My Facebook Status for 2010

*Jan 23rd - News reports that there was 2. 5 inches of rain in Mesa the last 3 days and 60 inches of snow in Flagstaff. What a winter storm!

*Jan. 25 I'm so glad that my mom is out of surgery and doing well.

*Feb. 2nd - Lost is on 2nite. Yeah!!!!!

*Feb. 16th - I saw the movie "Lightening Thief" today with my husband and two older kids. The kids and I read the book and couldn't wait to see the movie, but it was nothing like the book at all. They had the same characters, but completely different plots.

*Feb. 19th - I love staying up late watching with the my kids to watch the Olympics.

*Feb 21st - I am excited to attend Stake Conference this morning. My daughters are singing in the choir with my nephew and my 16 yr old niece is speaking. My sister just reserved some great seats for us.

*Feb 28th - I wish there were 29 days in February every year so I could wish my daughter "Happy Birthday" on her actual birthday. Angela turns 10 this year and she decided to celebrate it officially on Monday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANGELA!

*Mar 3rd - My mom had complications just a month after her hip replacement surgery. Last Thursday, the doctors removed some metal and deteriorated bone. She has a terrible infection which caused so much trouble. She will recuperate in a center for about a month and hopefully come home soon. The doctors will evaluate her situation in a couple of months to see if they should do another hip replacement.

*Mar 9th - Tomorrow, my oldest daughter turns 12. My brothers are flying in tomorrow too! It's going to be a fun day!

*Mar 19th - My boys (Jim and Josh) went on a overnight canoe trip. I hope they have fun, take pics, and most of all stay safe

*Mar 21st - People must understand that children with disabilities do not have a disease; children with disabilities are not looking for a cure but acceptance....

*Mar 31st - HOME SWEET HOME!!!! After 2 1/2 months in the hospital, my mom is finally coming home. Thanks to everyone for your prayers and concern. Her recovery will take awhile but home is a great place for that.

*Apr 2nd - My mom was all dressed and ready to leave the hospital. When the doctor came in and told her that her wound had not healed properly and there may be underlying infection and they needed to do a deep culture to find out why that is the case. Could the hospital told her that a week or a few days ago?
*Apr11th - I'm thrilled that my mom made it home

*Apr 16th - I went shopping to find a modest swimsuit for my tween. After 4 stores, we have found little success. She wants a tankini and we found a top, now we need a bottom , and a tank top to go under the tankini to provide more modesty. I miss the days when you found a cute swim suit and just bought if off the racks.

*May 3rd - I took my family to see The Gila Valley Temple on Friday. It was amazing to go with my family and I feel blessed that we could go.

*May 10th - "SUNS SWEEP SPURS"

*May 18th - 'Twas the week before summer break when all through the school, not a student was listening, rather thinking of the pool. The teachers were exhausted and ready to scream, as lower paychecks loom in their dreams. The thought of more cuts and a larger class size, should not come to us as a great big surprise! Don't 4 get to VOTE YES on PROP 100!

*May 18th - I made some yummy cookies last night. My youngest took the plate of cookies and put them on the piano for Santa. I need to tell her that Christmas comes only once a year in December.

*May 25th - I'm happy to have such a great day before it starts to heat up.

*May 26th - I attended 6th grade promotion last night and a preschool graduation this morning. It hasn't hit me that school is almost over.

*May 28th - I attended the MHS graduation last night. Congrats to all that graduated, especially my cute niece! She looked great and sounded awesome last night. Congrats to Jim's brother too!

*Jun 1st- I went tubing down the Salt River for the first time, which is sad since I've lived in Phoenix for over 20 years. It was a lot of fun and surprisingly there was hardly anyone there.

*Jun 3rd - I love to see my kids read after a big trip to the library. I took them there yesterday and the older two already finished their books and are on track with STOMP. What a proud moment.

*Jun 8th - My daughter went shoe shopping in my closet and claimed a pair. It's not fun to share the same shoe size as my 12 year old daughter.

*Jun 16th - I love patient and kind dental hygienists. My special needs daughter had her teeth cleaned today and she finally let them take full x-rays. It's taken 5 years to get to this point and I appreciate their patience. One day, she'll let them polish her teeth but we are thrilled with this baby step.

