Memorable MondayWeeding a Garden

On Saturday, Dani and I went and did a ward service project. We pulled weeds and made a small space look really pretty. It was great to work side by side with my daughter and members of our ward. Yard work is very fulfilling when you can see the final product.

This experience reminded me of a time when I was Dani's age and I helped my parents pull weeds and take care of a stake garden. When we lived in Sandy, our stake had a garden where South Towne Mall now sits. The members of the stake would take care of the garden. I remember one day going to pull weeds. Pulling the weeds was a lot funner when there were friends to talk to and hang out with. I'm not sure how often we helped or how long the garden lasted, but I remember working there. My parents had a garden in the back yard that we had to weed too. We are planning on setting up a garden in my back yard, so my kids can experience weeding a garden.

School Carnival

The school had their annual carnival on Friday. This year, Josh volunteered for 3 hours running the bouncy rides. He checked for tickets for the first half and then helped run the jousting tournament for the last half. He said that he enjoyed himself and the leaders made sure he had plenty to eat. I'm so proud of him and his willingness to serve. Dani and her friend hung out the whole night together. She had a blast with her friend and I rarely saw her the rest of the night. I spent my time watching Angela and Emily play. Angela loved the big slide. She went on the slide over and over again. She knows when she has found a good thing. Emily loved the small bounce house and LOVED the snow cones. The girls had a blast and fell asleep the minute we came home that night. The carnival was a great success, at least for our family.

Josh manning the slide ride. Tickets please?

Dani and her friend. They had a total blast, except when it was time to leave.

The girls loved their snow cones. It was a cold evening, so after they finished their snow cone, they were freezing.

Emily played in this bounce house for a long time. She was the only one for awhile and she enjoyed that.

3rd grade field trip

I accompanied Angela and her 2nd/3rd grade class to the Desert Botanical Garden. I went last year and wanted to go again this year. We learned about the life-cycle of the Agave, Saguaro Cactus, and the Cactus Wren. The tour guide was great with the class. The students were detectives as they learned all about desert life. They use microscopes and wrote down their findings in a notebook. The highlights of the trip were the butterfly exhibit and the blown-glass statues all over the garden. It was beautiful and I wanted to stay longer to see the exhibits on my own.

The kids loved the butterfly exhibit. It was awesome! The colors of the butterflies were amazing and made for really good pictures. I could have stayed in that exhibit all day taking pictures, but Angela's class was on a time limit. I would love to go again on my own time.

Our tour guide showed us some of the blown glass exhibits as we were leaving the garden. The blown glass exhibit was scattered throughout the gardens which made it more enjoyable. When you turned around the corner, you would be surprised how the glass sculptures were arranged around the desert plant life. He mentioned that there were a lot more that we were unable to see and encouraged us to come again to see it all. This part of the exhibit was every one's favorite part.

Memorable Monday Spending time with cousins

My cousin and his family came to AZ for a visit. It was great to see them and spend some time with them. One night, the adults went out to dinner and had an enjoyable evening talking and catching up. It's wonderful to have family visit us in AZ. Jim and I with David and CarolineDavid Caroline with Lisa and Travis

They spent the whole week with the Clawsons and are the best of friends.

It reminded me of spending time with the Meyers when we were kids. The Meyers are the only cousins we have on my dad's side. I remember spending Christmas with them and picking out the best Christmas presents for the boys - usually we got them model cars. I remember visiting them in Pleasant Grove and hanging out with them. We had some really good times when we were young. After my Grandpa had a stroke and needed to stay in the rest home, both families went to Oakley to clean out his house. This was a big project and took many weekends. It was a great bonding time for both our families. My Grandpa lived in a small church and we would play hide and seek. There were a lot of good hiding places. We played more than we helped I'm sad to say. Our family moved to AZ, but we would visit the Meyers when we visited UT. One special memory we shared with my younger two cousins was a trip to the movies. My Grandpa wasn't doing well, so we took the girls to see Milo & Otis. We laughed so hard and for a small moment, forgot everything and enjoyed being together. A while later, the Meyers moved to Vernal , UT and then to Texas. My Aunt and Uncle visit my parents often, but we don't get to see my cousins much anymore. It was wonderful to David and his family and visit with them.

