Thumb Sucking Solutions

My sweet baby, who is now 5, still sucks his thumb. Mostly it's when he is tired or waking up. So last night, Thao decided to "cure" him. I wish I had taken a picture! He put a glove on his hand, and wrapped medical tape around his wrist. So Joey went to bed decked out like Michael Jackson!!! He slept fine then yanked it off this morning! We'll see what happens next...

WHEW!

The birthday month is finally over! Aaron turned 13 (AGH),Thao had a birthday during the soccer tournament, and we ended with mine. Thao's was the most fun - I did a surprize party or him with his soccer team at the hotel. I don't think he even suspected anything until Cole and Gage showed up late and RUINED it!!! It was still really funny! The boys were allowed to get a him a present for $1 or less. He got lots of candy and some very creative things! An his team lost one, tied one and won 2 - came in third place in a higher division!!! It was lots of fun!
we didn't do too much for Aaron, but he will be having a "movie party" when they have a day off of school. And the best part about my birthday is it's over! jk Seriously, the best part was scrappin with Sara and Tammy, and all the b-day wishes from my friends! (but my bro forgot! hehehe)

I love Sunshine and Blue Skies

If you have ever lived in Utah in the winter, you know about the inversion. Or perhaps I should say "Inversion". It gets yucky and smoggy and gross and hard to breath. A couple weeks ago, Utah had the top five cities with the worst air quality in the nation. SO...
I LOVE sunshine and blue skies and white clouds and snow and rain. I am grateful to have much cleaner air to breath, and I'm grateful that Heavenly Father allows not-so-good things so we can appreciate the good things!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOEY!

I can't believe that 5 years ago at this hour, I was playing with my sister (so glad she's my sis!), without any contractions, feeling great, and 7 hours from now I had a baby that had to stay in the hospital. That was totaly a run-on sentence! How grateful I am that Joey was able to come to our family, and all that he has taught us and brought us...
1. He taught me faith
2. He taught me that Heavenly Father is in charge
3. He taught me to love my hubby more and emphasized the power of the priesthood
4. He daily teaches me to laugh and love
5. He brought a completeness to our family
6. He brings sweet smiles with dimples every day
7. He brings a spirit so different from the others, and yet, so much a part of our whole
8. He taught me that I can do more than I thought I could

There is so much more, but that encompasses a lot of it. Happy Birthday, my boy-we-thought-was-a-girl! I'm so glad you are who you are!!!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Happy Holidays to all my friends! It has been a crazy year, and with the addition of forced Facebook (thanks Sara and Luke), PTA, Reflections, SOCCER and more soccer and more soccer and supporting my "team", I kinda didn't keep up on the blog! (as if you can't tell!!!)

My early resolution is to be more consistant with the blog. It is good for me and fun for those loved ones who follow us through it (thanks, Birds!). I am SO grateful for family, friends and all that I am able to do. I am blessed beyond measure, and hope that I can remember that gratitude in all that I do. I am especially grateful for my Savior, whose birth we celebrate today by giving to others.

The kids are all doing well as growing by leaps and bounds. Todd is at a charter school and has grown so much (physically, mentally, educationally, and spiritually). I am so grateful we followed the promptings to get him there. Aaron is my friend to everyone, and so happy-go-lucky. He plays the violin and rocks at soccer. Audrey is an amazing girl at everything she does, which is wonderful. She was recently in the school choir, a play at the ward party, her class art committee, and, of course, soccer. She is excelling in school, and becoming quite a young lady. Lance is rockin' in first grade and loves school, his friends, and having home lunch at school. He and Joey recently played indoor soccer and LOVED it! Joey is home with mom, and very sweet most of the time. He is getting tall and becoming a social kid!! He sure can stand up to his siblings.