*Jun 20th - I spent a great day with family. It started off with a nephew's baptism followed by a big family lunch to celebrate Father's Day. I topped it off with a swim party with Jim and the kids. It was a great Saturday!

*Jun 21st - My son is off to Scout Camp. I already miss him!

*Jun 29th - I love it when my kids use stamps as stickers!

*Jun 30th - My 5 year old says "poke-a-sole" instead of Popsicle. She told me that's how you she says it in Spanish. It was the funniest thing. When I asked her how she said it in English, she just shrugged. She's a cutie.

*Jul 5th - Thanks for the birthday wishes. It really meant a lot. Thanks!

*Jul 9th - I loved that my girls did so well in swim lessons these past two weeks. Emmy wouldn't put her face in the water and now will jump in the deep end. Angela did so awesome, that she passed her class and skipped the next one. I think I put her in the wrong class, but it helped Emmy so I don't care.

*Jul 13th - I just returned from an awesome trip to St. George with my husband and kiddos. My best friend from high school was playing keyboards for the Tuacahn musical "Tarzan" and we went to see the show. It was awesome and my kids are still talking about it. I had lunch and dinner with Tracie and it was so great to see her again. She is incredibly talented and I'm glad that she was my friend in high school.

*Jul 18th - I just picked my daughter from Benson and is thrilled to have all her peeps at home again. I love having my family home.

*Jul 19th - I spent the evening with my Aunt and Uncle from Texas. It was a great night.

*Jul 19th - My son is off to band camp. He is thrilled to spend 3 hours a day for the next two weeks playing the bass clarinet. He's even more excited to bring one home and keep it at home for the rest of the school year to practice. It's a big and awkward instrument to take to and from school.

*Jul 22nd - I've loved the cooler weather the past two days. It's awesome that it didn't even reach 100 degrees today. We needed a break from the heat without having to head up north!

*Jul 23rd - I talked and visited with all my siblings yesterday. We are having an unique family reunion which is taking place in two states. I've learned that families don't have to be in the same place to have a reunion.

*Jul 29th - I wonder if any of the my Mesa friends has the book "Alliance" from Gerald Lund that I can borrow.

*Jul 30th - I loved watching Angela jump off the diving board. Her swimming has improved so much after a two week swim lesson and wanted to try and jump. She loved it and jumped every chance she could get. I'm so proud of you Ang!

*Aug 4th - I lost my daughter's shot record before I showed it to the school and she starts kindergarten in a week. I've had to make several phone calls to the doctor's office and the shot clinic to gather her shot records. I miss the day when the doctor's office provided all the shots for the kids.

*Aug 5th - I can't believe school starts in a week. It'll be so sad to send them off to school, especially my kindergartner.

*Aug 7th - I just rented a 1/4 size violin for Angela. It's so cute and little. I had a 3/4 size violin in Junior High and thought that one was small. The smallest violin that they rent is 1/16 - how cute is that?

*Aug 10th - I wish my kids didn't have to start school so soon. I'm going to miss them on Wednesday, especially my little shadow. I know she will do good, but I'm going to miss having her around.

*Aug 12th - I'm getting my AC fixed today. I've never had more cold showers in my life, and it's only been 1 day. I don't know how the early pioneers in Mesa, AZ survived.

*Aug 18th - I watched Pride and Prejudice with my mom on Monday. This was the first time my mom saw the version with Kiera Knightly. The TV channel cut off the last scene where Elizabeth tells Mr. Darcy that he can call her Mrs. Darcy. Can a TV channel cut one of the best, yet cheesiest out of the movie?

*Aug 20th - I went to the movie with my husband while the kids were in school. We had a great time and didn't feel rushed to take care of the kids at home.

*Aug 24th - I wish a big "Happy Birthday" to my son Josh who turn 14 today.

*Aug 25th - Mockingjay

*Aug 27th - I'm loving this 90 degree weather. It's a nice break from the summer heat.

*Sept 3rd - I'm collecting as many issues of today's Arizona Republics I can, especially the obits. If you have a copy, let me know and I can pick them up. Thanks so much!

