches, and my Love and Logic class was cancelled, Bradley's field trip was cancelled and on the evening news we were told to tune in early the next morning for any school closures. I had to laugh. Back home schools only closed if there was at least 3 feet of snow on the ground! It was pretty though. Last night Abigail snuck out to shovel the driveway and sidewalks (with the help of a wonderful neighbor, Shane) and finished up by making a snowman with a licorice face. This afternoon, I witnessed a couple of boys stopping on their way home from school to eat the face off this poor little snowman. BOYS! Thanks Shane for always shoveling my walks for me. I appreciate you so much!