Thao is still running, teaching Sunday School and struggling with our little Vietnamese group. He is Todd's Soccer coach, and assistant on Audrey's team. He keeps VERY busy, so we take advantage of the time we have when we are not at soccer! I am doing PTA (much to Thao's dismay at times), Family History Consultant for the ward, managing the soccer coach and schedules, and helping whenever I'm asked because I'm like my mom and can't say no. I do what I can for the Viet. group and offer my house for activities. Right now I am working on PTA Reflections for the Council level, which includes judging and awards for 9 schools. It's fun but chaotic!

All in all, we are happy and healthy and grateful for all we have! It's a WONDERFUL life!

...FOUR DOWN!!!

Yippee! All four of my kids are in school all day! I had so much I was going to do, and so much I wanted to do, and did I do it? HAH! I watched a friend's little boy, and read a book. I wasn't even a good mommy to my only child left home. Oh well, it has only just started! Tomorrow I'm getting a massage - so I DO know how to enjoy......

Yea, school!

Watch for pictures soon!

WEDNESDAY

...three down...

TUESDAY

...two down...

MONDAY

one down...

SITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION.....

The mom has so much to do with children starting school on Monday (Todd), Tuesday (Aaron) and Wednesday (Audrey and Lance), that additions to this blog are temporarily put on HOLD...

...check with me in about a week and a half!

Family trip

Mid July, we shoved the 7 of us and a nephew into the vehicle and drove 2500 miles to Crater Lake, Oregon, over to the Coast, down through the Redwoods to San Fransisco, over to Lake Tahoe and home. We tented except in San Fran. It was a blast (tons of fun and dirt), the kids were really good (surprisingly), and we made some awesome memories (like cliff jumping - ahhhhh). When I can get the camera back from Thao, I will put pictures up!

On the last day, during the drive home, I had the kids write down their 10 favorite things. It truly helped me to keep it all in perspective.

JOEY (age 4): The castle and beach at Lake Tahoe
Jumping off the dock

LANCE (age 6): swimming, crab fishing, tipool (tide pool), cratelake (Crater Lake), chasig chipmos (chasing chipmunks), chocelet, DS, seals and sea lions, rosting mashmeos (roasting marshmellows), going home

AUDREY (age 9): Cliff jumping, watching the stars, tidal pools, roasting 'mellows and dogs, the fresh air, exploring with friends, the smell of a campfire, the Silver Man dancing, hiking to Emerald Bay, seeing pictures in the clouds

AARON (age 12): jumping off the dock, jumping into Crater Lake, crab fishing,tide pools, adventuring, souvenir shopping, swimming, playing the DS, seeing animals, getting chocolate (at Ghirardelli)

TODD (turned 14 on the trip): Sleeping in a bed, jumping of the cliff

Where did the summer go?

What? Where did the last 2 months go? What happened to all that free time? And all those fun things we were going to do? Oh, yeah, summer happened...

Scout Camp
Lagoon
Friend's houses
Rearranging bedrooms
Summer homework
Fishing
Fishing some more
Soccer tryouts
Soccer practices
Cleaning house
Yard Sale
Haircuts
Giant, Huge, Way Fun Family Vacation!!!

It's been fun and busy. So now I know what happened... maybe!

School's out, Scream and Shout

Welcome, summer. Goodbye to school. Thank you, Mrs. Bailey, Mrs. Miller, and Mrs. Hargrove, as well as the teachers at the middle school. Audrey is sad, mom is glad, boys are screaming and shouting (at each other, at the homework mom gives them, at having to do chores, etc.). Time for adventures!

Introducing Supergirl!

I am so proud of my daughter. She is well rounded, beautiful, smart (way, way, smart), she is a great helper, and she thinks of others. The last week of school, she decided to cut her hair and donate it to Locks of Love. So, mom kinda sniffled as the scissors snipped away, but it is SO cute and fun and check out the curl in the back! It will be great for summer, it wil help a little girl who is losing her hair, and it has taught us all about serving others. I am so proud to be her mom... (sniffle, sniffle)

What a week...