*Sept 14th - I volunteered in my kid's school today. The secretary handed me a V.I.P. volunteer badge with my name on it. I made my day and now I want to volunteer even more. What a great idea!, Now, to find a way to incorporate that idea at home.

*Sept 19th - I'm happy to have my boys back from a camp out. It gave Jim a chance to use his radio again.

*Sept 25th - I watched Josh march with the Mesa High Band during the half-time show. It was so cool to see him march on the field and participate. I'm so proud of you Josh!

*Sept 25th - I took my girls to see the Koala Exhibit preview at the Phoenix Zoo. When we left the zoo in was 106 degrees. I'm tired of the summer and need it to cool off soon. The koalas were cute and are at the zoo starting next Sunday until March, so go see them on a cool day.

*Sept 28th - I'm super excited to go to Salt Lake in December.

*Oct 4th - I'm thrilled that there should be no triple digits this week. Is fall finally on it's way?

*Oct 5th - I'm thrilled that Angela hit the softball w/o using a tee. I was so proud of her, especially trying without using a tee. Standing over a base while someone throws a ball to you can be very scary. Angela is making some super big steps right now and I couldn't be prouder!

*Oct 5th - I was in the wickedest storm in years. There was hail, wind, and tons of rain. I was at my sister's house and her basketball standard fell on my car. We were luck that there was only cosmetic damage on my car, but the damage in the neighborhood is unbelievable.

*Oct 6th - Tornadoes in AZ - crazy!

*Oct 10th - My daughter cut her hair again last night. I'll need to get that fixed tomorrow. I think I should cut her hair every year before she takes matters into her own hands.

*Oct 11th - My oldest daughter went to girl's camp. I wanted to hide in her luggage and stow away with her. I'm going to miss her this week.

*Oct 14th - I watch the miners being rescued in Chile today. It was awesome to see that country rally together to help 33 miners who were trapped.

*Oct 15th - I need a TIME OUT!!!!

*Nov 2nd - My baby turned 6 years old today! There was an election on the day she was born and were going to name her Laura or Teresa, whoever won. LOL! Happy Birthday Emily!! We love you!!!

*Nov 3rd - Both Josh and Dani are getting their braces off in December. We are all super excited!!!!

*Nov 6th - I'm thankful that AZ doesn't follow Daylight Savings time and doesn't have to worry about falling back or springing forward. I also thankful that Sunday we will have the same time as UT so we don't los any hours traveling for our big UT trip.

*Nov 7th - I went to see "Joseph the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with my family tonight. It was an amazing show and my kids loved it. My kids love the musicals and plays the Mesa High puts on. There were a lot of people in the cast and stage crew that I recognized. GOOD JOB!!!!!

*Nov 10th - My son has my vision mixed with his dad. Next week, he will be sporting new shades.

*Nov 13th - My son is getting ready for his first church dance. He grew up way too fast. I hope he has a great time tonight.

*Nov 25th - Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I am so thankful for my family and friends who add so much to my life. I'm thankful to live in this country and those who serve our country to keep it a safe place. I'm thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the opportunity we have through technology to hear from the leaders of the church.

*Dec 10th - I attend my kids' concert this week -Orchestra, Choir, and Band. There were amazing concert and I really enjoyed them. I'm going to end the week attending a Jon Schmidt concert tonight.

*Dec 14th - My Son got his braces off Yay!!!

*Dec 24th - I spent a fabulous week in Salt Lake City for my brother's wedding. It was so amazing to be with family the whole week and spend the spend the special day with the cute couple. To see my whole family during Christmas week justs warms my heart.

*Dec 30th - SNOW in Mesa - I heard it, but missed it. That's how it is in AZ. Crazy!!

*Dec 31st - 2010 was a great year. It was a year to meet amazing people, re-connect with old friends, hang-out with great friends, and spent quality time with family. It wasn't an easy year, but it was a great one.

Snow in the Desert

I heard that it snowed in Mesa for about 5-15 min. I was inside my house and missed it. I was a little disappointed since it doesn't snow often in Mesa. Jim and I took the kids for a drive up to Four Peaks to get a good picture of the mountain covered in snow. It was snowing really good when we got there, so I took some pictures. It doesn't look like much, but snow falling close to the valley is a sight worth seeing. It's so beautiful to see the snow on the desert floor.