This is how I will always remember the Meyer family.

My kids are AWESOME!

When we came home from our resort trip, I develop an infection on my foot and had to keep it elevated. I lied down for most of spring break and wasn't able to take the kids out to play. My kids helped me out so much and never complained that they were stuck home. They knew the situation and made the most of it. They would check on me and see if I was okay. They would watch movies and TV with me. They were so loving and supportive. The nights that Jim had school, they were so incredibly helpful. I just wanted to thank my kids and let them know how awesome I think they are.

14th Wedding Anniversary

Jim and I have been married for 14 years. We were married on March 17, 1995 in the Arizona Temple. I remember Jim picking me up in his red truck and we walked into the temple hand in hand to be sealed. It was such an exciting day to marry my best friend. It was great to be surrounded by family and friends on that special day. It's fun to remember the events that took place that day and feelings that we felt. These past 14 years have been great years. It seems like the time has flown by, but it's hard to remember what my life was without Jim. I hope the next 14 years are as happy. Happy Anniversary Jim!

Memorable MondaySwimming

Returning home from spending time together swimming reminded of the times my parents took the family swimming. I learned to swim when I was in 6th grade. We started off swimming at Mt. Jordan and later swimming in other pools. I remember swimming at Highland High, Murray City Park, and Cottonwood Heights Rec. Most of those pools are indoor pools and I think my kids would that's cool. The idea of no sunscreen sounds great, but I really like the outdoors pool we have here in AZ. Some memories are hard to put into words, but they are so fun to remember. I hope that my kids will remember the good times we spend together.

Arizona Grand Getaway

For the weekend, our Family stayed at the Arizona Grand Resort. Four years ago, we decided that we would try to have a family vacation in the Valley of the Sun. We only had to travel 20 miles to reach our destination. We had a great time swimming and enjoying the sun. We floated down the lazy river, played in the wave pool, sat in the hot tub, and relaxed in the sun. Our family needed to spend some much needed time together. It was sweet to see the kids play with each other and help each other.

Emily and I floating down the lazy river.

The hot tub was a big hit, especially in the morning and evening.

Josh and Dani loved playing in the wave pool and hanging out near the waves.

Angela played with a tube for most of the day. She felt confident to go down the river by herself and go deep into the wave pool with it. We are proud of her.

Jim and Emily found time to nap.

Medieval Festival

Every year the 6th graders hold a Medieval Festival. They spent a lot of time learning and preparing for the even. Josh did a lot of research about the crusades and wrote a historical fiction piece. On the day of the festival, the students get dressed up and participate in a lot of different events. They did some juggling, play medieval card games, make a candle, do a little jousting, and a few other things. I volunteered that day and was anxious to be apart of this event. I was helping a parent run the card games when the parent running the jousting event had to quickly leave. I took over his spot and felt unprepared to teach the class, but did it anyway. I learned a little more about jousting that day and got great pictures.

Josh dressed up as a Jester. He picked out the colors and a family member made it for him.

Here is Josh jousting.

This was before I volunteered.

A yummy lunch made by his teacher.

The 6th graders also had to create a castle with a working prop. The catapult really works.

Band Concert

Mr. A planned a different style band concert this time around. He asked the students if they wanted to do a solo, duet, or be in a small group. Some students chose to do duet with Mr. A. It was neat to see the students perform in smaller groups. Josh and Dani played a duet which made me very happy, that's why they chose to do it. Josh and Dani were unable at school to practice together. Since we don't have a snare drum, they didn't practice at home either. When it was their turn, I was a little nervous. They did an amazing job and everyone commented on how well they played together.

This is the first video that I've put on a blog. It's fun to try new technology.