What a fun and crazy week last week! Soccer games were exciting and stressful, teacher appreciation was appreciated, Joe's Crab Shack was yummy and fun, mom and daughter activity day was attended without mom, and mom was sick. Then I got sicker. And even sicker. Isn't there a rule that says mom's can't get sick? Or is that just the family rule? Oh, well... at least I'm finally getting better!

More awesome teachers...

From the kids...

Thank you to Mrs. Pincock, Mrs. Harrison, Mr. Davidson, Mrs. Melton, Mr. Kelley, Ms. Yawn, Mrs. Bohman, Mrs. Haines, Mrs. Bailey, Mrs. Mickelsen, Ms. Miller, Mrs. Hargrove. Thank you for helping us become what we are!

It's Teacher Appreciation Week

As a sucker mom for PTA, I have the opportunity to help with Teacher Appreciation Week this week at our school. So, to all you parents out there, PLEASE take the opportunity to thank those teachers who positively influence our children's lives and our lives. They do so much with very little thanks and a whole lot of complaints. Let us teach our children to appreciate the effort that others take in teaching them!!!!

Thank you to: Mrs. Wirthlin (3rd grade), Rita Yarbrough who believed I could DO math, Claudia Wright, Alan Parrish, Bob Rasmussen, a college history teacher whose I can't remember but who taught me to think outside the box. Briana Zenger, Brent Cox, Sara Saxey, Heather Cook, Hanh Auduong, Hoa Kim Duncan, my husband and my children. We all teach is many ways.

I was once told, "a teacher is a teacher as long as someone remembers them that way."

A Star is Born!

Audrey is a star! She participated in the Fourth Grade play and did a fantastic job as the goddess Timpanogas. Wish I had better pictures, but alas, the lighting in the school gym is not conducive to great pictures. I was so proud of her, though! She did a great job, as Mrs. Witt-Roper, Ms. Yawn and Mrs. Bailey all agreed! Way to go, my star!

Fun Pictures

Fun pictures of spring, Carson surrounded by kids, pretty ladies, crazy kids, and our Easter Egg Hunt!

Good luck, Minh and Cami!

Our good friends, Minh (Nathan) and Cami are moving back to Kentucky for a new job. Congrats to them, but we will miss tham (as will her mom!). We know they will be a blessing to the people back there, but they leave a hole in our little Viet group! We love you guys!

Happy Birthday, Lance!

Lance is a lucky little tyke! He got 2 birthday parties - one with family, squeezed in between soccer games, and one with friends during the time a soccer game got cancelled!!!! Lucky kid. He really raked in the presents, and got 2 yummy cakes (one of which dad took him to the store on mom's order and picked the yummiest chocolate cake! mmmmm). He is now six, sweet, sassy and smart. (Or smart - aleck?!?). He likes to build things (legos, Bionicles, tinker-toys), his favorite color is ORANGE, he loves his friends, bacon, watermelon, ice cream, wrestling with dad, playing the Wii, dogs and his pet rat. I'm glad he is part of our family, because it sure wouldn't be the same without him! Love you, Lancey-pants!

Hello...is anybody home???

OK so we've been busy the last couple months. Here's a brief recap...

Over President's Day in February, we went down to St. George for a soccer tournament. Todd's team did well, it was beautiful weather, we had a great time, and we got to see Hoover Dam where part of Transformers was filmed!!!!

I had the pleasure (?) of speaking in church about family history.

We had the great honor of welcoming home Staff Sergeant Matt Brooks from Afghanistan. It was our pleasure to be there with their family as he came home! May God bless this country and those soldiers who sacrifice for our freedom...

Thao's mom got married!!! Congrats to her and Quy! What a fun thing to experience.

My crocuses bloomed, then it snowed, then the daffodils bloomed, then it snowed, then the trees bloomed and it snowed...can we see a pattern here?

Lance lost his first tooth! Then his second!

We went to Moab in mid-March for Thao and Todd to run the Canyonlands race. Thao ran the half-marathon, Todd ran the 5-mile. They both did great, especially Todd! (sorry, honey). We explored the Price Dinosaur Museum, Nine Mile Canyon, and hiked to new places in Moab. It was beautiful and very, very nice!