Memorable MondayChristmas Traditions

I'm learning this year that sometimes Christmas traditions need to change with the times. As my kids get older, some traditions don't work anymore and need to be changed. It's so hard for me to make these changes and watch my kids grow up. Next year, I'm going to start some new traditions that are geared more for my older kids. I'll always remember the traditions of the past and embrace the new ones. I love spending time with my family and remembering the birth of our Savior is what Christmas is truly about.

Merry Christmas

We had a great Christmas this year. It was wonderful to spend some time with each of my siblings as well as Jim's siblings this month. We had our traditional Christmas Eve party with the Paces and each grandchild received a stuffed animal from Grandpa Pace along with a picture with Great-Grandma Pace. What an amazing gift that is to sit next to their Great-Grandma Pace. We returned home to open some special gifts and prepare ourselves for Christmas Day.

Christmas morning is always a treat for our family as we open gifts. The kindness that is shown on Christmas day is amazing and everyone is so nice to each other. Grandma and Grandpa Wall came to the house to see what the kids received for Christmas this year. What a great tradition that they have started years ago. A few hours later, we headed on over to Grandma and Grandpa's house for yummy scones and to open presents. We had some special guests over for lunch - Jeff and Lauren stopped by to visit on Christmas. We have missed seeing Jeff at Christmastime and it was great to see him again.

Spanish Fork

We headed down to Spanish Fork to spend some time with Jim's brother Mardy and his family. My kids had a great time just hanging out with them playing video games, playing the piano, and playing in the snow. Josh and Dani helped their cousins shovel snow that had piled up in front of their driveway. It was their first time for both of the them and it was worthy of a few pictures. After dinner, the kids made a couple of gingerbread houses. Lissie, Dani, Angela, and I made a gingerbread house while the teenagers and Mardy made another one. It was so fun to decorate a gingerbread house while listening to the teenagers build their unique gingerbread house complete with a drawbridge and a moat. They were very creative group of kids.

Mr. and Mrs. Wall

My brother married Lauren Richards today and I loved spending time with the both of them today. We started the day off with a brunch at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It was an yummy brunch and it was a great chance to meet with some of Lauren's family and talk with my Uncle Lee and Aunt Gayle. During a short program, Jeff's nieces sang "I Love to see the Temple" with the Salt Lake Temple in the background. It was a great start to a wonderful day.

We headed off to the Salt Lake Temple to watch the sealing. Jim and I saw the replica of the temple the day before and it helped me familiarize myself with the temple when I was walking up the stairs and entered the sealing room. Elder Ballard was their sealer and he had great advice for Jeff and Lauren as well as the rest of us. It was a wonderful sealing. I watched the Jeff and Lauren as well as their parents throughout the sealing and it was very touching. After the ceremony, we headed back to the Joseph Smith Memorial building to welcome the new couple and take a group picture.

The reception was held at the Pinte Resturant at the U. It was a wonderful setting and if you looked at the lights through the window, it looked like the Salt Lake temple. There were so many guests to re-connect with and we spent the night talking and dancing. The Mechlings, Calls, Burbidges, Shaws, Guillots, Hickenloopers, Bulkleys, and others were some of the guests we spent the evening talking to.

Salt Lake City

When we arrived in SLC, we went to Steve's house and spent some time with Steve. We were finally able to see Cortney since she started USU. My kids had a opportunity to meet Lauren and then we headed off to the Tabernacle to watch the David Archuletta/Mormon Tabernacle Choir concert on a big screen. It was an amazing concert and it was great to attend the concert with my whole Wall family.

On Sunday, we didn't go to church for various reasons. We were too tired to make it on time and Dani felt a little sick to her stomach. We walked to Temple Square from our hotel in the misting rain and loved it. We had a good view of the nativity set right next to the North Visitor's center. We visited the two visitor's centers at Temple Square and saw some new and familiar exhibits plus some gorgeously decorated Christmas trees. Our favorite exhibit was the model of the Salt Lake Temple where we could see the different rooms in the temple. They are a slide show where we could see the pictures of the different rooms. Jim and the older kids learned that there is a replica of the Big Dipper on the SLC temple. We went to check it out and there is a big dipper on the temple plus pictures of the different phases of the moon. WOW!!