Josh did another song with a group. He played the bass clarinet, which he picked up two weeks before the concert. The clarinet and bass clarinet play the same notes with the same positions, the only difference is the size. Josh has learned confidence in learning a new instrument and I think he wants to learn more. It's exciting when they get into music, but I need to put some serious money away to rent more instruments.

Dani turns 11

Dani turned 11 years old today. Dani is a wonderful daughter and such a great help to me. I've enjoyed talking to you and watching movies with her. I love her and I'm so honored to be her mother. I wanted to share 11 fun things about Dani and a few pictures.

1. Dani is very involved in school - band, Battle of the Books, Student Council, PNN, and has helped take pictures for the year book.
2. Dani loves animals. She has a pet fish that she loves and takes care of it.
3. Dani loves to watch Rachel Ray and then help me cook yummy food.
4. Dani is kind and helps her younger sisters.
5. Dani has a great memory. She remembers events that happened years ago.
6. Dani likes to jewelry for herself and others.
7. Dani loves to roller blade, especially if she has a partner.
8. Dani loves to play school with her sisters. She creates reading and math problems for them.
9. Dani likes to blog and make scrapbooks on the computer.
10. Dani loves to shop. She loves to shop with her cousins at Target.
11. Dani tells good jokes and makes me laugh.

Dani was blessed on Easter Sunday.

Dani at 1 year old

Dani at 2 yrs. old

Memorable MondaySisters

Dani and Angela

As we finish Angela's birthday celebration, we quickly look forward to Dani's birthday celebration. Their birthdays are two weeks apart. Dani and Angela are two years apart.

Lisa and Tami

My sister and I have birthdays less than a week apart. I am a little less than one year older than her. We are 11 months, .... days apart. Lisa knows exactly, so I always relied on her for the answer. Lisa and I are the same age for 6 days. Many times, our mom had one birthday party for the both of us. My birthday is on a holiday and Lisa's in on my parent's anniversary, so it made sense to have just one party. People often thought that Lisa and I were twins, but we just look alike. It didn't help that my mom bough us the same outfit in different colors. I'm guilty of that too. On Christmas and Easter, I dressed my girls in the same style and color of dresses. Lisa and I have different personalities and complement each other. We help each other out with our different talents.

Cavalcade

Dani participated in Cavalcade this year. Piano teacher in the valley organize this event and it was very well attended. At the performance, there are twenty pianos and two students per piano. The students have to follow the conductor and listen to the beat of the drummer. The students had to memorize two songs and perform them as a group. This was Dani's first year and she was a tad nervous. It was a great experience for the Dani. There were about 10-11 groups, so a lot of kids participated in this event.

Dani played Primo on "Skip to My Lou" and Secondo on "Blue Danube Waltz" with her partner.

These hands are not Dani and her partners, but so cool to see.

Dani's group as they practice the morning before their performance. It's a great experience to follow a conductor.

After the performance, we have to make a big deal in her accomplishments. Good Job Dani!

Memorable Monday Girl's Bedrooms

Our three girls have to share a tiny little bedroom. There's only room for one bed and some bookshelves and a little bit of play area. With three girls, Jim and I have thought long and hard about how to have the girls sleep comfortably in the room. We tried many different options before we decided to spend some big bucks and purchase a twin bunk bed with a trundle. Each girl has their separate bed without compromising on space.

That reminds of our sleeping arrangements growing up with my family. Our brothers shared a bedroom right across from my parents while the three girls shared two bedrooms down in the basement. The bedrooms downstairs had an opening between the two rooms, so sometimes we considered in one huge room. It was as big as my parents' room, our brothers' room, and a closet combined. It was awesome! The basement wasn't finished and the walls were dry wall. We drew on our walls and wrote cool messages without getting in trouble. It was great sleeping downstairs, but my dad always knew when we weren't sleeping. Lisa and I could talk all night if given a chance. When we moved to AZ, my parents bought a house with four complete bedrooms. The boys picked the bedroom that was the farthest away from my parents. I think they planned that. My sisters and I have had a lot of great memories of that old bedroom. I hope my girls create memories and enjoy sharing a room.