Audrey was accepted into the Advanced Learning Placement Program for school next year. She will be attending Westland Elementary instead of Heartland. We will be sad to not be with Heartland next year but this is a great opportunity for Miss Smarty Pants!!!!

General Conference came and went and we celebrated it downtown again. Have you ever noticed that it usually is bad weather on Saturday, but rarely on Sunday?

The Tran family got to sing "I Feel My Savior's Love" on Easter Sunday in sacrament meeting. Lance, especially, was AWESOME!

Annual Easter Egg Hunt in the backyard was a blast. It amazes me that after 40 minutes of hiding eggs, and who knows how many hours of filling eggs, 400 of said eggs can be picked up in 14 minutes...

Whew! Now we are caught up!

Puppetering ROCKS!

Audrey and the Activity day girls in our ward decided to put on a puppet show for our ward. They began making their puppets and creating a script for the army of Helaman and Samuel the Lamanite. Todd was asked to be Samuel, both the real person and the puppet. Aaron was asked to help with the army of Helaman. They performed their show on Saturday and it ROCKED!!!!! I wish I could have recorded it, but all you get to see are pictures. What a fun experience for them and a fun way to expand their talents!!!!

Happy belated Birthday

Aaron is 12! And what a week! His birthday was on Monday, we had frozen pizza and soccer practice, he had a big ole party on Friday (what was I thinking to have so many 12 year olds over!?!?!?), and he recieved the Aaronic Priesthood on Sunday, with family over for dinner afterwards. What a crazy, fun week.

I'm am so grateful to claim him as my son. He is thoughtful (most of the time), crazy fun, a wonderful cuddler and back-scratcher, a fantastic artist -very creative, a great soccer player and a worthy priesthood holder. He loves animals and Yu-gi-oh cards, and he is a joy to have around. Our family would not be complete without him. How blessed I am to now have 3 priesthood holders in my home. He and Todd walk around saying "hey, deacon" to each other!

Happy Birthday, Aaron - you are AWESOME!

My "New" Bathroom

OK, I have so much to do today, and what do I do? Blog...

As I was cleaning my bathroom, I noticed the shower curtain was gross, and my rugs were falling apart. So, wa-la!!! My new, bright bathroom!

Question...

I have been listening to the news and radio and hearing alot about Pres. Obama, etc. Constantly I hear about how historic an occasion this is, and Ken Burns (the documentarian) said this is a new era.
So my question is this: He is our president, he is a man, he is HALF BLACK; why is it so historic? Does he have special powers no other president has? Does the color of his skin make him more powerful? Or does it not have to do with his skills as a president, but rather, the fact that a minority was able to become commander in chief? I have nothing against his color, heck, I married a minority, but I think people are making to big of a deal of the fact that he is HALF BLACK. This segregation is what causes all the problems we have relating to minorities. If we could just see people as PEOPLE, rather than black, white, Asian, poor, rich, Mormon, atheist, wouldn't that solve alot of problems???

On a somewhat related note...
No matter WHO we voted for, Obama IS the president. We should support him, because he has a dang hard job. We don't have to like or agree with him, but he IS our president.

Enough of my soapbox...

Two Words

I have a BEAUTIFUL friend who picks one word each year to work on (ie: perserverance, patience, simplify, etc.). I have taken her idea and tweaked it.



My children amaze me. They are constantly blowing my mind with the things they can do and the potential they have. Also with their misbehavior at times, but they are, after all, children! I am blessed to have been entrusted with thir care and I want to help them understand how much I love them and believe in them. So I am going to pick TWO WORDS that I feel describe not only WHO they are, but HOW I feel about them.



My daughter was the easiest: BRILLIANT AND BEAUTIFUL, both inside and out. She can do anything, and she has a very loving, nurturing spirit. I'll let you know when I figure out the boys. I was thinking SMART and Sassy or slimy or silly for Lance, but I'm still working on that...

decoration ideas...