We headed off to lunch with the family. It was a casual lunch, but it was fun to eat with the cousins. I couldn't resist taking pictures of my kids interacting with their cousins.
We woke up Monday morning with snow falling on the ground. My girls tried to catch a few snowflakes in their mouth - so cute! The snow wasn't sticking to the ground at first, so we head up to "This is the Place Monument" where there was plenty of fresh snow to play in. The kids had a great time playing and I got a few good shots.

A few pictures of my nephews - I think they had fun.

Memorable MondayFamily on My Wedding Day

As we prepare for my brother's wedding, it was fun to look back on my own wedding day. Our family has grown a lot since then, but I noticed that my brothers and sisters were there with me that day. Tonight, we all went to Jeff's house to help with some last minute details and it's a memory that I treasure. We have been really tight these past few years and I'm so lucky that we can spend so much time together. The Wall side

The Pace side

Gingerbread House

Emily made a Gingerbread House in Kindergarten the past two days. I volunteered today while the kids frosted and decorated their houses. It was fun to see the different designs of the gingerbread houses. I enjoyed spending the afternoon hanging out with Emmy and her school friends.

Goodbye Braces

Today is what the Orthodontist calls "De-Band" Day. Congrats Josh!!!

Memorable Monday Christmas Letter

2010 was a great year for the Paces. We went on a trip to St. George and saw Zion's National Park as well as the Grand Canyon. We took a day and toured AZ and some of us even braved floating down the Salt River. We were able to attend the Gila Valley Temple Open House and toured the grounds where the Gilbert AZ temple will be built. We sang "Families Can Be Together Forever" as a family for Sacrament Meeting. It was great to spend time with the family.

Jim had a great year in 2010. Jim has been busy serving as the first counselor in the Elder's Quorum. He has been really busy with work. Jim went on a scout outing with Josh to help the boys sent messages to other scouts using mirrors and ham radio messages.

Tami has had a busy year. She received a new calling this year - Scout Advancement Chairman. She is volunteering a lot at both the elementary and junior high school. She loves to take pictures and had to invest in a bigger hard drive to hold all of her pictures. She loves to read when she finds time.

Josh is in 8th grade this year. He turned 14 this year and was ordained a teacher. Josh plays the bass clarinet in the band and is learning to play the guitar and piano. Josh has participate din various band events and had the opportunity to march on the field with the Mesa High School Band. Josh has been really busy with the chess club and won 2nd place in a tournament. Josh has been busy with scouts and was able to attend Camp Geronimo with another ward and made some really good friends. Josh is wearing glasses and looks handsome. Josh is an amazing kid and we learn so much from him.

Dani is 12 and is in 7th grade and started Junior High. Dani started Young Womens this year and loves the program. She earned her "Faith in God" Award. She went to Girl's Camp in October and she really enjoyed that experience. She is taking choir and has had several concerts. Dani continues to play the piano and take tap classes. Dani was able to go to California this year with the Hope Club and we loved hearing about the experiences there. Dani loves to read, make crafts, cook, create movies, and hang out with friends.

Angela is 10 years old and is in 5th grade. Angela started playing the violin this year and is doing awesome. Angela is learning to play the piano and loves to practice. Angela has memorized all the Articles of Faith again this year. Angela loves to sing and cherishes her Children's Songbook. Angela did super in he swim lessons this year and now jumps off the high dive. Angela is a sweet girl and we love her.

Emily turned 6 years old and started kindergarten this year. She is learning how to read and enjoys spelling words out. Emily is learning to play the keyboard this year. She is also taking dance with some of her friends. Emily is so sweet and we love to hear all the cute things she has to say.

We hope that you have a Merry Christmas this year!

The Paces

Concert Week

We had an amazing week of concerts. My kids did an awesome job performing and I'm so glad that they are involved in music.