These are some of the ideas I have for decorations for our Tet party. This is for the stage (the curtain will stay closed - it is turquoise). PLEASE let me know which one you like best. Also, the easels would hold the paintings (pix of which follow). It is as close to scale as I could get. I would love to light the Chinese lanterns if I can, and the round ones vary in color, so can be switched around. The square ones are only orange.

Thanks for your help!!!!!!!

Family Home Evenings

hehehehehehehe...

A few months ago, my children were not participating with a good attitude during Family Home Evening. Mostly, they refused to sing. So in a fit of inspiration (?), I told the bigger ones (ages 13, 11, 9) that if they did not sing and sing well I would have them participate in Ward Choir practice.

So, both at Thanksgiving and for the Ward Christmas program, myself and my children were part of the Choir. Todd sang baritone, Aaron tenor and Audrey and I were sopranos (which was challenging for me). It was a fun experience and apparently we added alot, because we have been asked to come back for the Easter program! My children now sing well during FHE!!!!

NEW STUFF!

Here's the new stuff in my life...

Our good friend and adopted sister, Hanh, had her baby girl on Tuesday, January 13th. Her name is Analise Thien Y Auduong, and she is oh, so cute! I got to hold and cuddle her! However, you will not see any pix anytime soon of anything, because they borrowed my camera (left for the hospital too fast) and I haven't got it back yet!

Year after year, Thao and I promise we will go on vacation for Vietnamese New Year, so we won't have to decorate, help, clean up, organize, etc! Yet again, this year, we are missing the boat and will be setting up, decorating, organizing, directing, dancing, cleaning up at Tet on Saturday. So to all of you, Cung Chuc Tan Xuan! (happy new year)!!! Yippee for us. It is fun, but alot of work...

Futsal (indoor soccer is the best explanation for you un-soccer people) starts this Thursday. I am conflicted, because I seem to be far more organized during soccer season, but it is chaos. So, onward, ever onward.

Audrey and Lance have finished their testing for the Advanced Learning Placement program in school. The both said it was easy, and seemed to enjoy the challenge. Come the end of April, we will have decisions to make about where to put them with their schooling. I always thought that parents with special needs kids really had challenges figuring out how to help their kids but now I realize that really smart ones are also "special needs" and it is every bit as challenging. I have learned to be flexible and willing to do what is best for MY KIDS. I am responsible for them and to help them succeed, therefore, my priority is what is best for them...

We have a couple new families in our little Vietnamese church group. They are not members, but have been coming to Church and getting involved with our little group. It is wonderful, but difficult, because Thao is the only native priesthood holder left in our group. He also has been translating during Sacrament meeting and so he doesn't sit with us anymore. It's a little overwhelming and our Sundays are WAY busy (sounds like the rest of our lives). I worry about my sweet hubby multi-multi-tasking, but I have faith that blessings will come as we meet the challenges (good and bad) that Heavenly Father sends our way.

It is a wonderful new year full of tons of potential! Yea for us...

Thankful Tuesday

Perhaps it is the season, perhaps I am supposed to be learning something, I don't know, but lately I feel very humble and blessed.

The last month or so we have had several close friends have health issues. One of my Young Women (from years ago) is struggling with the fact that her husband has colon cancer. They don't have any kids yet, and they are both young. One of my kid's favorite teacher's wife has Stage 3 lung cancer. My best friend's hubby had to go in for surgery to remove a lump (luckily benign), and ended up with complications. A fellow soccer mom is undergoing chemo right now. My beautiful friend in Vietnam just found a large lump in her breast. "Grandma Joan", a close family friend, is fading. My dad's best friend recently passed away unexpectedly.

I feel for these wonderful people and their families, and rejoice in the lives they touch each day. How grateful I am to have been touched in some way by them. And how grateful I am for mine and my family's health. I hope that by living my life to the fullest and appreciating what I have will honor my friends and their families.