Angela had her first orchestra concert this year. She is playing the violin and practiced really hard for this concert. She has wanted to play the violin for several years. She is currently playing a 1/4 size violin. It's so tiny that I have a hard time playing it. She has been fascinated with my violin over the years and is glad that she gets a violin to play at school. During the concert, the orchestra played Serenata, Puppet Parade, Marching Along, and Jingle Bells. There were a couple of songs where the also played pizzicato. It was a great concert and I enjoyed watching Angela play the violin. While I was videoing her concert, I noticed that she was chewing gum while playing. That's great!

Dani had a choir concert and I really enjoyed listening to her sing. There were 3 choirs that started the concert off by singing "Heri Za Krismas" which is a Swahili translation for"Merry Christmas on Dec. 25th Have a great holiday". Her choir sang 4 songs: "Christmas Day is On It's Way"," Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", "Here We Come A-Caroling", and "Wishbone". She was apart of a quartet that sang in the first song. She really loves choir and enjoys every part of it. After the concert, it's a tradition for those performing in the choir concert to go the Nielsen's and hang out.
Josh participated in a couple of concerts this week. His first concert was the Taylor Band Concert where he played in a clarinet chamber group. Since the group is small and has only 2 bass clarinets, I am able to hear Josh as he performs. They performed 3 songs: "O-Christmas Tree", "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", and "Ring Christmas Bells". I really enjoyed "Ring Christmas Bells" and it really shows off the bass clarinets. It was a great concert!!

Josh also went to perform at some local elementary schools. The first stop on the tour was Porter and I went to watch him perform. I sat next to Angela and listen to the band perform some of the same numbers that they performed the day before. After the Taylor band performed for the school, they joined the 6th grade band and played a song written by Mr. A.. Mr. Quamo answered some questions that the kids had after the performances. I'm so glad that I went to this performance and I remembered the times that I came to Porter to watch Josh play in the band.

The final concert of the week was the Jon Schmidt concert. Jim, Josh, Ashley, and I went to see Jon Schmidt perform. Last year, I was bought tickets for Dani and I, but I was really sick and Jim took Dani to the concert. Jim and Dani talked about it for days and felt bad that I missed it. I was able to see Jon when he came to Cavalcade this year, but I wanted to hear more of his music. I'm so glad that we were able to bring Josh and Ashley this year and they really enjoyed his concert.

Memorable MondayStille Nacht

Ashley had a band concert last week and her band performed Stille Nacht. I remember hearing that song when Manneheim Steamroller played it at their Chrsitmas concert. It's Manneheim Steamroller's favorite Christmas song. Tracie composed it for our Orchestra our senior year and did an amazing job. We played this song in competition and since we were a small orchestra, this song really suited us and we performed it very well. We always played this song last and it was always a crowd pleaser. This song has great meaning for me and I'm so glad that Ashley had a chance to perform it.

Super Saturday

Our Saturday was jam-packed full of activities which makes for a Super Saturday

• Josh was off doing a chess tournament and was gone for most of the day. Jim and I went to the award ceremony following the tournament. Josh didn't win a trophy this time, but his friends did. He plans to do better next time. His chess team from Taylor won first place and received a very nice trophy which he held for the photo.


• Our Orthodontist had a snow party just outside his office. There was lot of snow trucked in for this occasion for the kids to play in. The staff served muffins and hot cocoa for us. The younger two girls really enjoyed the special visitor that stopped by.

  
• Our Ward Christmas Party was a luncheon and we quickly switched gears and headed to the church house. There was a yummy lunch and a little program. Dani stayed for lunch and then headed off for another event. Jim, Angela, Emily and I finished off the program by singing "We wish you a Merry Christmas". The girls had a chance to see Santa again after the party. It was a great party and my girls had such a great time.


• Dani went ice skating with Britt and a friend. Mesa High band was having a fundraiser and the girls went to support the school or maybe they went just to have fun. Dani loved ice skating and didn't even fall on the ice.