My hopes, prayers and thoughts are with each of you...

Help...

Does anyone have solutions or suggestions of how to deal with a very angry 5 year old? Lance gets soooo angry sometimes, and I try to cuddle him, distract him, put him in time-out, read to him, threaten him, etc, etc, etc. He gets this growl on and runs around hitting or saying he'll kill someone. Should I just beat it out of him????? (JK sort of!)

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10...

My Baby is Four :(...

Joey is four years old today, although I had to remind him that it is now OK to be four. (We had a big discussion 2 months ago that he WAS NOT four yet!).

He got some Thomas toys and a game for his birthday, so our family room has been transformed to the Island of Sodor. It's almost 2:00 and he's still in his pj's (bad mom!). He got a phone call from Goeffrey the giraffe from Toys R Us, then from Grammy. Can you guess which call he was more excited about?!?!?! We are having Vietnamese for dinner tonight and an ice cream pie for a cake. Dad has a Silver Thread (see sidebar link) interview, so it will just be mom and the kids! What a kicked-back b-day!

Happy Birthday to my very sweet four-year-old with a nice shiner!!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

A happy Holiday wish to all our friends and family! We think of you at this wonderful season and wish you the very best, with all our love and hugs...

May you have a very merry season and have a wonderful new year!

My Christmas Wish List

1. Peace in my house for 30 minutes...
2. A package of paper cups so I don't have to wash cups.
3. Children who don't complain about doing chores.
4. Painted toenails.
5. A clean house without me having to do it!
6. A good hair day.
7. Hugs - NOT Zerbets!!!
8. More time with my friends and sister.
9. More time...
10. All my loved ones to know I love them and appreciate their influence in my life!

The Reason!!!!

So, this is the reason (one of them) we went to Arizona. We are the proud owners of a Toyota "Surburban". It's actually a Sequoia, but my brother has a Suburban so he calls my sister's Expedition a "Ford Suburban", so we jumped on the bandwagon.





We needed a vehicle we could take camping, and this one has eight seats, so our big, huge teenager can spread out, and I can separate those children who choose to fight while we are in the car...

So if you know anyone looking for a nice 2000 Ford Windstar van, it's for sale!

And, yes, it is our Christmas present to ourselves!

Our Thanksgiving Weekend

He must have been trying to shock me, because Thao suggested we go down to Arizona to spend thanksgiving with my sister. Four and half years ago he swore he wouldn't go back (he got a speeding ticket on that trip)! So I rushed through my mini-week to prepare to leave Wednesday am with my parents in tow (not literally).

We had a wonderful time enjoying each other and spending the first semi-Stowell Thanksgiving dinner in over eight years. And the weather was beautiful! Carri and mom made an awesome turkey dinner ( I helped a bit), Carri wowed us with her mastery of swimsuit making, Sam entertained and loved Joey, and the big girls were inseperable, and Uncle Brandon was awesome about taking Todd and Aaron hiking, then playing all kinds of sports in their huge "front yard".

We had a wonderful time!

On our way home, we stopped at the Grand Canyon to be thankful for God's amazing creations! If you have never been there - go!!! Next to Arches, Yosemite and Lake Tahoe, it's one of my favorites!

Now, on to the reality of finishing up the Reflections Art Contest for the school, doing laundry (endlessly), and getting ready for Christmas. Maybe tomorrow I'll tell you WHY Thao wanted to go to Arizona!!!!!!

I'm Baaaack!

hehehe...
I will now take back my blog...but it will have to be later! Todd has his own, and I need to post again. We had an ABSOLUTELY AMAZING time in Arizona for Thanksgiving, with a YUMMY turkey dinner. THANK YOU, EKBERGS! A few pleasant surprises like Sam and Joey bonding, fun watching Grandpa play baseball and watching my boy's shocked faces when I hit the baseball TWICE! It was great to spend time with Carri and Mom, and see how mellow Thao was about being there! I will put pictures on when I find my camera (I'm still unpacking)...

TODD!!!

Guess what? I got my own blog! look at the links... then check it out!!!

From Todd =)

Technical Difficulties

So, it's me again, and I have an update on my guitar progress. Crazy train is learned, One is perfected, Sweet child o' mine is in progress. I said I was going to post some videos on my mothers hilariously lame (just kidding) blog, but we are having some technical difficulties, aka my mom. So since my mom isn't willing to post some videos right now, I'll have to wait. Anyway, I don't like my mom's personality on this blog, so I'll be choosing to make my own blog sometime in the distant future.

By the way, Dan, I like your new blog, I posted some comments.

=)

TODD

During the time period in which my mom has been forced to make a blog by my aunt, there has not been much of me in the blog except for the "Personal guitar hero" thing, which was pretty embarrassing. Anyway, the only reason my mom says those things about me is because I'm freakin' amazing at three things, soccer(and yes to all you football players, it's cooler that your demented oval-shaped ball game), art, and music, most of all. Specifically, guitar. Me and my friend Andrew are the best guitar players in our grade (and that's saying something, because Andrew still sucks, lol, Just kidding, he rocks), and he can play every song that I can play, except for "One, by Metallica". Unfortuneatly, in the last two days, he's learned a song that I can't play, to be specific, "Crazy Train, by Ozzy Ozborne", yes, parents, "eww", but at least I have some competition now. Anyway, I have another friend Greg, who plays the bass, and he is self-taught but he's friggin' amazing. He's trying to learn the bass part to "Sweet Child o' Mine, by Guns N' Roses", and I can already play the guitar part, so when we get together again, we'll make a video, and you can see our awesomeness. Also, when I can play "Crazy Train" I'll make a video of that. Well, I think I've babbled on long enough, so rock on, and peace out(lol, just kidding, hippies suck!!!)!

So Very Thankful Thursday

A few weeks ago, my best friend's hubby went to the doctor becuase he had a lump in his bicep. It turned out to be a tumor the size of a golfball, and they didn't know how bad it was. It was very scary in many ways, and iI worried so much for both of them. Last week he went in for a biopsy, and I got a call last night that it is BENIGN!!!! I am so grateful for that he will be OK, and so will their awesome family. Prayers truly are answered, but I also know that we are strengthened through our trials. And I am SOOO grateful for friends!

Monday Madness

For my very favorite sister (okay, my only sister), I have changed your comment line, just as you asked. Now I'm contemplating all sorts of other changes to your blog. I'm thinking it should be something like a treasure hunt. Can you find all the stuff I did? Should I give you a few hints? Like maybe I made 5 changes. Can you find them all?



Love you bunches!

Thankful Thursday!

I am thankful I do not have my neighbor's tree. It is big and beautiful, but when it drops leaves, you don't wanna be there. You can hear leaves dropping from our yard. So for any of you who are complaining about raking leaves, check out the car and the sidewalk. And this is just from today!!!

the rest of the Halloween Pictures

Yep, those are my toes, and they are glow-in-the-dark, too!

Yes, I Still Live...

Ok - enough harrassment! It's been a busy week and I was sick last week (that really sucked, by the way!).

Then we had Halloween -what fun! My daughter was beautiful, thanks in HUGE part to my AWESOME sister for making her costume. Aaron was a ninja (?), Lance is Spidey and Joey was Thomas the Tank Engine. Todd wears a shirts that says "I don't do costumes". What a party-pooper.

On Halloween night, our power surged and smelled like it fried something. So I called Rocky Mountain Power, they came 35 minutes later, and told us the transformer was faulty (the boys got really excited when he mentioned "transformer"). Sunday they came to replace the unit, and the kids felt sorry for them! I was really grateful they came so fast, and I sure have learned to appreciate my electricity!

Today, Lance and Joe are building train tracks. Down the hall and into the kitchen and past. And they are asking for MORE tracks!!!!!

Then there is outside. Beautiful, but do I have to go out? Boy, am I grateful for a garage!