Memorable MondayBlack Friday

The Friday after Thanksgiving is Black Friday and I've gone ever since Josh was little. The first time I went, I brought Jim and Josh along. It was great to get some good deals, but I'm not sure that it was worth the long wait and bringing the boys. But the next year, I was in line again. Sometimes, I would bring Jim and other times, I would just go with the Clawsons. One year, I was pregnant and carried a huge pool table around the store. Another year, I realized the next day that I didn't pay for an item and needed to get that fixed the next day. There are a lot of good memories about Black Friday. I've spent a lot of time talking to people that I normally wouldn't. I've been to many stores - Kohl's, Target, Wal-Mart, Toys R' Us, and there are stores that I avoid at all costs. One year, I might just skip this tradition, but I haven't yet. I think I enjoy some part of this tradition.

Thanksgiving

Temples - I'm grateful to know that families can be together forever.

Health- I'm grateful for my families good health.

Ancestors - I'm grateful for their influence over the years.

Nation - I'm so grateful to live in America and the freedoms we have.

Kids - I thankful for Josh, Dani, Angela, and Emily.

Savior, Jesus Christ - I'm grateful for his example and for His atonement.

Gospel - I'm grateful that the gospel was restored in the Latter-Days

Insurance - I'm so grateful for Health, Dental, Car, and Home insurance that's saved us so much money over the years.

Vision - I'm so grateful that I can see and have a good pair of glasses.

Internet- I'm so grateful that I can get information quickly and re-connect with my friends.

Nieces and Nephews - They are so fun to play with and are sweet to let me take photos.

Gift of the Holy Ghost - I'm so grateful that I have this gift in my life and I want to live in such a way that I can always have it with me daily.

Memorable Mondayglasses

Josh informed me a couple of weeks ago that he thinks he may need some glasses. After seeing the optometrist, we realized that he was right and ordered a pair for him. Josh was anxious and excited to get his glasses. He knew that the glasses would improve his vision. It was fun to hear Josh comment on the world he saw through his new glasses. He looks quite handsome too!

I remember when I first received my pair of glasses - I was around 15 years old. My experience was very similar to Josh's. I tried on my sister's glasses and realized that I needed them too. My vision was very poor and it's amazing that it wasn't discovered earlier. I was a very shy child and did speak up when I struggled to see the chalkboard. I looked into my sister's glasses and noticed that the objects were clearer with much more detail than I realized. That incident was just what I needed for me to speak up and get an appointment with the eye doctor. Because my vision was so poor, my glasses needed thicker lenses to correct my eye sight. I'm so glad that now I am able to wear thinner lenses. Eye glasses are a great blessing in my life and I'm so grateful for this technology.

Memorable Monday Stake Dances

Josh went to his first stake dance on Saturday, actually it was a 5 stake dance. He went with his cousins, Britt and Ash, and had a great time. His cousins taught him some dance Etiquette and taught him to open the door for girls. I heard the Josh was a gentlemen and danced with 6 girls. I can't believe that Josh is old enough to attend the stake dances.

I remember going to stake dances when I was young. I didn't dance very often and was considered a "Wall Flower". When I moved to AZ, I wasn't going to miss out on the dancing and found the courage to ask guys to dance. For then on, I had a great time at dances and met some really great guys.

Groundbreaking Pics

On Saturday, the Gilbert AZ temple held their groundbreaking ceremony. I really wanted to take my kids to the ceremony, but the older two found themselves engaged in other activities. I wanted to go as a whole family, so we didn't attend the ceremony. After Stake Conference, I wanted to drive by the temple site and get a picture of my family on the grounds before the building began. When we arrived to the temple site, we saw that the ceremonial shovels were still there in the ground. Of course, I had to get a picture with my family holding the shovels. My family was so wonderful to have the picture taken and take this time with me to see the temple grounds. They have cousins that live across the street, so they will get a good view of the temple as it is being built. It's a wonderful opportunity to see a temple being built and waiting for the day that it is open for us to enter and make the covenants that we strive to make and keep.

Chess Tournament - Pawn Storm

Josh had another chess tournament today and did very well. Josh won 4 out of 5 chess games and placed second in his section. Each player is assigned to small sections based on their rating. He was really excited to win and hopes to improved his rating and move up to the next section. Josh also competed with the Taylor Junior High Chess Team and the placed third overall. Josh had a great time playing chess and hanging out with his team mates between games.

Josh is holding both trophies - the higher one is the school trophy.

Congrats Josh!

Court of Honor

Tonight we had a Court of Honor. With my new calling, I helped plan this one with a lot of help from the scouts and my husband. I learned how much work goes into a Court of Honor, even a simple one. There was a Board of Review to set up, badges to buy, paperwork to fill out, pins to find, programs to plan, refreshments to buy, and so much more. There is a lot of behind the scenes that make Scouting work and a got a glimpse of that these past few months. I want to thank of all the leaders that have been involved with Josh during the years he has been in scouts.

Josh earned three merit badges: communication, woodcarving, and personal management. He also earned a Varsity On-Target pin. Josh was asked to lead the Scout Oath and Law during the Court of Honor. It was so neat to Josh awarded and see how much Josh has learned from scouting.

Joseph the Technicolor Dreamcoat

I took Josh and Dani with me to see "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". We went with Grandma Pace, Aunt Kathryn, Jenna, Kaylynn, and a friend of Kaylynn's. It was an amazing musical with a lot of friends in the cast and crew. We went on the last day and were informed that they won State and will perform at in Phoenix in a couple of weeks. There were a lot of fun surprises saved for the last performance and we love that we could be there that day. The kids and I watched the Donny Osmond version several times before they saw the play which added to the experience.

Emily is 6

Emily turned 6 years old today. She's growing up so fast and is still sweet as ever. I love how easy going Emily is and she tells me that she loves me numerous times a day. I heart melts every time I hear those sweet words. Here are 6 wonderful things about Emily.

1. Emily loves to play with her big sister Angela. They color together, play stuffed animals and little people together, and run and play outside together.


2. Emily loves to eat fruits and vegetables. She loves to eat green beans right out of the can. She loves fruit and hates to see a cantaloupe or watermelon not being cut up and eaten.


3. Angela loves to go out to eat at Chick-Fil-A, McDonald's, or Burger King -wherever there is a playground. She especially loves Chick-Fil-A.


4. Emily loves cereal and she could eat it for every meal. She needs to look at the back of the box when she eats it too.


5. Emily loves to play video games with her brother. She love Pokemon and Pic man


6. Emily loves to play with her friends and cousins. There are a lot of girls her age.

Birthday Celebrations

Memorable MondayElection Day

There is an election tomorrow and it's also my sweet Emmy's birthday. I quickly remembered the day that those two events took place on the same day.

6 years ago, President George Bush and John Kerry were running against each other in a presidental election. My OB doctor encouraged me request an early ballot and mail it ASAP - which I did. The morning of the election, I sent my two oldest to school and sent Angela to my mother-in-laws (she only had 2 hours of school and I didn't want to deal with bus routes) while Jim and I headed to the hospital. Emily was born later that day and we joked with the nurses that we would name her Laura or Teresa depending on who won the election. I was just kidding of course.

Emily was born at 5: 20 pm and weighed 7 lbs. and 6 oz. and 19 1/2 inches long. She was a beautiful healthy girl and we were so thrilled to finally hold her in our arms.

Halloween

Halloween is always such a fun time to dress up and my kids love to do just that.

• Josh wanted to be Doctor Who - Matt Smith style. I really like the David Tennant and it would super cute with Dani's costume, but learned that Josh really wanted to dress as the other Doctor Who. I'm glad that Josh spoke up and got to be what he wanted for Christmas.
• Dani wanted to be several things, including the color orange. We didn't have much orange, so we headed to the store and got her a Rose Tyler outfit. A friend called her later and they planned matching outfits - gangsters.
• Angela wanted to be a clown from day one. I tried to add accessories to her outfit, but Jim and I ended up wearing those. So, I learned that Angela will pick what she wants to be.
• Emily wanted to be a cat, but ended up being a mouse - Minnie Mouse. She was so adorable and looks the part when Dani applied the makeup.

The Clawsons came with us and I took their pics too.

• Brittany - 1920's Flapper
• Zach - Elliott from E.T.
• Joey - Anakin Skywalker
• Kenzie - Mulan

Trunk or Treat Pics